Brent Brennan talks San Jose State homecoming vs. Hawaii in Monday’s presser

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — This week, San Jose State’s goal is to beat Hawaii for the first time since 2015. The Spartans haven’t defeated the Rainbow Warriors since Nick Rolovich was sworn in as Hawaii’s head coach in 2016. But, of course, that’s easier said than done. The Spartans can’t take the 2018 Homecoming game with a grain of salt.

Here’s my Q&A with Spartans head coach Brent Brennan. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading.

1. I saw this past weekend the Spartans’ coaching staff went on the road to find more Spartans from the state of California. How did that search go and were there any players worth noting?
Brennan was unable to talk about the players worth noting, but reassured everybody there were a lot of players worth noting.

Brennan added, “I, and our coaching staff went all over California–Northern California, Sacramento, Southern California, San Diego, Inland Empire and Los Angeles–and we found a lot of talented, hard-working players in the state of California.”

2. Boogie Roberts and Demanuel Talauati earned spots on the PFF College Team of the Week as the two highest-graded defensive linemen in the Mountain West. What could the younger defensive players learn from these two?
For your information, Demanuel Talauati is a true freshman who is learning every time he steps on the field, whether it’s a practice or a game; but he’s a talented young man.

Brennan spoke of Boogie Roberts, saying, “Boogie has been a great leader for us. He has been playing his tail off and I’m really proud of him. And, that defensive front, that group is playing really hard. Bryson Bridges, Sailosi Latu…there are lots of young guys playing there. Obviously, D-Man (Demanuel Talaluati), but there’s also Cameron Alexander, E.J. Ane and many other guys. … I’m encouraged by their play and I’m really proud of Boogie (Roberts).”

3. Beyond Football partnered with Brenda Tracy for a Set The Expectation game on October 6th. What are a few things the fans should know about this upcoming game?
Brennan said, “So that’s going to be our game versus Colorado State in two weeks or 10 days. … Brenda Tracy came and spoke with our team last spring and it was just a really powerful message for everyone who has ever heard it or was in the room that day. … It’s really important for young men, young women, everybody, including adults. … Her story is incredibly compelling. … Partnering with her and Set The Expectation is going to be a really exciting step for our program. I’m excited for our players to be involved with something this proactive and this healthy. … Society–how men and women interact and get along–needs a better step in the right direction.”

Brennan emphasized, “The most important thing…The coaches’ wives are going to be selling t-shirts at the game with Set The Expectation and all the proceeds will be going to Tracy’s program.”

4. SJSU has to heal after back-to-back games against the Pac-12. How prepared are the Spartans coming into Homecoming and how can they get their first conference win of the season?
Brennan said, “We had a good week of practice last week during the bye and we need to have another good week of practice this week. The only way for us to get better is to put in the work and keep taking the steps in the right direction everyday–whether that’s academically, off-the-field, weight room or in the practice environment. The thing I love about this team is that they come to work everyday and they really enjoy being around each other. We got an awesome day today with the San Jose Police Department and they were totally engaged with the lessons and were into the moments. They just enjoyed being around each other.”

Brennan added, “I honestly believe if we continue to work and continue to do things the right way, it’s going to pay off for us. And, in order to beat Hawaii, we need to do a lot of things right. We gotta start by not turning it over. We need to hold up against their offense. Obviously, our offense needs a tune up. We need to do a great job finding and moving the football on the field.”

SJSU has the rest of the week to gear up to host Hawaii this Saturday at 4:00 pm PDT.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame–Greg Papa, Class of 2018

@Greg_Papaa file photo: Greg Papa in photo during his Golden State Warriors days

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Greg Papa has been the radio voice of the Raiders for the past 20 years. He has also broadcast A’s and Giants baseball along with Warriors basketball. In addition, he has served as an in-studio host for both the Giants and Warriors broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Papa has attained iconic status as one of the top sportscasters in the United States. He was product of Syracuse University–the cradle of sportscasters. During his Warriors years in the 1990’s, I got to know and travel with Greg, who is a hard-working, accomplished sportscaster with a good sense of humor and has lived in the Bay Area for most of his adult life.

The members of BARHOF Class of 2018 include: Scott Beach known on the air for his work on KCBS. Michael Stavko, one of the legendary characters of the airwaves hosted the KFOG’s morning show. Newscaster Jon Bristow, who’s currently with KCBS and also was a reporter and news anchor at KGO for more than 25 years. Gene Burns arrived in KGO in 1995 after a lengthy career that took him from his native New York into Philadelphia, Boston and Florida.

Others: Fred Krock, Engineering. Gordon Zlot, Management. Floyd Farr, Pioneer. Chris Edwards, Legend; and the Second Annual Sherwood Award went to Brian Sussman.

