Madness Drama: Geno vs. Dawn, Mara's Emergence, Hurley's Magic, BIG's Void
My March Madness brackets had Arizona winning on the men's side and UConn on the women's, so both my picks lost in the semi-finals. UCLA, the most talented team in the country with potentially five first-round WNBA draft picks, crushed South Carolina in the women's final. Tonight's men's championship matchup features a Michigan team that vanquished Arizona in the semis, versus a UConn team going for its third men's title in the last four years. Along with the usual buzz
Gary Cavalli
1 day ago
LSU's Slime Tarnishes March Madness; Okorie's Future; Trivia Time; Cabinet Clowns
This should be the high point of the year for college basketball. March Madness has featured some terrific games with the usual down-to-the-wire finishes, buzzer beaters, and phenomenal performances. UConn 's last-second win over Duke last night was a game for the ages. We're looking forward to next weekend's Final Four. Our pick is Arizona . But there's inevitably some ugly scandal or coaching move that will take away the sport's luster and remind us that a few of the peopl
Gary Cavalli
Mar 30
Okorie's Honors; Cinderella's "Death"; Venezuela's Joy
Stanford's sensational freshman point guard, Ebuka Okorie , was named an All-America honorable mention last week. I had hoped he might sneak onto the third team, but it's a really select group. AP only picks a five-man first team, a five-man second team, and a five-man third team, with honorable mentions limited to the next 10 vote-getters. So by earning honorable mention All-America, Okorie is legitimately considered one of the 25 best players in America. Not bad for a kid w
Gary Cavalli
Mar 23
Stanford's Quarterback Quandary; Coaching Salary Insanity; 49ers' Moves
Once upon a time, Stanford was known as "Quarterback U." It was the place where great quarterbacks came to play and develop, run a pro-style, high-powered offense, earn a bunch of honors and perhaps lead the nation in passing. My, how times have changed. Last week the folks at ESPN ranked the 2026 starting quarterbacks for all 68 Power 4 college football teams as they head into spring practice. There are a ton of good quarterbacks returning this fall. The top tier includes Tr
Gary Cavalli
Mar 16
Pop Warner Trophy Returns; No Pearls of Wisdom From Bruce; War Games
Sometimes good things can disappear for a while and then come back from the dead. Like the Golden State Warriors, when Joe Lacob bought the team from Chris Cohan . Or Indiana football, when Curt Cignetti was hired as head coach. Such is the case with the Pop Warner Trophy, a prestigious award that was given annually to the best college football player on the West Coast from 1949-2004. The award has been dormant for 21 years, but thanks to the efforts of former Stanford
Gary Cavalli
Mar 9
The Messy Marriage of Sports and Politics; Kuminga Shines, Porzingas Sits
Sports and politics have always been strange bedfellows. The Olympic Games are the most obvious example of this incendiary union. But thanks to the current political climate, the intersection of sports and politics has become fertile ground for exploitation and propaganda. Ideally, sports promote competition, discipline, teamwork, winning with grace, losing with class, camaraderie, fairness, mental toughness and physical fitness, along with a host of other qualities and ben
Gary Cavalli
Mar 2
U.S. Olympians Finish Strong; NCAA Loses Again; Rashada Settles; Sac State Spends Big
The overall U.S. Olympic medal count in Milan /Cortina may be somewhat disappointing, but America finished on a high note with gold medal performances by figure skater Alysa Liu and the men's and women's hockey teams. Liu's sensational, joyful program was America's first gold-medal effort by a woman since 2002. The East Bay native had recently returned after a two-year hiatus from the sport. She joins two other Bay Area icons-- Peggy Fleming and Kristi Yamiguchi --in U.S. O
Gary Cavalli
Feb 23
U.S. Olympic Dreams Dashed; Bay Area Doldrums; Moving Up; Good Bunny
The U.S. Olympic team went to Milan Cortina expecting to bring in an impressive haul of gold medals. But something happened on the way to the medal platform. One after another, heavily favored Americans fell, crashed or underperformed. In fact, virtually all of the big names on the U.S. team those highlighted in NBC promos, have gone down to defeat. It's been a startling display. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was skater Ilia Malinin , the famous "Quad God," who was heavi
Gary Cavalli
Feb 16
Seahawks Romp; Bezos Bails on Free Press; Bay Area Moves; The Black Hole; Racism Rages On
Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks , the team with the best defense in football, an excellent running back in Kenneth Walker III , the offensive player of the year in receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a winning quarterback in Sam Darnold . The New England Patriots , who had reached the Super Bowl after a 4-win season just a year ago, were no match for the Seahwawks defense. One must wonder how the Minnesota Vikings feel today after giving up on Darnol
Gary Cavalli
Feb 9
The Man Who Never Stopped Hustling
Mark Marquess was one of those guys you thought might never die. He was the epitome of energy, enthusiasm, and positive vibes. The legendary Stanford baseball coach passed away Friday at the age of 78, and the news came as a real shock. Marquess coached the baseball team at his alma mater for 41 years (1977-2017). He took his teams to the College World Series 14 times and won back-to-back national championships in 1987 and '88, and finished second three times. He retired as
Gary Cavalli
Feb 2
