photo credit: Sacramento Bee–Charlotte’s Marvin Williams (2) drives on Sacramento’s Rudy Gay (8) Monday night at Sleep Train Arena
SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (20-23) headed into tonight’s match up with five straight wins looking for six against the visiting Charlotte Hornets (21-23) but the Hornets took the Kings for a double overtime win 129-128.
The Kings jumped out to an early 31-16 lead in the first quarter but lost that pace in the third when the Hornets came roaring out of the locker room at half time to score 42 points in the third.
DeMarcus Cousins scored a career best 56 points in the game before fouling out in the second overtime. He previous high was 48 points. Rajon Rondo had 20 assists as he worked the court like a Field General feeding player after player great passes for easy baskets.
The Hornets were led Kemba Walker and his 24 points. Jeremy Lin also chipped in 20 points.
The Kings head to Portland on Tuesday night as the Hornets head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder.
They say defense wins championships. They said it was going to be the game of the year, if not the millennium. The Warriors’ (41-4) top-ranked offense against the Spurs’ (38-7) top-ranked defense.
But what “they” say doesn’t seem to apply to the Warriors. Behind a yet another standout performance from Stephen Curry, Golden State continued to defy conventional wisdom on Monday night, ripping a historically great San Antonio defense to shreds in a 120-90 win. Everyone around the league took notice — the West is Golden State’s to lose.
Against a Spurs team that had owned the reigning NBA MVP throughout his career, taking 13 of the previous 16 contests, Curry was the Warriors’ go-to guy, dropping 37 points to carry Golden State to the victory. Curry had averaged *just* 18.6 points per game against San Antonio, his second-worst mark against any team, but he stood up to the challenge. Curry had 15 points in the first quarter, sending Oracle Arena into a frenzy.
And it felt like Curry had put the game in the refrigerator by halftime — the Warriors 62-47 lead at the break felt like 162-47, for all intents and purposes. It was the most points the Spurs had given up at the half all season long– just another day at the office for the Warriors, who shot 58.5% from the field in the first.
While the Warriors’ offense gets bucketloads of hype(no pun intended), its third-ranked defense earned its stripes as well on Monday. Sure, Tim Duncan was out, but the Warriors were lights out, holding San Antonio to shoot just 41.9% from the field. Only one Spur scored more than 12 points — All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, with 16.
Curry didn’t even need to play in the fourth quarter, logging just 28 minutes while the Warriors coasted to the victory. And turning the ball over just once.
With their 39th straight win at Oracle Arena, Golden State remained undefeated at home, and are now five short of tying Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ home win streak. 41-0 at home remains well within sight, with one more home showdown with the Spurs remaining.
photo credit: sonsofstevegarvey.com– LA Dodgers announcer Jamie Jarrin (right) with Vin Scully (left) had to interpret for the English media interviewing Spanish players at one time
OAKLAND–Beginning this 2016 season all 30 Major League clubs must have a Spanish translator. All the 30 teams in both leagues have received a joint directive requiring them to hire full-time Spanish translators for this season. This is in conjunction with a new program negotiated between the commissioner’s office and the players’ union, according to multiple baseball officials.
I remember in years past when Ozzie Guillen was managing the Chicago White Sox, he once told me during a pregame interview in Chicago, that all teams should have Spanish interpreters, this way, other players and coaches didn’t have to act (aside from their regular jobs) as interpreters. I remember Guillen telling me, that most teams with Japanese players had Japanese interpreters, so why not for all teams to have Spanish interpreters, since there are way more Spanish players than Japanese. Anybody who spoke with Ozzie Guillen, knows very well he was never lost for an opinion, and he gave it to you without hesitation. Well, Ozzie you were proven right.
