That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Baseball Is Cheating Rewarded?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

AJ Hinch gets a new lease on life after spending the 2020 season suspended from the Houston Astros scandal. Hinch will be at the helm for the Detroit Tigers for 2021. (photo from the Detroit Free Press)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Alex Cora was hired by the Boston Red Sox as their new skipper for the next two years running through 2022 with a two-year club option for the ’23 and ’24 seasons. In 2017 Alex Cora was the bench coach for the World Champion Houston Astros.

Because of a coordinated cheating of signs, he was suspended for a year, together with manager A.J Hinch as well as General Manager Jeff Lunow, who is a very good General Manager, proficient in Spanish who sat with us during a few innings of a broadcast, a few years ago as the Astros visited Oakland.

Alex Cora’s suspension expired immediately after Dodgers eliminated the Rays in this most recent World Series. Cora also assumed the manager’s position (during that 2017 cheating season with the Astros) every time manager Hinch was ejected; which was in three occasions. To refresh our memories: The 2017 Astros team won the West with 101-61 record, 21 games over second place LA Angels. A’s finished in last place, 26 games behind. Then the Astros took the World Series from the Dodgers. Obviously, the cheating paid off.

Not a surprise Cora is returning to Boston, he is well regarded by the Boston Red Sox organization. As a rookie manager Cora guided the Red Sox to 108 victories and a World Series title in 2018. However, the next season (2019) under Cora, the club ended with a 84-78 record, in third place 19 games behind the NY Yankees.

The most famous baseball scandal was that of the 1919 World Series, between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, most well known as The Black Sox Scandal. In 1920 four players admitted to a Grand Jury they had thrown the 1919 World Series in return from a bribe by a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein and his associates.

A total of seven players were involved. “Eight Men Out” is an excellent movie about that most famous scandal. 1920’s and 2020, are two different planets in baseball. The highest paid player in 1920 was the great Ty Cobb, $20,000 a season with the Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Tigers franchise in 2020 is worth an estimated $1.25 billion.

Major League teams have the right to hire whomever they want, they are a private business and that is their right. And, granted, Cora won a World Series as Manager of the Red Sox and nobody accused the Red Sox of cheating that year.

However, I would think that the memory of the 2017 Houston Astros cheating and winning a World Series, still very much fresh in our minds. In a way looks like you can cheat and wait a couple of years and you are back in the game. I do not want Alex Cora suspended for life, that would be ridiculous, but coming back this soon? I do not think is a very good look for Major League Baseball. The wounds are not healed yet.

If there is cheating inside an organization, the most culpable are those in charge, from the top down, General Manager, to the Field Manager, then the players, and in some instances, maybe even the owner. During these times, owners are not that involved with what happens down on the field.

Unlike the days of black and white television, and prior, where some owners were really “hands on” with the teams. Not that very long ago, owners that come to mind are Charlie O. Finley with the Kansas City and Oakland A’s and George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, those were hands-on owners, they were really bosses with lots of passion for the game and they were not shy to show it.

Back in the days of the Black Sox Scandal, things were different, teams were mostly owned by families with certain affinity to the game and not big corporations like today. Not to mention a record that will never be broken, that of the Owner and Manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for over 50 years. Connie Mack who won 3,731 games, tops in major league baseball, he also played prior to his managing-owner years and never wore a uniform while managing, famous for his white straw hat.

“Cheating is baseball’s oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery. -Thomas Boswell.

Stay tuned and stay well.

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

Sacramento Kings report: Reynolds retired, Jones hired

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sacbee.com

By: Ana Kieu

After 35 years, Jerry Reynolds called it a career and subsequently retired from the Sacramento Kings. The 76-year-old executive and head coach came a long way from his humble beginnings in French Lick, Indiana, the same hometown as NBA legend Larry Bird.

Reynolds told KCRA: “It’s a dream I never would have thought it could have happened to someone from French Lick, Indiana.”

