Month: June 2024

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2024The Final Season of the Oakland Coliseum (Part IV) -The 1987 All-Star Game

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Montreal Expos Tim Raines takes a lead on the Oakland A’s first baseman Mark McGwire at the July 14, 1987 MLB All Star at the Oakland Coliseum (photo from Athletics Nation)

2024: The Final Season of the Oakland Coliseum (Part IV) -The 1987 All-Star Game

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

When a city with a Major League team gets the privilege to host an All-Star Game, it is a big win for that city. It is a showcase to the rest of the country and, especially now that baseball is more international than ever, to the whole world.

The 58th All-Star Game at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum took place on July 14, 1987. The National League defeated the American League 2-1 in 13 innings in front of 49,671 fans. Tim Raines of the Montreal Expos won the MVP (The capacity of the Coliseum in 1987 was 50,000) A’s Franchise All-Star Games: The A’s franchise has hosted an All-Star Game in the three cities they have played since 1901.

In 1945 Philadelphia Shibe Park; in 1960, Kansas City Municipal Stadium and in 1987, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. All-Star Roster (familiar faces) The American League roster had such players as first baseman Mark McGwire of the Oakland A’s, who won the Rookie of the Year that season and by the All Star Game “Big Mac” had shocked everybody with 33 homers, in the first half, something that hadn’t been done in the major league since, another A’s by the name of Reginaldo Martínez Jackson (mostly known as Reggie Jackson) also Hall of Fame player Rickey Henderson, but with the New York Yankees uniform, relief pitcher Jay Howell of the Oakland A’s and infielder Kevin Seitzer representing Kansas City, who also played for the A’s.

(Off field happenings in Oakland) In 1987, the threat of a strike in Oakland was averted. 300 Oakland Coliseum food workers were settled on Saturday (just three days before the game on Tuesday the 14th). Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson and county officials sat in on that Saturday’s talk with the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union, and they all agreed.

The 1987 MLB All-Star Game was the first and only All-Star Game hosted by Oakland during the 56 years of the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum. The 94th annual Midsummer Classic will be held July 16, 2024 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas,home of the World Champion Texas Rangers.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Aces Lose Back-To-Back Games Falling to Los Angeles 96-92

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown (4) celebrates her three point shot in the first half against the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sun Jun 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Las Vegas Aces (5-4) lost their second game in a row for the first time this season to the Los Angeles Sparks (4-7) 96-92. A’Ja Wilson had another high-scoring game with 31 points and 8 rebounds. Kelsy Plum finished with 24 points. Off the bench, Tiffany Hayes had 17 points and 4 rebounds in the loss..

Game recap: Unlike their Friday night contest in Vegas, the Aces got a dynamite start scoring the first 14 points of the game. Leading 14-0 in the first quarter, they seemed to have it all going on but the Sparks fought back.

In the final four minutes of the quarter, Los Angeles went on a crazy run erasing the Aces lead only trailing 26-21 as the first 12 minutes of the quarter came to an end. Las Vegas was unable to protect their 14 point lead and let Los Angeles back into this game.

The second quarter was a see-saw game with both teams fighting for the lead. The Aces were clinging to the lead and at 6:27 this game was tied. Los Angeles took a two-point lead before the Aces tied it back up at 30.

Las Vegas took a two-point lead only to see the Spark tie it back up 32-32 at 3:42. At 2:21 the game was again tied in this wild game. Every time the Aces threatened to extend their lead, Los Angeles had the answer. Las Vegas was having a tough time with the feisty Sparks.

The Sparks won the second quarter 22-18 and at the half, the Aces were clinging to a 44-43 lead. The great start that Las Vegas had was a distant memory and this was a new game. The Aces would be challenged in the second half of play.

Los Angeles took a quick 50-46 lead in the third quarter and Las Vegas took an instant time out at 7:43. The Sparks had not only taken the lead but continued to extend their lead. At 5:37 in the third, Los Angeles had taken a 59-50 lead prompting another Ace time out. The defending champs were in trouble. At 3:05 another time out was taken by Las Vegas as they continued to trail 67-57.

With 6:32 left in the game, the Aces continued to trail, continued to struggle. At 5:25 Las Vegas had pulled to within one point 78-77. They had finally made a move in the second half. The Aces could not sustain the move they had made and the Spark took a 90-86 lead with 1:42 left in the game.

