Category: San Francisco Giants

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will this second meeting with Harper mean he’ll become a Giant?; Johnny Football is out of football again; Will Green and Durant leave Warriors after this season?; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The San Francisco Giants had a second meeting with free agent superstar Bryce Harper. Does that look like an indication that Harper likes what the Giants organization is all about and what they have to offer?

#2 Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was released by the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes for violations of his contract. The Alouettes further informed the other eight teams in the CFL of Manziel’s release. The Alouettes did not give a reason why he was being released. But sources say Manziel violated his confidentiality agreement. It was reported that the CFL ordered his release.

#3 The Golden State Warriors have lost three of their last four games and have showed signs of tiring. They trailed the Miami Heat in Wednesday night’s game and talk has it that besides Kevin Durant who could go shopping after this season Draymond Green could announce for free agency after next season as well.

#4 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night and hosted the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night and lost 141-140. The Kings–even when they lose–still make it interesting right until the end of the game.

#5 How concerned should the Oakland A’s be about their starting rotation now that pitchers Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are returning from surgery from last season? Can the A’s rotation stay healthy this season?

Join Tony each Thursday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Will Machado signing open doors for Harper and Keuchel?; Raiders-Coliseum to get a deal done; Kings at Golden State tonight; plus more

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bleacherreport.com file photo: Bryce Harper’s negotiations with the Washington Nationals is not the same offer that the San Diego Padres Manny Machado received as Harper remains a free agent

On Headline Sports with Tony:

#1 The recent signing of Manny Machado to the a ten year $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres could that mean more big signings to come with Dallas Keuchel and Bryce Harper.

#2 The Raiders are at the bargaining table with the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority to get a deal on the table to get the Raiders back at the Coliseum for home games the Raiders might even sign a two year deal if the stadium in Vegas is not ready by the 2020 season.

#3 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a tough two point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb 14th they’re in Oakland tonight to face the Warriors.

#4 The Oakland A’s president David Kaval finally solved the A’s radio flagship station issues getting KTRB 860 in San Francisco and now the biggest task at hand trying to solve the toxic waste clean up at the A’s future new home at Jack London Square

#5 The Giants biggest story is the retirement announcement of manager Bruce Bochy who will finish his career this season

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bruce Bochy to retire after 2019 season ends

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

When Bruce Bochy arrived in San Francisco to manage the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2007 season, the team last won the World Series in 1954.

Well, that changed within four seasons, as he led the team to the World Series Championship in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Bochy, who is entering his 13th season with the Giants decided that this will be his last season on the bench, as he announced his retirement at his daily press conference.

“In my mind it’s time,” said Bochy, who told the team prior to the teams’ workout at Scottsdale Stadium.

Bochy, who will be 64 on April 16 is only the manager to win three World Series as manager that is not in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; however, that will most likely change five years from now.

“I haven’t even thought about that,” he added.

Bochy spent the first 12 years of his managerial career as the manager of the San Diego Padres from 1995-2006 that included a trip to the 1998 World Series, where the Padres were swept by the Yankees.

Going into the 2019 season, Bochy is 1,926-1,944, good for 11th place on the all-time wins list.

During his big league career, Bochy played nine seasons for the New York Mets, Houston Astros and the Padres.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Raiders’ move to Oracle Park, hitting a major snafu–political and territorial

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Photo credit: @957thegame

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 Hall and Oates once penned a hit single called “I can’t go for that” while that old tune is starting to be hummed as San Francisco Mayor London Breed says that the idea of the Oakland Raiders playing in San Francisco is hitting a snafu. The deal looked good for a minute as the San Francisco Giants were prepared to host the wayward Raiders, but all for getting the ok from the San Francisco 49ers, who were mum on Tuesday and the Mayor came out and said the Raiders should play their games in Oakland and not in the City.

#2 Breed said that with the basketball Golden State Warriors with construction at the South of Market Chase Center, UCSF Hospital, a new landing area for ferry boats,1400 units of housing. Essentially, the City may say no to all the traffic congestion with two big league teams all going at the same time.

#3 During Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, the subject of the Raiders playing in San Diego came up and during a press conference NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear that the league wants the Raiders to finish up their final season (2019) in the Bay Area.

#4 Other Bay Area options: The Raiders could used the very stadium from the team they need territorial rights from the San Francisco 49ers for use of Oracle if they get denied on that from the City then they might have to share Levis Stadium with the 49ers. This would be done only as a favor to Goodell and the league as this is the Raiders last season, but you can best bet the 49ers will be getting a share of the profits no matter if it’s at Oracle Park or Levis Stadium.

