illustration from mlb.com
On the MLB The Show Fall Classic 2019 podcast with Daniel:
1 ALCS — Yankees and Astros, Nationals standing by after sweeping St. Louis in NLCS
2 MLB wants to make sweeping changes to minor leagues
3 Yankee fans taunting Astros’ Zack Greinke for his mental health issues
4 Giants managerial rumor of the week
5 Jeopardy host not a fan of the Phillie Fanatic
Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
By Ana Kieu
San Jose State was looking to stun San Diego State in their Homecoming game Saturday night. But the Spartans’ wish wasn’t granted as the Aztecs spoiled one of the liveliest games of the year at CEFCU Stadium.
Ultimately, a strong first half and a late comeback attempt against one of the nation’s top defenses wasn’t enough as San Diego State battled past San Jose State for a 27-17 win. The Aztecs improve to 6-1, while the Spartans fall to 3-4.
San Jose State quarterback Josh Love threw for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but San Diego State dueled their way to a win.
“We just made a few too many mistakes to beat a team as good as them,” said Spartans head coach Brent Brennan after the game. “It was a little frustrating because I felt like there were moments where we had a chance to make it fun.”
San Jose State found themselves in an early deficit after the game’s opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown. However, the Spartans would promptly answer right back, going on a four play, 66-yard scoring drive to tie the score at 7-7 at 13:11 of the first quarter.
The quick-hitting scoring possession was capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Love to Spartan freshman running back Kairee Robinson. The play marked the first career reception and touchdown for Robinson.
Ranked #4 nationally in rushing defense heading into the afternoon, San Diego State was able to limit the Spartan ground attack for the majority of the night. San Jose State finished with 54 total yards on the ground and was led by a 59-yard performance for Robinson.
“I thought Kairee did a really nice job tonight,” Brennan said when asked about Robinson. “It was exciting to see him get in there. He’s a freshman and it’s always fun to see a freshman go in there and run the football against a good group like he did.”
San Jose State wideout Bailey Gaither also impressed and found the end zone on a late 8-yard touchdown reception. Gaither would end the day leading all players with four receptions for 75 yards.
After getting even at 7-7, San Diego State tallied 20 of the game’s next 23 points to take a 27-10 lead. The only interruption to the run came on a third quarter field goal off the foot of the Spartan kicker Matt Mercurio, a 25-yarder that was the freshman’s ninth of the season.
The scoring drive went an impressive 68 yards, spanning 14 plays that featured four Love completions and four Robinson carries.
The Aztecs tallied a pair of touchdown runs — one short (1 yard), one long (50 yards) — on their next two possessions but the hosts refused to go quietly into the night.
Starting from its own 1-yard line with just over nine minutes remaining, San Jose State marched 99 yards down the field to keep itself in the game. Highlighted by a huge 52-yard reception for Gaither, he would then snag a touchdown pass from Love three plays later to cut the deficit to 27-17.
The 99-yard touchdown drive marked the Spartans’ longest of the season.
A spirited Spartan defense got the ball back for its offense on the ensuing possession, pushing San Diego State back for negative three yards on five plays. The comeback attempt would soon be extinguished, however, as the Aztecs forced their first turnover of the night following yet another punt that pinned San Jose State on its own 1-yard line.
San Jose State ended the night with a 218-88 advantage in passing yards and were only flagged once to San Diego State’s 12 penalties. The Aztecs entered Saturday ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense (13.2 points per game) and the Spartans converted on all three of its trips inside the red zone before the night was over.
