Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "49ers"

Super party creates super fun despite loss

2013-02-04T23:02:26Z

Super Bowl parties are usually fun events regardless of who wins or loses, even if it's your region's team that loses because of super poor officiating that nullifies the most spectacular comeback in football history. No one disputes the incredible performance of the Baltimore Ravens in the first half or the opening of the second half. What's amazing is what happend after the Ravens took a 28-6 lead and the lights went out at the Superdome in New Orleans for a half hour. Eric Child was not cheering for either team, but loves football and got what he wanted: an exciting game at his private Super Bowl party.

The party crowd seemed to be most excited about Beyonce's sexy half time performance, as some people left after that, assuming that the San Francisco 49ers had been blown out 21-6. Then the Ravens opened the third quarter with an amazing kickoff return for a touchdown to make the score 28-6. But the mood of the pro-49er crowd that stayed didn't die, although the stadium lights did die for about a half hour. Then the 49ers came storming back with two quick touchdowns and suddenly the score was 28-20. From there it became anybody's ball game as the Ravens simply outlasted the 49ers with a little help from absent-minded officiating. Had the officials done their job, which is to throw a flag when a pass involves defensive interference, the 49ers would have had a good shot at taking the lead. Instead, time ran out and the Ravens won 34-31.

Eric Child, who works sound at Sammy's Rockin' Island Bar and Grill in Roseville, gave a SacTV.com interview about the game, from an objective viewpoint. As a Green Bay Packer fan who grew up in the Midwest, he was more happy about the turnout to his party than the game itself. But he did comment in the interview that the 49ers were hurt by a bad non-call at the end of the game, which certainly made a huge difference in the outcome. As a football fan, he still thought it was a great game.

"They called that timeout in the third quarter," Eric observed as one of the factors why the 49ers lost. "I know that (Coach Jim) Harbaugh was upset with him (QB Colin Kaepernick). And I think it maybe cost him at the end ... I think they got jobbed on the call. You know, they should've had a holding call at the end. I'm not the ref, though, and that's just how that is." He also concluded that the 49ers should have come out stronger in the beginning. So there you have it, one of the most balanced game reviews you'll find.

Football itself has become like a religion in America, in which humor isn't supposed to be part of the analysis. Many people across the country, especially on the West Coast, are very upset by the officials missing a game-deciding call, just like how poor officiating cost the Packers on the last play of a regular season game that handed a victory to the Seattle Seahawks. But in the end, rational people know it's just a game. Eric's party was refreshing because the crowd didn't lose their minds. They simply accepted the outcome and moved on. Perhaps emotionally-stable Sacramento is ahead of the nation in that respect.

Here's some humor to cool fans down: the game should have been called "The Super Blow" because the Ravens blew a huge lead, the 49ers blew a great comeback, the officials blew crucial calls, the Superdome lights blew out and the commercials blew more than anything we've ever seen in television history.

Disclosure: I own SacTV.com

Saturday Night Lights

2010-09-27T04:59:06Z

Are you ready for some football?

Saturday night, professional football made its triumphant return to Sacramento. The 20,000 fans who packed into Hornet Stadium were treated to a barnburner, as the hometown Mountain Lions battled back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit for a dramatic victory over the visiting Florida Tuskers.

For many fans, the evening was a win long before Daunte Culpepper found Rod Windsor deep down the sideline for the game-winning 33-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining.

Two hours before kickoff, the parking lots surrounding Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State were packed with joyous revelers, basking in the opportunity to cheer for professional football right here in the City of Trees.

"Sacramento is hungry for sports" Bob Rowe of Sacramento said. "This is just what we needed."

Rowe, who looked like a one-time offensive lineman and cut an imposing figure in his 1970s-era Jack Youngblood L.A. Rams jersey, had been there with his wife Annie since 4:15 p.m. They were at the head of a group of perhaps 200 revelers who had turned a swatch of grass between Lot 7 and the frontage road into a tailgating Shangri-La. It was akin to a big-time college atmosphere, and for a split second I was reminded of a pilgrimage I made to "The Grove" at Ole Miss for the Alabama game last year. The moment was fleeting, but that the thought passed through my mind at all is a testament to the festive mood.

"We've been chomping at the bit ever since we found out that Sacramento was getting a team," Rowe said. "This is what we've been waiting for."

Annie Rowe looked out over her fellow party-goers. "We don't even know any of these people," she said, a huge smile on her face. "Look at all the jerseys! It doesn't matter what NFL team you root for, everyone’s rooting for Sacramento!"

