Month: March 2018

Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria: Black Lives Matter protests expected to march in downtown and to Kings game tonight

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On the Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Black Lives Matter movement continues as the organization plans a march on downtown Sacramento tonight as well as protesting at the Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings game tonight at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento Police reportedly will be on had at the arena to prevent protesters from blocking protesters who succeeded in not allowing fans to enter games last Tuesday and Thursday.

#2 The lockdown of Golden 1 Center for last Thursday saw only small crowds estimated at 4,000 fans per game. Did the protesters make a point with their protests or has what they’be done so far been counter productive?

#3 Former Oakland quarterback David Humm who passed away on Wednesday at age 65 was in a wheelchair for the last few years and has had MS. Humm was a former Raiders broadcaster, and Tony takes a look at the life of Humm.

#4 Opening day for Major League Baseball as the San Francisco Giants are in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels are in Oakland for the A’s. First daytime opening day since 1994.

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Will Cahill and Anderson eventually end up in the Oak A’s starting rotation; three pitchers out before season starts

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 It’s the first opening day for the Oakland A’s to be played at home in the day time since 1994. Jerry takes a look at the significance of what the A’s hope will start a trend.

#2 The A’s have lost three starters before the season even started, losing Jharel Cotton and AJ Puk to torn ulnar collateral ligaments. Both Cotton and Puk are expected to be out of for the rest of the season. John Blackburn is out with forearm tightness.

#3 Kendall Graveman is the A’s starter. The A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson says keeping Graveman healthy is crucial to keep his arm from burning out. He will be limited in his side sessions.

#4 Can the A’s have a healthy starting rotation and can they get some effective starts?

#5 Talk about Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill. Will they eventually make the rotation, considering how scarce pitching could get on the A’s staff?

Jerry does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ season set to get underway in Los Angeles against the Dodgers

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By Jeremy Harness

After the Giants concluded the annual pre-season Bay Bridge series with the A’s, the Giants had a day off Wednesday and are now preparing to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles to kick off the 2018 season on Thursday.

However, one thing will be glaringly different about the way the Giants look on the field for Opening Day. Madison Bumgarner has consistently been the team’s Opening Day starter, but due to his suffering a broken metacarpal on his left hand, he will not be out there Thursday.

Instead, it will be fellow lefty Ty Blach to take the hill for the Giants opposite Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw.

Blach earned the Opening Day start almost by default, as Jeff Samardzija suffered a pectoral strain and will miss his first scheduled start of the year. However, he is reportedly expected to test out the strain on Wednesday, to gauge how much time he expects to miss.

If that’s not enough, the Giants have another injury concern on the mound, and it surrounds closer Mark Melancon. He last pitched March 23, and there is growing concern that he’s not fully back from the forearm surgery that he had in September.

The rosters need to be turned in by 8:30 a.m. Thursday, sand there is a strong possibility that Melancon will be placed on the disabled list along with Bumgarner and Samardzija.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, don’t have nearly as many injury issues, but they do have one. Third baseman Justin Turner was hit by a pitch by A’s righty Kendall Graveman about a week ago and suffered a broken wrist as a result, and he will miss significant time.

Johnny Cueto will start Friday night for the Giants, as he goes up against Dodgers lefty Alex Wood.

Baseball is back as the A’s open the 2018 season against the Angels

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By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — On Thursday, March 29th, 2018, Major League Baseball returns after six long months of inactivity. The A’s last played at the Coliseum way back in September, and the fans have been drooling for the season to start, and that will happen Thursday afternoon at 1 pm.

Opening day is such a special day. The players are excited to get the season going, and the A’s are playing a day opener for the first time since 1994. The A’s management will have the bunting out to decorate the stadium, and the grass will never be so green as it is on opening day. There will be a presentation of the colors and then the singing of the National Anthem to be followed by a flyover by the Navy that the fans always love.

The A’s, under the leadership of President Dave Kaval, have made improvements to the stadium so that the baseball experience will be even better. The food trucks are back, and the A’s have made improvements to the food being served at the park.

The A’s have taken a section in left field and made it into an area to be known as the Treehouse. Fans can stay out there for the game and enjoy great food and beer while the game is going on.

The A’s have also created an area known as the Farm where fresh vegetables will be grown. The hates tarps will not be around this year, and if the team improves as many people think they can, the team will need the extra seating.

The A’s are committed to having ties with the past. On Wednesday, the A’s hosted a gala at their new office at 55 Harrison Street in Oakland. Many community leaders were present as were many of the great players that brought Oakland six Pennants and four World Championships. Rickey Henderson, perhaps the greatest Oakland Athletic of all-time, was there. Carney Lansford and Terry Steinbach were there. Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers were there, and all these former players will be in attendance Friday night for the night opener.

