#1 49ers defensive end Dee Ford said he played through injuries during the 2018 season in addition to two playoff games.
#2 Ford says that you’d be surprised what NFL players play through during the season.
#3 Ford said he plays through pain “and a lot of stuff” but he toughed it out last season and he’s looking to getting in the line up on Monday Night Football on Oct 7th .
#4 After going 3-0, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been successful hitting receivers and leading SF to those wins.
#5 After Garoppolo’s last two games, it has been some solid performance overshadowing his critics from earlier this season regarding the five pick practice and some tough exhibition games.
Photo credit from sfgate: Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith (84) is upended between Oakland Raiders defenders Daryl Worley, left, and Curtis Riley (35) after making a reception during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Minneapolis.
On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:
#1 Linebacker Dakota Allen was surprised to find out the Raiders had signed him from the Rams practice squad. What does Allen mean to the linebackers position at this juncture?
#2 The Raiders had a number of injuries to their linebackers after Sunday’s game in Minnesota.
#3 The Raiders promoted linebacker Justin Phillips and received receiver Ryan Grant and the Raiders got Quentin Polling to their practice squad.
#4 After Sunday’s trouncing at the hand of the Minnesota Vikings, Raider quarterback Derek Carr was asked if he had any chances to throw downfield after trailing 21-0.
#5 The Raiders play game two of their six-game out of town schedule in Indianapolis this Sunday as Joe Hawkes sets up the outlook for this week’s game.
#1 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says he hopes the offense could provide more vertical shots and that the receivers can be more aggressive.
#2 Gruden did say that the offense needed to be more aggressive and that was before the release of Antonio Brown during the first three weeks of the season.
#3 In the first three games of the season, Raider quarterback Derek Carr has thrown 23 passes for 10 yards past the line of scrimmage and has completed 13 pass for 257 yards.
#4 Turning to baseball, at one time, the Oakland A’s had a two-game lead before Wednesday night. The A’s had just a 1/2 game lead and the Tampa Bay Rays keep winning, beating the New York Yankees on Wednesday and the A’s dropped two straight games and almost lost a third in Anaheim on Wednesday night, but thanks to a Matt Chapman home run, they came back with two runs in the ninth to win it 3-2 and hold a 1/2 game lead in the AL wild card.
#5 The PGA Tour Safeway Open starts today at Silverado Resort in Napa. Some of the big names at the event include the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Phil Mickelson and Hideki Maysuyama, a five-time winner.
#1 The A’s dropped two crucial games — one against Texas last Sunday at the Coliseum and another on Tuesday night in Anaheim. The A’s in never give up style, down 2-1 on Wednesday night in the top of the ninth, got a two-run jack from Matt Chapman his 34th to get the A’s a 3-2 one-run win.
#2 You look at that score last night in Anaheim 2-1 going to the ninth, manager Bob Melvin just had to have that bad feel in his stomach that the club was going to go down three in a row, but these never give up A’s have a hero every night when they win a game.
#3 Talk about A’s starter Frankie Montas’ return back in the rotation. He misses 60 games and he comes back pitches six innings and gives up four hits and an earned run, two walks and six strikeouts.
#4 Jerry talk about the relievers the A’s used four relief pitchers and they held it together to beat the Angels in the Big A. Everybody is up to beat the A’s in the wild card drive and the A’s are doing everything to stay at the top.
#5 A’s are headed for Seattle to open up a four-game series with the Mariners on Thursday, who can be tough customers in their own right. The Mariners, who got two hits and shutout 3-0 on Wednesday night by the Houston Astros, are not too happy and are looking to take things out on the A’s, but the A’s will scratch and claw to try to keep their heads above water in the AL wild card race.
According to Mark Soltau, Colby Parkinson didn’t see it coming.
Last November on Senior Day against Oregon State, Parkinson — a junior tight end — tied a school record by catching four touchdown passes from then junior quarterback K.J. Costello — all in the first half — in Stanford’s 48-17 win. Coming into the contest, Parkinson had 17 receptions and no touchdowns, but finished with six grabs for 166 yards.
Parkinson scored on a variety of routes, finding pay dirt from 5, 9, 28 and 75 yards.
“It was a great game and fun to be part of,” Parkinson said. “I don’t think I caught a ball twice on the same person.”
