Month: November 2013

Dodgers already favorites to win 2014 World Series

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That’s Amaury News and Commentary

 The World Series still fresh in our minds, yet the betting books in Las Vegas have made the Los Angeles Dodgers, the favorites to win the 2014 World Series. They are counting on a much “settled” young Yasiel Puig, and a healthy Matt Kemp, with still the best one-two pitching punch in the majors, with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

 The Dodgers are tops at 5 to 1 to win the 110th World Series. But the Dodgers might need to acquire some help for that mediocre bullpen, during this off season. We all know, nobody can win a World Series without a bullpen, or with a great closer. Mariano Rivera has retired, he is not available,so the cash happy Dodgers will have to make some moves.

The  Oakland Athletics are 8 to 1 favorites to win next year’s classic, and their across the bay rivals, San Francisco Giants are 22 to 1.

 I do not expect the A’s to go out and sign anymore high profile players, although they still have very good young pitching, which Billy Beane could chose to trade for some established talent. And what about Bartolo Colón he had one of his best seasons with 18 wins, they have to make a decision with him very soon.

As far as the San Francisco Giants are concerned, one of the reasons they are a long, 2201 shot to win it all is very simple, there are doubts about what once was a dominant starting rotation. Specially with Ryan Vogelsong. I am also not totally certain than Sergio Romo is a front row closer, he is now. He is the Giants closer by process of elimination.

Hey, Brian Wilson is a free agent, Could he comeback to Giantsland? Doubt it. Giants took it too seriously when he left and signed a brief deal with the Dodgers. But other great Giants have done that, anybody remembers Hall of Famer Juan Marichal?

The Giants need a left fielder with some power, in the 20-25 home run category and maybe 80 to 90 runs batted in. Only God knows how much weight Sandoval would be able to shed in the summer and how he will report to Spring Training.

 The only dependable bat in the Giants lineup, as far as power and runs batted in is concerned is catcher Buster Posey. Other odds to win the 2014 World Series. Detroit 9-1, Washignton 9-1, St Louis, 10-12, Boston 12-1.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each week for Sportstalk Radio

Bears growl but fall short against Arizona

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Arizona-Cal

By Morris Phillips

In the absence of actual wins, the Cal Bears have been relegated to attempting to grab small victories wherever they can manage.

In losing to Arizona 33-28 on Saturday–and falling to 1-8 on the season—the Bears found themselves in a winnable game in the second half for the first time in Pac-12 play.  In a season this trying, adversity on the scoreboard has been a constant.  But this time out, the Bears experienced something new: down 26-21, with the ball, and a chance to take the lead, late in the third quarter.

The feeling didn’t last long as Jared Goff’s poorly thrown pass was picked by Arizona’s Jonathan McKnight deep in Cal territory.  McKnight’s pick set up the Wildcats for the winning score, B.J. Denker’s 14-yard touchdown run four plays later.   But afterwards, both teams acknowledged that they had been in a hotly-contested fight.

“The fact that we played better today against a good team shows them that we are certainly making progress and heading in the right direction,” Coach Sonny Dykes said.  “They’ll take something from that.  But our goal is to win the ballgame, regardless of who we play.”

“I anticipated some adversity,” Arizona Coach Rich Rodriguez said.  “When you got a team that can throw it as well as they do and they can throw it well and have some explosive receivers, you know you’ve got a chance.”

The Bears lost their seventh consecutive game, but fell by fewer than 14 points for the first time in 2013.   Is it a victory for a school with the recent history and NFL impact that Cal has had to not get blown out?  Yeah, when this season’s team features inexperience at nearly every significant position, a new coaching staff installing a high-risk system, critical injuries and defections, it is.

Goff threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, but saw two passes picked—both in the second half. And in the critical category for Dykes’ hyper attack, the Bears ran just 82 plays.  What’s supposed to happen under Dykes’ Air Raid didn’t on Saturday: the Bears failed to seize momentum by missing on 12 third-down conversion opportunities and fell well below the preferred 100 plus plays and an edge in time of possession.

