Sports

Fighting Chance: Boxer Karim Mayfield Fights to Rise in a Dying Sport

Giants Get Sued Over Team's "San Francisco" Logo

Al Davis, Steve Jobs, and the Deaths of Difficult Men

​When Albert Schweitzer passed into the great beyond, the obituary writer's task was relatively straightforward. That's not to say it was easy -- but penning a remembrance for a man whose name has become synonymous with benevolence is a unique endeavor. More indicative of the challenges of blendin ... More >>

The 1,101 Trademarks of San Francisco

​Earlier this week, we reported on the San Francisco Giants' summer of discontent carrying over into a fiasco at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The team was barred from trademarking the script "San Francisco" logo featured on Giants jackets and an armada of other team memorabilia since 1993 ... More >>

Howard Eskin Lucks Out -- There Is a San Francisco Back East!

Howard Eskin won't have to wander far from his fan base after all...​Yesterday we reported on one Howard Eskin, a Philadelphia "radio personality" who felt so strongly the Eagles would top the 49ers he swore to bike from Philly to San Francisco if the opposite came to pass. Naturally, it did; it's ... More >>

Giants Barred From Trademarking "San Francisco" Logo

​It was that kind of year for the San Francisco Giants. The team scored the fewest runs in the National League -- the fewest runs the team has scored, in fact, since it lost 100 games in 1985. At the plate, the Giants just couldn't deliver. Bizarrely, the franchise has been unable to do so in the ... More >>

Howard Eskin, Cocky Sports Reporter, Pledges to Bike from Philly to San Francisco

​Howard Eskin, a Philly-based veteran Eagles reporter, used his token phrase "cold mortal lock" to describe the Eagles' prospects against the 49ers in Sunday's game.But his 60-year-old knees may be feeling their own "cold mortal lock" if he winds up following through with a promise he made on the ... More >>

A Giant Beer Dinner at Jardiniere

​You've done a lot to support the Giants. The orange wig, 'Let Timmy Smoke' t-shirt, and beard implant were all grand gestures. Next week, there's another way to celebrate the home team, and all you need to do is indulge in some quality food and beer.As the season winds down, Traci Des Jardins and ... More >>

Sorry, Simba Moneyball is King of the Jungle

Jackpot​Back in 1994, The Lion King's Simba gave his competitors fair warning via song -- "I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware" -- but that didn't stop Moneyball from dominating San Francisco's box office this weekend. In fact, you could say it was a home run for the Oakland A's baseball ... More >>

"Moneyball": Formula Works for Sabermetrics Sports Flick

Jackpot​Back in 1994, The Lion King's Simba gave his competitors fair warning via song -- "I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware" -- but that didn't stop Moneyball from dominating San Francisco's box office this weekend. In fact, you could say it was a home run for the Oakland A's baseball ... More >>

Dodgers File Civil Action Against Accused Bryan Stow Attackers

Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood​The Los Angeles Dodgers filed papers in court this week, taking civil action against the two men accused of beating Giants fan Bryan Stow into a coma at Dodger Stadium earlier this year.Stow, who remains in critical condition, and his two children filed a lawsuit o ... More >>

Jerome Williams Was Called "Jeremy" By Giants Teammates -- For Two Years

It turns out Jerome Williams pronounces his name like everyone else named Jerome. That's news to the Giants.​You haven't arrived until you end up as an answer to a trivia question -- and, hopefully, not one akin to "this was the man who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the zoo and was passed amo ... More >>

San Francisco's Top Five Diners

​Even San Francisco natives like me are sometimes alarmed by the pressure applied to denizens of this city to publicly acknowledge that we live in the best place on earth. That being said, we certainly do have access to the best of things here: The best intoxicants, stimulants, and ingredients; th ... More >>

Big Race

​Even San Francisco natives like me are sometimes alarmed by the pressure applied to denizens of this city to publicly acknowledge that we live in the best place on earth. That being said, we certainly do have access to the best of things here: The best intoxicants, stimulants, and ingredients; th ... More >>