NOTES: For the first time this season, San Jose State is 1 game under .500 after the loss to San Diego State … The 348 yards San Jose State allowed in the San Diego State game was the second fewest allowed in a game this season … San Jose State allowed 287 yards in the season-opening Northern Colorado victory … San Jose State’s 99-yard touchdown scoring drive in the fourth quarter was its longest of the season and its second 90-plus yard touchdown drive in 2019 … The Spartans had a 93-yard, 7-play drive in the New Mexico win on October 4 … San Jose State’s two quarterback sacks are the most in a game since the four sacks in the Northern Colorado season opener … Kairee Robinson became the fourth different starting running back this season for San Jose State when he was on the field for the first Spartan offensive play of the San Diego State game. Robinson scored his first major college touchdown on a 15-yard reception. He led the Spartans in rushing with 59 yards on 14 carries, the most rushing yards in a game by a Spartan running back this season … The 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game by San Diego State’s Kaegun Williams was the first kickoff return for a touchdown against San Jose State since Stanford’s Chad Owusu returned a kickoff 94 yards against the Spartans in 2009 … Matt Mercurio’s 25-yard third-quarter field goal was his sixth straight conversion since he missed a 41-yard try against New Mexico … Spartan linebacker Tysyn Parker shared game-high honors for tackles with 10 stops. It was the second time in his career he was credited with 10-plus tackles in a game. Both double figure tackle games were against San Diego State. As a freshman in 2016, he was in on 16 tackles … For the second straight game, San Jose State was 3-for-3 in red zone scoring opportunities … The San Diego State game marked the second time this season the Spartans didn’t come up with a fumble recovery or interception.
UP NEXT: The Spartans look ahead to their non-conference finale, where they’ll travel to New York to face the Army Black Knights on Saturday, October 26 at 9:00 a.m. PT at Michie Stadium.
sjbarracuda.com photo: After the Ontario Reign defeated the San Jose Barracuda back on opening day 5-0 the Reign came calling on Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose and beat the Barracuda again 5-2.
by Marko Ukalovic
SAN JOSE, Calif- The Ontario Reign lived by the quality over quantity moto as they scored three-first period goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.
The game featured the first AHL action for forwards Lean Bergmann and Danil Yurtaykin, who both recently were reassigned to the Barracuda after spending the first two weeks of the season with the parent club Sharks.
Ontario (3-2-0-0) drew first blood halfway through the first period. Carl Grundstrom was cherry-picking at center ice when he received a long feed from Martin Frk. Grundstrom skated in all alone and wired a wrist shot from the left slot that beat Cuda goalie Josef Korenar for first goal of the season at the 9:18 mark.
San Jose (2-2-0-0) tied it up less than 90 seconds later when Alex True won a face inside the Reign zone. Joachim Blichfeld tapped it back to the point over to Nick DeSimone, who sent a rocket top-shelf over the left shoulder of Reign goalie Cal Petersen for his first goal of the season at the 10:46 mark.
Ontario regained the lead on the power play. Rasmus Kupari entered into the Cuda zone and fed a drop pass to the left point over to Tobias Bjornfot. The Swedish defenseman sent a innocent looking wrist shot, that fooled Korenar, into the back of the net for his first goal of the season at the 13:19 mark.
The Reign went into the first intermission with a two-goal lead when Brett Sutter centered a pass from behind the goal line that kicked off the skate of Lance Bouma into the back of the net for his second goal of the season with 24 seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes. San Jose head coach Roy Sommer challenged the call believing that Bouma used a kicking motion, but after a replay review, the call was upheld.
Tonight (we got) kind of behind the 8-ball”, said Sommer. “Down 3-1, especially the first 10 minutes we were all over them. (Then) they’d come down and score, come down and score. The one that killed us was the one with 24 seconds left in the first (period).”
The Cuda made it a one-goal game late in the second period. Joel Kellman sent a pass up to Lean Bergman that ended up on a two-on-two with Jonny Brodzinski. Bergman stopped on a dime, spun around with a back hand pass over to Brodzinski who was able to chip the puck over the stick of Petersen for his second goal of the season at the 13:15 mark.
“You know I played a lot today”, said Bergmann after being a healthy scratch the past few games with the Sharks. “Playing a lot is always good. Just get more comfortable with the (Sommer’s) system. Just learning everything (I can).”
San Jose controlled the play in the third period. However, despite out shooting Ontario 14-5 and creating all kinds of havoc in front of Petersen, the Reign goaltender made many key stops throughout the final 20 minutes, frustrating the Cuda for a second straight time this season.
Ontario wrapped up the game with two empty net goals with under a minute remaining when San Jose pulled Korenar for an extra attacker. First Frk scored his fourth goal of the season with 1:10 left to seal the deal for Ontario. Then Grundstrom finished off his two-goal afternoon with his own empty netter with 15 second left in the game.
“I was actually happen with our game”, said Cuda captain John McCarthy. “We carried the pace of play. They were opportunistic on their chances and it came back to bite us (in the end).”
Petersen finished his busy afternoon stopping 32 shots of the 34 he faced to earn his third win of the season. Korenar made 14 saves on 17 shots in the losing effort.
GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/3 on the power play. Ontario was 1/3.
Fisticuffs! Cuda’s Keaton Middleton danced the tango with Ontario’s Boko Imama at 11:36 of the second period.
Sasha Chmelevski, Manny Wiederer and Evan Weinger were healthy scratches.
UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to Colorado to take on the Eagles on Friday 10/25 at 6:05pm.
photo from sfgate.com: Buffalo Sabres’ Victor Olofsson (68) is defended by Los Angeles Kings’ Alex Iafallo (19) and Alec Martinez, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Los Angeles.
On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:
#1 After Evander Kane came back from his three game suspension he played like his hair was on fire or better said Kane beats the Canes almost like a one man wrecking crew scoring three goals for a first period hat trick in the San Jose Sharks 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes last Wednesday night at SAP Center.
#2 The 2019-20 season didn’t get off to a great start for the Sharks or Kane, the Sharks went 0-4 and Kane had been suspended for shoving a official for three games during a pre season game.
#3 Then there was the game in Chicago on Thursday 10th and the arrival of Patrick Marleau and the Sharks were back on track with a win. The Sharks haven’t looked back since now on a three game win streak and with a shot at getting to .500 tonight in the first of a home at home series against the Buffalo Sabers
#4 Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said that in making for a shortage of natural right wings using Patrick Marleau, on the right side with Logan Couture, and Timo Meier.
#5 The Sharks (3-4-0) like the Hurricane (6-3) will face another formidable team the Buffalo Sabers (6-1-1) will this game be looked at as another test for the Sharks and after handling one of the NHL’s best the Canes should this one go down as another team that the Sharks can handle on home ice?
Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
photo from chron.com: The New York Yankees Aaron Hicks goes deep off Astros starter Justin Verlander in the first inning of game 5 in Yankee Stadium on Friday night in the ALCS
On the MLB Post Season podcast with Matt:
#1 The New York Yankees LeMahieu hit a home run to right on a 1-0 count to put the Yanks on the scoreboard in the first inning
#2 Aaron Judge hit a single to left, then Torres hit a double to left, and Hicks with a three run home run to the left of the right field foul pole scoring Torres and Judge ahead of him 4-1 Yankees
#3 You know what they say about good pitching the Yankees got a great start from Jim Paxson going six innings, one earned run, and nine strike outs for the win
#4 The Houston Astros starter pitched well except for that four run first inning going seven innings, five hits, four runs earned, and nine strike outs.
#5 The Astros lead the series 3-2 can the Yankees pull another ace from their sleeve in tonight’s elimination game in Houston in game six?
Join Matt for the MLB podcast now and through the World Series at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
By Ana Kieu
The ball rockets high into the sky off the foot of the opposing punter and Brandon Ezell’s mind starts to race. He finds the ball floating through the air, scans his surroundings and makes multiple split-second decisions all at once.
There are also 11 men racing down the field with the sole purpose of stopping his momentum and bringing him down.
This is the life of a punt returner, a role that Ezell cherishes, despite its difficulty and danger.
“You get used to it but it’s always a little nerve-wracking,” said Ezell when asked about the position. “You have your blockers but it’s up to you to make something happen. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with it.”
AN ALL-AROUND ATHLETE
For those that knew Ezell five years ago, it’s not a shock to see him succeeding out on the field. What may come as a surprise, however, is the sport he’s playing on that field.
Ezell didn’t begin playing football until his senior year of high school, shining instead for the Los Alamitos High School lacrosse team. The midfielder was a natural in lacrosse and was named as his team’s Offensive Player of the Year in his final two seasons in the sport.
Ezell made the switch prior to his final season with the Griffins and fell in love with his new one instantly.
“I would play pickup games with my friends on the weekends and they saw I had some potential,” Ezell recounts. “The coach said I could try out and I got my shot. I’ve been playing football ever since.”
ACKNOWLEDGES ADVERSITY
The challenge of switching focus to a new sport with just one year remaining until college may have been tough for some, but adversity is nothing new to Ezell.
Ezell grew up with divorced parents and was one of seven brothers in his family. A challenging living situation growing up required him to often take care of his three younger siblings, giving Ezell less time than he would have liked to focus on athletics.
“I am still the best athlete in the family though,” says Ezell.
