Ovie @ the ESPYs

Last week former Ravens FB Ovie Mughelli and I spent the day on the red carpet at the ESPYs, along with 8,054 of ESPN's closest media friends. Ovie is a good dude and a great fullback. Le'Ron McLain just ain't the same. Below is my recap interview with Ovie (aka Black Knight pt. 2 aka Chocolate Thunder pt. 2 aka Nigerian Nightmare pt. 3).

Visit the Yard to watch Ovie's interviews with Matt Leinart, Braylon Edwards, Bob Sanders, Kellen Winslow, Vernon Davis, P.J. Brown from the Boston Celtics, and the USA women's Olympic volleyball players.

Yardbarker: Dontrelle Willis and the Raiders

Kicking it at Hooters (Tempe, AZ) last week with D-Train from the Tigers. We talked Niners, Raiders, Dolphins, Lions, and of course Super Bowl XLII. His game prediction was pretty close to straight money: 24-17, Giants. Dontrelle Willis is die-hard for the silver and black, and for what it's worth, he thinks JaMarcus Russell is the answer. I'll tell you what's not the answer: Al Davis and Lane Kiffin spatting like children. Al Davis needs to chill out, IMO. Dontrelle disagrees. C'est la vie.

Speaking of Dontrelle and the Tigers, about the only bad thing that happened to me last week in AZ was that someone stole my Detroit Tigers fitted, which I'd had for, gosh golly gee, about six years now. That thing fit so damn well. I'm sad to see it go. Damn thieves.

Anyway, after you watch this video, go visit Dontrelle in the Yard. He's great about responding to fan comments and questions. He'll even answer questions about the O's.

Ravens-Niners: Monster Park experience

By 10:25 this morning my roommate and I had settled into parking lot 3 at Monster Park, and by 10:29 we were dipping into our stash of Pabst Blue Ribbon. There weren't very many Ravens fans at the game, but we did park near one who said he knew I was a Ravens fan when he saw the PBR.

Really? That's what tipped you off? Not the fact that I was wearing Ravens pants, a purple Ray Lewis jersey and a black Ravens hat?

Besides the fact that traffic in and out of Monster Park Candlestick is a nightmare, the tailgating experience is pretty good. It's not the wine and cheese crowd that naysayers would have you believe. You're actually more likely to see a guy with 49ers 4 Life tattooed on his neck than you are to see a bottle of Cabernet.

The game was a snoozer, of course, but like Mark Clayton said, a win is a win.

I thought Billick's play calling was improved, but unfortunately McNair's play was not. He just doesn't look comfortable in the pocket. Or anywhere on the field. Overall the offense looks stagnant.

On the bright side, at least that's a familiar feeling for Ravens fans.

Niners fans didn't really give me too much of a hard time for being a Ravens fan, certainly nothing like what you'd get from Raiders fans, which is to say that in Oakland you might get stabbed. Or at the very least have your face shoved in the toilet. In San Francisco they'll throw a few cubes of ice at you and say scary things like, "Ravens suck!"

One drunk Niners fan told me before the game that tonight he was "going to eat Raven meat!"

I'm pretty sure he didn't realize the irony of proclaiming loudly that he'd be eating crow, which is exactly what he's doing now.

Ravens 9, 49ers 7.

Gameday in Frisco (Niners/Ravens)

Predictions for today's game:

1) I will drink beer before 11:00 a.m.
2) I won't see many Ravens fans at the game.
3) Begrudgingly I will drink beer with 49ers fans.
4) Billick's play calling will be questionable but improved.
5) McGahee will get a touchdown on the ground.
6) Frank Gore will not.
7) Baltimore finally generates a pass rush.
8) Dilfer wets his pants.
9) The Ravens force three turnovers.
10) Baltimore wins by a touchdown or more.

Give McGahee the ball!

I've been living in San Francisco for more than seven years, and not once during that time have the Ravens traveled west to play the Niners.

Tomorrow will be a glorious day.

I've seen the Ravens play twice in Oakland, though. Once in the AFC Championship en route to the Super Bowl, and once in 2003 in what turned out to be a bad 26th birthday for my buddy Irish C. The Raiders dominated field position and upset Baltimore, 20-12

There's an idea, Billick. Controlling field position!

Well, jeez, how do I do that?

Maybe you should run the $#@!'ng football?

Willis McGahee? Ever heard of him?

McGahee is averaging 20 carries per game, which doesn't sound so bad until you consider the fact that the Ravens throw the ball about twice as often.

Third and one? Go deep! First down in the red zone? Fade pattern to the corner! Big lead in the fourth quarter? THROW THE BALL!

Billick should give McGahee 25 touches tomorrow, and without a doubt his number should be called in the red zone. The Niners rank 25th against the run and gave up more than 200 yards rushing to Pittsburgh a couple weeks ago.

