Steve Young, former BYU and NFL quarterback, waves as he exits the stage after speaking during the Silicon Slopes Summit at Vivint Arena on Friday, September 30, 2022 in Salt Lake City. | Ben B. Braun, Deseret News

Steve Young will be a soccer coach this fall — at the high school level.

As Sports Illustrated’s Madison Williams noted in a report Wednesday night, it was announced earlier this month that BYU and San Francisco 49ers legend Young would serve as an assistant coach for the Menlo School’s girls flag football team will be as the sport celebrates its first high school season in California.

The announcement said that Young, who was recently part of a major layoff at ESPN after more than 20 years as an analyst, “will serve as an assistant coaching guest lecturer” and his two daughters — a senior and a freshman — will be on the team.

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“Flag football will be a wonderful opportunity for young women to showcase their talent,” Young said in the announcement.

“Football is a great team game that teaches tremendous life lessons. I want to help build women’s flag football.”

The team’s head coach will be John Paye, who played with Young in the 49ers from 1987-1989 and is the school’s longtime coach.

According to an announcement earlier this year, the 49ers played a key role in making flag football a sanctioned sport in California this season.

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CHICAGO — Eddie George had no plans to coach football.

The long hours have put off the former Tennessee Titans All-Pro running back. He loved having time for his golf game. He built his wealth management business and acted in films, television and plays, including playing the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway.

“I’m trying to win a HEGOT,” said George. “It’s Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, but Heisman is front and center.”

The 1995 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State University laughed after speaking like a pro from his seat in a conference room at Halas Hall.

George was taking a breather during a hectic three-week stint with the Chicago Bears as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, a program designed to give minority coaches NFL-level experience. Randy Shannon, Florida State co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, former Miami head coach, is also present at the team activities organized by the Bears.

Nine days into his tenure, George was all over the Bears compound, not only attending football meetings and drills, but also consulting with support staff and even seeking the thoughts of Kevin Warren, the President and CEO of the Bears. George’s goal is to gather strategies from across the organization to bring back to Tennessee State, where he is entering his third year as head coach.

“Every day I try to find one thing, just one thing, to take home because it’s a lot,” George told the Tribune. “Three weeks isn’t enough time to really take it all in, so I’m trying to give myself the grace to say, ‘Okay, enjoy the experience and just try to learn something new every day and also be a resource for that to be youth.’ Men who are here and have questions.’ ”

When Bears running backs coach David Walker urged George to apply, noting that the Bears wanted to do something specifically for the head coaches, George didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to learn.

A little over two years ago, Tennessee State offered George a chance to become a head coach. In the NFL, George rushed for 10,441 yards for nine seasons, started 130 straight games and reached four Pro Bowls. But he had no coaching experience.

Intrigued by being the CEO of a football program, George wondered if he would regret turning down Tennessee State’s offer. He knew he would. And he believed in the experiences that brought him to this point. He was familiar with football from his playing career, leadership skills from fathering two sons, listening as an actor, and planning from his business ventures.

“So all of that prepared me for this moment,” he said.

George’s Tennessee State teams have won 9-13 in their first two seasons. His third season begins with a trip to Notre Dame, the first time the Irish have faced an HBCU team, and a game that reportedly comes with a $1 million payday for Tennessee State.

As George prepares for his third year, the OTAs provided a good time to join the Bears. The Tennessee State players will not be at the facility until the start of summer school and conditioning in early June. He still holds staff meetings between Bears training sessions and meetings at 1:30 p.m. each day.

George said he starts his day at 5:30 a.m. with a workout before meeting up with various people at Halas Hall. He attends special teams meetings because he believes in a great special teams game.

Of course, he’s drawn to the offensive encounters centered around the Bears’ running game, which he says set a franchise-record 3,014 rushing yards in 2022 under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. George takes note of what they teach, emphasize and name.

As George made the transition from actor-businessman to coach, his biggest learning curve was dealing with people – understanding who he wanted and didn’t want in his program, trying to get them involved, and articulating his vision properly, to inspire them.

Fellowship with the Bears gives him the opportunity to meet various leaders, including coach Matt Eberflus.

“Very cool and calm,” George said of Eberflus. “I love his approach. I love that he’s a no-nonsense guy. He knows what he wants. I’ve never heard him swear at anyone. He talks to you like a man. And his staff was great too.”

Eberflus said George consults with staff responsible for nutrition, strength and conditioning, and game management, among other things.

And George meets with Warren to discuss how he plans to build an organization that can sustain a championship culture over the long term. George is fascinated with how to get everything right in a program.

“How you pay attention to details because players can feel it and feel it,” George said. “If you cut corners on any aspect of this building, they will see that and cut corners. So I look at everything and I want to know everything, down to how they fold the towels and get your laundry back to you on time.

“All the things that you don’t necessarily think are important are really important. Everyone is watching. And how do you hold people accountable for that?”

The scholarship is named after former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, who started an internship program for minority coaches at his training camp in 1987. The league eventually adopted the stipend for all teams. Mike Tomlin, Lovie Smith and Marvin Lewis are among the coaches who have survived.

The Bears have enrolled several former players in the program, including Nathan Vasher, Roosevelt Williams and Henry Burris. They will hire more coaches as part of the training camp program.

George and Shannon are particularly prominent additions to OTAs this year, and their presence also benefits the Bears.

“We definitely rely on these people because they have the information,” Eberflus said. “Really, our boys have received a lot of information from (George) and are constantly asking him questions. So it was pretty cool to have him with us.”

