Category: Uncategorized

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. –The Arena Football League is all about high-octane offense, a carousel of marches into the end zone to routine triple-digit combined scoring. At least, that’s been the status quo. The San Jose SaberCats are changing all of that, one defensive stop at a time.

“We want people to respect the defense,” said Cats defensive back Ken Fontenette.

The SaberCats topped the New Orleans VooDoo 56-35 Friday night at the SAP Center, eliminating New Orleans (2-12) from playoff contention. San Jose mastered the feat with a suffocating defense that surrender less than 40 points for the ninth time all season.

“Every year I’ve been here since 2013 we’ve wanted to change the culture,” added Fontenette. “We want to make Arena Football a defensive game. It’s a pride thing.”

Of course, the Cats brought the offense too. AFL Most Valuable Player candidate Erik Meyer threw for 229 yards and 7 touchdowns to lead San Jose (14-1) to the victory and a league-leading 14^th win. “Big Play” Reggie Gray notched 92 receiving yards while finding the end zone 4 times. He also picked up 115 yards on four punts returns.

“Time in and time out in practice we’re going against the best defense in the league,” said Gray. “We have that chemistry where Erik trusts us (in the red zone). It’s all about getting down there and executing.”

Cats on both sides of the ball had or neared record-breaking nights, with defensive back Ken Fontenette setting single-season record and wide receiver Reggie Gray inching closer to one of his own. Fontenette collected 17.5 tackles, breaking Cats assistant coach Omarr Smith’s single season record of 114 in 2008 by 6.

“It’s a great honor,” said Fontenette. “Any time you can do something to get your name in the record books with this franchise and the players that come through here is an honor. I didn’t really know though. One of the fans told me. It’s all about the win and the team. Everybody’s set aside their individual goals. It’s all about winning.”

Gray meanwhile stands on the doorstep of two significant milestones. His 9 catches Friday puts him one shy of tying Rodney Wright for the single season mark of 134 while his 47 touchdowns are 4 shy of besting James Roe’s 40 set in 2007.

“There are three games left,” said Gray. “Whatever the records are, God willing, maybe I’ll get there or maybe not. As long as we get the ‘W’. Individual records are great, but at the end of the day it’s all about the ‘W’. If you get the record and lose, what kind of satisfaction do you have in that?”

San Jose stifled the VooDoo in the first quarter, allowing only 86 yards and no scores.  The Cats used an undisciplined quarter by their visitors to take an early edge with New Orleans committing seven penalties for a loss of 37 total yards before ultimately taking over on a turnover.

After Clevan Thomas intercepted New Orleans quarterback Adam Kennedy pass on third and goal, the Cats converted on their lone offensive possession of the quarter. Quarterback Erik Meyer connected with Reggie Gray on a 13 yard pass with just under 5 minutes left for a 7-0 lead.

San Jose would pick up right where they left off to start the second quarter. In the first drive of the quarter Meyer capped a 7 play, 38 yard drive with a 10 yard completion to Darius Reynolds in the end zone, doubling up the VooDoo just 4:30 in to the frame.

Kennedy broke through the SaberCats defense on New Orleans’ next drive, hitting receiver Chris Duvalt on an 11 yard toss to break the shutout 4:20 away from halftime. The SaberCats rallied back after a 44-yard Gray kick return to the VooDoo 13 yard line. Meyer got lineman Rich Ranglin involved on a screen pass, flipping it to the 315-pounder for a jog across the goal line and another six points for San Jose. Ranglin, the 2014 lineman of the year, has now doubled his 2014 TD total with 6.

“Rich is a versatile self-proclaimed tight end,” said Gray with a chuckle. “He’s big for this offense. He’s one of the best blockers in the league if not the best. His ability to get the ball in the backfield forces teams to not key in on the great receivers that we have.”

New Orleans native Nich Pertuit converted one of eight extra points for a 21-7 lead with 180 ticks of the clock remaining.