As I walked to the stadium, I was struck by the diversity of the crowd. It is hard to imagine a more heterogeneous group than the 20,000 who showed up to cheer on their Mountain Lions. Football, The Real Great Uniter.

The game was televised nationally on Versus, and it was certainly the place to be on Saturday night. Local celebrities abound. The national anthem was sung by Tesla lead singer and Sacramentan Jeff Keith. The mayor, KJ, was in attendance. Local MMA star Urijah Faber took part in an on field football skills competition with Kings star Tyreke Evans. The hoop star took it to the scrapper, kicking two field goals, each of which cleared the hospitality tent in the south endzone. They probably would have been good from 45 yards out. So he's got that going for him if the basketball thing doesn't work out.

The biggest star in attendance wasn't there in any official capacity. Roaming the Mountain Lions sidelines, a proud father cheering on his son, was Denzel Washington. John-David Washington is a back-up running back for Sacramento.

For a long while it seemed that the game itself would be overshadowed by the hullabaloo surrounding it. The first quarter ended with the Mountain Lions trailing 3-0, marred by four Mountain Lion penalties for 35 yards and a Culpepper interception.

The second quarter featured a bit of history. With 8:56 remaining, Culpepper hit Rod Windsor for a touchdown in the flat, giving the Mountain Lions their first-ever lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Tuskers answered with a TD of their own, a 14-yard strike from Brooks Bollinger to Cortez Hankton with 1:22 remaining.

Culpepper gave the crowd a thrill when he completed a 54-yard bomb up the sideline to Taye Biddle with 18 seconds left in the half, but they were unable to turn it into points when Culpepper was called for an illegal forward pass on the next play.

The second half started much as the first had ended, with a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Aaron Woods took the kickoff 98 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown, but much to the dismay of the raucous crowd, the play was called back due to a clipping penalty.

The two teams exchanged punts until the Tuskers broke through with seven-play, 77-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard Dominic Rhodes touchdown run. The score gave Florida a 10-point lead with eight minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The 10-point deficit, in combination with the cessation of alcohol sales at the start of the third quarter, triggered a fairly sizable fan exodus that continued through the end of the third. The heartier souls who stayed until the end were handsomely rewarded for their steadfastness.

Still trailing by 10, the Molos opened the fourth quarter with a 54-yard field goal attempt that split the uprights, cutting the lead to seven.

The Mountain Lions forced the Tuskers to punt on their next possession and got the ball back on their own 20. They proceeded to mount a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard TD to Derek Strong. On the drive, Culpepper completed passes to five different receivers and willed his team to pay dirt. It was the kind of performance the Mountain Lions hoped would be commonplace when they signed the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

The Tuskers weren't going away that easily, however. Brooks Bollinger showed the skill and grit that won him last season’s UFL MVP award while leading his team on a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive of their own.

With just over four minutes remaining, the Tuskers had a first and goal at the Sacramento two-yard line, but the Molo defense, led by LB Zeke Moreno, would not yield any further. They held the Tuskers to a field goal, and the Mountain Lions had one more chance, trailing by three with four minutes left in the game.

One chance was all they needed.

Aaron Woods returned the Tusker kickoff 19 yards to the Sacramento 30, then Daunte took over. The QB picked up where he left off on the last scoring drive, spreading the ball around and methodically leading his team up the field.

With 37 seconds left, he had gotten them all the way down to the Florida 33-yard line, well within their kicker’s range. As the media relations director passed out the overtime rules in the press box, Daunte rendered them moot by throwing that perfect strike down the left sideline to Rod Windsor. TD, Mountain Lions.

Another bit of history in the books, the first victory for your Sacramento Mountain Lions.

If they can continue to play as they did in the fourth quarter Saturday night, it'll be the first of many.

Photos courtesy of the inimitable Steven Chea. That's Steven, with a "v".

In the Meantime. . .

2010-09-10T03:13:04Z

Think back to your freshman year of high school. Imagine you just went through an especially excruciating day of what was surely an excruciating year. You slept through first period, missed a quiz, got pantsed on the green (or a comparable humiliation), your crush pointed out that you had a "bat in the cave," and everybody laughed at you . . . you get the idea.

Murphy saw your day, and was so moved, that he wrote a law to commemorate it.

Fourteen-year-old you somehow made it through this day from Hell. You got home, got to your room, locked your door and laid on your bed, overwhelmed with a soul-crushing angst that only a 14-year-old can feel.

You put an album in your CD player (In my case. Depending on your age, it could also have been a tape deck, record player, eight-track, MP3 player, or a phonograph.), and played it from beginning to end, as loud as you could get away with.