Aside from head coach, Reynolds also served as an interim head coach, assistant head coach, general manager, and director of player personnel.

“The 96 playoffs with Mitch Richmond and that bunch of Kings,” Reynolds told KCRA. “I was director of player personnel at that time. That crowd was the best and most enthusiastic ever, anywhere on Earth.”

Reynolds described his job as the Kings’ color commentator as the most fun job he has had in the past. He survived four ownership groups, five general managers, and 17 head coaches in his 35-year tenure. He added that it has been a blast and he wouldn’t change a thing.

In other news, Sacramento named Mark Jones as the team’s new television play-by-play announcer.

Jones will bring over 30 years of experience to Sacramento. He has been recognized for his nationally televised work on ABC and ESPN. He’ll work alongside the Kings’ color analyst Doug Christie on NBC Sports California.

Previously, Grant Napear served as the Kings’ play-by-play announcer from 1988 to 2020. Napear resigned from the Kings in June following his comments on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins asked Napear: “What’s your take on BLM?” Napear responded: “Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”

The tweet exchange sparked backlash from players and fans alike. It was tweeted in the midst of nationwide protests of the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who was killed by a police officer who kneeled on his neck. Floyd was a longtime friend of former NBA player Stephen Jackson.

Napear’s comments didn’t reflect the Kings’ views and values.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: From the start the 49ers didn’t even have a chance against Green Bay

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers (12) throws against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half on Thursday Night Football Nov 5th at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara (mercurynews.com photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe in Thursday Night Football the San Francisco 49ers looked like they didn’t even have any skin in that game a 34-17 loss to Green Bay on both sides of the ball?

#2 The 49ers defense struggled they couldn’t stop Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers who looked like he had all night to throw and that first half showed he was in control.

#3 After three quarters Rogers already had four touchdowns thrown there was little the defense could do to stop Rogers and the Packers from converting in the air like they did.

#4 The 49ers Nick Mullens struggled all night and didn’t get a touchdown pass until the fourth quarter and was looking for a receiver in the first three quarters and had a tough time trying to convert a touchdown even when they got in the red zone.

#5 The 49ers go back to the drawing board and prepare to face the New Orleans Saints (5-2) and Drew Brees has been leading the team well the offense has been getting scores will the 49ers struggle again as they face the Saints in New Orleans Sun Nov 15th?

Join Joe for the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Football podcast with Michael Duca: Covid outbreak cancels opener with Washington with no make up date; Bears head to ASU for next game

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox will have to lead his troops the Cal Golden Bears another day as the home opener at UC Berkeley has been canceled for this Sat Nov 7th due to a Coronavirus outbreak (file photo from Bruins Nation)

Cal Football podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael what does the cancelation of Saturday’s game mean for Cal as they were to open the season at home against the Washington Huskies at Memorial Stadium?

#2 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox says the team takes all kinds of precautions against the spread of Covid 19 but sometimes that’s like plugging multiple holes in a row boat.

#3 One unnamed player and his co-position players are quarantined, the unknown player is asymptomatic and keeping with Berkeley’s Health Department’s protocols the player’s teammates who share the same position with him are quarantined.

#4 The Bears have this game canceled and coach Wilcox says this is a huge disappointment for the alumni, fans, faculty, school, coaches and players and worst it opening day in college football is something that every campus is always looking forward to.

#5 So the Bears will try to again this time at Arizona State on Sat Nov 14th it will be the Bears first game and the Sun Devils second game of the season in the brief six game campaign.

Join Michael Duca for the Cal Bears podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

 

Aaron Rodgers throws 4 TDs in Packers’ 34-17 crushing of the 49ers

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

The Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers (center) gets a huge congratulations from wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, bottom left, after throwing a second half touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football Nov 5th at Levis Stadium Santa Clara (AP News photo)

By Joe Hawkes
Staff Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif — The Green Bay Packers came to Levi’s Stadium last season and were defeated handily, including a 17-point loss in the NFC Championship Game in January.

