Month: July 2014

Kings hire Tyrone Corbin as assistant coach

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have hired Tyrone Corbin as an assistant coach for Michael Malone’s staff. Corbin was the head coach of the Utah Jazz for four seasons. He is also a former Kings player.

Corbin was a member of the Kings twice in his professional playing career. He was a King in 1995-96 and 1999-00. Current assistant coach Corliss Williamson was a teammate of Corbin’s in Sacramento.

Corbin became the head coach in Utah in February 2011 following the resignation of Jerry Sloan. Corbin led the Jazz to winning seasons in two of his three full seasons as head coach. He took the Jazz to the playoffs in 2011.

Corbin was an assistant coach in Utah from 2004 to 2011. He was manager of player personnel for the Knicks in 2003-04.

Tyrone Corbin played for nine teams during his 16-year NBA career. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 26.0 minutes per game in his 1065 games played. He played his college ball at DePaul University.

Corbin is an addition to the coaching staff and not a replacement for a vacancy.

Kings send Isaiah Thomas to Phoenix in sign-and-trade deal

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings sent guard Isaiah Thomas to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the draft rights to Alex Oriakhi and a $7-million trade exception. Thomas has signed a four-year, $28-million contract with the Suns.

The Kings have been looking for a “pass first” point guard to run their offense. The team believes they have found that point guard in the person of Darren Collison who signed as a free agent. The Kings were looking for Thomas to return to a sixth-man role. Thomas reportedly was not enthusiastic about coming off the bench after having been a starter in Sacramento.

The Kings selected Thomas in the second round (60th overall) in the 2011 draft. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 29.1 minutes per game for Sacramento. Thomas started 153 times for the Kings.

“We welcome Isaiah Thomas,” Suns president Lon Babby said in a statement to Yahoo!Sports. “His addition to our backcourt makes it one of the deepest and most dynamic in the league. We have enjoyed getting to know him during his visit to Phoenix this week. He will quickly become a fan-favorite.”

Alex Oriakhi was drafted by the Suns in the second round (57th overall) in the 2013 draft. The 6-9, 225-pound forward played for the Sioux City Skyforce and the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League last season. Oriakhi was named to the All-Rookie First Team in the D-League after averaging 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 43 games. He also has played internationally in France and Israel.

With Thomas gone, the Kings will be relying on Collison and second-year player Ray McCallum to run the point on offense. Sacramento will be looking to rookie Nik Stauskas and second-year shooting guard Ben McLemore to fill the scoring gap that has been created with the trade of Thomas.

Legends send off Candlestick

Published on by philliptorres2013Leave a comment

By: Phillip Torres

SAN FRANCISCO-On Saturday night the Legends and All Stars came together to send away Candlestick Park. Former San Francisco 49ers legends such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia, Jerry Rice, and many more showed up to play in the last ever game at “The Stick”.

Perhaps the most important person playing on the field was Eddie D. Bartolo. The man who is forever connected to the San Francisco 49ers. The heart and sole of the Franchise caught the game winning touchdown from 49ers legend Joe Montana.

The legends beat the All Stars 45-40 in the last game ever at Candlestick Park. The Stick concluded with a great send off to over 40 plus years of games.

Battery does something rare in win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey did something in the San Francisco Giants series finale that was only twice before since moving to San Francisco in 1958.

Posey and Bumgarner hit grand slams in the fifth and sixth innings respectively, as the Giants defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4 before a crowd of 41,288 at AT&TPark, the 299th consecutive sellout at AT&TPark.

The duo are the first Giants teammates to hit two grand slams in the same game since Jeff Kent and Bill Mueller turned the trick on September 19, 1998 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the only previous that it occurred was on April 26, 1970, when Dick Dietz and Willie McCovey did it against the Montreal Expos.

Bumgarner is the first pitcher to two grand slams in the same season since Tony Cloninger of the Atlanta Braves hit two in the same game against the Giants at CandlestickPark on July 3, 1966.

The Diamondbacks got on the board in the top of the third inning, as Martin Prado picked up the second of three hits to score Nick Ahmed, who led off the inning with a single.

It was Bumgarner who got the ball rolling for the Giants in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he doubled off of eventual losing pitcher Vidal Nuno.

