Category: Uncategorized

By: Ben Leonard
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Coming into the season, Stanford knew it was going to have some growing pains, having to replace stars like Chasson Randle and Anthony Brown with young talent.

It took a lot of aches and pains (even more than expected), but fueled by 23 points from point guard Christian Sanders, the Stanford Cardinal (1-0) finally pulled away from the Horizon League’s Green Bay Phoenix (0-1) to open their season in a 93-89 overtime win, part of the NIT Season Tipoff. Fittingly, the Cardinal ended last season with an NIT Championship  — it picked up right where they left off.

The Cardinal was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 media poll a year after tying for fifth last season, and have gotten their fair share of bad injury luck — they lost point guard Robert Cartwright for the season (broken arm), and had to play without Marcus Allen (wrist), and Grant Verhoeven (foot).

They certainly looked like a team short on players and experience in the early going. Even though they took a quick 17-13 lead, Green Bay turned it on, going on a 25-11 run in the last eleven minutes of the first half to take a 38-28 halftime lead, leading by as many as 14 points.

Head coach Johnny Dawkins tried to help his young team out as best as he could, calling timeouts to try to stop the Phoenix’s momentum, but it was to no avail. Green Bay’s full-court press simply forced Stanford to turn the ball over too much (11 TO), giving Green Bay too many easy opportunities to score (16 points off TO).

A self-described tweener, point guard/off guard Christian Sanders broke down how the press affected them: “Early on it was effective. Instead of attacking the basket to score, we seemed hesitant. When they came to trap, they left space (unlike most teams). We had to overcome that awkwardness — it’s just a growing-up kind of thing.”

Stanford had a lot of growing up to do, and fast. Sanders mentioned that the team was still “searching for [them]selves and learning about each other” in the first half. It was painfully obvious: the Cardinal also struggled mightily at the line in the first half, making just 6 of 11 from the charity stripe, and failed to make a three-point attempt on seven tries. Guards Carrington Love (10 points) and 6’7″ Turner Botz (8 pts) led the way for Green Bay, making Stanford’s defense look bad.

After all those turnovers in the first half,  Dawkins preached to his team to “value the ball.” Okay, they only kind of listened (10 TO the rest of the way), but it sure lit a fire under them. They slowly but surely started to pull back, cutting the Phoenix’s lead to six points with 11:20 left to play.

Stanford made some clear adjustments, becoming “more aggressive” according to forward Rosco Allen, who picked up his first career double-double, one of six Cardinal in double figures. They limited Green Bay to shoot just 34.4% from the field, while they found their shooting touch, making five of nine three-pointers and shooting 59.3% fro the field.

After getting the crowd back in it with their rally, the Cardinal finally pulled ahead 69-68 with just under three minutes to play on guard Dorian Pickens’ lay-up, their first lead since the early stages of the first half. Pickens combined with Sanders (filling in for Cartwright) to score 20 points in the second half, fueling the Cardinal’s resurgence.

Dawkins expressed total confidence in Sanders as his point guard: “It’s his time…. he needs to make the most of it for the team. He told me he was ready with such confidence.”

It looked like Pickens’ and Sanders’ efforts had the game on ice, up two points with two Sanders’ free-throws with just ten seconds left. But Pickens clanked his first free-throw off the iron before making the second, allowing for Green Bay’s Charles Cooper to hit an “and-one” layup to send the game into overtime.

Sanders carried the team in overtime, scoring eight points while making four clutch free-throws to help the Cardinal walk away victorious. Not bad for a guy who had only started in nine games coming into the season. Rosco Allen’s three gave Stanford a five-point lead with 28 seconds left, enough to ground the Phoenix.

Overall, Dawkins was pleased with his team’s effort against a program with a “really good tradition.” Before you doubt his honesty, Green did make their conference championship game and finish 24-9 last year.

It was a “big test” for his team, one that “still has a lot to learn…from the good and bad.” Stanford is still searching for an “identity” after losing so many players.