The A’s, under manager Bob Melvin, are looking to escape from the cellar of the American League West, where they have resided for the past three years. The A’s brought up some of the best prospects near the tail end of the season last year. The A’s traded Yonder Alonso to the Seattle Mariners to make room for Matt Olson at first base. Jed Lowrie had a terrific bounce-back year at second base, and his 49 doubles were second-best in the AL in that department. Marcus Semien missed about half the season, but he is healthy now and hopes to be a force in the lineup. Matt Chapman will be at third base, and he showed he belonged with great fielding. He also has a lot of power.

The outfield will consist of Matt Joyce and Chad Pinder platooning in left field. Joyce hit 25 homers after a slow start and Pinder also showed that he can hit with power and he can play several positions. Boog Powell will start in center but Dustin Fowler, who was sent down to Triple-A to get more playing time, will be back. Right field will be patrolled by Steve Piscotty who came to Oakland in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Khris Davis, who hit 43 dingers last year, will be the DH. The catching chores will be done by former All-Star Jonathan Lucroy. Lucroy could be the best bargain of the year. Bruce Maxwell will be the backup catcher.

The big problem for the A’s could be the starting rotation. The A’s are hoping for big things from Kendall Graveman and Sean Manaea. Graveman was hurt last year and recorded just six wins. Manaea led the team with 12 victories. These two pitchers could be the keys to the A’s success if they can be more consistent. Lucroy’s vast experience handling pitchers should be beneficial. Daniel Mengden, who was up and down last year, came on strong in September after he made an adjustment in his pitching motion and he seems to be on the right track. Filling out the rotation will be Andrew Triggs and Daniel Gossett. The A’s lost Jharel Cotton for the season as he underwent Tommy John surgery last week. Plack Blackburn, who pitched well before being hurt last year, has some arm problems, and the A’s first-round draft pick of 2016 A.J. Puk appears to be heading for Tommy Joh surgery, too. The A’s signed Trevor Cahill to a contract, and he is at Nashville getting to be called up when needed.

The A’s bullpen added Emilio Pagan from Seattle to go with Chris Hatcher, Liam Hendriks, Santiago Casilla, Yusmeiro Petit, and Blake Treinen. Danny Coulombe and Paul Buchter are the lefty relievers. Ryan Dull will start the season on the DL.

The A’s start the season against their division rival, the Los Angeles Angels. Everyone in the division will be gunning for the World Champion Houston Astros. The A’s, without question, are trying to emulate the Astros. Everybody is trying to do what the Astros did. It wasn’t that long ago that the Astros were known as the Lastros. They developed young talent and did it pay off. The Astros won their first World Championship in their 55th season of operation. That, too, could happen to Oakland, If that were to happen and if the A’s were to get the new stadium built, they would have no trouble putting people into the seats at the old ballpark.

It’s opening day where all the teams are in first place. It’s time for the fans to come out early and remember that boys in Green and Gold will be doing their best to get off to a good start. It’s opening day, and that means hot dogs and beer. It’s opening day and its a time for optimism. It’s opening day, and it’s time to say Play Ball!

If Jon Gruden is “surprised” that Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, then he should sign him

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

Speaking from the coaches breakfast at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden offered his thoughts on why Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned.

“I think there’s a lot of intrigue,” Gruden said via ESPN staff writer Paul Gutierrez. “His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape. I think, Robert Griffin, a rookie of the year, [I’m surprised] he’s out there. Tim Tebow takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there.

“Back to Kapernick, he got beat out by [Blaine] Gabbert to start the [2016] season. I think that say’s something. [But] I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”

Memo to Gruden: No one, not even you, should be ‘surprised’ that Kaepernick remains unsigned by an NFL team.

Not due to the fact that he knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality, but he’s got a pending lawsuit against league owners for collusion, which was filed last October by Kaepernick.

But if Gruden is truly that ‘surprised’ that Kaepernick isn’t on an NFL roster, my only question to him is: why haven’t the Raiders signed him?

It’s a good idea, right?

No one is saying that Kaepernick would overthrow Derek Carr as Oakland’s signal-caller in 2018, but Kaepernick is much better than E.J. Manuel and Josh Johnson combined.

Both Manuel and Johnson are on the Raiders roster.

Since being drafted by the 49ers in 2011 out of Nevada in the second round of the NFL draft, Kaepernick has thrown for 12,271 yards with 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions while completing 59.8-percent of his passes in 58 career starts.

Manuel does have a career completion percentage of 58.1 to go along with 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 18 starts (which includes one start for Oakland last season), while Johnson is 0-5 in his  five career starts.

