Larry Brown Sports

Earlier this week, a group of San Francisco 49ers fans from Hayward, Calif. fell victim to a Craigslist scam after paying someone $5,900 for what they thought were four tickets to the Super Bowl. That price would mean the tickets were selling for double face value, which is reasonable compared to the triple and beyond that most secondary markets are charging. However, 49-year-old Sharon Osgood says she never received any tickets.

After wiring the money to the seller’s credit union, Osgood said she received a package in the mail on Monday. That package contained nothing more than a Super Bowl 47 promo picture and a note that said: “Enjoy the game!!!! Go Ravens!!! LOL.” Ouch.

“I’m just sick — like, physically sick,” Osgood told the San Jose Mercury News. “All over the envelope it says ‘go Ravens’ — even on the FedEx label. For a week I was on the phone with this guy. That’s the only reason why we trusted him.

“Do we want to let this affect our celebration of our team going to the Super Bowl? We need to get past that.”

Osgood was not the first person to be scammed for Super Bowl tickets on Craigslist and she won’t be the last. However, she could be the only one whose story has led to five free tickets to the game — four courtesy of Ticketmaster and one from the Niners.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard heard about the unfortunate story and called Osgood to offer tickets to her and the other members of her family who were scammed. The Niners had already offered a free ticket.

“My heart literally was in my throat; it was fluttering — I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.’ I can’t put into words how grateful I am,” Osgood said while fighting back tears.

Some will say that Osgood doesn’t deserve free tickets, since one of the most basic rules of Craigslist transactions is that you never wire money to a stranger’s account. You’re better off dealing with someone who is looking to trade their wife or a bag of weed for tickets. That being said, sometimes we have a tendency to believe that there are good people in the world who wouldn’t steal our money. In the end, it all worked out nicely for Osgood and company.

H/T Deadspin

I absolutely despise when fans do the Wave at sporting events. Doing the wave is a sign of boredom. I can understand 120,000 people doing it at a NASCAR race, because the cars are going in a circle for five hours. Sometimes you need something to help pass the time. And at a baseball game when your team is ahead or losing by 15 runs? Alright, maybe. But the Wave should never make its way inside a football stadium, especially when your team is trying to run its offense.

With the 49ers leading the Rams by a comfortable margin and on their way to clinching a division title at Candlestick Park on Sunday, San Francisco fans felt the need to celebrate with the Wave. Alex Smith was sacked on a 3rd-and-nine play while it was going on, and according to SFGate.com, offensive lineman Joe Staley left the field screaming in anger. Here’s why.

“Thanks to the fans for being so supportive and great this year so far,” Staley tweeted after the game. “Keep it up. Just don’t start the wave anymore when we are on offense”

Niners fans are obviously overjoyed with the fact that their team is somehow 10-2 and headed for a first-round playoff bye, but when the stadium scoreboard reads, “Quiet please. Offense at work” that goes for doing the Wave as well.  Whether you’re up 50-0 or in a tight game, Alex Smith could use the extra reps to prepare for the postseason.  He’s not quite good enough that fans need to test him with distractions.

San Francisco 49ers fans seem a bit on edge lately.  I suppose that’s what happens when you have high expectations for a team that starts out the season with five straight losses.  The NFC West is the worst division the NFL has seen in a long time, yet the Niners have failed to put themselves in a promising position.

That’s certainly why 49ers fans booed Alex Smith in favor of David Carr, and it’s likely why 28-year-old Michael Fisher climbed onto the roof of a church after the Niners lost to the Eagles.  Vallejo police Lt. Abel Tenorio said Fisher  “could not remember the reason (he was on the roof) but just wanted to deliver a message because the 49ers lost.”

I think this has gone far enough.  Mike Singletary obviously needs to go.  Not only are the 49ers on the verge of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, but lives are now at stake.  Stop the madness.

*** The fan in the picture is not Fisher, but instead the first disappointed-looking 49ers fan I found on the internet.

Alex Smith was awful for the 49ers on Sunday night against the Eagles. In other words, he played like usual. Though San Francisco fans still are holding out hope that their former top overall pick can be the franchise quarterback, I have continuously said that he needs to be replaced. Don’t agree with me? Just ask Michael Crabtree.

Smith’s numbers looked somewhat respectable against the Eagles, but his pick, two sacks, and fumble lost for a touchdown tell more of the story. Smith was chased down and sacked by Brandon Graham in the 4th quarter and Quintin Mikell picked up the loose ball and returned it for a score. Instead of the Niners being down seven and driving, the touchdown changed the game and made it 24-10.

The fans immediately started booing the Niners, and specifically Smith for such a poor play. He lacked total presence on the play, opting to try and throw the ball on the run while he was being chased. The fans really let him have it after the turnover. On San Francisco’s next possession, Smith threw three straight incompletions and was booed after each pass! After the third straight incompletion, the fans started chanting “We Want Carr,” which is a nod to backup quarterback David Carr. Yes, San Francisco is in so much trouble their fans want to replace one bust quarterback for another former number one overall bust.

I don’t care what the numbers say because there’s no way you could possibly convince me that Alex Smith is a decent quarterback. He can’t sustain drives and he turns the ball over way too frequently. If dumb fumbles and costly interceptions are your thing, then you can have him as a quarterback. I’d much rather take someone who instills confidence in the fans and his teammates.