That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Tokyo Olympics Protest at the Games will Have Consequences

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The plan for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is for toned down celebrations, strict Covid-19 protocols, and there will be no protesting of any kind allowed by the athletes under strict consequences as policies established by the International Olympic Committee (photo from swimmingworld.com)

Tokyo Olympics: Protest at the Games will Have Consequences

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

With less than a month until the Tokyo Olympics get under way, the International Olympic Committee reiterated that they will not allow any form of protest or demonstrations, from kneeling to other actions taken on the field of play or during official ceremonies at the podium and those who do will be punished, including the possible stripping of the medals, which they have the rights to enact.

The IOC spent 11 months consulting with experts and athletes. They polled over 3,500 elite athletes and Olympians age 16 to 55 and over. The results showed the majority is clearly against demonstrations, and although the punishment has yet to be determined, the IOC said that those who choose to disrespect the country they represent will suffer consequences.

Kristy Coventry, 37 years old, ex-Olympic swimmer and the most decorated Olympian from Africa who is the current Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation in the government/cabinet of Zimbabwe, Africa, said: “A very clear majority of athletes said that they think it’s not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium. “

So, our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such,” continued Coventry. Olympian Athletes represent their respective countries. In the United States (unlike other Olympic nations) the government doesn’t have a funded sports ministry.

The US Olympic Committee pays for itself, mainly through corporate sponsorships and some of the proceeds from broadcast rights. The IOC encourages and supports the promotion of ethics in sport along with education of youth through sport.

To promote fair play in sport and rid sport of violence. Punishment for athletes who demonstrate, pre, during, or after an event, include: -Disqualification -Pulled from competition -Striped of medal -Banning from competition in four years Games are scheduled to take place in the Japanese capital between 23 July and 8 August.

They were postponed last year because of Covid. It will feature 33 sports at 339 events across 42 venues. NBC is the official network. A Japanese doctor in Japan has pledged to hold a “safe and secure” 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after a year-long postponement but is struggling to contain a fourth wave of infections and preparing to extend a state of emergency in much of the country.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday and News and Commentaries each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Daniel Dullum: Lightning prove too much for Canadiens; Clippers could even series in game 6; plus more

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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) was feeling the pressure all night here the Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat (18) scores on Price in the third period in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Tampa Bay (AP News photo)

1 Lightning dominate Montreal in Game 1 of Cup Finals

2 Clippers stay alive in NBA West finals, beat Suns and send series back to LA for Game 6

3 NHL announces outdoor schedule for next season; uncertain about Olympics

4 Mariners’ Hector Sanchez is first pitcher ejected for violating MLB sticky substance rule

6 Sixty years later, Yankees fan has wish to be a bat girl come true

Daniel does Headline Sports podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Young questionable for tonight’s game in Atlanta; NHL Commissioner doubts players for Japan Olympics; plus more

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The Atlanta Hawks Trae Young (seated upper left) twisted his right ankle on this play after stepping on official Sean Wright’s foot (right) during game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sun Jun 27, 2021 in Atlanta (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, The Atlanta Hawks play host for game 4 tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks lead the series 2-1 and the Hawks star player Trae Young is questionable tonight with a twisted right foot he injured in game 3 on Sunday after stepping on an official’s foot Sean Wright.

#2 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman say he doubts it will be safe for NHL players to participate in the Olympics in Japan. Bettman says he is concerned about safety measures and the spike in Covid cases in Japan. 826 million Japanese have been vaccinated that’s 10% of the population even the Japanese citizens say it’s not safe. Do you see NHL players sitting the Olympics out because of safety concerns.

# 3 Amaury, We didn’t get a chance to talk to you about the suspension of Seattle Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago. As you know Santiago had his hat, hair, jersey and belt check and his glove was found to have a foreign substance on it and was confiscated. Santiago was unceremoniously suspended. Santiago told the umpires it was sweat and rosin.

