1. Pitchers and Catchers.
The Giants P&Cs report tomorrowwhich means the two biggest names on the team will be arriving in Scottsdale. Buster Poseys recovery from his ankle injury will be the story of the spring. But, as always, Tim Lincecum will be the biggest star. And were not the only ones who have noticed that he has something in common with the globes No. 1 sports story
2. Monta Ellis.
Is it time to trade him? Wait, waitwerent we complaining that Monta didnt make the All-Star game just a few days ago? That Bay Area whiplash stems from two factors. OneEllis was on the bench as the Warriors collapsed against Portland and there seems to be some question about how seriously ill he was. The general consensus? Man up. Twoand more importantlyit all comes back to Jeremy Lin. If Ellis and Curry arent the answers, couldnt Jeremy Lin have been? Were never going to get over this one. Really. Never. Ever.
3. Antti Niemi.
He wasnt any good. I protect him a lot and I talk about the team but he has to be better. He flat out has to be better. Those were as harsh words as Todd McLellan has ever spoken since hes been in San Jose, which is why Niemi is trending higher than Dominic Moore - the forward the Sharks traded for on Thursday. Niemis problems in the 6-5 loss to Tampa and McLellans strong reaction prompts two questions. If McLellan says good things about Niemi in the future, can we believe him? And is McLellan reaching the breaking point with this inconsistent team?
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4. Gary Carter
It was weird to see Carter in a Giants uniform, that one season he played at Candlestick in 1990. He was an iconic member of the 86 Mets, the leader of that band of misfits. Yet there he was at 36ancient back in those daysbacking up Terry Kennedy on a lousy Giants team. Just one more old guy on an aging team that finished third in the N.L. West that year. That Earthquake World Series hangover lasted a long, long time.
5. John Herrera
The Raiders odd p.r. manenforcerbutler loyalist is out of a job, but he leaves us with one of the all-time great moments in Raiders history, when he lashed out at Tim Kawakami during a Lane Young Lance Kiffin press conference in 2008. Herrera coined the term smoke-pot buddy which truly never gets old. My favorite part? When he says Im not embarrassing myself. Yes, a new day has dawned in Raiders nation (so dont even fantasize about a Randy Moss comeback, people).
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NHLDominic Moore has beentraded 3 straight years for a second-round pickMore than anything, Mooreshould help the Sharks penalty killDo you know about HockeyWeekend Across America this weekend?
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