Negativity finds Smith, again
When Jim Harbaugh chose Colin Kaepernick over Alex Smith as the quarterback to lead the 49ers, most of the smart insiders agreed — especially when Kaepernick’s excellence sparked a victory over Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game and a trip to the Super Bowl.
It was a humbling, degrading experience for Smith, who proved to be a far more effective quarterback than Kaepernick in the ensuing years. But now, strangely, Smith is experiencing an encore.
A well-sourced report by the Kansas City Star has made it clear the Chiefs aren’t satisfied with Smith — not as someone who can take them all the way. Smith had some great moments during a 12-4 season, but there’s a bit of Harbaugh in management’s assessment: He just doesn’t have that thing that defines a championship quarterback.
The Chiefs scan this weekend’s games, and they know Smith rates a notch below Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Ben Roethisberger. You wouldn’t call it a slight, but the Chiefs have been a postseason flirt for too many years without even reaching the Super Bowl (their last appearance was January 1970, when Len Dawson led the team past Minnesota), and they’re running out of patience. They might even evaluate young talent, such as the Raiders’ Derek Carr, and see a big-game quarterback superior to Smith.
If nothing works out, the Chiefs will be fine. But they’re looking at the big picture now, wondering if they can acquire Tony Romo from Dallas or land Clemson’s electrifying Deshaun Watson in the draft. For Smith, who turns 33 in May, it’s all looking disturbingly familiar.
The NBA players whiff
So much for players having a say in the NBA All-Star voting. Only about 70 percent of them voted, 128 of them didn’t list LeBron James as an Eastern Conference starter, and 154 left Kevin Durant off their ballot. Worse yet, there were votes for people who haven’t played a minute (Mo Williams, Khris Middleton, Ben Simmons) and some downright comical choices (Marcelo Huertas, Michael Gbinije and Damjan Rudez, one vote each). If they can’t take it seriously, draw the curtains ... The fans’ vote was a joke, as well, considering that they had Zaza Pachulia starting for the West. Solution: split it 50-50 among the fans and media ... Jalen Rose on ESPN, picturing Russell Westbrook in an AllStar alignment with Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson: “Interesting to see if he’d pass to
any of those guys.” ... The great Bernard King can relate to Westbrook, left out of the starting lineup despite formulating one of the greatest statistical seasons in history. King was at his peak in 1984-85, on his way to leading the league in scoring (32.9 points per game) and fashioning what might have been the most unstoppable mid-range game in history. The Eastern starters at forward that year: Larry Bird and Julius Erving ... What’s wrong with Curry in the lineup? Nothing. That game should be fun, and he’s more entertaining than any other guard in basketball ... As Cal made a sensible football hire in Justin Wilcox, who will shift the emphasis to defense and the running game, Sonny Dykes landed in his beloved Texas as an offensive coach at TCU. Considering that the Horned Frogs’ offensive coordinator is Sonny Cumbie, can Sonny Corleone be far behind? With Sonny Rollins on sax?
Receivers we won’t miss in the NFL playoffs this weekend:
Michael Crabtree and Odell Beckham, sensational talents who turn stone-handed at the worst times. Catch the ball, consistently, or don’t ever consider yourself a star ... From the Department of Not Cool: Empty seats are a staple at Stanford football games. It’s a stadium without character, and coach
David Shaw’s program — merely one of the best and most admirable in the country — draws only tepid interest. The school’s solution: Raise the ticket prices. Fans holding Priority Seating season tickets are being asked to pay roughly three times as much money to keep their seats. With six home games next season, it translates to $513 per game for two tickets. That’s just rude ... It’s been a pleasure watching Duke’s Grayson Allen respond to his suspension for tripping an opponent, his third such incident dating to last season. Hecklers are crushing him on the road; everyone’s waiting for him to screw up again. But he’s outstanding in all phases of the offensive game and consistently does the right thing. He had a long time to think things over (one-game suspension but 13 days), and he’s letting his talent speak volumes ... Looking back to the winner-take-all Game 5 of the 1981 NLCS in Montreal: The Expos had three future Hall of Famers among the first four batters: Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. But the Dodgers pulled it out, 2-1, on Rick Monday’s 9th-inning homer off Steve Rogers, and went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series ... Already planning to vote for Chipper Jones, Jim Thome (612 home runs; can’t be denied) and Omar Vizquel as they become eligible next year. For a man known as a light-hitting shortstop, Vizquel had 2,877 hits — and players swear he had even better hands than Ozzie Smith. Vizquel was a magician; players stopped everything to watch him take infield. In considering choices, I always ponder whether a candidate would belong at a mythical Hall of Fame banquet with guys like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, George Brett and Ken Griffey hanging around. Vizquel walks in to solid applause and someone says, “This way, Omar. Your table is ready.”