Hunter Pence then walked, after Gregor Blanco flyout to left field for the second out of the inning, Pablo Sandoval hit a single to load up the bases for Posey.

After taking a ball from Nuno, Posey launched a Nuno offering into the left field bleachers for his second career regular season grand slam and third of his career.

Prior to the grand slam off of Nuno, Posey last hit a regular grand slam on July 7, 2010 against the Milwaukee Brewers at MillerPark.

Posey hit a grand slam off of Mat Latos of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark in Game Five of the 2012 National League Division Series that propelled the Giants in to the National League Championship Series versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

Joaquin Arias reaching second base after singling to center field, and then advancing to second base on a fielding error by Ender Inciarte, then Edire Adrianza reached first when Ahmed was unable to hold a popup.

Brandon Crawford then walked, and Bumgarner took the first pitch he saw from Matt Stites over the left field wall for his third home run of the season and second career grand slam.

Bumgarner and Posey are the first battery in Major League history to both hit grand slams in the same game, this according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Posey is the first Giants batter to hit a grand slam while in the cleanup spot since Moises Alou on May 7, 2005 against the Washington Nationals, this according to David Feldman.

It was not just great offense on the day for the Giants, as they received great plays on defense on back-to-back plays in the top of the sixth inning.

Pence made a running catch into the seventh archway in right field off of a Paul Goldschmidt hit ball for the second out of the inning, following the Pence catch, Sandoval made a diving stab on a Mark Trumbo hit, regrouped and then threw to Arias at first base for the final out of the inning.

That was the second great defensive play by Pence on the day, as he made a terrific throw to Sandoval to get Inciarte going to third on a base hit by Prado in the first inning.

Brandon Belt was scratched from the lineup just prior to the start of the game due to back stiffness.

NOTES: Due to the fact that Bumgarner will be unable to pitch in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Target Field, Tim Hudson was named to the All-Star team as his replacement.

It will be the fourth All-Star Game for Hudson, and his first since 2010, when the game was played at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, a 3-1 victory, ending a 13-game winless streak for the Senior Circuit and gave home field advantage to the National League in the World Series.

Bruce Bochy set his pitching rotation for the first five games of the upcoming road trip to Miami for three games, and then onto Philadelphia for four games.

Bumgarner will go on Friday, then Hudson on Saturday, then Tim Lincecum will close out the series on Sunday in Miami. Pennsylvania native Ryan Vogelsong will open the series against the Phillies on Monday and then Matt Cain will pitch on Tuesday.

A’s end the “first-half” with a 4-1 win in Seattle

Published on by Charlie O. Mallonee1 Comment

 By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland Athletics closed out the unofficial first-half of the 2014 season on Sunday with a 4-1 win over the Mariners in Seattle. The A’s had lost the first two games of the series and did not want to end the first-half by being swept. Oakland avoided the sweep due to the excellent pitching of Sonny Gray.

Gray made his 19th start of the season on Sunday. He worked 7.2-innings giving up just one run (unearned) on six hits. Gray struck out five hitters and walked just two men. He threw 108 pitches (70 strikes) on the way to his 10th win of the season. Gray’s overall record is now 10-3.

Gray was lifted in the eighth-inning with two men on base. Sean Doolittle was brought in from the bullpen to go for the four-out save. He induced Kyle Seager to pop out to end the eighth-inning and set the Mariners down in order in the ninth to earn his 14th save of the season.

The Mariners scored their only run of the game in the first-inning. James Jones singled with one out. With Robison Cano at bat, Sonny Gray made an errant throw to first in attempt to pick off Jones. The poor throw allowed Jones to go from first to third. Cano hit a soft grounder to Gray and Jones scampered home on the throw to first. That would be the only score the Mariners would post in the game.

The A’s did not give Gray any run support until the top of the fifth-inning. Jed Lowrie hit a one-out double to left. After Punto lined out to center, Andy Parrino drew a walk. Craig Gentry hit a line drive single to center that allowed Lowrie to score and Parrino to move up to second base. John Jaso hit a single to left that drove in Parrino from second. The Athletics finished the top of the fifth leading 2-1.

