Former Top Prospect Angel Villalona Rejoins San Francisco Giants' Organization

The San Francisco Giants' organization, as a whole, caught a break on Friday when they received word that talented prospect Angel Villalona would rejoin the ballclub.

Villalona had been charged with murder in his native Dominican Republic in 2009. The charges were dismissed earlier this summer.

When It Comes to Playoff-Like Baseball, the San Francisco Giants Are the Elite

Orange rags were swinging and playoff baseball was in the air at AT&T Park on Friday night.

Maybe it was the orange jerseys, orange rags waving or the sell-out crowd living and dying with every pitch thrown, but the crowd knew and both teams knew it -- this was a game with meaning.

Suddenly, the Giants of 2011 were the Giants of 2010. Cody Ross hit a home run and made a diving catch, Aubrey Huff was playing first base, Mark DeRosa was the first one on the dugout step, a misfit like Jeff Keppinger had an RBI double and manager Bruce Bochy was making moves -- and they were working.

San Jose Sharks: Should Todd McLellan's Coaching Seat Be Getting Warm?

Many teams around the NHL are looking at this headline with pure amusement right now, but we'll address it nonetheless. The San Jose Sharks have been at such a high level for so long that they deserve to be called one of the elite franchises in this and any other sport, yet the ultimate prize that is the Stanley Cup has forever escaped them.

Zero Stanley Cups and zero Stanley Cup Finals appearances will lead to the coaching situation discussion getting a little hotter if San Jose does not sniff the Cup this season. As for Todd McLellan, any

It's Not Over Yet, But the San Francisco Giants are in a Race Against Time

I had written an article a week or so ago saying that the Giants' playoff push starts on September 1. I said that because of the fact that San Francisco's injury woes would, in a way, be replaced by a new set of players from the 40-man roster.

Darren Ford would be called up, as would Brandon Crawford and many others who could fill the void for the list of DL casualties this season.

Problem solved?

San Jose Sharks: 5 Players That Could Surprise in 2011-12

It is almost that time of the year again. With training camp set to drop the puck on Saturday, September 17, many are excited to see what this new-look San Jose team has to offer.

Maybe "new-look" is a bad term. The team still has the same core of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle. They even have the same young stars like Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture.

However, the average Sharks fan may not know who the rest of the supporting players on the roster are, with all the moves that have happened this offseason.

A Disgruntled Frank Gore Is A Weary San Francisco 49ers' Offense

San Francisco 49ers' running back Frank Gore did not play Saturday night against the Houston Texans at Candlestick Park.

Instead, he stood dressed on the sidelines with a bit of a disgruntled look on his face.

It needs to be understood that Gore's mean-looking mug is just the way he was made, so maybe there was nothing wrong. However, the 49ers' offense did look flightless on Saturday night, which is why the talks of Gore's contract must be a top priority in Niner Land.

San Jose Sharks' Focus Should Be On Antti Niemi and the Third, Fourth Lines

There is no hiding the fact that the San Jose Sharks were busy this offseason. The dealings between San Jose and the newly befriended Minnesota Wild have been well-documented, as have both teams' chances at their respective runs in the playoffs next season.

For the Sharks, they needed to address two problems they encountered last season: Speed and defense.

San Francisco Giants' Baseball Is Torture, But Not the Good Kind

Losing is contagious.

You know how I know?

The defending World Series champions, and a team in the middle of a competitive playoff race, are in danger of being swept by the worst team in baseball.

Do you cringe when you watch Giants baseball these days? How about turn away from the television once the opposing team scores over three runs?

You're not alone.

September 1 Marks the Start of the San Francisco Giants' Playoff Push

Forget about the injuries, forget about the Arizona Diamondbacks, forget even about the fact that the Giants are 2.5 games back in the NL West. The playoff push is not even close to starting yet.

The Giants are a mess. It think we will all agree to that. A few late-inning throw-aways, slew of injuries and the surging Diamondbacks prove that.

Still, San Francisco remains just 2.5 games back after all that with a whole lot of baseball yet to be played.

San Jose Sharks: Moves They Still Need To Make Before the Season Starts

The San Jose Sharks have made a flurry of moves this past offseason. They have really changed the dynamic of this team and kept them in contention for the next several years.

To recap: The Sharks traded Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley to the Minnesota Wild for Brent Burns and Martin Havlat in two separate deals. Also, San Jose acquired Jim Vandermeer and Colin White to help bolster the defense, and they acquired Andrew Murray, James Sheppard and Michal Handzus to fill the open spaces in the third and fourth lines.

However, what the Sharks currently lack is depth.

San Jose Sharks: 5 Players We Can't Wait To See On the Ice Next Season

The San Jose Sharks will be throwing a whole different team out on the ice next season. This summer, it seemed GM Doug Wilson and the Sharks were a little fed up with back-to-back Western Conference Final defeats, and they decided to re-tool.

While many teams would be content with making it to the third round of the NHL playoffs two years in a row, GM Doug Wilson evidently was not. He made that clear when he traded sniper Dany Heatley and young talent Devin Setoguchi to the Wild this past offseason.

San Francisco 49ers: Jim Harbaugh Is A Head Coach, Not A Miracle Worker

Win or lose in the NFL preseason, the best thing to do is forget about the game. Luckily for the San Francisco 49ers, it will not be hard to forget about their loss to the New Orleans Saints on Friday night.

It is true that fans must immediately put the preseason out of their minds once the regular season begins. Last year, the 49ers went 4-0 during the preseason, then proceeded to lose their first five games of the regular season.

The preseason simply does not matter -- success or failure.

Tiger Woods: This Type of Monumental Collapse Has Not Been Seen Before In Sports

Tiger Woods was at 3-under par through the first five holes during Thursday's opening round of the 2011 PGA Championship, and final major of the year.

Despite the list of mistresses, critics and Steve Williams' remarks, Woods was back to reclaim is rightful place on the throne of golf.

However, we forgot one thing, he is playing the sport of golf and nothing is guaranteed -- not even for Tiger Woods.

Golden State Warriors: Predicting the Stats for the Team's Starting 5 Next Season

What do we have now that the NBA Lockout seems to have no end in sight?

Predictions and speculation.

With the lockout intact, the Warriors' proactive front office cannot extend their "act-first" wings that we got a glimpse of before David Stern laid down his gavel on the NBA season.

Just when things were getting good, too.

San Jose Sharks: Updating the Projected Starting Lines For the 2011-12 Season

The San Jose Sharks will be playing a whole new brand of hockey when they take the ice in October. GM Doug Wilson has completely turned this team around from a Stanley Cup contender to, well, a Stanley Cup contender, just in a different sense.

To recap, the Sharks traded Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat and Brent Burns in two separate deals with the Minnesota Wild this offseason.

San Francisco Giants: 5 Reasons Barry Zito Will Not Make the Postseason Roster Again

It is borderline silly that we are talking about a baseball player that signed a seven-year, $126 million contract, and is having a hard time making a team's playoff roster, albeit for the second year in a row.

However, Barry Zito is just that man, and San Francisco knows all too well why the lefty will be hard-pressed to make the 25-man playoff roster.

It has just never clicked for Zito. Signing the richest contract in MLB history for a pitcher at that time is something that player must live up to. The 33-year-old has never even sniffed living up to that contract.

Five years into that lucrative contract, Zito's record is 43-61 and he's has had trouble staying in the Giants starting rotation.