Eberflus let George speak in front of the players.

George spoke about the rare opportunities they have in the NFL and the things they can do to keep them going, including not getting too comfortable. He spoke about his four pillars: physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. And he advised them to prepare for the post-football world, starting with the way they behave as players.

He began to understand the latter point in his final years as a gamer, when he founded a landscape architecture company before earning his MBA from Northwestern.

“Football isn’t the be-all and end-all. It’s a path to your goal,” said George. “You’re only here for a limited amount of time. It ends. You have more life behind you than in your football life.

“But the years you have as a footballer, especially in an organization like this, if you do well here – not just on the football field but in terms of character, integrity and who you are – can stick with you for a lifetime .” ”

©2023 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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We can surmise that the Phoenix Suns’ coaching search is moving forward and some big names – Nick Nurse and Doc Rivers – are high on the list.

Additionally, reports of the Suns’ coach search, which stalled late Tuesday, were somewhat unclear. That’s because three reports from the NBA’s top three news reporters on the search were all slightly different. Maybe it’s a phone game, and when the information got to each man through agents and sources, things were a little different. If you want a real conspiracy theory, owner Mat Ishbia and GM James Jones may have made a Lord Tywin Lannister-level move and told different employees/agents different things to see what was popping up where in the media.

Initial reports – from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania – were similar, saying the Suns had reached the final stage of their coaching search with four or five names in the mix.

The only real difference between the two is the addition of Frank Vogel. The Arizona Republic’s well-connected Duane Rankin had the same five-man roster as Charania.

However, Bleacher Report/TNT’s Chris Haynes comes later and essentially contradicts the notion that the Suns are nearing the final stages of their quest.

Since Ishbia is considered league-wide in charge of this search (and basketball operations), this is considered unpredictable. That said, as much as the Bucks’ Lee, the Suns’ Young and the Kings’ Fernandez deserve a shot at the NBA head coaching position, it’s hard to imagine that Phoenix — with a short championship window as planned — would give the job to one first head coach.

Nurse and Atkinson are also two of the last contenders for the Bucks’ head coaching job, although given Atkinson’s past with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, it’s hard to imagine the Suns going down that route. That could put pressure on the Suns to make up their minds and, if Nurse is their man, sign him before the Bucks. (The Bucks could lean on Atkinson, who served as Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer’s assistant coach for four years, allowing Milwaukee to bring in a new voice and someone who’s seen as a more creative coach without radically changing the system, like Nurse could do it.)

Is Doc Rivers the coach you hire to guide a team on their last trek to the title?

Meanwhile, despite the keen interest in his services, excitement is growing in the league that former Suns coach Monty Williams could be stepping down from the NBA coaching circuit for about a year.

Continue reading

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On Monday’s “First Call,” Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward spoke out against a possible NFL rule that could make life even harder for defensive players.

Brian Flores is now a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals coaching job. Myles Garrett was injured during Pro Bowl games.

And the NHL is back after the All-Star break.

More for Flo’

Brian Flores, assistant defensive back for the Steelers, gets a second interview for the vacant position as head coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

So says Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

#Steelers senior defensive assistant and LBs coach Brian Flores is expected to have a second interview with the #AZCardinals for their HC job on Wednesday, a source said. He’ll also be interviewing for the #Broncos DC job the day before – and is a top candidate for the #Vikings DC job.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 5, 2023

In addition to these possible openings, Flores was also a candidate for defensive coordinator positions with the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns. Both of these positions are now filled.

SI.com’s Albert Breer reports that Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are the other two remaining contenders in Arizona. He also says Arizona’s own defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, and Bengal’s offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, have been eliminated from consideration.

go too far

It seems that the NFL is thinking hard about getting rid of the “hip drop” tackle. This method of tackling resulted in a broken leg for the Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard during a playoff game in San Francisco.

After Mahomes yesterday, another textbook mechanism for high ankle sprains for Tony Pollard. This one seems worse, additional concern for fracture. Hip drop tackle again – not always a “dirty” game, but a technique with a high risk of injury for the ball carrier pic.twitter.com/1Tl78OFkPo

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) January 23, 2023

Last week said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said the technique could be eliminated. A hip drop is when the defender grabs the ball carrier from behind and then slides down the offensive player, dropping his body weight onto the ball carrier’s legs. This move has been banned by the National Rugby League in Australia.

Through ProFootballTalk.com, the NFL’s Competitions Committee is expected to consider new rules that would prevent this type of play, and Sills and the league’s medical staff would also be involved in those discussions.

Steelers defense attorney Cam Heyward waved the idea on Friday.

That’s so stupid. How the hell are we ever supposed to get boys on the floor. You think too much

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) February 4, 2023

Not only that, but when hip drop tackles become penalties, the weekly controversy over how many are being called and how inconsistent the calls are will lead to chaos.

More sport

• Tim Benz: We keep hearing about “volatility” in the Penguins’ performance – now it’s time to fix it
• Miles Boykin made a fit for the Steelers during Season 1, but will he be back for 2nd?
• Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Hockey just doesn’t know how to be cool

Garret is gone

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett suffered a dislocated toe while attending Sunday’s Pro Bowl games, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. X-rays came back negative. But Garrett hobbled off the field in Las Vegas.

Probably not what Cleveland wants to see. Myles Garrett hobbles away. pic.twitter.com/3lprj1kOpw

— Darren Carr (@DCarr75) February 5, 2023

Meanwhile, Jalen Ramsey landed on Tyreek Hill during the flag football game while trying to pull a flag on Davante Adams.