The game was basically lost in hefty chunks of the first two quarters where Cal failed to expand on a 7-0 lead built in the first five minutes.  Instead, Ka’Deem Carey—who finished with 152 yards on 32 carries—and B.J. Denker ran the Wildcats to 19 consecutive points and a five-point halftime lead.

According to Rodriguez, in an attempt to stop Carey, the Bears loaded up inside aided by their superiorly-sized defensive tackles.  But Arizona adjusted, running Carey to the boundaries where he picked up some healthy gains.   Once Carey was established, Denker found room inside when he need to scramble, and the two-pronged attack exposed Cal’s glaring lack of quickness in their back seven once again.

Denker’s third rushing touchdown came on the read option, and given Cal’s depleted numbers on defense, the strategy of running right at the Bears seemed unfair and left Cal grasping throughout.   Arizona rolled up 448 yards in total offense, but on a stat sheet with a lot of symmetry, Arizona’s ability to run and run often was the only difference.   The Wildcats had 51 rush attempts, nearly doubling Cal’s 26, and that allowed Arizona’s engine to churn slightly smoother than Cal’s.

“Had we turned the ball over we would have lost,” Rodriguez admitted.  “We’ve got some good players but we’re not going to overwhelm anybody.  We’re just not there right now.”

Where the Wildcats are is in the thick of Pac-12 South’s race to the conference’s championship game.  Arizona won for the second straight week on the road and they get UCLA back in Tucson next Saturday with a chance to improve to 7-2 and inject their team into the Rose Bowl conversation.

The Cats were recently in Cal’s shoes, trying to rebuild in an increasingly challenging BCS conference with little or no positive reinforcement on a weekly basis.  In fact, Arizona dropped 13 of their next 15 games in a dismal stretch spanning 2010 and 2011.  But Rodriguez has won some recruiting battles over the last couple of seasons, and the Wildcats’ fortunes have switched.

On Saturday, freshman Scooby Wright dumped Darren Ervin in the end zone for a safety that gave Arizona its’ first lead, 9-7.  Fellow freshman Samajie Grant made nine catches—all in the first half—to help the Wildcats grab control..

Cal’s got loads of talent in their freshman and sophomore classes as well, and on Saturday, Kenny Lawler Jr. turned the most heads.  Lawler caught three touchdowns and his leaping one-handed grab that drew Cal closer in the third quarter was a highlight reel grab.

The Bears get a visit from USC next Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

THAT’s AMAURY: Coyotes still working toward stability at gate

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By DANIEL DULLUM
Pinch-hitting for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 2, 2013

RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK:
Stable ownership of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes was supposed to translate into success on the ice, and at the gate. So far, it’s been one out of two. The Coyotes, who beat the San Jose Sharks in an overtime shootout Saturday at the Shark Tank, are off to a great start with 24 points so far this season. However, attendance has slipped a little. The Coyotes are dead last in NHL attendance with an average of 11,717 for their first seven home games (68 percent capacity at a jewel of an arena).
Good news for desert hockey fans, though, is the shift of the radio package to the KTAR family of stations, and there’s even a 10-game over-the-air TV slate on KTVK, Channel 3 that’s been absent for four years. Those were promotional steps taken by the new owners in the right direction. We’ll see if it pays off.

FINAL TAKE ON OBSTRUCTION
Fox analyst Tim McCarver said during the World Series that he thought the Rules Committee might take a look at the obstruction rule that raised such a ruckus in Game 3 of the World Series, and added that maybe the aspect of intent needs to be addressed. I agree with McCarver that the rule will be looked at, but I also respectfully disagree that it’s necessary. The rule goes back to the earliest days of the game and is written the way it is for good reason – to eliminate any debate as to whether or not “intent” was deliberate. To remove the “no intent necessary” clause from the rule invites another can of worms that I don’t think the umpires want any part of. Hopefully, the committee will leave the rule as is.

