Early this year, Jim Harbaugh accepted the head coaching position for the San Francisco 49ers.  Although in recent history the 49ers have failed to reach any level of true success, expectations from Niner faithful have not lessened from the days of Steve Young and Joe Montana.  Can Harbaugh be the one to restore the storied franchise to its previous glory? Maybe, just maybe, yes.

If finding great coaches were as simple as baking up a batch of cookies, Jim Harbaugh would have all of the required ingredients; solid career as a player, proven track record coaching in the college ranks, and even some time as a quarterbacks coach in the NFL.

But, believe me, it's not his time with the Raiders, or his years as head coach of the University of San Diego that have Bay Area fans believing in the 49ers again.  Harbaugh's most recent performance at neighboring Stanford lends the most weight to his case.  In four seasons, he led the Stanford Cardinal from the depths of the Pac-10 standings to an end-of-year number 4 ranking in the major polls.  The school known more for its brain power than its tackling prowess will look to continue this performance under new head coach David Shaw.

Among Harbaugh's challenges with the Niners will be figuring what to do at the quarterback position. Starting QB Alex Smith was the first pick in the 2005  draft out of Utah and has not lived up to the lofty expectations that come with following the likes of Young and Montana.  At Utah, Smith excelled under the tutelage of head coach Urban Meyer who would still be one of the top head coaches in college football had he not recently stepped down from the University of Florida due to health concerns.

Could it be that all Smith needs is a great coach with the mind of a quarterback?  Well, if the labor dispute resolves in time, we just might find out.  I, for one, believe that Harbaugh might just be what the ailing 49er franchise needs.

San Francisco 49ers tickets are available online now.  Search multiple websites at once using the free search engine at SeatKarma.com.

Tags: NFL, Football, San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh

Chicago Bulls young star Derrick Rose is by far the NBA’s greatest surprise this season.  The 22 year old Rose has led the Chicago Bulls to a dominating Playoff position, with the best record in the league.  This is especially surprising considering the early expectation for the Miami Heat to annihilate the competition in the Eastern Conference. You can get tickets by going online at the official site of the Chicago Bulls as well as sites like Tickets Now. Derrick Rose is one of the hottest NBA players around. and could well be on his way to becoming the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). If this was to happen, Rose would be the Chicago Bulls’ first MVP since Michael Jordan. Rose was actually born in Chicago, and has always been a fan of the team.  Derrick grew up in one of the worst "hood" areas in the city and thanks to his on innate integrity and the vigilance of his family combined with his rare talent, he was able to pave himself a different path than most of his childhood friends.

Rose tries to give back to his family and community; he is involved in his youth camp, working with youth with short attention spans and short tempers. Rose likes to relieve the stress of his volunteer work with difficult youth by going  to the Bulls practice facility and practicing some more to further improve his game.  In fact, twenty-four access to the practice facility was one thing he demanded before joining the Bulls, as he feels the urge to practice at all hours. It would not be unusual to find him at his old neighborhood high school enjoying a pickup game with a few of his old buddies.  This is just the type of young man he is and one Chicago can be proud of.

You can enjoy watching Derrick play and feel the response of the crowd to him and how he plays to the crowd, by searching for your Chicago Bulls Tickets on SeatKarma.com. Rose delivers a fantastic game, judging by his 39-point game against Orlando. He doesn't quit, and is always out there putting forth all he's got to be the best. He has the confidence without the ego to win a place in every one's heart. Seeing this young player become the MVP player of the season would just be giving him what he has earned and deserves. It is difficult to find role models that youth today can look up to and aspire to be like them. Derrick Rose is an excellent role model for young people, instilling them with integrity and a desire to constantly better themselves.

Tags: Chicago Bulls, NBA, Sports, Derrick Rose

You ever wondered how the cost of your ballpark experience compares with that of fans of other teams?  Well, wonder no more.  Team Marketing Report released it's annual Fan Cost Index this month, which outlines the average cost for a family of four to attend a Major League Baseball game. The research takes into account the following common expenditures for each MLB Venue.

* Two adult average price tickets

* Two child average price tickets

* Four small soft drinks

* Two small beers

* Four hot dogs

* Two programs

* Parking

* Two adult-size caps

The sum of these costs is termed the Fan Cost Index and represents the total expected cost for a family of four to attend a home game (minus travel expense).  As you might expect, teams from the East Coast and Chicago head the list while some of the teams with a smaller population to pull from make for the least expensive fan experience.

With the Boston Red Sox struggling thus far it will be interesting to see if they can maintain top spot going forward.

AVERAGE FCI - $197.35

1. Boston Red Sox - $339.01

2. New York Yankees - $338.32

3. Chicago Cubs - $305.60

4. Chicago White Sox - $258.68

5. New York Mets - $241.74

6. Philadelphia Phillies - $240.66

7. Los Angeles Dodgers - $226.36

8. St. Louis Cardinals - $223.18

9. Houston Astros - $221.36

10. Minnesota Twins - $213.16

11. Toronto Blue Jays - $212.68

12. San Francisco Giants - $208.15

13. Detroit Tigers - $207.28

14. Washington Nationals - $196.34

15. Seattle Mariners - $183.59

16. Oakland Athletics - $178.09

17. Baltimore Orioles -  $174.10

18. Cleveland Indians - $170.96

19. Florida Marlins - $170.24

20. Atlanta Braves - $169.02

21. Cincinnati Reds - $162.24

22. Colorado Rockies - $161.00

23. Milwaukee Brewers - $160.40

24. Kansas City Royals - $159.80

25. Texas Rangers - $159.40

26. Tampa Bay Rays - $139.68

27. Los Angeles Angels - $129.50

28. Pittsburgh Pirates - $127.71

29. San Diego Padres - $125.81

30. Arizona Diamondbacks - $120.96

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

Most Expensive Average Ticket Price - Boston Red Sox ($53.38)

Cheapest Beer - Arizona Diamondbacks ($4.00)

Most Expensive Parking - New York Yankees ($35.00)

Tags: MLB, Major League Baseball, Ticket Prices

Congratulations to the women's basketball team at Texas A&M on their first national championship!

Behind 30 points from Danielle Adams (22 of which came in the second half), the Aggies beat Notre Dame in a 76-70 highly contested, high scoring battle that looked a lot like what we'd hoped the men's championship game would look like.

This championship is the first for Texas A&M in a major sport since the football team won it all back in 1939.  Interesting to note that A&M started out as an all-male military academy that didn't begin admitting women until 1963.

I was privileged to earn my graduate degree from A&M so I can say this without reservation - Gig'em Ags!

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