Jalen Ramsey decided to beat Stick @cheetah at the Flag Pro-Bowl pic.twitter.com/naC15a3G9m

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 5, 2023

Ramsey ended up getting a personal foul penalty.

Back in progress

When the NHL resumes play after the All-Star break, the Penguins won’t be part of the action. They won’t play again until Tuesday. Then the Colorado Avalanche visits the PPG Paints Arena.

However, some teams within the Metropolitan Division will start again on Monday. Third-placed New York Rangers (62 points) host Calgary at Madison Square Garden. The New Jersey Devils, currently second in the table with 68 points, welcome the Vancouver Canucks. And the New York Islanders (55 points) have to take on the Flyers (51 points) in Philadelphia.

The Penguins have 57 points, good for fifth place in the division and last place in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes lead the league with 76 points. They reached the All-Star break on a seven-game winning streak.

Tim Benz is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise noted.

The post First Name: Cam Heyward rips concept of latest NFL defensive penalty; Brian Flores is a finalist for Arizona teaching job appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Albert Pujols is open to switching to coaching. Ultimately. Just not yet.

The retired hitter arrived at St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp Thursday to visit former teammates, and while he believes he will take on coaching or another role in Major League Baseball, he doesn’t want to give a timeline.

“Listen, 23 years and 24 years, it’s difficult to follow a February-October schedule,” said Pujols, who retired in October after 22 years split primarily between the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Angels went. “Now I have the freedom to have my own schedule. I am grateful for that.”

Pujols spent a week as a special assistant with the Angels in Arizona shortly after camp opened, but the dalliance was just that. He’s embracing retirement after a career that ended in 703 homers, fourth on the career list.

The almost certain future Hall of Famer probably wouldn’t have to bother trying too hard for work when the time comes. He’s in no hurry though. There is too much golf to be able to visit many members of his family. He even made an appearance in the NBA Celebrity Game last month as part of the league’s All-Star Weekend.

Pujols stressed that he would not “put a stamp” on when the time was right to return to the game in a larger capacity.

“If it happens next year, it’s great,” he said. “Knowing myself I think I’ll let that moment come and I’ll revisit it if it’s something I think works, I definitely will.”

HARPER HOPEFUL

Phildelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper thinks he could be ready once the All-Star break begins as he recovers from off-season Tommy John surgery.

The two-time National League MVP said Thursday the team has committed mid-July as a potential target date for Harper’s return.

Harper spent most of last season as Philadelphia’s designated hitter after initially injuring his right elbow in April. He underwent surgery in November shortly after helping the Phillies to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Harper, 30, intends to serve as the designated hitter whenever he’s back in the lineup. Returning to right field can take significantly longer.

“Obviously I want to play outfield,” Harper said. “I want to get back out there and be in the right field in front of the fans, do my stuff and hear it from all the teams (fans) in the league too.”

RETURN FOR ROUND

The New York Yankees will have to wait a little longer to see their investment in Carlos Rodón pay off.

General manager Brian Cashman said the veteran left-handed pitcher will start the season on the injury list due to a left forearm strain. Rodón will not throw for 7-10 days, killing any chance that he will be ready on opening day.

The Yankees signed Rodón to a six-year, $162 million deal during the offseason after Rodón put together back-to-back All-Star seasons, first with the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and then with the San Francisco Giants this past summer.

GREENE GETS OPENING DAY FOR RED

Hunter Greene will be the opening day of the Cincinnati Reds.

The 23-year-old gets the nod as he begins his second season with the majors.

“It means the world. Given the history in Cincinnati, it’s a great honor,” said Greene, who went 5-13 in 24 starts in his rookie season. “It’s a great honor with the talent we have, Nick, Graham, Cessa (Luis). Knowing the history and the potential, we need to bring the team back (after 100 losses). It’s a baseball town. We want to win as much as the fans to bring that atmosphere back to the city.”

Greene threw 7 1/3 no-hit innings against Pittsburgh and lost in May, and he led the National League in legal homers before missing 43 games with a right shoulder strain.

WACHA, HADER PREPARATION FOR PADRES

San Diego starter Michael Wacha pitched three innings against Cleveland and gave up two unearned runs. Wacha, who signed with San Diego just last month, wasn’t concerned that he needed time to get up to speed.

“This is my 10th spring workout, I kinda figured it out,” Wacha said after his outing. “Obviously there have been some tweaks here and there over the years, but even (before I signed) I continued with that.”

He gave up three hits and knocked out two, and the runs were undeserved.

Wacha, 31, was 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts for Boston last season.

Helper Josh Hader followed Wacha to the hill. The hard-throwing left-hander begins his first full season in San Diego after being acquired from Milwaukee.

Hader threw multiple sliders on his second outing, giving up two hits and a walk but no runs. He threw a wild throw and knocked one out.

“One of my goals was to get a lot of reps with this slider,” Hader said.

He said he threw more fastballs on his first outing, so this time he emphasized his slider. “Try to get them on strikes and look at the reactions from the thugs and see if I want to work on that more.

“Overall there was more good than bad.”

HILL IMPRESSIVE LIKE 43 WEBSTUBS

There appears to be plenty of life left in Rich Hill’s left arm on the eve of his 43rd birthday.

The 17-year veteran allowed Pittsburgh a run and two hits in a 10-7 loss to Detroit on Thursday. Hill, who turns 43 on Saturday, mixed speeds and arm angles to throw the Tigers off balance.