FAREWELL TO BELLS
Our condolences to the family and friends of Walt Bellamy, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame center who died Saturday at 74. Bellamy was an All-American at Indiana, the center of the fames 1960 Gold Medal-winning USA Olympic basketball squad, and a four-time NBA All-Star. He was Rookie of the Year in 1961 with the expansion Chicago Packers (later Zephyrs, eventually, Baltimore Bullets and now Washington Wizards) and was involved in one of the most famous trades in NBA history. Around Christmas of 1968, Bellamy was swapped by New York to the Detroit Pistons as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Dave DeBusschere to the Knickerbockers. The deal allowed New York to move forward Willis Reed back to his natural center position, and was a key factor in the Knicks winning NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Bellamy averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds as a rookie and, over his 14 years in the NBA, averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 boards.

By the way, because of the timing of that Knicks-Pistons deal and a quirk in the schedule, Bellamy, who didn’t miss a game that season, set an NBA record for most games played in an 82-game schedule – 88.

You can look it up.

Daniel Dullum covers MLB, the NHL, Stanford, and more for Sports Radio Service.com.

Bulls lose game and series to Eagles 4-1

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By Kahlil Najar

LOVELAND, Colo. – The San Francisco Bulls (2-4-1-0) couldn’t a break on this road trip and lost to the Colorado Eagles (5-2-0-0) 4-1.

Teegan Moore got the Eagles on the board first at 3:34 of the first period to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The Bulls Brett Findlay scored his first pro goal of his career at 6:45 to tie the game up at one. Unfortunately the Eagles were able to take the lead again before the end of the period when Daniel Johnston scored on a power play to make it a 2-1 lead.

In the second period, Colorado forward Ray Sawada continued his great series against the Bulls and on a power play opportunity scored for the Eagles and made it a 3-1 lead.  lead to 3-1.Kevin Ulanski scored on an empty net to bring the score to a final of 4-1.

Even though both teams were horrendous on the power play as they went a combined 3 for 13 you could tell that both teams were trying to establish dominance in the third as they both played hard and rough against the boards. San Francisco outshot Colorado 22-21 but that still couldn’t secure a victory.

Sharks lose heartbreaker in shootout

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By: Phillip Torres

November 2, 2013

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (10-1-3) were defeated by the Phoenix Coyotes (10-3-2) Saturday night at the SAP Center in a heartbreaking loss 3-2. The game was determined by shootout.

Phoenix started off very strong as they scored just 36 seconds into the game. The goal was scored by Antoine Vermette and assisted by Rob Klinkhammer and Mikkel Boedker. The Sharks had a chance to tie the game up after a Coyote penalty lead to a four minute power play for San Jose. San Jose could not convert on it and the Coyotes led 1-0 after the first period despite being outshot 16-7 by the Sharks.

Joe Pavelski put the Sharks on the board early in the second period as he scored his sixth goal of the season at 1:16. Dan Boyle gave the Sharks the 2-1 advantage shortly after with his second goal of the season on a power play. The goal was assisted by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton at 5:10 in the middle period.

The Coyotes tied the game at 2-2 midway through the period with a goal from Boedker. Derek Morris earned the assist on the game tying goal. With the score tied at two goals apiece going into the second intermission, the Sharks outshot the Coyotes 31-14.

The third period went scoreless resulting in a tie at the end of regulation, forcing an overtime period. Overtime also went scoreless and the game went into a shootout.

The Sharks lost the shootout 2-1 with Vermette scoring the clincher to give Phoenix the 3-2 victory.

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Tuesday as they will host the Buffalo Sabers. The puck will drop at 7:30 pm.

Boyle and Havlat Back in the Game

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The question going in to Saturday’s Sharks game was… well, there were many. Who would want the win more, the team that lost to SJ 5-1 last time around, or the team that lost a frustrating game to LA a few days earlier? The Coyotes gave their answer quickly with a goal just 36 seconds in to the period. The Sharks pushed back like the goal was a wakeup call heard loud and clear. In the end it was as close to a draw as it can get, a shootout won by the visitors.

