Month: September 2019

Stanford’s feel-good win over Oregon State helps prep for home cooking

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

David Shaw showed the masses he still has a few tricks up his sleeve Saturday night at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

Clinging to a seven-point lead against Oregon State early in the fourth quarter, Stanford had first and goal at the 8-yard line. Shaw called a reverse with junior quarterback Davis Mills pitching left to fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett, who handed to junior tight end Colby Parkinson, who lofted a pass in the end zone for Mills. The latter used every inch of his 6’4″ frame to out-leap two Oregon State defenders for a touchdown.

“Colby put a little too much air under it,” said Shaw. “We knew our quarterback was going to be wide open. Davis is a great athlete and he hung up there and made a great play.”

Mills loved the call, now known as the Stanford Special.

“It was fun,” Mills said. “It was our version of the Philly Special.”

Parkinson also caught a touchdown pass from Mills, becoming the first non-quarterback at Stanford since Christian McCaffrey in the 2015 Pac-12 Championship Game to throw for and score a touchdown.

“I was very excited and very nervous,” Parkinson said.

As it turned out, Stanford needed one more score to win. Senior kicker Jet Toner grooved a 39-yard field goal with one second remaining to lift the Cardinal to a 31-28 victory.

“He’s got that cool Hawaiian breeze going through his blood,” Shaw said of Toner, a Honolulu product.

Breaking out
Stanford (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12) snapped out of its offensive funk by scoring four touchdowns against the Beavers (1-3, 0-1 Pac-12), who have lost 10 consecutive conference games. Making his second start of the season in place of injured K.J. Costello, Mills passed for three scores and caught another.

“He was calm and collected under pressure,” said Shaw. “He stood in the pocket, made some huge plays with his legs and made some really smart decisions.”

Operating behind the fourth different starting offensive line in five games, Mills threw for a career-high 245 yards.

“Not much,” said Shaw, when asked how much he revised the game plan. “Davis gets outside the pocket a little more. We protected well and guys made plays.”

Mills accompanied the team to Corvallis as a freshman, which helped prepare him for the loud and challenging environment. He didn’t flinch in the final drive.

“I have a lot of trust in the guys,” Mills said.

Shaw has been waiting for his wide receivers to step up and they did. Junior Connor Wedington caught five passes for 31 yards, junior Osiris St. Brown caught 4-for-46, sophomore Michael Wilson caught 3-for-87, sophomore Simi Fehoko caught 1-for-16, and Parkinson grabbed 3-for-44. More importantly, they contributed several big gains, going for 39, 36 and 18 yards.

Truly special
Wedington helped set up Toner’s game-winner with a 43-yard kickoff return in the final two minutes after OSU had tied the score. Senior cornerback Obi Eboh blocked a field goal, Wilson contributed a 27-yard punt return, and freshman punter Ryan Sanborn averaged 50.3 yards on three punts, lacing a career-best 68-yarder and downed two inside the 20.

“We were stellar,” Shaw said.

Stanford ranks first in the Pac-12 in kickoff coverage.

Photo credit: gostanford.com

Frosh impact
In just his second start, freshman Jonathan McGill collected a game-high 11 tackles at nickel-back and was all over the field. Sophomore defensive end Thomas Booker had his first two-sack game and finished with a career-best eight tackles, and senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson added a career-best seven stops.

The Cardinal posted four sacks and six tackles for loss.

Booker had rave reviews for McGill, cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly and the other freshmen who have stepped up on defense.

“Seeing them come in with the poise they have is awesome,” Booker said.

Huskies next
Stanford welcomes No. 15 Washington (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the first of three straight home games.

The host Huskies defeated No. 21 USC (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) on Saturday, 28-14. Salvon Ahmed ran for a career-high 153 yards for Washington, which has outscored opponents 77-3 in the first quarter.

The Huskies won last year’s meeting at Husky Stadium, 27-23. However, the Cardinal has claimed four of the last six and eight of the last 11.

The Pac-12 Network will broadcast the Pregame Show on campus Saturday.

Game theme
Stanford football student-athletes and coaches will be sporting pink to draw awareness to breast cancer as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer survivors will be honored throughout the game. Additionally, the 2019 NCAA champion women’s water polo team will be recognized for capturing their seventh NCAA title.