Oakland added to their lead in the sixth-inning. With one out, Brandon Moss hit his 21st home run of the season over the right field wall. Moss’ round-tripper gave the A’s a 3-1 lead.

The A’s added an insurance run in the top of the ninth-inning when Nick Punto hit his second homer of the season. Seattle reliever Joe Beimel hung a slider and Punto hit it down the left field line just clearing the wall for the A’s fourth run of the game.

Chris Young (8-6) took the loss for Seattle. Young worked six-innings giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits. The Mariners used five pitchers en route to their 44th loss of the season.

The unofficial end of the first-half of the season comes to a close with the Athletics recording the best record in baseball with 59 wins versus just 36 defeats.

The A’s posted two RBI with two-out in the contest. Gentry and Jaso each recorded a RBI with two men out in the inning. They left runners in scoring position with two out just one time in the game.

Oakland’s pitching and defense held the Mariners 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. The M’s left runners in scoring position with two out three times in the game.

The A’s now have four days off before kicking off the “second-half” of the season on Friday night in Oakland versus the first-place American League East Baltimore Orioles. Jeff Samardzija is scheduled to start the game for the A’s.

Germany Reigns Supreme in Brazil

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Photo Credit: Getty Images

By Joe Lami

Germany was claimed to be the strongest team of the 2014 World Cup going into the Final and they proved it on Sunday defeating Argentina 1-0.  Germany is the first European country to win the Cup in any of the Americas (North, Central or South), and has claimed their first World Cup since 1990, where they defeated the Argentines.

Germany owned much of the possession in the final, out-possessing Argentina 60%-40%.  However, both teams ended the game with ten shots, with the Germans having the upper-hand in shots on goal 7-2.

It took extra time for Germany to claim the only goal of the match, but there were a couple of chances for each side.  The best chance came in the closing minutes of the first half when Benedikt Howedes found himself opened for a header off of a corner kick, but couldn’t capitalize on it as he found the right post.

The second half ended with Germany firing on all cylinders, and it showed as in the 91st minute Andre Schurrle fired a right-footed shot right at Argentinean Goalie, Sergio Romero.

Germany would finally find the scoreboard on one of the prettiest plays of the entire tournament when Andre Schurrle made a run down the left side, crossed it over two defenders getting it to Mario Goetze. Goezte settled the ball off of his chest down to his left loot, and made a sliding shot into the bottom right corner of the net for the World Cup winner.

Despite the loss, Argentinean Striker, Lionel Messi was voted the winner of the Golden Ball for the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.  German Goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer was awarded the Golden Glove for Most Valuable Goalie of the Tournament.

Giants and A’s with Michael Duca: For the Giants wininng every other day is an improvement;A’s can’t wait to get second half started

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Michael Duca

SAN FRANCISCO–Giants starter Tim Lincecum has been there before with success and he certainly has found that strength again and since pitching his no-hitter he looks to be in Cy Young Award form again. Lincecum is in a very good stretch there is no other way to put it. He’s not walking people, he’s mixing up his pitches, he’s spotting his fastballs, he has got a wicked curve ball that breaks on the hitters.

Lincecum has got through any previous rough patch and that he’s a version of former Braves star pitcher Greg Maddox. He’s developed that level of pitching and Maddox didn’t have that in the beginning of his career and Timmy is a fastball pitcher and a power pitcher since the beginning of his career.

Strangley enough Giant starter Tim Hudson is a mini me Greg Maddox he shows up and through eight turns through the rotation Lincecum is reborn. Maybe it’s a coincidence maybe not. On Lincecum’s recent success is this a matter of the guys are playing hard behind him or is the line up getting runs for him or is it a matter of Major League hitters being bad for five straight days?

It used to be if there was one guy in the rotation it’s was always Matt Cain which led to the phrase “getting Cained” now that only Cain get’s cained the last time starter Ryan Voglesong had a run scored behind him the United States was undefeated in the World Cup. I’m serious and these things happen in a cycle and it’s true and Vogey is starving for a win and he has six wins in 27 games.

Oakland A’s update: The Seattle Mariners are now six and half games out of first place in the American Leaague West and it’s funny we talk about Seattle being six to seven and half games out and we talk about the Angels who are a game and half back as though coming right down the A’s throat. If the Giants are a game out they’d be dead in the water and they are a game out.

