Matt Keith

Matt Keith

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About

Some people might say that I live and die with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Athletics. If that's true, I may have died more times than any other sports fan over the last few years.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I grew up a passionate San Francisco 49er and Oakland A's fan. I also root for the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks, although with a little less zeal than I devote to the Niners and A's.

I have also lived in the Midwest (Kansas City) and on the East Coast (Washington DC). Needless to say these locations have given me three very different insights into the sports world.

As a twenty year old college student (at Northwestern - Go Wildcats!), I haven't had a chance to witness any of my favorite professional teams win a championship. Well, technically, that's not true as my family of die-hard 49er fans made sure that I was present in front of a TV when San Francisco blew out Denver in the Super Bowl, and a few years later, San Diego. But the sad thing is that you never remember what happened when you were five years old, much less one week old.

Fortunately, I love sports as a whole, not just my own teams so I watch them every chance I get. I don't really care who is playing, I love watching football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and golf (actually, to be honest, I won't watch golf unless at least one big name player is playing). So while I'm still waiting for the day when the Niners win another Super Bowl, I still get more excited about Super Sunday than I do about any other day of the year.

One thing that I think is very important in all sports is the history of that sport. I love watching NFL Films and old baseball footage nearly as much as I love watching games themselves. Understanding where a sport has come from is essential if we want to put the current games and players into context. I take particular pride in my knowledge of sports history and would love to share what I have learned with others.

I have, and always will love sports. I will never stop following them, even if it is just to root for the underdog. Because I love a great game, a great story, the next chapter of history that is wating to be written.

Short List

  • Favorite Athletes

    Patrick Willis, Ken Griffey Jr, Stephen Curry, Joe Thornton

  • Favorite Sports Teams

    San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Athletics, San Jose Sharks, Golden State Warriors, Northwestern Wildcats, Navy Midshipmen

  • Favorite Coaches

    I love the coaching style of Mike Singletary. The late great Bill Walsh is perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the NFL. When it comes to college basketball, Bill Self does as much with his talent as any coach in the game.

  • All Time Sports Moment

    The US Olympic Hockey team's defeat of Russia the 1980 Winter Olympics in a game that will forever be known as the "Miracle on Ice" is hands down the greatest moment in sports history.

  • Most Memorable Game Attended

    I was lucky enough to attend the first/second round of the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

  • Most Unbreakable Sports Record

    Cy Young's 511 career wins is a mark that will never be broken. Period. End of discussion.

  • Ruth or Mays?

    Babe Ruth in an extremely close call. If it weren't for the fact that Ruth was a great pitcher (94-46, 2.28 ERA) Mays would probably get this honor.

  • Unitas or Montana?

    Montana. 4-0 in Super Bowls with zero interceptions. Johnny U was great but not as perfect as Joe Cool in big games.

  • Jordan or Russell?

    MJ, but it's closer than people think, mainly because most of us never saw Russell play. All Bill Russell did was win championships with two national titles in college and eleven more in his thirteen year NBA career. He was also a five time MVP, just like Jordan. However, Jordan arguably played in an era with better competition. To be fair, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar belongs in this discussion as well.

  • Gretzky or Orr?

    Wayne Gretzky. He holds every meaningful record. Plus Orr's career was just to short to compare him to the Great One.

  • Pele or Maradona?

    Pele

  • Federer or Sampras?

    Sampras. Federer might not even end up as the best player of his era (Rafael Nadal?), so how can he lay claim to the title greatest of all time? Sampras played against better competition at a time when tennis meant more to the sporting world.

  • Tiger or Nicklaus?

    Nicklaus still holds the record of 18 majors, so I think until Tiger breaks that mark, the Golden Bear edges him out. However, Bobby Jones may be better than either (13 then-major championships and he retired at the age of 28).

  • Petty or Earnhardt?

    Earnhardt

  • Schumacher or Senna?

    Schumacher

  • ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 or SEC?

    Pac 10. The conference that receives the least respect is one of the best in sports. Sure, the last couple years have seen a little less depth in Pac-10 basketball, but this conference has won more NCAA team championships than any other conference for both men's and women's sports and the competition is not even close. Nothing more need be said.

Bulletin Board

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  • Tony from NB posted 782 days ago

    Tony from NB

    Hi Matt,

    What are your thoughts on Canfield today? Can be taken in the 5th or 6th round? Is it worth the late pick?

    What I've seen (only watching Trojans vs the Beavers), and the combine, senior bowl...nice touch, average arm strenght, ok foot work.

    BTW... I might be writting an article in favor of Canfield and LeFevour in later rounds for the Raiders (don;t hold it againts me...lol...but JaMarcus is almost a certified "bust".

    One other thing....he's a lefty, was that an issue?

    thanks for any help,
    Tony

  • Scott Wilson posted 908 days ago

    Scott Wilson

    Would appreciate any feedback you have on my article:

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/304720-the-fiesta-fiasco-conspiracy-competition-or-just-plain-cheap

    Thanks!

  • Logan Rogers posted 909 days ago

    Logan Rogers

    3 fans just isn't enough, so count me in.