Cohn Zohn

More praise for Raiders

CohnZohn — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:02:33 +0000

The Raiders sent out a news release yesterday with lots of names in it. The names form the new personnel dept. for the Raiders. In a sense, the word “new” is not accurate. In the past, the Raiders did not have a personnel dept. They had a bunch of guys writing reports for Al Davis and he made all the decisions. Now the Raiders have a real dept. with division of labor. This is another way they are entering the… Read More »

Angel Pagan’s fielding

CohnZohn — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:01:39 +0000

Quick observation here: Angel Pagan just turned a single into a two-base error by coming in on a ball and letting it get past him. Not so good, that. He seems to make fielding mistakes. I saw him go for a fly ball last week, and let the ball drop at the last instant and it fell in for a hit. Does he seem like a questionable fielder to you in terms of judgment? Oops, the Rockies just scored the… Read More »

Darren McFadden says he’s healthy

CohnZohn — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:09:22 +0000

Here is the opening to my Wednesday column about Darren McFadden:

ALAMEDA

He advances straight at you with his head held high and a slight smile on his handsome young face. He is the prototype of a great running back and when he is good — that means healthy — he may be the best back in the NFL, better even than Adrian Peterson. On a scale of 10, he is an 11.

He is walking out of the Oakland Raiders training facility, 24-year-old Darren McFadden, the gods’ gift to football except for one thing — the gods always give and take away. He has a flaw.

To read the full column, please click here.

On dental flossing

CohnZohn — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:47:28 +0000

This is not a sports blog. It is about dental floss. Proceed at your own risk.

I am a fervent flosser. The dentist told me I probably won’t lose my teeth if I floss nightly, so I do that most of the time with Glide, that stuff that easily gets in and out of the tight crevices between my teeth.

Here’s the rub. Some nights I’m just too pooped to floss. The whole idea of going through the process seems too much, so I just go to sleep flossless, as it were, and then I feel guilty.

Are you a flosser? Do you floss every night no matter what? If not, do you experience flosser guilt?

Just asking.

In Praise of Bob Melvin

CohnZohn — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:01:30 +0000

Here is the opening to my Tuesday column:

This is in praise of Bob Melvin. He is doing better with the A’s than just about anyone expected, and that is the mark of a good manager.

The preseason talk about the A’s was blunt and brutal. They would lose 90 games, easy. They still may lose 90, but based on what they have done so far, that seems unlikely.

They can’t really hit and sometimes they don’t pitch so well, but they remain around .500, and, with their payroll and unknown players, that is enormous. I mean no irony in that statement.

To read the rest of the column, please click here.

Friendlier Raiders

CohnZohn — Sun, 13 May 2012 02:26:21 +0000

The Cohn Zohn attended the Raiders’ rookie and undrafted free agent camp today (Saturday) and enjoyed the newly-found hospitality of the Raiders family and the workouts and the lovely weather. Many coaches made themselves available to the media, quite a departure from the siege mentality of the previous leadership. That was a polite way of putting it, I guess. I spoke at length with new defensive coordinator, Jason Tarver, quite an interesting coach. To read my Sunday column on the Raiders, please click here.

A.J. Jenkins doesn’t attend graduation

CohnZohn — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:28:39 +0000

Here is the opening to my Saturday column about A. J. Jenkins and his graduation from college and the 49ers:

SANTA CLARA — It is important for a college graduate to attend graduation and to make that dramatic march in cap and gown in honor of four years of hard, rewarding work, and to pose for photos with the family and to introduce the proud family to professors and to possess that special day for a lifetime.

I applaud professional athletes who actually graduate from college — many do not — and I applaud those who place the graduation ceremony before practice.

OK, that should get you started. Jenkins graduated, but he didn’t walk at his graduation. Too bad. This is what Jim Harbaugh had to say and this is what Jenkins said. To read the column, click here.

Grant Cohn upsets Anthony Davis

CohnZohn — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:42:29 +0000

It has come to my attention that Grant Cohn, my son, has upset Niners offensive tackle Anthony Davis. Radnich and Krueger were talking about it this morning on KNBR.

This upsetting of Davis is a serious matter. Grant wrote a blog on Thursday from practice and Davis took offense and fired off several tweets criticizing Grant. Davis subsequently removed the tweets — I can’t imagine why.

But I take this matter of Cohn vs. Davis very seriously. I told Grant in no uncertain terms that it is wrong to upset professional athletes under any circumstances. I myself have made it a practice over a long career never to upset athletes, never ever to write anything to hurt their feelings even if it means not telling the truth. In this tough world we all need to get along.

FYI, as a penalty for upsetting Davis, Grant must do all the dishes at home for two weeks and I’ve taken away his car keys. To read what Grant wrote that sent Davis into a tizzy please click here.

Which is better: A’s or Giants?

CohnZohn — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:11:20 +0000

I attended the A’s loss to Toronto on Wednesday. And that night I watched Tim Lincecum implode vs. the Dodgers. The announcers kept saying he was back and his stuff was great, and he still got his head handed to him.

Everyone expected the Giants to be good — they still may be. And everyone expected the A’s to be a non-factor — they still may be. But which team is better at this moment? Got that?

My answer: They are the same team. The players try hard. The pitching is strong. Neither team can hit. As an additional bonus, the Giants can’t field.

Your thoughts on this question?

Brandon Morrow on the rise

CohnZohn — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:08:20 +0000

I attended the A’s-Blue Jays day game on Wednesday — day baseball is a little rare these days but it’s great — and I wrote my Thursday column about Toronto pitcher Brandon Morrow who is from the 707 and is a graduate of Rancho Cotate High School. He won and he struck out 10 in six innings, and he’s clearly coming into his own as a starting pitcher in the American League. So, the column is about a hometown sports hero who did well, and to read it, please click here.