We’ll see where this race goes I like Seattle’s chances and they’ve been up there and I also like the agressiveness of A’s general manager Billy Beane who said, “it is easier to find position players than it is to find established solid pitchers.” You have to realize the A’s are a game in half in first place with baseball’s best record and have lost 40 percent of their starting rotation in spring training.

It is amazing that the A’s have been able to compensate for that and Beane was able to shore up the rotation. The shock was he was able to with newly acquired pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Josh Hamels to shore all of the rotation and fill up two spots. Beane might have had the foresight to see the Mariners and Angels making a move on the A’s in the standings.

The M’s and Halos have snuck up on Oakland and the M’s could cut the A’s lead over them to five games and the Angels could tie the A’s for first place. Those organizations are sharp enough to know what’s going on. The A’s have compiled the best record in baseball with a lot of timely hitting up and down the line up and with a lot of good fortune after they lost pitchers A.J.Griffin and Jarrod Parker during the season and replaced them with Drew Pomeranz who broke his hand and then there’s left hander Brad Mills who got picked up for a bargain basement deal.

Michael Duca does commentary on the A’s and Giants for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s offense shut down by Iwakuma and the Mariners

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

As hot as the A’s have been this season, currently, the Mike Trout-led Angels are even hotter.

So after the A’s dropped a second straight to the Mariners in Seattle Saturday night, the AL West leaders can’t afford to look down where they’ll find the Angels—winners of 18 of 22—just 1 ½ games off their pace.

And causing the A’s jet to cool are the surprising Mariners, who have captured 7 of 12 in their season series with Oakland and stand as the division’s third 50-win team and in position to capture the AL’s second wild-card.

Hisashi Iwakuma shut the A’s down, pitching eight shutout innings before allowing a two-run shot to Brandon Moss with two strikes and two outs in the ninth inning. The home run got the A’s on the board, but reliever Yoervis Medina came on to retire Josh Donaldson to end the game.

Iwakuma’s been red hot in July to-date, winning three decisions and throwing 20 consecutive scoreless innings in the process. The Japanese import came out smoking Saturday, striking out five A’s in the first two innings on his way to fanning eight.

A’s starter Jesse Chavez couldn’t survive the sixth inning in which the A’s fell behind 3-0 courtesy of Kyle Seager’s two-run shot. Chavez allowed 10 hits—the most he’s ever allowed—including an RBI single in the first inning to Seattle’s Dustin Ackley.

The A’s announced that Alberto Callaspo was placed on the 15-day disabled list before the game with a hamstring issue with Andy Parrino taking his place on the big-league roster. Coco Crisp missed a second straight game and isn’t expected to play again until after the break.

Sonny Gray gets the call in the A’s final game before the All-Star break with the A’s trying to avoid a sweep by the Mariners. Seattle’s Chris Young will oppose Gray.

Sharks Have a Quietly Busy Week

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks had a busy, if low-profile, week. A date has been set for later this month for Jason Demers’ arbitration hearing. Demers and the team can come to terms before that if they are so inclined. It would probably be best for all if they did so. The market is pretty good for right-handed defensemen, especially young ones.

The Sharks added a few names to next season’s roster this week. James Sheppard’s one year contract was announced, as was defenseman Scott Hannan’s. Defenseman Matt Tennyson was signed to a two-year deal.

The Sharks also brought a couple of new faces into the fold on one year contracts. Micheal Haley, last of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Between the NY Rangers and the NY Islanders, Haley has played 52 NHL games. Last season he had seven goals, eleven assists and 131 penalty minutes. Bryan Lerg was captain of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters last season. He had 12 goals and 13 assists.

The return of Scott Hannan is not surprising. His contract is modest (one year at one million), and he could be a good voice in the room. For all the talk of giving more responsibility to the younger players, it would have been out of character for the Sharks to not have someone over 30 on the blue line. Is that a character they need to change? Perhaps. Do they need someone of any particular age? Probably not. I do remember thinking that Hannan was one of the few players who seemed calmly angry about the way last season ended. He didn’t seem baffled or stunned, just pissed off– in a polite way of course. So I don’t think keeping him is a bad idea.

