Author: Sports Radio Service

Durant has historic night, but Warriors were routed by Clippers 125-106

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By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors closed out a brief, two-game homestand with a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, whom they last faced on January 6 and blew out by a score of 121-105 at Staples Center.

The Warriors entered the game with a five-game win streak, while the Clippers were hoping to extend their win streak to two games. The Clippers previously escaped with a 108-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 8.

Prior to the tipoff, the Harlem Globetrotters hung out with the Warriors before they played this weekend.

Zaza Pachulia opened the scoring with a two-point field goal attempt to give the Warriors an early lead. Pachulia later finished a break off the lob from Kevin Durant, who also showed fans why he deserves their votes for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Andre Iguodala hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 29 apiece with two minutes left in the first quarter. Both teams battled it out, but the Warriors were on top 35-32 at the end of the first.

The Warriors were down by two (42-40), but Durant came to the rescue with a three and a foul with 6:39 left in the second quarter. Golden State led Los Angeles by one (43-42).

The Warriors sparked a nice little run and Omri Casspi closed out the second with back-to-back buckets. Golden State carried a 62-58 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

It was obvious that Durant had himself a night with 25 points along with a career milestone and the game was nowhere near over. However, the Warriors needed great shots out of their offense if they wanted to secure a win against the Clippers. Golden State went into the fourth quarter in deep trouble, trailing the Clippers by seven (97-90) at the end of the third quarter.

Durant continued to shine as he accumulated more points in the fourth with 40, which was 10 less than Lou Williams’ 50 points for the Clippers, but nonetheless, a milestone to celebrate. The Warriors’ five-game win streak was snapped by the Clippers, who routed the home team by a score of 125-106.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Warriors’ starting lineup: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young and Shaun Livingston.

Warriors’ injury update: Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) and Klay Thompson (rest) are out. Kevin Durant (right calf strain), Draymond Green (right knee soreness) and Andre Iguodala (left knee & hip soreness) are available to play.

Durant had his seventh 30-point game of the season with 30 points on 10-of-12 from the field (and a perfect 4-of-4 from the three-point range).

Durant is the second youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points (behind only LeBron James) and is the first player to score his 20,000th career point as a Warrior.

Warriors owner and CEO Joe Lacob turned 62 today.

Clippers’ starting lineup: Jawun Evans, Lou Williams, CJ Williams, Wesley Johnson and DeAndre Jordan.

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at 7 pm CT.

San Jose Barracuda Podcast with Marko Ukalovic: After getting swept by San Diego Barracuda pick up win over San Antonio on Tuesday night

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On the Barracuada Podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

1 The San Jose Barracuda (20-15-0)  after getting swept in a two game series by San Diego sent the San Antonio Rampage down to defeat (16-14-2) at San Jose 2-1 for their 20th win of the season.

2 Manny Wiederer who scored the game winning goal for San Jose on a failed clearing attempt by the Rampage goaltender Ville Husso that allowed Wiederer to score on teammate Brandon Boilig’s screen

3 Wiederer tried to set a pass up to Boilig, but took the shot himself he was aware of the fine job Husso was doing and took his chances succeeding on a blind side goal

4 The first period gave an indication that this was going to be a defensive game with no scoring

5 The Barracuda host the Rockport Ice Hogs for a 7 pm face off on Friday night the second of four home games at SAP Center

Marko Ukalovic does the Barracuda podcasts every Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

San Jose Sharks Podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Jets game in the latest of concerns of penalty kills for the Sharks

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Photo credit: @thecomeback

On the San Jose Sharks Podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh:

1 The Sharks finished the five game round trip last Sunday going 1-2-2. It was not the kind of road trip shows head coach Peter DeBoer had in mind

2 Logan Couture scored San Jose’s only goal in the 4-1 loss to Winnipeg Sunday

3 Sharks goalie Marty Jones in goal stopped 26 shots but allowed four Winnipeg goals

4 For the Jets 26-11-7 goals for their game against the Sharks on Sunday Marko Dano, Matt Hendricks, and Mathieu Perrault two goals

5 The Sharks get their only win of this road trip in Montreal last week Monday. The Sharks return to San Jose Saturday and then set sail for their next road trip Mon Jan 15th in Los Angeles.