The Franchise Episode Six Recap: Searching for Answers

SD Dirk/Flickr​In conception, The Franchise is not a very complicated show -- it tells human interests stories in the context of the Giants season with a healthy dose of insider access. It's built for a large audience, and as such is at its best when it's largely positive. The Giants need to be go ... More >>

"Senna": Doc Looks at Fast Life and Early Death of Formula 1 Martyr

SD Dirk/Flickr​In conception, The Franchise is not a very complicated show -- it tells human interests stories in the context of the Giants season with a healthy dose of insider access. It's built for a large audience, and as such is at its best when it's largely positive. The Giants need to be go ... More >>

The Franchise Episode Five Recap: The Agony of Defeat

jkorn//Flickr​The Franchise has been on a nice run lately, alternating Cliff's Notes of the team season with human-interest stories in the right balance. However, for all its successes, the producers have had a relatively easy time drumming up content. The Giants have been an absolutely stellar te ... More >>

The Bachelorette's Ben Flajnik: Five Reasons He Should Run for San Francisco Mayor

Those who tuned into ABC's The Bachelorette season finale earlier this week witnessed San Francisco's very own Ben Flajnik get dumped in favor of New York's J.P. Rosenbaum. For all the SF Weekly readers who thought to themselves, "I would have picked him instead," here's your chance. If we are to ... More >>

This Week in Food Bloggery

CT Young/SF Weekly Flickr pool​ Highlights from the blog this week: 1. Caroline Chen discovers that huge numbers of San Francisco restaurant staffers are working illegally. The San Francisco Health Code declares no one with a venereal disease -- or bubonic plague, for that matter -- should be al ... More >>

The Franchise Recap Episode 4: Carlos Beltran Is a Giant

Tedkerwin via flickr​Last week, I said that The Franchise had finally found the right balance between broader storylines and behind-the-scenes intrigue. It turns out that I was in the minority: many non-San Francisco reviewers, including Claire Zulkey of the AV Club, thought it was an episode tha ... More >>

Alex Smith: We've Still Got Him to Kick Around

Do the Vitamin Water people think this is going to help move the product? ​For San Francisco sports fans, the news that Carlos Beltran may soon be heading to town was tempered somewhat by the fact he could conceivably be rooming with Alex Smith. For parts of six maddening years, Smith has been the ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 3 Recap: Got Heem!

​Over the past few weeks, I've complained that The Franchise has too often focused on establishing and teasing out narratives rather than using their access to its best advantage. The first two episodes spent most of their time introducing the audience to players, sometimes more than once, and ... More >>

Pablo Sandoval Helps the Search for Missing Children

He's good -- on and off the field ​Like the Kung Fu Panda he is nicknamed after, the Giants' Pablo Sandoval makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. And not just because he recently made the All-Star roster, fulfilling a lifelong dream. He's also a giving guy. Last week, the Giants star financed 40,0 ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 2 Recap: Hey Now, You're an All-Star

​I've written before that "The Franchise" is not really a show for Giants fans. In theory, it's a way for Major League Baseball to introduce some of the game's personalities to a broader audience at a time when they're finding it difficult to market most of their players. In its basic conception, ... More >>

NFL Players at Greater Risk of Brain Disease, Study Finds

Illustration by Doug Fraser​A study of retired professional football players has found that they are more likely than nonathletes to suffer symptoms of cognitive impairment, such as memory and speech problems, a conclusion that that is sure to buttress the arguments of those who point to the risk ... More >>

Women's World Cup: Where Do We Go From Here?