Leading into the game, junior tight end Kaden Smith and senior wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside had been Costello’s favorite targets. But Arcega-Whiteside didn’t play after sustaining an injury the week before at Washington.
“It’s just kind of how it evolved,” Parkinson said of his first half. “We always put in different plans for different people in certain games and we have matchups that we like. The ball was coming my way.”
After playing in Smith’s shadow, Parkinson showed he was a threat.
“We did some things to get him singled up,” said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football. “I don’t know that he was enough of a name to have specialty coverage for. That game really proved how special he can be.”
The contest had special meaning for Parkinson, who grew in Simi Valley, Calif. That week, the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County and Woolsey Fire west of Los Angeles were raging in Northern and Southern California. Additionally, a shooting near his hometown in Thousand Oaks, took the lives of 12 people.
“It was almost sentimental,” Parkinson said. “It was pretty cool to hopefully give some of my friends and family back home something to watch.”
This season, the 6-foot-7, 251-pound Parkinson ranks second on the squad with 17 receptions for 178 yards, but has yet to score. With Arcega-Whiteside and Smith now playing in the NFL, opposing defenses have made stopping Parkinson a priority, often jamming him at the line of scrimmage and double-teaming him.
“You’ve seen it in the first four games – I’m not getting the same looks I was getting last year,” said Parkinson, who will try to help Stanford (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) snap a three-game losing streak at Oregon State (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. “It seems like they’re game-planning for me, which is definitely a compliment.”
The coaching staff is working hard to find ways to free him up.
“It’s incumbent on us to move him around and show his versatility,” Shaw said. “At the same time, if they want to take him away, other guys have to make plays.”
All Parkinson cares about is winning.
“I’m happy not to catch a single pass if that means other people are getting open,” Parkinson said. “It’s absolutely a team sport, especially in that way.”
Plagued by penalties and near misses, the Cardinal offense has only produced four touchdowns.
Parkinson is confident the offense is close to clicking.
“Absolutely,” Parkinson said. “I feel great at practice this week. I’ve kind of changed my attitude. It was easier for me last year having those established vertical threats like JJ and Kaden. We have great talent on this team. It’s been tough, but I’m excited about where we’re going.”
SLOW START: Stanford’s losses have come against No. 22 UCF, No. 21 USC and No. 13 Oregon, who are a combined 9-3. Although many consider the Cardinal’s first four games the toughest stretch in the country, Shaw offered no excuses.
“We haven’t been up to our standards,” Shaw said. “Injuries aren’t the reason for our record.”
Eliminating mistakes, better execution and making plays are the Cardinal’s keys going forward.
“I trust the mentality of this football team,” said Shaw. “I think we all are a little frustrated, which I think is a positive, because we should be frustrated. We’re not going to press and scrap a lot of things. We need to tweak some things and improve the things we’re doing.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
HANGING TOUGH: Costello is questionable for Oregon State. He injured his throwing thumb early in the game after hitting an Oregon helmet with his follow through on a pass.
“He fought through it the whole game and made some great throws late in the game,” Shaw said. “It’s hard to say how much it affected him.”
Asked if he considered inserting junior backup Davis Mills, Shaw said, “Honestly, I think there were only two errant throws the entire game. He put the ball on the money a couple times with guys in his face. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do the job.”
INJURY UPDATE: Junior offensive tackle Foster Sarell is probable and senior offensive tackle Devery Hamilton is doubtful.
Sophomore cornerback Ethan Bonner, senior cornerback Treyjohn Butler and junior strong safety Stuart Head could return to practice and might be available Saturday.
DEFENSIVE FORCE: Fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill is first in the Pac-12 in sacks with four and second in tackles for loss with six. He leads the team with 28 tackles and has one forced fumble and two hurries.
“I thought we came out with more fire,” Toohill said of last week’s 21-6 defeat to Oregon. “That really should be our standard. I think we really need to bring the same juice every game.”
ALL OUT: Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson likes being physical and goes hard until he hears a whistle on every play. He developed that mentality in youth football.
“I just have the desire to out-work my opponent,” Wilson said. “Coach Shaw really wants that to be the theme of the Stanford football team. It has been in the past. I like to bring professional brutality. If you keep attacking over and over again, a lot of guys aren’t going to like that.”
Asked about the team’s offensive struggles, Wilson said, “People love to see big plays made and we want to make big plays. That’s why we put in all this work throughout the offseason.”
The danger is trying to force things.