Hill’s fastball reached a top speed of 89 mph. His series of breaking balls dipped to 68 mph. In the second, he caught Detroit’s Justyn-Henry Malloy on three pitches and then fanned out Kerry Carpenter on a slider that clocked just 68.8 mph on the radar gun.

The Pirates signed Hill for $8 million. One-year deal with hopes he’ll provide for a side riddled with young players, particularly in the starting rotation, both on the mound and in the clubhouse.

SOTO ON THE RETURN

Phillies reliever Gregory Soto threw 24 pitches over an inning during a simulated game the day after he reported for spring practice. Soto’s arrival from the Dominican Republic was delayed due to visa issues.

The two-time All-Star was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a five-player deal in January.

“I knew I was coming to a new team and I wanted to familiarize myself with the new staff and new teammates,” Soto said through an interpreter. “So the longer I was in the DR, the less time I had here.”

Soto has been able to train at the Phillies Academy in the Dominican Republic, which is about an hour from his home.

The visa delay prevented Soto from playing this month’s World Baseball Classic.

“Right now it hurts a bit,” Soto said. “But I know that’s my priority.”

BOONE GOES YARD

Aaron Boone still got it.

The New York Yankees skipper celebrated his 50th birthday by doing some batting practice, a round that included a shot over the left field fence at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Boone, who hit 126 home runs during a 12-year major league career and ended the 2003 AL Championship Series with a walk-off home run against Boston’s Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning in Game 7, dropped his bat after the Ball had left his bat Batter Giancarlo Stanton roared his approval just outside the batting cage.

FOLLOW THE Bouncing BALL

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has put an emphasis on team bonding, and one of the activities ended with pitcher Dean Kremer’s victory at the clubhouse table tennis tournament.

“We have a few things,” Hyde said. “We’re hosting a darts tournament. We’ll have some basketball stuff during March Madness. See who has the best jumper on the team. It’s the same every day (at Spring Training). Just try to keep it light.”

Kremer defeated first baseman Ryan O’Hearn in a best-of-three matchup. Kremer departed Thursday to join Team Israel in Miami, Fla. for the World Baseball Classic.

Hyde jokingly said the ping-pong tournament was the reason Kremer didn’t report to Team Israel.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The post Retired Pujols believes shifting into teaching `will occur’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Albert Pujols is open to switching to coaching. Ultimately. Just not yet.

The retired hitter arrived at St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp Thursday to visit former teammates, and while he believes he will take on coaching or another role in Major League Baseball, he doesn’t want to give a timeline.

“Listen, 23 years and 24 years, it’s difficult to follow a February-October schedule,” said Pujols, who retired in October after 22 years split primarily between the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Angels went. “Now I have the freedom to have my own schedule. I am grateful for that.”

Pujols spent a week as a special assistant with the Angels in Arizona shortly after camp opened, but the dalliance was just that. He’s embracing retirement after a career that ended in 703 homers, fourth on the career list.

The almost certain future Hall of Famer probably wouldn’t have to bother trying too hard for work when the time comes. He’s in no hurry though. There is too much golf to be able to visit many members of his family. He even made an appearance in the NBA Celebrity Game last month as part of the league’s All-Star Weekend.

Pujols stressed that he would not “put a stamp” on when the time was right to return to the game in a larger capacity.

“If it happens next year, it’s great,” he said. “Knowing myself I think I’ll let that moment come and I’ll revisit it if it’s something I think works, I definitely will.”

HARPER HOPEFUL

Phildelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper thinks he could be ready once the All-Star break begins as he recovers from off-season Tommy John surgery.

The two-time National League MVP said Thursday the team has committed mid-July as a potential target date for Harper’s return.

Harper spent most of last season as Philadelphia’s designated hitter after initially injuring his right elbow in April. He underwent surgery in November shortly after helping the Phillies to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Harper, 30, intends to serve as the designated hitter whenever he’s back in the lineup. Returning to right field can take significantly longer.

“Obviously I want to play outfield,” Harper said. “I want to get back out there and be in the right field in front of the fans, do my stuff and hear it from all the teams (fans) in the league too.”

RETURN FOR ROUND

The New York Yankees will have to wait a little longer to see their investment in Carlos Rodón pay off.

General manager Brian Cashman said the veteran left-handed pitcher will start the season on the injury list due to a left forearm strain. Rodón will not throw for 7-10 days, killing any chance that he will be ready on opening day.

The Yankees signed Rodón to a six-year, $162 million deal during the offseason after Rodón put together back-to-back All-Star seasons, first with the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and then with the San Francisco Giants this past summer.

HILL IMPRESSIVE LIKE 43 WEBSTUBS

There appears to be plenty of life left in Rich Hill’s left arm on the eve of his 43rd birthday.

The 17-year veteran allowed Pittsburgh a run and two hits in a 10-7 loss to Detroit on Thursday. Hill, who turns 43 on Saturday, mixed speeds and arm angles to throw the Tigers off balance.

Hill’s fastball reached a top speed of 89 mph. His series of breaking balls dipped to 68 mph. In the second, he caught Detroit’s Justyn-Henry Malloy on three pitches and then fanned out Kerry Carpenter on a slider that clocked just 68.8 mph on the radar gun.

The Pirates signed Hill for $8 million. One-year deal with hopes he’ll provide for a side riddled with young players, particularly in the starting rotation, both on the mound and in the clubhouse.

SOTO ON THE RETURN

Phillies reliever Gregory Soto threw 24 pitches over an inning during a simulated game the day after he reported for spring practice. Soto’s arrival from the Dominican Republic was delayed due to visa issues.