The BARHOF Class of 2018 Induction Luncheon will take place on Saturday, October 13, 11 am at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco. Terry McGovern will be the Master of Ceremonies. This year’s class was selected in voting conducted among current emembers of BARHOF. For more information on reservations to attend this event visit www.broadcastlegends.com

BARHOF Class of 2010 in Sports: Sports Radio Service’s Amaury Pi-González, alongside Jon Miller and Gary Radnich.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants may be out, but haven’t given up; Get swept in St. Louis; Get ready for San Diego tonight

@SFGiants file photo: Hunter Pence (left) sits with former coach Tim Flannery at Dodger Stadium during Flannery’s time with the team. Pence is expected to finish his tenure with the Giants this week.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 The Giants went through the motions in St. Louis and lost their 50th game on the road in a three-game sweep with the Cards.

#2 Manager Bruce Bochy said that St. Louis is a really balanced ball club with a tough lineup.

#3 The Cards executed all the reasons why they’re a wild card competitor. With what Bochy said, they have power, speed, and are good athletes.

#4 The 50-game road loss was a five-game improvement over last year’s loss total of 55.

#5 The Giants open a three-game series tonight against the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park. This most likely will be the final curtain for Giants’ Hunter Pence and Gregor Blanco as members of the team.

Morris does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Michelle Richardson’s Final Thoughts Commentary: Cuban needs to step away from the limelight; Meyer should have been fired from Ohio State

ESPN still: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban answers questions about sexual harassment in the Mavericks front office being interviewed by ESPN’s Rachel Nichols

On Michelle’s Final Thoughts Commentary:

The independent report came out about the Dallas Mavericks and work place culture and the article came out in the expose in Sports Illustrated about the Mavericks organization that it was a hostile work environment of sexual harassment and domestic violence and it was just an old boys club.

Women were just victimized and treated just horribly and Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban appeared on ESPN with Rachel Nichols and I’m going to applaud Rachel she did not let him off the hook she really pressed Cuban. I’ve never seen Mark Cuban without words and he couldn’t say anything. Cuban stuttered and stammered in the interview.

Listen to Michelle’s Finals Thought Commentary weekly on the NCAAFB podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Old Dominion shocked No. 13 Virginia Tech 49-35; Michigan walk-ons carved out own niches; Some teams honored late loved ones

Photo credit: @oxygencdcom

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

1. The Old Dominion Monarchs shocked the visiting No. 13 Virginia Tech with a 49-35 upset. Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns.

2. So far, 18 walk-ons have taken Michigan in the first two games of the season. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has been pleased with the walk-ons. After all, these guys took the toughest path possible for life-changing opportunities.

3. Once again, college football has proved that it’s more than a game. Iowa State honored the late female golfer Celia Barquin Arozamena (1996-2018) before their game versus Akron, who they defeated 26-13. Also, University of Maryland sported special helmet decals to honor the late offensive lineman Jordan McNair, who was 19 years old and reportedly didn’t get the best care for his heat stroke over the offseason. In addition, four BYU players had jerseys with the last name Kaufusi to honor their paternal grandfather, Petelo Kaufusi, who passed away last week at the age of 79. Seven of Kaufusi’s eight children played college football for BYU or Utah.

Michelle does the NCAAFB podcasts each Sunday for SportsRadioService.com!

Cardinals break out the brooms following 9-2 rout of the Giants

Photo credit: @Cardinals

By Jeremy Kahn

After starting the final road trip of the 2018 season with consecutive victories, the road trip ended up being a nightmare for the San Francisco Giants. In particular, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yairo Munoz drove in the only run that Miles Mikolas would need with a single that scored Jedd Gyorko, as the Cardinals completed a three-sweep with a 9-2 victory over the Giants at Busch Stadium on Sunday.

Mikolas, who won for the 17th time on the season against just four losses, went seven innings, allowing just one run, walking a batter and striking out eight, as the Cards keep pace for the second Wild Card spot in the National League behind their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Not only did Mikolas come up big on the mound, but he helped himself out with a single to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning to score Harrison Bader.

The Cards broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning, as they scored five runs that got started when Bader hit into a fielders’ choice that scored Patrick Wisdom.

Munoz drove in his second run of the afternoon, as he singled to score Yadier Molina and then Andrew Suarez’s day ended and was replaced by Pierce Johnson, Jose Martinez doubled to score Bader and Munoz. Paul DeJong put the capper on the inning, as he singled to score Tyler O’Neill.

Brandon Crawford drove in the lone runs for the Giants in the top of the seventh inning, as he hit a two-run home run that also scored Evan Longoria.