“In a way, you kind of have to let the game come to you,” Wilson said. “I think when you try too hard to make a play, that’s oftentimes when you don’t. You have to have this calm way about it. We’ve got guys across the board that can make plays. Hopefully, it starts this game.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
BACK TO CLASS: Autumn quarter classes began Monday.
“It’s definitely gotten more hectic, but we’re Stanford men, and this is what we signed up for,” Wilson said. “I love it. School is a big part of why I came here. I love the challenge.”
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Toohill is impressed with Oregon State’s offense and knows stopping it will be a challenge.
“Great running backs and receivers,” Toohill said. “Like any Pac-12 offense, they can put up a lot of points. I don’t think their record reflects how good they are. There are no easy weeks in the Pac-12, so you always have to be on your game.”
Quarterback Jake Luton, now in his sixth year of college football, has thrown for eight touchdowns and hasn’t been intercepted. Running back Jermar Jefferson has rushed for 270 yards and averages 5.7 yards per carry, while wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins has snared five scoring passes and averages 15.1 yards per catch.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES: Shaw typically watches film of the last game at least three times by Sunday night … Shaw on playing at Reser Stadium: “Every time I think of Corvallis, I think of that third down chainsaw (played over the PA system). It’s unnaturally loud. It’s a great atmosphere, it’s loud and those guys are going to be fired up.” … Junior tight end Tucker Fisk and sophomore fullback Jay Symonds made their first collegiate catches against Oregon … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 321 yards and has caught 10 passes for 88 yards.
QUOTE: “I’ve never seen a guy that has so much natural wiggle. He’s like a magician with his body.” — Michael Wilson on freshman running back Austin Jones
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A pair of controversial calls in the second half were too much for the San Jose Earthquakes, fighting for their playoff lives, to overcome in a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium.
The loss is the fourth in a row for San Jose and continued a winless September. They are on the outside looking in as they currently sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 44 points, one point behind FC Dallas and Portland, who are currently tied for the seventh and final playoff spot with only two games remaining in the season.
The Quakes were without the services of two of their top players, Chris Wondolowski and Cristian Espinoza, as they were both suspended for the match after getting ejected in their last match against Atlanta United FC. It was also the second time this season they were without their head coach Matias Almeyda, who was also ejected from the match last week.
San Jose (13-14-15) went with a 4-4-2 lineup with Danny Hoesen and Vako serving as the main strikers.
The Quakes drew first blood in the 35th minute when Guram Kashia sent a ball into the box that Hoesen chased down to the middle of the end line. He then fed a pass between the legs of Jack Elliot to an on-running Jackson Yueill, who one-timed the ball passed Union goalkeeper Andre Blake into the back of the net for his third goal of the season.
Carlos Fierro came very close to giving San Jose a 2-0 advantage in the 41st minute when he was all alone to the right of the box when Blake came out to challenge Fierro and made a point-blank save that ricochet back to the goal, but was calmly swept away by Elliot.
Philadelphia’s (16-9-7) best chance to score in the first half came early on in the 16th minute. Marco Fabian’s shot from the left side of the box was stoned away by Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega.
The first of the two controversial calls came at the start of the second half. An offsides call on Hoesen took away a goal from the Quakes in the 46th minute. After a pretty give-and-go between Hoesen and Yueill just outside the box, Yueill’s shot was saved by Blake. Magnus Eriksson cleaned up the rebound in what he thought was his seventh goal of the season. However, Union head coach Jim Curtin challenged the call and won to the dismay of the Avaya faithful.
Philadelphia scored the equalizer in the 70th minute when Ramon Gaddis dribbled in from the right side and while falling down serviced a ball back into the middle of the box where captain Alejandro Bedoya needed all but three touches before firing a shot back towards the left side of the goal for his fourth goal of the season.
The Union struck again six minutes later to snatch the lead away when substitute Fabrice-Jean Picault centered a ball from near the left sideline into the middle where Kacper Przybylko had inside position on Kashia, and was able to head the ball into the back of the net for his team-leading 15th goal and the eventual game-winner.
Once again, San Jose was on the wrong end of a controversial call late in the match. Aurelien Collin dragged down Andres Rios near the end line in the 80th minute that referee Baldomero Toledo initially ruled a penalty on. However, after the video review, the penalty call was overturned despite evidence to the contrary.