The two-time All-Star was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a five-player deal in January.

“I knew I was coming to a new team and I wanted to familiarize myself with the new staff and new teammates,” Soto said through an interpreter. “So the longer I was in the DR, the less time I had here.”

Soto has been able to train at the Phillies Academy in the Dominican Republic, which is about an hour from his home.

The visa delay prevented Soto from playing this month’s World Baseball Classic.

“Right now it hurts a bit,” Soto said. “But I know that’s my priority.”

BOONE GOES YARD

Aaron Boone still got it.

The New York Yankees skipper celebrated his 50th birthday by doing some batting practice, a round that included a shot over the left field fence at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Boone, who hit 126 home runs during a 12-year major league career and ended the 2003 AL Championship Series with a walk-off home run against Boston’s Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning in Game 7, dropped his bat after the Ball had left his bat Batter Giancarlo Stanton roared his approval just outside the batting cage.

FOLLOW THE Bouncing BALL

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has put an emphasis on team bonding, and one of the activities ended with pitcher Dean Kremer’s victory at the clubhouse table tennis tournament.

“We have a few things,” Hyde said. “We’re hosting a darts tournament. We’ll have some basketball stuff during March Madness. See who has the best jumper on the team. It’s the same every day (at Spring Training). Just try to keep it light.”

Kremer defeated first baseman Ryan O’Hearn in a best-of-three matchup. Kremer departed Thursday to join Team Israel in Miami, Fla. for the World Baseball Classic.

Hyde jokingly said the ping-pong tournament was the reason Kremer didn’t report to Team Israel.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The post Retired Pujols believes shifting into teaching `will occur’ appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — From 1983-1985, Andy Reid got his coaching career started at Division II school, San Francisco State. The football program was discontinued but his coaching legacy still lives on.

Joe Lopiparo played under Andy Reid back in the mid-80s at Cox Stadium, where little remains as a reminder of the former Gators football program.

Mecole Hardman leads Chiefs on slaughter over 49ers

Lopiparo visits Reid anytime he’s nearby with his family at a hotel before a game. Despite being a defensive player, he hung out with the players Reid coached most, the offensive line, and not just for his wife’s meals:

“She would have a dinner weekly with the lineman. I got invited once.”

Lopiparo also spoke on the time when he ran into Reid at a hotel.

“The last coach out I saw was Reid, now I haven’t seen him in 10 years. I turned and said, ‘Hey Coach!’ And he said ‘Joe Lopiparo.’”

But when he stood on the same sidelines as the future head coach of the Chiefs, the players learned from Reid and Reid learned from his mentor, Vic Rowan.

“Vic Rowan was a great teacher of coaches, and he had this huge library of playbooks from every school. He’d call up a coach and go, ‘Hey, can I get your playbook?’ And guys would send him their playbooks,” Reid said.

No wonder Reid has such a vast knowledge of plays to run.

Gil Haskell, a retired coach, Super Bowl winner, SFSU alum and coached with Andy Reid while he was in Green Bay, spoke on Reid’s playcalling ability.

“Now when I see his teams play on the goal line, you know they run that flip pass, damn near every week, well they had it back then and when we did it, we did it with Brett Farve and he’d just, wham. It would hit him right in the rear end. And Mike [Holmgren] would go, ‘Hey Andy and Gil, what the hell was that play?’” Haskell said.

“We’d play in these packed houses and he’d say, ‘Gil, remember State?'”

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“He never used foul language, just like our head coach Vic Rowan, he never did that, they coached the way coaches should coach, they could actually host a clinic on how coaches could coach,” Lopiparo said.

Times were a little lean at the DII school, so Andy Reid would come to a patch of grass in front of the school gymnasium and sell hot dogs.

“What he learned from Coach Rowan: organization. They had one room, with four coaches in it and Coach Rowan, you know, you didn’t have your own office,” Haskell said.

“You had all this stuff you could look at, you could dive into. And he was great about teaching you, sharing with you his knowledge,” Reid said.

Reid learned to be good at many sports while at SFSU.

“He was a fabulous racquetball player. Really good, and if you didn’t get out of the way he hit you,” Haskell said.

He used the city known for it’s Golden Gate Bridge, as a gateway to being one of the most successful coaches in NFL history.

“He was a good coach then, and he paid attention to a lot of detail and, you know, coaching is a lot of breaks and the fact that he knew Coach Holmgren, who got him to Green Bay, had a lot to do with it. It’s who you know too,” Lopiparo said.

But never forgetting the former coaches he coached with and players he coached.

“It makes you proud because his roots are here and just being around him and getting to see him once in a while and talk to him, is awesome.”

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Joe Freitas has been synonymous with South San Francisco Colt baseball for nearly half a century.

But for the first time since he started coaching his first team in 1977 at the age of 18, this season marked the first time a South San Francisco Colt team was not led by Freitas.

Joe Freitas

After the Peninsula Colt League, like the entire California youth baseball, was closed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Freitas decided to step down from the coaching office in 2021. While still holding the title of President and Business Manager of the Peninsula Colt League, Freitas passed the reins of his South City Indians team to Raul Callero.

“I’m still determined to lead the South City program up here and continue to be involved in the Peninsula Colt League,” said Freitas. “My philosophy was to build the program – and keep the kids in South City, give them a place to play and keep them out of trouble and keep them going – keep the program going.”

Freitas trained his final game under the South City PAL Colt Baseball banner in the 2019 Super Region tournament and led the team to the championship game before falling against eventual national champions Los Gatos Legends.

