Bears go cold after halftime and lose 59-57 to visiting Oregon State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The last time Oregon State won at Haas Pavilion before Thursday night, President Obama lent relevance to the occasion with a good-natured phone call of congratulations.

Flash forward 12 years, and this time, no one was present to feel the Bears’ pain.

After pulling within two points of a tie, Cal went the final 94 seconds scoreless in an aggravating 59-57 loss to OSU.

Roman Silva scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime, and Ethan Thompson added 12 as the Beavers broke a nine-game losing streak in Berkeley, and beat Cal for the third time in a season for the first time since 1989.

Cal made its first seven shots of the ballgame and led 14-2 only to see OSU seize control with a 9-0 run to start the second half. The Bears shot 28 percent after the break, and missed 10 of their 11 3-point attempts as Matt Bradley, who finished with 20 points (14 after halftime), became their only reliable option with the game on the line.

Still coach Mark Fox pointed to his Bears’ defensive liabilities which allowed OSU to enjoy 38 points in the paint and mask an 0 for 10 showing at the 3-point line.

“It’s the defensive possessions in the second half that were the difference in the game,” Fox said. “We did not defend to the level that you need to to win.”

In 2009, then OSU coach Craig Robinson called for a pivotal switch in the second half to a trapping, full court press that befuddled Cal in a 65-61 loss. After the game, Robinson–Michelle Obama’s brother–received a call of congratulations from brother-in-law Barack Obama from the White House. This time, the teams played in an empty gym as mandated by COVID protocols and the only cheers were the self-congratulatory ones emanating from the OSU bench as Cal committed turnovers on both of their final possessions.

“We do good in spurts and stuff like that, but I think if we can finish games strong and have success, we’ll be okay.” said Andre Kelly, who finished with 15 points but conceded that his defense was subpar.

The Bears (3-16, 8-18) assured a last place finish with Thursday’s loss and they will open the Pac-12 Tournament as the 11th seed on March 10 matched against the sixth-seed. Arizona will not participate in the conference tournament as part of their self-imposed penalties surrounding recruiting impropreties that resulted in the imprisonment of former assistant coach Book Richardson.

The Bears conclude their home schedule on Saturday night when Oregon visits. The Ducks defeated Stanford 71-68 at Maples Pavilion.

Ducks win 71-68, despite second-half surge by Cardinal

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, February 25, 2021

Chris Duarte’s 24 points topped a balanced Oregon attack on Thursday, as the Ducks held off Stanford 71-68 in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford’s Ziaire Williams had a chance to tie the game with 0.4 seconds remaining, but missed his 3-point attempt.

Oregon took the lead for good at 65-64 on a Duarte 3-pointer, Chandler Lawson’s dunk made it a three-point lead 48 seconds later, and the Ducks sank 4 of 6 at the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.

Williams scored seven points in a 13-4 run that gave Stanford a 56-50 lead with 9:06 left in the second half. In this competitive battle, there were four ties and five lead changes.

Duarte scored 17 of his points in the final 10 minutes. He also had two steals, two blocks and three rebounds while hitting 9 of 16 from the field. LJ Figueroa was next for the Ducks with 13 points and three assists. Figueroa and Duarte each made three 3-pointers.

Eugene Omoruyi scored 10 points, Eric Williams Jr. was next with 10 and Chandler Lawson added nine points for Oregon (15-5 overall, 10-4 Pac-12). Omoruyi pulled down 10 of the Ducks’ 32 rebounds.

Jaiden Delaire was the Cardinal’s top scorer with 15 points, followed by Daejon Davis with 13 points and Spencer Jones with 11 points. Delaire was 7 of 14 on field goals, while Davis and Jones each hit three 3-pointers.

Bryce Wills led Stanford with seven boards, with Delaire, Davis and Jones each grabbing five rebounds.

Oscar da Silva, Stanford’s leading scorer and rebounder, did not play due to an undisclosed injury.