Matt Carpenter hit a two-run home run for the Cards in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the finishing touches on the scoring.

Suarez went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking one and struck out five and saw his record fall to 7-12 in his rookie season.

NOTES: Over their last 12 road games of the season, the Giants went 2-10, that included an 0-6 road trip when the Giants were swept by the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers.

In the month of September, the Giants are 4-16 in their 20 games during the month.

UP NEXT: The Giants return to AT&T Park to host the Padres for a three-game series starting Monday night at 7:15 pm PDT.

Derek Holland begins the Giants’ final homestand on Monday night, as he looks for his eighth win for the season, while the Padres will send Bryan Mitchell to the hill, as he searches for his second win of the season.

Raiders’ halftime lead disappears once again in 28-20 loss to Dolphins

Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that the Oakland Raiders just like playing in the first half and not in the second half of games…even when they knew about the Miami Dolphins in advance.

Once again, the Raiders went into the locker room at the end of the first half with the lead; however, the lead slipped away again for the third straight game.

Wide receiver Albert Wilson threw a 52-yard touchdown pass, and sealed the game with a 74-yard touchdown catch and the Dolphins came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to defeat the Raiders 28-20 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

With the victory, the Dolphins improved to 3-0 for only the third time since the 1998 season and the Raiders are 0-3 out of the gate for the first time since the 2014 season, when they started the season 0-10.

Xavien Howard picked off two Derek Carr passes in Dolphins’ territory, who also came up with a huge goal line stop on fourth down that kept the Raiders out of the end zone in the second quarter.

Carr ended the day going 27-for-39 for 345 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Jordy Nelson was the top wide receiver for Carr on the afternoon, as he caught six passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Through the first 10 minutes of the game, Nelson caught three passes for 139 yards, but could only catch four passes for 34 yards over the final 50 minutes.

Ryan Tannehill went 17-for-23 for 289 yards and three touchdowns and no turnovers for the undefeated Dolphins.

Tannehill also carried the ball three times for 26 yards, while former San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore was held to just 12 yards on six carries, as the Raiders rush defense held the Dolphins to just 41 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Marshawn Lynch led the Raiders in rushing with 64 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, as he scored from one yard out to give the Raiders a 17-7 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter

On their ensuing possession, the Dolphins drove right down the field and scored when Jakeem Grant caught a 18-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to cut the Raiders lead down to three at the end of the third quarter.

Wilson gave the Dolphins the lead for good with 7:18 remaining in the game, as he took a toss from Gore, who got the ball from Tannehill and Wilson thru the ball to a wide-open Grant.

Carr then began to drive the Raiders down the field on what could have the game-winning drive, but Carr’s pass into the end zone was intercepted by Howard and then the Dolphins clinched the game with Wilson’s 74-yard touchdown reception that saw him and Grant high five each other down the sidelines on their way to the end zone.

NOTES: Donald Penn was forced to leave the game in the first half after suffering a concussion, and Karl Joseph missed the second half with a lower leg injury.

UP NEXT: After a two-road trip, the Raiders return to the Coliseum, where they will face the Cleveland Browns and former head coach Hue Jackson on September 30 at 1:05 pm PDT. The Browns are coming off their first win in 635 days after a 21-17 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s pennant plans for today; M’s again erased from postseason; Tribe pitchers combine for 200 K’s in a season; plus more

Photo credit: @offclockpodcast

On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel:

1 Pennant race status as of Sunday. The A’s magic number is 1

2 Mariners extend longest postseason drought in major North American sports to 17 years.

3 Indians’ first time in MLB to have four pitchers with 200 strikeouts in a single season.

4 Giants celebrate National Singles Day by hitting 10 singles.

Daniel does the MLB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks fall to Golden Knights 5-4 in a shootout

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks were back to business at the SAP Center versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. In case you need a refresher, San Jose was knocked out by Vegas in the second round of the 2018 NHL Playoffs after sweeping the Ducks in the first round that postseason.

The official introduction of star defenseman Erik Karlsson broke the internet this week. The Karlsson trade changed the Sharks’ defensive pairings, as Karlsson will likely join a fifth in 2018. Karlsson also made headlines for not speaking to the Ottawa Senators’ management since last November when they asked for his no-trade clause. And, of course, the fact the CBA could derail Karlsson’s future in San Jose.

But, let’s focus on what happened on Saturday night inside the SAP Center.

Both teams picked up where they left off. The Sharks and Golden Knights played with a lot of grit, and at times, physicality. Vegas drew first blood as Max Pacioretty scored the opening goal just 43 seconds into the first period. Assists were handed to Erik Haula and Paul Statsny. San Jose, however, tied the score 1-1 just 40 seconds later. Brent Burns scored the game-tying goal. Assists were handed to Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead with 5:45 left in the first period. Meier’s goal helped put the Sharks in front. A lone assist was handed to Hertl.