Each of the 30 teams will be responsible for hiring these Spanish and English speaking interpreters, not Major League Baseball. This new initiative is called “Spanish Language translator Program.” Around 25 percent of players on the 2015 Opening Day rosters, came from Spanish speaking countries. One of the first guys asked to do his share, was my good friend and Dodger Spanish broadcaster, Jaime Jarrin, during the days of “Fernandomania”as Fernando Valenzuela was the sensation of baseball with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Jarrin had to do his share of leaving soon after the game ended, when Valenzuela was pitching a game, to translate for the English speaking media, and sometimes even beore Fernando started a game.
I had similar experiences, one was many years ago at the Oakland Coliseum Wells Twombly,(RIP) writer for the SF Examiner, asked me to translate after a game, as well an on other occasions. Most recently, I did a translation in Spring Training for Mark Ibanez, longtime CH 2 KTVU Sports Anchor, as I translated an interview he did with Dagoberto Blanco Campaneris, aka Campy Campaneris, (A’s best ever shortstop)Ibanez asked the question in English, then I would repeat to Campy in Spanish, he would respond to me in Spanish and then I will translate to English for Ibanez. When Alfonso Soriano signed a large contract with the Chicago Cubs, I did a translation for a national sports publication, the writer was in New York, Soriano was in the Dominican Republic and I was in Northern California, and it was conducted on a 3-way telephone conference call, I remember it was in the off season, after Soriano signed that contract and I believe it was a cover article for that popular publication.
Translating is serious business, especially today with so many media outlets, plus the internet. If only Roberto Clemente, who was much misunderstood with the regular baseball media could see this…what would he say? Well, I do not think he would tell you, that now I do not have to learn English, after all Roberto was a very serious man and very honorable and did everything with class and distinction, but he was misquoted in more than one occasion during his brilliant Hall of Fame career.
A person that translates in baseball must understand all the baseball terminology, so everything is translated properly,
just like in court the person that translates must understand the legal terminology, or in a doctors office the translator must know about medicine. It is a job, there is no doubt about that. It was bound to happen as more and more baseball players coming to the US are from Latin America, and a lot of them play in the US and then return to live in their respective countries after the season, so we must appreciate this as a good thing that baseball is doing. Of course, and -in my opinion- it doesn’t hurt a player to learn English, specially when that player lives 12 months a year in the United States.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for the Angels and the Spanish radio voice for the A’s and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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AP photo: Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton celebrates as the Panthers head onto Super Bowl 50 on Sun Feb 7th
SANTA CLARA–The New England Patriots were shocked when they failed to make it to Super Bowl 50 with a surprising two point loss on Sunday 20-18 in the AFC Playoffs. Peyton Manning was the man in control after missing four games due to an injury performed masterfully throwing 17 completions, 171 yards, and two touchdowns.
In the NFC Championship Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made throwing a football look the Panthers were throwing against a sandlot team as the Arizona Cardinals had their heads handed to them last Sunday in a laugher 49-15. Newton threw for 19 completions, a whopping 235 yards, one touchdown, he was picked off four times and sacked once but it wasn’t enough for Arizona as Newton and the Panthers found their way to the promiseland five times that left the Cardinals simply out in the cold.
USA Today photo: Arizona Wild Cats Ryan Anderson is pumping up his team leading the Cats with most points scored per game
On the Stanford Cardinal podcast the Cardinal (11-4) have won two of their last three games, last Thursday was a tough loss to the Arizona Wild Cats (16-4) 71-51. The Wild Cats were a force to reckon with as they added some offensive punch.
They got help from their key player Ryan Anderson who leads Wild Cats in points and rebounds he led as Wild Cat scorers with 18 points. The Cardinal meanwhile got back on track with a win over Arizona State University 75-73. It was a close game but just the same Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins has to be relieved to be back in the win column.
The Cardinal hit the road for a three game trip they head to Colorado (15-5) on Wednesday and then onto Utah (15-5) on Saturday and close out the trip at Cal (14-6) on Sunday Feb 6th. Pac 12 basketball is a war and the battle continues Wednesday for Stanford.