By the time the record ended, you'd steeled yourself for whatever humiliations the next day might bring.

What album did you just listen to?

I listened to Helmet, "Meantime."

Helmet, an alternative rock metal band that originally formed in 1989 in New York City, (and was pivotal in my surviving freshman year) opened its fall tour last night with a packed show at Harlow's.

When I arrived just before 9 p.m., local metalcore band Will Haven was already on stage, and the crowd was already buzzing. As the musicians filled the room with driving noisecore, I grabbed a PBR and surveyed the crowd.

The audience was skewed toward males in their 30s, tattooed and concert Tee-d, but there were enough outliers to keep it interesting. There was some light to moderate headbanging going on in the crowd as Haven played its last two songs.

Haven finished to enthusiastic cheers and applause from its hometown fans, then began breaking down equipment.

Within 15 minutes of finishing their set, several members of the band were saddled up to the bar, taking shots of whiskey with some friends in the crowd.

This would become something of a theme for the evening.

Next up was Bison B.C. from Vancouver, Canada, and they were awesome. First of all, they looked like a metal band should look – like wooly mammoths personified. With tattoos.

And worthy of a herd of their namesake, their music is thunderous, bone-shaking and most of all, heavy. Really heavy.

These cats have got their own gravitational pull.

They worked the crowd into a minor frenzy, with one particularly agitated fanatic taking headbanging to new and literal heights by banging his head into a pole.

The men from the Great White North threw down the gauntlet and could have easily stolen the show if Helmet had been anything less than stellar.

The headliners, led by recently turned 50-year-old Page Hamilton, proved ready for challenge, however.

They opened with a blistering track off their new album, which was released on Tuesday. After the opening foray, Page began chopping it up with the crowd:

"Can we put whiskey back on the rider?" he asked. "I just love scotch."

Apparently he had been on a juice fast and was only drinking beer. "It sucks" he bemoaned.

It wasn't long before a large shot glass full of a dark amber liquid made it's way to the stage. He offered his thanks before throwing it down enthusiastically.

It was the first of several. So much for only drinking beer.

Page was in a convivial mood and bantered with the crowd on a variety of topics throughout the evening. He talked about football, saying, "the Niners were the first team to win five Super Bowls." About the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers he offered, "At least our quarterback isn't a rapist."

He got raucous applause when he offered his opinion on the basketball team in his adopted home of Los Angeles: "I think we can all agree on one thing: Fuck the Lakers!"

The set was a good mix of old and new, with the highlights being tracks off the aforementioned 1992 album "Meantime" and the recently rereleased 1994 album "Betty."

The crowd, including Midtown stalwart "Ground Chuck," went ballistic when it recognized the opening drum beats and assaultive chords from Helmet's biggest hit, "Unsung." I've always considered it one of the greatest metal songs of all time, and seeing it live just reinforced that opinion.

Helmet left the stage at 11:30, but was back five minutes later taking requests for the three-song encore. Page had some idea of what he wanted to play and nudged the crowd accordingly, but it was still a treat. Like a choose-your-own-adventure, except the adventure was an encore.

The last song of the evening, as chosen by we, the crowd, was "In the Meantime". Other than "Unsung", it's my favorite Helmet song, the title track off the album that I listened to countless times those many years ago. It was the perfect way to end the night, and the crowd reacted to it's crunching power chords and crashing drums with the first and only moshpit of the evening.

I surveyed the scene with a huge smile on my face. I was ready for whatever humiliations that the next day might bring.

Athletes > Cancer

2010-07-27T01:35:26Z

Celebrity athletes are just like you and I. Well, maybe not just like you and I, but similar. They are like richer, better-dressed, more-fit versions of us (Or, in Scot Pollard's case, just richer).

The similarities were on display at the second annual Athletes vs. Cancer golf tournament at the Woodcreek Golf Club, hosted by Matt Barnes on Saturday.

Barnes founded the AVC to honor his mother, who passed away from cancer in 2007. Their mission is to "support research, create awareness, provide screening opportunities and deliver support to cancer patients."
The tournament featured many athletes with local ties, among them former Kings Chris Webber, Scot Pollard, Bobby Jackson, Doug Christie and Brad Miller.

I'm a huge sports fan, an avid golfer and I've lost two uncles to cancer. When I heard about this event, I jumped at the chance to attend.
Heres how it worked: Teams of four paid $2,500 dollars to play in the tournament. Each foursome was joined by a celebrity. There was a shotgun start: All the teams started simultaneously on different holes. (Or almost simultaneously, as there were a few more teams than holes).