Las Vegas was in danger of losing their first back to back game of the season. The Aces would pull to within two points but fell short losing their second game in a row. The final score was 96-92 as Las Vegas is now searching for answers having lost their last two matchups.

Game notes: The Aces lost a tough game Friday night against the Seattle Storm 78-65 and were looking to turn things around on Sunday down in Los Angeles as they took on the Sparks. The Sparks won their last game against the Dallas Wings 81-72. To no avail the Aces couldn’t finish losing by four points to the Sparks.

Tuesday night the Aces will take on the Minnesota Lynx who are red-hot right now. Las Vegas will be playing at home and will be looking to right the ship. Every team in the league is gunning for them and some of them have had their way with Las Vegas. The Aces will be looking to put a stop to this as they take on Minnesota. With a 5-4 record right now, another loss will drop them to a five hundred mark.

2024 Sonoma Raceway: Larson makes late charge, wins Toyota/SaveMart 350

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Kyle Larson drinks wine in victory lane to celebrate winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 9. Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

By Tom Zulewski

SONOMA, Calif. – With a new track surface in full effect, the NASCAR Cup drivers had more than enough challenges on their plates as the Toyota/SaveMart 350 began at Sonoma Raceway. When winning time came, Kyle Larson found a way to get the job done and grab another road-course race win.

Driving his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Larson took the lead with nine laps to go and cruised to the victory at Sonoma on June 9, his second in the last four seasons.

The win was made possible when crew chief Cliff Daniels got the creative wheels turning as the laps clicked down. “We were completely off-script with the way we called the race, but that was fun,” Daniels said.

After the waiver to remain eligible to compete for his second Cup championship was granted by NASCAR less than 24 hours earlier, Larson had a pun for the gathered media. “My focus didn’t waiver. I’m trying to win races now.”

Call it superstition, call it fate, call it karma, but Larson gave a small chunk of credit to the sponsor on the hood of his No. 5 Chevy. “Every time we have Valvoline on the car, I feel like we’re really fast,” said Larson, who led twice for 19 laps on the day and had to pass a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr., who was searching for a record-tying fifth win at Sonoma. “When we said we had to go race and pass these guys, I got a bit nervous. …

Thankfully, we had enough grip and that Martin never got clear to where I could get stuck in third, and that really saved the race.” Truex ended up running out of gas less than 500 feet from the finish line, but managed to crawl the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota across and finish 27th, the last car on the lead lap, as the crowd chanted “go, go, go!”

Through Stage 2, there were eight cautions, tied for second-most all time (2005, 2021), one short of the record of nine set in 1990. When the final stage of 55 laps was run caution-free, it set the stage in motion for the chaos of the finish.

Michael McDowell didn’t lead a lap on the day, but had a car good enough to comfortably finish second, 4.258 seconds behind Larson. “Our race came unraveled when we had the accident (at lap 41) and had to come Chris Buescher had the best shot to hold on and grab his first road-course win, but couldn’t hold off Larson, who had 13 more laps on fresher tires, allowing him to take the lead for good with nine laps to go.

“We weren’t too nervous about the fuel,” said Buescher, who finished third. “It was a great strategy (to take tires when we did), and there were a lot of positives that came from it. Just didn’t have enough left to fight for the win. Buescher led 32 laps, all coming within Stage 3.

Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain completed the top five in the running order. Larson reclaimed the points lead by 14 over Elliott, and Denny Hamlin – who finished in last place (38th) at Sonoma for the second year in a row – fell two spots to third.

Tom Zuelweski covers Sonoma Raceway annually for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s game wrap: Blue Jays beat A’s 6-4 in ten inning heartbreaker

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Oakland A’s first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (21) sits frustrated after Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) interfered with a pop up in front of the Toronto Blue Jays dugout hit by teammate Davis Schneider in the top of the tenth at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Jun 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Oakland, California

Toronto Blue Jays 6 (32-33)

Oakland Athletics 4 (26-41)

Win: Yimi Garcia (3-0)

Loss: Austin Adams (0-2)

Save: Genesis Cabrera (1)

Time: 2:32

Attendance: 11,276

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–The A’s lost a tough one late, as after coming back to take a 3-2 lead, the A’s were unable to hold it, and the Toronto Blue Jays ended up scoring three runs in the top of the 10th inning to win it 6-4 and take the series

After getting shut out by Kevin Gausman Saturday, the A’s looked to bounce back and take the series against the Blue Jays with a win in the rubber match Sunday on a beautiful day gif baseball at the Coliseum. Doing the honors for the A’s on the mound today would be Mitch Spence.