There were other questions: how long before returning Sharks Martin Havlat and Dan Boyle are up to game speed?

Saturday morning, Boyle said that he believed his first hit, given or received, would be a benchmark in his proof of recovery. Mikkel Boedker and David Moss wasted no time helping Boyle get that out of the way, each hitting him before four minutes had elapsed in the game.

Boyle also scored on the power play, something the Sharks had been having some trouble with. Not a lot of trouble, but some. It didn’t look like Boyle will take very long to get back into the swing of things. Even his post-loss demeanor was much as it ever was:

I expect a lot out of myself as you guys know… I had to be realistic, I knew I was going to be not as good as I want to be, and that’s pretty much what I think happened out there. I think I definitely didn’t feel like my normal self out there but that’s to be expected. I’ll definitely get better in a hurry.

Boyle wasn’t entirely down on his situation. He expressed confidence that he would improve, and that what he lacked in Saturday’s game had everything to do with time off, not the injury that caused it. That was essentially what he said after the morning skate as well:

You can’t be in game shape unless you play in games. You can mimic it all you want, you just try to minimize the difference by doing all the skating  [you can]. I imagine I have a little catching up to do.

For Martin Havlat, it was a second game back but also a first game back with last season’s linemates, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. Havlat was a little more adventurous Saturday than he had been Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings. He did some things better and others worse, a pattern common to highly skilled, creative players. They try things that either work and make people say “ah!” or they don’t work and everyone says it was a dumb idea. Hindsight and all that.

Asked how many games Havlat thought he would need to be back up to game speed, he said:

A few, so hopefully… the less the better. It’s going to take some time, but we’ll see how it goes tonight. The last one wasn’t that bad, the first night.

He didn’t look bad, playing on Pavelski’s line or playing on Couture’s line. Wherever he lands– and of the many line adjustments Todd McLellan made Saturday, Couture’s was least tampered with– he is probably right. He probably will hit his stride sooner than later.

That these two are back in the lineup could mean the imminent departure of one of the call-ups, depending on how long Burns will be out. Saturday, Matt Nieto and James Sheppard both played while Mike Brown sat, though all signs at the end of practice pointed to James Sheppard sitting. So much for signs.

On a side note, it is good to see the fourth line regulars getting substantial time and responsibility on the penalty kill. That has always seemed like a logical choice, since they would otherwise have energy to burn. McLellan had Andrew Desjardins on the penalty kill last season as well, and now John McCarthy is taking regular shifts shorthanded.

Kings fall hard at Golden State

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

Every NBA fan knows that there is nothing harder for a team to do than win game two of a back-to-back schedule. The Kings traveled to Golden State and proved how hard it can be as they lost to the Warriors 98-87 after losing to the Clippers on Friday night. Do not let that score fool you. The game was much uglier than the final score would suggest.

In his post-game comments, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone summed up the game by saying his team did not shoot well and they did not defend well. He went on to say that his team’s effort was less than acceptable.

The game was essentially over after the first half. The Kings shot just 31.7% (13-41) from the field and were outscored by 10-points in the first and second quarters. The Warrior shot 53.7% (22-41) from the field and 46.7% (7/15) from behind the 3-point line. At half-time, the Warriors led the Kings 56-36.

The Kings came out hot in the third quarter by going on an opening 8-0 run to start the period. As the Kings attempted to fight their way back into the game, Golden State kept finding ways to score and keep the Kings at bay. At the 2:28 mark, Klay Thompson hit a 3-pointer followed by a Kings turnover that set up another Thompson 3-pointer. Sacramento never recovered from that sequence.

In the final quarter, both coaches went deep into their rotations to finish up the game. For the Kings, there was the first Jimmer Fredette sighting of the season. The Kings closed up the score but still lost 98-87

The Kings finished the game with a 34.5% (30-87) field goal shooting percentage. No matter what else you do, a team cannot win shooting 34.5%.

On defense, the Kings allowed the Warriors to shoot 51.3% (39-76). Sacramento allowed the Clippers to shoot 50% from the field on Friday night. The Kings cannot allow opponents to shoot that well and expected to win.