OAKLAND–On Sunday, January 24, 2016, the Oakland Athletics Fanfest at the O.co drew over 12,000 enthusiast. Many autograph seekers, specially of the new A’s players this 2016. and one of them is Cuban born first baseman, Yonder Alonso, born in 1987 in Havana, Cuba) has played in the majors since 2010, with the Red and Padres and now he is a member of the Oakland A’s.
Last year Alonso’s season with the San Diego Padres ended in August with a torn tendon in the top of his right forearm. He previously missed 30 games from late June to late July, with right wrist tendinitis. As he singed for over half and hour at The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame table, he told me his is 100X100 ready for this season: “Estoy bien, listo para jugar” trans “I am fine, ready to play”. Affable with fans young and old alike he took photos with many, specially kids and even whole families of Athletics fans during a cool but sunny day at Oakland. Alonso enjoyed the experience meeting new fans, many who greeted him in Spanish.
On December 2, 2015, the Padres traded Alonso and Marc Rzepczynski(try to spell that quickly) to the Oakland Athletics for pitchers Drew Pomeranz, Jose Torres and a player to be named later, or cash considerations. By the way, this trade has trade reunited Alonso with Danny Valencia, one of his teammates who played with him in the University of Miami. On January 13, 2016, the A’s and Alonso announced that they had agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.65 million to avoid arbitration.
A’s Pitchers and catchers will report to Mesa, Arizona, Spring Training home for the Oakland Athletics by mid February, and not much later Yonder Alonso will also join his new teammates. The A’s who finished 68-94 last season will have some new faces to mix with established stars (All Stars) like pitcher Sonny Gray and catcher Stephen Vogt and will begin their quest to regain respectability in the American League West.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
AP photo: SJ Sharks goaltender Martin Jones gets in front of the puck for a save following a shot from the LA Kings Anze Kopitar Sunday night at SAP Center
SAN JOSE- The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks in overtime by a score of 3-2. The game was very close, despite periods of dominance by each team. Sharks goals were scored by Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, with Kings goals from Drew Doughty, Vincent LeCavalier, and the game winner from Marian Gaborik. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 29 saves on 32 shots, while Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves on 32 shots.
Both the Kings and the Sharks had played on Saturday, but the Kings game was later in the day and on the road, so the Sharks had a small edge in the fatigue department. Milan Lucic was out due to a one game suspension, Jordan Nolan was in. Backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth was in net, possibly due to the back-to-back situation, possibly due to his excellent record against the Sharks. Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer opted to put Martin Jones in, though he had also played the day before.
The first few minutes of the game were harrowing for Sharks fans, as the Kings took shot after shot, only to be stopped by the post. In those first three minutes, the Kings led in shots by 4-1, but a comparison of zone time was even more lop-sided in the Kings’ favor. The Sharks had a couple of one-and-dones while the Kings took their time hammering away in the Sharks’ zone. Past the ten minute mark, the Sharks had spent a little more time in the offensive zone but the shot count still favored the Kings at 7-2.
Just before the 12 minute mark, the Sharks were short-handed as Brenden Dillon went to the box for high-sticking. Compared to their even strength play, the Sharks looked very efficient on the penalty kill, and the Kings chose to dump the puck in instead of carrying it over the line. It was an interesting choice, since Los Angeles opted to carry the puck in five on five.
The Sharks’ first power play came in the final minutes of the first period, with 2:46 remaining. Brayden McNabb went to the box for interference on Melker Karlsson. While the Sharks did not add many shots, their power play was better than it has been lately. They held the zone better and seemed to be adhering to a plan.
The Sharks were back on the penalty kill early in the second period. This time it was Joe Thornton in the box for tripping. The Sharks handled the kill thriftily. The penalty killers had just cleared the puck down the ice as the penalty expired, and Thornton exited the box at full speed. He chased the puck down in the Kings’ zone with Joe Pavelski and Thomas Hertl closing behind. Thornton passed the puck to Hertl in the slot, and Hertl sent it to Pavelski who was on the left side with an open net. He buried it just 14 seconds after the penalty ended. Assists went to Hertl and Thornton.