#4 Amaury could you go over some of the participants for this year’s home run derby in Denver a run down of the names who will be at the contest: Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Pete Alonso (Mets), Trey Mancini (Orioles), and Trevor Story (Rockies).

#5 Amaury the San Francisco Giants (50-27) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (47-31) match up again at Dodgers Stadium for game 2 of this brief two game series. Tonight for the Giants it’s Kevin Guasman (8-1 ERA 1.49) and for the Dodgers Walker Buehler (7-1 ERA 2.51) two of the best pitchers in the National League matching up.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Home Run Outcome: Dodgers hit one more than the Giants in 3-2 win

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By Morris Phillips

For a team with 50 wins under its belt at the season’s halfway point, the Giants are clearly acting like they still have something to prove.

And they came that close to proving it at Dodgers Stadium on Monday… as close as a hand safely avoiding a swipe tag at second base.

Unfortunately, Mike Tauchman’s decision to stretch his single into a double opening the ninth inning failed, according to replay officials in New York who reviewed the call of out on the field. Had Tauchman been ruled safe, the Giants would have been set up with a runner in scoring position with three, capable hitters on deck with no outs.

Instead, they were reminded of a slow start, and an unforgettable 0 for 13 night hitting with runners in scoring position.

“I felt like I kept the team in the game and we were in it until the last inning,” said Anthony DeSclafani, summarizing the Giants’ evening of trying to overcome an early 2-0 deficit, but unable to come up with a big hit at any juncture. “We had a lot of runners on base. We just weren’t able to cash in on those.”

DeSclafani allowed home runs to Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, the first two batters he faced, and the Giants were in an early hole, down 2-0. But they answered with solo shots of their own from LaMonte Wade Jr. and Brandon Crawford, only to have DeSclafani give up a third shot to Will Smith in the fourth that ultimately became the deciding run.

Allowing three home runs had to be frustrating for the Giants. Only Alex Wood–also against the Dodgers–had allowed three in a game this season, and the statistic is one of a list that have catapulted the Giants to the top the standings. Coming into Monday, the team had allowed just 79 in 77 games, well below the league average for allowing home runs, and a nice counterpoint to the club’s MLB leading 116 homers hit.

The Dodgers managed just five hits, and the two that didn’t leave the yard didn’t amount to much. They also struck out 10 times against DeSclafani and three relievers, but it was enough. Meanwhile, the Giants piled up the hits and walks (11 hits, two walks) but it didn’t get them anywhere. They stranded all their baserunners when one breakthrough would have made the difference.

“Our guys just made pitches when they needed to,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

The win was the Dodgers’ fourth straight following the no-hitter they suffered at the hands of the Cubs last week. They’re within 2 1/2 games of the Giants atop the NL West, but there’s plenty of baseball left. The two teams currently sporting the best records in baseball will meet 11 more times, including Tuesday night, and the stakes will be high. But with half a season remaining, both clubs know they have to pace themselves.

“We did a good job of not adding any extra pressure” Betts said. “We haven’t got hot yet, but we’ve done a good job of staying steady.”

The Giants offer All-Star starting pitcher candidate Kevin Gausman on Tuesday in a star-studded pairing with the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler at 7:00pm on ESPN.

Oakland A’s Preview: A’s open three game series with Rangers Tuesday night

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Oakland A’s Tony Kemp (left) goes in for the diving slide for a run scored as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (right) awaits for the late throw in the sixth inning Sun Jun 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

BY Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s finished a long cross-country road trip Sunday in San Francisco. The A’s played three in New York, four in Texas, and three in San Francisco. Playing well on the road for most of the season, the A’s did not fare well as they lost six of the ten games played. The Lost two to the Yankees, two to the Giants, and two to the Rangers, their next opponent. 

The A’s will send James Kaprelian to the hill Tuesday night to face the Rangers. In his last start against them on June 23rd, Kaprilian went six innings and allowed two runs. The A’s lost the game 5-3. Mike Foltynewicz also went six innings, and he, too, allowed two runs.

