Author: Sports Radio Service

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Commanders shock football world knocking out Lions; SF Giants working on getting Jays Guerrero Jr in 3 player deal; plus more news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is on the way with a keeper runs past the Detroit Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurlike (91) in the second half in the NFC Divisional game at Ford Field in Detroit Sat Jan 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie O, are the Washington Commanders that underdog, under rated team and going through their post season portfolio, they won their first round of the playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back on Dec 29th in overtime and advanced to face the Detroit Lions on Saturday night. The Commanders shocked not only the nation’s capital but the country with a shocking 45-31 win over the Super Bowl favored Detroit Lions. With the loss the Lions will not appear in the Super Bowl for 59 seasons.

# 2 The Kansas City Chiefs have never lost a AFC Divisional game and the Houston Texans have never won one. The case was the same on Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw to Travis Kelce seven times for 117 yards and and a touchdown as the Chiefs took out the Texans 23-14 to advance to the AFC Championship.

#3 Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady is said to be courting Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the front runner for the head coaching opening at the Raiders. There is very little doubt that Brady and other NFL teams will be reaching out to Johnson knowing the success he’s had with the Lions offense.

#4 The San Francisco Giants are rumored to be working a three player blockbuster deal to obtain Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for reliever Camilo Doval, infielder/outfielder Marco Luciano, and outfielder James Tibbs III. The Jays have not been able to seal a deal with Guerrero and the Giants are said to be willing to break the bank and spend $333 to $426 million to get Guerrero who might be San Francisco’s ticket to get to the post season.

#5 The Athletics are hoping to develop Japanese 18 year old two way player Shotaro Morii and were able to bypass the Japanese professional league getting Morii for a minor league signing bonus of $1,510,500. Morii will become the sixth A’s Japanese player and the fifth Japanese born player joining Shintaro Fujinami, Hideki Okajima, Hideki Okjima, Akinori Iwamura, Keiichi Yabu, Hideki Matsui and American Born Japanese catcher Kurt Suzuki.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Does a season ticket sell out mean the relocation pressure is off the A’s brass?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Athletics owner John Fisher (left) smiles while former Athletics pitcher Rollie Fingers (right) signs autographs for the fans at Las Vegas Ballpark on Mar 8, 2024 during last year’s spring training (Las Vegas Review-Journal photo)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Now that the A’s have sold out their season tickets for their 2025 season in Sacramento is the pressure off the A’s brass regarding their move out of Oakland?

#2 Are fans from the Bay Area going to still be fans of the A’s and maybe even spend their money on going to see the A’s in Sacramento?

#3 Reporters have said that Sutter Health Park and the A’s have built out their seats, fixed the clubhouses with weight rooms, and have added 10-15 more seats in pressbox. That said it’s still falls short of MLB standards and it’s going to be quite a squeeze to get into park for employees, fans, media, and the teams to fit into.

#4 A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker said that the A’s are the team he wants to stay with that the A’s are a desirable place to be at and that he’s happy with the group of people that Rooker has to work with on a day to day basis. Needless to say he’s happy about the five year $60 million extension he got with the club.

#5 The A’s actual environment covering this team everyday in 2024 they are a great group of players who like each other. In the press conference they had in Sacramento when some of the players were introduced they were excited about coming to Sacramento. But will this be at a honeymoon stage when they and visiting teams realize that playing in a minor league park is not all that it’s cracked up to be for a big league setting?

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting As Utah HC Battles Blues For 4-2 Victory

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Utah Hockey Club’s center Clayton Keller (9) takes a shot on net against the St Louis Blues left winger Pavel Buchnevich (89) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Jan 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Liam O’Brien’s bloody fight sparks Utah’s 3-goal outburst in the first as teammates go on to win 4-2.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the St. Louis Blues to Delta Center on Saturday night for the sixth of seven games in the longest homestand of the season. Utah previously defeated their division rival 4-2 in St. Louis in November and entered the game trailing the Blues by five points in the Central Division standings.

Two minutes into the first period, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker ripped a snap shot from near the faceoff circle for his second goal of the season, assisted by Oskar Sundqvist, to give St. Louis an early 1-0 lead. On the ensuing draw, Tucker dropped the gloves with Utah’s Liam O’Brien in a brutal exchange of fisticuffs which ultimately sent O’Brien to the locker room with blood streaming down his face as fans roared their approval.

