Author: Sports Radio Service

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s trading with Giants for pitching

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Former San Francisco Giant pitcher Alex Wood seen here pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sun Jul 16, 2023 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Wood was dealt to the Oakland A’s from the Giants on Fri Feb 2, 2024 for a one year deal worth $8.5 million plus $1 million in incentives. (AP News file photo)

A’s trading with Giants for pitching

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The Oakland A’s traded with their Bay Area National League neighbor, acquiring two veteran pitchers, hoping they could help a promising but inexperienced pitching staff.

Left-handed Alex Wood was a free agent from the Giants until he recently agreed to an $8.5 million, one-year contract with Oakland with $1 million in available incentives. The veteran of 11 years in the major league ended with a 5-5 record, 4.33 in 12 starts with the Giants, and pitched a total of 97 2/3 innings.

Wood’s best season was in 2017 with the LA Dodgers when he ended with a 16-3 record, a 2.72 earned run average, started 25 games, and pitched 152 1/3 innings.

Ross Stripling was acquired from the Giants. In return, the A’s sent young minor league outfielder Jonah Cox an unspecified amount of cash. To clear room on the 40-man roster, infielder Jonah Bride was designated for assignment. 

Stripling (an 8-year MLB veteran) had a 0-5 record with a 5.36 earned run average in 22 games (11 starts)and a total of 89 innings pitched.

Big trade between A’s and the Giants? March 1978, the Athletics traded Vida Blue to the San Francisco Giants for Gary Thomasson, Gary Alexander, Dave Heaverlo, John Henry Johnson, Phil Huffman, Alan Wirth, and $300,000. Mario Guerrero was sent to the Athletics as a player to be named later to complete the transaction.

Spring Training 2024:  Oakland A’s pitchers and catchers’ first workout is on February 14 at Hohokam Stadium, Mesa. San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers’ first workout is on February 15 at Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale.

“Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism, and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again”–Ernie Banks.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Two double-doubles spark Cardinal to 71-62 win over ASU

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The Arizona State Sun Devils guard Kamari Lands (0) gets the rebound against the Stanford Cardinal forward Brandon Angel (23) in first half action in Tempe on Thu Feb 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Thursday, February 1, 2024

A big second half, combined with double-double performance from Brandon Angel and Maxime Raynaud, lifted Stanford past Arizona State 71-62 Thursday in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

It was the Cardinal’s first win at ASU since March 3, 2018.

Angel led the Cardinal with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Raynaud racked up his eighth double-double of the season and fifth in his last six games with 12 points and 17 boards. Michael Jones added 18 points – including five 3-pointers – for Stanford (11-9 overall, 6-4 Pac-12). Benny Gealer contributed eight points and four assists.

Raynaud’s 17 rebounds are the most for a Cardinal since John Sharma pulled down 18 on Dec. 29, 2018 against Long Beach State. It was also the first time the Cardinal had two players with a double-double in the same game since 2021 (Oscar da Silva and Zaire Williams vs Washington).

The Sun Devils (11-10 overall, 6-5 Pac-12) scored the first nine points of the game, but Stanford reeled off a 10-2 run, pulling the Cardinal to within 11-10 three minutes later.. Stanford took its first lead at 15-14, but ASU battled back to take a 33-29 halftime lead.

There were six lead changes in the first half.

The Cardinal opened the second half with a 12-2 run, taking a 41-35 lead, Arizona State regained the lead at 46-45 with 13 minutes remaining. Stanford trailed 60-54 with 7:25 to play, but forged a 17-2 run to go ahead to stay.

Raynaud scored six points down the stretch, while Angel and Gealer added four points each during that segment to wrap up the win for Stanford.

Jose Perez led the Sun Devils with 14 points, Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal each scored 12 points and Adam Miller added 10, Collins had four steals and Alonzo Gaffney had seven of ASU’s 33 rebounds.

Stanford continues its southwest road trip in Tucson, visiting No. 11/12 Arizona Sunday at 5 p.m.