The tournament was a scramble, meaning each team member tees off, then they pick the best ball of the five. Everyone takes their next shot from that spot. Rinse and repeat until ball enters cup.
Scrambles are probably the most popular tournament format, because it's the only way your average duffers will ever see negative numbers next to their names.

And decent golfers will see BIG negative numbers next to their names.

The winning team, featuring Kings announcer Grant Napear, finished at a whopping 21 under par. For reference, the PGA record over 18 holes is 13 strokes under par.

This day was not about scoring or winning, however. It was all about fan interaction, players and fans enjoying themselves while raising money for a good cause.

I've never been to a more fan-friendly celebrity event.

At the first tee, a hopeful young lady holding a basketball politely asked Chris Webber, "Mr. Webber! Do you have time for an autograph?"
Webber, who was about to tee off, responded to the crowds delight "Sure, as soon as I hit, I'll sign at every hole, all day."
Webber, who proceeded to bring the house down by mimicking Charles Barkley's notoriously herky jerky backswing as he addressed the ball, spent five minutes signing anything and everything thrown his way. CWebb was charming and affable, telling anyone he missed to meet him at the next tee.

Matt Barnes was, if it's possible, even more accommodating. Later in the day, coming off the the 10th green, he stopped to talk to a group of 40 or so fans, many of whom were having a pool party at one of the course-side homes.
He slowly worked his way through the throng, signing every item given to him, posing for every picture request, engaging every one of his fans personally, if briefly. As he went, he deflected the thanks of the adoring spectators: "No, thank you....We couldn't do this without you. You guys make this happen."

Larry Tipper, who won the honor of caddying for Mr. Barnes through a contest sponsored by this site, was having a blast. "I'm in awe. Everyone has been so great!" said the caddy, who is currently undergoing chemo himself. The 37-year-old, who had delegated much of the caddying responsibilities to his son Jacob, nephew Justin and their buddy Brandon, is scheduled to undergo his final treatment on Friday, which also happens to be his wedding anniversary.

The 30th is a big day for the Tipper family. I have a feeling that they'll be getting good news. Remission is the perfect anniversary gift.

A few other celebrity highlights:

Scot Pollard was a walking highlight. The 6-foot 11-inch Pollard was a fan favorite during his years with the Kings, loved as much for his sense of humor, flamboyant hairstyles and outrageous fashion sense as his hard-nosed play. "Samurai Scot" lived up to reputation on Saturday.

Pollard chose to adorn himself in matching, form fitting, DayGlo floral print shorts and shirt. It was spectacular.

I came across Doug Christie on the course early on in the day. Christie was wearing head-to-toe linen, white pants and a pink shirt. I complimented him on his look and asked him if he'd seen his former teammate Pollard. He hadn't, but luckily our photographer, Steve, had plenty of pictures and was happy to share them.

"That is the worst outfit I've ever seen," Christie offered, laughing. He showed the pictures to his neighbor in the golf cart.
"Is that a one-piece?" she asked before returning the camera.

Not 15 minutes later, I watched as another former King, Bobby Jackson, addressed his ball in the tee box. I looked back and saw the unmistakable sight of Scot Pollard and his floral onesie coming up the previous fairway. He noticed his onetime teammate about to tee off. I could see the wicked look on his face from 130 yards away.

He waited until Jackson had completed his backswing before letting out a booming "BOBBBBBBBBAAAYYYYYYYYYY," which reverberated across the course. Jackson's tee shot went WAY right, and he looked back at Pollard, incredulous. After a moment, he cracked a smile, shook his head and teed up another one. Clearly, this type of high jinx was to be expected from the 10-year NBA center.

We caught up to Jason Kapono and the rest of his fivesome as they were about to tee off on a par three. I heard one of them grumbling about their dearth of beverages. They were happy to hear about the open margarita bar we'd encountered at the next tee box. "Let's get going" said one of the non-celebs.

The first to tee off was a young man of about 13 named Nick, who was clearly on cloud nine. I asked him how he and Jason were getting on, knowing full well what his answer would be.

"Awesome," he replied, grinning from ear to ear. Jason overheard our exchange and produced a large mustard-colored stain on the back of his shorts. "You see what the kid did to me?" I looked from the stain to Nick, who tried to hide a mischievous smile.

After Nick hit a line drive that never got more than 5 feet off the ground but went straight and rolled forever, the next fellow pulled his to the left. Nick's ball was still best. The third guy to hit went WAY left, square into a tree trunk, and the ball rolled back to the front of the tee box. Young Nick still had the best ball, and more to the point, guy No. 3's tee shot ended up well short of the ladies' tees.
"TDO," said one of the fellas. "Yup, TDO for sure."