Extra points
Freshman Barrett Miller started at offensive left guard alongside freshman tackle Walter Rouse … Miller became the 13th first-time starter and fifth true freshman to start for Stanford this season … As he has all season, Scarlett ran hard and tallied a team-high 92 tough yards on 24 carries. “He’s our MVP,” said Shaw … Sophomore wide receiver Brycen Tremayne, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship during fall camp, caught his first collegiate touchdown … The Stanford defense hasn’t allowed a first-quarter touchdown in six of the last eight games … The start of the game was delayed 15 minutes due to lightning in the area … Chris Peatross ’88, a four-year wide receiver at Stanford, served as honorary captain. He is the founder, president and CEO of Swift Real Estate Partners.

Quote
“What it really showed was our grit and character. We’re excited about going forward.” — Colby Parkinson

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Why Omar Vizquel would be a great pick for Giants managerial job

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By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO — Omar Vizquel was one of the best ever defensive shortstops in major league baseball history,winning 11 Gold Gloves(second most in history to Ozzie Smith’s 13) during a 24-year career with Seattle, Cleveland, San Francisco 2005-2008,Texas, Chicago White Sox and Toronto.

Vizquel ended with a solid .272 batting average in 2,968 games with 2,877 hits. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Detroit Tigers first-base infield and base-running coach. Vizquel was the Captain of the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic Team in 2016 and a member of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame. He is 52 years old and bilingual in English and Spanish. He is a very smart baseball man who told me in the past his post-retirement goal was to manage in the major leagues.

The Giants will pick somebody to succeed Bruce Bochy, a future Hall of Fame manager that brought three World Series to San Francisco, a franchise that won their first World Series in 2010, the first for the club in 52 years since moving from New York. One of only 10 managers that have won three World Series, a sure thing for Cooperstown.

Vizquel received 182 votes in the 2019 ballot for the Hall of Fame, falling short of the 75% required for election, as he got 42.8 percent. His chances are good for membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in the next few years.

Vizquel is a good teacher and excellent communicator in two languages (Spanish, the second language in baseball), and there is little doubt in my mind that he will get a chance to manager in the major leagues. Maybe the Giants would give him the opportunity, among the many candidates that they will interview, if not, he will manage someplace, sooner than later. He was at the Bruce Bochy reunion this Sunday at Oracle Park. He loves the Bay Area and would be thrilled to be back here. He could be competing with another ex-player and also bilingual baseball man in Raúl Ibañez.

Amaury Pi-González is a pioneer in establishing baseball radio broadcast in Spanish in the Bay Area with the Oakland A’s since the the 1970’s and a longtime contributor to Sports Radio Service.

Wild Card preview: Rays and A’s at Oakland Coliseum

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mercurynews.com file photo: Oakland Athletics’ Khris Davis (2) removes his helmet after batting against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning of their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, April 19, 2019.

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — After a long season of 162 games, the A’s and Rays will have to have a one-game playoff to determine which team will advance to the American League Division Series. The winner will then face the Houston Astros. The Astros had the best record in the AL, and the series will start in Houston.

The A’s finished the season with a record of 97-65 to earn the right to host the Wild Card game. The A’s are 52-27 at the Coliseum this season. The Rays are a good road team, and they will not be intimidated having to play in Oakland. The Rays are 48-37 away from home and that record is the second-best in the MLB.

The Rays believe that they have a slight advantage as they will send Charlie Morton to the hill Wednesday night. Morton had a career-year with a record of 16-6. He pitched 194.2 innings and had an ERA of 3.05. Also, he struck out 240 batters and was very stingy in issuing walks. Morton was effective against right-handed hitters. The A’s lineup is loaded with righties as Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, and Khris Davis will have their collective hands full trying to get to Morton. Morton limited righties to just four home runs in 351 at-bats.

The A’s have not announced their starter as of Monday afternoon. People are speculating that Bob Melvin will go with either Mike Fiers or Sean Manaea. Fiers, like Morton, had a career year. Fiers was 15-4 for the year and had an ERA of 3.90. Fiers also pitched a no-hitter against Cincinnati in May. Manaea made five starts for Oakland after coming off the IL in August. Manaea was 4-0 and was quite effective. He pitched 29.2 innings. Manaea had to learn how to deal with a declining velocity on his fastball. He threw at 93-94 MPH before being shut down with a shoulder injury last summer. His fastball has been clocked around 90 MPH this year, but he has been throwing strikes and moving the ball in the zone.