Wildcats too much for Bears, as Arizona clobbers Cal 91-65

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The Cal Bears Fardaws Aimaq (right) tries to contain the Arizona Wildcats Oumar Ballo (left) in the first half at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson on Thu Feb 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024

McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Arizona

California Golden Bears 65 (8-13 Overall; 4-6 Pac-12)

Arizona Wildcats 91 (16-5 Overall; 7-3 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

Coming into Tuscson to play the 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats proved to be too much for the Bears, as they were clobbered by Arizona, 91-65 .

Following a pair of thrilling late wins, the Bears were headed to Arizona to play the number-11 Wildcats

Arizona won the opening tip, and Caleb Love hit a jumper right away. Oumar Ballo followed that up with a second-chance layup to give the Wildcats an early 4-0 lead. Fardaws Aimaq hit a three-ball to put Cal on the board, but that proved to be their only real action of the night.

From there, the Wildcats just took off. Ballo led the way, as Arizona jumped out to a 16-6 lead just four minutes and 11 seconds into the game.

The Bears made a slight bit of noise. Jalen Celestine hit a three, and Rodney Brown Jr. laid one in to cut the deficit to 17-11, but the Wildcats pounded the Bears into submission from there.

The Wildcats went on a 12-0 run to open it to 29-11, and they kept going, as they went into the half up 48-28.

The Bears did chip away at Arizona’s lead a bit in the early minutes of the second half. Celestine made a three to make it 54-39 with 15:56 to go. Cal has come back from some significant deficits throughout this season, and they certainly believed they could tonight.

However, the Wildcats were simply too good. Ballo made a hookshot and a second-chance layup immediately after Celestine’s three, and Arizona put the game away for good, as they ended up winning it by 26 points at 91-65.

Almost everything has been a team effort for the Bears this season. There have not been too many games where one player dominated the scoring. This has been the case in wins and losses.

Tonight was no different with Cal’s stagnant offense. Jalen Celestine led the scoring with just 13 points, and was 5-for-10 in field goals. Brown scored 12, and Aimaq and Jaylon Tyson each scored 10.

Ballo had the big night for Arizona, scoring 22 points, and going a perfect 8-for-8 in field goals. Keshad Johnson had a solid night with 15 points, and KJ Lewis scored 14.

The Bears fall to 4-7 in Pac-12 play, and fall to 8-13 overall, as they will now head northwest up Interstate-10 to Tempe, where they will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils for a noon tipoff on Saturday.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Columbus’ Fantilli out for 8 weeks calf laceration; Canucks reup GM Allvin 3 more years; plus more news

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The Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli (left) passes the puck while be pursued by the Seattle Kraken’s forward Yanni Gourde (right) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Sat Jan 13, 2024. Fantilli was injured on Sun Jan 28, 2024 vs. Seattle (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Columbus Blue Jackets Adam Fantilli is expected to be out for the next eight weeks because of a lacerated calf. Fantilli got the laceration in the second period of the Jackets contest against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday when his calf caught the blade of Kraken Jared McCann. Fantilli hopped off the ice and down the tunnel to the dressing room without putting any pressure on his leg.

#2 Things are going well for the Vancouver Canucks who are tied for the best NHL record and going so well that they have extended their general manager Patrik Allvin to a three year deal to make sure he stays on with the club. The Canucks wanted to sign Allvin now and become active buyers before the NHL trade deadline on March 8th.

#3 The Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen was cleared to start working out. Andersen had been out since Nov 2 due to a blood clotting issue. Before going on the injured list Andersen was 4-1-0 with 2.87 goals against and a very respectable goals saved average of .894. Andersen said he was thrilled to be a step closer to joining his teammates.

#4 Len it’s going to be a very busy Thursday to star NHL All Star weekend with three events taking place all in one day at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Thursday’s events begin with Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft (6 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, TVAS), (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS).

