Ladies and gentlemen, here are your three stars of the week:
Dorks like me who have been begging the Warriors for an excellent alternate uniform
» The Warriors, like every team in the NBA, have been overdoing it with the uniforms in recent years. I don’t know if it’s a post-COVID revenue play or a Nike mandate, but every season, teams have three new uniforms in addition to their standard fare, and lately, the Dubs’ alternate offerings have left me wanting more.
There was the black-and-yellow rose jersey (too busy), last year’s (accidental) Cal homage, the strange “San Francisco” hill uniform, and the yellow “The Bay” joint — all misses, in my sartorial opinion.
But I have to say that this season’s “City Edition” uniform — an homage to the Golden Gate Bridge — is a hit for me.
Not only do I love the color scheme — red, blue, yellow, and gold — but the fonts and design elements hit. It’s hardly simplistic, but it’s not crowded. Being a 36-year-old chubby white guy, I will not literally buying one to wear around town, but I’m metaphorically buying the jersey. This is a good look, and I won’t openly scoff when I turn on a game and see the Dubs wearing it. (A nice change from the norm.)
All that said, the giant Golden Gate Bridge design on the court is a bit much, and it certainly clashes with the Bay Bridge logo in the center circle. We can’t have it all, folks.
Those pesky Baby Sharks
» Dare I say that this season is off to a perfect start?
Night in, night out, you can see the baby Sharks getting better. Macklin Celebrini is a video game. Will Smith is working through it, but he’s heading in the right direction. It’s William Eklund’s breakout season. Fabian Zetterlund isn anything but a one-year wonder. Mikael Granlund is going to land this team a really nice player before the deadline. And how about goalie Yaroslav Askarov in Thursday’s Sharks debut? He looked incredible.
The Sharks are playing good hockey. They’re entertaining and competitive, and they’re picking up points.
But they’re not getting two points on most nights, and that’s a victory.
While we all want to see this Sharks team progress into something serious as soon as possible, we must also remember that this team is still mid-rebuild. Yes, it’s been six seasons since the Sharks have made the postseason, and we’re all desperate to once again taste the addictive drug that is playoff hockey, but what San Jose needs out of this season is a positive trajectory and an early draft pick.
With six wins in 22 games, the Sharks are the worst team in hockey. Their point percentage is third-worst.
The Sharks have their top center, their goalie, and a strong future periphery (I like Smith as a wing). Landing a top-five pick and another impact wing or another top defenseman to pair with Sam Dickinson down the line is an outstanding way to go.
It’s all coming up Sharks. The reward will be seen sooner than you might think. (Just not this season.)
Giants fans who pine for the good ol’ days
» All Giants fans who wanted the franchise to turn back the clock to the last decade have to be over the moon right now.
After all, Bobby Evans is back, baby!
Did he ever really leave? Evans hasn’t overtly worked in baseball since he was fired as the Giants general manager, or rather, he was “re-assigned” inside the organization. I can say this: no one ever came to get him. His tenure in charge of the Giants was so bad that he couldn’t even land the same role Posey just gave him—advisor—with another team in the last seven years.
Add in the hiring of Randy Winn, who, like Posey, is an elite guy and a sharp baseball mind, but is ostensibly unqualified to handle the role he now holds, vice president of player development, and it’s nigh time to remember some guys in San Francisco.
Remember, Posey said he’s in the “memory-making business.” Well, nothing quite sells these days like nostalgia.
I prefer winning games, but let’s not get greedy here.
My skepticism of Posey’s appointment is well-documented. At least I’m not alone in being skeptical of his latest two moves.
But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else says — Posey will be judged by his moves as it pertains to the Giants on the field. One can only hope that, for the franchise’s sake, this remembering-some-guys bit will facilitate success there.