At 5:15 of the frame, Zack Bolduc went to the sin bin for tripping against John Marino, giving Utah its first power play of the evening. Less than a minute later, defenseman Michael Kesselring netted his 5th of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller.

At 8:25, Utah grabbed the lead on Nick Schmaltz’s 9th goal of the season, assisted by Clayton and Marino. Just past the halfway point of the period, St. Louis was whistled for tripping Cooley at the net, but captain Clayton Keller lunged for a rebound and found the back of the net for his 15th of the season to nullify the penalty and give Utah a 3-1 lead heading into the locker room.

St. Louis opened the second period on the power play due to a holding penalty against Barrett Hayton near the end of the first. At 1:32 forward Jake Neighbours made it 3-2 with a power play goal, his 12th of the season, assisted by Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn. At 10:42, Logan Cooley recaptured the 2-goal lead with his 14th of the season and Keller picking up his third assist and fourth point of the night.

In the third, Utah exorcized the demons of previous late period collapses and goaltender Connor Ingram turned away the final nine shots from the Blues as Utah gained a rare home victory 4-2.

After the game, Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about his chemistry with Logan Cooley with whom he combined for seven points on the night. “I think we’re playing with a lot of speed. We’re starting to read off each other. I’ve said before, chemistry takes time and to get to know one another’s tendencies. We like to hang out. We’re chatting a lot. I’m doing everything I can to help him with how I like to play the game and how he likes to play the game. You know Schmaltzy [Nick Schmaltz] as well, I played with him for a long time as well. So it’s been good. We’ve had some success lately.” Asked about the team’s response to the early St. Louis goal, Keller said, “I think just our mindset. We’re positive. We have better body language from everyone. Coaches and all the way down. We had confidence and Ingy (Connor Ingram) made some unbelievable saves. OB (Liam O’Brien) had a great fight there. Kind of pumps us up after this and they score one. A lot of credit goes to him.”

Logan Cooley talked about how great it was to get the win. “Yeah, it’s awesome. There’s no better feeling than winning, and especially on home ice. These fans deserve it, and obviously it’s felt like it’s been a year since we had a win at home so it’s nice. I thought it was a great effort by everyone in here, a full 60 minutes. That’s how we need to play, especially against a team like that. It’s an important game. It’s basically a playoff game. So it’s unbelievable to get those two points.” With regard to Utah’s 3 goals in a 4:25 span in the first, Cooley said, “Yeah, it’s big. It allows you to feel good early on in the game. I feel like us as a line, we had a lot of touches early and that allows you to feel the puck more, and it kind of gives you more confidence to make plays. I thought our line was extremely good on both sides of the puck. We didn’t give them anything defensively, and I thought we were pretty good offensively, too, and generated a lot.”

Head coach André Tourigny was asked about the impact of O’Brien’s fight. “Every time he’s in the lineup, his energy, drive, physicality, predictability, and how he played makes me like his presence.” Tourigny also addressed the competitiveness of Cooley and Clayton Keller. “I said it many times about how competitive those two guys are. They’re never satisfied.” The coach continued, “Tonight, I liked a lot of guys on our team. I liked the fight. I liked Bjugy’s (Nick Bjugstad) line. I think they played big-boy hockey tonight. They were physical, and they had pace. They were the other huge presences in the game. I think our kill in the third period was elite as well. There’s a lot of guys who contributed to that game. I think Kesselring had a really good game. Johnny was maybe a little bit tired at the end of the game, but he was really good for us and made key plays at the end of the game. If you look throughout the lineup, there are a lot of positives. Ingy (Connor Ingram) making big saves was a key moment as well.”

Utah has a chance to earn a third victory on the homestand on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets, after which they will hit the road for a trio of games against Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.