Stanford (14-10 overall, 10-8 Pac-12) lost the game despite outscoring the Ducks 36-30 in the paint and 18-9 off the bench. Oregon outscored the Cardinal 14-8 off turnovers and 12-7 on second-chance points.

The Cardinal shot 53 percent from the field in the second half, 49 percent for the game. Oregon, meanwhile, shot 41.9 percent on field goals and 9 of 13 at the free throw line.

Stanford hosts Oregon State on Saturday for Senior Day with a 3:30 p.m. tipoff at Maples.

Kings fall to Knicks 140-121, lose 9th straight game

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Photo credit: reuters.com

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings are floundering around like a dying duck. The Kings had an off day on Wednesday as they prepared to take on the upstart New York Knicks on Thursday night. The Kings came into Thursday on an eight-game losing streak. They lost to the Brooklyn Nets in their previous game. On Tuesday, the Kings lost to the Knicks in blowout fashion 140-121 at Madison Square Garden.

The Kings weren’t able to snap the streak against maybe the best team in the NBA. The Kings were set to play at 4:30 PM PST at Madison Square Garden. 

In the first half, the Kings played terribly. In the first quarter, the Kings allowed the last ranked offense in the NBA to score 38 points. The Kings offense was able to put up 29 points, but it was not enough to outpace the Knicks. In the second quarter, it was more of the same. The Knicks added another 39 points in the quarter and managed to score 33 themselves. Even though the Kings managed to score 60 first half points, they still went into halftime losing 77-60. It would take a miracle in the second half to snap the losing streak. 

The second half started better than the first. In the third quarter, the Kings held the Knicks to 24 points and scored 32 themselves. It looked like the beginning of a comeback. However, it didn’t last long. The Kings allowed the Knicks to score 39 points in the fourth as the Kings only managed 27 points. The Kings would lose their ninth game in a row 140-121 to the Knicks.

The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox, who managed to score 29 points. Immanuel Quickley led the Knicks with scored 25 points and Alex Burks scored 19 points in the fourth quarter. It was an embarrassing loss for the Kings as they will have to look to their game on Friday to right the ship. 

Up Next: The Kings have a back to back game against the Detroit Pistons in Detroit on Friday at 5 PM PST. 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Latino Power The Top Sluggers in Baseball

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The Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols poses for a portrait on Feb 18, 2020 at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe during last year’s spring training in Arizona (Orange County Register file photo)

Latino Power The Top Sluggers in Baseball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2021 baseball season is scheduled to begin on April 1. Today, among all active players, the top four (4) active sluggers with the most home runs are all Latinos. Albert Pujols (Angels) 662, Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) 487, Edwin Encarnación (Free Agent) 424, Nelson Cruz (Twins) 417.

They all play with teams in the American League and are the only active Latino players with 400 plus home runs. 1-Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic) will begin the last year of a $240 million ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Pujols played 2001-2011 with the St Louis Cardinals and since 2012 to date with the Angels.

This would be his 20th season. His most impressive statistic is his runs batted in, which shows his great and consistent hitting excellence. Pujols is #3 among the all-time RBI leaders in history with 2,100 runs-batted-in.

Only Henry Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213) is ahead of him. He doesn’t like to talk about his statistics while playing, he always told me; “hablaremos de eso cuando me retire, pero no ahora” -trans: “when I retire we can talk about it, but not now”.

Pujols is #5 on the All-Time home run list behind, Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Alex Rodríguez.  Pujols begins 2021 with 662 home runs; no other active player is remotely close. 2-Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) Detroit Tigers. He is also at the twilight of his career, one of the top clutch hitters of his generation.

I once asked Cabrera how he manages to hit so well – over .360 with runners in scoring position: “I don’t know, but I have the same approach every time I come to the plate.” Cabrera began with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and played there until 2007.