​Among the many painful lessons learned from the U.S. Women's World Cup squad's magical run and yesterday's utter collapse -- you can't legislate enthusiasm. Local news stories painted a feel-good picture of yesterday's contest, which was broadcast before a moderate crowd at Civic Center Plaza on ... More >>

San Francisco Giants to Visit White House, Maybe Resolve Budget Talks

Just what Washington needs​It's probably a good thing for all involved that the San Francisco Giants will be paying a visit to President Barack Obama next Monday. The Giants deserve their hard-earned recognition as World Series champs, and Washington needs a dose of good sense as negotiations grin ... More >>

The Franchise Episode 1: Promising Rookie Looks a Little Raw

UCinternationa​When Showtime aired a preview for The Franchise in April, the Giants were only two weeks into the MLB season and still riding high in defense of their World Series title. Back then, the show looked like a window into the lives of baseball players, rather than a rough-and-tumble vie ... More >>

Barbecue Championship Haiku Contest Winners

​San Francisco knows haiku. We had 41 entries in our haiku contest to win tickets to the Bay Area BBQ Championship on Saturday, and many of them were great. No wonder, with a great prize: three $48 tickets, which include five food/drink tickets for each person at the BBQ championship, and thr ... More >>

Five Reasons San Franciscans Have No Style

San Franciscans might be total sluts, but we definitely do not attract our partners based on the way we dress. According to GQ magazine, San Francisco ranked No. 20 on the list of the worst-dressed cities in America. It seems like a head scratcher to us, considering we are No. 1 in so many other way ... More >>

SFoodie Has a New Editor: W. Blake Gray

San Franciscans might be total sluts, but we definitely do not attract our partners based on the way we dress. According to GQ magazine, San Francisco ranked No. 20 on the list of the worst-dressed cities in America. It seems like a head scratcher to us, considering we are No. 1 in so many other way ... More >>

Win Barbecue and Baseball Tickets in Our Haiku Contest

​We've got three $48 tickets to the Bay Area BBQ Championship on Saturday, July 16, and we're going to give them away! The 'cue will be cookin' at the Oakland Coliseum before a doubleheader between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland. The lucky winner gets three pas ... More >>

Why It Matters That San Franciscans Pooped 87,000 Tons Last Year

There are 556,800,000 more where that one came from​You've heard of shitloads. But that's nothing compared to a "SFload," a term we've coined to identify the unbelievable amount of crap excreted by San Franciscans last year.According to the just released "Resource Conservation Ordinance -- 2010 An ... More >>

Gavin Newsom to Woo Winter Olympics to Lake Tahoe

Newsom tests the latest aerodynamic hair style for speed skaters​Our ex-mayor Gavin Newsom proved that he could bring the prestigious America's Cup to San Francisco -- even in the face of vociferous opposition. Now, in his new capacity as lieutenant governor, Newsom is taking on the bigger task of ... More >>

Madison Bumgarner -- It Gets Better!

Keep smiling, champ​With Thursday's loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Giants starter Madison Bumgarner entered into the running for a most undesirable laurel. Is he the greatest 2-8 pitcher in Major League history? Despite the 21-year-old's lopsided record, his earned-run average just keeps getting low ... More >>

Catch the First Glimpse of Oracle America's Cup Team Next Week

​While we still have two years before the madness of the America's Cup truly descends on San Francisco, you can still get a taste of what we'll be seeing next week. Larry Ellison's ORACLE Racing team will begin practicing out on the Bay, using two 45-foot long wingsail catamarans to cut through th ... More >>

Giants Release "It Gets Better" Video

SF Weekly first reported that the San Francisco Giants would become the first professional sports team to produce an iconic "It Gets Better" video. Today, the World Series champs released a short video aimed to curb LGBT bullying and teen suicides. The roughly 60-second clip begins with Giants pitch ... More >>

Buster Posey Update: Send Giants Star a Get Well Card

​We've got official news about Giants catcher Buster Posey, and it's not good. The team is reporting that Posey has suffered a lower leg fracture and torn ligaments in his ankle, which could put him on the sidelines for a while. Ouch.Fans aren't happy seeing the Giants star taken out of the game. ... More >>

