#1 The San Francisco 49ers just got by the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 24-20 victory on Sunday. With the win, the 49ers are now 3-0 and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is gaining some of that old swagger back when he first broke in with the 49ers in his first year.
#2 Garoppolo threw for 277 yards and completed 72 percent of his passes. He did suffer two interceptions. Are the interceptions something he should be concerned with since it was a close game and turnovers could hurt a team?
#1 The Minnesota Vikings’ Dalvin Cook, who missed the last two seasons with ACL and hamstring issues, was running for the goal posts against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday when he rushed for 110 yards.
#2 Looking at Cook, you would have never guessed he missed any action after missing two seasons, missing 19 of 34 games. Cook said he never lost any confidence and worked his way back to getting into the Vikings lineups.
#3 The San Francisco 49ers just got by the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 24-20 victory on Sunday. With the win, the 49ers are now 3-0 and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is gaining some of that old swagger back when he first broke in with the 49ers in his first year.
#4 Garoppolo threw for 277 yards and completed 72 percent of his passes. He did suffer two interceptions. Are the interceptions something he should be concerned with since it was a close game and turnovers could hurt a team?
#5 Hard to believe the NBA preseason is starting next week with the new opening of the Chase Center in San Francisco. Will the Golden State Warriors have no trouble adapting to the new building’s characteristics?
#1 On Sunday, it was too much Lance Lynn of the Texas Rangers. Lynn struck out 12 A’s hitters, walked one and allowed two runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work as the Rangers avoided getting swept at the Oakland Coliseum.
#2 Seth Brown and Khris Davis’ hitting in the five and six holes combined for seven strikeouts,.Davis was able to get a double in the eighth off the Rangers.
#3 Attendance is up for the A’s at home. The A’s increased their attendance by 88,595. They drew 38,453 to boost their season home total to 1,662,211.
#4 The Texas Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo tied the Rangers’ all-time record for leadoff home runs matching Ian Kinsler. The Rangers had five homers off the A’s on Sunday.
#5 The A’s are in Anaheim and they’ll be starting Homer Bailey (13-8). The A’s heavily depend on Bailey as every win counts at this juncture of the season.
Cast: Charlie O Mallonee (host and Oakland A’s beat writer), Jeremiah Salmonson (Sacramento Kings reporter), Morris Phillips (Cal Bears reporter), Tony the Tiger Hayes (SF Giants columnist), London Marq (San Jose Earthquakes & Sac Kings reporter), Jeremy Harness (PGA Golf reporter), and Lee Leonard (Producer).
Podcasting from the wonderful and tasteful Il Fornaio Restorante at the Wells Fargo Center on 400 Capital Mall in downtown Sacramento. Our thanks to our host, General Manager Don McNerney, and the wonderful staff at Il Fornaio. You can cater your next event here at Il Fornaio in downtown Sacramento offering pickup and delivery catering services. Call (916) 446-4100 catering reservations within the next 24 hours. For banquets, Il Fornaio offers elegant and semi-private dining spaces with a wide range of specialized memos and services to match our authentic award winning Italian cuisine. For catering, call (916) 446-4139.
On the Sportstalk discussion, the Sacramento Kings’ Luke Walton is looking for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield, who are both vying for minutes on the floor. Walton says both players compliment each other well. Hield had led the Kings with 20.7 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists, and shot 42.7 from three-point land. Bogdanovic had offseason surgery last season missed the first 11 games of the Sacramento’s 12. Hield had 14.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds and shot 36 percent.
Vlad Divac, who was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, was noted for his flopping during his playing days and was a big man that helped the Kings during his playing days and later became the team’s general manager. Divac is hoping to bring the Kings to the postseason this year. Marvin Bagley averaged 7.6 points in 25.3 minutes and has pulled down 10.8 rebounds in 36 minutes. Bagley finished last assist percentage at 5.9.