While the A’s might not have the edge in the starting pitcher department, they do have a better bullpen than the Rays. If the A’s starter, whoever that may be, falters, Melvin will not hesitate to bring in the relievers. The bullpen, missing Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen, has been bolstered by the additions of lefties Jake Diekman, A.J.Puk, and Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo has pitched very well and can be used as a closer. Melvin will also rely on Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria, and Liam Hendriks. Hendriks has performed exceptionally well and went to the All-Star Game this year.

The Rays’ bullpen includes Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, and Oliver Drake. The long relievers are Yonny Chirinos and Jalen Beeks. Current Cy Young winner Blake Snell is back and throwing well. Six-foot seven-inch Tyler Glasnow will also be available. They will be ready to shut down the A’s offense when called on.

The A’s will also have the advantage on offense and defense. The A’s have three players in the infield that hit over 30 homers each this year. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson led the team with 36 dingers each. Semien had a career-high 33 round-trippers. Chapman and Semien are candidates for AL Most Valuable Player. Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Chad Pinder, Jurickson Profar, and Josh Phegley can all drive the ball out of the park.  On defense, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are again candidates to win a Gold Glove. Marcus Semien at shortstop has worked hard to improve his defense. He worked with Ron Washington to get better and he, too, is a Gold Glove candidate.

The Rays offense is led by Austin Meadows. Meadows had 33 home runs to lead the team. The Rays’ other hitters are Jesus Aguilar, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, and Nate Lowe. Fans on the West Coast may not be familiar with these names, but they are the reason that the Rays won 96 games this season.

The A’s won the season series four games to three. The Rays are a very determined team. The A’s are also highly motivated to move to the ALDS. This will be the A’s third Wild Card game since 2014, and the first-ever in Oakland. The A’s lost a wild one 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals in 2014. They fell to the Yankees last year 7-2 in New York. The A’s believe that they can go to the World Series. The first step will be defeating the Rays. The Houston Astros are hoping the A’s win. They won the season series 11-8. The Astros have to be careful about what they wish for. The A’s won six of the last eight played. They have the confidence to do it.

The game with the Rays should be very close. The Rays do not quit. Neither do the A’s. Each team knows that they have to win or go home. The A’s will have a large crowd cheering their every move. Let’s hope the home field advantage will prove beneficial to Oakland. I think the A’s will prevail and win by a score of 5-3.

San Jose State hosts New Mexico Friday night

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State stunned the masses with a win over Arkansas, but was unable to finish the brief, two-game road trip with a win at Air Force. The Spartans recently returned home, where they’ll host New Mexico on Friday night.

Here are the much-needed details, folks. Mark your calendars.

Game #5
San Jose State vs. New Mexico
Friday, October 4, 2019,
CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
7:02 p.m. PT, CBS Sports Network

SJSU record
2-2, 0-1 Mountain West. Most recently, the Spartans lost their conference opener at Air Force, 41-24, on September 27.

New Mexico record
2-2, 0-0 Mountain West. The Lobos lost a non-conference game at Liberty, 17-10, on September 28.

Series history
San Jose State leads the series, 12-5-1. The teams are beginning their second two-season cycle of Mountain West home-and-home conference games this weekend.

The Lobos won the most recent meeting between these schools, 48-41, in Albuquerque, on October 11, 2016.

San Jose State’s last win in the series was a 31-21 victory at home on October 24, 2015. The Spartans have won the last four times these teams played in San Jose dating back to 1975. The last time New Mexico won in San Jose was a 27-24 decision on November 1, 1969. The 1971 game between these teams ended in a 21-21 tie.

San Jose State also has a bowl win over New Mexico winning the inaugural 2006 New Mexico Bowl, 20-12. San Jose State currently has a four-game postseason bowl winning streak dating back to 1990.

Play-by-play radio coverage
KKSF (910 AM, Oakland), RealTalk 910, is the new flagship radio station for San Jose State University football. Justin Allegri calls the play-by-play. Kevin Richardson provides commentary. The New Mexico broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. (PT) before game time with a pregame show.

Network affiliates are KION (1460 AM/101.1 FM, Salinas), KFIV (1360 AM, Modesto), KWSX (1280 AM, Stockton).

The San Jose State vs. New Mexico broadcast with Justin Allegri and Kevin Richardson calling the action also will be carried on http://www.siriusxm.com Channel 965.

