Month: January 2021

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Yadier Molina to the Gigantes, in Puerto Rico

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The St Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina has reached out the Cardinals for a two year contract but says it’s God’s will if he does or doesn’t get an offer from the Cards and if not plans to retire (AP file photo)

Yadier Molina to the Gigantes, in Puerto Rico

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Yadier Molina, future Hall of Fame catcher of the St Louis Cardinals was approved by Carlos Berroa, Director of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League in Puerto Rico to play in the island. Molina belongs to the reserves of the Gigantes de Carolina.

According to the bylaws of the league, Yadier Molina, according to Section 1.06 of the league as stated by their Director Carlos Berroa announced the catcher is eligible to play during the postseason in Puerto Rico because he is a Major League player and native of Puerto Rico.

Such players, born in Puerto Rico who are currently in rosters in the Major League are eligible to play in the Puerto Rican League during the postseason, even if they have not played during their regular season. The spirit of this Section 1.06 “allows these Puerto Rican-born players to play in front of their fans in their homeland” according to Director Berroa.

With roughly a month left before the Cardinals are scheduled to have pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Florida for spring training, Molina remains unsigned. The team has been in touch with Molina’s representative and both sides expect the dialogue to continue and increase in the near future.

Molina, a free-agent, now 38 years of age, has made it clear he wants to stay in St Louis and is seeking a two-year contract, but acknowledged that if an appealing offer is not there, he will consider retiring. “Getting ready as always and God will tell” Molina said in an interview with Cardinals broadcaster Polo Ascensio. Molina added “If God wants me to come back, then I’ll come back. And if not I will retire with my head held high”.

Yadier Molina has played for the St Louis Cardinals his whole career from 2004 to 2020, 17 years. One of the greatest defensive catchers of all time has won nine Rawlings Gold Gloves and six Fielding Bible Awards. Two-time World Series champion with eleven playoff appearances and four National League pennant winners. Molina’s compatriot, Iván Rodríguez has won the most Gold Gloves at catcher, with 13. Rodríguez was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Puerto Rico is the land of catchers. José Molina, Bengie Molina and Yadier Molina all from the “Isla del Encanto”(The Enchanted Island) are the only three brothers in Major League Baseball history to all win World Series rings. And of course, all catchers.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Catch Amaury each Tuesday morning for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jokic paces Nuggets to victory over Warriors 114-104

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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) gets a reverse slam on Golden State Warrior center James Wiseman (33) during Thu Jan 14, 2021 game at Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors’ three-game road trip started with a thud Thursday night as they fell to the Denver Nuggets 114-104. Eric Paschall rejoined the club after he tested negative for Covid-19. He missed Tuesday’s game due to a false-positive test. While the Warriors were happy to have him back, his presence didn’t affect the game’s outcome.

The Nuggets, although they didn’t know it at the time, won the game in the first quarter. The Nuggets finished the first 12 minutes of action with a 37-24 advantage. From that point on, the Warriors were playing catch up. No matter what they did, they could not get any closer. They trailed 65-54 at the end of the first half. 

The Warriors cut the deficit to five 79-74 when Kelly Oubre, Jr. hit a three. Denver finished the quarter with an 11-2 run to lead 90-76 at the end of three. Denver’s Nikola Jokic led the run for the Nuggets.

The Warriors won the fourth quarter 28-24, but it was not enough to win. Stephen Curry, James Wiseman, Kelly Oubre, and Andrew Wiggins tried, but Denver had an answer to thwart the Warriors offense. Denver holds on to win 114-104.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are now 6-6 for the year. The Nuggets improved to 6-6.

 Curry had a big note for Golden State. Curry scored more than 30 points for the sixth time this year. The Warriors won the first five. Steph had a double-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists.

He was 14-for-23 from the floor and 5-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc. Rookie sensation James Wiseman knocked down 18, and he had five boards. Andrew Wiggins had 16, Kelly Oubre 14. Oubre had three threes. Eric Paschall had eight. The Nuggets’ bench outscored the Warriors bench 41-20.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic finished the night with a triple-double. Nokic tallied 23 points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists. Will Barton and Jamal Murray each had 17 for the Nuggets. 

The Warriors turned the ball over 19 times. Head coach Steve Kerr has to have the team improve in that department.