Mumbai India will be the site of the Sacramento Kings’ preseason oasis. The Kings will open with the Indiana Pacers on Friday, October 4th and Saturday, October 5th, then on Thursday, October 10th vs. the Phoenix Suns, Monday, October 14th vs. the Utah Jazz, and in Melbourne, on Wednesday, October 16th, which closes their Mumbai road trip.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans football team earned more than just a 31-24 win over Arkansas inside Razorback Stadium last Saturday. The Spartans were also honored as Mountain West Players of the Week and the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week, respectively.
Here are the respective press releases:
Spartans Honored As Mountain West Players Of The Week San Jose State quarterback Josh Love and defensive Bobby Brown, II were named the Mountain West Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, by the conference office.
Both players were instrumental in San Jose State’s 31-24 win at the University of Arkansas on Saturday, September 21.
Love completed a single-game career-high 32 pass on 49 attempts with one interception for 402 yards and two first-half touchdowns. With the score tied 24-24 late in the fourth quarter, Love engineered a five-play, 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive for San Jose State’s first win against a SEC opponent in school history.
Brown, II intercepted two passes and was credited with seven tackles in the team’s first road win since the 2016 season. His second interception came on Arkansas’ final offensive play of the game to ensure the Spartans’ victory.
San Jose State Named Reveal Suits National Team Of The Week
The Spartans scored on DeJon Packer’s 19-yard run with 1:13 left to break a 24-24 tie and win their first road game since 2016 and record their first non-conference road win since 2012, posting a 31-24 at Arkansas that superseded a host of other worthy candidates. For winning their first game over an SEC school, San Jose State (2-1) has earned the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 21.
The announcement came on “Full Ride” on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week will be unveiled on the network. The FWAA’s All-America Committee selects the weekly winner and all Division I FBS and FCS schools are eligible to be selected.
This is the first time for San Jose State to win the FWAA’s National Team of the Week honor and the first for a Mountain West conference member since Wyoming on October 29, 2016.
The Spartans never trailed and led 24-7 at halftime — their largest lead in any game dating back to the 2016 season — and broke a 26-game losing streak to teams from the Power 5 conferences that dated back to 2006 at Stanford.
San Jose State got contributions in all three phases. Quarterback Josh Love completed a career-high 32 passes in 49 attempts for 402 yards and two touchdowns, his second career 400-yard game. The Spartan defense snagged five interceptions, most since 2008 at Hawaii. Kicker Matt Mercurio hit a career-long 47-yard field goal in the second quarter to extend the lead to 17-7.
“What a night for these players, these coaches and these fans,” head coach Brent Brennan said. “Obviously, when you look at the schedule, this is one of those games that everybody talks about. Sometimes it’s hard to get your team to focus on anything else because you are going on the road to play a SEC opponent like Arkansas with its history, how special this place is, the stadium, the crowd and all that stuff. Coming off a loss two weeks ago, our players just went to work. We practiced during the bye week a lot. I’m sure the players didn’t like that, but I think now they understand why. I’m just really proud of them because this has been a team.”
Here’s the scoop on what’s going on this week:
When asked about how he’s going to prepare for Air Force, head coach Brent Brennan said, “We’re going to get an incredible test of physicality and that’s something that we have to prepare for and be ready for because of who we’re playing, the type of team that we’ll be playing, and of course, the type of football that they’ll play.”
“The difference is that you’re playing an SEC school and they’ve got a bunch of big bodies — big, long, athletic bodies. Now, you’ve come to the Air Force Academy and they have some of those, but they don’t have a team like those. What they got is a bunch of badass dudes that like to play football and they’re going to do it right every time. These guys are being trained to defend our country and I’m pretty sure they’re going to be physical. They’re violent and nasty and we got to be ready for them.”
Up Next: The Spartans open Mountain West action on Friday, September 27 at Air Force in a 5 p.m. PT conference contest.
photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Atlanta.
On the Giants podcast with Morris:
#1 The Giants avoided getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County Sunday with a 4-1 win. The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.
