Alex Simon

Ballhalla has become a nationally-celebrated phenomenon, but something's missing from the headlines: GSV's founding support by queer fans like Cheryl & Deb Espinosa-Jones, who embraced the WNBA as Deb battled terminal cancer. I wrote about her legacy & the "full blown lesbian history" of Ballhalla:

thank you to @alexsimonsports.bsky.social & @sfgate.com for the opportunity to write this piece. to me, the heart & soul of valkyries fandom - FOR THE GAYS - includes thousands of queer people filling the seats of ballhalla now, and the extraordinary lives of those no longer with us:

Debunker on some inaccurate rumors on 49ers' Fred Warner and the possibility of a suspension, courtesy of @alexsimonsports.bsky.social: www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

Whenever I review a restaurant I do my best to make it feel as if you yourself got to eat there. I hope this one succeeds in that regard. www.sfgate.com/food/article...

Just an incredible story from @roughnotes.bsky.social and so honored to have it here at @sfgate.com: Love and grief turned a sports skeptic into a lifelong Valkyries fan www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...

"Californios offers romantic ambience in endless abundance. Now I miss my wife. I better stuff myself with 900 pounds of quail mole and black cod tacos to help dull the heartache." www.sfgate.com/food/article...

I wrote about the efforts of Valkyries fans to shut down anti-trans protestors at games, with the most recent notable example happening at Game 1 www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar...

Via @thelatinochild.bsky.social www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar... #wnba

The U-2, also known as the "Dragon Lady," performed a flyover Monday night.

Good morning from an undisclosed public transit station on the way to Chase Center. I would greatly appreciate it if you gave my Kaitlyn Chen story a read as you prepare for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

me: next time you visit the @sfgate.com office, you should eat a bunch of burritos in la, then fly here, eat a bunch in sf, then fly to sd and eat a bunch there, and then see which is the best? @farleyelliott.bsky.social: www.sfgate.com/food/article...

Former Cal mic woman @katetscott.bsky.social is back in the Bay Area — she's calling the Dream-Valkyries WNBA Finals games 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (w/ a trip back to Philly in between for her PxP day job for LeBron's 76ers) and nothing in the known universe makes me happier: www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar...

When the WNBA Finals telecast shifts to USA for Game 2 tonight, a familiar voice to the Bay Area will be on the call: Kate Scott, the Cal alum and ex-KNBR host. I wrote about Kate's journey and this moment for @sfgate.com: www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar...

I loved this from @thelatinochild.bsky.social www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar...

"SFGATE reached out to the San Francisco Standard, seeking a response to the accusations against their journalist, but editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney declined comment. Lombardi did not respond to SFGATE’s request for comment." via @alexsimonsports.bsky.social www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

State Farm Arena, which is operated by the Hawks, has conflicts with all 3 possible home game dates for the Dream in their Finals matchup with the Valkyries, which means the Valks appear likely to play their road games in an arena that seats just 3,500. www.sfgate.com/valkyries/ar...

for those who saw yesterday's Pablo Torre Finds Out where Chris Nowinski said Guardian Caps aren't safe for youth football players, there's a local connection: Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a law requiring leagues to allow kids to wear them in youth football leagues www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...

Disgraced Cal swim coach Teri McKeever, who admitted she emotionally/physically abused swimmers under her watch for 20+ years, hired a Clay Travis site contributor to co-author a memoir defending her firing. via @sfgate.com sfgate.com/collegesports/article/cal-coach-memoir-lawsuit-22455394.php

The co-author of this memoir writes for Clay Travis' new site, in case you were wondering if this book will be even the slightest bit credible

here is the aforementioned "nothing" www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

New: Disgraced Cal coach Teri McKeever is trying to publish her memoir while 17 of her former swimmers are actively suing the UC Board of Regents for the psychological torment she allegedly inflicted on them www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

I low key love a host hunt

So who replaces Mike Krukow? @alexsimonsports.bsky.social has the latest intel for @sfgate.com on the plan to replace an SF Giants broadcasting legend, from the frontrunners to the dark horses to the process ahead: www.sfgate.com/giants/artic...