Mary Lisa Walsh does Sharks hockey podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

 

NFL Playoffs Podcast with David Zizmor: A look at eight teams that’s battling it out for the Super Bowl

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NFL Playoff Podcast with David Zizmor:

Sunday’s game AFC: Jacksonville 10 Buffalo 3

AFC Divisional Round

Saturday: Tennessee Titans @ New England Patriots

Sunday: Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday’s game NFC: New Orleans 31 vs. Carolina 26

NFC: Divisional Round

Saturday: Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday: New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings

David goes through the NFL Playoff schedule for this weekend at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Inductees and Prediction

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Photo credit: @theScore

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — All the votes are in, by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for the players that will be inducted this 2018. The results will be announced in January 24 on MLB Network. The inductions are scheduled for July 28 -29 in Cooperstown, New York.

Any candidate must be named on 75 percent of the ballots. Last year, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were elected and inducted in July.

For the first time Andrew “Chipper” Jones, great power-switch-hitter and third baseman for the Atlanta Braves for 19 seasons, .303 average 468 home runs and 1,623 runs batted-in. Hideki Matsui and Johan Santana (two-time Cy Young winner) have a record of 139-78 in 12 seasons with the Twins and Mets.

Jim Thome ranks eighth in history with 612 home runs. Venezuelan Omar Vizquel the great defensive shortstop who played for 24 years and won 11 Gold Gloves (nine with Cleveland and two with San Francisco) are among several players who are eligible this year as well as Chris Carpender, Johnny Damon, Livan Hernandez, Jamie Moyer, Scott Rolen, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.

Returning to the BBWAA ballot, Trevor Hoffman (74% of the vote in 2017) leads the National League for saves in history with 601. Dominican outfielder Vladimir Guerrero (71.7% of the BBWAA vote in 2017) had a great 16-year career with the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles, .318 lifetime average with 449 home runs, 1,496 runs batted in and 181 steals, they both missed last year’s election by five and 15 votes, respectively.

Below are the top 10 players with the percentage they received as of last season (not including votes pending casted by the BBWA this time). 75% is needed for election.

Player | Year(s) eligibility | Percentage of vote
Trevor Hoffman, 3rd, 74
Vladimir Guerrero, 2nd, 71.7
Edgar Martinez, 9th, 58.6
Roger Clemens, 6th, 54.1
Barry Bonds, 6th, 53.8
Mike Mussina, 5th, 51.8
Curt Schilling, 6th, 45
Manny Ramirez, 2nd, 23.8
Larry Walker, 8th, 21.9
Fred McGriff, 9th, 21.7

My prediction for the 2018 class: Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Andrew “Chipper” Jones

The first three should go in, for sure, while Vizquel and Jones, which are on the ballot for the first time, might have to wait. But I would be content if they also make it this year.

Players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez are obviously tainted by the “steroids era.” Clemens was acquitted of all charges in 2012 that he obstructed and lied to Congress in denying he used PEDs. Bonds, in 2013, was convicted for obstruction of justice for giving an “incomplete” answer to a grand jury. In 2015, the court overturned conviction and federal prosecutors dropped the case. Ramirez was suspended more than once for his PED use.

I know, it all stinks, and people have different opinions about this, but the black cloud for those guys, and others like Sosa, Palmeiro, McGwire will always follow them for the rest of their lives. If it was left to me, I would not send them to Cooperstown, although they all have the statistics.

I agree with Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, the second-baseman who played for 22 years, towards the end of his career, two seasons with the Giants, and retired with the Athletics in 1984. I agree with Morgan on that very clear and stern letter he sent to the Hall of Fame. I believe cheating is cheating, be in 1919 or 2004. It is not fair for the guys that played by the rules and were clean of steroids.