One thing’s for certain: Stanford won’t be able to get away with committing 21 turnovers in the coming games. After a matchup against Charleston Southern, Stanford will go on to play a great team in SMU, Saint Mary’s, and eleventh-ranked Villanova. Not too shabby of a non-conference schedule. SEC football teams, take notes.

Notes: 

Malcom Allen made a surprise return to action on Friday, after we had been told he would miss some games…Allen has been practicing for a little over a week and was ‘completely ready’ to return to action…There still is no exact date for Marcus Allen’s return, but as for Verhoeven, their returns are “getting closer”….Stanford announced plans to play Harvard in 2016 in China….Dawkins: “It’s great for our team and for our conference”…..

 

 

 

By Jeremy Kahn

Despite the fact that the San Francisco Giants did not make the postseason, three players received postseason awards.

Pitcher Madison Bumgarner, Shortstop Brandon Crawford and Catcher Buster Posey each were named as Silver Sluggers for their position.

This is the first Silver Slugger for Crawford, who hit .256 with 21 home runs and 84 runs batted in during the 2015 season. Crawford also won his first Gold a glove for his outstanding defense in the field during the 2015 season.

Bumgarner won the Silver Slugger for pitchers for the second consecutive season, as he hit .247 with five home runs on the season.

As for Posey, this was the third time that he won the Silver Slugger in his short career, as he won the award in 2012 and in 2014.

During the 2015 season, Posey hit .318 with 19 home runs and 95 runs batted in, as the Giants finished in second place in the National League West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

By: Joe Lami

The 49ers are coming off of another loss at Levi’s Stadium this season where they managed to put up only three points. After getting last weekend off, they returned to the team’s facilities on Monday morning to a controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick and his likability in the locker room. Multiple reports came out claiming the locker room is divided and that no one likes Kaepernick within the 49ers’ organization.

The frustration is at its boiling point on the season and the team that was in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago is now at its breaking point. Many are already calling the season a loss with the 2-5 record for the red and gold. With the Cardinals looking like the dominant team in the NFC West, the 49ers slight chance at the post season appears to be over. However, pride is still involved, and the 49ers are at the cellar of the league.

This week the 49ers will square up against the (3-3) St. Louis Rams. The Rams are surprisingly in second place in the NFC West and have lots to play for as they remain in the hunt to catch Arizona. The Rams are favored by 9.5 points on Thursday entering the contest, as San Francisco has yet to find the win column on the road in 2015. This week doesn’t look too promising either, as the Rams took care of the Cardinals a few weeks back 24-22, a team that blew out the 49ers.

Look for potential offensive rookie of the year, Todd Gurley to have another explosive day for the Rams as he was just awarded the rookie of the month for October with 442 yards on the season for two touchdowns. The Rams new quarterback Nick Foles has thrown for 1119 yards on the season and without safety Antone Bethea he’ll look to torch the San Francisco secondary. His primary target has been Kenny Britt with 442 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams like to spread the ball around a lot with five receivers all over 165 catching yards.

St. Louis also has a stingy rush defense allowing only 649 yards on the year.

It’s going to be another long day for the 49ers offense if they play similar to last week. The inconsistency this year is one of the main effects to their poor play.

Having zero trust in the offense against a division rival, prediction: Rams 27 49ers 3

By: Joe Lami

The San Francisco 49ers (2-4) are coming off a short week this week as they take on the Seattle Seahawks also (2-4) on Thursday Night Football. The 49ers are coming off arguably their best game of the season, as they were able to piece together a passing game. Even though last week’s win over the Baltimore Ravens came down to the last play, the 49ers are looking to build up steam.

No one would have that at the beginning of this year that both the 49ers and Seahawks would have been 2-4, but they are making this a vital matchup in the NFC West. The winner can pull within striking distance of the Arizona Cardinals. A win would mark a season turn around for either club.

Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick is coming off of a week where he threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers were also able to get the long ball working, as he found Torrey Smith on a deep strike touchdown against the Ravens. Now the Seahawks defense is nowhere close to being as horrendous as the Ravens, and it should be a real test for the 49ers.