The biggest question of many for the SF Giants this offseason: How will the team replace Mike Krukow? My @sfgate.com story on that topic, with quotes from several candidates: www.sfgate.com/giants/artic... #SFGiants

New at @sfgate.com Months after protest, SF Giants won't say if they'll wear Pride Night hats again www.sfgate.com/giants/artic... #SFGiants

The San Jose Sharks finally addressed rumors that their 2025 goal song was made with AI, plus said their new one was chosen from a group of 15 well known, recognizable songs with Bay Area connections, all suggested by fans on X and Reddit. My latest: www.sfgate.com/sharks/artic...

Last week, the Lincoln High School Fighting Zebras uploaded photos from a media day-style shoot from inside an In-N-Out restaurant. The IG posts got crazy traction, and landed on the desk of INO's legal team. A legal threat soon followed. My latest for SFGATE: www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...

More food porn. My dispatch from SF's legendary Tadich Grill. www.sfgate.com/food/article...

New at @sfgate.com Ex-49ers stars Alex Smith and Bryant Young open up about coaching at Saint Francis HS in Mountain View www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl... #49ers

Joe Roth quietly played his senior year at Cal with cancer, dying 3 months after his final game. He became a campus hero w/ a memorial game named in his honor. Now, 49yrs later, Cal is trying to profit off his legacy, to his last living brother's dismay. My latest: www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

SCOOP: After 40 years and more than 10 million pints served, Berkeley’s Triple Rock Brewery and Ale House — America’s oldest continuously operating brewpub — is set to close. www.sfgate.com/bars/article...

The Giants are struggling on the field, off the field, and with their chicken tendies. A mustard, I mean, must-read:

New at @sfgate.com: A deeply serious look at the SF Giants' growing chicken tender problem "The chicken tenders are thinner than they've ever been" sfgate.com/giants/artic... #SFGiants

Come chat with SFGATE journalists (including me!) in Golden Gate Park this Friday. www.sfgate.com/culture-even...

On Friday (9/18), @sfgate.com is building a temporary pop-up newsroom in Golden Gate Park on JFK Promenade (at 8th). Only 23% of Americans have spoken to a journalist, we want to change that, so we're bringing a our staff there to talk to you in person, 11am-6pm. RSVP: partiful.com/e/twZyfOnVz6...

It's been 36 days since KNBR laid off Greg Papa. The station just announced Papa will be back on KNBR airwaves during their 49ers Roundtable show. He'll do an hour a day with John Lund, plus be a featured guest. @sfgate.com story: www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

Breaking news over at @sfgate.com: Mike Krukow, the legendary SF Giants broadcaster who is retiring after this season, is getting a beer named in his honor from Fieldwork. All the details here: www.sfgate.com/giants/artic... #SFGiants

BREAKING: Cathy Engelbert has decided to retire as #WNBA commissioner at the end of the 2027 calendar year. She spoke to our @howardmegdal.bsky.social about this decision: www.theixsports.com/features/bre...

ANDREW LUCK: There is a balance (ro recruiting) that’s a little different every year. The answer this year was retain our guys. ME: The team was bad last year, though. So why retain them? LUCK: Our team was better than the year before. ME: OK, but it was bad. www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

And now, my in-depth conversation with Stanford football GM and former NFL superstar Andrew Luck. www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

The shocking Burning Man homicide case remains unsolved, but new details published here for the first time are shedding more light on the final days of Vadim Kruglov’s life: www.sfgate.com/travel/burni...

And here’s another Pokemon story I wrote for this weekend.

My latest: Contrary to the online speculation of fans at Pokemon Worlds, San Francisco's fire marshal did NOT shut down the insanely overcrowded pin rally. It was the organizers themselves who did so, leaving thousands of eager fans unable to "catch 'em all." www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

oh whoa. big scoop from @alexsimonsports.bsky.social. www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...

If you appreciate coverage of the Valkyries on the road would appreciate if you subscribed to Valkyries Beat, especially with the postseason to budget for soon! www.valkyriesbeat.com/upgrade

Man, this is the good stuff. Incredible feature from @thelatinochild.bsky.social on the Bay Area's most unlikely college football walk-on: a 47-year-old. www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

I profiled the 47-year-old college football player on San Jose City College who decided to jump back into the sport after breaking three ribs during a krav maga training accident www.sfgate.com/collegesport...

BREAKING: 49ers owner Jed York arrested in Ohio over the weekend bit.ly/45L14PK