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49ers Mascot: Is he Gay?

The San Francisco 49ers mascot, Sourdough Sam (that is right fucking Sourdough), has been with the team since the late 1990s. Besides being a left-wing nut (favorite actor is Robin Williams), his appearence leaves a lot to be desired. Let's face it, Sam is about two spritzers away from heading down to the your local gay bar and finding himself a young buck. Not only that, but his nicknames are Sammy, Samster, Sammiester, and Samarama. What the fuck? How can a mascot strike fear into the hearts of an opposing team with names like that. I know I for one would be fearful of the Samster.

I officially place all the blame on the horrible seasons the 49ers have had on this gay mascot. His gayness has rubbed off on the 49ers and he must go!

The best 1st Round Picks in 49er history

1. WR Jerry Rice, 1985: The 49ers traded up to get him after winning Super Bowl XIX the season before, and he became the greatest receiver in history while extending the 49ers dynasty until the end of the 1990s. Never have the Niners gotten more value for their placement in the first round of the draft, where they were able to pluck Rice with the No. 16 overall pick.

2. DT Leo Nomellini, 1950: The very first draft choice in the team’s NFL history, “The Lion” became a 10-time Pro Bowler who now resides in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest 49ers ever.

3. DB Ronnie Lott, 1981: Perhaps the greatest safety ever to play the game, the nine-time Pro Bowler starred at three secondary positions for the 49ers on his way to the Hall of Fame.

4. HB Hugh McElhenny, 1952: The five-time Pro Bowler earned a place in the Hall of Fame after establishing himself as one of the greatest multiple threats of his era.

5. CB Jimmy Johnson, 1961: The five-time Pro Bowler was one of greatest cornerbacks of his era and also made it to the Hall of Fame. Is second to Lott among 49ers' career interception leaders, and was second on team in receiving in 1962 before locking in as a full-time corner.

6. QB John Brodie, 1957: 1970 NFL MVP led the 49ers to three consecutive NFC West championships and ranks second in team history with 31,548 passing yards.

7. QB Y.A. Tittle, 1951: Went to three Pro Bowls with the 49ers before completing a Hall of Fame career with the New York Giants.

8. RB Ken Willard, 1965: Four-time Pro Bowler led 49ers in rushing seven consecutive seasons and ranks third in team history with 5,930 yards and 45 touchdowns rushing.

9. DT Bryant Young, 1994: Four-time All-Pro still going strong with team after 12 seasons as one of greatest defensive tackles of his era.

10. DE Cedrick Hardman, 1970: Two-time Pro Bowler is team’s all-time leader with 112.5 quarterback sacks.

11. C Forrest Blue, 1968: Made it to Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons, starting for the NFC in three of them.

12. DT Dana Stubblefield, 1993: Three-time Pro Bowler was NFL defensive player of the year in 1997 and had a second effective stint with team in the twilight of his career.

Best Song Ever!!!

They just didn't have it

My girlfriend: "Honey, I'm sorry the 49ers were so bad this year."
Me: "Don't be. After all, it's not your fault they can't pass, catch, run, block, or tackle."

49er Video

Here is an article on the 49ers Video, but gets into a rant about 9er owner John York. Very good for those who can't stand the guy.


Real X-rated material left out of 49er video
by: Jim Litke

The only funny thing about the now-infamous 49ers' training video is that for all the embarrassing situations it covered, it left out the most embarrassing one of all: How one of the NFL's signature franchises became a stumbling, bumbling, comically mismanaged shell of its former self.

Teams coming off a 2-14 season are understandably reluctant to put out commemorative videos. So for the moment, this soft-porn classic is all that hard-core fans will have to remember the team by. Viewed that way, it's a fitting tribute to an organization that in recent years made a raft of bad decisions followed by even worse ones. And nothing illustrates that better than the story of how a video designed to help players handle the media wound up in the hands of the media instead.

The in-house production apparently was the brainstorm of Kirk Reynolds, the team's likable public relations director, and shown to the players during training camp last August as part of a diversity workshop. Proving he's a better safety than a movie reviewer, the 49ers' Tony Parish described the content as "the same type of sarcasm and satire" that catapulted comedian Dave Chappelle to fame.

What that conveniently leaves out is that Chappelle is offensive AND funny. Reynold's video gets it only half right. It's chock-full with racist, sexist stereotypes and mocks San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom as a glad-handing bribe taker. Oddly, the 49ers might be the most enlightened organization in the league on matters of race and sex -- and possibly the only one extending domestic partner benefits to employees; plus, they're going to need Newsom's support to build the new stadium they so desperately covet.

Owner John York had nothing to do with making the film, but everything to do with fostering the back-stabbing, front-office culture that led to the video winding up in the mail at the San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere. Since taking the reins in 1998, not long after a family power struggle left his wife, Denise DeBartolo York, in control of the team, York has made a mess of just about every department he's meddled in.

He marginalized white-haired eminence Bill Walsh, and eventually drove him back to Stanford. He chased off two coaches and just about emptied out the team's personnel, marketing, scouting and finance departments. In one memorable example of tightfistedness, York ordered cases of bottled water locked up to keep employees from taking them home. In another, he had to be shamed into paying for commemorative belt buckles for the players and staff after the 49ers won the NFC West title in 2002, a tradition that began in San Francisco's now-forgotten salad days.

But it wasn't penny-pinching that cost York and the franchise this latest embarrassment. Last fall, he signed ex-general manager Terry Donahue to a four-year extension, but by January decided to eat the contract and fire him. The day before he was let go, Donahue showed a 30-second clip from the video to York. According to the Chronicle, that was Donahue's attempt to discredit Reynolds, who Donahue believed was part of the effort to get him fired. In March, Donahue mailed a complete copy of the video to York at the owner's request. Apparently it sat in a drawer until this week, when the team issued a statement saying it was shocked -- shocked! -- by "how poor conduct can unintentionally make news."

If so, this is a franchise that desperately needed shocking. The good news is that the process is already in motion. York's micromanaging, timid leadership and miserly ways caused such a precipitous decline in the 49ers' fortunes that members of the DeBartolo family instructed him to loosen the purse strings. After consecutive years of being at or near the bottom of the payroll scale, San Francisco is spending money on new coach Mike Nolan, No. 1 pick Alex Smith and competing for free agents.

It's hardly the innovative, risk-taking, Super Bowl-or-bust approach the 49ers rode to dynastic heights with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young, but it's a start. Besides, they can't sink much lower.

A purge at the end of the 2003 season saw a handful of stars and front line players traded or released. That, in turn, led to the 2-14 debacle, but it also freed up some cash.

If York us smart, he'll invest it in something other than making movies. After all, the on-the-field videos the 49ers have been turning out recently had plenty of X-rated action in them, too.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C7.

49er Land

Looks like there is something going on in San Fran besides the Bonds watch. A tape made by 49ers public relatioins man, Kirk Reynolds, has forced him to resign. I don't know exactly what is on the tape other than what I read on the Mercury News website, but from what I do know it sounds pretty funny -- albeit in a non-PC way. I hope the tape makes its way on the Internet so I can view it.