I hope everyone had a GREAT Independence Day, full of barbeques and fireworks, and celebrating our nation’s greatest asset, our independence.  I hope you thought of what it really means to be independent, and what it took in the past and what it still takes to preserve that independence.  So with that said, go say a prayer for a soldier, go hug a family member, go buy something to stimulate the economy.  Oh and read the Bay Area Mailbag below.  As always, these questions are made up by ‘me’.

When will Tim Lincecum cut his hair?

Vidal S. – Beverly Hills, Ca.

If it ain’t broke, don’t cut it.  With whatever hair issues the young Mr. Lincecum might have, superstitious baseball players really don’t want to change factors when things are going well.  And things are going great right now for “The Franchise.”  He hasn’t allowed a run in his 23 innings pitched, he’s an All-Star, and the Giants have the second best National League record.  So I don’t anticipate a haircut until the end of the season or until after they’re eliminated from playoff contention (which might not happen!).  The real key is keeping him away from LA girls named Delilah, lest he wake up one morning with Manny and Joe Torre attacking him with shears and scissors.  That’s right, I went Old Testament in the mailbag.

Who has a better chance of making the playoffs this year, the 49ers or the Raiders?

J. Johnson – Emeryville, Ca.

Ok unlike my usual pithy answers, I will actually do some research and look at this analytically by evaluating their schedules (Please note my judgments are best mostly on history and perceived strength, relatively subjective but I think reasonable.):

49ers – Teams they should beat (counted as wins):  Rams (twice), Lions, Jaguars resulting in 4-0.  Teams they are even with (counted as equal number wins and losses):  Seahawks (twice), Vikings, Texans, Falcons, Packers, Bears resulting in 4-3 (benefit of the doubt).  Teams they should lose to:  Colts, Cardinals (twice), Eagles, Titans resulting in 0-5.  Total expected result:  8-8. 

Raiders – Teams they should beat (counted as wins):  Bengals, Browns resulting in 2-0.  Teams they are the even with (counted as equal number wins and losses): Chiefs (twice), Broncos (twice), Texans, Jets, Redskins resulting in 4-3 (benefit of the doubt).  Teams they should lose to:  Chargers (twice), Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Ravens, Steelers resulting in 0-7.  Total expected result: 6-10.

So I would say the Niners if the Giants pull out one (non-Lion) game against the NFC North and one of the Arizona games, they could be in the playoffs.  The Raiders have a very difficult schedule drawing the NFC East and very little if any chance of making the playoffs or even have a winning record.  FMT.

In hindsight, what was worse? Signing Corey Maggette, not taking back Monta Ellis’ money, letting Baron Davis go, or trading for Jamal Crawford?

C. Mullin – Piedmont, Ca.

I hate Jamal Crawford as a player and as a contract, but dislike Al Harrington even more, so that was ok.  I love Baron Davis, but with his history he was not going to be worth a long term contract, so that was ok.  I absolutely would’ve taken back Monta’s money and cut him.  I understand not wanting to kick out your star, but it was unclear that he would fully recover and was quite clear that he can’t be trusted.  Quite frankly, stupid stuff like the scooter accident doesn’t happen to true winning superstars that lead teams.  Can you imagine Kobe, Lebron, or Dwayne Wade missing a third of the season because of scooter incidents?  With that being said, signing Maggette for more than 5 years for more than $8M per year was insane, and has now become the most immovable contract in basketball.  He shoots terribly, doesn’t rebound, and doesn’t pass.  He’s like Stephen Jackson, but two inches taller with less leadership.  In general, it’s ridiculous to try to make a former Clipper the centerpiece of your offense, as losing has just become too ingrained in their psyches to change.  All former Clipper ‘stars’ turn out terrible once they leave the Clippers including Quentin Richardson, Darius Miles, Elton Brand, Michael Olowakandi (ok he was already terrible) etc.  Lamar Odom maybe the exception, but honestly he would have been a left-handed Magic Johnson if he gets drafted by a team other than the Clippers.  Sad.

What are the top nine things you hate about the Raiders picking Darrius Heyward-Bey as the seventh pick in this year’s NFL draft?

Mike C. – Sausalito, Ca.

For those of you who missed it, the Raiders selected Maryland’s wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey seventh in the NFL Draft when universally loved Texas A&M superstar receiver Michael Crabtree had miraculously lasted to seven.  The Niners picked Michael Crabtree tenth.  Reasons I hate this pick:

       1.  Anyone who watched any college football this year knows how much of a monster Crabtree can  be.  He made a zillion amazing catches in clutch situations, including the overtime win against Texas.