Things were totally different this time around, as the Packers came into an empty Levi’s Stadium and defeated the injury-plagued 49ers 34-17 Thursday night in front a nationally televised audience.

The loss drops San Francisco to 1-4 at home this season.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers dissected the 49ers, completing 26 of 31 passes for 305 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 147.2 in the game.

Rodgers put the Packers up 7-0 on their opening drive of the game with a beautiful 36-yard touchdown to wide receiver Davante Adams’ back-shoulder down the left sideline beating 49ers cornerback Emmaunel Moseley. The score capped off a six-play, 75-yard drive for the Packers, who are the only team this season to score on all of their opening possessions.

Adams finished with 10 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Following a 22-yard Robbie Gould field goal to cut Green Bay’s lead to 7-3, Rodgers added his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard toss to a wide open Marcedes Lewis to push the Packers lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter. The tight end was left uncovered in the end zone by a 49ers defense that had trouble applying pressure to Rodgers.

With the 49ers at midfield on the ensuing drive, quarterback Nick Mullens throws a terrible pass in the flat intended for running back Jerick McKinnon that was intercepted by safety Raven Black. Black’s interception would setup Rodgers’ third touchdown in the first half, a 52-yard bomb to a streaking Marquez Valdes-Scantling down the middle of the field putting the Packers up 21-3 shortly before halftime. Valdes-Scantling was able to race by safety Marcel Harris and Rodgers dropped the football in his lap.

In the second half Rodgers would pick up where he left off, connecting with Valdes-Scantling again on a 1-yard score to put the Packers ahead comfortably 28-3. It was Rodgers’ fourth score of the game and Valdes-Scantling’s second touchdown on the night.

Rodgers would retreat to the bench in the fourth quarter with the Packers comfortably ahead, 34-3 and replaced by rookie Jordan Love.

Running back Aaron Jones, who was questionable coming into to the game with a calf issue, rushed for 58 yards on 15 carries and hauled in five catches for 21 yards.

For Mullens and the 49ers (4-5): they got sledgehammered by a better team and quarterback tonight.

Green Bay took advantage of a depleted 49ers squad that was playing without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle, running back Raheem Mostert, wide receivers Deebo Samuel, rookie Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne, left tackle Trent Williams, cornerback Richard Sherman, and defensive ends Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas among others.

Mullens, who also lost a fumble, completed 22 of 35 for 291 yards and a touchdown in his first start for San Francisco since Week 4’s 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from the two turnovers by Mullens, he connected with wide receiver Richie James for a 41-yard touchdown down the right sideline to make the score 34-10 with five minutes left in the game.

James took full advantage of the 49ers’ shortage of wide receivers, posting nine catches for 184 yards and a touchdown. It was the most yards for James in either of his first two seasons in the league (130 yards in 2018, 165 yards in 2019).

After allowing Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook to rumble for 163 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries, Green Bay held San Francisco to just 55 yards on the ground. McKinnon led the 49ers with 52 yards on 11 carries and a late touchdown.

Defensively for San Francisco, it was the second-straight week surrendering 30+ points and four touchdown passes in a game.

The NFL’s sixth-ranked defense allowed 405 yards of total offense to Rodgers and the Packers after allowing 350 yards to the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson in Week 8’s 37-27 loss.

And it doesn’t get any easier as they will face future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees and the Saints in New Orleans in Week 10 on Nov. 15.

Middle linebacker Fred Warner led the 49ers with a 13 tackles, while fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Jaquiski Tartt finished with seven tackles each. Tartt left the game shortly before halftime with a foot injury. Although he was listed as questionable to return to the game, Tartt was ruled out in the third quarter.

Tartt was in his first game back after missing the last three games with a groin injury.

Cal’s season opener against Washington canceled due to COVID

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–The Washington-Cal Bears football game scheduled for Saturday night has been canceled due to a player’s positive COVID test, and the subsequent quarantining of the Cal players in his position group.