#5 The discussion of using Cal’s Memorial Stadium went off the table because of the lack of parking near the stadium and Stanford Stadium was not discussed and not considered. The subject of the Raiders going back to finish their last season at the Oakland Coliseum is now back on the table and to see if the City of Oakland and the Raiders could iron out some of their issues to make that happen. In the meantime, the NFL is waiting anxiously to make their schedules for next season.

London Marq does Headline Sports for http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday

Will 49ers waive territorial rights to allow Raiders to play in the City?

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San Francisco Demons XFL file photo: AT&T Park football configuration during the 2001 season of the XFL San Francisco Demons. The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco will share the park during the 2019 season.

By Joe Hawkes Beamon

SAN FRANCISCO — Plans by the Oakland Raiders are on the drawing board and sources say it’s very close that an agreement between the Raiders and San Francisco Giants will be hammered out. Matter fact it’s understood there is an agreement on the table as of Monday morning.

If an agreement is made it’s almost assured because of the smaller size of Oracle Park compared to the Oakland Coliseum the Raiders would most likely sell out every home game plus the idea that it’s the Raiders last season in the Bay Area and many Raider and NFL fans will want to take a last look at the team before they leave.

At issue is the San Francisco 49ers who have territorial rights in San Francisco and will they allow the Raiders playing in San Francisco. The 49ers are said to be studying any possible financial loses if the Raiders play in the city. The 49ers who play in Santa Clara a good hour drive from the City may ok the deal as the Raiders will play their last season in the Bay Area at Oracle Park.

The 49ers are looking to see what they would benefit from the deal from having the Raiders playing in San Francisco and that the 49ers may ask for a cut on tickets and TV shares from the Raiders if they waive their territorial rights. The 49ers have not commented on the Raiders playing in San Francisco and negotiations are still on the way.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that he wanted the Raiders to make a decision as to where they will play as soon as possible. The NFL wants to begin making the schedule for the 2019 season without further delay.

The Raiders who chose not to play at the Oakland Coliseum anymore after the city of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the team in December. The Raiders had a tentative deal with the Oakland Coliseum and withdrew after Oakland filed the suit stating that the suit was over the relocation to Las Vegas calling the deal “illegal” the city of Oakland is seeking million of dollars from the Raiders and the NFL.

For football Oracle Park would seat up to 40,000 fans. Oracle Park hosted football when the XFL’s San Francisco Demons who played there in 2001, The California Mountain Lions in 2009 of the United Football League, Cal in 2011, NCAA bowl games the Shriners, Diamond, Kraft and Foster Bowls in 2002 to 2013.

Former Giants managing partner Peter Magowan dies at 76

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

Peter Magowan, who with a last effort kept in 1992 kept the San Francisco Giants from moving to Tampa, Florida died on Sunday from complications from Cancer, he was 76 years old.

Magowan, who grew up watching the Giants in New York, where he was born and then as fate would have it, Magowan and his family moved to San Francisco, just months after the Giants moved to the Bay Area.

It was Magowan, who formed a group of people to buy the team from then owner Bob Lurie for $100 million. That winter, Magowan signed Barry Bonds to a contract worth $43.5 million over a six-year period.

After the 2008 season, and 16 years at the helm, Magowan stepped down as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Just two years later, the Giants won the first World Championship since 1954, and within a five-year period, the team would win the World Series in both 2012 and 2014.

“Peter’s mark on the Giants and the San Francisco community can be felt throughout the ballpark, in which he was intimately involved in the design and planning and throughout the daily operations of the organization,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said. “He set forth a Giants vision to create a winning culture and to serve our fans and the community. Over the past 25 years, we have followed through on his vision and his impact on our community will be felt for decades to come.”

Prior to the coming to the Giants, Magowan worked for Safeway Inc., and was the chairman and CEO from 1980-1993 before he stepped down after he took over the Giants.

Magowan was a big fan of Willie Mays, as he gave the Hall of Famer a lifetime contract after he took over the team. He also brought back to the organization the late Willie McCovey, who passed away on October 31 at the age of 80 and Orlando Cepeda, and the two were named Special Advisers.

Peter Magowan has been a part of my life for a long, long time, first as a fan watching me play in New York and then, remaining a fan when we moved to San Francisco,” Mays said. “Along the way, he became my friend. Peter would call me often to check in. He and Debby cared about me and it was so easy to care about them in return. It’s hard to find the right words just now, but in losing Peter, I’ve lost a great, great friend. He was like my godfather. No one can replace him.

