San Francisco 49ers; Mike Singletary

Lately, one of the media’s favorite topics surrounding the San Francisco 49ers has been the future of coach Mike Singletary.  The media is already speculating on who will replace him before he has even been fired.  Journalists in the media have been saying that Mike Singletary does not have enough coaching experience to be handling the San Francisco 49ers.  I happen to think that Singletary is doing a fine job. 

The 49ers always seem to have a game plan in place each week going into battle.  The reason the team is not winning games is because of their execution.  The players need to actually convert on more downs, and have possession of the football for more time, if they want to win games.

Simply put, the San Francisco 49ers are still a young team who need to learn how to win a football game.  People are expecting the team to run before they even know how to walk!  Through practice and experience, the team will gel and get better overtime.

Be patient San Francisco!  The wins will start coming soon.

San Jose Sharks: The Arrival Of Antti Niemi

Over this past off-season, the San Jose Sharks stole away defending Stanley Cup goalie Antti Niemi from the Chicago Blackhawks. During the off-season, Niemi took the Blackhawks to arbitration and won a $2.75 million settlement. Since the Chicago Blackhawks rejected the arbitration award, Niemi became a free agent and signed straightaway with the Sharks. Let’s take a look and see how he is doing with his new team.

It is always tough for a brand new player to enter into the dressing room of another. It usually takes the average hockey player about 10-15 games to get used to their new teammates and surroundings. This trend especially holds true for goalies because they each have their own unique playing style. For example, Antti Niemi plays a butterfly style game while former Sharks goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, played more of a hybrid style game. Nabokov was part of the Sharks team for over a decade, so it is going to take players awhile to get used to Niemi. To this point of the season, Niemi has a 5-6 record with a 3.93 GAA, and a .890 SV%.

These are decent, but not great, numbers that have been put up by Antti Niemi. Stick with him! I believe that I see steady signs of improvement in Niemi’s play. This is still a strong signing by general manager Doug Wilson! It will pay dividends in the end.

Here is a blog titled “Fear The Fin” where you can get tons of other information about the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose Sharks: Joe Thornton Hit

On Thursday, November 4, 2010, Sharks center Joe Thornton was suspended for two games because of a hit placed on David Perron.  I have to disagree with the NHL on the call.  When you look at the instant replay, the hit was not a blind side hit.  I believe that the situation was just simply two players not being aware of what is going on around them and colliding with each other.  Players need to be accountable for their bodies while they are on the ice, just like their sticks.  Having said that, I do not believe that this hit should be classified as “predatory.”

What do you think?  You be the judge!