Barracuda fall to Canucks 3-2, extend losing streak to 2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Jack Thompson (26) and a Canuck going for the puck during their game on Saturday January 18th at Abbotsford Centre. (via @sjbarracuda/x)

By Madison Montez

Coming off of a 5-4 overtime loss against the Condors on January 11th, San Jose was looking to get back in the win column. In Saturday night’s game, Colin White was back into the lineup after missing nine straight games. Danil Guschin and Thomas Bordeleau was not be in the lineup. Guschin is dealing with an injury but made the trip and Bordeleau did not make the trip, illness. The Barracuda fell a goal short in Abbottsford in a 3-2 loss to the Canucks.

The Abbotsford Canucks took advantage of a Justin Bailey two minute cross-checking penalty at 17:36 of the first. Previous to this, they went 0-2 on the powerplay. ten seconds into the powerplay, Linus Karlsson scored his 11th goal of the season assisted by Erik Brännström and Nils Åman.

After a quiet start to the econd period, the Canucks extended their lead at 11:39 when Nate Smith scored his 6th goal of the season, extending his point streak to four. Tristen Nielsen and Nils Åman registering the two assists.

The Barracuda got on the board at 13:34 when Anthony Vincent picked up the rebound on a Jimmy Schuldt shot and cut into the Canucks’s lead. Jimmy Schuldt registering the lone assist.

On San Jose’s 7th powerplay opportunity, Luca Cagnoni tied the game at two, his fifth PPG of the season, snapping a nine game scoreless drought. Justin Bailey and Lucas Carlsson registering the two assists.

After Cagnoni got tripped and turned over the puck, Abbotsford regained their lead at 14:32. Nils Åman scoring his 5th goal of the season, third point of the night. Sammy Blais registering the lone assist.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Nils Åman, 1G 2A
  • 2. Nikita Tolopilo, 34 SV/36 SH
  • 3. Nate Smith, 1G

The Barracuda will be back in action Sunday against the Canucks. San Jose will be looking to split the series against Abbotsford, 4pm puck drop.

Sharks can’t push back on Brazel and Nelson’s goals as Isles dump on SJ defense 4-1 at UBS Arena

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

New York Islanders goaltender Marcus Hogberg (50) makes a stop on the San Jose Sharks Luke Kunin (11) in the second period at UBS Arena in Elmont on Sat Jan 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

ELMONT, NY. — With several players sick or injured, the depleted San Jose Sharks fell to the New York Islanders 4-1 on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

The Sharks tied the game at 1-1 in the second period, but the Isles regained the lead 40 seconds later and took off with an unstoppable momentum.

“Yeah we just can’t make these, I don’t know if I can say it, but bonehead mistakes that end up in the back of net,” said Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “We get away from who we are as players and as a team, so until we do that we’re going to be kind of seeing the same result.”

Mathew Barzal scored the first goal of the night unassisted at 8:47 in the second period to put the Islanders up 1-0. The Sharks answered back at 10:02 when Barclay Goodrow scored a goal assisted by Jan Rutta to tie the game at 1-1.

“Yeah just saw (Collin) Graf and (Nico) Sturm driving the net, driving the inside and just trying to get the puck in,” said Goodrow of his goal.

Just 40 seconds later, Brock Nelson made a goal assisted by Kyle Palmieri and Adam Pelech to put the Isles back up 2-1. Then with 27 seconds remaining in the period, Noah Dobson made a goal assisted by Barzal and Bo Horvat, boosting the Isles up 3-1.

In the third period, Ryan Pulock made a goal assisted by Anthony Duclair and Nelson at 1:03 to expand the Islanders’ lead to 4-1. The Sharks made an effort in the third, but couldn’t score.

Sharks 19-year-old forward Will Smith, who was their fourth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, skated with Mikael Granlund and Fabian Zetterlund for the very first time.

“I mean this team has done it before coming back 4-1, so I think having the mindset that we’re not out of it, and obviously no quit is kind of the mindset going into the third,” said Smith.

The Isles had an especially memorable night before the puck dropped, holding a ceremony on the ice inducting Brent Sutter into their Hall of Fame.

The Sharks (14-28-6) continue their road trip on Monday against the Boston Bruins (22-19-6). The puck drops at 10am PST on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary–Athletics Loading-Up and Spending money in Sacramento

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento A’s two way player Shotaro Morii (gold A’s jersey) is introduced at press conference in Sacramento. Morii signed a minor league contract for $1,520,500. (photo from the New York Post)

Athletics Loading-Up and Spending money in Sacramento

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

When a team relocates, it brings a lot of new challenges, aside from the city they’re moving to, marketing strategy, new players, who is gone and who is returning plus changing the team’s identity. For the Oakland A’s, who made Oakland their home from 1968 to 2024 are now starting a new phase of their history in Sacramento, California. Aside from the new players, more on that later.

