Since 2001, Bay
Area professional sports teams have amassed seven championships in multiple
sports; football, baseball and soccer.
Surprisingly
the San Francisco Giants have the least consecutive playoff appearances (two)
of all the bay area pro teams according to Mark Purdy, a journalist for the
Mercury News in his article “ San Jose Sharks top list of Bay Area's
longest playoff streaks,” published April 28.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mark-purdy/ci_23127548/san-jose-sharks-top-list-bay-areas-longest)
Of course the
Giants have won two of the last three World Series, the zenith in the world of
baseball.
The San Jose
SaberCats clinched another playoff berth this season, so stay alert for the
Arena Football League playoffs which start Sat Aug, 3. ArenaBowl XXVI in
Orlando, Fla. Will occur Sat Aug, 17.
The SaberCats
have won three titles since 2002; including their last title in 2008.The San
Jose soccer Earthquakes have two Major League Soccer titles in this young
century. (2001; 2003)
The
Oakland Athletics won the American League western conference title last season
and missed playing the Giants in last year’s World Series by one game. Despite
being 27th out of 30 teams for the lowest payroll in Major League
Baseball according to the ESPN website; (http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/salaries/_/name/oak/oakland-athletics).
The A’s
are riding a six consecutive series winning streak. During the team’s current
streak, they are 6-3 against the teams with the three best records in baseball,
the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox.
Incidentally
the A’s have the fourth best record in baseball and only two teams in MLB have
won more World Series than the A’ who are currently in first place in the AL
west.
Although the
San Jose Sharks have never won a hockey title, the Stanley Cup, they have not
missed the playoffs since the 2002-2003 NHL season. Currently the Sharks lead
all Bay Area teams with the most consecutive playoff appearances with nine. The
49ers are second on that list with eight according to Purdy’s article.
Only one team
has won more Super Bowls then the 49ers. The Niners are back in the playoff
picture before the cameras are even turned on. Last year’s NFC conference champs
are poised for another Super Bowl run.
Noteworthy are
many of the Santa Rosa Junior College teams and the Petaluma Little League
baseball team which was one win away from playing for the world title. Remember
that game against Tennessee when they scored 10 runs in the top of the 9th to
tie the game up in the national championship game? Arguably the most exciting
baseball game ever played.
Eight state
junior college championships have been accumulated by the JC women’s swim,
soccer and basketball teams; Six of those championships coming since 2004,
including a 2011 state title from the JC women’s basketball team.
(http://www.santarosa.edu/)
Since 2001, the
JC men’s soccer, swimming and baseball teams have amassed four state titles and
the 2001 soccer team has the lone national title for the SRJC. The JC men’s
swimmers won the state title last year. The state title in baseball was in
2005.
Although the Golden
State Warriors and the Oakland Raiders have been out of serious contention for
too many years, the Warriors have established themselves as a perianal playoff
team when they made it to the playoffs last year and lost to the San Antonio
Spurs in six games without their lone all-star David Lee. The Warriors and
Raiders have still combined to win four championships.