#5 The Toronto Maple Leafs George Armstrong who lived to be 90 years old was a key player and team captain for the 1967 Maple Leafs who scored one of the three goals to defeat the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup 3-1 it was the last time the Leafs won the Cup. The NHL Alumni Association will recognize and remember the 67 Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena as part of the three event program on Thursday. The Alumni Association will present the Keith Magnuson Award to the seven living 1967 Maple Leafs players  David Keon, Frank Mahovlich (both in the NHL Hall of Fame) and Bob Pulford, and fellow forwards Brian Conacher, Ron Ellis, Pete Stemkowski and Mike Walton.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors open five game road trip Friday in Memphis

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The Philadelphia 76ers center Kelly Oubre Jr is in no sharing mood with the basketball as the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (left) and guard Brandin Podziemski (right) watch for his next move in the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Having lost the last two games by a single point, the Warriors rebounded to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-105 Tuesday night at the Chase Center.

#2 The Sixers’ big man, Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, scored 70 points in a game last week. The Warriors’ task was to find a way to slow down Embiid. 

#3 It would be challenging as the Warriors did not have Klay Thompson available to play. Thompson was under the weather.

#4 Steve Kerr had rookie Brandin Podziemski start in the backcourt with guard Stephen Curry.

#5 The Warriors open a five game road trip starting in Memphis on Friday then head to Atlanta, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Indiana. The Warriors have lost six of their last ten games and are in 12th place in the Western Conference it’s early but can they possibly get a play in at the rate their going?

Join Jerry for the Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Chiefs and political conspiracy theories; Cowboys owner Jones says he can work with Belichick; plus more news

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Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift walk out of Arrowhead Stadium Dec 25, 2023 after playing the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers for Sun Feb 11, 2024 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (Kansas City Star file photo)

On Headline Sports with Jessica:

#1 As soon as the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC Championship over the Baltimore Ravens right wing leaders have said that liberals put Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That liberals paid off the Chiefs opponents to make the Super Bowl and having the Chiefs in the Big Game would benefit the liberals and President Biden and that Chiefs opponents would be paid off with cabinet positions in the next Biden Administration. How far does some of the right wing go with some of these ideas?

#2 Jessica, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick the way things are looking will not be a head coach in the NFL for the 2024 season. It’s 2025 that he could get a call from the owner of the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones if current head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t work out. Jones said “I know him personally and I like him,” Jones said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “There’s no doubt in my mind we could work together. None.”

#3 The Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Edwards was hit with a $40,000 fine for comments made against the officiating after the Timberwolves defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Edwards said that the officials were “bad” and “terrible” for over looking fouls that should have sent him to the free throw line.

#4 The Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was accused of “poking the bear” when he left his helmet, kicking tee, footballs and equipment where Kansas City City Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes warms up. Kelce said if Tucker wasn’t going to move his equipment he would be happy to move it for him, with Mahomes throwing the kicking tee and Kelce kicking the footballs. Tucker was winking at Kelce and Mahomes saying it was a joke. Kelce said they weren’t in a joking mood and the Chiefs just wanted to get after it.

#5 With Jim Harbaugh coming back to California once again to be a head coach in the NFL this time with the Los Angeles Chargers scored $16 million per year for five years worth up to $80 million. The Chargers who are noted for not breaking the bank did so with hiring Harbaugh who was the former San Francisco 49ers head coach and most recently the Michigan Wolverines.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Another Slow Start Plague Kings – Losing to Heat 115-106

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The Miami Heat’s forward Jimmy Butler (22) leans in to take a shot against the Sacramento Kings forward De’Aaron Fox (5) at the Kayesa Arena in Biscayne Bay FL on Wed Jan 31, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (27-18) got another slow start Wednesday night losing to the Miami Heat (25-23) 115-106. They were off all night. Buckets were not dropping despite good looks in virtually every quarter. The bright spots in this game were the performances of Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray. Sabonis had his 13th triple double and Keegan Murray had the game high with 33 points.

Game recap: Sacramento did get a better start in the opening quarter of this game but still trailed after the first 12 minutes 28-22. The Kings trailed by as much as 18 points in the second quarter but cut it to single digits in the later minutes of the half 53-45. 

Sacramento had a nice run in the second quarter trailing 59-55 at the half. They did win the quarter 33-31. Domantas Sabonis had a great second quarter scoring nine points and Keegan Murray was leading the pack with 21 points for the half. 

