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By DANIEL DULLUM

Sports Radio Service

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

PHOENIX – At 10:47 a.m. Mountain Standard Time Tuesday, New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick fielded his first non-football question of Super Bowl XLIX Media Day.

“What is your favorite stuffed animal?”

Belichick, resplendent in his trademark hoodie, smiled and responded, “I like a little puppet that I can put my fingers in.”

Thus, there’s a good chance he would have enjoyed the puppet show being performed by a Mexican television crew not far from his interview booth. All part of the craziness that is Media Day, held at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Or, as Damon Bruce, my Bay Area colleague calls it, “Anti-Media Day.”

Over 5,000 media types were shoehorned into an area of the arena floor usually occupied by the Phoenix Suns. Unlike 2008, when Media Day was held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, this affair was much too crowded, apparently by orders of the NFL to make it look like the demand for this event had increased.

The result was diminished satisfaction for anyone trying to get some legitimate work done.

The media for this exercise mostly come in from all over the world for a chance to ask this Sunday’s Super Bowl participants questions that have nothing to do with football.

This sort of thing bothers many of the rank-and-file, not so with Tim Ring of Phoenix television station KTVK Channel 3.

“I think it’s an attitude that the players have when it comes to Media Day,” Ring said. “Both teams are happy to be here, and it’s an honor to be here. I think the day-to-day media grind for any NFL team is difficult. Players don’t always want to talk, they don’t really want to bothered because they have other things they think are more important, and they’re probably right.

“But with Super Bowl Media Day, you know what you’re getting with some of the oddball questions,” he continued. “So a player’s guard is down, you know you’re going to sit there for an hour, you know you can’t sneak away, you have to answer every question. But these guys know that from the get-go, and their attitude is mostly the right one. It’s all in good fun.”

Ring is quick to point out that for “the real working media,” there are plenty of interview opportunities throughout the rest of the week. “Every player and coach is well aware that they’re going to answer the same questions about 20 or 30 times.”

Providing allegedly needed bling to the festivities were Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski of NBC Sports, who were assigned to Media Day and now seemed to be attached at the hip for all public appearances, not unlike Siskel & Ebert or Hoda & Kathy Lee.

Weir was wearing a crimson suit with a heavily-jeweled necklace, and Lipinski was looking fine in a red dress. Lipinski asked Seattle safety Kam Chancellor how he would design a costume for the Legion of Boom.

Chancellor responded, “Something with a warrior outfit.”

Weir followed up: “With sparkles?”

Chancellor: “No sparkles. It would be fierce.”

Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight thinks the frivolity of Media Day helps the players relax during a hectic week.

“The thing is, most of this stuff is overanalyzed all week long,” Frazier said. “I get to come here and have fun with Michelle Williams (formerly of Destiny’s Child). It’s pretty amazing.”

Frazier and Williams made the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski literally sing for his complimentary Xbox One. “We talked to Microsoft and we’re giving away Xbox Ones. But it doesn’t work without Michelle.”

Williams added, “We know Kevin is too shy to sing these songs, and this is what I do, so we’re just having fun. The players are cracking me up because they’re so shy to sing and I know that’s not really their job. So it’s fun to see them get out of their comfort zone a little bit.

“We want the players to tell us something about themselves, like what’s your favorite ice cream or singer, just something to take their minds off everything else that’s so serious.”

Other highlights included Richard Sherman of Seattle and Gronkowski of New England being selected as their respective teams’ best dancer.

“My dancing style is very unorthodox,” Sherman explained. “I just let my body make the moves!”

Sherman likes having Katy Perry on hand to entertain at halftime on Sunday and was asked about his own singing prowess.

“The Lord blessed me with many talents, but singing was not one of them,” he said.

On the subject of football, Sherman said of facing Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, “It’s fun, it’s fun for competitors. It’s a great challenge for us and anybody who’s ever been an elite competitor or an elite player enjoys those moments against other great players. It brings the best out of you. I think we as a group and as a team enjoy going against an elite team because it brings the best out of us.”