Seattle comes into the contest winless on the road while San Francisco is 2-1 at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers will seek revenge on Seattle, since the last time the Seahawks visited Levi’s they embarrassed the Niners on Thanksgiving.

Seattle is coming off of a 27-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers, as the Panthers were able to storm back in the 4th quarter in Seattle, something that hasn’t happened to the Seahawks in recent memory. 

The Seahawks are led by Russell Wilson, who has thrown for 1400+ yards on the season for seven scores and three picks.  Marconi Lynch is expected to be back to nearly 100% as he has been banged up in the past.

The 49ers concern still lies in the secondary as they will continue to determine outcomes of games. If they can stand strong against the Super Bowl Winning QB, the 49ers stand a chance at beating their hated rivals.

Prediction: Seahawks 27 49ers: 14

By Jeremy Harness

NAPA – After missing a three-foot putt, it is very tough to come back and re-focus in a short period of time. But that’s exactly what Emiliano Grillo needed to do for his first PGA Tour win on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Argentine came back from two strokes behind – as well as the aforementioned short-putt miscue on the first playoff hole – and beat Kevin Na on the second playoff hole to win the Frys.com Open at Silverado, the opening event of the 2015-16 PGA Tour season, with only a half-hour of daylight to spare.

“There are no words to explain this,” said Grillo, who became a member of the tour five weeks ago with a win in the Web.com Tour finals. “This is the greatest moment of my life golf-wise. It’s been an incredible journey in the last five weeks.”

He was in perfect position to win it on the first playoff hole, after stuffing his pitch shot to three feet while Na was faced with a daunting 50-footer. However, he missed the short putt to give Na, who two-putted for par, a reprieve.

“I hit a perfect putt; I don’t know why it didn’t go in,” Grillo said. “My caddie asked me (if I was) 100 percent, and I said yes. I want to win it.”

Na, meanwhile, failed to capitalize on the second playoff hole. After finding the fairway, he chose to hit his driver from the short grass – the biggest risk-reward shot as there is in golf – and ended up mis-hitting the shot and hooking it behind a tree, leaving him an almost-impossible up-and-down for birdie, which he did not convert.

Grillo took advantage of Na’s mistake and hit his approach shot to about four feet. This time, however, he drained the putt to take the title.

“I hit probably five or six drivers off the deck this week, and I hit it perfect every time,” said Na, who missed his opportunity to collect his second PGA Tour win. “The driver is the only club that’s going to get me far enough right, past the front, where I can have an aim to win.

“The only thing is it was dark, and the ball was above my feet.”

The victory capped off a crazy day at the top of the leaderboard. As Grillo got to the 18th-hole, there was a five-way tie for the lead at 14-under par, but he broke that deadlock by draining a 45-footer for birdie. Na, who played directly behind Grillo and saw the brief celebration, then responded by getting up and down for his own birdie to set up the two-man playoff.

At the start of the day, there were 11 players within two shots of the lead, and by the time the final pairing of Brendan Steele and Andrew Loupe reached the turn, the logjam that was the top of the leaderboard got even more crowded.

Grillo, playing two groups ahead of the leaders, picked up three shots in the first six holes to vault into the lead at 15-under. However, he dropped a shot at the par-5 ninth but got it right back at the 10th before offsetting two bogeys with a pair of birdies, including the bomb at the 18th to put him in the playoff.

Meanwhile, Justin Thomas, who was three strokes back going into Sunday, made a climb of his own and closed to 14-under and almost made a 40-footer at the 18th that would have put him in the playoff with Grillo and Na.

Tyrone Van Asweg started the day four shots back and almost was not able to play due to what was later diagnosed as severe dehydration and vertigo that morning. He was taken to the hospital and was in the emergency room an hour before his scheduled tee time.

“Thank goodness there was a slight fog delay, and that gave me an extra 20 minutes to get here, (put) clothes on, try and get some food, and (get) on the practice tee,” Van Asweg said.