From 2008 until today with the Detroit Tigers Cabrera is the ninth player in history to win three (3) consecutive batting titles. In 2012 became first player since Carl Yastremski (1967) to win the Triple Crown. He has won most hitting awards. Hard working and an easy going player that is also a future Hall of Famer.

Cabrera is a lifetime .313 hitter in his 18 years of play. Cabrea begins 2021 with 487 round-trippers. 3-Edwin Encarnación (Dominican Republic) at the time of this article he is a Free Agent and looking to return for his 17th Major League Season.

The Chicago White Sox declined their $12 million club option for his services last November, after a disappointing 2020 season he played 44 of the 60 game-schedule with the White Sox hit .157 with ten home runs and 19 RBIs.

During his years in Toronto Encarnación produced the best power numbers at the plate and is considered the best Designated Hitter in the history of the Blue Jays. Played with the Reds, Blue Jays, Indians, Mariners, Yankees and White Sox. Colorful and happy-go-lucky player, after he hits a home run he sticks out his right arm and holds it parallel to the ground as he rounds the bases, the fans called it “Walking the Parrot” – he said, he is fine with it.

He stands today with 424 home runs. 4-Nelson Cruz (Dominican Republic) Cruz is back this season as the Designated Hitter for the Minnesota Twins, a heavy-laden home run line-up. The Twins own the current single season record for most home runs by a team with 307 in 2019.

From 2005-2020 a 16-year career for “Nelly “considered one of the most dangerous and impressive home run hitters in the game, many of his shots flirting with the 500 foot distance are real mammoth shots.

When younger players talk about ‘launch angle’ it is like they’re talking about this man swing, Cruz always swings for the fences. There is no joke to his nickname, “Boomstick”. One of his most memorable quotes: “I always have high expectations for me” At 40 years of age, Cruz is still a very dangerous hitter. He will begin 2021 with 417 home runs.

MLB is altering the baseball slightly this season. A memo was sent to all 30 clubs citing an independent lab that found the new balls will fly one to two feet shorter on balls hit over 375 feet.

However, this will not affect Pujols, Cabrera, Encarnación or Cruz, because for these types of power guys when they square a ball, it would not matter if the ball is heavier or not, it will fly. Latinos not active (all-time home run list) #4 Alex Rodríguez 696, #9 Sammy Sosa 609, #13 Rafael Palmeiro 569, #14 Reggie(Martínez) Jackson 563, #15 Manny Ramírez 555, #17 David Ortíz 541, #20 Ted Williams 521 #31 Adrián Beltré 477, #34 Carlos Delgado 473, #37 José Canseco 462, #40 Vladimir Guerrero 449, #46 Carlos Beltrán 435, #47 Juan González 434, #55 Alfonso Soriano 412.

There are many more great Latino players who retired with less than 400 home runs’ Longest Home Run ever? George Herman “Babe” Ruth (NY) in 1921 hit a 575 foot blast at Navin Field in Detroit; there are stories of Ruth hitting some even longer.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio Network and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal and Ducks coming off tough loses face off tonight at Maples

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The Stanford Cardinals’ Oscar da Silva (13) drives on the USC Trojan defense. The last meeting between the two teams was postponed and rescheduled for March 3 in Los Angeles. The Cardinal will host the Oregon Ducks tonight at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (gostanford.com file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry, the Cardinal (14-9) are coming off a tough loss to Washington State (14-10) 85-76 in triple overtime Sat Feb 20th and their last scheduled game against the USC Trojans (19-4) was canceled. The loss to the Cougars a tough one in Pullman.

#2 Normally when you get five players in double figures your chances go up for a win but the Cardinal were outscored and the Cougars defense just held them in check to stay ahead.

#3 The Cougars had come off a win against the Cal Bears the Tuesday before they faced the Cardinal. WSU had four scorers in double figures but key factor was Noah Williams who wound up the lead scorer with 40 points an impressive total in college basketball.