KSJS (90.5 FM, San Jose) also will broadcast the San Jose State-New Mexico game starting at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Television
The CBS Sports Network will provide broadcast coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. PT. Jason Horowitz calls the play-by-play. Malik Zaire provides commentary. The CBS Sports Network is available Comcast Channel 643, DirecTV Channel 221, and DISH Network Channel 158.

Tickets

• sjsuspartans.com/tickets

• ticketmaster.com

Athletics Ticket Office, 1393 S. 7th Street, San José, CA 95112, weekdays, 9:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $10.00 for a general admission seat to $58.00 for a reserved seat.

Tickers for home games at CEFCU Stadium

• Modern family plan

• Group ticket pricing starting at $12.00 per ticket

• Three-game “mini plans” starting at $59.00

Game promotions

• Brew & Vine — Greatest Tailgate Party You’ve Never Been To — $35.00/per person beginning at 5:00 p.m. includes tasting for two hours, meal voucher & game ticket • Parent & Family Weekend

A 2-2 record at the end of September: For the first time since the 2015 season, San Jose State enters an October with a 2-2 overall win-loss record. The 2019 Spartans had an opportunity to finish September with at least 3-1 overall mark for the first time since 2012, but lost at Air Force, 41-24.

Back-to-back Friday games
For the first time since 1950, San Jose State is playing football games on consecutive Fridays. This week’s game vs. New Mexico follows the Friday, September 27 conference contest at Air Force.

In 1950, San Jose State hosted Loyola (Calif.), now LMU, on Friday, October 13, losing 14-7, and traveled to the University of San Francisco on Friday, October 20, suffering a 27-0 shutout loss. After losing to USF, the Spartans, coached by first-year head coach Bob Bronzan, went 4-0-1 to finish the season with a 6-3-1 win-loss record, the program’s fifth consecutive winning season in the post World War II period.

Emphasis on a positive turnover margin paying off
A point of emphasis for this year’s San Jose State team is finishing in the top-25 in turnover margin.

After the first month of the season, San Jose State ranks tied for sixth nationally in turnover margin at +6 or 1.5 per game. The Spartans have seven interceptions, which is tied for fourth nationally, and came up with their first two fumble recoveries of the season in the Air Force contest.

For their first four games, San Jose State lost the ball only three times on two fumbles and one pass interception. Through games of September 28, the Spartans are tied for eighth nationally in fewest times losing the ball.

A year ago, San Jose State finished at +1, a significant improvement from the 2017 season when the team had a minus-26 turnover margin figure.

First blocked kick of the season
San Jose State notched its first blocked kick of the season when linebacker Hadari Darden was credited with deflecting an Air Force extra-point attempt following a Falcons’ third-quarter touchdown.

The Spartans are one of 59 FBS schools to block a punt or a kick-scoring try in games played through September 28.

A San Jose State first since 2007
In the Air Force game, freshman Nick Nash became the first San Jose State quarterback since Adam Tafralis in 2007 to have rushing and passing attempts and catch a pass thrown by a teammate in the same game.

Nash was San Jose State’s leading rusher against Air Force with 62 yards on 11 carries and had the Spartans’ longest run of the game at 19 yards. He completed 5-of-7 passes without an interception for 82 yards and two touchdowns. In the first quarter, he caught a Josh Love pass for 4 yards.

Nash joins former San Jose State quarterbacks Tafralis, Scott Rislov in a 2002 win over UTEP and current University of Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo in a 2001 NCAA record-setting victory against Nevada as Spartan signal callers to display their offensive versatility rushing, passing and receiving in the same game since the 1976 season.

Since 1976, the feat now has been accomplished 16 times. Former San Jose State running back and current Arizona Cardinals running backs coach James Saxon did it four times, three times in 1987 and once in 1986.

Sharing the wealth
Twice this season in the Northern Colorado and Air Force games, at least 10 Spartans caught had a pass reception. In the Northern Colorado victory, 10 Spartans had a pass reception. At Air Force, 11 San Jose State players were credited with a catch.

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Will Garbers be ready for Oregon this Saturday?

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from sfgate.com: Chase Garbers #7 of the California Golden Bears throws a 16 yard touchdown pass against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at California Memorial Stadium on September 27, 2019 in Berkeley, California.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Talk about how bad the shoulder is for quarterback Chase Garbers. Will he be able to play against the Oregon Ducks this Saturday?

#2 ASU head coach Herm Edwards is a miracle worker of sorts. He’s got the Sun Devils believing in themselves and they beat 15th ranked Cal 24-17 and have improved to 4-1.