Despite all of that, he didn’t seem to miss a beat once he put a club in his hands. He roared right into the mix with a four-under 68, a round which saw him pick up two shots on the front nine and two more on the back, including a birdie at the par-5 18th to finish at 14-under.

The leader heading into Sunday was Steele, who bogeyed the third and fourth holes but got both of those shots right back when he chipped in for eagle at the par-5 fifth. He then birdied the 10th hole to grab a one-shot lead.

That would not last long, however. His tee shots, which had regularly found the fairway throughout the week, began to go wayward and ended up costing him. Errant drives on holes 12 and 13 resulted in bogeys that dropped him to a stroke off the lead.

It only got worse for Steele, who never regained his momentum and ended up finishing with a four-over 76. This has been a common theme for Steele, who averaged a score of 71.26 in the final round last season.

By Jeremy Harness

After his opening-round of 63 that catapulted him into the early lead, Brendan Steele has simply held firm without letting his game fluctuate. As a result, he has maintained a razor-thin lead that is in place now.

Steele shot a three-under 69 to give himself just enough room to end Saturday’s proceedings with a one-stroke advantage on the field heading into the final round.

He made his headway on the front nine, birdieing two of the first five holes before suffering a bogey at the eighth. However, just as he did on Friday, he made back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th holes to get things right back on track.

The 32-year-old then parred the remaining eight holes to secure his spot at the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday.

“Sundays are always tough,” said Steele, who has been on the tour for five years now. “Fridays, when you’re hanging around the cut line, and then Sundays when you’re in the lead, those are the two toughest times.

“That’s when character kind of comes out.”

On Sunday, Steele, whose only win on the PGA Tour came in the 2011 Valero Texas Open, will be paired with Andrew Loupe, who himself shot a nine-under 63 to get himself into that final group with a realistic chance to come away with his first PGA Tour win.

“Just keep the pedal to the metal,” Loupe said when asked about his mentality on Saturday. “That’s all I was trying to do. Everything just kind of felt a little bit locked in in my warmup.

“Brendan is playing great. He shot nine-under the first round. You can make birdies out here, but if you’re a shade off, you can make bogeys easily.”

Also right in the mix is Kevin Na, who has some experience being in contention in major tournaments and made it to the FedEx Cup Tour Championship the last two years. He fired an eight-under 64 by recording four birdies on the front nine and following that up with two birdies and an eagle on the back nine to head into Sunday with some real momentum.

“(Sunday), I bet they’re going to set up the golf course pretty difficult,” Na said. “There will still be plenty of good scores out there, so (I have to) keep the foot on the gas pedal.

“The course was there for the taking a little bit today, and I took advantage of it.”

The San Francisco 49ers are coming off of a tough loss against the New York Giants, as a 4th Quarter comeback from Eli Manning was enough to give the Giants a 30-27 win on Sunday Night Football last week. Despite the loss, the future looks promising for the 49ers as Colin Kaepernick had his best game of the season, going 23 of 35 for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Kaepernick’s performance brings hope into week six since it’s by far the best he’s looked all year, as the 49ers (1-4) host the Baltimore Ravens, also (1-4).  It’s been a down year for the Ravens as well. Their only win came in week four against the Steelers and they are coming off of a 33-30 loss against the Browns.

Both running backs in the game are questionable, as Carlos Hyde missed two days a practice with a foot injury for the 49ers and Justin Forsett is listed as questionable with an ankle problem. If Forsett can’t go for the Ravens, it’s good news to the 49ers, as he is the fifth leading rusher in the NFL.

The secondary continues to be the biggest issue for the 49ers, as they face another good quarterback in Joe Flacco. His main target at receiver is Steve Smith Sr, who is also questionable for Sunday. If the 49ers front seven can dominate, they should have no problem with Flacco. However, if Flacco gets time in the pocket, it will be a long day for the secondary.

Both teams have had their major issues this year, and it will be a battle of 1-4 teams. The Ravens are the favorites going in, but if Kaepernick can repeat the day he had last week, the 49ers should be lined up for their second win of the year.