But Kaepernick would provide better insurance for Gruden and the Raiders in the event that Carr was injured than either Manuel or Johnson in my opinion. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way too.

It wasn’t too long ago that Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII, was making defenses look foolish trying to tackle him in the open field with the dreaded read-option. In 2016, Kaepernick’s last season in the league, he was recovering from three surgeries when Gabbert beat him out for the starting the job.

But once he proved to be healthy, Kaepernick replaced Gabbert as San Francisco’s starting quarterback and posted a 92.6 passer rating in his final six starts of the season. Kaepernick threw for 2,241 yards with 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a 90.7 passer rating, but the 49ers were just 1-10 in his 11 starts as the team dealt with injuries and inconsistency along the offensive line.

San Francisco finished 2-14 that year.

After sitting out all of 2017, does Kaepernick even want to play football or continue to bring awareness to social injustice and police brutality in 2018? Kaepernick has already gone on record saying that he wouldn’t kneel during the national anthem if signed by an NFL team.

There was the internet video recently of Kaepernick working out in Houston throwing the football appearing to be in tremendous condition. Maybe there’s a chance that Kaepernick does play again in the NFL after.

But could it be in Silver and Black?

Gruden and the Raiders should give the idea some serious consideration.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who won Super Bowl LII, showed how important having a capable backup quarterback like Nick Foles on the roster was after losing franchise quarterback Carson Wentz late in the year with a torn ACL.

It’s good to have an insurance policy in case of emergencies, Oakland.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks didn’t go on without a fight in loss to Blues to snap win streak

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On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh:

#1 The loss by the San Jose Sharks to the St. Louis Blues to end their eight-game win streak didn’t go without a fight as the game was forced into overtime by the Sharks as they tried to keep their streak alive.

#2 St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko took a pass from Vladimir Sobotka from behind the net. Sobotka took the puck in front of the net and passed it to Tarasenko show put it past San Jose goalie Aaron Dell, who was expecting it long side; but Tarasenko got the goal short side at 2:33 in the overtime stanza to get the Blues past the Sharks.

#3 Dell was left off balance on Tarasenko’s shot thinking he was going to get to the puck, but the game-winner made it in.

#4 Tarasenko is the Blues’ leading scorer with 31 goals and has also shot for 30 or more in each of the last four years.

#5 The Sharks head into Nashville for Thursday night’s contest. The Predators snapped a three-game loss streak on Tuesday loss streak and are looking to start putting a win streak together with the Sharks coming to town. This should be one of the best games of the week head-to-head.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcast each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Crunch time for postseason as Cuda head for two-game road trip

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On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 With 4:28 left in the San Jose Barracuda’s last game on Tuesday in the first period, the Cuda took a 2-0 lead with a Juilius Bergman goal that beat the Tucson Roadrunners goalie Adin Hill.

#2 The Roadrunners cut the Cuda lead at 16:50 in the second period when Lanson Carson scored his 10th goal of the season.

#3 Manuel Wiederer scored his seventh goal of the season. Cuda led by two, 3-1.

#4 The Cuda won Tuesday’s contest in Tucson  3-1. Both Roadrunners and Cuda had 16 shots on goal.

#5 The Barracuda open a two-game road trip starting this Friday night in Grand Rapids against the defending champion Griffiths and then fly onto Rochester to face off against the Americans. This is expected to be one of the toughest road trips for the Barracuda this season. Two excellent teams that their playing on back-to-back nights on the road.

Marko Ukalovic does the Barracuda podcasts each Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

A’s ready for season opener, but the roster remains a work in progress

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–At least to start the 2018 season, Andrew Triggs is up and in the starting rotation, and Trevor Cahill is headed out.

Given all the upheaval on the A’s roster, things could change quickly. For wackiness sake, Harvey the Rabbitt could supplant Stomper as the team’s most valuable mascot. Given that, don’t write Triggs and Cahill’s name in ink.

Triggs came to spring training with hopes to land a starting assignment, but did so only because top-prospect A.J. Puk, Jharel Cotton and Paul Blackburn have landed on the disabled list. Puk and Cotton aren’t likey to return this season, and Blackburn is at least a couple of weeks away while his strained forearm recovers.

For manager Bob Melvin, the injuries mean other options have to be handy. Former A’s Cahill and Brett Anderson are part of that mix, a pair of familiar faces originally signed for a look-see.

Cahill pitched three scoreless innings on Tuesday in the team’s exhibition season finale, striking out four. Melvin said stretching out Cahill in an effort to prepare him to start at some point is the goal. Anderson’s path is murkier. He’s still in Arizona working out, and hasn’t thrown in any games, but along with Cahill, the pair provide intriguing options given the fragile nature of the rotation.

