The hideous affliction that has eaten away the brains of the people in charge of the Raiders and 49ers is spreading.

A brain-cramping mold is creeping across the Bay Area sports scene. The entire West Coast may be in jeopardy.

Run for your wives! OK, maybe that's a bit dramatic.

There is one team around here that somehow earns the unquestioned love of the entire Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors.

Now, even this franchise is cracking. Chris Mullin is reportedly on his way out in an ugly front office power struggle and the team looks like it might not win 35 games.

Forward Al Harrington isn't happy and has asked to be traded. Let's see how long it takes the Warriors to trade him.

Harrington didn't suit up in Friday's home loss to the Grizzlies. He was supposed to have a sore back. Whatever the story, he didn't play and the Warriors lost twice a week to a team the W's had beaten seven times in a row.

The fans show up like lemmings to the edge of a cliff. They're averaging about 19K per game over the last 50 home games.

We hate the name "Golden State." But we love the team.

The seeds were planted back in the mid 70s when Rick Barry led the Warriors to one of the most under-appreciated titles in any sport. Ever.

NBA ratings were dismal at the time. But for one season, Rick Barry was a basketball god. Just ask him. He'll tell you all about it. He'll also be right. Rick was always right. With Barry and a cast of mediocre but selfless players, the Warriors swept the heavily-favored Bullets at the end of the 1974-75 season. Here are some details on that title run.

What was so incredibly cool about the whole scene was the high-stylin' fashion sported by many of those who attended games. The Coliseum had an infamous place called "The Ramp," where what seemed like 300 fans would meet at halftime for a — ahem — "smoke break." It was the '70s, man.

I sat in the upper deck for about 25 games that year. I most definitely visited "The Ramp." As an observer only, of course. Tickets were $6.50, I think.

There were more flashes of this fan affair in the late '80s and early '90s when "Run TMC" ran the floor for the Warriors and ran opponents into exhaustion.

Don Nelson ran the show then and he's running it again.

The Warriors barely missed the playoffs last year with a staggering total of 48 wins, the same number of wins the title team had in 1974-'75.

The year before that, the win over the Mavs still rings in our ears.

This year? All signs point to Struggle City.

No Baron. No Monta. Big problems. The over/under on wins for this year's Warriors was about 38, a big drop from last year.

Having just finished watching a dreadful Cal-USC game, I have to feel that maybe the Bears are part of this sickness as well.

Or is it the curse of the Hippies in the Trees?

That was a perfect night to knock off the Trojans, who acted like a gang of thugs half the time, even though they were hugely unimpressive. It's 10-3, moron. Why in the hell are you pumping your chest and mugging for the camera?

Cal's quarterbacks played like park drunks much of the time, swallowed up by the massive, swift USC defenders. Still, three points? Yes, Cal had a TD called back and USC got one that should have been overturned.

But it was classic Cal. We're pretty good, but not great. We'll make a few plays, but not enough in the really huge games to ever win.

Gimme a break about USC's "great" defense. In the last five games, they've played two of the worst offenses in the country (Washington and Washington State), a pathetic ASU team, an average Arizona team and a Cal offense that never showed up.

They couldn't stop Oregon State's 108-pound freshman running back when it mattered most.

I will admit that the USC defenders looked like jacked-up monsters throwing around the stick-like Cal running backs and ball carriers. It was like a big ol' dog grabbing a cat in its mouth and shaking it, reminding it an any time it could crush it with its massive jaws.

Pete Carroll wanted to drop the hammer so bad with a late touchdown. You could see it in his eyes. 17-3 was not enough.

Bay Area fans have had enough. The Sharks cult is most likely happy, until the team enters the second round of the playoffs.

Oh, and the USF men's basketball team lost to Fresno Pacific this week.

Last week: 2-3 in pros (-60)

Overall: 37-31-0.

Starting bankroll: 1,000 simoleons.

Current bankroll: 1,350 simoleons.

(Spreads are based on an early Las Vegas betting line. Home team in CAPS, Fool's pick in bold.)

NFL

Panthers (-9) over RAIDERS: Dead team walking. And it ain't Carolina. The Fool risks 100 simoleons.

DOLPHINS (-7.5) over Seahawks: Seattle is so fun to bet against. You can't possibly bet on those uniforms. The Fool risks 80.

BEARS (+3) over Titans: Yes, even with Rex Grossman, Chicago wins this one outright. Fool risks 70.

CARDINALS (-9.5) over 49ers: The Arizona crowd might even be a little noisy what it being a night game and all. The Fool risks 60.

EAGLES (-3) over Giants: New York has to slow down at some point. Philly will gladly do the job. The Fool risks 50.

CHARGERS (-14) over Chiefs: San Diego badly needs a blowout for its sanity. The Fool risks 40.

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