“That was a good year,” said Freitas. “In the end we had a really good year. We made it to the finals in the Super Region in San Jose. “

Freitas was one of the founders of the Peninsula Colt League, along with Wally Souza in San Mateo and Mike Palmer in San Bruno. Palmer stepped down as president of the Peninsula Colt League in 2019.

“It was just about time,” said Palmer. “I had lasted an awful long time. I thought it was time to pass the torch on to someone else. “

Palmer began coaching San Bruno Youth Baseball in 1976. In the years to come, he would oversee SB Youth and the San Bruno Colt League before bringing them under the same banner of the Peninsula Colt League in the early 2000s. Palmer’s legacy pioneered the transformation of the Peninsula Colt League into a not-for-profit charity.

Freitas said he would like to step down from his advisory role at South San Francisco Colt in the future and has named Raul Callero as his successor even though Callero has not yet accepted the title.

“I would like to resign permanently,” said Freitas. “It’s just about finding the right man to hand it over to.”

Callero comes from a longtime baseball family from South San Francisco. His father Cliff served as an assistant coach under Freitas in 2019. And his grandfather, Mike, was immortalized in 2011 when the baseball diamond in Southwood Park was renamed Mike Callero Field.

South San Francisco Colt played a 12-game plan this season with Raul Callero at the helm, despite not being under the official Colt League banner. The team played independently, as did teams from San Bruno, Pacifica, Millbrae, and Daly City.

“Things were sketchy about the whole COVID thing, but I think we’ll be back next year,” said Palmer.

Freitas really wanted to thank everyone who played for him during his 42 years as a coach. He said he was also grateful to his 22-year-old assistant coach Tom Sutter, his brother-in-law, who died in 2010.

One of the evidence of Freitas’ ability to hold the Colt League together during difficult times came during a night game against the Burlingame Mules in Washington Park in 2017. The appointed referees did not appear for the game. But instead of canceling the game, Freitas made the rounds of Washington Park and asked individual fans if they were ready for the referee.

Freitas eventually found two takers to referee, including a local Bay Area sports radio celebrity Ken Dito, who attended the game to watch his grandson play for Burlingame.

“I have to say that was one of my highlights,” said Freitas.

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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans spoke with reporters today, during the second week of organized team activities. Here is everything he had to say.

Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.

This is the first time I think we’ve had the opportunity to talk to you since you were named defensive coordinator. Can you just kind of take us through what your defensive philosophy is and what are going to be your main coaching points and what you want to instill in your guys as far as when they get out there on the field and execute your game plan?

“Oh yes. Our defense will be a fast, attacking, aggressive defense. I want guys to play fast. I want guys who are smart. I want guys who are going to play physical. That’s one thing for me is just growing up, watching the 49ers play defense. The defense has always stood out here. This has been a defensive organization. They played great defense in the past, and we just want to continue that tradition of playing aggressive defense. And we want guys to be precise with what they’re doing. We want guys that know the details of their job, be able to be on their fundamentals because at this league where we are right now, everyone is good, but you separate yourself when you focus in on the small, minor details and you hone in on the fundamentals of your job. And when you’re doing that, you’re executing your fundamentals at a high level, we’re going to be a really great defense.”

I believe it was about four years ago when you kind of came here as what a quality control coach. Did you figure that you would be able to rise up to the defensive coordinator level this quickly? And how prepared do you feel like you are for it?

“Yes, it’s been a progression since I first came here, you know, in 2017, just being under coach [head coach Kyle] Shanahan, just learning the system under coach [New York Jets head coach Robert] Saleh, all the guys here and just the coaching staff we’ve had, I was just able to sit back and absorb and learn a lot from a lot of talented, great coaches. So my progression as a coach, it’s really, it’s been a smooth transition, it’s been a smooth progression. Yes, it is something that I’ve always been preparing for and I’ve always wanted to get into coaching. I always love and seeing the effect that coaches have had on my life growing up and coaches have been really important and integral in me and instilling a lot of things in me, not only football, but as far as things pertaining to life outside of football. So I’ve just always seen that as a way for me to reach back and be able to help players and being in their shoes before I feel like it’s been a natural transition to me, and it’s been easy to relate to our players and help them not only on the field, but off the field as well.”

We heard your predecessor there, Robert Saleh, say there was a couple of things just adjustments for him taking over as the head coach and going to the defensive side and not be with the whole team. What has the adjustment been like? What have been some of the things that maybe jumped out to you with working with a whole defensive instead of just a position group?

“Yeah, it’s a lot of big picture things. Now just having my eyes on, you know, D-Line linebackers and the secondary, just being able to interact with all of the guys a lot more than I have been able to in the past where I’m not just focused on the linebackers, when I’m able to, you know, get to know the guys on the D-Line better, get to know the secondary guys better and just making sure we all gel together as a tight-knit group, as a brotherhood. And I think that’s really the big picture thing is just dealing with all of the guys, all the different personalities, just being able to manage that. And it’s been going really well.”

You mentioned that some other coaches have helped you develop outside the field as well. Who are those coaches and what were the most important things that they said to you and how does that affect how you are as a coach?

“Yeah, I think thank you for that as well. But you know, I think one of the main coaches, a guy who is here with me now is coach [linebackers coach] Johnny Holland, a coach I’ve had as a rookie coming into the National Football League and just seeing the way he carries himself as a coach and off the field, it’s just not a better mentor to have than coach Johnny Holland. He’s meant a lot to me professionally in my football career, but also just off the field when it comes to just players coming in young, just how to handle money. How do you handle relationships and family? Those are things that kind of get overlooked and everyone is focused on football, but Johnny has taught me how to manage both and you can teach both in a football setting. So that is the one coach I’ve had who’s been very instrumental in my life.”

