Author: Sports Radio Service

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Barry Bonds Snubbed by Cooperstown Again

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–In case anybody has forgotten, Barry Bonds still holds the record for the all-time home run leader with 762 over his career. Since he arrived from Pittsburgh in the early 1990’s, I traveled on the road with the Giants and Bonds under manager Dusty Baker and I called many of his home runs specially at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) by the McCovey Cove in San Francisco. The reason he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame is not because of his on-the field performance. Similar to pitcher Roger Clemens, who also had the same results this time.

Barry Bonds received 59.1 percent of the vote. You need 75% to get in. So the question is: Will he ever be inducted, and if so, when? I really cannot answer those questions because humans vote, and where there are committees and humans vote for these things, we never know what’s going to happen.

What we know is that in 2015 players were no longer on the Hall of Fame ballot for a maximum of 15 years. Now, it’s 10 years. So my educated prediction would be that he will make it during the next three years, and if not then it is up to the Veterans Committee. A player of Bonds’ caliber you would think is not looking forward to that committee, but maybe that is the best he could do. Giants great Orlando Cepeda was inducted by the vote of a Veterans Committee.

In baseball, like in politics and many other things, everybody has an opinion. As a player, Bonds belongs in Cooperstown. His accusations of steroids use obviously is keeping him out, there is nothing else stopping him from Cooperstown. When he went to court in San Francisco, all the public heard was Balco Laboratories and all the terminology for the steroids he allegedly used. He and the Giants didn’t enjoy very good publicity during that ordeal. And it was a circus as other players and even Mike Murphy, the longtime Giants equipment manager, had to testify that the size of his head got bigger through the years.

In conclusion, to get elected to any Hall of Fame, you need friends. And, to be honest, Bonds has a shortage of those, as of today; but like anything in life, things can change.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Back-and-forth battle in Barracuda’s one-goal loss vs. Bakersfield at home

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Barracuda have been running hot as one of the hottest teams in the AHL, but when you’re running hot, everybody is out to beat you and that’s what the Bakersfield Condors did with a 6-5 victory on Monday night at SAP Center.

#2 Bakersfield All-Star Joe Gambardella drove to the net from the half-boards and beat Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (9-5-4) with a wrist shot top-shelf for his 16th goal of the season at the 1:55 mark of the overtime for the game-winner.

#3 The Condors wasted no time getting on the board to open the game in the first period at 13:38 when David Gust’s shot deflected off a Cuda defender for the game’s first goal.

#4 The Condors had control of the game with a two-goal lead twice and came back from behind after the Cuda scored twice to take the lead. There is little doubt the Condors studied the Cuda film carefully and came into this game well-prepared.

#5 The Cuda will shake this one off and open a two-game set, starting Friday night in Grand Rapids. The puck drops at 4:00 pm.

Marko Ukalovic is a San Jose Barracuda beat writer and does the Barracuda podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State concludes two-game road trip in Wyoming Wednesday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball wraps up a short two-game road trip Wednesday with a stop in Laramie, Wyo. to take on the Wyoming Cowboys at 6:00 pm PT inside the Arena-Auditorium. Justin Allegri will have the Spartans radio call on KLIV 1590 AM. Fans can watch online on the Mountain West Network.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s conference game.

Game No. 18
San Jose State (3-14, 0-5) at Wyoming (4-14, 0-5)
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6:00 pm PT
Arena-Auditorium
Laramie, Wyo.

Live Stats
Fans can view live stats of all SJSU men’s basketball games, home and away, by accessing the “Live Stats” feature at http://www.sjsuspartans.com. Click on the link on the men’s basketball schedule page to follow the action.

What Would a Win Mean?
The Spartans are looking to break a six-game losing streak to the Cowboys and are seeking their first-ever win in Laramie (0-9). A win would also snap an eight-game losing skid and give SJSU their first conference win of the season.

Newcomers Assist the Spartans’ Offense
The Spartans played nine first-year players this season, including regular starters Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Craig LeCesne and Brae Ivey. These newcomers are accounting for 67% of the Spartans’ offense (760-1124).