Neither pitcher figured in the decision. Foltynewicz will start for the Rangers Tuesday night. Folty’s record is 1-7 with a 5.40 ERA. Do not be fooled. He pitched very well against Oakland last week. On Wednesday, it will be Chris Bassitt going against Kolby Allard.

The two faced each other last Thursday in Texas. Bassitt held the Rangers in check as the A’s won 5-1. Bassitt is 8-2 for the year. Lefty Kolby Allard is 2-3 with a 3.33 ERA. On Thursday, Sean Manaea will pitch for Oakland. Manaea pitched very well in New York, but the A’s offense was shut down, and Sean had to absorb his fourth loss. Texas will have Dane Dunning on the mound. Dunning is 3-6 with an ERA of 4.63.

The Rangers are 30-48 for the year. The Rangers are rebuilding, and players are doing what they can to prove to the Rangers’ management, they are here to stay. Rumors are circulating about the status of right-fielder Joey Gallo.

Gallo has one year of arbitration left and will be a free agent at the end of next season. The Rangers are paying him 6.2 million a year. Since the team will not be in the playoffs this season, the Rangers may send him out of Texas to a contender for a parcel of prospects. Their best pitcher Kyle Gibson may be on the move, too.

The A’s cannot take the Rangers lightly. They managed to split the four-game series with Texas last week. It was not easy. The Rangers pounded Frankie Montas in the first game of the series. The A’s sprinted out to a 9-0 lead in the second game. Texas roared back and trailed 9-6 before the A’s scored four in the ninth to win. Texas won the third game 5-3. Chriss Bassitt held the Rangers to one run in the fourth game. 

.If the A’s pitching does its job, they can stop the Ranger offense. The A’s need to keep winning to keep pace with the Houston Astros. The Astros were 8-2 in their last games to go two games up on the A’s in the race for first place in the AL West.

The schedule doesn’t get easier for Oakland. After the three with Texas, the A’s will host the AL East Divison leader, the Boston Red Sox, for three games this weekend. The A’s then go to Texas to play three against the Houston and Astros and three more against the Rangers. 

Injury Update: The A’s placed Mark Canha on the 10-day IL on June 25th. Canha has a left hip strain. J.B.Wendelken, out with a strained left oblique, has been participating in baseball activity and should be back soon. Stephen Piscotty, also on the 10-day IL, had a sprained left wrist. He received a cortisone shot last week and is expected to resume baseball activity this week. Out of action since the start of the season due to right shoulder inflammation, Trevor Rosenthal is scheduled to return to action in August.

Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara Mason: Rangers and A’s open 3 game series Tuesday at Coliseum

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Oakland A’s Mark Canha seen here on a game winning slide against the Houston Astros on Tue May 18, 2021 is currently on the 10 day Injured List and will be taking his recovery slow according to A’s manager Bob Melvin (AP News file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Barbara:

#1 Barbara, the Oakland A’s (46-31) left fielder Mark Canha who entered the 10 day Injured List on Friday with a strained left hip and has tendinitis and A’s manager Bob Melvin said that it will take every bit of those ten days for therapy.

#2 Melvin went onto say that the A’s really depended on having a bat like Canha in the lead off spot and said that Canha had acclimated to the role of lead off hitter very well. Do you think Canha’s absence is reflection of the struggles the A’s had in the San Francisco Giants series?

#3 The A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty has been resting after getting a cortisone Melvin said Piscotty should be working out soon in the next two days he’s basically rested the wrist during the Giants series.

#4 The A’s lost a couple of tough ones in San Francisco over the weekend Friday on a 2-0 shutout at the hands of Giants starter Johnny Cueto and a close game in ten innings on Saturday 6-5. Try as hard as they do the Giants have been playing some of the best baseball in the majors and the A’s have fallen just short for wins.