Ezell took his talents through the junior college route after high school and it didn’t take long for him to produce on the next level. While still learning the game, he set his sights on a goal of becoming the first member from his father’s side of the family to go to a university.
Through extra drills and additional work in the weight room and classroom, Ezell turned the dream into a reality.
“Getting a scholarship at a D1 school, that was my way out,” Ezell said. “I had a couple of good seasons and San Jose State contacted me. I immediately liked what they were pitching and the direction the program was going in.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Now in his senior season, Ezell has helped lead the Spartans to their best start since he arrived in Silicon Valley.
Ezell is making a difference both defensively and on special teams, where his potential for electricity was displayed with a 25-yard punt return in San Jose State’s season opener.
Ezell tallied three tackles in each of his team’s first two games of the season, then made two interceptions helping San Jose State to a 32-21 Mountain West victory over New Mexico two weeks ago in CEFCU Stadium.
Ezell added one more interception and a season-high four tackles in last week’s game at Nevada. It was a tip-toe dance along the sideline to haul in the takeaway and share the team lead with Nehemiah Shelton and Bobby Brown II.
A business management major, Ezell is slated to graduate in December. He’ll pursue a career in football at the next level before going into real estate.
It’s safe to say the switch to football is looking good for the former lacrosse star.
Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
By Ana Kieu
Off the eastern coast of Australia lies the Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago consisting of 169 islands that covers just shy of 300 square miles in surface area. The islands are vibrant and rich with Polynesian culture from its small yet friendly population. It’s the kind of place you see in movies, where the people all know each other and care for one another. It’s also the unlikely birthplace of many famous athletes.
While Tonga’s national sport is rugby, American football players have rapidly emerged throughout the years, some even making it to the NFL. NFL defensive line stars Haloti Ngata and Star Lotulelei are just two examples of the type of athletes Tonga produces, and it just so happens that perhaps the next great Tongan NFL player currently starts at defensive tackle for the San Jose State Spartans.
Sailosi Latu was born and raised in Tonga, where he excelled at rugby. His large and athletic frame made it easy for him to excel at the sport and it soon led to an easy transition to American football. When he was 16, Latu moved with his family to the United States, and the decision was made for him upon arrival that he was going to play football, even if he was initially against the idea.
“When we left Tonga to come to America, my dad’s main goal was for us to get a better education, find better opportunities, and set ourselves up for a better life,” Latu said. “The first thing he said to me when we got here was ‘Are you ready to play football?’ and I was like, ‘Nope.’
“But we went to the high school that I was going to be playing for, and the coaches were telling us what positions I could play. They were asking me if I wanted to be a linebacker or on the defensive line, and I had no idea. I was like, ‘can I carry the ball?’ and at the time, I was like 6-foot-1 or so already and 230 pounds. In rugby, you get to both carry the ball and play defense, so that’s what I wanted to do here, but the coaches were like ‘You’re too tall for that’. They told me that the easiest position for a guy like me to play would be on the defensive line, and I was like, ‘What is that and how can I play that?’ They said, ‘Just chase the guy with the ball.’ That’s how I got started playing football.”
With his position decided, Latu quickly settled into his new role as the guy who chased down ball carriers. Playing at Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., it was clear that his natural talent would take him far. However, there were some kinks to workout at the beginning, primarily figuring out what to do and what not to do while on the field.
“I remember at our first practice, I was playing with the junior varsity/scout team and they threw us up against the starting offensive line,” Latu said. “I lined up and then just took off with my speed and just cleaned out the quarterback, and I did not know that you were supposed to stay away from him. I turned around and all of the offensive line and receivers were coming at me trying to fight me, and my coach came out screaming ‘Sailosi, you can’t do that!'”
“He pulled me off to the side, and in secret exclaimed, ‘That’s what I’m talking about! But you can’t do because the offense gets hurt about it.’ From there, I started to learn more about football and the concepts and started to fall in love with it.”
As Latu continued to play, the intricacies and technical aspects of the game clicked more and more, allowing him to become a well-rounded defensive tackle prospect entering his senior season. Latu attended Mt. San Antonio College and played two seasons at the junior college level before making the jump to Division I. In 2017, he signed with the Spartans and impressed the coaching staff immediately, especially his position coach, Joe Seumalo.