#3 It’s been an improved year for Cal in spite of the loss to ASU, they lost by a touchdown, and this season, what improvements that the Bears have done have been the most impressive?

#4 It was a game that saw the score tied after each of the three quarters. The Bears had home field, was it a matter of time ran out for Cal or ASU looked like they would squeak this one out?

#5 Cal now heads to Oregon to face the Ducks, who defeated Stanford in their last 21-6. The Ducks have Justin Herbert at quarterback who threw 19-24 for 259 yards and three touchdowns, Herbert and the Ducks could be a handful next Saturday?

Morris does the Cal podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Finish Preseason with 5-1 Loss to Vegas

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photo from mercurynews.com: Evander Kane #9 of the San Jose Sharks shoves linesman Kiel Murchison in the third period of the Sharks’ preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on September 29, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kane received a game misconduct for an abuse of officials penalty. The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks 5-1.

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks dropped their final preseason game 5-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday in Las Vegas. Vegas goals came from William Carrier, Jimmy Shuldt, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith. Danil Yurtaykin scored the only San Jose goal, during the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 38 shots for the win, while Martin Jones stopped 17 of 21 shots during the first two periods and Aaron Dell made 10 saves on 11 shots for San Jose.

With almost all of the likely NHL lineup in the game, the Sharks managed 12 shots on net in the first period, but could not score. They did kill a penalty half way through the period, after Timo Meier was called for goaltender interference. Vegas had 14 shots and scored once at the end of the period. The Sharks had just gotten the puck out of their zone bu could not get it past the center line before Vegas carried it back in. Tomas Nosek carried the puck down along the boards while Carrier drove the net. Nosek took the shot and it went off of Carrier and in.

Early in the second period, Brenden Dillon was called for holding, putting the Golden Knights on the power play. Jimmy Schuldt scored in the second minute of that penalty. After a quick give and go along the blue line with William Karlsson, Schuldt’s shot from the point went right by Jones. Assists went to Karlsson and Reilly Smith.

A dispute between Evander Kane and Valentin Zykov at 7:31 resulted in matching roughing minors for the players and some 4-on-4 time for the teams. After almost a minute of very fast back and forth play, Jonathan Marchessault scored off the rush, making it 3-0 Vegas. Marchessault had a step on Joe Thornton coming through the neutral zone, and stayed just ahead of a charging Mario Ferraro as they bore down on the Sharks net.

Kane and Zykov went at it again at 10:17, this time receiving fighting majors.

The Sharks had a good shift in the offensive zone with about five minutes left in the period, until a quick pass from Schuldt found Max Pacioretty lurking at the Sharks blue line. Pacioretty took the puck in and made a quick pass to Mark Stone who shot the puck past Jones to make it 4-0.

On a line with Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane, Danil Yurtaykin scored at 1:10 of the third. Yurtaykin caught the puck behind the net, carried it to the front and put it in with a quick backhand into traffic. Assists went to Kane and Hertl.

A couple of minutes later, Reilly Smith made it 5-1 Vegas with a power play goal. Timo Meier was in the box for slashing Brayden McNabb, and it only took the Vegas power play 13 seconds to score. Assists went to William Karlsson and Marchessault.

The Sharks took 11 more penalties in the period, and Vegas took eight, but the score did not change. Among those penalties were misconducts for Evander Kane, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Max Pacioretty, Brenden Dillon, Deryk Engellund and Kevin Labanc.

Late in the first period, Logan Couture took a puck to the hand but he played through the game.

The Sharks’ lineup Sunday included new faces Lean Bergman, Danil Yurtakin and Jonny Brodzinsky up front. On defense, Dalton Prout and Mario Ferraro were in while Radim Simek and Tim Heed sat out.

The Sharks will be back in Las Vegas on Wednesday to start the regular season at 7:30 PM PT.

Earthquakes drop 1-0 decision to Sounders

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes are on the verge of heartbreak and crushing end to their season. With another disastrous loss tonight to Seattle, the Quakes have lost all five of their games in the month of September.

Both San Jose and the Seattle Sounders started the match with something to play for, and it was a competitive match throughout with plenty of drama. It was an open contest. Both San Jose and Seattle had their chances to take the lead early, but failed to capitalize. In the 13-minute Quakes’ goalkeeper Daniel Vega saved a goal from Jordan Morris. A few short moments later, Magnus Eriksson was denied by Sounders keeper Stefan Frie, who made a magnificent dive.