Apart from the still confusing addition of John Scott to the roster, the Sharks seem to be proceeding according to plan. They have made no splashy free agency moves, despite the tempting fat wad of cap space they still have in their pocket. They have given the longest contracts so far to Tommy Wingels (three years) and Matt Tennyson (two). That shows some faith in home-grown youth. Keeping James Sheppard instead of bringing in another veteran forward likewise fits with the youth emphasis.

Doug Wilson recently clarified his use of the term “rebuild.” That is a good thing, because there were a lot of people thinking he had gone crazy. Evidently he still expects the team to make the playoffs, and to have a fairly good regular season. To me, that means no one is leaning on Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau to get them to leave. Lose either of those guys without bringing in someone pretty spectacular and you will have a tough go.

That doesn’t mean I’m not indulging in baseless speculation. Like, wouldn’t it be grand if the Sharks were very very quietly maneuvering to get Evander Kane? Someone probably will get him from Winnipeg and he could be a pretty spectacular addition anywhere. He’s not worth the price of a veteran scoring leader right now, but it’s a fun thought.

Speaking of new leadership and youth, the Sharks prospect scrimmage was a pleasant break in the off-season rumor-mill.

The event at SAP Center was well-attended for a midsummer scrimmage between players most Sharks fans have not had a chance to become familiar with. Around the ten minute mark of the first period, some fans at the end of the rink did a little “Let’s Go Sharks” chant. That was a supportive gesture. The parking lot was nearly full when I arrived, and the lower bowl was probably 60%-70% full.

It was nice to be able to see the prospects live. Mirco Mueller’s skating, as promised, was noteworthy. He had a nice stride and smooth confidence.

On camera and from a distance, Barclay Goodrow reminded me of Tommy Wingels. I don’t know why.

I thought Ryan Carpenter and Brock Higgs made a good pair around the net, very hard to get rid of.

Petter Emanuelsson had nice hands, handling the puck cleanly through traffic.

Scott Savage stood out for persistence in one fairly extended puck battle. Several times it looked like he had lost it but he kept at it and got away with the puck.

Noah Rod looked very quick and shifty making his way through traffic.

The prospect scrimmage was equipped with video review. With 6:03 left in the second, a puck bounced over Bergvik’s pad and just over the line before he swiped it back out with his glove. The referee on the ice called it a no goal (we did not hear the explanation) but after showing the play a couple of times on the jumbotron, they gave team white the goal. It was scored by Noah Rod. It was ultimately the game-winner.

If Sharks fans are up in arms about how the playoffs ended or how the off-season is going so far, they didn’t show it Wednesday night.

Hamid holds off Quakes

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: Godofredo Vasquez/SFBay

By Pearl Allison Lo

D.C. United’s Bill Hamid had a career high nine saves as he fought off an increasing San Jose second-half attack to preserve a 2-1 score for his team Friday, an identical score to their last game.

Hamid’s saves included saves against Chris Wondolowski near the goal, a near equalizer by Atiba Harris in the 66th minute and chances from Alan Gordon.

It may technically have been the best in the East versus the worst in the West, but despite the score, it did not quite play out that way.

San Jose’s Brandon Barklage had an inadvertent handball in the box in the 11th minute, which set up a penalty kick by Eddie Johnson. The ball by Johnson was followed by goalie Jon Busch and looked like it glanced off Busch as Johnson made it 1-0 in the 12th minute.

Luis Silva doubled the lead in the 25th minute. He took a pass from teammate Chris Rolfe on the left and got it past in time before a sliding Clarence Goodson into the net’s lower right corner. It was Silva’s fourth goal in as many games.

After major work on a run by the Quakes’ Jordan Stewart, the ball got to Khari Stephenson, who passed it to Wondolowski. With a lot of traffic in front, especially opposing traffic, Wondo got San Jose got on board with the help of a deflection in the 39th minute. This was a  minute after Wondo was called offside.

The Quakes’ Shea Salinas returned after three games nursing a lower abdominal strain to come in to play in the 67th minute.

Game notes: San Jose has now lost their last four regular season games by one goal. They did manage to score their first goal in four games with Wondo’s return. The Quakes play their only away game of the month next in New York, facing the Red Bulls at 4pm PST.