Morgan wrote:

“The more we Hall of Famers talk about this—and we talk about it a lot—we realize we can no longer sit silent. Many of us have come to think that silence will be considered complicity. Or that fans might think we are ok if the standards of election to the Hall of Fame are relaxed, at least relaxed enough for steroid users to enter and become members of the most sacred place in Baseball. We don’t want fans ever to think that.

“We hope the day never comes when known steroid users are voted into the Hall of Fame. They cheated. Steroid users don’t belong here.”

“It’s gotten to the point where Hall of Famers are saying that if steroid users get in, they’ll no longer come to Cooperstown for Induction Ceremonies or other events. Some feel they can’t share the stage with players who did steroids.”

Barracuda snap losing streak as they hold on for a 2-1 win over Rampage

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—-The San Jose Barracuda (20-15-2-0) were able to get the bad taste of the San Diego Gulls out of their mouth with a gritty 2-1 victory over the San Antonio Rampage (16-14-0-2) Tuesday night at SAP Center. Their 20th victory of the season broke their two-game losing streak.

Manny Wiederer was the hero for the  Barracuda when he scored the game-winning goal, thanks to a failed clearing attempt by the Rampage. He was able to take advantage of a Brandon Bollig screen in front of Rampage goalie Ville Husso (7-6-0) as his wrist shot sailed past Husso for his fourth goal on the season at 8:28 of the third period.

“Bollig was going to the net and I tried to pass it to him,” Wiederer said after the game. “Luckily, the goalie didn’t see it and didn’t get it and it went right in.”

The first period saw no scoring, but each team had their own chances to draw first blood as each had a power play opportunity, but neither could convert. Barracuda forward Danny O’Reagan’s line created a flurry of chances with six and a half minutes left in the first period. His wraparound attempt was stopped by Husso. Both teams would get a chance late in the period when Rampage foward Kim Klostin’s shot from the slot trickled past Antoine Bibeau (9-7-0) but the San Jose goaltender was able to reach back with no further damage done with 54 seconds left. While San Jose captain John McCarthy pick pocketed Rampage defenseman Chris Butler at his own blue line that led to a breakaway chance but his back hander would be thwarted by Husso with just under 30 seconds left. San Jose outshot San Antonio 15-7.

Barracuda forward Tim Clifton broke the deadlock at 2:53 of the second period when he was able tip in a shot by Rudolfs Balcers. Balcers was able to keep the puck in at the blue line and let a wrist shot go from the left point into a body of traffic in front of Husso that Clifton’s stick was able to get a piece of the puck and past the short side for a 1-0 lead. It was his second goal of the season.

“Everyone chipped in tonight,” said head coach Roy Sommer, describing his team’s performance on the night. “Some unknown guys got goals. We told them to get to the net and good stuff would happen.”

San Jose had a chance to extend their lead two minutes later when Rampage forward AJ Greer was assessed an extra minor for roughing when he got into a scuffle with Cuda defenseman Micael Brodzinski along the boards at 4:46. . However McCarthy’s back hand attempt on a rebound almost trickled past Husso before the goalie was able to pounce on the puck. Filip Sandberg’s breakaway attempt was stoned by Husso, just seconds after the power play was over.

With O’Reagan in the sin bin for hooking, the Rampage would tie the game on the power play when forward Alex Belzile was able to back hand home a rebound past Bibeau after Rocco Grimaldi’s shot hit off the back post and found a wide open Belzile camped out in front of the crease for his seventh goal of the season. Jordan Schmaltz also received an assist. Despite San Jose out shooting San Antonio 14-6 in the second period, the teams headed into the second intermission tied at 1-1.

Bibeau made 24 saves, including some critical saves in the final two minutes when San Antonio pulled Husso for an extra attacker on 25 shots for the victory. Husso suffered the defeat on 36 saves on 38 shots.

GAME NOTES: The power play woes continued for San Jose as they went 0/4 on the power play while San Antonio was 1/2. San Antonio out shot San Jose 12-9 in the 3rd period.