The one highlight of the game for the Kings was the play of rookie Ben McLemore. McLemore scored 19-points in 30 minutes of playing time. He also pulled down four rebounds, blocked two shots and added one assist. McLemore may have earned more playing time for himself with his performance against the Warriors.

The Kings will take Sunday off and return to practice on Monday. Their next game will on Tuesday when they host the “new look” Atlanta Hawks at Sleep Train Arena.

For 49ers reinforcements coming soon

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By Gabe Schapiro

Despite having a couple of shaky weeks, the San Francisco 49ers (6-2) are having another strong season. They sit in second place in the NFC West, just one game behind the Seattle Seahawks. They have some tough matchups left on their schedule, but the good news is that they have some reinforcements coming.

Before the season even started they were dealing with several major injuries to some key players on their roster, and during the season have dealt with some other odd circumstances that have kept a couple players from being active. While others have stepped up and compensated well, several of those players are on their way back and could be contributing to the stretch drive sooner rather than later.

In Week 16 last season wide receiver Mario Manningham tore his ACL and PCL. It’s been a long road back, but he has now resumed practicing with the team and is tentatively expected to make his return in Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers. While he isn’t a huge difference maker, he could bring a much-needed boost to a passing attack sorely lacking in weaponry outside of Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis. San Francisco should remain a run-first time, but adding another weapon or two for Colin Kaepernick to utilize should help keep defenses honest.

Cornerback Eric Wright was signed in early August, but has spent the last six weeks on the non-football illness list. He was recently cleared to resume practicing, however, and could be activated shortly. The 49ers secondary has been very good so far this season, and represent the third best defense against the pass in the NFL this year. With that said, however, having more depth is never a bad thing. Wright has had his fair share of off the field problems, but there is little doubt that he is still a talented player.

In terms of making a larger impact, the return of star linebacker Aldon Smith appears to be imminent. Smith last played in Week 3, but has been in rehab since. The hope is that he has dealt with some of his internal demons, and has been activated from the reserve/NFI list. The return of Smith, one of the best pass rushers in all of football, could be a huge boon for the an already strong 49ers defensive unit. Despite having only played in three games this season, he still leads the team in sacks with 4.5. It is still uncertain whether he will make his return in Week 10 or 11.

Looking a little farther down the road, Michael Crabtree remains on track to return in a few weeks. Last season he was easily the best receiver the 49ers had, and his return could be huge for the offense. He is truly a game changer, and the plan for now seems to be to ease him back into action with the hopes that he can be as close to 100% as possible come playoff time. In the span of a few short weeks a sluggish passing attack could take on an entirely new look with the additions of Crabtree and the aforementioned Manningham.

It’s impressive how the 49ers have managed to adjust to having several of their key players out for extended periods of time this season. If they can get all of these players back to full strength soon, they will once again pose a scary foe for any opponents as they make another playoff run.

Bulls handled by Eagles, lose 6-2

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By Kahlil Najar

LOVELAND, Colo.  – The San Francisco Bulls (2-3-1-0) lost to the Colorado Eagles (4-2-0-0) 6-2. The only highlights for the Bulls were that Dale Mitchell and Mark Lee extended their four-game point streaks while on the other side of the puck, Kyle Ostrow recorded a hat trick for Colorado.

The Eagles controlled the first and second period of the game as they went up 4-0 on a pair of goals by Kyle Ostrow and individual goals by Ray Sawada and Trent Daavettila. The only highlight of the first two periods for the Bulls was when goalie Tyler Beskorowany stopped Kevin Ulanski’s short-handed penalty shot attempt with 1:38 left in the first period.

Dale Mitchell put the Bulls on the board, 4:43 into the third by beating Eagles netminder Marc Cheverie and make it only a 3 goal lead but then Alex Hudson scored his first goal of the game to bring it to a four goal lead again. Kyle Ostrow then netted his third goal of the game and made it a 6-1 lead for the Eagles. Mark Lee scored on a power play with 5:42 left in the game but by that time it was already too late and the Bulls fell to the Eagles 6-2.