#5 The A’s will take a needed day off before opening up a three game series against the Texas Rangers (27-48). The A’s who played the Rangers for four games on their last road trip will see them again on Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum the Rangers starter for Tuesday will be right hander Mike Foltynewicz (1-7 ERA 5.40) and for the A’s will be going with James Kaprielian (4-1 ERA 2,86).

Barbara Mason does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradio

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Casali leaves no doubt about being reliable

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San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali has been clutch at the plate and done a fine job filling in for catcher Busty Posey during the Oakland series. Here is Casali in a photo from earlier this season. (photo from Around the Foghorn)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, Curt Casali is the talk of the town and thanks to his handy work the Giants are the first team in the big leagues to reach 50 wins.

#2 Casali on Saturday slugged a tenth inning RBI double during Saturday’s game for the Giants in their 6-5 win he’s been clutch when filling in for catcher Buster Posey whose out with injury.

#3 Morris, Giants manager Gabe Kapler says that Casali is a pretty selfless individual and has served the team, the pitchers, and Buster well.

#4 During the series the Giants on Friday got great pitching out of starter Johnny Cueto who threw a 2-0 shutout and the Giants clipped the A’s 6-5 in a ten inning nail biter on Saturday and those are the types of teams the Giants need to beat as the A’s are one of the winningest teams in the American League.

#5 Morris, It’s Monday Night Baseball tonight and the Giants are headed to LA to face their rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will be the second consecutive time the Giants have played in LA without the Dodgers coming to San Francisco for a brief two game series at Oracle Park. The Giants and Dodgers have not announced a starter for tonight’s game.

Join Morris Phillips for the Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Monday

A’s prove resilient, bounce back from heartbreaker with 6-2 win over the Giants

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Cole Irvin’s answer to four hours of frustrating, fruitless baseball on Saturday night was eight, scoreless innings on Sunday.

For the needy A’s, it turned out to be a pretty good answer.

“The mindset was pound the zone with fastballs and get ahead, and everything seemed to be working,” Irvin said in his post game interview with NBC Sports Bay Area.

Irvin was gifted a 2-0, first inning lead before his first pitch, then he cruised through eight innings, allowing just one Giants’ baserunner to reach second base (in the eighth) on his watch. While the Giants played their usual patient game at the plate, they did so without a payoff this time–Irvin didn’t allow any extra-base hits among the three hits and two walks he surrendered.

“It’s all about getting ahead,” manager Bob Melvin said, well aware of the pressure relieved by Irvin after the A’s dropped a 6-5, extra-inning heartbreaker the day before. “You get ahead, now you force them to swing a little bit more. When you have some sink and you can keep the ball in the strike zone and move both sides, it’s tough to get the barrel on it.”

The Giants–and their sellout crowd–did all they could to loosen Irvin’s grip on the afternoon, but to no affect. The A’s nursed their 2-0 lead into the sixth, then broke the game open with three runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh. The Giants, despite having baseball’s best record, and being the first team to 50 wins, have had some issues with shutouts. They avoided their third shutout in the last 15 games by pushing across a pair of runs in the ninth against reliever Deolis Guerra.

The A’s have surged in June with a 16-8 record, but watching the first place Astros rip off 11 straight wins to surpass them in the division, then run into the hot Giants and have to avoid a sweep may have played a role in their psyche on Sunday. Melvin sensed it, but with a half season still to play, the manager was careful not to overplay it.

“I’m not saying it was the most important game in the world but our guys came out with some fire,” Melvin said. “They were a little upset last night that we lost that game.”

Matt Chapman extended his MLB-best 15-game hit streak with a two-run single in the first. Then with the Giants issuing free passes via two hit batsmen and a walk, the A’s fashioned a three-run rally with just one base hit in the sixth. Aramis Garcia, who did his best work on Sunday behind the plate in support of Irvin, added an RBI single in the seventh to close the books on Oakland’s scoring.