New Orleans answered back with a quick drive of its own, with Kennedy orchestrating a two-play, 47-yard drive topped with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Duvalt to bring New Orleans a score back at the one minute warning. One minute was all Meyer and the Cats needed to create breathing room following a one-yard quarterback scramble for the score as time expired in the half. Meyer now has a rushing touchdown in three-straight contests and has a total of six on the season.

Gray picked up his second touchdown of the game on the first drive of the second half, reeling in a pass up the middle for an 11-yard score and a 35-14 lead 2:35 in. The Cats then forced a turnover on downs on 4^th-and-5 to regain possession at the VooDoo 19 yard line. After a sack and an incomplete pass, Meyer connected with former NFLer Ben Nelson for a highlight reel touchdown.

Nelson managed to catch the 25 yard toss with one foot in play while sprawling to make the catch. Fourth-year VooDoo coach Dean Cokinos challenged the play, but the score stood for a 42-14 Cats with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The VooDoo would score on an 18 yard strike from Kennedy to Johnny Lester with 1:41 left in the stanza now trailing 42-21.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter with Gray scoring the first and third while Charlie McClain and Duvalt scored for the New Orleans.

The SaberCats continue a three-game homestand with a contest next Saturday at SAP against the Portland Thunder. They’ll receive a bye week then finish off the home schedule with a game against the Arizona Rattlers before facing the LA Kiss, the team that handed San Jose it’s lone loss, to wrap up the regular season.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Following his second stint on the disabled list this season, Hunter Pence did not need a rehab assignment in the minor leagues and it shows.

Pence hit a grand slam to right field off of Cole Hamels, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 15-2 before a sellout crowd of 41,895, the 372nd consecutive sellout at AT&T Park.

The right fielder continues to stay hot, as the reigning World Champions scored their most runs in a game this season and had their most hits in a game at home in nearly 14 seasons.

With the 15 runs on the night the Giants topped their season high in runs, as their previous high was 11 on two different two occasions.

Joe Panik hit his seventh home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, Panik joined Matt Duffy and Justin Maxwell as players who picked up four hits on the evening.

The last time the Giants had three players with four hits in the same game came in the first fans of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome on May 22, 1965. The players were Jesus Alou, Tom Haller and Hal Lanier, this according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

To go back to the last time that the Giants accomplished this feat at home came against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds on May 9, 1951. Alvin Dark, Whitey Lockman and Ray Noble, thank you Bill Arnold of Sports Features Group.

When Maxwell drove in Brandon Belt in the bottom of the eighth inning, it was the 21st hit of the night for the Giants, which breaks the AT&T Park record for most hits in a game by a Giants team. The previous record was 20 against the Florida Marlins on August 14, 2001.

The Pence grand slam was his fifth career grand slam, and it put the finishing touches on what was an eight-run frame for the Giants.

After Brandon Crawford struck out to lead off the inning against Hamels, eight consecutive Giants reached base and that ended when Crawford grounded out for the second out of the inning.

Madison Bumgarner pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight runs, walking two and striking out seven.

Hamels was done after just 3.1 innings, allowing nine runs on 12 hits, walking two and striking out four.

The matchup between Hamels and Bumgarner marked the 44th in big league history that both starting pitchers were named World Series MVPs. Hamels was the 2008 World Series MVP, when the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, and Bumgarner was the World Series MVP in 2014.

By Jeremy Harness

Not too long ago, the Giants sat atop the National League West standings.

Boy, have things changed in a hurry.

As of Thursday night, they have lost eight of their past nine games, as they have seen themselves further away from the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. The capper of this major slump was their dropping two of their three-game series with the New York Mets at AT&T Park.

The Giants have had their struggles at home all season long, and the recent series with the Mets was a microcosm of that. If they do not get it together in their friendly confines, it will be just about impossible for them to defend their World Series title.

The Giants are now hovering around with a .500 record and are now tied for the second spot with the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, who have won 7 of their past 10 games while the Giants have fizzled.