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
“Coach Joe told me when I first got here that I was going to have to beat out anybody that was in front of me,” Latu said. “Coming in, I didn’t really know who they had here playing the nose technique. Boogie Roberts and Bryson Bridges were playing the ends, so I just knew that I was going to come in and take that spot in the middle. That was my competition level. I knew that I had to be the starter and there was no one that could start in front of me. It was a different talent level from playing at Mt. San Antonio to the Division I level, but if you’re competitive enough, that level doesn’t matter.”
Latu did just as he said he would do and became the starting nose tackle by the end of the 2017 fall camp. He started all 12 games of the season and finished with 43 tackles on the year. He entered his senior season in 2018 with high hopes of playing well enough to get a look from the NFL at season’s end, but unfortunately, his year was cut short after an upper body injury sidelined him for the team’s final eight games.
Determined to not let his football career end on a sour note, Latu worked hard to rehab himself in an attempt to play one last season in 2019. He did his part and was ready to put the pads back on at the start of fall camp. However, one hurdle remained that was out of his control — he had to be granted another season of eligibility by the NCAA. It was a long wait, but in the days leading up to the season-opener against Northern Colorado, he got his answer.
“On that day, I wasn’t sure if I had gotten the waiver or not,” Latu said. “Coach Joe texted the news that I had gotten it in our defensive line group chat, but I didn’t get it at first. He called me later and told me that I had gotten my sixth year.”
“So, I showed up to the team meeting that day to see everyone, but the coaches told me to wait because they had something planned. Coach Brennan announced to the team that he had just signed a brand new player, and when they opened the door I came out and was like, “Let’s go!” And, everyone was going crazy. They really got me, too. They told me to introduce my name and where I was from and what position I played, but the only thing I could get out was, ‘My name is Sailosi Latu and I play for San Jose State University.’ That was it.”
With his waiver granted and all the hard work now paying off, Latu is back in the starting lineup and back to doing what he does best — chasing the guy with the ball.
Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
On the San Jose State Spartans podcast with Ana:
1. Football: San Jose State dropped a heartbreaker to Nevada 41-38 last Saturday.
2. Football: San Jose State to host San Diego State this Saturday.
3. Soccer: San Jose State earned its first road result of the season at Grand Canyon last Friday.
4. Soccer: San Jose State fell to UNLV 2-1 on Sunday.
5. Women’s golf: San Jose State finished ninth at Stanford Intercollegiate on Sunday.
Ana does the San Jose State Spartans podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: nytimes.com
On the 49ers podcast with Joe:
#1 Last Sunday, the 49ers answered the bell and took on their biggest challenge of the year with a 20-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles.
#2 The win puts the 49ers at 5-0 and what lent to their most recent success was the defense, who stuck to their game plan and shutdown the Rams to just one touchdown.
#3 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said that the defense did such a good job that the offense had time to rest and not push running up the score because of the confidence in the defense
#4 Garoppolo went 24-33 and had thrown for 331 yards and an interception not a stellar game, but enough to win. Was it the Rams pass rush that kept Garoppolo off balance or was it just a mediocre game for Garoppolo?
#5 The 49ers head to Washington this Sunday. Washington beat Miami by one point and the 49ers are expected to win this one easily.
Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: greenbaypressgazette.com
On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:
#1 Well-rested coming off a bye and the jet lag from London from October 6th’s game, the Oakland Raiders come into Week 7.
#2 The Raiders are playing their fourth game in as many as five weeks away from Oakland. For most of those games, they had to stay back in the cities they were visiting without returning to Oakland, practice and get ready for the game which made for more focusing and it paid off when they were in London.
#3 After the game with the Chicago Bears, the Raiders for the bye week got to return back to their Alameda facility and workout and practice before setting out to Green Bay for this Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field.
#4 In the game against Chicago, quite a game for Raiders running back Josh Jacobs with 26 carries, 123 yards, and two touchdowns, and for quarterback Derek Carr 25-32 for 229 yards.
#5 The Green Bay Packers are coming off a razor close win over the Detroit Lions in which the Lions’ Trey Flowers was called for hands to the face that sent the ball into the Detroit red zone with the Lions ahead 22-20, but after the penalty and Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers taking two knees, the Packers’ Mason Crosby kicked a 23-yard field goal and the Packers came away with a one-point win, 23-20. Can the Raiders come out at Lambeau and give the Packers a game?
Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