Barracuda forward Brandon Mashinter missed his second consecutive game with an upper body injury he suffered this past Friday night in San Diego when he took a stick to his eye.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host the Rockford Icehogs on Friday night at 7 pm PT.

Oakland A’s unlock doors to newly constructed headquarters in Jack London Square, discuss ballpark relocation

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By: Alexandra Evans

OAKLAND—As of Monday, January 8, the Oakland A’s have unlocked their newly constructed, 40,000 square-foot headquarters in Jack London Square.

A day after its opening, the club invited members of the media to take a tour of the facilities, built by Devcon. Stocked with A’s memorabilia (such as the orange ball proposed by former owner Charles Finley, the team’s earliest jerseys and amateur scouting reports for iconic players, including Reggie Jackson), exclusive office space for all branches of the franchise, a refreshment corner, fitness center, personalized A’s-themed artwork, and even a batting cage, each community meeting will be accompanied by state-of-the-art amenities and, being located directly on the water, a clear view of Alameda and San Francisco.

“This location in Jack London has great bones,” said A’s president Dave Kaval. “It’s got a lot of great parts of the experience here like the water, people like congregating here.”

Kaval referred to the new headquarters as a “sampler,” a representation of having a collaborative work environment and embracing their past. Fans and other members of the community now have the opportunity to witness Oakland’s “vision” of their impending new ballpark.

The A’s have called the Oakland Coliseum their home for 50 years, though the club has decided to relocate the ballpark to a different spot in Oakland, such as the Peralta Community College District site–adjacent to Laney College–and the Howard Terminal. After a year of contemplation, they selected the Peralta site in September 2017.

Kaval explained that the club will relocate with the intent to provide all those affiliated with the franchise (executives, players, fans, media members, and the community) with a more modern, holistic experience in and out of the office, and on and off the field. Additionally, the relocation will not allow the A’s to produce the revenue required to compete “at the highest quartile with some of the bigger level teams,” Kaval described.

“[The relocation] fulfills our needs as an organization,” Kaval continued. “It allows us to have a better fan experience, win more world championships by having a bigger payroll, and fits the community’s needs in terms of what it needs to develop, be it affordable housing, a commercial center, or a ballpark village.

“When we talk about having a world-class fan experience, that includes the ingress and egress, getting to and from. You don’t want to be sitting in a parking lot for 45 minutes… it’s very important that wherever we go, we have a plan for that which is very well thought-out.

“We’re focused on those guiding principles of creating a ballpark privately financed, a key part of what we are doing here,” said Kaval, also adding that the confidential financing matters are unusual in the development of venues in Oakland.

The ballpark relocation is one of the biggest projects in the history of Oakland, and it is going to take more than construction workers and team executives to ensure success.

“We need our fans, we need the community, we need the civic leaders, we need everyone together to make it happen, and it will have so many positive externalities if it is done the right way,” Kaval contended.

Kings blow lead, lose to Spurs 107-100

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings started their game with the Spurs with one of their better opening quarters of the season. While a trend of slow starts has plagued Sacramento for the better part of the campaign, tonight was not one of those nights.

For the Kings, it was a defensive effort to begin the game–a defensive effort that fueled offensive production. By the end of the first quarter, the Kings had the lead and Willie Cauley-Stein was well on his way to a double-double with 10 points and five rebounds.

The Kings kept the Spurs flat on offense. All five San Antonio starters had negative plus/minus efficiency after one quarter as they were held to just 21 points. The Kings played well through the second quarter and would go into the half with a 10-point lead (56-46).

When the Spurs stepped on the hardwood for the third quarter, they were a different team. The tempo of their effort kicked it up a notch on both sides of the court. Sacramento was forced to slow down and be more careful with the ball. Sacramento, who led by as many as 14, lost their rhythm. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 third quarter points and helped the Spurs get back to a three-point deficit going into the fourth quarter.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovic was complimentary of Aldridge after the game, saying: “He was a big factor tonight. He’s taking advantage of the extra minutes he’s been getting during the season”.