Surprisingly, they are only 5 ½ games out of the top spot at this point. What’s saving them is the fact that, even though the Dodgers have won six of their past 10 games, they have not exactly been lighting it up themselves. They are coming off a series that saw them win three of four over the hapless Philadelphia Phillies, but they themselves had dropped two of three from the Mets in their own home series prior to that.

The Dodgers have a three-gamer against the Brewers before heading to Washington for a three-game set against the powerful Nationals.

Meanwhile, the Giants have a chance to get back on track at home against the Phillies in a three-game series that starts Friday night before heading down to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks and get a chance to distance themselves from them as well as hopefully draw closer to the Dodgers.

By: Joe Lami

The San Jose Sharks held their third annual prospects game on Thursday night at SAP Center. It gave fans a chance to see the up and comers in the organization while helping the Sharks foundation at the same time.

Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow and Mirco Mueller were the veterans involved in the scrimmage and it showed as they appeared to be on a whole other level compared to most of the players participating.  However, there were a few standouts to Thursday night’s game that fans should keep tabs on moving forward.

The first of which is Jemery Roy, the Sharks’ second round pick from this year’s draft.  Roy (pronounced Wah), was taken 31st overall by San Jose after the Sharks jumped up eight spots to nab the 6-foot right handed defenseman.  Roy was said to be a two-way defenseman that can bring offense to his game. This past season in Sherbrooke proved it, as he had 43 points in 46 games played.  Fans on Thursday night didn’t see his offensive side, but saw what he could do on the backend, and it was impressive.  Roy’s performance reminded me much of the way Marc-Edouard Vlasic plays. He is great positionally and goes unnoticed, but makes some great plays.  The most memorable came in the second half, when he noticed Timo Meier in the neutral zone getting ready to receive a breakout pass that would’ve led to a breakaway, but instead Roy read the play and broke up the pass before Meier got it.  Roy was paired on the right side of Mueller, but was the better player in my book.

Nikolay Goldobin’s night started with a bang, as he helped get his team on the board first, just 22 seconds into the first half.  Goldobin started the play by driving the net, while Nikita Jevpalous was able to get it past Liam Herbst. Goldobin looks like a better, more experience forward.  He spent last year in the Finnish league, where he said that playing with the men helped him out a lot. He credits his agent, Igor Larionov, with the idea of playing in a men’s league.  This past year he scored 21 points (11 goals, 10 assist) in 38 games. He says that he needs to work on the details of his game before he makes it into the NHL.  Goldobin was also given a penalty shot as he was tripped up on a breakaway. He scored short side with a beautiful snap shot that he said after the game, “that’s my favorite move. I already knew I was going to score”.

By Jeremy Kahn

Even though Ken Stabler played for the Oakland Raiders in a different generation, his legacy continues to this day.

Stabler, who played for the Raiders from 1970 until 1979 passed away on Wednesday from complications resulting from Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Stabler was 69 years old at the time of his death.

“The Raiders are saddened by the passing of the great Ken Stabler,” said owner Mark Davis in a statement released by the team. “He was a cherished member of the Raider family and personified what it nests to be a Raider. He wore the Silver and Black with Pride and Poise and will continue to live in the hearts of Raider fans everywhere. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers thoughts and prayers go out to Kenny’s family.”

During his 15-year NFL career, Stabler threw for 27,938 yards, while playing for the Raiders, the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL in 1974.

Stabler was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft in 1968 out of the University of Alabama.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Suffering through a seven-game losing streak, the San Francisco Giants needed a shot in the arm.

Matt Cain made his 2015 home debut, and prior to the game, Hunter Pence was activated from the disabled list and both were big contributors.

Cain went six innings, allowing just two hits, while walking two and striking out seven, as the Giants defeated the New York Mets 3-0 before a crowd of 42,164, the 370th consecutive sellout at AT&T Park.

As for Pence, it was another day at the office for the right fielder, as he went 1-for-4 with two runs batted in and made one of the best plays of the season on a sliding catch off of a Ruben Tejada hit ball in the top of the sixth inning.