Buster Posey's Injury Could End His Season After Smash-Up at Home Plate

dirkhasen/FlickrWill Buster be on DL for rest of 2011?​UPDATE: Giants just confirmed that Posey has suffered a lower left leg fracture. He's been placed on the 15-day DL, with an MRI scheduled for today, but he'll be indefinitely out until they know more. "There's no time table for his return," sa ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

dirkhasen/FlickrWill Buster be on DL for rest of 2011?​UPDATE: Giants just confirmed that Posey has suffered a lower left leg fracture. He's been placed on the 15-day DL, with an MRI scheduled for today, but he'll be indefinitely out until they know more. "There's no time table for his return," sa ... More >>

Bryan Stow Family Sues Dodgers over 'Lax Security'

Family sues LA Dodgers​Two days after Los Angeles police arrested Giovanni Ramirez, 31, on suspicion of beating Giants fan Bryan Stow, the victim's family has filed a lawsuit against the Dodgers and its owner, Frank McCourt, claiming the team's lack of safety at the stadium contributed to the brut ... More >>

Here Is Your Best Chance to Sleep with Buster Posey

If there was a chance ... ​SF Weekly spent a lot of not-so-free time deciding what is truly San Francisco's best ... including best bars, food, and yes, best chance to sleep with Giants heartthrob Buster Posey. Here is our best guess:The reigning Rookie of the Year is a married man, as the ladies ... More >>

International Peloton Skips S.F. for First Time in Decade

No Shaven-legged, 2-percent-body-fat Europeans allowed!​For the first time in 10 years, the international professional bicycle-racing circuit will bypass San Francisco, while today's stage three of America's biggest cycling event, the Tour of California, is skipping the city with a jaunt from Aubu ... More >>

Giants Head to Los Angeles, Dodgers to Boost Security for Game Tomorrow

Leave the rivalry on the field ​Will any Giants fan step foot at Dodger Stadium for tomorrow night's game? After what happened to Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who was savagely beaten outside Dodger Stadium, it would seem inconceivable. But you never know with those hardcore fans, which is why the Do ... More >>

Will the Atlanta Braves Follow the Giants' Lead and Create an "It Gets Better" Video?

Case in point that it does get better​It isn't enough that the San Francisco Giants will be the first professional sports team to create an "It Gets Better" video for LGBT youth. What we need now is a more macho, unsuspecting, conservative group of athletes to follow the Giants' lead -- like the A ... More >>

Giants to Create "It Gets Better" Video for LGBT Youth

The champs are here to tell you that it gets better​The San Francisco Giants told SF Weekly today that the team will make an iconic "It Gets Better" video to encourage LGBT youth across the nation. The Giants will be the first professional sports team to join the spirited campaign aimed at curbing ... More >>

Giants Fan Petitions Team to Create "It Gets Better" Video for LGBT Youth

Do the Giants believe it gets better?​SF Weekly readers might recall the recent Giants games against the Atlanta Braves. Yes, we got swept, but what was even more upsetting was the fact that the Braves pitching coach, Roger McDowell, accosted Giants fans, asking a group of men if they were homos. ... More >>

Bryan Stow Update: Beaten Giants Fan Takes a Turn for the Worse

Stow with his two kids, Tyler and Tabitha ​Last week SF Weekly gave you the good news that Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who was badly beaten, had been taken out of a coma; doctors were optimistic that he could relocate to a hospital near his home in the Bay Area. But now we have to report more sad n ... More >>

Big Hats and Bourbon: Where to Celebrate the Kentucky Derby

Virginia MillerOur favorite Kentucky Derby thoroughbred: whiskey.​You may still be fighting the lingering haze of your Cinco de Mayo, but the Kentucky Derby on Saturday will provide yet another excuse to drink a lot and wear a big hat ― just like Mother's Day. Though we couldn't tell you when t ... More >>

Jose Reyes to Giants? Don't Count on it.

The man everybody wants...​It's no wonder rumors are burning that the Giants are conniving to obtain scintillating Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. San Francisco's offense is providing writers with a rare opportunity to use the word "flaccid" in a non-sexual context. Meanwhile, erstwhile Giants shortsto ... More >>