For this first season in Sacramento, 2025, the Athletics have added a new sleeve patch to their uniform that features the Tower Bridge and the word Sacramento. No, it is not as famous as the Bay Bridge or the Golden Gate Bridge, nevertheless is an emblem of Sacramento.

For this first year in Sacramento, the team also signed Dominican-born right-handed pitcher Luis Severino in December 2024. Severino (a veteran with the Yankees and Mets) got the largest contract in the history of the Athletics, a three-year, $67 million contract. Previously, Eric Chavez hsd signed the largest contract in athletics history twenty years ago, a six-year contract extension of $66 million in 2004.

The A’s went to Asia to find young talent. They recently signed 18-year-old Shotaro Morii, who made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed to a minor league contract with the Athletics, including a signing bonus of $1,520,500.

Morii is trying to become another two-way player from his country after the great Shohei Ohtani with the World Champions Los Angeles Dodgers. The minor league contract is the largest ever for a Japanese amateur outside of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)

The spending spree came after the team extended slugger Brent Rooker’s contract to five years and $60 million. The A’s DH was their MVP in 2024, with a .293 batting average, 39 home runs and 112 runs batted in. Since last season, many teams where interested in Rooker, but the A’s did well in retaining him.

The A’s signed a one-year contract with Dominican-born right-hander José Leclerc for 1 year and $10 million. The team expects José’s acquisition will bolster the back end of the bullpen, with their #1 star sensational closer Mason Miller, on his third season with the A’s.

The team also signed experienced third baseman Gio Urshela to a 1 year contract worth $2.15 million with up to $400,000 in incentives. Urshela, a native of Cartagena, Colombia, signed with Cleveland in July 2008 at age 16. He made his MLB debut for the Indians on June 9, 2015, and played two-plus seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the Blue Jays in May 2018. The team was looking for a guy with this experience to be part of their infield this year. Saludos and Adiós, for now.

Amaury Pi-González was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2010 for his work as a Spanish-language Major League Baseball. Amaury is the vice president of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame Museum catch Amaury’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks-Islanders battle of two last place teams

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

It’s a battle in front of the net with the San Jose Sharks Nico Sturm (7) and the Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dimitri Voronkov (10) both reach for the puck in the first period at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Fri Jan 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 James van Riemsdyk scored two goals for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a win over the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday. The win extended the Jackets win streak to six game. It’s the longest Columbus win streak since January 2020.

#2 The Jackets Kent Johnson scored and got an assist for Adam Fantilli picked up his eighth point and scored a goal. Van Riemsdyk got empty net goal with 2:01 left in the game which resulted in Van Riemsdyk second goal of the game.

#3 The Sharks Tyler Toffoli scored and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev saved 30 shots and the Sharks who had won six straight games have now lost four of their last five games and are in dead last place in the Pacific Division.

#4 On Thursday Marc-Edouard Vlasic played in his 1300th career game. Vlasic has been with the Sharks since the 2006-07 season. The Sharks are the only team that Vlasic knows.

#5 The Sharks now move onto the New York Islanders on Saturday. The Islanders like the Sharks are a last place team and sit in the cellar of the Eastern Conference with at 17-20-7 and have lost six of their last ten games.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: DeRozan leads Kings in 132-127 win over Rockets

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Guard Malik Monk (0) who was second in scoring for the Sacramento Kings is defended by the Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Jan 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Big offensive night for the Sacramento Kings in a 132-127 win over the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The Kings had a big second quarter outscoring the Rockets 35-27.

#2 The Kings got scoring help from DeMar DeRozan who scored a leading 33 points. Since the seven game win streak DeRozan has been like his old self having successful scoring nights.

#3 Right behind DeRozan in scoring is Molik Monk who scored 26 points and had nine assists. Monk’s contributions have been big.