Spence would be opposed by Bowden Francis, a reliever turned starter. Spence got two starts at the beginning of the season, but he was relegated back to the bullpen, and then went down due to injury. Today, Blue Jays Manager John Schneider gave Bowden a shot to come beck into rotation in what would be the latter’s third start of the season.

Spencer Horwitz singled to lead off the game for Toronto, and Vladimir Guerrero singled with one out. The Blue Jays had runners at first and second with one out, but Spence was able to get Bo Bichette to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Francis pitched a scoreless inning for Toronto in the bottom of the first. Spence was able to escape trouble without any damage in the top of the first, but he would not be as lucky in the top of the second.

Justin Turner lined a double to left field to start the second, and George lined a base-hit to left to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Springer stole second base, and Daulton Varsho struck out swinging. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then chopped a base-hit up the middle and into center field for a base-hit to score a pair and give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

Daz Cameron lined a base-hit up the middle up lead off the bottom of the second, and Tyler Soderstrom grounded a single to right with one out, as the A’s had a real opportunity. However, nothing would come to pass, as Aledmys Diaz flew out to center, and Max Schuemann popped out to first to end the inning.

Kiner-Falefa was caught stealing at second to end the top of the second, but when Kevin Kiermaier lined out to center for the second out right beforehand, Spence went into a zone.

As for Francis, he was done after the A’s wasted a leadoff double by Miguel Andujar in the bottom of the fourth. Even though he only threw 49 pitches in four shutout innings, John Schneider did not want to stretch Francis out there too long.

Zach Pop was the new pitcher in the bottom of the fifth, and he struck out the side on 11 pitches. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Brent Rooker hit a long home run off to left-center off Nate Pearson to put the A’s on the board.

Spence, meanwhile, would not allow another base-runner the rest of the day, and he retired the final 16 men he faced. However, he did get some help in his final inning in the top of the seventh. With one out, Turner lined a shot off the end of the bat the other way, and first-baseman Tyler Soderstrom dove to his right to catch it. George Springer then hit a soft ground ball to third that Abraham Toro charged and made a bare-handed pickup and throw on to end the inning.

Spence had a great outing, as he gave up two runs and five hits over a career-high seven innings.

“Great outing by Mitch,” said Manager Mark Kotsay. “We’ve talked a lot about him incorporating a sinker into his repertoire, and he did a nice job Sunday of doing that effectively. He battled [and] gave us seven innings. We could [not] have asked for a better start.”

“I kinda figured out [my sinker] today,” said Spence. “It hasn’t really been sinking, [but] today it was actually sinking, so it opens the inner half against righties. That pitch got me a lot of quick outs today. The problem’s kinda been is I get in the bullpen, it’s been really good, I get a good feel for it, but in the game, the intensity goes up, and there’s a little bit of a disconnect there. Today, I kinda figured that out. The biggest thing is I naturally cut everything, and I have to turn the sinker over.”

Trevor Richards came in for Toronto in the bottom of the seventh, and he immediately walked Soderstrom to start the inning. Diaz then lined a base-hit to left to put runners at first and second with no one out. Schuemann laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over to second.

That brought Abraham Toro to the plate. With the count 0-2, Toro reached out with a two-strike protect swing and poked a changeup off the end of the bat and into left-center for a base-hit that knocked in a pair to give the A’s their first lead of the game.

The A’s led 3-2 going to the eighth, and they were six outs away from the series win. However, the Blue Jays would strike right back against left-hander Scott Alexander, who Kotsay went to for the top of the eighth.

Varsho lined a base-hit to right to start the inning, and Kiner-Falefa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Varsho to second. Davis Schneider pinch-hit for Kiermier, and while Schneider was at the plate, Varsho stole third. That proved to be a huge play, as Schneider knocked in Varsho with a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game.