The Kings had put the stops on the turnovers with six in the first two quarters. Harrison Barnes had a quiet half, on court for 17 minutes and coming away empty. De’Aaron Fox also had a slow start with 5 points in the first half. 

Both teams were shooting about 47% from the field but the Kings fell short from downtown. Sacramento was 30% from long going 6 of 20 and the Heat shot for almost 60% scoring 7 of 12. 

The Kings were doing a good job keeping Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier pretty well contained. Sacramento needed another strong second half. if they had any thoughts of winning this game. Murray was responsible for keeping Sacramento in this game at all.

The Kings really began to push the pace of the game in the second quarter erasing a significant deficit and needed to keep pushing in the second half. Sacramento’s offensive effort went a bit stale in the third quarter and they desperately needed some stops. 

With 1:35 left in the quarter the Heat had pushed their lead out to 90-80. The Heat’s Jimmy Butler had 12 points in the third quarter alone and he was presenting all sorts of problems for the Kings.

With the clock winding down, the Kings needed not only stops but buckets as well. With four minutes left in the game the Kings were looking at a ten-point deficit 103-93. The Kings would look back at key defensive mistakes in this game and triples were also hard to find with the exception of Keegan Murray who was 7 of 11. 

Sacramento has struggled defensively in the month of January and tonight the Kings did not have their best stuff by a long-shot, they were just off. The Kings dropped this one 115-106 despite some brilliant play from Sabonis and Murray. This Heat win ended a seven game losing streak for Miami.

The bright spot in this game was Murray who finished with 33 points. Sabonis had his 13th triple double and finished with 17 rebounds, 13 assists and 19 points. The team was just a step off and their rhythm was shaky. The nine turnovers were a definite improvement but they needed a whole lot more from Fox, Barnes and Monk.

Butler had the team high for the Heat with 31 points and off the bench Josh Richardson had a great game shooting for 24 points.

Post game notes: Monday night the Kings barely got past the Grizzlies before locking down the win. Tuesday night the Kings couldn’t get past the Miami Heat in an even tougher matchup. The Kings got a horrible start in their last game trailing after the first quarter 33-18. They needed a better start in Wednesday night’s game although the Kings hung with the Heat in the end the Heat finished the job.

Friday night the Kings take on the Indiana Pacers. Sacramento has to be better prepared as they continue this seven game road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM. 

 

 

San Francisco 49ers/Super Bowl LVIII podcast with David Zizmor: How close will this match up be in Vegas?

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (right) match up at Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl LII on Sun Feb 11, 2024 (Getty photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers had to come back from behind in order to defeat the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions to get here. Brock Purdy had to convert six out seven passes to get the game winning score against the Packers. Purdy again had to hurry up the offense against the Lions and capitalize on Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s refusal to kick field goals and throw for a broken up touchdown.

#2 Dave talk about Purdy’s performance against the Lions he went 20-31, 267 yards, and one touchdown. He got San Francisco out of a tight jam in a come back against the Lions 24-7 at Levi Stadium to come back and win 34-31.

#3 The 49ers and Chiefs duel in Super Bowl LIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this could be one for the ages how close do you see these teams matched up?

David Zizmor does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Tropicana to offer Severance Pay

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Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Ted Pappageorge addresses the media at the Culinary Union Hall in Las Vegas Feb 2020. Pappageorge says union workers at the Tropicana will receive a severance pay for their service when the Tropicana is torn down to make room for the Las Vegas A’s new ballpark in April 2025. (Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)

Tropicana to offer Severance Pay

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Severance pay is granted to employees terminated by employment in cases where employees are victims of business decisions where they have no say. In the case of the Tropicana in Las Vegas is about to happen.

That is when the Tropicana Casino-Hotel closes its doors on April 2 to free the way for the A’s to build their new ballpark. According to the Union, the Tropicana employees will receive $2,000 per year they worked at the iconic Las Vegas location, and many of the senior employees could receive up to $60,000 of severance pay.

This is excellent news, especially for the seniors who will get the notice and the severance money because there is a good chance most of these people will decide to retire. “It’s a significant part of that workforce that has been working there for decades,” Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Ted Pappageorge said during a Zoom news conference earlier this week.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows leisure and hospitality employment was over 302,000. Las Vegas is a destination vacation entertainment city primarily dependent on the hospitality industry for its economy.

