For both the New Orleans Saints and the 49ers, this season has suuucked. There's no worse feeling in fandom than unmet expectations. And both of the NFL's gold-helmeted teams have seen the bottom drop out of their dreams for the 2007 season....

Here's todays sports news...

Last Sunday, the 49ers' defense were basically bent into any shape that the New Orleans Saints offense felt like bendin' them into. Want to run? Sure. Want to pass? Sure, as a change of pace. And so it was. And then the game ended....

With all the tragic events going on in the South, it's way too tempting to look for an angle and try to find a way to make it about ourselves. But we do have a local angle happening right here in the Bay Area, a pretty interesting one, in fact. And that is the fact that tonight; the Oakland Raiders are playing the suddenly homeless New Orleans Saints. It goes without saying that the events of Hurricane Katrina make things like sports come off as meaningless. More so about a football game that's meaningless to begin with. But yet, despite it all, teams are still trying to get in some practice, players are fighting for spots, and football goes on. The Saints arrived in the Bay Area last Monday to train at San Jose State University, fleeing the city on Sunday night, one of the last flights allowed out of New Orleans. The trip was several days earlier than planned. Team members have said that they spent most of the time leading up to their flight trying to get their families out. Several players have also admitted to missing team meetings because they were too wrapped up in watching the news to make it. ...