Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: WHO declares pandemic; Games cancelled until further notice

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photo from sfgate.com: What maybe the last game that the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors may play for the season or until later this season. The view of Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Mar 10, 2020

On Headline with Tony:

#1 The Golden State Warriors have played their last game on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers as the NBA who announced suspending operations on Wednesday night after the Utah Jazz’ Rudy Cobert caught Coronavirus. The World Health Organization announced that the world is officially under a pandemic.

#2 The San Francisco Giants have announced they have canceled their pre season game against the Oakland A’s on Mon Mar 24th at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Moreover MLB, MLS and the NHL now will shut it down as they all have suspended their seasons. The NCAA and March Madness will continue but without fans in the building. 13 NCAA Tournaments are canceled and will resume next week.

#3 The Warriors originally were asked by city officials to cancel their games but at first refused after the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday that the Conoranvirus epidemic was a pandemic the Warriors decided to play their home games in front of empty seats going forward. Later the NBA suspended the season.

#4 The NHL have announced that they will suspend the remaining games of the season and this after Utah Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donavon Mitchell of the NBA have contracted Coronavirus.

#5 Tony now with Sacramento Kings basketball suspended economically how will this impact downtown Sacramento.

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Will Covid 19 force MLB to cancel the season too?

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nbcsports.com photo: Oracle Park might be awfully lonely this season until there is a break in the Coronavirus epidemic as the Giants have canceled their game against the Oakland A’s on Mon Mar 24th

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 How practical is it playing in empty ball parks and having teams spends lots of money on travel to play in front of empty stadiums could MLB just end up cancelling the season?

#2 The Giants have announced in working with the City of San Francisco that they have canceled their home game with the Oakland A’s on Mon Mar 24th which would have been the first game back in the Bay Area due to caution regarding Covid 19 virus.

#3 Talking about some of the players in camp Giants pitcher Logan Webb is trying to grab the last spot in the starting rotation how do you see his chances.

#4 How does Giants manager Gabe Kapler like pitchers Dereck Rodriguez, Trevor Cahill and Trevor Oakes chances to make the starting rotation?

#5 Talk about Giants outfielders Steven Duggar, Billy Hamilton, Jaylin Davis and Mike Yastrzemski and how they’ll fit in for this season?

Join Michael for the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cal upends Stanford at Pac 12 Tournament 63-51

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The Stanford Cardinal Daejon Davis (1) who lead the Cardinal with 16 points dribbles against the Cal Bears Joel Brown (1) on Wednesday night at the Pac 12 Tournament at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas (photo from gostanford.com)

Stanford basketball podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry how much of an advantage was it for the Cal Bears (14-18) to beat the Stanford Cardinal (20-12) by 12 points in front of a practically empty arena with no screaming fans at the Pac 12 Tournament does that give a team an advantage to focus more?

#2 What does that say about the Cardinal defense who were dominated in the first half by the Bears 30-20?

#3 It seems like Stanford couldn’t get any offense going the second half was a half of catch up they fell behind the Bears 33-31.

#4 The Cardinal’s top scorer Oscar da Silva was shut down to just four points and Tyrell Terry had just six points.

#5 Cal’s Paris Austin and Matt Bradley both scored 18 points to lead Cal in the win.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for Stanford basketball podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Pelicans-Kings match postponed due to Coronavirus pandemic

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photo from lonzowire.com: Golden One Center was the site of the New Orleans Pelicans rushing to get out of the building like it was on fire after finding out that NBA official Courtney Kirkland had contact with Coronavirus positive player from the Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert which forced the cancellation of the game

By Jeremiah Salmonson (SRS Staff writer)

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were slated to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night on ESPN. However, the game was scrapped due to Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz testing positive for the virus formally know as COVID-19.

NBA referee Courtney Kirkland was the main reason for the cancellation in Sacramento because she also worked a game with the Jazz earlier this week. Due to her possible exposure the NBA called off the match up out of an abundance of caution.

No one knows when the NBA may resume the season if at all this year. It will greatly depends on how the virus continues to spread throughout the NBA and the communities of its teams.

For the foreseeable future, we will not have NBA action.

Sports Radio Service will keep you up to date on all the developments.

Stanford falls in Pac-12 tourney, on the Big Dance bubble

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photo from sfgate.com: Stanford’s Bryce Wills (2) shoots between California’s Grant Anticevich, left, and California’s Joel Brown during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 men’s tournament Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Las Vegas

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

After being dispatched in the opening round of the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Stanford now plays the waiting game to see where it continues its season.

California knocked off the Cardinal 63-51 and advances to the second round. With the win, the Golden Bears took the season series; the teams split their conference matchups.

Stanford (20-12) is a bubble team for the NCAA tournament and could possibly be selected for the National Invitation Tournament. The Cardinal are trying to reach the Big Dance for the first time since 2014.

In what might have been the last game either team would play in front of a crowd this season, the contest went on, despite concerns about the coronavirus situation.

Prior to the game, the Pac-12 released a statement saying a decision was made to “only have essential staff, TV network partners, credentialed media, and limited family and friends in attendance” for the remainder of the tournament.