Baumann the Boss
Sophomore Noah Baumann has been shooting lights out from beyond the arc this season, so good that he leads the Mountain West in 3-point percentage at 53.8%. Baumann also ranks in the top-10 in the MW in 3-pointers per game (2.4)

In the loss to Utah State, Baumann had one of the most impressive performances of his career as he scored a career-high 29 points and tied the school record with seven 3s (7-of-10). He also set career highs in 3-point attempts and field goal attempts.

Baumann holds the top two scoring performances by a Spartan this season with 29 vs. Utah State and 23 vs. Northern Arizona. The sophomore is averaging 10.6 points in conference play, which leads the team and is shooting 48% from the 3-point range in conference games.

Staff Shakeup
Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau made some changes to his staff in the offseason as he brought in former NC State All-American Julius Hodge as an assistant coach and promoted director of operations Ryan Cooper to assistant coach.

Steady Steadman
JUCO transfer Michael Steadman has made a big impact this season as a leader on and off the court. The 6’10” forward is averaging a team-high 12.4 points per game and ranks fifth in the MW with 8.4 rebounds per game. Steadman has six double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the conference and has scored in double figures in 14-of-17 games. He also has eight games with double-digit rebounds.

Series History vs. Wyoming
Wyoming leads the overall series 14-2 and has won six games. The Spartans’ last win was on January 13, 2016 in a 62-55 victory at the Event Center in San Jose, Calif. SJSU’s other win was Feb. 22, 1997 (67-62), which was also in San Jose. The Spartans are 0-9 in games played in Laramie.

Wyoming checks in at 10th place in the MW standings with a 4-14 overall record and 0-5 start to conference play. Do-it-all Guard Jalen James leads the Cowboys in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounds (9.1 per game). The senior was a preseason All-Conference Team selection.

The Cowboys are led by Allen Edwards, who’s in his third season at the helm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Rams and Patriots–Amaury takes aim at who will be the winner in Super Bowl LIII

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Photo credit: @NBCSAuthentic

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Super Bowl is here, but not without controversy in the AFC Championship game, a call that went against the Kansas City Chiefs for roughing Tom Brady, the Patriots quarterback, changed the direction of the game and the Chiefs lost by a touchdown.

#2 In the NFC Championship, the Los Angeles Rams got a no call from the officials when the Rams’ Nickeel Robey-Coleman went helmet to helmet with the New Orleans Saints’ Tommylee Lewis and there was no personal foul call against Coleman on the play. Again, a loss for the Saints 26-23 and no Super Bowl.

#3 Does Amaury believe that these non-calls or bad calls led up to New England and Los Angeles getting in the Super Bowl and the fix was in to get the larger TV market teams or was it just coincidence that it turned out this way?

#4 Who does Amaury like in Super Bowl LIII?

#5 Amaury talks about his past experiences covering Super Bowls.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Thompson was able to set NBA record for consecutive free throws

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Photo credit: msn.com– Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson shot for a NBA record setting ten consecutive three pointers on Monday night at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 How much of a difference did it make that the LA Lakers were playing without Alonzo Ball and LeBron James both out with injuries as the Warriors rolled over the Lakers on Monday night.

#2 Klay Thompson set an NBA record with ten consecutive three pointers a tough record to achieve.

David does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Condors edge Barracuda 6-5 in overtime

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda came back from a three two-goal deficits, but weren’t able to close out their five-game home stand on a winning note as the Bakersfield Condors defeated San Jose 6-5 in overtime on Monday evening at SAP Center.

Bakersfield All-Star Joe Gambardella drove to the net from the half-boards and beat Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (9-5-4) with a wrist shot top-shelf for his 16th goal of the season at the 1:55 mark of the overtime for the game-winner. Logan Day and Tyler Benson received assists.

Bakersfield (21-15-2-1) drew first blood in the first period when David Gust attempted pass off the half right way deflected off a Cuda defender into the net for his 11th goal of the season at the 13:38 mark.

The Condors extended their lead on the power play when Josh Currie finished off a two-on-one rush beating Bibeau top self for his 17th goal of the season at the 17:41 mark. Cooper Marody and Benson received assists.

Keaton Middleton was able to get San Jose (23-8-2-3) on the board when he took a pass from Alex True below the left faceoff dot and one-timed it past the Condors netminder Stuart Skinner (3-1-0) to make it 2-1 with 1:53 remaining in the opening frame. Jon Martin received the secondary assist.