By the midpoint of the period, the shots were 15-11 Kings, thanks in part to a Sharks power play at 9:04. the Sharks followed that power play up with several good long stays in the offensive zone, closing the gap in shots and keeping the Kings on their heels.
With 3:13 left in the second, Chris Terney was tripped by Brayden McNabb along the boards. McNabb went to the box and Tierney went to the room. The power play did not produce, but the final seconds of the period featured an excellent set of saves by Martin Jones as the Kings attacked. Jones stopped two quick shots from Jeff Carter to keep the Sharks in the lead.
At the end of the second period, the shots were 20-18 Kings, the score still 1-0 Sharks.
The Sharks overtook the Kings in shots before the five minute mark of the third. The Sharks offense was surging and the Kings looked disjointed. At 5:25, the Kings caught a break in the form of roughing penalty to Mike Brown. The Kings took the opportunity for all it was worth and, 1:01 into the penalty, a Drew Doughty shot tied the game. Assists went to Jake Muzzin and Anze Kopitar. It was the Kings’ second shot on that power play.
The Sharks repaired the damage but it took them a little over five minutes. Joonas Donskoi won a puck battle behind the net and made a quick pass up to Couture in the left faceoff circle. Couture’s one-timer blew by Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth for the second Sharks lead of the game.
The next power play went to the Sharks, with Drew Doughty in the box for slashing. The power play was not going very well, and then 1:11 in, Donskoi was called for interference. The Kings found some energy in the short power play but could not score. The Sharks responded with a very good push and seemed to have the game completely in hand but in the final seconds, the Kings pulled Enroth and scored through a flurry of activity at the Sharks net. The goal was Vincent LeCavalier’s, with assists to Tanner Pearson and Dustin Brown. The time of the goal was 19:47.
Overtime, like the third period, seemed dominated by the Sharks. But the one shot that the Kings had was the game winner. Marian Gaborik escaped his zone, noticed too late by Donskoi. His shot from near the goal line beat Jones at 4:06. An assist went to Tyler Toffoli.
The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PT against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.
Sacramento – On Saturday night in Sleep Train Arena, it was DeMarcus Cousins’ world and the rest of us were privileged to live in it.
The Kings won their fifth consecutive game downing the Indiana Pacers 108-97 behind Cousins’ 48 points and 13 rebounds. Cousins literally controlled the paint on the offensive end of the floor fighting off two and three defenders on his way to the basket.
The Kings went on a 7-0 run to open the game and served notice that they had come to play and play hard. Sacramento led the game wire to wire as they posted their 20th win of the season.
A game that appeared to be a possible “cake walk” for the Kings turned into a battle on both ends of the floor. The Kings controlled the paint outscoring the Pacers 58-32 down low. The Pacers turned up their defense and held the Kings to 44.7-percent (38-for-85) shooting from the floor and causing Sacramento to turn the ball over 15 times resulting in 19 Indiana points.
Kings head coach George Karl said before the game that his team would have battle the very athletic hands of the Pacers. Indiana lived up to that billing making the Kings work hard for every point they scored after the opening run.
Sacramento also brought its defense to game. The Kings held the Pacers to just 41.9-percent (36-for-86) shooting from the floor. It was the second consecutive game that the Kings held their opponents under 100 points. Sacramento had averaged giving up 107.4 points per game coming into Saturday night’s contest.
The Kings had not won five consecutive games since October 31 to November 7,2014. Sacramento’s record now stands at 20-23. They are now 12-11 at home.
The loss caused Pacers record to fall to 23-21. Indiana has lost five of their last six games.
Kings
Cousins scored his career-high 48 points going 17-for-29 from the floor. He was 1-for-2 from 3-point range and 13-for-20 from the free throw line. Cousins recorded a double-double by grabbing 13 rebounds. He played a game-high 39 minutes.
Rajon Rondo posted another triple-double against the Pacers. Rondo scored 11 points, distributed 10 assists and pulled down 10 rebounds in the game. It was his sixth triple-double of the season and made Rondo the all-time leader in the Sacramento era in that category.