“The stolen base end[ed] up being a huge play and really determining the game,” said Kotsay. “Those are the small things that we talk about. [We’re] trying to learn from [them], to get better, and not allow those small details to have an impact on our game and our success.”

Chad Green, who finished the seventh for Trevor Richards, was back out for Toronto in the bottom of eighth, and he threw a 1-2-3 inning to send the game to the ninth still tied at 3-3.

Kotsay went to his closer, Mason Miller in the top of the ninth, something he could do comfortably in a tied game, because he was the home manager. Miller pitches a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, and Yimi Garcia pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for the Blue Jays to send this one into extra innings.

It was now the 10th, and that meant that Bo Bichette, who was the final out of the top of the ninth, would be at second to start the top of the 10th. Kotsay went to Austin Adams, who walked Turner to start the inning. Ernie Clement came in to pinch-run for Turner, and Spinger lined out to left field for the first out. Adams hit Varsho to load the bases, and Kiner-Falefa made Adams pay by clearing the bases with a double to left-center that put Toronto back ahead 8-5.

“I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on Mason and wear him down with two innings,” said Kotsay. “[I] felt good about Adams. Obviously, we have felt good about Adams all year…..The 10th inning is always a crapshoot, especially with that runner starting at second base. Unfortunately, we gave up a couple of runs there.”

Davis Schneider was now at the plate, and as the Blue Jays looked to add on, he hit a high pop up towards the Blue Jays’ dugout in the first base side. Soderstrom chased it down in the humongous foul territory at the Coliseum, and just as he was about to get to it, Yusei Kikuchi, a starting pitcher for the Blue Jays, came out of the dugout at the very last second and prevented Soderstrom from catching it, which was clearly interference.

“[I] was just kinda in shock,” said Soderstrom. [I was] just trying to make a play on the ball. Last second, I tried to make a move to my left, and there was Kikuchi.”

“Obviously, I was embarrassed out there,” Kikuchi said through his translator. “I kind of realized last minute that the dugout in Oakland has no fence, and I realized that a little too late there…..After [that], I just wanted to create a little hole and hide inside it.

First Base Umpire and Crew Chief Chris Guccione very slowly called it a no-catch, but the rest of his crew quickly gathered with him, and they correctly called Schneider out on the interference. Hey, you come to the park, and you may see something you’ve never seen before.

Genesis Cabrera gave up an unearned run in a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th to end the game. Yes, you read that right: a run scored in a 1-2-3 inning, because of the automatic runner at second base, which in this case, was Max Schuemann.

Anyway, Yimi Garcia got the win; Austin Adams took the loss; and Genesis Cabrera picked up his first save of the season. The A’s fall to a new season-high 15 games under .500 at 26-41, and they will now hope for better fortunes on the road.

First, the A’s will head to San Diego for three against the Padres, and then they will head to Minneapolis for four against the Minnesota Twins. Oakland will open their three-game series against the Padres Monday night at Petco Park. Joey Estes (2-1, 4.67 ERA) will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Dylan Cease (5-5, 3.51 ERA) of the Padres. First pitch will be at 6:40 p.m.

A’s. First pitch will be at 1:07 p.m.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Heliot does all the heavy lifting for Giants

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants Heliot Ramos gets back in the dugout after hitting a two run home run in the top of the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Field on Sat Jun 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, talk about the job that Heliot Ramos has done for San Francisco knocking in all the Giants runs for a 3-1 win over the Texas Ranges on Saturday at Globe Life Field.

#2 How shocking is it for you that the Giants have won the last two games against former Giants manager Bruce Bochy who having such a successful year himself.

#3 Austin Slater who was on mat in the hole 0-2 got up and walked and that brought up Ramos who belted a double to score Slater.

#4 In the third inning Slater singled and that brought up Ramos who hit a home run for his sixth home run of the season.

#5 The Giants concluded their three game series with the Texas Rangers which resulted in a 7-2 loss. The Rangers avoided getting swept at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Sunday as the Giants took the first two games of the series.