#4 What can you say about Domantas Sabonis that hasn’t already been said finishing third in scoring with seven assists he’s been crucial for the Kings and helping beating the Rockets was no different.

#5 The Kings go back at it again hosting the Washington Wizards on Sunday for a 6:00pm tip. The Wizards are dead last in the Eastern Conference at 6-33 and have lost eight straight games. The Wizards should be easy pickings for the Kings.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Nylander scores game winner in OT for Leafs; Caps Ovechkin now 21 shy of Gretzky’s goal record; plus more NHL news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander (88) scored the game winning goal against the New Jersey Devils, he is joined in the celebration with teammates Jake McCabe (22) and Phillipe Myers (88) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thu Jan 16, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Toronto Maple Leafs William Nylander scored the game winning overtime goal at 1:10 to defeat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thursday night. Nylander on a Mitch Marner stretch pass and shot the puck for a goal past New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom glove side from the blue line.

#2 Alexander Ovechkin scored the game winner for the Washington Capitals for his 874th career goal at 3:07 in overtime to defeat the Ottawa Senators 1-0 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Ovechkin is now 21 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goal scoring record at 894. Ovechkin took a pass from Ramus Sandin on a two on one and beat the Sens Leevi Merilainen with a snap shot.

#3 The Tampa Bay Lightning Jake Guentzel scored in the shootout to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thursday. The Lightning’s Brayden Point scored, Victor Hedman picked up his career 600th assist. The win puts the Lighting at 3-1-1 in their last five games. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 34 shots.

#4 The Detroit Red Wings Cam Talbot stopped 41 shots on a busy night to defeat the Florida Panthers 5-2 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. Talbot had the hot hand stopping 23 shots in the third period. The Wings Dylan Larkin had two goals and an assist to keep the offense going.

#5 The Columbus Blue Jackets kept their win streak alive with a convincing 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Bank Arena in Columbus on Thursday. The Jackets James van Riemsdyk scored twice and Zach Werenski picked up his 18th consecutive home point.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Edge Rockets in High-Scoring Thriller, Return Home Victorious 132-127

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo: Malik Monk backpedals after hitting a three-pointer and Dillon Brooks runs down the court behind him. (Sacramento Kings on Instagram)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, California – The Sacramento Kings returned to action on Thursday night following a road trip that included stops in Boston, Chicago, and Milwaukee. The Kings emerged from the trip with a 2-1 record, having secured victories against the Celtics and Bulls but falling to the Bucks in their final matchup. On Thursday, the Kings faced the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center, with tip-off at 7 PM PST. The Rockets were playing the second night of a back-to-back, coming off an impressive 128-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Kings, eager to rebound from their loss to Milwaukee, secured a hard-fought 132-127 win, improving their season record to 21-20 and their home record to 11-12.

The game was a tale of two halves, with the Kings dominating early before the Rockets staged a comeback. Sacramento built a 16-point lead at one point but had to fend off Houston’s late surge. The Kings edged the Rockets 26-25 in the first quarter and 35-27 in the second, taking a 61-52 lead into halftime. However, the Rockets responded in the third quarter, outscoring the Kings 33-29 to narrow the deficit. Both teams exploded offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring 42 points each, but Sacramento held on to clinch the victory.

The closing minutes were marked by tension, with both Domantas Sabonis and Dillon Brooks fouling out after committing careless fouls. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka expressed frustration with the officiating, calling the late-game whistles “soft” and criticizing his players’ foul troubles.

Key Performers – Kings

The Kings were led by an outstanding performance from DeMar DeRozan, who delivered in crunch time by scoring 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox also played a crucial role, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in the final minutes to seal the victory. Malik Monk provided a strong spark off the bench, contributing 26 points to the Kings’ effort.

Key Performers – Rockets

For the Rockets, Jalen Green led the charge with 28 points in the losing effort. Rookie Amen Thompson impressed with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Alperen Şengün also posted a double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Postgame, the atmosphere in the Kings’ locker room was jubilant. Malik Monk praised the lively crowd at Golden 1 Center, saying, “I loved the energy tonight.”

Up Next

The Kings will remain at home to host the Washington Wizards on Sunday at 6 PM PST. As of this writing, the Wizards hold the league’s worst record at 6-33.