The Bulls wrap up the finale of the three-game series against Colorado tomorrow at 6:05 p.m.

Kings Fall to Clippers 110-101

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

The LA Clippers came to call on the Sacramento Kings Friday night. It would have seemed to be perfect timing as the Clippers had a home game on Thursday and then had to face a road game the next night. The timing did not work out for the Kings as the Clippers came out shooting at 50.0% from the field and won the game 110-101.

The Clippers came out in the first period looking like a team that was coming off a day of rest rather than playing game two of a back-to-back. The Clippers outscored the Kings 24-22. The Kings shooting left something to be desired as they shot just 38.1% from the field. Isaiah Thomas came off the bench to spark the Kings and keep the game close.

The Clippers started off the second quarter with a 9-0 run over the Kings. Just when it looked like the Clips would run away with the period, Isaiah Thomas brought the Kings back to life, but the Kings poor shooting allowed the Clippers to open up a 10 point lead. The Kings brought the game back into the paint and cut the LA lead to three with 4:26 remaining in the quarter. The Clippers used an improved shooting percentage (47.5%) to open up a 54-45 halftime lead.

The Kings shot just 38.1% (16-42) from the field in the first half. Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 12 points.

The Clippers started off the second half much as they did the first half. Chris Paul put LAC on the board with back-to-back jumpers and strong shooting from the field (51.1%) kept the Clippers on top opening up a lead of 13 at the 7:41 mark. Following a three point play by DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings came back to life cutting the Clippers lead to 68-60 at 5:38. Isaiah Thomas came off the bench at 4:35 and sparked a charge that cut the LA lead to two with 1:25 to play in the quarter. A Travis Outlaw put back of a Cousins shot at the buzzer made it LAC 79 – Kings 77 after three periods.

A Jason Thompson field goal opened the final period tying the game at 79-79. The quarter quickly became a game of outside shooting and free throws. The Clippers would threaten to pull away and then the Kings would find an answer to keep the game close. Sacramento tied the game at 90 with a circus shot from Isaiah Thomas. The Kings took the lead at 6:43 on a Jason Thompson lay-up, but the hot LA shooting kept putting the Clippers back into the lead. DeMarcus Cousins picked up a technical foul at the 2:48 mark and gave LA a three point lead.  The game remained close, but in the end the Kings could not overcome the Clippers 50.0% shooting from the field. The LA Clippers won the game 110—101.

The Kings fell to 1-1 on the young season. They now face their first road contest of the year in Oakland versus the Warriors on Saturday night.

Isaiah Thomas led all scorers with 29 points. DeMarcus Cousins added 24 and Marcus Thornton put up 17 for Sacramento. Chris Paul led the Clippers with 26 points. Blake Griffin posted 20 along with Jamal Crawford’s 18.

The key to the Clippers win was their shooting percentage. When a team shoots 50.0% (35-70) from the field and shoots 50.0% (12-24) from 3 point range, it becomes almost impossible to defeat them. The Clippers could not be defeated on Friday night.

Notes: The Kings on Thursday declined to pick their option on Jimmer Fredette for the 2014-15 season. The move will make the former first-round draft pick an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Fredette will be free to negotiate with any NBA team including the Kings for next season. The move may also mean that Fredette will not finish the season in Sacramento as his now expiring contract becomes a desirable piece in possible trades with teams looking to free up salary cap room. Fredette did not play in the season opener versus Denver… The Kings had two additional players that were eligible for deals on Thursday, Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson. The team declined to offer either player an extension, but Kings can make both players restricted free agents at the end of the season … The Kings travel to the Bay Area on Saturday night to play the Golden State Warriors for the first time in the regular season. The Warriors will make their first appearance in Sacramento on Sunday 12/1 … The Kings won the season series versus the Warriors in 2012-13 3-1 … Because of the many connections between Sacramento and Golden State, the Kings are anxious to eliminate the references to “golden state light” that some have made about the team.