Stephen Ruderman is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: A’s barnstorming idea might not sit well with State of Nevada; Dodgers Yamamoto dealing against Yankees; plus more news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches to the New York Yankees in the bottom of the first inning at Yankee Stadium in New York on Fri Jun 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Oakland A’s plans to play at least eight games away from the Tropicana ballpark starting in 2028 for the sake of branding the game in neutral site games. The move could impact the team’s financial projections plus the A’s need to sell out every home game to keep up with costs of the construction and payments of the park. Their departure for eight to ten games will impact their ability to meet their budget schedule.

#2 Anytime the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers face each other something will leap out of the headlines and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is no exception he pitched seven innings, two hits, two walks and seven strikeouts to get by the Yankees 2-1 at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

#3 The Yankees are relieved about learning that Juan Soto had forearm inflammation as opposed to structural damage damage that could have put him out for the season.

#4 Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager who suffered a hamstring injury and was not in Friday’s line up against the San Francisco Giants. Seager could miss multiple games and because of tightness in his left hamstring. Seager came out of Wednesday’s game reaching for his hamstring after hitting an RBI single. He did appear on the field before Friday’s game but had to leave and sit out the game.

#5 It’s been a huge month for the Negro Leagues Museum and Museum president Bob Kendrick saying the Negro Leagues is trending and he looks forward to hosting the Rickwood Field game on June 20th in Birmingham a game that is a tribute to the Negro Leagues that will feature the St Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.

Join Charlie O for the Headlines podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

#1

156th Belmont Stakes: Dornoch gets an upset victory; Beats the 17-1 odds

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Dornoch (6) with jockey Luis Saez crosses the finish line ahead of Mindframe (10) to win the 156th annual Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Springs NY on Sat Jun 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

A World Series champion’s colt, Dornoch, pulled off an upset victory in the 156th Belmont Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course on Saturday evening.

Co-owned by former MLB All-Star Jayson Werth, Dornoch entered the final leg of the Triple Crown with 17-1 odds.

Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey took an early lead over Dornoch and Mindframe, one of the favorites in the race, heading to the backstretch.

Dornoch broke at a good pace from the gate and was head-to-head with Seize the Grey at the end of the backstretch.

But Seize the Grey could not sustain the pace and Dornoch took the lead, with Mindframe and fellow favorite Sierra Leone making charges that fell short.

Dornoch crossed the finish line by a half length ahead of his competitors.

“I never lost faith in him,” said Dornoch’s jockey Luis Saez, who notched his second Belmont Stakes victory after winning with Essential Quality three years ago.

“When I rode this horse last year here in Saratoga for the first time, I told Danny, ‘You have a Derby winner.’ But unfortunately, you know, the Derby is a crazy race and we drew that No. 1 hole. Today we had pretty good confidence that we could win this race. Thank God we got it.”

It was trainer Danny Gargan’s first Belmont Stakes win, as it was for Werth, who is co-owner of West Paces Racing.

Gargan called Dornoch “one of the top three horses in the country”.

“We’ve always thought it,” he said. “Today we let him run his race and he won. If he gets to run, he’s always gonna be tough to beat.”

With the victory, Werth takes home $2 million.

“I would put it right up there with winning on the biggest stage. Horse racing is the most underrated sport in the world, bar none,” said Werth, who won the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.

“It’s the biggest game: You get the Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont. We just won the Belmont. This is as good as it gets in horse racing. It’s as good as it gets in sports.”

Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan posed no threat in the race.

Three different horses won the three races of the Triple Crown this year.

Here is the finishing order for the 156th Belmont Stakes:

1. Dornoch

2. Mindframe

3. Sierra Leone

4. Honor Marie

5. Antiquarian

6. Protective

7. Seize the Grey

8. Mystik Dan

9. The Wine Steward

10. Resilience

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Caitlan Clark was snubbed from the Olympic roster?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark drives on the New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sat May 18, 2024 (AP file photo)

Caitlan Clark was snubbed from the Olympic roster?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

It looks like not everybody is pleased with Caitlin Clark’s popularity; could this be pure envy because she is so good, or could there be other motives? In 2023, over 60% of players in the WNBA were black or African American. Caitlin Clark is not. The question is why she was snubbed from the USA Olympic Basketball team roster for the Olympic games in Paris, France. Nobody seems to have a reason why she will not be with the US Olympic team.