Bakersfield regained their two-goal lead when Tyler Vesel was able to slide a puck out of the reach of the right pad of Bibeau to bring the score to 3-1 with 49 seconds left.

In the second period, San Jose scored two goals in the first four minutes. Middleton scored his second goal of the game by sliding a slow-moving shot past a screened Skinner from the slot for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:40 mark.

Then on the power play two minutes later, Cavan Fitzgerald received a pass from Jayden Halbgewachs as he drifted from the right point and rocketed a wrister over the glove of Skinner, tying the game at 4:32. True received the secondary assist.

Bakersfield reclaimed the lead late in the middle frame with two goals of their own in a span of 56 seconds. Patrick Russel scored his eight goal of the season at the 16:33 mark. Then, Ethan Bear scored his first goal of the season at the 17:29 mark to head into the second intermission with a 5-3 lead.

The third period belonged to San Jose as the Cuda put on a late push to tie the game as they outshot Bakersfield 19-3. Jon Martin skated into the Condor zone and a trailing Jeremy Roy snapped in a perfect shot as he collected the loose puck that Martin left after colliding into a pair of Condors for his third goal of the season at the 14:00 mark.

San Jose pulled Bibeau for an extra attacker when Fitzgerald brought the puck into the offensive zone, threaded a cross-ice pass to Maxim Letunov and the rookie guided it in on the backhand past Skinner for his seventh goal of the season to force overtime.

Skinner stopped 33 of the 38 pucks to earn his third win of the season. Bibeau made 26 saves on 32 shots in suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play. Bakersfield was 1/1.

The announced attendance was 2,485.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels up to Grand Rapids to start a two-game series with the Griffins on Friday at 4:00 pm at Van Andel Arena.

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver to play in 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver is one of six college tight ends who will play in the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday.

Game time set for 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. NFL Network will provide live broadcast coverage. DirecTV subscribers can tune in on Channel 212. DISH Network subscribers should be able to find Channel 154.

Oliver will wear the No. 89, his SJSU jersey number, and play for the South team coached by Mike Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff. In the last two seasons, the 49ers developed one of the league’s top tight ends in 2019 Pro Bowl selection George Kittle.

South team practice sessions are open to the public from January 22nd to January 24th.

In 2018, Oliver was one of the most productive tight ends in the FBS. The first-team All-Mountain West selection had single-season personal bests of 56 receptions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. His 56 receptions were third best among FBS tight ends; the 709 receiving yards were fifth highest. All that was accomplished without benefit of playing in a conference championship and/or a bowl game.

Perhaps Oliver’s best statistic of the 2018 season was his penchant for keeping SJSU’s offense on the field. Of his 56 receptions, 38 resulted in a first down, nearly a 68% rate.

For his career, Oliver caught 98 passes for 1,067 yards. All but seven of his receptions came during his junior and senior seasons, respectively.

The Paso Robles, Calif., resident is the second SJSU tight end to participate in Senior Bowl activities. Ryan Otten was the first in 2013.

Kings falter in second half, lose to Nets 123-94

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Sacramento Kings were in rhythm in the first half to beat the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and win their third straight game, but fell apart in the second half to lose 123-94. 

“It was a tough game for us,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said postgame. “I thought we had a nice rhythm in the first half. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half but we were making some shots.”

Buddy Hield scored a triple for the Kings to start but the team played poor defense, allowing the Nets to get off with a 14-7 lead with 12 of those points coming in the paint. Brooklyn’s young star D’Angelo Russell made a triple to put the Nets up 26-20 with a minute to go. Bogdan Bogdanovic made a driving shot but Russell hit another three-pointer to put the Nets up 29-23 to end the quarter. 

Sacramento had a solid second quarter offensively, scoring 37 points. 

Russell hit another three-point jump shot, but Justin Jackson answered with a triple of his own and Bogdanovic made a pulp shot to tie the game at 32 a few minutes into the quarter. Then Yogi Ferrell made a triple to give the Kings a 35-32 lead. 

Brooklyn took a one-point lead halfway through the quarter when Alan Williams made a slam dunk. Bogdanovic followed up with a jump shot and the teams went back and forth with the lead until the final minutes. Buddy Hield made a triple to give the Kings a 60-55 lead to end the half. 