Magowan will be inducted into the Giants Wall of Fame at the team’s annual Fanfest on February 9.

He is survived by wife Debby, five children and 12 grandchildren.

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

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Photo credit: @NBCSGiants

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

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

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

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

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

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

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Kaepernick return talk, he won’t be back; Giants won’t use pitching openers; Antonio Brown wants to join 49ers; plus more

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Photo credit: time.com

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 There’s been talk that former 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s return to the NFL is long overdue. Is there a chance for Kaepernick to return to the NFL?

#2 The San Francisco Giants most likely will not use pitching openers to start ballgames. They will use the traditional starter and relievers during an nine inning contest.

#3 Tony talks about talk that Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown, who wants to play for the 49ers, will need to work out his contract with the Steelers first before leaving.

#4 Tony takes a look at the NFL Championship Final Four in the NFC. Tony says it’s New Orleans 45 and the LA Rams 38.

#5 In the AFC: New England Patriots 31 and Kansas City Chiefs 30.

Tony does the Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants re-sign Derek Holland to 1-year, $7 million deal

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By: Ana Kieu

Left-handed pitcher Derek Holland was pulled out of the free agent market Monday morning. The San Francisco Giants re-signed Holland to a 1-year, $7 million deal. So Holland will be guaranteed $7 million this coming season and will earn at least $6.5 million next season if the Giants pick up the option with incentives that could make it a $15.5 million deal over two years. The news was first reported by The Athletic.

Sure, Holland reportedly told MLB Network Radio earlier this month that the Cincinnati Reds contacted him, but he never confirmed any plans with his hometown team. Holland is a Newark, Ohio native whose nickname is “Dutch Oven.” Holland was selected 25th overall in 2006 out of Wallace State Community College in Huntsville, Alabama.  Holland spent seven years in Arlington, Texas before spending brief, 1-year stints with the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants.

The Giants’ decision to re-sign Holland was an excellent one. Holland deserves a pay raise considering the fact that he arrived in San Francisco, Calif. last year as a non-roster invitee. Holland made $2 million last year, which was minimal compared to the contracts of other players in the MLB, but he ended up becoming one of the Giants’ most valuable players. Holland led the pitching rotation by tossing 171 1/3 innings and posting a 3.57 ERA with 169 strikeouts. Holland served as a starter for the most part. At times, Holland moved to the Giants bullpen, but he was able to achieve success there, too.

The Giants are reportedly expected to add more starters in an attempt to add more depth that Dereck Rodriguez and Andrew Suarez can start the 2019 MLB season in the minors and/or bullpen. Moreover, Holland was a great step that filled some of the Giants’ pitching needs.

Oracle gets naming rights, but Oracle Park draws mixed emotions

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By: Ana Kieu

All day Wednesday, Giants fans said goodbye and snapped selfies using their smartphones to bid farewell to AT&T Park, which used the name from 2006 to 2018. Previously, it was named SBC Park from 2004 to 2005 and Pacific Bell Park from 2000 to 2003.

Fast forward to Thursday morning when the Giants’ stadium staffers took to the front plaza of the waterfront ballpark and hung up a new banner that read “ORACLE PARK: Home to the San Francisco Giants.” While this shocking move took place, news outlets, fans and passerby were witnessing a change that drew mixed emotions. Some were able to soak in the new name, but many cringed at the name.

“Are we not considered one of the best stadiums in the league?” wrote a tweeter named Drew. “Can we please get something nicer that stands out in the history books like Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium does? #OraclePark”

I, myself, tweeted to ask the masses if I was the only one who wasn’t digging AT&T Park’s new name Oracle Park and got a couple of reactions. Even my friend Manny, who’s not really a sports fan, asked me: “Why would they do that? They just can’t rename history.” And I 100% percent agree with Manny along with anyone else with a similar thought like Manny’s.

Also, I think Oracle Park is a little too corporate sounding. But, you know, Oracle was the highest bidder in the bidding war and got their hands on the latest naming rights, so there’s that. Oracle is a $40 billion business software company that was founded in 1977.

“We really like the fact that Oracle is a local company,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer told SFGate. “They’re not going anywhere. We’re not going anywhere. Having a Bay Area-based company with the naming rights was a consideration.”

At the end of the day, all Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and company can do is play ball at Oracle Park this coming season. The same goes for the fans and media who watch the ballgames.