As a player, you always have to prove yourself. And I’m sure you feel like you have to prove yourself now, you know, as mentioned you were just a quality control coach a second ago. Do you feel, I don’t know if it’s good pressure or whatever, but do you feel some sort of pressure and if so, is it kind of different from what the way that emotion was as a player?

“No, thank you. It’s I think when it comes to pressure, it’s all about just your preparation and what have you done to prepare? Is there pressures like playing, like you get those butterflies before you run out of the tunnel, but is there pressure? There’s no pressure, but it’s just, have you prepared yourself for the moment? I think for me, it’s just putting in the work now in the offseason, putting into work during the season, you just put the work in to put yourself in a position to where you feel as prepared as possible for each week.”

How do you balance retaining the things that made the 49ers defense successful over the last several years under Robert Saleh, but also incorporating your own style and your own way of doing things?

“Oh yeah. Thank you. For me, I am my own person and Saleh has taught me a lot. He’s taught me, probably one of the coaches who has taught me the most football that I’ve been around. He’s been very integral to my development as a coach and I can’t thank him enough for all of the things that he’s instilled in me. And so there will be some of the similar, you know, scheme things that we’ve done in the past where you will see some similarities there, but you will see some wrinkles. You will see some wrinkles, you will see my brand of football on it. Like I talked about earlier, I want to be known as an attacking defensive line. Our D-Line is going to attack. Our linebackers and secondary, they’re going to play with base fundamentals. We’re going to play off our defensive line. We’re going to let our D-Line just get off the ball and attack, and we’re going to clean up things behind them, but we will be a more, I feel like aggressive, attacking defense.”

Along those lines, you have some experience in the secondary. I think CB Jason Verrett, CB K’Waun Williams, S Jaquiski Tartt, all those guys will be 30 by the time the season starts. Does that give you a little bit more leeway, a little bit more ability to be variable and to kind of mix things up, specifically that secondary group?

“It was very comforting and I was very excited when we were able to sign back Verrett, sign back [CB Emmanuel Moseley] E-Man, sign back K’Waun Williams, getting Tartt back, you know, [DB] Jimmie ward, all those guys who have been here, played under our scheme in the previous years. So it was very comforting to have those guys who you know are veteran guys who can handle a lot of things that we throw at them. And those guys have been awesome. And I just love them, not only as players, but the way they’ve been taking the younger guys under their wings. I think that’s the advantage you have when you get good veteran players who are not selfish and all about themselves, but they’ve done a good job of coaching the younger guys, helping the younger guys as much as they can. So I’m thrilled to have all those guys in the secondary and excited to work with them.”

What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge you’ll face as a first-year defensive coordinator?

“Well, I think there’s different challenges every week. Depending on the opponent you’re facing, we’ll handle those challenges when they come. But when it comes to game planning and calling plays, last year I kind of took on that role of more of a big-picture type role, kind of putting myself in those positions of what would I have called here? What would I have done different here? So, as I talked about earlier, it’s just that preparation and putting yourself in those positions now to be different because this would be my first time doing it live. But I think, again, it’s all about, you know, it’s all about your preparation.”

How is DT Javon Kinlaw looking now heading into year two?

“Kinlaw is looking, he’s looking awesome. I think it’s really vital for him to really have these OTAs. And it’s been great that all our guys have showed up and we’ve been able to practice and Kinlaw was able to really hone in and focus on his techniques, which he missed. You know, coming in as a rookie, OTAs are very, very important. And for him to miss that time last year, I think this has been, he’s going to take a huge jump this year. Just we’re able to slow things down and really emphasize foot work, hand placement and technique, eyes. And he’s been doing an awesome job. I mean, I can already see how much better he’s gotten in the couple of weeks that we’ve been together.”

Before I ask my question, on our little chat here, everybody wants to know if you’re going to be upstairs or on the field?

“I’ll be on the field.”

And so for a guy who played 10 years, and you’re just, you know, you’re a player in 2015, I’m sure you had your idea of what a defensive coordinator should be and the kind of defensive coordinator you wanted to play under. How much now as the defensive coordinator do you balance what the players like to do as opposed to just what’s smart football?

“I think there is a healthy balance, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the players. For me, it’s all about the players and what can they do? Not only what can they do, but what can they excel at a very high level to where they’re not overthinking things. They’re able to have their cleats in the ground, so to speak, and ready to play as fast as possible. And that’s one thing that I’ve learned is just going through playing and coaching for the past couple of years, if no matter what I know what I want to do, it’s all about what the players can absorb and what can they go out and execute on the field.”

Since you’ve been hired, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And also, maybe you don’t know the answer to this, but Saleh was known for kind of freaking out, you know, after good plays and be super intense on the field. Is that what you imagine is going to be your sideline demeanor or who knows? Do you have to wait and see?

“Yeah, we’ll have to wait and see on that. Just naturally as a competitor, like my guys making a play, I’m going to be excited. I’m going to be enthusiastic about that play. That’s just who I am as a person. And that’s why I encourage my guys to be as well, be enthusiastic when your teammate makes a play, you should be fired up and excited for him. And for me as a coach, it won’t change. Like when I see a player make a play, no matter who it is, I’m going to be fired up for that player because I’m so happy that he was able to execute and make a big play.”