#2 The Giants’ away record was better than their home record away they were 42-39 and home 33-42. The bulk of the Giants’ road success came after the July 31st trade deadline and in August when they hit a speed bump and lost momentum.
#3 For San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, it was his final road game managing. Bochy notched his 2,000 win of his career when the Giants were in Boston prior to coming to play the Braves.
#4 One of the biggest highlights on the trip was the home run hit by Mike Yastrzemski in Boston Tuesday night, which drew a standing ovation from the Boston crowd — kind of like their own homage indirectly for Mike’s grandfather Carl.
#5 The Giants conclude the 2019 season at Oracle Park on the homestand. The Giants will open against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night for three games and finish the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three starting on Friday night. Starting for Colorado, Jeff Hoffman (2-6, 2.71 ERA), and for the Giants, Madison Bumgarner (9-9, 3.86 ERA).
Morris did the Giants podcasts each Monday during the 2019 Giants season and will begin Cal Bears podcasting next Monday, September 30th at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
After lopsided losses at USC and UCF, the Stanford defense made positive strides in Saturday’s 21-6 setback to No. 16 Oregon.
Led by Heisman Trophy contender Justin Herbert, the Ducks (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) entered Saturday averaging 44.3 points and 505 yards on offense. The Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) allowed three touchdowns and 320 yards and sacked Herbert four times.
“Our focus was to execute and play fast and physical,” said fifth-year senior outside linebacker Casey Toohill, who recorded a career-high two sacks. “I think we did a decent job of that, but again, we left a lot on the table and gave them too many points.”
David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, was especially pleased with his front seven, which limited Oregon to 61 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Despite the sacks and two hurries, Herbert completed 19-of-24 passes for 259 yards and three scores.
“We’re a really talented defense … I still believe that,” Toohill said. “I missed two sacks and that can’t happen. Too many opportunities where we had third-and-long and let them get a big play. We took some steps, but we’re still not where we need to be.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Toohill, senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts and senior outside linebacker Jordan Fox shared team-high tackling honors with eight. Sophomore strong safety Kendall Williamson added seven. The Cardinal recorded seven tackles for loss.
Afterward, senior free safety Malik Antoine implored his teammates to raise their level.
“It’s always frustrating when you leave a little meat on the bone,” Antoine said. “I’m always confident in this team. You really have to look at yourself and this is no time to start pointing fingers. Our backs are up against the wall.”
Toohill added, “You look for the little details you are missing. Once you do that, you just focus on your next opponent. We need to build off some of the good we did. You can’t be depressed and get stuck looking in the rearview mirror. We really have to look ahead.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
RUNNING HARD: Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett matched the career-high he set against Northwestern in the season opener by slashing for 97 yards on 19 carries.
“He probably broke between eight and 10 tackles,” Shaw said. “He showed what kind of back he can be, physical, quick, tough, did a good job in pass protection.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
STILL SEARCHING: The offense ran nine more plays and finished with a nearly nine-minute advantage in time of possession, but could only muster two field goals by senior kicker Jet Toner.
“Sloppy play,” said Shaw of the unit’s performance, which had two big plays negated by costly penalties. “There’s so much more on this football team, and we’ve got to get it out of us.”
Senior quarterback K.J. Costello never found his rhythm and finished 16-of-30 for 120 yards and was intercepted once. He was sacked five times and hurried four but praised his offensive line.
“They did a helluva job,” Costello said.
Costello banged his throwing thumb on an Oregon helmet early in the game.
“I could grip it well enough to throw it,” said Costello. “The same thing happened last year. Everybody is banged up this time of year.”
Poor field position didn’t help. Stanford started five drives from its own 12 or worse.
“It was definitely execution,” said Scarlett. “We know we all the talent in the locker room that we need.
We know we have what it takes to right the ship and turn it around.”