       2.  Heyward-Bey was projected as a late first round draft pick.  The Raiders could have drafted Crabtree and traded him for Heyward-Bey and another pick, probably at least a third or fourth rounder. 

       3.  They did not make up for this pick with a great second round pick.  In the second round, they took some dude who wasn’t even invited to the draft combine.

       4.  Raider fans will spend the next ten years watching Crabtree succeed across the bay.

       5.  It sucks having to type ‘Heyward-Bey.’  The hyphen sucks.

       6.  It shows that Al Davis still has complete control.  But as he has lost touch with modern football, that means the Raiders won’t win.

       7.  The odds of Jamarcus Russell succeeding are lowered.

       8.  People (including myself) will continue to support the Raiders and go to games and buy merchandise, not effectively showing management that we desire more out our team.

       9.  I just feel bad for Oakland, as they might end up with three of the worst teams in sports during this few years.  Crabtree would have at least brought hope in way that Heyward-Bey just hasn’t.

Are the Giants actually good? They have the second best record in the National League.  Or does the entire National League just suck?

Bruce B. – San Francisco, Ca.

The Giants aren’t bad and they’ve definitely been playing well as of late… but the truth is that the National League kinda … sucks (just check the interleague stats, brutal).  Well, other than the hated Dodgers, who may be the most complete team in baseball.  While the Giants have been scoring more runs lately, they still lack power, aren’t patient at the plate, and have a defense that is average at best.  They have been riding their pitching, with incredible strength in starters and bullpen.  The other allegedly good teams just aren’t that great… they have huge holes in their lineups and incomplete pitching staffs, many due to health concerns (METS!).  The Giants currently can’t be considered a contender to win the World Series, despite having the second best record in the National League.  There around three teams in the AL (Red Sox, Yankees, Rays) and one team in the NL (Dodgers) that can be currently considered as contenders.  Additionally, I would say that the Phillies and Cardinals would be favored above the Giants right now in a seven game playoff.  But the Giants really are just one second baseman away (Freddy Sanchez?  Dan Uggla? Robby Thompson? Ryne Sandberg?) from being legitimate contenders.

Kurt Suzuki is the A’s All-Star?  Really? Him?

Pablo S. – Marin, Ca.

This is where the debate over having an All-Star from every team flares up again.  This year, I come down on the side of having an All-Star from every team, it helps bolster every team in terms of marketing and publicity, especially during the recession.  It terms of actually honoring players (who already make millions of dollars), it does take away a little bit from being an All-Star.  But in terms of giving fans in every city something to cheer about and a reason to watch the game, this is by far the better business scheme.  And actually, sometimes it’s difficult to be good on a crappy team, as you have no protection in your lineup, no one to drive in or to drive you in.  So for people to recognize that you are actually a good player is still really an honor.  So props to Kurt Suzuki, the A’s should take advantage by tricking casual Japanese fans into buying the Kurt Suzuki All-Star jersey, letting them think that it’s Ichiro.

Me and all my buddies are single, educated, have steady jobs, and good salaries.  Where can we meet attractive single women in the South Bay / Silicon Valley?

S. Patel – Sunnyvale, Ca.

Ummm….  Los Angeles. 

Will the Giants trade for power in the form of a left fielder or second baseman?

Brian S. – San Francisco, Ca.

Rumors I’ve heard currently revolve around trading young pitcher Jon Sanchez to the notoriously Giant-friendly Pirates for All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez.  I would guess the Giants would also have to throw in something else (take Freddy Lewis please!), but this would be fabulous deal if it could get done.  Freddy Sanchez doesn’t have a lot of power either but he would definitely solidify the Giants improving lineup.  Earlier rumors involved Marlin Dan Uggla as well as some first basemen like National Nick Johnson.  I would love to see some power in the outfield, perhaps Adam Dunn of the Nationals, who the Giants easily could have signed in the offseason (but I’m not bitter).

Who ya got in UFC 100 Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson?

Dana W. – Las Vegas, NV.

I haven’t really been impressed with Henderson for a while and he’s getting old.  Bisping has gotten better every fight.  So my answer is the Bisping in the second round.

The All-Star break is coming up when we’ll give out our Mid-season Ludicrous-Speed Awards (Giants Edition)!  Stay tuned (yes it will be ‘