After eight years in the NFL, this is the first Super Bowl for Darrelle Revis of New England.

“It’s pretty awesome. I mean, this is what you play for every year. In the offseason you work hard to get to this point and when you get there, like right now, it’s so surreal to me. It’s awesome, but it’s also crazy. But at the same time, it shows that hard work pays off, and there’s still work to be done. We have one more game left as a team to accomplish our ultimate goal, which is holding the Lombardi Trophy up.”

On the subject of Jets fans watching Revis play in the Super Bowl for New England, the ex-Jet said, “It’s not really my fault. I didn’t make the call. Management made the call at that time and they felt it was best to get rid of me. So that’s the situation. That’s how I look at it.”

Marshawn Lynch, the Seattle Seahawks star running back, was in predictable form and turned in one of the best pre-Super Bowl press conferences in recent memory. This should have surprised no one who was crowded up to his interview booth, waiting for some useable kernel of wisdom.

Known for his one-word answers to postgame questions, Lynch fulfilled his obligation to the NFL by spending exactly five minutes at his interview booth, answering 29 questions with the same answer:

“I’m here so I won’t get fined.”

With that, Lynch left the building with 57 minutes officially remaining in the Seahawks interview session, choosing instead to let his running do the talking on Sunday.

Presumably with a properly inflated ball.

By Shawn Whelchel.

The Sacramento Kings received an impromptu day off on Monday, as a blizzard affecting the New York area forced a postponement of their contest against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The game has been rescheduled for March 3, forcing the team into a tough back-to-back schedule during an eight game road trip as they will fly to San Antonio to face the Spurs the following evening.

The storm is expected to dump as much as two feet of snow in some of the affected regions. As of 11 p.m Monday night, Subway and bus service was temporarily suspended in New York due to the weather.

The Kings will have another day off on Tuesday before traveling to Toronto to face the Raptors on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.  The postponement may prove to be a blessing in disguise for the struggling Sacramento Kings, who have lost seven of their last eight games.

The Kings, who are currently in a six game skid, currently sit in 4th place in the Pacific division with a 16-27 record after getting out to a hot start at the beginning of the season.

Th extra day off can give the Kings more time to regroup after being on the opposite end of a historical night last Friday after the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson torched the group for 37-points in the third quarter of their 126-101 loss.

The outburst from Thompson, which included a perfect 13-for-13 shooting featuring nine three-pointers, was the most points scored in a single quarter in NBA history.

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, January 25, 2015

GLENDALE, Arizona – In amongst the discussions of under-inflated balls, who’s telling the truth about it and who isn’t, and the upcoming Super Bowl, the NFL’s all-star game – the Pro Bowl – went on before a nearly packed house at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Team Michael Irvin came from behind to defeat Team Cris Carter 32-28 in the 70th Pro Bowl before an announced sellout crowd of 63,225. It’s the second year of a team captain format as opposed to the traditional NFC-AFC setup.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was selected as the game’s offensive most valuable player. Stafford completed 15 of 25 passes for Team Irvin for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s a blast,” Stafford said. “To able to play with the best in the world is a whole lot of fun, and everybody is such good people, too. I am out here having a good time.”

J.J. Watt, the Houston defensive end who turned in a MVP-type of year for the Texans, came up with an interception for the first turnover of the game. Watt, with a fumble recovery, a pick and four deflected passes, claimed defensive MVP honors.

“It was fun,” Watt said of his drive-stopping pick. “I mean, down there near the goal line, you want to try and make a play, so to do something like that in the Pro Bowl is pretty cool.

“Arizona has treated us well,” Watt added. “The people have been great. The fans have been awesome. Being able to see some of the military bases and some of the kids for PLAY 60, it’s been a great week all around.”

Emmanuel Sanders of Denver and Jimmy Graham of New Orleans each caught two touchdown passes for the Irvin squad, while Carolina tight end Greg Olsen caught two TD passes for Team Carter.

Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Drew Brees of New Orleans each threw a pair of scoring passes for Team Irvin, while Stafford and Matt Ryan of Atlanta each threw for two TDs for Team Irvin.

The Saints’ Mark Ingram lead all ball carriers with 72 rushing yards on 11 carries. A sign of the times, there were no rushing touchdowns in the game.

A couple of things stand out. The experimental narrow goal posts and the team captain format now in its second season. The whole Team Irvin vs. Team Carter thing takes a little getting used to, but the game needed a boost of some sort, and this seems to work. The narrow goal posts, intended solely to mess with kickers, hopefully will show how accurate they are.

The narrow goal posts are a directive from the commissioner’s office, where Roger Goodell wants to tinker with the extra point attempt and make it more difficult. What he doesn’t understand, as a non-kicker, is that all attempts have a degree of difficulty, whether it’s from 20 yards out or 50.

And, along with other numerous changes, there were no kickoffs, either to start the game or following a score. There’s a strangeness to that, no kickoff, no return, no longer a place in this game for guys like Atlanta’s Devin Hester, who had one fair catch on a punt. Sure, it’s safer. We’ll have flag football for this exercise in a few years.

PAT kicks for this game are from 35 yards out. Adam Vinatieri of Indianapolis, kicking for Team Irvin, nailed a 32-yard field goal through the narrower uprights, giving his team an early lead. Cody Parkey of Philadelphia made an extra point through the 14-foot crossbar for Team Carter, but after a Team Irvin touchdown, Vinatieri missed a PAT that hooked wide left that he ordinarily would have made with the conventional 18-foot crossbar. But the 19-year veteran drilled his next attempt in the second quarter.

“You saw me miss one already today that would have been good on a normal post. It’s definitely more difficult,” Vinatieri said. “You’ve got to hit it really true, right on line. You can’t be off at all. It makes your margin of error much shallower and much more difficult. I would like to have them leave it alone, but that’s for my own selfish reasons.”

Parkey added, “You kick it like you normally do, there’s nothing really you can do. It’s just unfortunate that they’re trying to make it harder us for a lot of guys’ success in the league. Then moving extra points back, it’s definitely different and this is the first time all week we’ve gotten to kick on them. So it’s definitely different, but at the same time you just go out there and kick your ball, and a little more accuracy is definitely needed.”

Vinatieri made 2 of 4 PAT kicks, which is two more misses than he had all season. If the commissioner wanted to add an element of adventure to the extra point, it worked.

Honestly, it is interesting to see which kicker makes the proper adjustments, and having a 35-yard PAT attempt wouldn’t be so bad. It would at least put a little excitement into a usually nondescript play.

Player reactions
Andrew Luck, Colts quarterback and Stanford alum, said of the atmosphere in Arizona, “A great crowd, a beautiful field, a great stadium. It’s great to see all the fan support.”

On the two-minute warning at the end of the first quarter, Luck said, “I think it provides another level of excitement to this game that is unique.”

Asked about the difference between playing the Pro Bowl in Arizona instead of Hawaii, DeMario Williams, Buffalo defensive end, said, “It’s been a lot of dry air. That’s what it’s been like.”

“We’ve been having a lot of fun and really enjoyed it,” Williams continued. “What I enjoy most is coming out and meeting the new guys and seeing the old guys who have been to Pro Bowls. That’s what I really enjoy – the camaraderie with the players.”

Brees said, “It has been fun. It has been awesome. You have a lot of fun during the week. Practices are pretty easy going, but then you get to game time and we are gamers.”

For consistency’s sake, even with all the tinkering and the experiments with rules and equipment, one thing remained at the highest level of excellence – Glendale native Jordin Sparks’ rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

The Pro Bowl returns to Honolulu for the next three seasons.

By: Joe Lami

The Cardinal started their Los Angeles road trip with a win over the UCLA Bruins 79-70 on Friday night. It was a good rebound game after the Cardinal lost their first Pac-12 game of the season earlier in the week against Arizona State.