However, we all agree that Caitlin Clark put the WNBA on the prosperity map. The Commissioner of the WNBA said in early May that the league plans to commit $50 million over the next two years to provide full-time charter flights for teams during the season.

This addresses years of player safety concerns. That means WNBA players do not have to stand in the security lines to board a regular commercial flight. Commissioner Engelbert said the first two seasons will cost $25 million annually. For the first time in the history of this women’s professional basketball league, all the teams are traveling charter planes. This would not have happened without the arrival of Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin Clark’s base salary for her first year in the WNBA is around $76,000. In April 2024, CBS reported that Clark’s four-year rookie contract is worth $338,056. She’ll be paid $76,535 in 2024, $78,066 in 2025, $85,873 in 2026, and $97,582 in 2027.

Clark has made the WNBA relevant and has grown as popular as ever. Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces has the highest average salary in the WNBA for the 2024 season, according to Spotrac. She is making $252,450 for the 2024 season as a part of a two-year, $504,900 contract.

But let’s return to why Caitlan Clark was left off the 2024 US Olympic Women’s Basketball roster. Citing two sources, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan reported one factor in omitting Clark from the women’s national team was the concern about how the former Iowa star’s fans would react to her playing time in the Olympics, which would likely have been limited. “If true, that would be an extraordinary admission of the existence of real tension that the old guard of women’s basketball harbors for this multi-million-dollar sensation,” Brennan wrote of the sources’ knowledge.

Clark has won three gold medals with USA Basketball junior national teams, including her latest with the 2021 USA Women’s U19 National Team. The U.S. women have won every gold medal in women’s basketball since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

I’m not speculating why Caitlin is left out, but it doesn’t seem to make sense if the US is trying to win gold this summer. If Caitlin Clark is not with the US Women’s Olympic Basketball team, I truly hope the ‘powers to be’ reconsider.

Just imagine what would have happened if Michael Jordan had not been selected to play with the US Olympic Dream team in Barcelona in 1992. Charles Barkley, who is never afraid of speaking his mind, calls out the “pettiness” of WNBA veterans against rookie Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and said he was flabbergasted. “Considering the WNBA was hitting the lottery with the “shining star.”

Amaury Pi Gonzalez was a former Golden State Warriors Spanish broadcaster and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bay FC picks up second win in last three games defeat Chicago Red Stars 2-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Bay FC celebrates their victory match over the Chicago Red Stars at Wrigley Field in Chicago in NWSL action on Sat Jun 8, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC’s mission not to lose to a team more than once in their inaugural season continued as they looked for revenge against the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday night. It was a historic night for the NWSL, as it was the first game ever to take place in an MLB stadium and it happened to be one of the most famous stadiums in the country, Wrigley Field.

In their only previous meeting, the Red Stars walked away with three points following a 2-1 game at PayPal Park. This night was also very important for one member of Bay FC, Kayla Sharples, who grew up in the Chicago area and spent a considerable amount of time with the Red Stars to start her professional career, returned for the first time since leaving as a free agent in the offseason. Bay would pick up their second win in their last three games with a 2-1 tally at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Sharples, Malonson, Pickett, Anderson, Boade, Kundananji, Oshoala, Hill

Chicago Starting XI: Naeher, Malham, Staab, Kuikka, Anderson, Roccaro, Nesbeth, Swanson, Schlegel, Bianchi, Hocking

On a rainy night in Chicago, Bay FC wanted to try to get off to a hot start, getting chances early including one from Tess Boade in the 4th minute. Bay was undoubtedly the stronger team in the first half, and that got reflected on the scoreboard when Kiki Pickett had a phenomenal strike from outside of the box to give her team a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute.

She took advantage of the defenders leaving her quite a bit of space, and the end result was her first career NWSL goal. Rachael Kundananji nearly extended the lead in the 36th minute, but Alyssa Naeher was able to get a hand on it and tip the ball over the net.

Set pieces were a big part of Bay FC’s first half, as they set a franchise record with 11 corners in the first half. They also led significantly in possession with 60% and shots with 14. Although the scoreboard was in Bay’s favor, it still didn’t reflect how well they played in the first 45 minutes. Both goalkeepers had been great when called upon though, as both Naeher and Katelyn Rowland got tested a couple of times in the half.