For the Quakes, they seemed to lack luck as multiple shots that managed to beat the keeper Frie hit the woodwork and back into play. Matters were not helped in Tommy Thompson was shown a red card 10 minutes into the second half. The Sounders’ Xavier Arreaga would draw a double yellow in the 71st minute and both squads would finish the match 10 vs. 10.

Going into stoppage time the Quakes seemed content to take the draw and point. Nearing the end of the four added minutes a pass to the fullback Florian Jungwirth is mishandled and Seattle’s Jordan Morris did not miss the opportunity. Attacking the ball and finding an easy finish to steal the game late.

For the Quakes, their postseason chances hang in the balance with only one game left in Portland. If San Jose wins, they will make the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. If the skid continues, it will be one of the most disappointing seasons in the Quakes history.

Final: Seattle defeated San Jose 1-0.

Up Next: San Jose wraps up the regular season against the Portland Timbers in Providence Park on Sunday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m.

NCAAF podcast with Michelle Richardson: Duke piles on Virginia Tech 45-10; Benjamin carries ASU to upset win; NCAA co-chair says Ohio State won’t pay in Cali if likeness law passes

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photo from islandpacket.com: Duke quarterback Chris Katrenick (15) scores on a 9-yard touchdown run past Virginia Tech defender Alan Tisdale (34) and Jaylen Griffin (41) in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Blacksburg, Va.

On the NCAAF podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Duke Blue Devils totally dominated Virginia Tech all day on Friday. Duke quarterback Quentin Harris passed 20-27 for 163 yards and two touchdowns, Harris also carried for 100 yards and a touchdown in the 45-10 victory. The win puts Duke at 3-1.

#2 Arizona State improved their record to 4-1 with a win over the Cal Bears on Friday night. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 174 yards, the Sun Devils running back Eno Benjamin literally carried the game for ASU scoring three touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards. ASU head coach Herm Edwards has really got this school moving forward. The Sun Devils have won four of their last five games.

#3 Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith who co-chairs on the NCAA group on the likeness, endorsement, and sponsorship money said that if the California bill goes into effect that will allow student athletes to get paid for playing and for likeness endorsements. Ohio State will not participate in any games against any California teams. Smith said those schools will not be NCAA members.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Join Michelle each week for NCAAF podcast and commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Dodgers spoil Bochy’s going away party with a 9-0 shutout win

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Photo credit: @Dodgers

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — On what was the last game of Bruce Bochys 25-year managerial career, it was not much of a game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a five spot in the first inning on their way to a 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a sellout of 41,909 at Oracle Park.

Dereck Rodriguez got the first out of the inning, but then the wheels fell off the wagon and Rodriguez, who gave up those five runs.

Max Muncy got the rally started, as he walked then A.J. Pollock and Cody Bellinger each singled and then Corey Seager cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. Will Smith then unloaded his 15th home run of the season and the game was pretty much over by then.

Rodriguez lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits, walking two and striking out two before giving way to Sam Selman.

The Giants as an offense could only three hits during the entire game, as Buster Posey singled in the bottom of the first inning and the Giants did not get a hit until Jaylin Davis singled in the bottom of the eighth inning. Mike Yastrzemski got the Giants last hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.

On this day, the longtime rivalry between the Giants and the Dodgers was put aside, as Madison Bumgarner came out to pinch hit for Brandon Crawford in the bottom of the fifth inning and longtime rival Clayton Kershaw was on the mound in relief for the Dodgers.

In what could be his last at-bat as a Giant, Bumgarner was given a standing ovation by the sellout crowd.

Crawford told Bumgarner to hit a homer for him, but unfortunately there was no joy in San Francisco, as Bumgarner lined out to Jedd Gyorko for the final out.

After the line out to Gyorko, Bumgarner stood at the plate and admired the crowd one last time during the 2019 season.

In an act of total sportsmanship and respect, Kershaw then tipped his cap towards Bochy, who reciprocated in doing the same towards Kershaw.

He is a class act, said Posey about Kershaw.

Gavin Lux drove in the Dodgers sixth run of the game in the top of the seventh, as he walked with the bases loaded to score Matt Beaty.

The Dodgers added three runs in the top of the eighth inning to put the final touches on their team record 106th victory of the season.