“The last three, four minutes of the second quarter we were much better defensively and we just didn’t come out with that same intensity in the second half,” Joerger said.

He said the game started to get away from the Kings “about three minutes into the third quarter.”

Russell, who was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, made a pullup shot, then stole the ball, missed and running layup but rebounded and made a triple to put the Nets up 66-64. Sacramento called a timeout with just over 9 minutes left in the quarter.

It didn’t help much. At the halfway mark, the Nets were up 77-70 and seemed to have more hustle. By the two-minute mark, Brooklyn extended their lead to 88-78. Harry Giles III made a cutting layup but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made a cutting dunk to give the Nets a 93-85 lead at the end of the third. 

Sacramento failed to regroup in the fourth. A minute in, DeMarre Carroll made three-point jump shot to boost the Nets to 98-85, a 13-point and biggest lead of the game. The Kings took a timeout. Spencer Dinwiddie made a running layup, putting Brooklyn up 100-87 with 10 minutes left to play.

The Kings were unable to cut the deficit to single digits for the remainder of the game, instead trailing up to 29 points when the game ended.   

“It was a blow-by, a backdoor, a couple turnovers and Brooklyn’s in a really nice rhythm right now,” Joerger said. “They’ve got guys making shots, but they put it on the deck and they get to the rim. They’re playing really well and they’re difficult to defend, so hats off to them.”

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said he was most proud of his team’s “excellent” defense in the second half.

“I thought TG’s (Treveon Graham) job on Buddy Hield was fantastic,” Atkinson said. “I don’t think he scored in the second half. He was a real concern for us but great job on him and great defensive performance.”

Bogdanovic scored a team-leading 22 points, Justin Jackson had 14 points, Willie Cauley-Stein had 12 points and Hield had 11 points. Jackson said he appreciated time to play with the starters. 

“For him to feel confident enough to put me out there on the floor, for one, helps a lot,” Jackson said of Joerger. “For him to put me in different types of situations is definitely big because then I know I can just go out there and play because then I know he has the confidence in me.”

Sacramento is now 24-23 and 10th in the Western Conference. They continue their road trip on Tuesday and face the Toronto Raptors (35-13). Tipoff is at 4 p.m. PST.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Philllips and Michael Duca: Bears team hasn’t struggled like this since Pete Newell or Kevin Johnson

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photo from: californiagoldenblogs.com file: Justice Sueing is California’s leading scorer, averaging 17 points per game

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris and Michael:

Michael says he doesn’t remember Cal basketball struggling like this since the Pete Newell team 1954-55 when they went 1-11 and Morris doesn’t remember the team struggling this bad since the Dick Kuchen years from 1978 to 1985.

When you look at it for a team that’s won one conference title in forever, but they have made some regular NCAA appearances and they’ve had some success developing some NBA players. This is not a program that’s been left up to success. Former Cal player Tyrone Wallace played the other night against the Warriors in Los Angeles for the Clippers.

This year, for the Bears, there hasn’t been that much growth and development as the season goes along. Of course, the opponents get tougher and tougher as the season goes along too. It’s getting difficult to watch, it is part of the process that a lot of programs go through.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Duke hands Virginia their first loss of the season; UConn explains self-imposed penalties; plus more

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Photo credit: @si_ncaabb

On the NCAAB podcast with Michelle:

#1 No.1 Duke (15-2) handed No.4 Virginia their first loss of the season on Saturday. The game was a battle and Virginia (16-1) ended up taking their first loss of the season 72-70. Despite the loss, it was a never-ending fight to the finish and Virginia did everything they could to protect their perfect record, but came up short.

#2 UConn Athletic Director David Benedict said the allegations of the Huskies former coach Kevin Ollie, who was fired, and the school was investigated for illegal recruiting regarding a video about recruiting NBA stars former Celtic Ray Allen and the San Antonio Spurs Rudy Gay. UConn self imposed the penalties, which included firing Ollie.

#3 The Howard Bison (8-11) got a huge win 71-67 in overtime the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-16). RJ Cole led the Bison with 26 points. Looking at the Mideastern, does a division like this give Cole or talent like him recognition from NBA scouts?

Michelle Richardson does the NCAAB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com