Both Briana Roberson and Bonnie Samuelson got rare starts in the game, and they used it to their advantage, as they led the way for Stanford with 21 points each. Amber Orrange was right behind them in points with 20 points, as only six of the ten players that saw action got points. Kaylee Johnson was the other key contributor with ten points. Johnson finished with a double double, also earning a career high in rebounds, with 17.

It was an off day for Lili Thompson, as the star guard finished the night 0-for-6 from the field with one point coming from the charity strike.

The Cardinal had to rally back from a three-point first half deficit to earn the seven-point victory. The long distance shooting was extremely valuable for the Cardinal, as they finished the night 42%. UCLA coach, Cori Close, commented on the comeback, “They asserted their aggression in the second half, they knew exactly what they were looking for and were incredibly focused”.

Nirra Fields led all scorers finishing with 22 of UCLA’s points. Jordin Canada also contributed 14. UCLA has struggled against ranked opponents so far this season, as Friday night marks their seventh loss to a Top 25 team this year. They have also lost 14 straight to ranked teams dating back to last season.

Stanford hopes to continue their dominance on Sunday, as they take on the Ladies of Troy of USC.

By: Joe Lami

For the first time in 31 years, the Arizona State Sun Devils have won a game at Maples Pavilion, as they beat the Cardinal 60-57 on Monday afternoon.   The Sun Devils dominated the entire game, as they never lost the lead. However, Stanford did make it interesting down to the end, as they were able to erase the 17-point half time deficit.

The Sun Devils hit the shots when the mattered towards the end, as Sophie Brunner and Alisha Davis added four points from the charity strike in the last 11 seconds of the game. The Cardinal were trailing by three with two seconds remaining, and had possession after a controversial call on who touched the ball last before going out of bounds. Taylor Greenfield was set to in bound in her own end with Bonnie Samuelson awaiting at the other end of the floor set for a three, but good defense by the Sun Devils forced the short inbounds play to Amber Orrange. Orrange was forced to try and heave a last second prayer from half court that ended short.

Arizona State’s stymie defense gave Stanford fits in the first half, holding the Cardinal to just 29% shooting in the first half, and going two of ten from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Arizona State couldn’t miss finishing 52% from the field in the first half. However, it was a tail of two halves for both squads, as the Cardinal really upped the defense in the second half, holding the Sun Devils to just six second half field goals, as they dwindled the huge ASU lead to as low as one with five minutes remaining, but Arizona State started to heat back up and pulled away.

Greenfield, Orrange and Lili Thompson were Stanford’s leading scorers with 12 points each. Thompson was still able to hit 12 points, after going just 3 of 13 for the game. Guard, Briana Roberson came off of the bench to add nine.

Promise Amukamara led all scorers with 17 points, as she played a pivotal role in getting ASU the win. Davis and Brunner also got into double digits for the Sun Devils with ten.

It’s a huge win for Arizona State, as they remain undefeated in Pac-12 play, as they also defeated Cal earlier this weekend. Arizona State has only lost one game all year, to 13-3 Green Bay. Monday also marks the first time since 2006 where the Sun Devils have beaten the Cardinal.

By Jeremy Harness

For the rest of the Pac-12, it is time to recognize that it’s not all about Arizona and Utah, that Stanford looks like it will be right in the thick of things for quite some time.

The Cardinal are making a bigger case for themselves with seemingly each game, as they followed up their victory against Cal with a resounding 72-59 victory over defending NCAA champion Connecticut Saturday night at Maples Pavilion.

With the win, Stanford has not won seven of their last eight games, including three straight contests, and are currently 13-4 overall and 4-1 in Pac-12 play.

Chasson Randle continued his stellar play this year by scoring 23 points, including hitting four of his eight 3-point attempts, to go along with five assists.

The Cardinal moved the ball well throughout the night, and as a result, they got plenty of open looks and were rewarded with 10 made shots from behind the 3-point arc.