The Warriors’ game with  the Phoenix Suns Friday night was postponed as the Suns do not have enough players to perform due to contact tracing after a game with the Washington Wizards. The Warriors meet the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night at the Staples Center in LA.

Sharks Start Season with 4-3 Shootout Win Over Coyotes

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The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) jubilant after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes he is joined by Evander Kane (9), John Leonard (right of Kane), and Nilolai Knyzhov (71) in the first period (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks started the 2021 season with a 4-3 shoot-out win in Arizona against the Coyotes. Tomas Hertl scored twice, John Leonard got two assists in his first NHL game. Evander Kane scored the Sharks’ third goal and Logan Couture scored the game-winner in the shootout. Conor Garland, Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel scored for Arizona. Martin Jones made 34 saves for the win, while Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves in the loss.

After the game, Logan Couture said: “I thought we were sloppy at times but I thought we did a lot of things really well. We had some speed through the neutral zone and that one line, Tommy Hertl’s line, created some nice goals. And Joner made some big-time saves when we had those breakdowns.”

Martin Jones did a lot of work during the long layoff and looked good Thursday. After the game, he said: “I think I took full advantage of the time and I put in a lot of work. So, it was nice to be able to play well in the first game but, you know, it’s one game, we gotta keep working at it here. There’s a lot of things that we can clean up.”

Couture gave a post-game nod to the rookie Sharks, saying: “Some guys played their first NHL game tonight, I thought they were terrific tonight.” Those first-timers were John Leonard and Nicholas Meloche. Leonard had two assists in his 13:14 of ice time. Meloche was a +1 in his 5:43 on the blue line.

Tomas Hertl scored twice in the first period for the Sharks, the first a power play goal at 12:43. Logan Couture took a shot from the boards, which bounced arond in the crease before Hertl put it away. Assists went to Evander Kane and Couture.

The second goal came with just over three minutes left in the period. John Leonard had just thrown the puck to the net, creating a rebound for Hertl to put away. Assists went to Leonard and Kane.

The Coyotes rallied in the second, Conor Garland scored for the Coyotes on a power play at 16:51 of the second period. Joel Kellman was in the box for tripping Derick Brassard. It was the Sharks’ third penalty in a row. The Coyotes were able to move the puck cross-ice several ties before Christian Dvorak’s shot found Garland’s tick for a tip in front of the net. Assists went to Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun.

Going into the third period, Evander Kane had two assists. With an aggressive charge to the net, and a Coyote on one arm, he scored the Sharks’ third goal a little past the midway point of the third period. Assists went to John Leonard and Tomas Hertl.

The 3-1 lead held up well into the third period.

Clayton Keller scored for the Coyotes’ with just 3:30 left in the third. Finding himself alone in the high slot, he caught the puck as it came out of a skirmish in front of the net and put it over Jones’ right shoulder before the goalie could get across. Assists went to Garland and Chychrun.

Phil Kessel tied the game up with just four seconds left in regulation. Under a lot of pressure with the Coyotes net empty, Martin Jones made a couple of good saves before it got by him. The Coyotes had three skaters in front of him and they all got a shot before Kessel’s went in. Assists went to Alex Goligoski and Clayton Keller.

The Sharks got a power play at 3:13 of overtime, when Clayton Keller was called for tripping Kevin Labanc. The Sharks OT power play started with Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. After a shot went over the glass, Kane came onto the ice with Timo Meier and Ryan Donato, with Karlsson staying on. Neither unit scored before time ran out, in the power play and the period.

Each team scored on their first shot in the shootout, first Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz and the San Jose’s Ryan Donato. After that, Martin Jones stopped Clayton Keller and Conor Garland missed. Logan Couture scored to close it out.

The modified season has the Sharks playing against the Coyotes again on Saturday before moving on to St. Louis.

Cal outclassed by Colorado in an 89-60 road loss

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By Morris Phillips

Early on, it appeared as if the Rocky Mountains and early tip times suited the Cal Bears just fine.

Andre Kelly set up shop near the basket and was enjoying a thriving business. Makale Foreman was Mr. Inside and Outside, and Jalen Celestine–in his most impactful minutes as a Bear to date–was making plays at both ends.