Willie Cauley-Stein played another strong game for Sacramento. He played 34 minutes scoring six points and recording 12 rebounds. Five of those rebounds were on the offensive end and extended possessions for the Kings.
Darren Collison scored 11 points, Kosta Koufos 9, Omri Casspi 8, Marco Belinelli 7, Ben McLemore 5 and James Anderson 3.
The Kings won their second consecutive game without Rudy Gay on floor. Gay missed the game due to a left heel contusion.
Pacers
Paul George led the Pacers scoring attack putting up 34 points. George shot 9-for-20 from the field but was 4-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. He also went 12-for-14 from the free throw line.
Center Jordan Hill scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds to make it a double-double game for him.
Monta Ellis scored 16 points while dishing out seven assists for the Pacers.
Lavoy Allen put up nine points, Myles Turner 11, George Hill 8 and Joe Young 2.
What they said after the game
Kings head coach George Karl called DeMarcus Cousins performance, “Pretty special. They kind of didn’t have an answer and they were letting us have almost everything. I think what Cuz didn’t do at a high level tonight was make the 3-ball. Even his mistakes or turnovers or his forced issues at times were still pretty powerful for us; kept the rhythm, kept the flow.”
Karl added, “His (Cousins) skills are off the chart, his hands, and his ability to put it on the floor and get to the rim. Defensively he’s good, maybe very good. He does all of the fundamental nature of the game of basketball at a high, high level.”
“Honestly I’m more happy about the win,” said Cousins after the game. “I’m glad I got a new career high, but I’m more happy about the way this team is playing. We’ve been through a lot this season – a lot of ups and downs, but we’re on the right path right now. I think we’re growing each and every game. Like I’ve been saying, my mindset is just playoffs.”
“Well they went to him (Cousins) every time down the floor for 48 straight minutes”, said Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. “You get 29 field goal attempts and 20 free throw attempts – that’s high usage. That’s what the analytics people call a high usage rate. Our top big man defender is out. Guys that were in there – our three bigs – battled, did the best they could, but he’s a big load. He’s a load and when he’s going to get touches every single time … he’s going to put up those kind of numbers.”
Up next
The Kings will be back on the floor Monday night when they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets beat the Kings 127-122 in overtime on November 23, 2015.
Indiana heads home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
AP photo: Stanford’s Rosco Allen is hugged by Marcus Allen (15) and Josh Sharma Saturday night at Maples Pavilion
STANFORD, Calif. – Rosco Allen’s lay-up with 3 seconds left handed Stanford a 75-73 victory over the visiting Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday night at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal led its guests for the majority of the game, but despite holding numerous double-digit leads in the 2nd half, couldn’t put the game completely out of reach.
“That’s probably his first basket of that magnitude,” said Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins on Allen’s bucket. “That’s a great thing for any player. Lots of guys can play their whole career and not make a play like that.”
With the Sun Devils in a full-court press to try to stymie Stanford’s chance at breaking a 73-73 deadlock with just over a dozen seconds remaining, the Cardinal (11-7, 4-3 Pac-12) managed to feed Allen across the center court line. From there, Allen drove to the hoop through 3 Arizona State defenders, finishing with a right-handed finger roll for the game-winner before tumbling to the court and sliding out of bounds.
“Full court you have more space,” said Allen. “You have more time to see where defenders are.”
The Hungarian forward, one of three captains for the Cardinal, led his team throughout the night. He scored 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting over his 37 minutes of play. The senior also hit 5 of 6 free throws in rebounding back from a 4-point performance in Thursday’s loss to Arizona.
“I’m just happy we got the win,” said Allen. “The Arizona game was a struggle. I happy to bounce back strong.”
Allen received some support from an unlikely source. Senior Grant Verhoeven pitched in 9 points off the bench in just 17 minutes off the bench. The center also hit the first three-pointer of his collegiate career.