Both teams played fairly rough, but the Sharks led the Golden Knights 2-1 after 20 minutes of play. Shots were tied 10-10. But the score wasn’t the only positive for San Jose, who got their first in-game sighting of Karlsson, who spoke to in-game host Jon Root for an entertaining interview.

Sharks fans gave a standing ovation as soon as Joe Thornton made his first appearance since January 23rd to open the second period. Thornton was happy to be back on the rink.

Barclay Goodrow scored a penalty shot goal to extend the Sharks’ lead to 3-1 at the 13:27 mark of the second period. The Golden Knights quickly made it a one-goal game as Oscar Lindberg made a top corner shot. A lone assist was handed to Alex Tuch.

Sharks goalie Martin Jones made a noteworthy glove save to fend off a potential Golden Knights goal with 2:11 left in the second period.

The Golden Knights’ Erik Brannstrom was called for holding, and as a result, the Sharks went on the power play. Logan Couture then worked his magic with a short-handed goal with just 58 seconds left in the second period. A lone assist was handed to Hertl.

The Sharks carried a 4-2 lead to the locker room after 40 minutes of play. Shots were 18-16 in favor of San Jose.

The remaining 17 seconds of Joe Pavelski’s slashing penalty was carried over into the third period. The Sharks killed off their captain’s penalty, but the Golden Knights gave the home team a hard time as they pulled within one again. Lindberg earned credit for the goal, which was his second of the night, 5:05 into the third period.

The Golden Knights weren’t far from quitters, as Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored a short-handed, game-tying goal to tie the score 4-4 (and his team killed their penalty, too) with less than two minutes left in the third period.

The score remained in a 4-4 tie, and both teams went to overtime for the first time this preseason.

Neither team was able to score in overtime, so the game had to be decided by a shootout.

In round one, Pavelski was the first shooter, but Golden Knights goalie Maxime Lagace made a notable save to prevent a potential Sharks point. In round two, both Couture and Tuch scored. In round three, neither Pacioretty or Evander Kane scored. In round four, neither Hertl or Brandon Pirri scored. In round five, neither Burns or Lindberg scored. In round six, Thornton missed his shot, while Brannstorm scored the shootout winner to lift the Golden Knights to a 5-4 win over the Sharks.

Notes
Sharks’ starters: Brenden Dillon, Joe Pavelski, Evander Kane, Joe Thornton and Justin Braun.

Sharks’ scratches: Ryan Merkley and Sasha Chmelevski.

Tonight’s featured player was Logan Couture.

Tonight’s attendance was 15,496.

Sharks Fan Fest will be held on Sunday, September 23 from 1-7 pm PDT. More information can be found at sjsharks.com/fanfest.

The San Jose Barracuda will begin the 2018-19 AHL season on Friday, October 5. More information can be found at www.sjbarracuda.com/news/detail/barracuda-home-opener-two-weeks-away-oct-5.

Up Next 
The Sharks head to Calgary to take on the Flames in a preseason tilt on Tuesday, September 25 at 6:00 pm PDT.

Cardinal pull off come-from-behind win 38-31 to knock off Oregon

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, September 22, 2018

The No. 7 Stanford Cardinal used a dramatic, late comeback Saturday to upend the No. 20 Oregon Ducks 38-31 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. The Cardinal overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half.

Colby Parkinson hauled in what became the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, beating numerous Duck defenders to tip a 23-yard scoring pass to himself from K.J. Costello at the goal line.

On fourth-and-goal to send the game into a second overtime, a pass by Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert was tipped and intercepted by Lameen Murphy in the end zone to wrap up the Cardinal’s victory.

After Stanford recovered a fumble on its own 43-yard line with 51 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Jet Toner connected on a 32-yard field goal as time expired in regulation play, sending the game into overtime.

Costello threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinal (4-0).

It was Oregon’s first loss after three victories.

Oregon jumped to a 24-7 lead, but the momentum shifted when the Cardinal’s Joey Alfieri returned a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

Bryce Love, who sat out last week’s game against UC-Davis to convalesce, ran for 89 yards and a 22-yard touchdown late in the third quarter that cut the Ducks’ lead to 24-21.

Cyrus Habibi-Likio’s 1-yard touchdown run extended the Ducks’ lead to 31-21 with 4:39 to play. Stanford then answered with a 15-yard TD pass from Costello to JJ Arcega-Whiteside making it 31-28 before Sean Barton’s fumble recovery set up the game-tying field goal.

No. 7 Stanford visits No. 8 Notre Dame next Saturday at 4:30 pm PDT.