>>>My team sucks, and I just had to shell out close to a thousand bucks to fix my car.
>>>
>>>That's about all the musings I feel like doing this week...
>>
>>Don't feel bad. I am a 49er fan. :)
>
>What happened to Frank Gore this year? Do you think Alex Smith will pan out?

Ever since Tony Debartolo had to give up ownership of the 49ers and turned over the team to his sister, the team has gone straight down.

I am not sure about Gore. His problem may well be directly related to the coaching and lack of talent on the 49er team. One man does not make a team but a good player can shine if the team plays well.

One local announcer described the 49ers on the field with these words, “They stand around and look like they are trying to decide where to go for vacation”. The announcer was talking about how the 49ers appeared during any given play.

One thing about a quarterback – he has to have protection. Smith got little or no protection and was injured. I lost track of how many times Smith was sacked. It seamed like five or more per game.

To blame Smith for a lack luster season avoids reality. I think that Smith has potential and if the 49ers wake up they will do something about the lack of talent, lack of inspiration and coaching staff. Add the 49er front office to that list. You need owners who care and know what they are doing. It will be many years before the 49ers improve.

The San Jose Mercury News said yesterday that Smith will be a free agent at the end of the season and may leave.

I have been a 49er fan since 1948, when I was 6 and the team was a member of the "All-American Football Conference". In 1950 they joined the NFL.

I know several of the players personally. Bob St. Clair went to the same High School I attended and I met him in 1958, and on several occasions since. The field he played on in high school, and as a professional, was Kezar Stadium, across the street form our high school. I have an open invitation to drop by his house.

Bob was the first “hold out” in the history of the NFL. In his rookie year he held out and got what he wanted: $5000 for the entire season! There was no big money in those days.