Three consecutive baskets by Foreman gave the Bears an 18-11 lead over host Colorado, who looked ill suited for the high noon start on a Thursday.

But that moment was as good as would get. Colorado coach Tad Boyle called a timeout, his Buffs responded with eight quick points to regain the lead, the Bears wobbled, and soon found themselves saddled with a 89-60 loss.

What transpired in that timeout? According to McKinley Wright IV, Colorado’s unquestioned leader and one of the best players in the Pac-12, Boyle implored his team to stop Foreman, who scored 10 of Cal’s first 18 points.

“We talked about it in the scouting report yesterday and talked about it today in pregame that when he is dribbling with his left hand he is a really good shooter,” Wright said of Foreman. “He made three in a row like that. Coach got on us about it and ever since then we didn’t look back.”

While the Buffs focused on the finer points of their scouting report, the Bears unraveled. Unable to buy a basket in a 23-2 Colorado run that closed the first half, then defensively as the Buffs scored 55 points in the second half, Cal was simply outclassed.

“We couldn’t get stops,” coach Mark Fox admitted. “Obviously, we’re disjointed offensively with the lineups we’re forced to play. That part is a little frustrating. But defensively, we just did not get the job done.”

Repeatedly, Colorado broke Cal utilizing a high screen that yielded clear paths to the basket, and plenty of time and space for spot up shooters.

Plenty of time.

Wright racked up 11 assists, breaking the school record for assists in a career in the process, and Colorado knocked down 12 3-pointers on 21 attempts. Their 59 percent shooting after halftime turned the game into a rout, with the Bears trailing by as many as 31 points.

The Bears again played without Matt Bradley, who joined his teammates on the trip, but missed his fifth, consecutive game. This time, Cal missed their leading scorer at both ends of the floor.

“He’s a physical presence defensively,” Fox said. “He’s a good rebounder. Obviously, he’s our leading scorer. Certainly we miss him.”

Four of Cal’s six conference losses have been by 11 points or more. Thursday’s 29-point margin was their worst outcome of the season.

Cal (6-8, 1-6) visits Utah on Saturday night. The Utes defeated Stanford 79-65 in a game that also got the Pac-12 matinee treatment.

Richard Washington shines, but San Jose State loses to Colorado State 90-57

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose State men’s basketball team hosted the Colorado State Rams at the Ability 360 Sport and Fitness Center in Phoenix on Thursday night. Spartans senior guard Richard Washington shined, but SJSU lost to CSU 90-57 in the first game of a two-game tilt.

The Spartans had their game faces on, but the Rams struck first and went on a quick 5-0 run. Adam Thistlewood hit a fast break 3-pointer for a 3-0 Rams lead 50 seconds into the first half. Kendle Moore made a fast break layup at 18:19. The Spartans ended the Rams’ run at 17:22 with a 3-pointer from Jalen Dalcourt off of a Rams turnover.

The Rams proceeded to pour it on for safe measure. Kendle Moore hit a second-chance 3-pointer, James Moors made a paint layup, and Isaiah Stevens made two jumpers to make it 16-7 Rams at 11:47. After a Spartans drought of 2:04, Hugo Clarkin made a paint layup to pull within 20-9. CSU, however, took a 29-9 lead after a P.J. Byrd 3-pointer with 8:27 left.

If things weren’t bad enough, James Moors made a paint layup to make it 31-11 Rams with 6:37 left. Despite a late 6-0 run, SJSU trailed 46-26 at halftime. Richard Washington had 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting at halftime. Washington also recorded his 10th game of the season in double figures and 23rd game of his career.

Richard Washington continued his strong play in the second half. Washington hit back-to-back 3-pointers, but the Rams still led by 16 points at 15:09. Washington added a 3-pointer to pull the Spartans within 63-44 at 11:35.

The Rams used a 12-0 run to build a 31-point lead, 82-51, with 5:05 left. Ralph Agee ended the Rams’ run with a paint layup with 4:50 left. The Rams went on another quick run, 5-0, to take a 87-53 lead with 3:52 left. Trey Smith made a paint layup off of a Rams turnover, Jalen Dalcourt made a jumper off of a Rams turnover and John Tonje dribbled out the clock. The Spartans lost 90-57.

SJSU fell to 2-9, 0-7 MW. Richard Washington led all scorers with 35 points.