Bay tends to struggle with holding leads into the second half, so with only a single goal separating them from their opposition, they needed a strong start coming out of the break if they were going to walk out with three points.

Meanwhile, if Chicago was going to take advantage of that fact they’d need to find an equalizer quickly so they have enough time to take the lead later in the match. Chicago made a couple of substitutes to start the second half, Tatumn Milazzo and Jenna Bike entered the match for Natalia Kuikka and Julia Bianchi.

The second half started off similar to the first, Boade immediately got a scoring chance then Pickett had another long shot, however, Naeher was able to get in front of this one. The first five minutes of the half were all Bay FC, but a counter-attack led by Penelope Hocking got the Red Stars their first opportunity of the half in the 50th minute but the shot trickled wide.

Rowland made a dangerous mistake in the 54th minute when a pass got picked off by Hocking with no defenders back. Bay was able to recover, however those mistakes have become very common lately. Bay made some substitutions of their own when Scarlett Camberos and Dorian Bailey entered the match in the 62nd minute for Rachel Hill and Asisat Oshoala.

Sharples went down in some clear pain in the 66th minute after taking a ball directly in the face. Meanwhile, Chicago took advantage of the break in play to make a couple of more substitutions with Chardonnay Curran and Shea Groom coming on. In the 72nd, Chicago had a corner kick and Groom collided with Rowland who had possession of the ball.

The play was not called a foul, but Bay was awarded a goal kick. Moments later, Kundananji had a fantastic run following a through ball from Boade that got her behind the defense. She was able to dribble around Naeher however the ball sailed over the empty goal.

Less than a minute later, Kundananji had another chance, this time off of a spinning shot that hit the crossbar. In the 75th minute, the attendance was announced for the game which set the NWSL record and got a massive response from the crowd.

In the 79th minute, Bay was finally able to get their second goal of the night when Bailey’s centering pass went to Curran who attempted to clear the ball and it went directly into Joelle Anderson and into the back of the net. Rocarro nearly broke Bay FC’s clean sheet in the 88th minute, however it rang off of the crossbar and went out of play.

Eventually, Chicago would get on the board with Hocking scoring in stoppage time. It would be too little too late though, as Anderson’s goal would ultimately be the difference. Bay played their best complete game of the season which bodes well for their return home against Utah next weekend. On the biggest stage in NWSL history, Bay FC stepped up and walked away with the three points.

Ramos stays white-hot and Spencer Howard stays hot as Giants beat Rangers 3-1 for third-straight win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Heliot Ramos salutes after hitting a two run home run against the Texas Rangers in the top of the third inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Sat Jun 8, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Globe Life Field

Arlington, Texas

San Francisco Giants 3 (32-33)

Texas Rangers 1 (30-34)

Win: Erik Miller (1-2)

Loss: Andrew Heaney (2-7)

Save: Camilo Doval (11)

Time: 2:33

Attendance: 34,843

By Stephen Ruderman

Heliot Ramos stayed on fire, as he went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run and knocked in all three runs for the Giants, while Spencer Howard was solid in four and two thirds innings, as they led the Giants to their third-straight win, 3-1 over the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

The Giants snapped their six-game losing streak on Wednesday, and have since won two-straight. Saturday, they looked to make it three in a row against the Rangers and their left-hander, Andrew Heaney.

The Giants got things going right away against Heaney in the top of the first inning. Austin Slater walked to start the game, and that brought up the white-hot Heliot Ramos, who lined a double into the gap in left-center field to score Slater and put the Giants on the board early.

The Giants were looking to go big in the first inning, but in typical fashion with this frustrating Giants’ offense, the next three guys all went down, and Ramos was left hanging at second base.

Saturday was Kyle Harrison’s turn in the rotation, and it was assumed by this writer that he would make the start Saturday, but I was wrong. Bob Melvin decided to go with right-handler and former Ranger Spencer Howard instead. Howard gave up two runs but pitched well over four and two thirds innings in relief on Monday in Arizona, which gave his skipper the confidence to give him the start Saturday.

Howard got himself in trouble, however, in the bottom of the first. Marcus Semien and Josh Smith both walked to start the inning, and Semien got to third when Adolis Garcia flew out to right for the first out. Nathaniel Lowe then knocked in Semien with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game. Howard gave up a run, pretty much for free, as he didn’t give up a hit.