Obviously within the division, there are three pretty good quarterbacks at least, I guess you could say that, but in terms of just how you evaluate everybody that you’re going to go against in the NFC West, what stands out to you about the quarterbacks you’re going to face and how big of a challenge is that going to be, especially for a first-year guy?

“Yeah. I think when you look at the quarterbacks in our division, first starting at Seattle with [Seattle Seahawks QB] Russell Wilson, just seeing him over the years, he is a true competitor. He’s going to keep his team in the game. He’s able to make plays not only with his arm, but also with his legs. He is a competitor. So it’s someone we’ve went against in the past and have a history with. He’s gotten us a couple of times, we’ve gotten him, but we kind of know him, but you know it’s always going to be close there with Russell because of the competitor that he is. Then you go down to L.A. with the addition of [Los Angeles Rams QB] Matt Stafford. I think it was a really great addition for them and their office and the things that Stafford has been able to do throughout his career, he’s really been a top quarterback in his league when it comes to the fourth quarter comebacks, which he’s very known for. But, he provides leadership to that offense and he’s going to be a playmaker for them. So he’ll present a lot of challenges, whether it’s calling it at the line of scrimmage, whether he gets more leeway with that, we’ll see. But we’ll see how their offense comes along with him, a few unknowns there, but kind of waiting to see. And then you go down to Arizona and [Arizona Cardinals QB] Kyler Murray is a fantastic young player, dynamic player who is electric when he’s running with the ball, has a big arm to sling it across the field as well. So we know he’s definitely a hard out, so to speak. He’s a hard out. But again, it’s a guy that we’ve grown to kind of know. You know the type of competitor that he is, you know the playmakers that they surrounded him with. So, I feel like they’ll be better this year and they’ll have a ton of challenges as well.”

You mentioned just how this organization has a history of playing great defense. And obviously it helps to have the Jimmie’s and the Joe’s or in your case, the Freds and the Nicks. I know we’re in June, but is there a player on defense that’s scratching the surface of breaking out? And if not, is there a position battle that you’re kind of looking forward to seeing them at minicamp and as training camp gets closer?

“Yeah, I think when you talk about young players who are on the verge of breaking out, I look at a young guy like [DL] Kevin Givens and the way he’s been working, it’s been outstanding to see him work. He’s getting better and better each day. I mentioned Kinlaw earlier. He’s another player. He’s a second-year player who’s going to take a huge jump for us. When you look at another young player, I still see a young player talk about [LB] Dre Greenlaw and just how he’s developed. And he’s gotten better throughout these OTAs and I’m fired up to see his growth this year. So those are three of the young guys that I see taking a huge jump this next year. And we have a lot of guys who are very vital to our defense when it comes to [DL Nick] Bosa. When it comes to Fred, Jason Verrett Jimmie Ward, you know, three guys who are very vital, important to our defense. [DL] Arik Armstead, you know, guys who have been here, leaders who will help guide this defense. This defense is theirs and I’m just here to help them go out and perform as good as they possibly can.”

The 49ers already have a slew of established veteran standouts on defense, with players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Jason Verrett, Jimmie Ward, and Arik Armstead leading what should be a talented mix. But there may be three more players ready to join that group this season, according to defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

Ryans was asked during a media session on Wednesday which players he feels are in a position to make a big leap once the season gets underway. The first player he singled out was defensive tackle Kevin Givens, who has shown some flashes in a reserve role since joining the 49ers as an undrafted rookie out of Penn State in 2019. Givens had 19 tackles and a sack in 13 games last season after playing in just one game as a rookie.

“I look at a

DeMeco Ryans seems to be fitting in perfectly so far as the 49ers’ new defensive coordinator, although that should come as no surprise given his previous NFL experience.

Ryans, 36, played ten seasons in the league as a linebacker for the Houston Texans (2006-2011) and Philadelphia Eagles (2012-2015) after being selected by the Texans at pick 33 in Round 2 of the 2006 NFL Draft. After a career that saw him total 814 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and two Pro Bowl selections, Ryans began his coaching career as a quality control coach with the 49ers in 2017 and has since gone through a quick rise to defensive coordinator after serving as the inside linebackers coach the past three seasons. The fact that Ryans has a wealth of NFL experience and isn’t far removed from his playing days means

What will the 49ers defense look like now that DeMeco Ryans is in charge?

There will undoubtedly be some similarities on that front to what was seen under former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, but Ryans wants to bring his own touches to the defense, starting with a more aggressive approach.

“Our defense will be a fast, attacking, aggressive defense,” Ryans told reporters Wednesday in his first media session since being named defensive coordinator in January after Saleh took over as head coach of the New York Jets. “I want guys to play fast. I want guys who are smart. I want guys who are going to play physical.”

In particular, Ryans wants to unleash the talent the 49ers have on defense up front. Ryans expects the defensive line to set the tone

Today, DeMeco Ryans spoke with the media for the first time since being named the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator in January. One of the discussion topics was second-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who was the No. 14 overall pick last year.

Ryans is expecting big things from his 6-foot-5 and nearly 320-pound defensive lineman.

“Kinlaw, he’s looking awesome,” the coach told reporters. “I think it’s really vital for him to really have these OTAs, and it’s been great that all our guys have showed up, and we’ve been able to practice.

“Kinlaw is able to really hone in and focus on his techniques, which he missed coming in as a rookie. OTAs are very, very important. For him to miss that time last year, I think he’s going to take a huge jump

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