CSU improved to 9-2, 6-1 MW. Kendle Moore led all scorers with 18 points.

The Spartans and Rams meet again on Saturday, January 16 at 3 pm PT.

Utes snap four game skid at Cardinal expense 79-65

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The Stanford Cardinal guard Daejon Davis (1) drives on the Utah Utes in Thu Jan 14, 2021’s game at Jon M. Huntsman Arena in Salt Lake City (gostanford.com photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Sports Radio Service

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Stanford’s Thursday matinee at Salt Lake City didn’t go well, as Utah snapped a four-game losing streak with a 79-65 Pac-12 men’s basketball win over the Cardinal.

Timmy Allen led the Utes with 22 points and eight rebounds. Alfonso Plummer was next with 16 points for Utah (5-5 overall, 2-4 Pac-12), which had two games postponed since mid-December. Brandon Carlson added 12 points and four blocks, and Mikael Jantunen had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Daejon Davis was back in the Cardinal lineup after missing five games with an injury and scored a season-high 19 points. In the process, Davis became the 49th for Stanford (8-4, 4-2) to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Ziaire Williams scored 17 points, and Oscar da Silva was held to 11 points and two boards.

Utah used a 14-2 run at the end of the first half to surge ahead and spent most of the second half with a double-digit lead. The closest Stanford got was within nine points with less than four minutes remaining.

A 7-0 run, including five straight points by Jantunen, solidified Utah’s lead with 3 ½ minutes to play. The Utes shot 49 percent from the field, including 4 of 17 behind the arc and 25 of 30 free throws. Utah also outrebounded the Cardinal 37-26 and outscored Stanford 34-16 in the paint.

The Cardinal were 9 of 18 on 3-pointers, but shot only 29 percent (8 of 30) on 2-pointers.

Stanford’s Rocky Mountain road trip continues Saturday, when it travels to Boulder to face Colorado. Tipoff is scheduled for noon Pacific Time.

 

 

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal consistent in getting four players in double figures in recent games

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The Stanford Cardinal Oscar da Silva shot for 27 points in his last game against the Washington State Cougars. da Silva has been difficult for opposing teams defenses to shut down (file photo from Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, the Cardinal (8-3) are coming off a convincing win over the Washington State Cougars 75-60. The Cardinal’s Oscar da Silva continues his offensive success scoring 27 and 13 boards to lead to the Cardinal in the Jan 9th game.

#2 Jerry, 17 of da Silva’s 27 points came in the second half and for the Cougars defense da Silva was difficult to contain.

#3 The Cardinal had four players in double figures last Saturday including da Silva finishing second in scoring was forward Ziaire Williams whose been averaging in double figures at 11 points per game.

#4 Stanford improved it’s record to 4-1 in the Pac 12 and have won three consecutive games of those four wins their last three recent wins have come against Washington State(9-2) , Washington (1-9) and Oregon (8-1).

#5 This afternoon at 2:00pm at Utah the Cardinal face the Utah Utes (5-5). The Utes in years past had a reputation for having big men for their team success but this season their record shows that they’ve played around .500 ball. The Utes have lost four of their last five games and played on Wednesday against Utah Valley to get back in the win column and face today Stanford today with the home floor advantage.

Join Jerry each Thursday for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg Thu Jan 14, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Kings have now lost five of last seven; Host Clippers Friday night in Sac

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The Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard (0) sidesteps the Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) on a dribble in the second quarter of Wed Jan 13, 2021’s game at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 If you like the Portland Trailblazer (7-4) Damian Lillard and what he brings to the game then Wednesday night was your night. Lillard didn’t hold back finishing the night with 40 points.

#2 Tony taking a look at the six point loss for the Sacramento Kings (5-7) they kept up with the Blazers in the third quarter 37-35 but the Blazers defense shut the Kings down in the crucial fourth 32-21.

#3 The Kings put every effort into this one with five scorers finishing in double figures with De’Aaron Fox 29 points and Buddy Hield 26 points.

#4 It was not just Lillard who lit it up for the Blazers too the Blazers five players in double figures finishing behind Lillard in scoring CJ McCollum with 28.

