As you watch the Super Bowl today, remember that Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald could have and should have been an Oakland Raider, just another mind-numbing draft goof by Al Davis, his genius opting for Robert Gallery. Of course, Al probably blames that one on his scouts.

Just in case you think that might be revisionist thinking, here's what I wrote about Fitzgerald's ideal fit for the Raiders in this space, the day before the draft in 2004: "That's who I've picked for them in every media mock draft in which I've participated."

In the long run, the record may show that the Raiders passed on two of the greatest receivers in NFL history, Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson. Then again, everybody's happy with what they have at wideout now, right?

Those who remember the Fitzgerald debacle also will recall that Oakland interviewed Ken Whisenhunt in 2006 before settling on Art Shell. Whisenhunt wisely pulled out, though, realizing his control would be too limited with the Raiders.

So it's Tom Cable again. As good as the next guy desperate enough to take the Raiders job. Who cares as long as Al is hiring all the assistants anyway?

The spin that the 49ers hired Jimmy Raye as offensive coordinator because he's a career assistant who won't bail out on them is about as flimsy as front-office rationale gets. This might be the worst San Francisco sports hire since Jim Davenport as Giants manager.

Speaking of the Giants, there's teeth-grinding irony to the fact that they are bringing Will Clark back into the organization at a time when no one has a clue who will be playing first base for them on Opening Day. Nice to have "The Thrill" back, but a real first baseman with some pop would be infinitely better.

What are the odds? Another Uribe may be playing for the Giants.

Long before anyone suspected Barry Bonds of using steroids, it was suspected of Bobby Estalella, the man who will now apparently testify against Bonds in his perjury trial. Estalella's upper body was almost ridiculously ripped when he was with the Giants, but other than the occasional long home run, his muscle-bound frame didn't do him too much good at the plate.

Congrats to former Cal coach Bob Milano for his election to the American Baseball Association's Hall of Fame. Some nice guys finish enshrined.

Wonder what Dan McGwire thinks about Jay McGwire's proposed book on Mark McGwire. Hey, if TV is paying attention, this could be a 21st century version of "My Three Sons."

Forget that ugly UCLA outcome and the recent slump Cal hoops is suffering. As long as Mike Montgomery gets the Bears to the NCAA Tournament, he will have more than done his job this year, particularly without Ryan Anderson in the middle. It says here Monty will squeeze out the five or six more wins needed to get it done.

Non-Surprise of the Year: Baron Davis missed his Bay Area homecoming because he was injured.

Even though he's back on the floor, it may take Monta Ellis the rest of this season to regain the potential All-Star form he showed last year.

Even a 12-11 final couldn't make the NHL All-Star Game the least bit interesting. In fact, it probably made it even less interesting.

Another Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer Grand Slam final, and there can never be enough of those. But unless you stayed up for the 12:30 a.m. live start time on ESPN2, you missed it.

Bipartisan ideals aside, did anyone really believe Obama would pick a Super Bowl winner from McCain's state? Look, he carried Pennsylvania, and he wants to keep it.

Predicting Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl set list: "Dancing In The Dark," "Working On A Dream" (one of his new ones) and "Born To Run." Roughly 12 minutes. But I'm holding out for "Thunder Road."

Oh yeah, and the game: Arizona 27, Pittsburgh 23. Admittedly, Kurt Warner must get time, but he's already gotten the best of two pretty good defenses. Anquan Boldin's mind and body finally appear ready to play, too.

Just another Raiders Hall of Famer: Rod Woodson. Unlike some of Davis' other one- or two-year Canton claims, Woodson did help them get to a Super Bowl. The defense hasn't been the same since he left, either.

Strange how Warner is getting run as a potential Hall of Famer if he wins two Super Bowls, while Jim Plunkett can't even get a sniff of Canton chatter, even though he already did.

Contact Carl Steward at csteward@bayareanewsgroup.com