Despite having seven minutes of stoppage time, the Quakes couldn’t score the equalizer and were left wondering “what if?” as time expired in the match and possibly their season.
GAME NOTES: Union defender Kai Wagner was issued a yellow card in the seventh minute after pushing down Eriksson from behind. In the 23rd minute, Quakes midfielder Judson was issued a yellow card for his sliding tackle attempt on Fabian. Both Haris Medunjanin was issued a yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half for unsportsmanlike conduct. Przybylko received a yellow card in the 57th minute for unsportsmanlike conduct against Florian Jungwirth.
Corner kicks: San Jose–6, Philadelphia–6
Offsides: San Jose–6, Philadelphia–1
Wondo sat in the stands alongside the San Jose Ultras, the superfan group that sits in the south endzone during every game.
Yueill’s goal snapped a three-game streak where San Jose had conceded the first goal of the match.
UP NEXT: San Jose plays its final home game of the season on Sunday, September 29 against the Seattle Sounders at 4:15 pm at Avaya Stadium.
On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:
#1 The Giants conclude their regular season at home with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers. What are some of the things that manager Bruce Bochy will be looking for to close out the season?
#2 It will be someone else’s team next season. Will the feel and direction of the club be completely different?
#3 From what you’ve heard, do you see a new manager coming within the organization or a total new face from the outside who will want to build from the bottom up?
#4 Just reminiscing about some of the Giants from this season, Pablo Sandoval talk about what he meant to the club.
#5 Madison Bumgarner pitched to a 9-9 record and a respectable ERA at 3.86. Do you see him coming back or choosing to go to another club?
Michael Duca has done the SF Giants podcasts each week during the 2019 season and will join us for Cal Bears basketball at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
#1 How ironic is it that last meeting between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies in Washington against the Nationals turned out to be a loss that mathematically eliminated the Phillies in Washington DC? The Nats fans found that to be poetic justice.
#2 The San Francisco Giants end their 2019 homestand and regular season this week as they opened a three-game series with Colorado. The Giants have some young prospects and veteran players who are looking to come back next season so everyone will play hard to the final game on Sunday.
#3 The Giants’ Bruce Bochy set to retire, Pablo Sandoval out with an injury for the rest of the season and Madison Bumgarner may not be back all have been a direct force in the Giants’ more successful days.
#4 The Oakland A’s are holding a 1/2 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild card race. The A’s are finishing up their regular season on the road against the Angels and Mariners. Can they pull it off?
#5 The San Jose Earthquakes, who won two out of their last seven games, faceoff against Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and on Friday, they host the Seattle Sounders. This is their best chance to put together a couple wins at home.
San Jose State quarterback Josh Love led the Spartans to a 31-24 comeback road win over Arkansas on September 21 and is now one of 185 national semifinalists for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Mazda.
Now in its 30th year, the award recognizes college football’s top scholar-athlete for combined academic success, football performance and leadership on the field and in the community. The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame oversee the prestigious awards program.
Love, a senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., is in his third season as a starting quarterback for the Spartans. After three games, Love is realizing his best season at the major college level. He has completed 62.7 percent of his passes with only one interception for 815 yards and five touchdowns. More significantly, he led San Jose State on a fourth-quarter game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive at Arkansas after the Razorbacks tied the score at 24-24 with less than 3:00 remaining in regulation play.
Love, a business management information systems major, is a three-time Academic All-Mountain award recipient.
During his college career, Love has been very active in the team’s Beyond Football program. Most recently, he organized a presentation to the team by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). He is one of the many Spartans to participate in the Silicon Valley YWCA’s annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes fundraiser to raise awareness that any form of violence directed towards women must end.
To be eligible for consideration, a football student-athlete must be a senior or graduate student, in one’s final year of athletics eligibility, possess a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale, be a significant contributor on the team, and demonstrate strong leadership and citizenship traits.
“These 185 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively.
“For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. And we are excited to celebrate the 30th year of the William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, which honors the best of the best. This year’s semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders.”
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient’s grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $11.7 million.
“The NFF would like to personally congratulate each of the nominees as well as their schools and coaches on their tremendous accomplishments,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are extremely proud to highlight each semifinalist’s achievements, showcasing their ability to balance academics and athletics at the highest level. The NFF Awards Committee will have an incredibly difficult task in selecting the finalists from this outstanding group of candidates.”