Sacking Trent Dilfer

San Francisco's starting left tackle, Jonas Jennings, will miss Sunday's game against Baltimore for personal reasons. Mike Nolan stressed that his o-lineman was not suffering from an injury and that his absence from the team would be indefinite.

Jennings is expected to remain in the Bay Area.

Whaddya think is going on?

I don't really care, and it's not my business. All I care about is that the Ravens sack Trent Dilfer about 109 times, and that the defense stops giving up the deep ball.

The Ravens haven't sniffed a QB since Trevor Pryce broke his wrist. Fortunately, the 49ers' offensive line is porous even with Jennings in the lineup, so with him out roaming the Yay doing whatever it is he's doing, the Ravens should be able to put Dilfer on the turf.

If they can't, they'll be fresh out of excuses.

Trent Dilfer to start against the Ravens

That's right. Trent Dilfer.

San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith is out with a separated shoulder.

Yesterday it was former Raven Jamal Lewis getting the last laugh; hopefully this weekend Dilfer won't be doing the same, but the way the Ravens' secondary entire defense is playing, it wouldn't entirely surprise me.

I'll be at the game, nosebleed seats three rows from the top of the stadium, I think, which means they're two rows better than my PSLs in Baltimore (section 530, row 31 out of 32).

Watching sports on TV: east vs. west?

The good folks over at East Coast Bias, one of my favorite sports blogs, had a guest post the other day from a west-coast blogger, who argued that watching sports on the west coast is better than watching sports on the east coast. I didn't actually read the entire post because a) it was about 8,000 words long (not really but it looked that way), and b) I don't need to be convinced.

I lived on the east coast for 22 years and have lived on the west coast since 2000: Watching sports on the west coast is much better. Earlier starts, earlier finishes.

If you live on the east coast and don't agree, ask yourself, "Did I catch the end of the 49ers/Cardinals game last night?" If you were asleep, then I rest my case. If you're excuse is, "Who cares about the Niners and Cards?" then that may be a fair point. But keep in mind that it very easily could have been two heavyweights, and you still probably would have been asleep drooling on the pillow.

Great comeback last night for Alex Smith and the 49ers.

Game-winning TD by Arnaz Battle with less than 30 seconds to play

San Francisco 49ers: Bill Walsh dies (R.I.P.)

I'm too young to fully appreciate the impact that football coach Bill Walsh had on the game. But the guy won three Super Bowls in the 1980s ('81, '84 and '88) and also invented the West Coast offense. Not to mention his influence on other coaches (Wikipedia: Bill Walsh coaching tree). He's a legend.

He passed away in Stanford, California about two hours ago. Leukemia.

San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars: coaches lookin' classy

The league today announced that it is allowing head coaches Mike Nolan (49ers) and Jack Del Rio (Jaguars) to wear suits during home games next season. All eight of 'em. Last year the league let both of them test the waters and approved suit-wearing for what I believe was two games. The next move should be letting them wear real dress shoes. Last year they had to wear these silly looking Reebok quasi-dress shoes, which sort of defeated the purpose of wearing a suit in the first place. From a distance they looked OK, but when you wear a suit with what amounts to tennis shoes, you look like a clown.

As it turns out, the NFL said starting this season any coach will be allowed to rock the suit and tie for home games, but only Nolan and Del Rio -- both former Ravens guys -- expressed interest when the league asked around during the annual meetings this past March in Arizona.

2007 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers (1.28)

The 49ers traded up to get a second first-round selection. They gave up this year's fourth-rounder and next year's first-rounder. Jumped right in front of the Ravens. Tsk, tsk, Mike Nolan. Wait your turn. Actually, I think it's great news for Ravens fans (and also Pats fans, who made the trade with the 49ers). The 49ers selected Central Michigan's T Joe Staley. The Ravens don't normally draft small-college guys near the top of the draft, but Staley's name was mentioned often as a possibility. I don't really care whether he's good or not; he grew up a Steelers fans, and I don't want Steelers fans on Baltimore's squad. I full realize that's irrational, but I don't care. I didn't want Joe Staley on the Ravens.

But I am glad the Niners picked Staley. He's a good offensive lineman. With him and Patrick Willis drafted in the first round of this year's draft, the San Francisco 49ers have made themselves a whole lot better in the last five hours and 40 minutes.

2007 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers (1.11)

Mississippi LB Patrick Willis goes to the Niners. I'm glad he didn't slip to the bottom of the first round. After a few beers it would've been tough to spell Mississippi. He is the best linebacker in the draft, and former Ravens coach and current 49ers head coach Mike Nolan will be happy to have him. The 49ers made a great pick here, and I think the Niners will be a better team with Willis on its defense. The 49ers will make a strong push for the playoffs this year.