#4 The Cougars defense was able to contain Oscar da Silva who scored only 11 points and Michael O’Connell was the Cardinal lead scorer with 17.

#5 The Oregon Ducks (14-9) are at Stanford tonight. The Ducks got whipped by USC in their last game 72-58 Monday night in Los Angeles. The Cardinal play host and after getting beat by the Cougars their going to be pressing too. Jerry, how do you see this match up tonight.

Join Jerry F for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday mornings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg Thu Feb 25, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Kings be able to snap 8 game loss streak tonight against Knicks?

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The Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley III tries to get his hand on the ball as the Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tries to go for the score at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Tue Feb 23, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1 Anytime you look at the schedule and it says your going to play in Milwaukee (18-13) and Brooklyn (21-12) and in the case of the Sacramento Kings (12-19) instead of bringing your A game you bring your A for effort game.

#2 The game in Brooklyn on Tuesday night started out rough for the Kings but in the second half they actually made a game of it in the third quarter before Brooklyn was able to pull away in the fourth quarter for the 127-118 win.

#3 The Nets usual suspects led by James Harden and Bruce Brown each scored 29 points each and Kyrie Irving scored 21.

#4 The Kings had four scorers in double figures on Thursday night led by De’Aaron Fox with 27 points and Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes had 18 points but not good enough to catch the Nets.

#5 With the loss the Kings are on a eight game losing streak their next task is against is against the New York Knicks (15-6) at the Garden tonight for a 4:30pm jump time. The Knicks are coming off a tough loss to Golden State on Tuesday night 127-118. The Knicks have won five of their last nine games how do you see this match at MSG tonight.

Join Tony for the Kings podcasts every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria Thu Feb 25, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sharks Hertl tests positive for Coronavirus; Vegas-San Jose match canceled for tonight

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The San Jose Sharks Tom Hertl tested positive for Coronavirus forcing tonight’s game at SAP Center versus the Vegas Golden Knights to be postponed. Hertl in this Wed Jan 20, 2021 photo against the St Louis Blues in St Louis will quarantined. The Blues and Sharks game for Fri Feb 26, 2021 has also been postponed (AP News file photo) 

By Mary Walsh

Wednesday afternoon, the San Jose Sharks and the NHL announced that Thursday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights would be postponed under the league’s COVID-19 protocol. The NHL also announced the game for Fri Feb 26th between the visiting St Louis Blues and the Sharks also has been postponed. The press release read, in part:

“Despite having only one player (Tomas Hertl) currently impacted, the decision to cancel the team’s practice and training activities on Wednesday, and postpone the game on Thursday was made out of an abundance of caution.”

It is the first time a postponement has been triggered by the Sharks.

The San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, have also postponed their Thursday game in Bakersfield against the Condors.

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com  

 

SJ Barracuda report: San Jose-Bakersfield postponed for Thursday night due to Covid-19

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San Jose Barracuda left winger Jayden Halbgewachs battles for the puck in front of the Bakersfield Condors net in a previous meeting with Bakersfield. The game between the two teams on Thu Feb 25, 2021 has been postponed due to the San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl testing positive for Coronavirus. (sjbarracuda.com file photo)

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE-Due to the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights NHL game that was scheduled at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 25th that was postponed due the San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl having tested positive for Covid 19  been the game between the Bakersfield Condors and San Jose Barracuda has been also postponed for Thursday night as the Condors and Barracuda were scheduled to play at Solar 4America Ice in San Jose.

Despite both teams playing and doing morning skates in separate facilities the AHL and the San Jose Barracuda were on the side of caution and decided to postpone Thursday night’s game.

This will be the Barracuda’s fifth game postponement in a row. The Barracuda had one game in Texas postponed due to freezing weather conditions in the Cedar Park area on Sun Feb 14th. They then flew to Tucson and had their games  and for Fri 19th, Sat 20, and Sun 21st postponed due to Covid 19 issues from the Tucson Roadrunners side. Thu Feb 25th’s cancelation is due to a San Jose Sharks player testing positive for the virus. That player is unnmamed.