In four games, the Cardinal offense has produced four touchdowns.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
FIRST CATCH: Junior tight end Tucker Fisk, known more as a blocker, made his first reception since his senior year at Davis High in Davis, Calif. As a prep, he caught 92 passes for 1,116 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“It definitely felt good to get it,” Fisk said of his eight-yard grab. “Honestly, I was almost confused when I caught it. I almost didn’t remember what to do with it.”
Fisk said Stanford’s inability to find the end zone was mostly due to self-inflicted wounds. The last time Stanford failed to score a touchdown on home turf was against Colorado during a 10-5 win in 2016.
“It was mostly us,” Fisk said. “We just need to execute better and play better as a team. It’s definitely an internal issue.”
UP NEXT: Stanford hits the road for the third time in four weeks on Saturday when it plays Oregon State (1-2, 0-0) in Corvallis at 4 p.m. The Beavers had a bye this week.
The Cardinal leads the series, 57-25-3, and has won the last nine meetings. A year ago, Stanford rolled to a 48-17 home win behind four touchdown throws from Costello to tight end Colby Parkinson.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
NOTES: Stanford has dropped three straight games for the first time in Shaw’s nine-year tenure. “I’m not going to hit the panic button,” he said. “I don’t have a panic button.” … Junior Foster Sarell returned to the starting lineup at right tackle … Junior wide receiver Osiris St. Brown received his first career start … Freshman cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly made his first college start and posted four tackles. “He played extremely well,” said Shaw. “Very competitive young man. He has a high football IQ. It was great to see him go out there and make some plays.” … Freshman Jonathan McGill earned his first start at nickel back … The Cardinal has used 12 first-time starters this season … Toner is now tied for seventh in program history with 42 field goals … Freshman Ryan Sanborn’s 57-yard punt in the third quarter was a career-long … Oregon still hasn’t allowed a first-half touchdown this season … Former Cardinal swimmer Katie Ledecky, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, served as Stanford’s honorary captain … Ex-Cardinal running back Brad Muster tooted the pregame train whistle and was recognized in the second quarter to help celebrate the 125th year of Stanford Football. The Novato, Calif. native was the 1986 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American … John Ralston, the only coach in program history to guide Stanford to back-to-back Rose Bowl wins in 1971 and 1972, was recognized. He passed away last week at age 92 … The newly inducted 2019 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame Class was introduced on the field. The eight-member group includes the late Bill Tarr ’55, a two-way standout at running back and linebacker, who was represented by his widow, Deanna, and son, Bill Tarr Jr. … Autumn quarter classes start Monday.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
QUOTE: “Too many errors against a good football team makes it hard to win.” — David Shaw
from sfgate.com: Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, right, sacks Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Minneapolis
By Jeremy Kahn
Once again, the Oakland Raiders ran into a buzz saw and once again they were chewed up by their opponent.
Dalvin Cook carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, helping the Minnesota Vikings to a convincing 34-14 victory over the Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Cook, who is in his third season in the NFL is coming off back-to-back seasons where he suffered debilitating injuries in those seasons.
In his rookie season, Cook tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and last season, he was hampered by a hamstring injury that derailed his season.
Alexander Mattison scored his first NFL touchdown, as the Vikings rushed for 211 yards as a team. Also, for the second time in two home games, the Vikings did not attempt a pass in the fourth quarter.
Kirk Cousins went 15-for-21 for 174 yards and a score to Adam Thielen on the Vikings initial series of the game.
Thielen also scored on a handoff that gave the Vikings a 28-0 lead in the second quarter, their second 28-0 lead of the season.
Derek Carr went 27-for-34 for 242 and two touchdowns to J.J. Nelson and Tyrell Wililams. Tight end Darren Waller caught 13 passes for 134 yards in the loss.
NOTES: Marquel Lee hurt his ankle in the first quarter and did not return to the game. While Vontaze Burfict missed nearly half the game with an elbow injury, but eventually returned in the third quarter.
