And so another postseason begins in another professional sports league, and Northern California stands outside, nose pressed up against the glass.
The baseball playoffs kicked off Wednesday without the Giants and A's, who are in rebuilding modes and often appeared in 2008 like they were years away from contending.
The playoff drought has left few of the region's teams untouched.
The 49ers are offering hope this year, tied for the NFC West lead after four games. The Raiders … well, their issues are well-documented.
The Kings and Warriors are young, talented, and unbeaten. Of course, the NBA season doesn't begin for another month.
The Monarchs and Sharks are the only pro teams in the region to experience the playoffs consistently.
It's enough to long for the high hopes of six years ago, when nearly every NorCal team was a contender. Within a 10-month span from April 2002 to January 2003, the Sharks won their first Pacific Division title, the Kings got within one game of the NBA Finals, the A's won 103 games, the Giants reached the World Series, the 49ers advanced to the NFC divisional playoffs and the Raiders played in Super Bowl XXXVII.
None of those teams won a championship, which might have been a disappointment at the time. Now it feels like the good ol' days.
What to surf
philly.com/dailynews/ online_extras/ 19377614.html. The Philadelphia Daily News chronicles a more painful drought – Philly has gone 25 years and counting without a title.
What to watch
College football: Oregon St. at No. 15 Utah , 6 p.m., VS. After knocking off USC last Thursday, the Beavers look to beat another ranked team.
What to do
High school football, Capital Christian at San Juan, 7:30 p.m. Capital Christian quarterback James Lee is off to a hot start with 10 touchdown passes in three games.
Wednesday's results
American League playoffs
• Red Sox 4, Angels 1
National League playoffs
• Dodgers 7, Cubs 2
• Phillies 3, Brewers 1
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments: "Just take the test kid, you are not a superstar who earned the right to write his own rules." – kingsrulal on "Take the sprint test? Not so fast, says Kings' Hawes"