“At this point, he looks to be the depth,” Melvin said of Cahill. “It’s one of the reasons we signed him is the injuries we’ve had. He looked good.”

For example, Triggs, currently the fourth option in the rotation, hasn’t blown anyone’s socks off: he started Tuesday and threw three plus innings, allowing all three runs in the A’s 3-0 loss. For the spring, Triggs was 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA over 24 innings.

Melvin was tight-lipped about the club’s outfield situation with Boog Powell and Dustin Fowler bidding to start, and Mark Canha batlling for a roster spot. He said an announcement regarding the entire 25-man roster would come Tuesday.

The A’s open at home on Thursday against the Angels at 1:05 p.m.

Kings fall to Mavs 103-97 as protests continue outside of Golden 1 Center

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By: Jordan Chapin

SACRAMENTO — As the season starts to wind down in the NBA, the protest are still in full swing here in Sacramento. For a second time, protesters stood outside of the Golden 1 Center and once again a lot of Kings faithful were not able to get in. Although there was a lot of action outside the arena, the same can not be said for what was going on inside as the Kings fell to the Mavericks 103-97.

Sacramento barely shot 40% from the field and a measly 26% from 3-point land. In a game the Kings trailed in for a majority of the time, there was one bright spot, Kosta Koufos. Kosta only played 14 minutes, but racked up 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go along with seven boards. The two point guards for Sacramento – Fox and Mason – combined for (3-for-23) from the field. The Dallas Mavericks led by as much as 16 points with heavy contributions from Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr..

For the fans that were able to get into the game, the Kings did make it interesting at the end as they cut a 15-point lead to a five-point lead in the last three minutes of the game, but they eventually lost the battle to the clock as they didn’t have enough time on it to squeak by the Mavs.

Sacramento has split the season series with Dallas, 2-2. The final attendance for tonight’s game was just over 4,000 people in an arena that holds over 17,000.

The Kings will return to the Golden 1 Center on Thursday, as they will see an old face in Darren Collison and face a playoff-bound Indiana Pacers.

The staff of Sports Radio Service is praying for and sends our condolences to the friends and family of Stephon Clark during this incredibly difficult time.

Stephon_Clark

 

Pacers outlast injury-ravaged Warriors 92-81

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were missing their four All-Star starters for the second game in a row and played well for three quarters, but ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and lost to the Indiana Pacers 92-81 at the Oracle Arena Tuesday night.

However, the Warriors fans as well as their coaching staff appreciated the effort by their team. The team played well on defense, but they did not have anyone that could jump-start the offense.

Draymond Green was supposed to return to the lineup Tuesday, but didn’t feel right after practice earlier in the day. He is slated to return Thursday night against Milwaukee. Kevin Durant wanted to play, but the coaching staff held him out. Durant will also be available Thursday. Klay Thompson should be back soon as he recovers from a broken thumb. Steph Curry is out for at least four weeks.

The Warriors started Zaza Pachulia, Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Quinn Cook, and Nick Young. The Warriors played very well in the first quarter. Nick Young paced the attack with 10 points, and the Warrior defense held the Pacers to just 18 points, and they were able to own the advantage 27-18 after one period of play. The Warriors were able to maintain the nine-point lead as each team scored 21 points and the score at the end of the first half was 48-39. Cook had seven, Bell had four, McCaw had six, and Kevon Looney had five. The Pacers were led by Thaddeus Young and Victor Oladipo. The Warriors shot 45% from the floor and held the Pacers to 40.5%.

The Pacers picked up the intensity in the third quarter. They went on a 22-6 run to take the lead 57-54. They increased the lead to five, 68-63, but the Warriors scored the last seven points of the quarter to lead 70-68. However, in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ran out of gas and were outscored 24-11. The Pacers’ Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young, and Bojan Bogdanovic could not be stopped.

Game notes and Stats: Kevon Looney had one of his best games as a Warrior. The third-year player out of UCLA tallied eight points and had a career-high 11 rebounds as well as two blocked shots. Nick Young, who scored 10 points in the first half, scored just two in the last 24 minutes of play. Quinn Cook and Andre Iguodala each had 11. JaVale McGee finished with nine and Shaun Livingston and David West each added eight. The Pacers were led by Oladipo’s 24, Thaddeus Young’s 17, and Bogdanovic’s 17.

The Pacers improved to 44-31 and are in a dogfight with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers for the third spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Warriors are now 54-20 and need just one win or one Portland Trail Blazers loss to clinch the second seed in the Western Conference.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Bucks are led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and they will be looking for a win over the depleted Warriors Thursday.