Crabtree can sell hope for 49ers
Posted: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 4:36 PM
Spending 22 years traveling while covering Major League Baseball took me away from the NFL Draft. As the event grew into a spectacle, and now a year-round business, there was bemusement by me from afar at the obsession over an exercise with a 50 percent fail rate.
Last Saturday, I was reintroduced first-hand to what some wise men call the fourth biggest sport in America. Over 5,000 jammed into a convention center a half-mile from the 49ers’ headquarters for a draft party. I assume most, if not all, other NFL cities had similar gatherings.
What took place over five hours was the football equivalent of a winter baseball fans convention, the kind invented by the Cubs. At least half of the crowd wore their 49ers jerseys. Most came to celebrate their love of pro football in the middle of the offseason.
New uniforms were introduced by the 49ers, and that sated the crowd for an hour. Then the draft began, and for the next 90 minutes, no interruption was tolerated. It was pure football. No small talk. No sales pitch. Now I know why Mel Kiper has been a success.
The passion was intense. But a palpable buzz grew as picks 5-6 went by without Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree being selected. Suddenly you could feel 49ers fans dreaming -- could Crabtree fall to San Francisco at No. 10?
When Oakland chose Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland at No.7, the crowd erupted. No draft expert was needed to tell these fans how far the Raiders reached. They knew their draft boards.
Jacksonville was not considered a likely spot for a wide receiver at No. 8, and when the Jags obliged by taking offensive tackle Eugene Moore of Virginia, a "Crab- Tree" chant erupted among 49er faithful.
All eyes were glued to the NFL Network and when their cameras zeroed in on B.J Raji, the noise level soared. When Raji put a phone to his ear, a crescendo was reached as Green Bay selected the defensive tackle from Boston College. Now 49er fans knew Crabtree was within their reach.
But did the San Francisco brain trust agree? It was a long five or six minutes in that center. If the 49ers followed most of the mock drafts and went for a defensive end or offensive tackle, their fans would have been crushed. That is one curse of the draft -- many teams, the 49ers are one, sell hope -- and skill position standouts sell hope, not offensive tackles and defensive ends.
You know the end of the story. Crabtree picked up a phone and the 49ers were on the other end. San Francisco general manager Scot McCloughan followed his stated mantra to choose the "best man on the board" regardless of need. (I heard from good sources that the team's top three was, in no order, Tyson Jackson, Andre Smith, and Crabtree).
Within 10 minutes after Crabtree was selected, 49ers coach Mike Singletary appeared before the crowd and they were in a frenzy. A team that needed help in several areas had chosen a playmaker who has a name, who can sell hope -- and after all it is a business -- tickets. These fans had seen the magazine cover in which Crabtree boasted he could run a 4.4 40 on crutches. They dared not dream two hours earlier that Crabtree would be available at No. 10. Once he was, they were convinced, and for one of the few times in recent years, fans and management rejoiced together.
Standing to the side, I "got it." All this emotion and passion over an event, not a game. Whoever coined the phrase (a brilliant mind no doubt) was right: the NFL is America's most popular sport and the NFL Draft is this country’s fourth most popular sport!
Switching gears to baseball, here are 10 swings from the season to date:
Disclaimer: any concern/joy you read about here is posted with full knowledge that 20 games is hardly a full body of work. But this is a blog and it demands opinions) so the Cubs should be concerned that several of their big bats are scuffling. Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee aren't hitting while Milton Bradley isn't hitting or playing (suspension). Their runs are in the upper half of the NL, thanks in large part to the phenomenal start of Kosuke Fukudome (a huge lift for the Cubs if he continues in top form).
Watched Jamie Moyer win Sunday (career victory No. 249) and I was again amazed at his ability to keep the ball from the fat part of bats. Few Marlins made solid contact against a guy who rarely broke 80 mph. Although, I loved an inside "fastball" (at about 91 mph) that froze a Marlin for a sixth-inning strikeout. Takes some guts. And as his win total climbs over 250, assuming he stays healthy, the Hall of Fame specter begins to hover.
If there is anyone but Mariano Rivera on the mound, does the Yankees bullpen provide any confidence? Will they consider returning Joba Chamberlain to the pen? If nothing else, his swagger, curiously minimized as a starter, would be welcome?
As A-Rod’s return grows closer, shouldn't he take notice of Mike Lowell's numbers (.324 BA, four home runs, and 22 runs batted in) after hip surgery last October?
Don't want to beat the injury issue into the ground, but the use of the DL should be strenuously policed for competitive credibility. Chien-Ming Wang is on the Yankees’ DL because he hasn't regained his form following last year's foot injury. Reading the quotes from Yankee management, no one claims Wang has an injury. His foot is healed. But his form/mechanics are off. Some talk about structural imbalances. Fine, but are those injuries? My guess: every team wants to have a place to hide the ineffective veteran so no one calls out a colleague. I have seen many teams "encourage" injuries to solve roster problems. But the Wang case appears to be nothing more than a "timeout."
A legitimate and sad injury to Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann. He has persistent eye problems, 18 months after lasik surgery. Atlanta hopes that two weeks on the sidelines will help him find a solution.
Arizona ranks last in runs per game in the NL. This is a real problem since the team has played 15 of 18 at home, a hitter friendly yard. Interesting number: they have reduced their strikeout total, but have the worst ground ball/fly ball ratio of any NL hitters. (Power crazy?)
The Mets are a mess. One thing they never thought would concern them: David Wright. But he has just one home run and a NL-high 23 strikeouts.
Then there is the Mets pitching. After Johan Santana, the starters are a mess. And the chief offender is Oliver Perez (or as his agent Scott Boras sold him over the winter, the next Sandy Koufax). Well, here's how that's working out so far: 9.31 ERA, and a possible trip to the bullpen if his Saturday start in Philly isn't an improvement. This team knew it was gambling in the outfield with Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church. But it could never have imagined a 5.67 starters ERA. The Mets just need to hope this is just a bad start by their starters.
Finally, lots of credit is tossed around for Toronto’s start. It’s deserved in most areas, but I haven't heard much, if any, praise for manager Cito Gaston. This man went 11 years without a second chance at managing. And the team that fired him finally brought him out of limbo. Since his return to the dugout, the Blue Jays record is 65-44.