In the process, Stanford held Ryan Boatwright, who is currently on the list of potential Wooden Award finalists in the preseason, to only seven points on 3-of-12 shooting

However, it wasn’t all pretty for Stanford. Late in the second half, Stefan Nastic took an elbow to the face while defending a driving layup, and although he was immediately bleeding from his nose and mouth, he quickly returned to the game.

Stanford will soon find out where they are really at in relation to the top of the conference. The Cardinal’s next opponent is none other than No. 10 Arizona at Maples this Thursday.

For the meantime, the Wildcats have established themselves as the best team in the Pac-12, doing so with a convincing home win over No. 8 Utah, a game which saw them roar back after being down in the first half.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, January 17, 2015

Stephan Curry and Klay Thompson each canned 27 points Saturday, and Golden State used a huge third quarter to pull away for a 131-106 NBA Western Conference victory over Houston at Toyota Center.

After losing to Oklahoma City on Friday, the win is the Warriors’ ninth in their last 10 games.

Curry also had seven rebounds and 11 assists for Golden State (32-6), while getting strong bench efforts from David Lee (18 points and eight boards) and Marreese Speights (15 points, five rebounds and three assists). Thompson also shined defensively, holding Rockets star James Harden to 11 points.

Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Warriors.

Houston (28-13) was led by Dwight Howard’ 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Donatas Motiejunas contributed 14 points and seven rebounds and Josh Smith added 14 points for the Rockets.

The Warriors outrebounded Houston 49-39 and had the edge in field goal shooting, hitting 55 percent (50 of 91) while the Rockets hit 42 percent (37 of 88).

Golden State used a 38-point third quarter to build a 22-point lead. Houston’s Kostas Papanikolaou scored five straight points to pull the Rockets to within 110-94 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Warriors responded with a nine-point run, allowing them to cruise to their 32nd win.

The Warriors return home to host Denver on Monday.

By: Joe Lami

The struggling Arizona Wildcats took a trip to Maples Pavilion on Friday night, and it was all Stanford, as the Cardinal defeated Arizona 74-47. After struggling the last couple of games, Stanford shot the lights out, finishing 51% from the field. Including, 47% from beyond the arc.

Bonnie Sammuelson led the way with 14 points, but it was Erica McCall that finished the night with the double double, as she finished with 13 points and a career high 16 rebounds. Brianna Roberson, also matched her career high in points with 12.

After Arizona took the lead to start the game 4-2, the Cardinal shot out of a cannon going on a 15-0 run lasting seven minutes, to which they never looked back.

The bench was a high note for the Wildcats, as both Breanna Workman and Charise Holloway came off the bench to get into double digits. Workman led the way with 12, and Holloway finished with ten.

The win for the Cardinal marks their sixth straight, as it ups their record to 13-4, and 5-0 in Pac-12 play.  Arizona State completes their bay area trip with a contest against Stanford on Monday night.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Ask Coach Johnny Dawkins about Stanford’s 69-59 men’s basketball win over California at Berkeley Wednesday night, and he’ll tell you it was all about the veterans coming through – the seniors in particular.

Dawkins told the media, “My seniors were terrific tonight. … Those guys have all stepped up. Whether it’s a big defensive play for us, scoring the basketball, they seem to always come up with that play that’s needed.”

Chasson Randle scored 25 points, grabbed three rebounds and had one assist, while Anthony Brown finished with 18 points, including two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch that helped the Cardinal pull away with a big road win in Pac-12 play.

Stefan Nastic added 15 points and nine boards as Stanford’s hot streak continues. The Cardinal are on a four-game winning streak and have won eight of their last 10 games. Stanford is also the first Pac-12 team to have four wins in league play so far.

The Cardinal’s defense played a huge role in the victory over Cal as well. Stanford held the Bears to three field goals in the last seven minutes, allowing the Cardinal to extend its lead as time ran down.

After finishing with 25 points, Randle now needs 35 points to reach 2,000 for his career.

Stanford travels to UConn on Saturday.