Earlier on Wednesday, the NCAA announced that its men’s and women’s tournaments would be played with similar stipulations.

Stanford trailed 30-20 at the half and never got much closer in the second half, as the Cardinal was held to 32.1 percent field shooting (17 of 53, 5 of 12 3-point), and 12 of 18 at the free throw line.

Daejon Davis topped the Stanford scoring column with 16 points, followed by Bryce Wills with 10. Tyrell Terry and Spencer Jones each score six points. Oscar da Silva, a first team all-Pac-12 selection, was held to 2 of 11 field goal shooting, but led the Cardinal with seven rebounds.

What Happened in Vegas Has Cal Staying in Vegas: Bears shock Stanford, 63-51 in Pac-12 tournament opener

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By Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears didn’t pick the best occasion to draw attention to themselves, but they drew notice nonetheless by surprising Stanford in their Pac-12 Tournament opener.

Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus, and the news of events being cancelled worldwide because of the pandemic, the tenth-seeded Bears put forth their most focused effort of the season by beating Stanford, 63-51 and doing so from beginning to end at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I saw a team all week that was preparing to play, and I thought we were excited to come play, and then I watched the broadcast and everyone was picking against us, I wasn’t sure if we were still in the league! But I knew our kids were ready to play,” coach Mark Fox kidded in an interview with the Pac-12 Network following the game.

The Bears took an early lead only to see the Cardinal tie the score, 17-17 with 5:29 remaining before halftime. But Paris Austin and Kareem South followed with consecutive jumpers keying a 7-0 Cal run, and the Bears maintained the lead over the game’s final 24 minutes.

The Bears advance to a quarterfinal matchup with second-seeded UCLA on Thursday while Stanford suffered a bad loss in a game they badly needed for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford seemed bothered by the physicality of the game, shooting just 32 percent from the floor in dropping their third, straight game. The Cardinal finish the regular season 20-12 with favorable, peripheral numbers preferred by the NCAA selection committee, but the loss leaves them squarely on the bubble. The Cardinal received an unlikely endorsement from Fox after the game.

“This league deserves to have seven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford had some great wins,” Fox said.

The Bears were led by Matt Bradley and Austin with 18 points, six rebounds each. South added 15 as the Bears shot 48 percent from the floor.  Cal has won four of seven after losing seven of nine, and advanced in the conference tournament for the first time since 2017.

The Bears are expected to play the remainder of the tournament without fans attending their games as the conference announced before the Cal-Stanford game commenced that attendance to the remaining games would be severely restricted.

“We love to play in front of fans, but right now safety is the most important thing,” Austin said.

 

Sharks’ skid continues on road; Blackhawks unload on SJ 6-2

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photo from sfgate.com: Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat (12) battles San Jose Sharks’ Noah Gregor (73) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) for a loose puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Chicago

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ With their fourth straight loss and fifth consecutive on the road, San Jose slid further in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

It was the Sharks’ most goals given up since a month ago on February 10 versus the Calgary Flames. 

San Jose goalie Aaron Dell himself is mired in a five-game slump, with an average of over three goals given up meanwhile. 

Chicago star Patrick Kane led with two goals and a season-high 11 shots. He has had five goals in his last five games.

The Sharks scored in the opening and closing periods while the Blackhawks scored a trio of goals in the second and the third. 

The Blackhawks perhaps got their mojo going when they scored the second and third of a combined three special teams goals to start the game off.  Previously, Chicago was 0-for-14 with the man advantage.

First, though, it was San Jose’s turn. Chicago set the stage with two penalties taken 15 seconds apart, starting at 8:55. Dylan Strome was called for tripping and Ryan Carpenter whistled for hi-sticking. The Sharks’ Joe Thornton, situated in the right faceoff circle, passed it to Evander Kane, who was able to deflect the puck to the right side of goalie Corey Crawford into the net. This occurred with six seconds left on Strome’s penalty. 

The next four goals belonged to the Blackhawks. Alex DeBrincat got assists on the first three. 

After exchanging passes with Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith struck from the point with the help of a screen at 4:33. This came a minute after Antti Suomela was penalized for hooking.

Chicago went ahead for good when Kane scored his 32nd goal. He accomplished it with all the attention focused on DeBrincat, even though Kane was corralled by defenseman Radim Simek. The Sharks’ Brent Burns was in the box at the time for roughing. 

Brandon Saad made it 3-1 at 17:58 to end the second and Alex Nylander pushed the margin to three goals to open the third at 1:31. 

San Jose experienced a bit of relief when Timo Meier tacked on a goal at 6:39.  

Kane added his second goal at 16:19 and rookie Dominik Kubalik finished the game off with his 30th goal at 18:03. 

Up Next: The Sharks potentially (amidst coronavirus concerns) head to Saint Louis to hopefully cure their blues at 5pm on Friday for game two of their four-game road trip. 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: NBA season suspended; Quakes cancel home game Mar 21st; Giants and A’s could cancel games soon enough

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desertnews.com file photo: The Utah Jazz Rudy Gobert was tested positive for the Coronavirus on Wednesday leading to the cancellation of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and suspension of the NBA season.