From the 185 semifinalists, 12 to 14 finalists will be announced on October 30. Each finalist will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and travel to New York City for the 62nd annual National Football foundation Scholar-Athlete awards dinner in December.
Named in honor of the late Bill Campbell, former chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda is a 25-pound bronze trophy and increases the amount of the recipient’s grant by $7,000 for a total postgraduate scholarship of $25,000. This year’s postgraduate scholarships will push the program’s all-time distribution to more than $11.7 million.
In the history of the program, San Jose State wide receiver Tim Crawley was the Spartans’ first National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete in 2016.
photo from sfgate.com: Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Hoffman leaves a baseball game on a cart with a leg injury after being hit by a ball batted by San Francisco Giants’ Alex Dickerson during the fourth inning Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, in San Francisco.
By Jeremy Kahn
SAN FRANCISCO — Charlie Blackmon ended this long game with one swing of the bat.
Blackmon hit a three-run home run in the top of the 16th inning, helping the Colorado Rockies to an 8-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 27,870 at Oracle Park.
The Blackmon home run was the latest by a Rockies player since Nolan Arenado hit a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the 16th inning at Dodger Stadium on September 15, 2015.
Dereck Rodriguez was able to get Trevor Story to strikeout for the first out of the inning, but then Garrett Hampson and Arenado each singled prior to the Blackmon three-run home run.
Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he took a Carlos Estevez pitch and hit it into the netting over the center field wall.
It was the 20th home run of the season, and his first 20 home run as a member of the Giants and first since the 2017 season, when he 20 in his last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
While with the Rays, Longoria hit 20 or more home runs nine times out of his 10 years there. Longoria hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2009.
Garrett Hampson gave the Rockies a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth inning, as he took a Jandel Gustave over the wall. It was the second home run of the game for Hampson, who also hit a solo home run off of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner in the top of the first inning.
It was the first multi-home run game of Hampsons big league career.
Buster Posey gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the first inning as he hit just his seventh home run of the season and first at Oracle Park. Mike Yastrzemski walked to lead off to the inning for the Giants.
Bumgarner helped out his own cause in the bottom of the third inning, as he hit his second home run of the season.
This was the first time since June 2, 2016 that Bumgarner and Posey each hit home runs in the same game. It was the third time that the two have hit home runs in the same game.
Ian Desmond tied up the game in the top of the fourth inning, as he smashed a Bumgarner offering and put into the netting over The Garden in right-center field.
There was a scary moment in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Alex Dickerson smashed a line drive up the middle off of Rockies starter Jeff Hoffmans leg.
Hoffman, who attempted to walk around eventually fell to the ground, where both the training staff and manager Bud Black came out to check on the right-hander, who was eventually carted off the field.
The right-hander left the game with a right knee contusion.
The right-hander went 3.1 innings, allowing three run on three hits, walking three and striking out three.
Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking two and striking out nine.
The Rockies retook the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Trevor Story his 34th home run of the season.
Story has homered in a record six consecutive games vs. the Giants, setting the mark with a solo shot in the fifth inning. He surpassed Mike Schmidt (1979) and Rogers Hornsby (1922), who both homered in five straight vs. the Giants.
Evan Longoria tied up the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as his sacrifice fly scored Posey from third base.
Posey singled with one out and then advanced to third on a Brandon Belt, and then scored on the Longoria sacrifice fly, as the throw by Desmond was cut off by Nolan Arenado at third base.
NOTES: Yastrzemski is only the fifth rookie in Giants history to have a 20 home run, 20 double season and the first since Orlando Cepeda in 1958.
He joins Bobby Thomson (26 2B, 29 HR) in 1947, Willie Mays (22 2B, 20 HR) in 1951, Bill White (23 2B, 22 HR) in 1956, Cepeda and Yastrzemski.
The two teams combined to use a major-league record 25 players, breaking the record of 24 set by the Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 16, 2015, also a 16-inning game.
Both teams combined for eight home runs to break an Oracle Park record. There were four games of seven home runs, September 5, 2000 versus Philadelphia, June 18, 2004 versus Boston, June 15, 2009 versus Los Angeles (AL) and August 24, 2010 versus Cincinnati.
As a team, the Giants used a team record 29 players, breaking their record of 25 that set on September 17, 2019 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija will make his final start of the 2019 season for the Giants, while Tim Melville will take the ball for the Rockies one last time in 2019.