UP NEXT: There will be a new manager in 2020 for the Giants when the team begins Spring Training in February.

Safeway Open: Sac native Champ wins it for Papa

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Photo credit: taiwannews.com.tw

By Jeremy Harness

NAPA, Calif. – This week, Cameron Champ wore black shoes that had “Papa Champ” written in white lettering and also had it etched on his wedges.

With his grandfather in hospice battling stomach cancer and his father behind the 18th hole, the Sacramento native kept his focus and earned his second-career PGA Tour win at the Safeway Open, this one certainly the more emotional of the two.

He held the lead for most of the day but had to fight off a threat from Canadian Adam Hadwin, who had rallied from five shots down at one point on Sunday to tie him at the top, making a birdie directly in front of him at the 18th to do so.

“Probably with what’s going on, I don’t know if it’s meant to be or what, but just to play the way I did – basically, this is my home event – to have so many family and friends here, it’s just been awesome,” Champ said.

Champ was a bit shaky off the tee – he did not hit his first fairway until the 12th hole – but his short game and putting kept him afloat long enough to win the tournament.

He pulled his drive left at the first hole – dangerously close to a hazard – but hit a brilliant wedge shot to about seven feet before making the putt for birdie. The wedge and putter came in handy again on the next hole, the par-3 second, after his tee shot came up woefully short and rolled down the hill.

He pitched it to about nine feet and made the putt to save par. The ball striking continued to be a struggle for the next two holes, but he was able to get it up and down to keep the lead intact.

He again pulled his drive left at the par-5 fifth, but this time he was in a tree line, meaning that he had to negotiate the trees to get to the green. He then took a mid-iron around the trees – flirting with out-of-bounds on the left – and landed it in the middle of the green from 201 yards away. He then two-putted for birdie to increase his lead to four.

He dropped a shot at the par-4 eighth but got it right back by getting up and down for a birdie at the ninth.

He was in serious danger of dropping another shot at the par-3 11th, after he short-sided himself and stubbed his first chip attempt. However, he rallied and chipped his third shot in to save par.

“I got some key up-and-downs,” Champ said. “The chip-in on 11 was huge and the up-and-down on 15 just kind of kept my round going.”

Hadwin started the round three shots behind Champ, but he caught fire after a one-over front nine, as he recorded five birdies against only one bogey, including birdies on each of the last three holes, which momentarily left him tied for the lead with Champ.

Ten minutes later, Champ rolled in a four-footer to win it.

“At least I made him think about it a little bit, didn’t I?” Hadwin asked. “I wasn’t sure where I stood. I walked off, I saw his name at 17 there, 17-under when I walked off the 15th green. I knew I had to do something special. I put a little pressure on him and made him make birdie for it.” Marc Leishman made a big charge on Sunday, shooting a seven-under round of 65 to launch himself into second place, 11 groups ahead of Champ. He made four birdies on the front nine against only one bogey, and he picked up four more shots on a bogey-free back nine and finished his round nicely by rolling in a 23-footer for birdie at the par-5 18th.

“(It was) nice to finish off on 18 like that,” Leishman said. “It probably won’t be enough, but hopefully it will make (Champ) think about it a little bit.

“When you can see the ball go in a little bit, it just puts a little bounce in your step. I feel like it goes through your whole game. I feel like if you’re not putting great, that can also go through your whole game, so it’s nice to take advantage of it when they’re going in.” Bryson DeChambeau shot out of the gate on Sunday, pouring in three birdies in the first five holes – including rolling in a 25-footer for birdie at the par-4 third – to get himself into a four-way tie for second before the last two groups teed off.

DeChambeau, a native a Clovis, just outside of Fresno, held the lead after Friday’s second round, but thanks in large part to a damaging double bogey on the back nine, he sputtered to a four-over 76 on Saturday before closing the gap considerably on Sunday.

He wasn’t the only one making noise in the final round. Roger Sloan, who began Sunday six shots back, birdied twice in his first four holes and then chipped in for an eagle at the par-5 fifth to get himself to two shots back and into second place all by himself.

However, both guys soon fizzled and could not make up any more ground. DeChambeau played the back nine at one-over with four bogeys and three birdies and finished with a two-under 70.

After the eagle, Sloan’s momentum hit the skids starting at the seventh, as he sandwiched a birdie with two bogeys. He was also one-over on the back after three bogeys and two birdies and also shot a 70. Both men finished tied for 13th.