NBA season suspended due to Coronavirus/A’s Opener in Doubt

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–The NBA who announced they have suspended their season until further notice. The Utah Jazz’ Rudy Gobert was making some fun about Coronavirus during a press conference before their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder started touching the surfaces and microphones that were there. Later that night he was diagnosed with the Covid 19 virus and the game was canceled leading later to the suspension of the NBA season.

The San Jose Earthquakes have canceled their home game on Saturday March 21st and it’s possible the MLS season could be suspended as well. The San Jose Sharks and the NHL have not suspended their season yet but the cost of having games and teams traveling to play in front of empty arenas will cost too much for the gate driven sport and they may end up canceling as well.

The Pac 12 Tournament is being played at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas as both the Cal Bears and the Stanford Cardinal faced each other on Wednesday night. The game was played in front of an empty arena as the rest of March will be unless the NCAA suspends March Madness as well.

The Coronavirus pandemic is starting to reach havoc in Bay Area sports. After Alameda County joined San Francisco in recommending events with 1,000 or more people be cancelled or postponed,it looks like the Oakland Athletics home opener on Thursday the 26th of March against the Minnesota Twins is very much in jeopardy. The Giants earlier today announced that the pre-season game against the A’s at Oracle Park Mon Mar 24th had been canceled after the city announced a two-week ban on all events (sports included) of 1,000 or more people.

Today the Oakland Athletics issued the following statement: Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our community. We will adhere to any government directives, and work with Major League Baseball on all alternative arrangements to ensure the health of our fans and our community remains a top priority.

While the A’s Opening Day is this 26th, the San Francisco Giants will be opening the season on the road for the 11th consecutive year, also the 26th at Dodger Stadium vs Dodgers. As of today that game is “on” as far as the Dodgers are concerned, but the situation about Coronavirus is very fluid, so things can change at any given time.

Meanwhile,the new Giants neighbors, the Golden State Warriors who announced today that the team will play its next home game without fans this Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets. Later after that announcement came the NBA has suspended the season.

Earlier this week, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. These four major active sports leagues in the U.S. decided to bar nonessential individuals, including reporters, from clubhouses and locker rooms. It will be left to local communities/cities to play with or without fans,depending what part of the country the events take place.

The biggest sporting event in the world this year is the Olympics and If the Olympics can’t go ahead this summer in Tokyo because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the most realistic option would be to delay the event by one or two years, a member of the executive board for the Japanese organizing committee recently said.

All over the US,sporting events have been affected.

Note: Last time we had a flu pandemic of this magnitude(or close) was in 2009 when the virus was commonly referred to as “swine flu”,which began in the spring of 2009, the virus had spread to the US from an outbreak in Veracruz,Mexico. CDC estimated that about 59 million Americans contracted this virus strain, 265,000 where hospitalized as a result and 12,000 died.

California was the most affected State with 10,545 reported and confirmed cases and 657 dead. (World) 150,000 to 575,000 died. One quick note the Spanish flu lasted two years in 1918 killing an estimated 20-80 million people. Coronavirus is expected to dissipate at some point as the epicenter of the virus Wuhan China is now getting back to normal.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: How Covid 19 ordinance will keep Cuda games real quite

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sjbarracuda photo: Stat graphic from Tuesday night’s game in Stockton between the San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 Santa Clara County announced on Monday due to Covid 19 Virus that no more crowds of over 1000 people may assemble for any type of meetings or events which would effect the San Jose Barracuda who has their games in SAP Center. Although the Barracuda play in a 17,000 seat capacity building they usually draw no more than 3500 fans but the place will further be empty by the new ordinance from the county.

#2 The Barracuda (21-27-5-2) got a huge win over the Stockton Heat (30-17-4-4) at Stockton Arena, the win was the first against the Heat this season and the Cuda picked up their six consecutive game where they have scored a point.

#3 Barracuda goaltender Josef Korenar stopped 22 out of 26 shots in goal but the Barracuda provided enough offense to get Korenar the win.

#4 The Barracuda’s Lukas Radil had himself an evening scoring his first two goals and four point game of his career.

#5 It’s onto San Diego for a Friday night face off with the Gulls Marko sets this game up for us.

Join Marko for the Barracuda podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will the NHL suspend the rest of their season?

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The Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan McKinnon (29) tries to put one past San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (30) on Sunday night at SAP Center in San Jose (ap photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks are coming off three straight loses to Minnesota, Ottawa, and Colorado after winning three straight games

#2 The injury in the first period to Logan Couture taking a puck off a deflected pass had to be scary for the Sharks, Len gets us an update to Couture’s condition.

#3 In the win the Avalanche got four goals from Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Vladislav Namestnikov and Joonas Donskoi.

#4 The Sharks goalie Marty Jones faced 24 shots but stopped 20 was this a matter of an off night for Jones or he was not getting much defense in front of him last Sunday night.

#5 The Sharks start a four game road trip starting tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center Len sets this game up for us.

Join Len for the Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com