The Barracuda are scheduled to host the Ontario Reign on Sat Feb 27th the first of a two game series concluding Sun 28th in San Jose. If they play it it will be the Barracudas first taste of action since Sat Feb 13th when they played the Texas Stars in the second of a intended three game series.

Marko Ukalovic does the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors win another close game beat Pacers 111-107; Curry leads Golden State with 24

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The Indiana Pacers Justin Holiday (8) and the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30)  chase down the basketball in the second half of Wed Feb 24, 2021’s NBA contest in Indianapolis (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors gained a measure of revenge Wednesday night as they beat the Indiana Pacers 111-107. The Pacers beat the Warriors 104-95 on January 12th at the Chase Center.

The Warriors finished the road trip with two wins and two losses. They could have won all four, but a couple of fourth-quarter meltdowns in the games against Orlando and Charlotte kept it from happening. The Warriors return home to face the Charlotte Hornets Friday night at the Chase Center. If the Warriors win, it will be their first three-game winning streak of the year.

The teams matched up well. Neither team could pull away. For the Warriors, it was the fourth close game in a row. The Warriors won the first quarter 25-22. Indiana won the second 36-31 to finish the first half leading by two 58-56.

Defense was the name of the game in the second half. The Warriors held the Pacers to 22 points to finish the third quarter with a narrow 84-80 lead. The Pacers tied the game at 91. The Warriors could not extend the lead to more than five points the rest of the way.

The Pacers came within a point 99-98. Stephen Curry and Kelly Oubre each made a basket to put the Warriors ahead 105-98. The Warriors had reached the foul limit early in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers stayed in the game by going to the free-throw line. Indiana made it 107-105. The Pacers fouled Curry and he made both free throws. Draymond Green finished the scoring for the Warriors with two more free throws to make it 111-105. The Pacers made a last ditch attempt trying to score from the field with just seven seconds left. The Dubs win 111-107

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the Warriors are 18-15 for the year. The Pacers are 15-15. It was the Pacers’ first game after missing a week of play due to Covid-19 protocols.

The Warriors had six players in double-figures.  Curry led the Warriors with 24 points. Curry made one three in 11 tries. For Curry, it was the 94th consecutive game with at least one three-pointer.

Curry had eight rebounds and eight assists. Draymond Green barely missed a triple-double. He needed one more rebound. His line was 12 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. He had three steals, and one blocked shot. Andrew Wiggins had 15, Kelly Oubre, Jr., 17,, Eric Paschall 13, and James Wiseman 11. Wiseman fouled out early in the fourth quarter. As a team, The Warriors shot 47% from the floor.

They had a dreadful night shooting threes. They were five for 26 from downtown. They outrebounded the Pacers 50-47. They Made 27 assists on 39 made field goals. The team stole the ball ten times, blocked four Pacer shots, forcing 19 Pacer turnovers. The Warriors cashed in with 18 points off the turnovers.

Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Sabonis scored was held to five points in the second half. Chalk that one up for the Warrior defense. Malcolm Brogdon had 24, Doug McDermott 15, Myles Turner 14, T.J. McConnell, and Jeremy Lamb each had nine.

The Warriors face the Charlotte Hornets at the Chase Center Friday night. The Warriors want to get even for the loss to Charlotte last Saturday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

San Jose State’s three remaining regular season games cancelled

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By: Ana Kieu

Just one day after the San Jose State men’s basketball team announced their makeup game against Nevada at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on March 3, news broke that their three remaining regular season games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Their team activities have also been cancelled.

The Spartans were scheduled to play Wyoming on February 25 and 27, respectively. The Spartans were rescheduled to play Nevada on March 3. All three games have been cancelled.

SJSU hopes to continue their basketball-related activities before the Mountain West men’s basketball tournament, which will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas from March 10 to 13.