Left Field

by SonDog

As said during the 49ers' radio broadcast last weekend by Joe Starkey, the Niners play-by-play broadcaster -- "Wells Fargo will contribute $5,000 to the 49ers Foundation to help undeserved youth in the Bay Area for every 49er touchdown scored this season. (Pause) There's going to be a lot of sad kids."

"That's not what we play for. That's not what it's about. It's not to score 70 points. We wanted to win the game, and the game was in the bag. It was in the refrigerator." -- Kobe "The Mamba" Bryant after scoring 62 points in three quarters against Dallas, then sitting out the entire fourth quarter in the lopsided affair. Of note here is that Kobe reportedly told a teammate and a coach before the game that he would score at least 50 against Dallas, AND, as best described by ESPN.com, "If that's true, then why did he shoot 14 times (counting shots on which he was fouled, which don't count as official shot attempts) in the last five minutes of the third quarter? That's one shot every 21 seconds, for those of you scoring at home, including four 3-point attempts ... with his team up by more than 30 points toward the end of that barrage." Like everything with Mamba, I would root for him if not for his crippling lack of likeability or believability. No word on whether or not he was charged with sexual assault after the game.

From Bill Walton, discussing the Ron Artest situation in Indy, "Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird have spent vast amounts of their own personal capital, credibility and integrity to convince all of us that Ron Artest and all the rest of this is so worth it. They have now come to the same conclusion that a lot of others have when it comes to not only Artest, but those of the same cloth: Latrell Sprewell, Terrell Owens, Shawn Kemp, Isaiah Rider, Bonzi Wells, the list goes on and on.

"And yet there will always be the next sucker who thinks that they can be the one who will get through to these lost souls. They feel that as soon as Artest or any of these other slackers gets on their team that everything will be cool." Personally, I just love it when Walton waxes hyperboly. I don't know how much personal capital (let alone vast amounts) that Larry Legend spent on Artest, but the rest of what Walton is saying makes sense.

From Peja Stojakovic in yesterday's Sacramento Bee: "I don't think about (the trade speculation)," Stojakovic said, shrugging his shoulders. "I hear that, but it's nothing that I can control. Why would I let something affect me that is something I cannot control? You hear it, obviously, but it's something that comes and goes.

"Obviously, I think about it. It's not that I don't think about it. I'm a basketball player. I'm a professional player, and I play for the Kings right now. And whatever happens happens. It's not in my hands. I feel good (about being in Sacramento), but it's nothing in my hands." -- Actually, Peja, this is all in your control. Let us not forget that Stojakovic is the one who requested a trade before the 2004/2005 season. He is the one who practically forced Kings' management to choose between he and Chris Webber. Were Peja to come out and say, in a thick, Serbian accent, "This is where I want to be. I want to be Sacramento King for rest of my life. I want my name retired in rafter," then it wouldn't be an issue. However, Stojakovic has done nothing of the sort since requesting a trade last year, which only has fueled speculation that he is on his way out when his contract expires after this season. Bottom line is that Peja has somewhat handcuffed the Kings into looking to deal him, in part because of last year's request, and in part because of his awful and lackluster play on the court. And, no, I'm not bitter.