As of October, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows leisure and hospitality employment was over 302,000, approximately 10,000 more employees than in February 2020, and nearly 5,000 above the previous peak in 2019. It is a huge union, almost half of the total population of Las Vegas, 602,000 people.

The A’s in Las Vegas will probably have a marketing plan in association with all the Hotel Casinos. Earlier in the process of their relocation, these were strong supporters: The Nevada AAPI Chamber of Commerce and Henderson Chamber of Commerce will attract most of their attendance, coming from out-of-towners.

Also supporting the A’s move earlier in the process were the Latin Chamber of Commerce, the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, and the Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Note: Las Vegas, Nevada, known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” takes the top spot on the list of cities worldwide with the most hotel rooms. With over 150,000 hotel rooms, Las Vegas offers visitors a wide variety of accommodations. From an average of $29 per night to $100,000 suits for high rollers.

What does the saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” mean? This was created in 2003 by the Las Vegas tourism department and an ad agency.

Do not forget that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and what mostly stays in Vegas is your money.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks Win In A Shutout 2-0 Game Against The Seattle Kraken; SJ’s Blackwood stops 32 shots to blank Kraken

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) looks on as Shark defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk (83) reaches out for the puck in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE, CA – In the “Shark Tank”, the SAP Center the San Jose Sharks host the Seattle Kraken. Logan Couture’s impact has been felt since his return, logging his first assist of the season in his first game back (Jan. 20 vs. ANA) and posting the game-deciding goal in a shootout in the following game against the Los Angeles Kings (Jan. 22).

The Sharks’ centerman lead the team in numerous categories, Hertl in scoring with 15 goals, Granlund in assists with 24 and Sturm in faceoff win percentage with 61.3% (min. 100 faceoffs). Starting in net for San Jose is Mackenzie Blackwood and for Seattle, Joey Daccord. Blackwood stopped 32 shots by the Kraken for the 2-0 shutout.

Slow first period for both teams and it was both defenses jousting for position. Shakir Mukhamadullin got a minor for tripping and even though the penalty was killed off, it came with a close call where fans and even players thought the puck crossed the line, but it was waved off as play continued.

The period was scoreless, Blackwood stopping 13 shots on goal, the Sharks only getting three shots on goal. The Kraken had as many shots on goal as the Sharks had in attempts in the first period. 0-0 at first intermission, but Sharks showed no sign of energy in the first period. 

The second period was an even slower period, but that’s because of this high defensive output from both squads. In that period the shots on goal total for both teams was ten (Seattle with six and San Jose with four) and it stayed scoreless after another 20 minutes.

Other than shot attempts where the Kraken out-shot the Sharks by double, the stats on paper seemingly were as even as they could be for this close contest. At the second intermission the score was 0-0 and now the game was a battle of composure, who can stay level headed, because each team had one penalty that was killed off, so another mistake could shake up this whole game.

The third period was the literal game changer for the Sharks. Luke Kunin and Will Borgen got into a fight early in the period and the hands they were throwing put a battery in the San Jose crowd. Almost four minutes later the Sharks took advantage of this hype crowd and the energy they gave them.

William Eklund got some oohs and ahhs from the crowd with his stick handling and it led to an opening in the Seattle defense where Marc-Edouard Vlasic (his fourth goal) was able to hit a wrist shot from the blue line, 1-0 Sharks. The goal was assisted by Ty Emberson, his eighth and William Eklund, his 14th.

The rest of the period was the Sharks holding off the Kraken and after Jan Rutta hit an empty net goal, the period ended 2-0 and the Sharks get a shutout victory and Blackwood was awarded the first star of the game.

This win for the Sharks is a big victory, their 14th win on the season, but they get less than 24 hours to enjoy this win, because they go to Anaheim to face the Ducks January 31st (tomorrow) and then it’s the All-Star break where they won’t have a game until Valentine’s Day.

The Sharks may not be in the hunt for a cup this year, but one thing is clear is they won’t go without a fight and especially against teams with winning records.