San Francisco Chronicle Sports - Spoken Edition

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 31: The Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 38 to 0 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on December 31, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** less ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 31: The Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Michigan State Spartans 38 to 0 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on December 31, 2015 in .

From the old salts to the fresh-faced tourists at Fisherman’s Wharf, paths have converged on the party boats to get in on the best fishing in years on the bay and Marin coast. This is a Triple Crown: limit fishing for salmon on the Marin coast, limits for striped bass (with bonus halibut) in San Francisco Bay, and limits for rockfish (with bonus lingcod and cabezon) at shallow reefs at Half Moon Bay, Marin, and near the Farallones.

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 22: Bob Melvin #6 of the Oakland Athletics holds up The Bridge trophy awarded for winning the series against the San Francisco Giants after the game at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O.

This might wind up as the top item on Donald Trump’s sports legacy: He’s halfway there, and the second half is a work in progress. The first half: Bringing the United States Football League (1983-85) to its knees, then to its grave. Sports historians generally agree that Trump, a team owner in the USFL, killed the league by spearheading a tragic and unnecessary head-on collision with the NFL. Killing the NFL will be a bigger challenge, but there’s no quit in No. 45.

An Le’s father, Hung Le, who flew his family out of Saigon on a helicopter as the Vietnam War wound down. Hong Thi Le and infant An Le are helped down a ladder by sailors aboard the Blue Ridge after being flown by helicopter from Saigon in 1975. Hung Le, An’s father and the pilot of the chopper, is at the bottom of the ladder, wearing sunglasses.

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Josh Rosen #3 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during a play in the game against the Hawaii Warriors at the Rose Bowl on September 9, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) less PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Josh Rosen #3 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during a play in the game against the Hawaii Warriors at the Rose Bowl on September 9, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by .

Funny Car driver J.R. Todd hopes to repeat last year's win in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Funny Car driver J.R. Todd hopes to repeat last year's win in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Funny Car driver J.R. Todd hopes to repeat last year's win in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Funny Car driver J.R. Todd hopes to repeat last year's win in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

High on the flank of Mount Tamalpais in Marin, West Point Inn offers lodge rooms and cabins without electricity — and access to a hiking route to Tam’s summit and a rite-of-passage mountain-bike route on the Old Railroad Grade. There’s nothing else like it in the Bay Area. A check this week shows rooms available for Thursday night, close to a sellout for Friday, and wide open Sunday for members of the West Point Inn Association.

Tiger Woods during the final round of the British Open Golf Championship in Carnoustie, Scotland, Sunday July 22, 2018. Tiger Woods plays a shot from the rough on the 11th hole during the final round of the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018. Tiger Woods of the United States reacts to a putt on the fifth green during the final round of the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018.

In this Jan. 10, 2018 file photo New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins (0) shoots a free throw in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis, Tenn. Cousins will be ready to play at some point this season. And when he is, the two-time defending NBA champions will be waiting. Adding a fifth All-Star to their already glitzy lineup, the Golden State Warriors have come to terms with Cousins on a one-year, $5.

All the participating athletes will be excited to play in the Rugby World Cup Sevens this weekend at AT&T Park, but Danny Barrett may be just a little more excited than most. The United States prop — nicknamed “The Beast” — grew up in Pacifica, an avid fan of both the 49ers and the Giants. When his father retired in 2009, his mother presented him with a gift of season tickets to the Giants, which was a pretty good time to decide to invest in baseball.

You might not remember years, weeks or days — but a surreal moment can get inside your head and realign your senses. In the Bay Area and along the Northern California coast, “Dancing with Fog,” as former Chronicle photographer Fred Larson once called it, can create such moments.

Golden State Warriors NBA basketball player Stephen Curry, left, and former basketball players Ray Allen, center, and Dell Curry pose for a photo prior to teeing off on the first hole during the first round of the American Century Championship golf tournament at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Friday, July 13, 2018.

In dawn’s golden light, a young pair of bull tule elk emerged, their fresh antlers still covered in velvet fuzz. After a short spot-and-stalk, a photograph captured what felt like an unrepeatable moment for Kurt Schwabe of San Francisco at the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. “I set the alarm for 3:45 a.m. to be there at dawn and made the two-hour drive from San Francisco,” he said with a laugh.

Lucy Li is a golf phenom because she hits the ball pure and straight more reliably than just about any 15-year-old. She qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at 11, returned to the Open this year and went unbeaten in the Curtis Cup. And maybe Li will blossom into more than a phenom because she actively seeks counsel from some of the game’s greatest players ever. Li, who lives in Redwood City, counts as one of the favorites in this week’s U.S.