A day off Monday and home games against Texas and Boston are next for the A’s, and the leadup to their next meeting with the Astros at Minute Maid Park a week from Tuesday.

Las Vegas Aces post game wrap: Las Vegas Wins Epic Battle Over Seattle 95-92

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Las Vegas Aces’ Liz Cambage (8) takes it to the hoop right between Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd (24) and Mercedes Russell (2) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Sun Jun 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Wins Epic Battle Over Seattle 95-92

By Barbara Mason

Sunday afternoon the two powerhouses of the WNBA met in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Presently the Seattle Storm have the best record in the WNBA at 12-3 and the Aces have the second best at 10-4. The game promise to be a battle down to the final buzzer.

Back on May 15th the Aces lost to the Storm 97-83 although three days later they settled the score winning 96-80. Could this be the WNBA Finals preview? With the level these two teams are playing at we could have another Storm vs Aces matchup.

Last season these two teams met in the final with Seattle coming out on top winning the first three games of the finals; claiming their fourth title in franchise history. This would be the final meeting of these two teams in the regular season.

Early on the Storm lived up to their outstanding record outscoring the Aces in the first quarter 21-16. The second quarter was closely contested with each team shooting 21 points. The half-time score was 42-37.

The consistent play of the Storm was a major factor in the first half. Breanna Stewart finished the half with 12 points. For the Aces it was A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young each with 8 points in the first two quarters.

The Storm lit up the third quarter with 3-pointers and steals outscoring the Aces by a narrow margin 23-21. With one quarter in the game, the Storm led by the score of 65-58. The Aces got within two points of the Storm but were unable take the lead in the second half.

Las Vegas would lean heavily on A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young to get past the Storm in the final quarter. Turnovers had hurt Las Vegas at times in this game and they desperately needed to clean that up.

The Storms Breanna Stewart was relentless in the fourth quarter shooting three-pointers at will. With 5:42 left in the game the Aces took their first lead of the game 75-74. The final minutes of the game saw both teams trade leads and with 1:07 left in the game Las Vegas had a slim two-point lead 84-82. There were five lead changes in the final four minutes of play.

The clock would expire with the teams tied at 84 and would go into overtime. With 26.4 seconds left in overtime the Aces had a 91-90 lead. After trailing for most of the game Las Vegas pulled out the win 95-92 in an epic game.

After a tough game losing to Minnesota the Aces fought through fatigue to win this one. A’ja Wilson came away with 22 points and Chelsea Gray with 21 points as well as the game winner. Off the bench for the Aces Kelsey Plum had 15 points. The Storms Breanna Stewart had had 35 points for the game.

Next up for the Aces will be the Sparks this Wednesday night. Tipoff is slated for 7:30.

NBA Western Conference Finals podcast with J Hawkes: Suns push Clippers to the brink; Game five on Monday

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The Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker takes a shot against the Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverly during the first half of game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles Sat Jun 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NBA Western Conference Finals podcast with Joe:

#1 Joe, You just can’t imagine the pressure the Los Angeles Clippers must feel after taking a 84-80 loss in game four on Saturday and now they are down 3-1 with game five in Phoenix on Monday night.

#2 The Clippers missed three free throws and were looking for the three but it was former Clipper Chris Paul who converted three free throw shots that helped in this very close contest.

#3 The Suns Devin Booker led with 25 points and fouled out of the contest in the final minute of the game. Booker gave it everything he had and because of his effort the Suns were able to out score the Clippers in the end.

#4 If the Suns can beat the Clippers on Monday night it would mark the first time since 1993 that the Suns have been in the NBA Finals it’s a been a long road to get this far but the Suns are now just one game away from getting to the finals.

#5 To show you how successful the Suns have been in the playoffs they took out the Lakers in round one 4-2 and the Denver Nuggets in a sweep 4-0 and momentum in this series with a 3-1 lead over the Clippers.

Join Joe Hawkes for the NBA Finals podcasts next Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com