#5 The Kings host the Los Angeles Clippers (8-4) on Friday night at Golden One Center. The Clippers have been playing .500 winning four of their last four games. Their last win comes from Wednesday night in a 111-106 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tell us how you see Friday’s match up with the Kings and Clippers.

Join Tony R for the Kings podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria Thu Jan 14, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sacramento Kings game wrap: Lilliard is lights out with 40 pt game defeats Kings 132-126

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The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) goes up against the Portland Trailblazers Damian Lilliard (0) at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Jan 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings are having an interesting season. Yes, I know the word “interesting” is about as descriptive as it sounds. However, I’m not sure how else to chalk it up. They have played great games, and they have played terrible games. They have looked like a group of all-stars, and they have looked like a group of misfits.

In the Kings last game, they faced the Indiana Pacers. It was a tough test for the Kings that they were able to pass. The Kings were able to beat the Pacers by a final of 127-122. Domantas Sabonis tried his best to keep his team in the game but was outpaced by Harrison Barnes of the Kings. This was one game the Kings looked like a team that could go places.

On Wednesday, the Kings were set to welcome the Portland Trailblazers. Portland has also had an up and down season. They entered the game on Wednesday with a record of 6-4. The Blazers would look to improve against the Kings getting a 132-126 victory on Wednesday night.

The Kings were looking to continue their upward trend after beating the Pacers two days prior. Then disappointment for Kings head coach Luke Walton and company would set in.

In the first half, the Kings played great! They had flashes of greatness and flashes of weakness. However, all in all, they were able to outscore the Trailblazers 68-65 in the first half. Damian Lillard had 23 points in the first half and De’Aaron Fox had 16 points. The Kings were looking to channel the good parts of the first half to put together a win against a formidable opponent.

In the second half, things started out strong for the Kings. They outscored the Blazers 37-35 in the third quarter to remain in control 105-100 heading into the final 12 minutes. In the fourth, the Kings weren’t able to keep the offensive pace up. The Kings were only able to score 21 points in the quarter compared to the Blazers 32 points.

It was an underwhelming final quarter in an otherwise solid game for the Kings. They had moments in the game to put the Blazers away but weren’t able to do it. Damian Lillard finished the game with 40 points to lead the Blazers in scoring. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in defeat with 29 points. The Kings will look to Friday’s game to get their next win.

Up Next: The Kings stay home at Golden One Center and welcome in the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at 7 PM PST.

 

Warriors-Suns game in Phoenix postponed due to Covid-19 issues on Friday

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Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix will remain empty for Fri Jan 15, 2021’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns due to Covid 19 issues (The Business Journal file photo)

Covid-19 effects reach the NBA´s West Coast as Warriors postpone Friday´s game

By Pearl Allison Lo

January 13, 2020

Welcome to the real world outside the bubble. So far, the San Jose Sharks and the San Francisco 49ers have played in Arizona, but that will not include former Phoenix Sun Kelly Oubre Jr. and Golden State, at least not yet. The Warriors are now the first California team in the NBA to have coronavirus concerns affect their schedule.

After protocols to protect the league´s players and teams were enhanced Tuesday, Wednesday saw the Warriors-Suns game on Friday, as one of two games added to the rescheduled slate. Instead of starting their three-game road trip with back-to-back games, Golden State will have three days in between Thursday’s match versus the Denver Nuggets and Monday´s contest back in California against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The coronavirus almost came even closer for the Warriors, when forward Eric Paschall, initially tested positive, missing Tuesday’s game. With another test though, it was deemed that the first result was a ´false positive´.

Friday will be the second postponed game for Phoenix, as they were scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, before it was called off. In a bit of a domino effect, the Washington Wizards and Suns played each other Monday, with players testing positive on the Wizards’ side. Both teams are two of the three teams with multiple games sidelined amidst contact tracing, due to lack of the eight minimum personnel needed on each side to conduct a contest.

One NBA game was postponed in December and the count is currently at eight in the new year´s first month. These have been recent matches, spanning from the 10th to the 15th. According to the latest testing results, the positivity rate is at 3%. Of the 497 players tested for COVID-19 since Jan. 6, 16 new players have returned confirmed positive tests.

“This virus is nothing to play with whether it’s a false positive or an actual positive,” Golden State guard Damion Lee said. “I’m glad we took the right or proper protocols and handled everything the way we were supposed to.