The decision to quarantine the infected player’s position mates was made by the Berkeley Public Health Department in keeping with their mandates through contact tracing. The player registering the positive test remains asymptomatic, but those student-athletes who were deemed to be in close contact with him must quarantine for 14 days, the period of time in which the virus could surface due to the contact.

That means along with Saturday’s cancelation, the Bears’ game at Arizona State scheduled for November 14 could also be in jeopardy once individual timeline’s are determined for each quarantined individual based on their most recent contact with the athlete registering positive.

“I think part of this is tough to swallow because the players and our athletic department, coaches, athletes tried to do the best we can with the information we had. And unfortunately, it didn’t quite do the job because they still were contact-traced. They don’t talk to us about those specific scenarios,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said.

Only 20 student athletes at Cal have registered positive tests since on-campus activities resumed along with regular testing on June 4. This was the first positive test within the football program, and couldn’t have come at worse time with two games of the team’s abbreviated six-game schedule jeopardized without the possibility of being rescheduled.

Further, the Bears had received positive reviews from Pac-12 journalists who touted the team’s experience and talent relative to their conference opponents. The outset of the season also gave the entire athletic department hope that they could lessen the financial issues within the program caused by a series of annual financial deficits.

Headlines Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: AB to play for Bucs this Sunday has he improved?; Raiders back in LA to face Chargers; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Former New England Patriot wide receiver Antonio Brown will join his former teammate former New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay for Sunday Night Football as the Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints (file photo from Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony R:

#1 Tony talk about how big of a risk the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking on wide receiver Antonio Brown lots of baggage he’s expected to play on Sunday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints.

#2 Bucs quarterback Tom Brady like Brown so much when he was in New England he got Brown on the team and even had Brown stay at him home, Brady pushed for Brown again to come to Tampa Bay will there be anything different from the last two times Brown was on an NFL team like the Raiders and then the Patriots?

#3 The Las Vegas Raiders (4-3) got a big win over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday in Cleveland 16-6. It was the fourth quarter that the Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for the game’s only touchdown to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and it was enough to get the Raiders over the top.

#4 The Raiders are headed for Los Angeles to face the LA Chargers (2-5) this Sunday. The Chargers have struggled they have lost four of their last five games including a close game to the Denver Broncos 31-30 where the Broncos came back scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

#5 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo whose expected to be out of action for the next six weeks there is no doubt that his absence will have a huge impact on the 49ers including in tonight’s game against the Green Bay Packers in Santa Clara for Thursday Night Football.

Join Tony for Headline Sports every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Stanford’s Mills ready to throw against Oregon defense on Saturday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal quarterback David Mills (15) will be dropping back to pass at Oregon University this Saturday against the Oregon Ducks in the season opener of Pac 12 Football for both schools (file photo from Stanford Athletics)

On Cardinal podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal quarterback David Mills will start against the Oregon Ducks in the season opener has had a good career with the Cardinal in three years he’s thrown for 1960 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

#2 Mills has done a great job avoiding the getting picked off throwing only five times in three seasons under center for the Cardinal.

#3 The Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal has not tipped his hand as to who he will have start at quarterback on Saturday against the Cardinal. Cristobal is watching very carefully his two top choices Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown. One thing for sure it’ll keep the Cardinal guessing as they will study film on both players.

#4 Cristobal added that there’s no value in in giving up every detail in what they’re doing. So the selection of who he will start is one of the best kept secrets coming into the season opener at Oregon.

#5 Stanford head coach David Shaw enters his ninth year at the helm and has a winning record of 86-34. Shaw has had a incredible career at Stanford which includes going to the Rose Bowl twice beating Wisconsin in 2012 and losing the following year to the Michigan State Spartans in 2013.