After Pence made the feet first sliding catch in foul territory got up, and threw to Andrew Susac to get the speedy Curtis Granderson at home plate to complete the double play. Granderson led off the inning with a triple off of Cain.

With the activation of Pence, rookie outfielder Ryan Lollis was optioned back to Sacramento.

Pence got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the third inning as he grounded into a Fielders’ Choice to score Gregor Blanco from third base. Brandon Crawford drove in the second run of the inning, as he hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Joe Panik from third base; however the inning ended, as Pence was thrown out at second base while trying to advance an additional 90 feet.

Panik scored the Giants third run of the evening, as he scored on a Pence single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

It was also a big night for Blanco, as he went 3-for-4 against Mets pitching.

By Jeremy Kahn

This was definitely the wrong time for the San Francisco Giants to go into a huge rut away from AT&T Park.

Wilson Ramos broke a 1-1 tie with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, helping the Washington Nationals defeat the Giants 3-1 at Nationals Park.

The win by the Nationals completed a three-game sweep by the Nationals over the reigning World Champions.

With the loss, the Giants finished their six-game road trip through Miami and Washington D.C., with a record of 0-6.

Ramos put the finishing touches on the scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he drove in a run on a single. Newly announced starting outfielder Bryce Harper picked up two hits with a single and a double.

Harper was not the only player from this game who will be heading to Cincinnati as a starter in the annual Midsummer Classic. Buster Posey will be representing the Giants as the starting catcher.

Jordan Zimmerman pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits, walking just one and striking out eight.

The only run that Zimmerman allowed came on a Brandon Crawford home run in the top of the fourth inning.

Ryan Vogelsong and Bruce Bochy were ejected by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi in the bottom of the fifth inning after being upset with Cuzzi’s strike zone.

Prior to being ejected from the game, Vogelsong allowed one run on three hits, walking three and striking out two.

By Jeremy Kahn

What was supposed to be a pitchers duel between two of the great pitchers in baseball today turned out be a dud.

Michael A. Taylor hit the first pitch thrown by Madison Bumgarner into the seats for a home run, and then two batters later Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run and the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-3 at Nationals Park.

Bumgarner’s opposite number, Stephen Strasburg, who was making his third start after missing nearly four weeks on the disabled list with neck tightness was forced to leave the game with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Strasburg left the game after wincing and grabbing his left side after trying to get to a Buster a Posey ground ball. After speaking with manager Matt Williams and a team trainer, Strasburg left the game.

In 3.2 innings of work, Strasburg gave up just one hit to the struggling Giants, who have lost the first five games of their six-game road trip.

Bumgarner lasted only five innings, as he allowed a season-high five runs on eight hits.

Yunel Escobar nearly made it two for two pitches following Taylor’s home run; however his double smacked off the center field wall. Just three pitches later, Harper hit his 25th home run of the season.

Both Harper and Tyler Moore each picked up three hits for the Nationals, while Moore also drove in four runs.

Tanner Roark pitched 4.1 innings after replacing Strasburg to pickup his fourth win of the season for the Nationals.

Brandon Crawford, Gregor Blanco and Brandon Belt each picked up a run batted in for the Giants.

By Jeremy Kahn

Jake Peavy from a stint on the disabled list, and it was a nice return for the right hander despite the results.

Clint Robinson hit a two-run home run off of Peavy in the bottom of the seventh inning, as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants 2-1 at Nationals Park.

Robinson playing in place of the injured Ryan Zimmerman is hitting .290 in 69 at-bats in his last 21 games after just 13 at bats in his career coming into the season.

The Robinson home run made a winner of Gio Gonzalez, as he allowed just one run on five in seven innings of work.

Buster Posey gave the Giants a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning, as he took the first pitch from Gonzalez and put it into the seats.

Peavy went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on just three hits, while walking four and striking out four in his first game after a stint on the disabled list.

Right-hander Tim Hudson was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder problem to make room for Peavy.