UP NEXT: The Raiders will stay on the road, as they will face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
photo from reviewjournal.com: Las Vegas Aces guard Kayla McBride (21) high fives Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) before the start of Vegas’ WNBA semifinals game with the Washington Mystics on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas
By Jeremy Kahn
Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer was furious after he did not get a crucial timeout in the waning seconds of Game One against the Washington Mystics, but his team stepped up when it counted most.
With their back against the wall, as the Aces trailed the Mystics two games to none in the best of five semifinal series, Liz Cambage was the leader on this night.
Cambage scored 28 points, as the Aces defeated the Mystics 92-75 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
”Our focus is win our home games,” said Cambage, who finished 12 of 15 from the field. ”It would have been nice to win one in Washington, but we know coming back here we’d have our fans to lift us up, we’d have our homecourt – we just had to get the job done tonight. It’s a playoff series, that’s the beauty of it, you learn on the run and all of the mistakes we made in the first couple of games, we really focused on fixing them and getting the job done tonight.”
The loss by the Mystics stopped a eight game winning streak, as they last lost on August 23 against the Chicago Sky.
AJa Wilson scored 21 points, and Kayla McBride chipped in with 18 and the Aces forced a game four on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
WNBA MVP Elena Della Donne led the Mystics with 22 points, Kristi Tolliver scored 14 and Aerial Powers dropped in 14.
‘I thought that they got into their post game better tonight, we didn’t do as good a job,” Washington coach Mike Thibault said. ”They put more pressure on us and we didn’t shoot the ball well. The same people that made a lot of shots the other night didn’t make shots today and that was the difference. This is the first really stinker of a game we’ve had in a long time.”
The Aces took the lead for good In the second quarter, as they trailed by two; however, after a 12-0 run over a four minute period, the Aces took a 10-point lead and never gave up the lead.
Playoff Schedule:
Game 1 Mystics 97, Aces 95
Game 2 Mystics 103, Aces 91
Game 3 Sunday, September 22 Ace 92 Mystics 75 Game 4 Tuesday, September 24 Mystics at Aces
Game 5 Thursday, September 26 Aces at Mystics (if needed)
NOTES: Kelsey Plum was in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the first two games of the series, and scored nine points and also dished off nine assists.
UP NEXT: The Aces and Mystics will meet on Tuesday night in Game Four at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
After five scoreless innings, San Francisco finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Evan Longoria doubled on a sharp line drive to Billy Hamilton. Austin Slater scored on the play. The Giants led 1-0.
The Giants added two runs in the top of the sixth. Joey Rickard doubled on a line drive to Nick Markakis. Both Evan Longoria and Kevin Pillar scored on the play. San Francisco snatched a 3-0 lead.
The Braves responded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Freddie Freeman grounded out, while Mauricio Dubon went to Austin Slater. Adeiny Hechavarria scored on the play. Atlanta pulled within two, but continued to trail 3-1.
The Giants tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Evan Longoria singled on a line drive to Billy Hamilton. Mauricio Dubon scored on the play. San Francisco took a 4-1 lead.
Giants right-hander Logan Webb enjoyed the best outing of his young career thus far. Webb threw a gem of six innings, two hits, one earned run, two walks and seven strikeouts. Webb improves to 2-2.
Braves left-hander Dallas Keuchel took the loss. Keuchel pitched six innings, three runs (two earned), two walks and four strikeouts. Keuchel falls to 8-7.
NOTES: Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod celebrated his 27th birthday.
Renel Brooks-Moon celebrated her 61st birthday. Brooks-Moon has been the Voice of the Oracle Park since 2000.
Jeffrey Leonard, also known as Hacman, celebrated his 64th birthday. Hacman played for the Giants from 1981 to 1988.
On this day in 1969, Willie Mays became only the second member of the 600 home run club.
UP NEXT: The Giants open their second to last series of the season versus the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. The series opener will take place on Tuesday, September 24 at 6:45 p.m.