“That was my first one in college,” said Verhoeven. “But as a team you can’t count on the three. Sometimes we’re awesome, sometimes we’re not.”
Verhoeven has seen his role increase with Reid Travis still out with an injury and Verhoeven’s health improving from injuries of his own.
“I’m finally getting healthy,” said Verhoeven. “I’m still not there. I’ve struggled with injuries the last couple years. Being healthy helps out a lot.”
Marcus Allen pitched in 13 points for the Cardinal while Michael Humphrey netted 11 points and 11 rebounds. Arizona State’s Tra Holder had a team-high 18 points, while Willie Atwood added 16.
Holder had an opportunity to but ASU on top late, but his three-pointer with 15 seconds left was off the mark. Rosco Allen dove in for the loose ball that went out of bounds and, following a lengthy review by the officials, possession was awarded to Stanford for the fateful final play.
“I couldn’t tell you who touched it last,” said Allen. “It was bang-bang.”
Stanford led 66-56 with 4:50 left to play, but Arizona State went on a 15-4 run to take a 71-70 lead with 1:41 left to play. Stanford took the lead back at 72-71, then Dorian Pickens hit one of two free throws but Savon Goodman nailed a jumper with 36 seconds left to tie the game at 73.
The Cardinal led 40-34 at the half, but couldn’t build its edge by more than 10 points in the 2nd half against a resilient ASU(11-9, 1-6) squad looking for its 2nd Pac-12 win.
“That’s something we have to work on,” said Verhoeven. “We have to have the cutthroat mentality. When we get ahead we have to hold it. We let them have some easy buckets they shouldn’t have had. As a team, going forward, we need to work on that.”
After three-straight at home, the Cardinal hits the road for three. They’ll face a trio of teams they are familiar with, heading to Utah and Colorado before heading into Haas Pavilion for the second round of the Big Game.
“With the league as balanced as it is, I think any team can beat any other team any night,” said Dawkins. “You have to be prepared, you have to be focused, you have to play 40 minutes of really good basketball to win in this league.”
photo credit: San Jose Barracuda–SJ Barracuda edge the Ontario Reign 2-1 at SAP Center Saturday
SAN JOSE, Calif.- For the second night in a row the San Jose Barracuda fall to the Pacific division leading Ontario Reign. On Saturday night, the Reign prevented head coach Roy Sommer from tying the all-time AHL wins record with a 2-1 victory in San Jose. The loss also creates six points of separation between first and second in the Pacific.
The Reign jumped out to an early 1-0 lead at 12:31 of the first period. Kurtis MacDermind netted his third of the season on a shot from the left point that dinked off the left post and in. Nic Dowd picked up his first of two assists on the play.
San Jose found the equalizer four minutes later. Trevor Parkes scored his ninth of the season going five-hole on Peter Budaj, who picked up his 22 victory of the season.The beautiful play was set up by Bryan Lerg, who handed the puck to Parkes in the slot. Jeremy Langlois earned the other assist on the lone goal for the ‘Cuda.
“A lot of it has to do with their goalie. When he needed to make a save he did,” Sommer commented.
Sean Backman scored the game winner with just .49 seconds left in the first period. Michael Mersch and Dowd picked up the helpers on the goal.
Ontario played stellar defensive hockey the rest of the way, especially in the third period where they allowed just two shots from San Jose. “They really lock it down. That’s a fact. They know how to protect a lead and give credit to their coach, but we got to find a way to beat them,” said Lerg.
Ben Smith played his second AHL game of the season after being sent down by the Sharks on Friday. He cleared the waivers process in time to suit up for the Barracuda. Smith finished a -2 in the contest, playing with Nikolay Goldobin and Scott Timmins. Smith, however, was just happy to get back on the ice and play and hopes to get his game where in needs to be to get back to the NHL, “I want to play and just control what I can control right now. Getting my game back to where it needs to be and tonight’s a start. I’m just looking forward to getting more ice time, more shifts and more games in,” he added.
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