Jerry F does the Stanford podcasts each Thursday throughout the Cardinal football and basketball season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes roll past LAFC 3-2 clinch playoff berth

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Earthquakes clinch the last and final eighth spot of the MLS Western Division Conference to make the post season against LAFC on Wed Nov 4, 2020 at Earthquakes Stadium in San Jose (@SJEarthquakes photo) 

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Playoffs?? That is a question the San Jose Earthquakes can finally put to rest.

The Quakes 3-2 victory over LAFC allowed the team to clinch its first playoff bearth since 2017 on Wednesday evening at Earthquakes Stadium.

The match, originally scheduled for this past Sunday and postponed due to three LAFC players testing postitive for positive for Covid-19 last Friday, was rescheduled three days later.

San Jose has beat LAFC for the second time this season and snapped its SoCal rival’s two game winning streak. The Quakes are 6-2-1 in its last nine matches and are riding a wave of momentum with one match left in the regular season.

LAFC (9-8-4 1.48) scored the match’s opening goal in the 23rd minute. Diego Palacios started a counter attack with a cross into the middle that Diego Rossi deflected over to Latif Blessing. The 23-year old forward from Ghana tapped home the ball into an empty net for his first goal of the season.

San Jose (8-8-6 1.36) scored the equalizer just five minutes later off a set piece. Cristian Espinoza’s corner kick made a double deflection off Carlos Fierro and then Eduard Atuesta’s foot before finding its way in the back of net for an LAFC own goal.

The Quakes gained the lead in the 37th minute. Espinoza sent a cross from left to right that landed on the foot of Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski. Wondo one-timed the ball off the leg of LAFC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer into the upper right corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season. For Wondo he increased his MLS all-time goal record to 166.

“We have belief (in ourselves),” said Wondlowski on what could be his final home game of his career. “We had it even when we were at the bottom of the table. I think that when healthy, fully ready, we’re a very dangerous team and can play against anyone and be ready against anyone. So I’m excited.”

It was Espinoza’s ninth assist of the season for San Jose, tying him for fourth overall in the MLS.

San Jose dominated the possession battle 60%-40% in the first 45 minutes.

LAFC came out desperate in the second half as head coach Bob Bradley inserted Carlos Vela, the current MLS MVP, to start the half and he had the Quakes backline on its heels.

Vela set up Rossi inside the box in the 59th minute, but Quakes goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski made a two-handed save on Rossi’s shot.

San Jose went down a man for the rest of the match in the 61st minute when Jackon Yueill received his second yellow card on a controversial call by referee Timothy Ford, resulting in a red card and ejection from the match.

The Quakes received a critical insurance goal in the 72 minute. Super substitute Shea Salinas sailed a cross from left to right over to Espinoza. The Argentine midfielder made one touch on the ball before firing it past Vermeer for his third goal of the season.

Salinas is now the Quakes all-time assist leader with 48, passing Ronald Cerritos in franchise history.

LAFC cut the lead to one goal in the 95th minute when Rossi one-timed a cross from Vela for his league leading 14th goal of the season.

Marcinkowski finished with three saves for his sixth victory of the season. Vermeer made one save on four shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with eight corner kicks. LAFC had six.

LAFC is now 0-6-1 when trailing at halftime.

San Jose are 4-0-1 in its past five home matches.

UP NEXT: The Quakes close out the regular season against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday 11/8 at 3:30pm at Century Link Field.

 

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Covid case hits 49ers practice facility game on Thursday could be postponed

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) who was sacked on this play by the Seattle Seahawks Bobby Wagner in the first half at Centurylink Field in Seattle on Sun Oct 25, 2020 (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with Dave:

#1 Dave how difficult does it get for the 49ers now that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is out for six weeks with a reinjured high ankle sprain and tight end George Kittle out eight weeks with a fractured foot injury.

#2 The 49ers last game in Seattle saw the Seahawks get 24 points in the second half as the 49ers tried to rally from behind with 20 points falling short in the fourth quarter.

#3 The 49ers have that short turnaround after playing in Seattle on Sunday and now they host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football but with the injuries the 49ers have it could be another long night for them.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcast each Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.