Indeed, Aldridge was a major part of San Antonio’s game plan. He finished with 31 points and 12 boards. Davis Bertans also poured in 28 for the Spurs. The Kings led for the vast majority of the game, with 5 plays scoring double digits.

However, like we’ve seen time and time again from Gregg Popovic and the Spurs found away to steal the game away from Sacramento. With the deficit disappearing as the fourth quarter progressed, the Kings began to make mistakes that young teams make: turnovers and bad fouls.

Sacramento had 18 turnovers that translated to 24 points for the Spurs, and six of those turnovers came in the final period.  The Spurs would close the game on a 17-5 run and snag a win before heading to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Thursday. San Antonio has now won 12 straight games against Sacramento.

The Kings will chalk this one up as a learning experience, as they host Los Angeles’s other team, the Clippers on Thursday as well. With the latter half of the season quickly approaching the Kings will look to find some consistency they sorely need.

Final: Spurs defeated Kings 107-100.

Up Next: Kings host the Clippers on Thursday at 7 pm PT.

Curry scores game-high 32 points, Warriors rout Nuggets 124-114

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Photo credit: @NBA

By: Ana Kieu

After a three-game road trip, the Golden State Warriors returned home to the Oracle Arena and welcomed the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.

In the last matchup between the two teams, Denver embarrassed Golden State with a 96-81 win in Oakland on December 23, 2017.

Tonight, the Warriors were looking to extend their win streak to five games, while the Nuggets were hoping to rebound from a loss to the Sacramento Kings on January 6, 2018.

The Warriors’ starting lineup consisted of Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. Golden State pretty much had tonight’s game against Denver from start to finish.

The Warriors made some noteworthy plays in the first quarter. Like this one, embedded in the tweet below.

Jordan Bell got up for the denial late in the first. Then, Bell headed to the line to close out the first. The Warriors were up 37-28 at the end of the first.

Excellent ball movement led to a Thompson three with 5:13 left in the second quarter. Curry and Green also joined the party of threes. The Warriors carried a 64-57 lead to the locker room at the half.

Here are the Warriors’ halftime stats:

The Warriors began the second half on a Curry three that was followed by a couple of Thompson jumpers. Those shots alone were most likely worth votes for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Curry continued to make it rain with threes and the Warriors led the Nuggets 93-81 at the end of the third quarter.

The Warriors’ hustle remained unmatched in the fourth quarter. Curry had 30 points in 32 points.

The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 124-114. With the win, Golden State improved to 33-8.

Here are the Warriors’ final stats:

Notes
Steph Curry was named Western Conference Player of the Week.

First 10,000 fans in the doors received a Klay Thompson bobblehead.

Kevin Durant donated $3 million to his alma mater UT Austin. 

Warriors’ injury report: Kevin Durant (right calf strain) is out. Omri Casspi (hip contusion), Stephen Curry (left knee soreness), Draymond Green (right knee soreness), Andre Iguodala (left knee & hip soreness) & Shaun Livingston (hip tightness) are available to play.

Up Next 
The Warriors host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at 7:30 pm PT.

San Jose Sharks Podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks come back home after 1-4 road trip; They’ll face Arizona Sat before 3-game road trip

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On the San Jose Sharks Podcast with Len Shapiro:

1 The Sharks have lost three straight and four out of five on this last road trip. It was an important trip meaning that the Sharks could have gained ground on the LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights

2 Sharks’ Logan Couture scored a power play goal and three assists and Sharks goalie Martin Jones had 26 saves great efforts but the Jets were much too much in the 4-1 loss

3 Despite the loss, head coach Peter DeBoer said the Sharks got four out 10 points, mainly from the overtime loses in Toronto and Ottawa

4 The Sharks also got a win in Montreal last week–their only win on the trip

5 The Sharks return home for a home game against the Arizona Coyotes Saturday night before a three-game road trip that starts in Los Angeles on Monday

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks Podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com