Heaney threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, and he settled down to retire six-straight following Ramos’ double. Howard gave up a one-out single to Travis Jankowski in the bottom of the second, but he pitched a scoreless inning regardless.

Tyler Fitzgerald popped out to start the top of the third, but Slater did his thing and lined an opposite-field base-hit to right. That brought up Ramos, who hit a two-run home run to left, his sixth of the year, to put the Giants back ahead.

The Giants gave Howard a 3-1 lead to work with, and it appeared he was going to need it. Smith singled with one out in the bottom of the third, and Garcia walked to put runners at first and second. Howard then got Lowe to ground into a 6-3 double play to end the inning without any damage.

The game then started to roll along a bit, as Heaney pitched 1-2-3 innings in both the top of the fourth and fifth, and Howard pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth. Leody Tavares originally reached on an infield hit to start on the bottom of the fifth, but upon review, Tavares was out on a putout to first. Semien flew out, and Melvin pulled Howard after four and two thirds for left-handed Erik Miller, who struck out Smith to end the inning.

Melvin’s confidence in Howard definitely paid off. While Howard struggled a bit early on with his control, he pitched more smoothly in the middle innings. All in all, he gave up two runs on three hits and three walks.

Ramos flew out to center to start the top of the sixth, but Wilmer Flores and Matt Chapman singled to put runners at first and second with one out. Michael Conforto struck out looking for the second, and Bruce Bochy then went to the veteran right-hander Jon Gray. Jorge Soler was at the plate, and his struggles in key RBI situations continued once again, as he struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miller and Ryan Walker combined to throw a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Fitzgerald singled, and Mike Yastrzemski walked with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Ramos struck out swinging to end the inning and another wasted opportunity for the Giants.

Walker pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, and Gray did the same in the top of the eighth. Tyler Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth, and he, you guessed it, pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Jesus Tinoco came in for Texas in the top of the ninth, and he retired the first two men he faced. Patrick Bailey pinch-hit and drew a two-out walk, as did Fitzgerald. It was another opportunity for the Giants to put some much-needed padding on their lead. Bochy pulled Tinoco for Jacob Latz, who struck Yastrzemski out to end the inning, and the Giants yet again wasted a golden opportunity.

Closer Camilo Doval came in for the bottom of the ninth. Doval pitched a much-needed 1-2-3 inning for his 10th save Friday night in what was his first appearance since his disastrous blown save against the Yankees on Sunday.

Saturday, Doval would struggle, and would once again make things tense for the Giants and their fans. Lowe walked to lead off the inning, and Ezequiel Duran flew out to right. Jonah Heim beat out an infield hit, and Jankowski grounded out to first for the second out to move the runners to second and third.

The Giants led 3-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but the Rangers had the tying runs at second and third for Leody Taveras. Taveras then engaged Doval in a long and grueling battle. On a 2-2 pitch, Taveras hit a bullet down the right field line that went just foul and allowed Giants fans to make a massive sigh of relief. Taveras then flew out to right to end the game, and the Giants held on to win it 3-1.

Erik Miller got the win, as he was the one who came in for Spencer Howard, who was one out away from the win, in the bottom of the fifth; Andrew Heaney took the loss; and Camilo Doval picked up his 11th save.

Ramos led the way with his 2-for-4 day, and he is on fire. However, while the Giants have hit seven home runs in their last three games, they are still struggling in key RBI situations, and if they get too home run happy, it’s going to get them in trouble. Still, it is undeniable that this has been a completely different team since Melvin aired them out after Tuesday night’s loss.

It is unfortunate that Howard didn’t get the win, because it would have capped off the most perfect week for him. He started the road trip by being able to sleep in his own bed in Arizona, and then he got his world series ring Friday. Howard pitched for the Rangers at the beginning of last season, which made him eligible for a ring. Still, it was quite an unforgettable week for Howard, who truly put himself on the map for the Giants with his two solid performances.

Keaton Winn (3-6, ERA 6.17) will come off the Injured List to make the start Sunday, as the Giants will try to complete the sweep over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. The Rangers will start RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, ERA 2.70) First pitch will be at 12:05 p.m. in Arlington, and 10:05 a.m. for morning baseball in San Francisco.