"TDO" is an unwritten rule that some amateur golfers (generally those of the sophomoric male persuasion) play by, where-in should someone not hit his tee shot past the ladies' tees, it's a "Texas D*ck Out." The offender has to go to his ball, sans pants. After some good-natured ribbing and to riotous laughter, No. 3 dropped trou on the tee box. Thankfully, the underpants stayed put. They hadn't been drinking THAT much.

Kapono hit next, ending Nick's shot at finishing with the best ball by hitting a moonshot that landed softly on the green, pin-high. Jason looks like he may be able to put up negative numbers without the help of the scramble format.
On my way off the course I passed the Kapono fivesome again.

"We just had another TDO," one of the gentleman informed me.

"Same guy?" I asked.

"Same guy," he answered, laughing boisterously.

One final celebrity exchange I had was with former 49ers running back Roger Craig. I asked what he thought of the tournament and how he got involved.

"What Matt's doing is fantastic. Cancer affects all of us," he answered, then added, "I'm here for the Rocklin fans," referring to Niners training camp locale for their glory years from 1981 through 1997. "We made history together."

Twenty years removed from his last Rocklin training camp, he still carries the love from the fans who supported him at those sweltering offseason practices. Pretty cool.

If the response from fans and participants is any measure, the event was an unmitigated success. Although we won't know the final tally for a week or so, we do know a lot of money was raised for a great cause.

I highly recommend attending this event in specific, and celebrity golf tournaments in general. You'll never find athletes more at ease, happier to sign or pose or simply shoot the breeze, than they were on Saturday. Everybody I met regaled me with stories of how great this guy was, how accommodating so and so was, how friendly such and such was. There was only one celebrity who I heard anything negative about, though admittedly his name came up repeatedly.

I won't give his name, because ultimately he showed up and supported a good cause. Also, if you are rubbing people the wrong way at a love-fest like this one, I'm sure there are plenty of negative stories floating around already. Thankfully, he was the one exception that proved the rule.

Not the TDO rule, that's totally different.

All photos courtesy of the one and only Steven Chea. Praise be unto him,

We Talkin Bout Practice?

2010-06-11T04:40:26Z

After months of hard work and preparation, your Sacramento Mountain Lions took to the practice field for the first time Thursday morning.

The first day of Mini Camp, which takes place at Grant High School, started off with some stretching and calisthenics. They then broke off into smaller groups for position drills. They finished off with about 45 minutes of very high-energy seven-on-seven drills.

Some impressions from the first day:

Daunte still has a cannon. He completed a couple of really nice deep balls, including one along the sideline that was 50 yards in the air easy. He struggled a bit on the shorter routes, but that is to be expected.
The back-up QBs looked pretty darn good too. Both Shane Boyd, who I remember from his days playing at Kentucky, and Justin Goltz, who was the Mountain Lions first pick in this year's draft out of Occidental, had moments of brilliance in the seven-on-seven drills.
The linemen are big, the skill guys are fast. This is by no means a case of Daunte Culpepper and the 50-some-odd dwarfs. They have surrounded Culpepper with a lot of talent. Nearly all of the players on the roster are former Division 1 stars, and most have spent time in NFL camps. The Pac 10, in particular, is well represented, with 17 former Pac 10 stars are on the roster, by my count.

Daunte isn't the only Mountain Lion who has made his mark in the NFL. A handful of other players who you may recognize:

Doug Gabriel — the wide reciever has 1,550 receiving yards in 57 games for Oakland and New England.
Otis Amey — the former Sac State star spent part of the 2005 season as the 49ers punt returner. He had a 75-yard touchdown return against the St. Louis Rams.
Chris Perry — the former Michigan star was a first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2004. In 2005, the running back had 51 catches and a couple touchdowns.
Dontarrious Thomas — the linebacker with 144 career tackles was the Minnesota Vikings second-round pick out of Auburn in 2004.
Zeke Moreno — the USC linebacker played five years in the NFL, four with the San Diego Chargers. He has 120 career tackles.
Antonio Chatman has played parts of six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. The shifty receiver had his best year in 2005 with 49 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns. He also spent part of that year on my fantasy team, filling in admirably when two of my starters had byes.

Overall, I was very impressed with the talent and effort I saw on the field, and I am really looking forward to seeing them grow as a team. At Wednesdays press conference, Coach Green said his goal was to bring "NFL (caliber) football to non-NFL cities". If Thursday's practice was any indicator, he's well on his way to doing just that.