Gulls use balanced attack, take down the Barracuda 3-1

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Diego Gulls scored three unaswered goals and tightened their belts defensively in taking down the San Jose Barracuda 3-1 on Sunday evening at SAP Center.

It is the fourth consecutive loss for San Jose, who have hit a rut offensively this past week. For San Diego, they have won four in a row after going winless in the month of October.

San Diego (4-6-0-0) drew first blood early to open up the game. Jack Kopacka led a 3-on-2 odd man rush where he fed a pass up to Alex Dotsie at center ice. Corey Tropp then gave the puck back to Dostie on a pretty give and go where Dostie skated in all alone on ‘Cuda goalie Andrew Shortridge and snapped a shot top-shelf into the upper right corner for his third goal of the season at the 2:19 mark.

The Gulls doubled their lead toward the end of the opening 20 minutes when Brendan Guhle sent a pass into the ‘Cuda zone that caromed off the right boards where Tropp quickly moved it over to Sam Carrick, who crashed the crease and tipped it past Shortridge for his third goal of the season with 58 seconds left.

San Diego dominated the first period as they outshot San Jose 10-5.

San Diego scored an insurance goal midway through the second period. Alex Broadhurst found a wide-open Justin Kloos at the middle of the ‘Cuda blue line. Kloos skated in and fed a pass to his left over to Blake Pietila, who quickly fired a wrist shot top-shelf into the short side of the net for his second goal of the season at the 11:07 mark.

Joachim Blichfeld spoiled the shutout bid for Gulls goalie Anthony Stolarz near the end of the middle frame. San Jose (4-6-0-1)’s forward stole a pass from Guhle at the blueline and raced down on a breakaway where his initial shot was saved by Stolarz. He was able to collect his own rebound, hesitate and then wired a wrist shot top-shelf past Stolarz for his fourth goal of the season at the 17:54 mark.

San Jose would not get any closer than that. Despite some good pressure put on in the third period as they outshot San Diego 10-6, San Diego’s defense anchored down, with the help of Stolarz, and did not allow another goal.

Stolarz finished with 31 saves on 32 shot to earn his fourth win of the season. Shortridge made 22 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAMES NOTES: San Jose was 0/4 on the power play. San Diego was 0/3.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Dalton Prout made his debut for the Barracuda while on a rehab assignment. He finished with no goals or assists and a -1.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to San Diego to take on the Gulls on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:00 pm at Pechanga Arena.

Raiders are breathing down the Chiefs’ neck

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Photo credit: reviewjournal.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Don’t look now, but the Oakland Raiders are knocking on the door for the top spot in the AFC West.

With Kansas City losing to the Tennessee Titans, 35-32, in Nashville on Sunday to drop their record to 6-4, the Raiders (5-4) are just now a half-game back of the Chiefs for first place with six games left in the season for both teams.

The Raiders defeated the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, on Nov. 7 in prime-time on FOX’s Thursday Night Football at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to kickoff Week 10. Oakland’s defense performed tremendously under the lights, registering five sacks, three interceptions and one touchdown.

Kansas City already holds a victory over the Raiders, back in Week 2.

In that game, the Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before the Chiefs scored 28 unanswered points behind four touchdowns by quarterback Patrick Mahomes as Kansas City held on for a 28-10 win.

Mahomes would throw for 443 yards on 30-of-44 passing with a 131.2 passer rating for the game

The two teams will meet again on Dec. 1 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 13.

With the winless Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) coming into Oakland next Sunday for a Week 11 matchup, the Raiders are almost a shoe-in to win that game and apply even more pressure on the Chiefs.

Kansas City hosts the aforementioned Los Angeles Chargers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Nov. 18, which won’t be an easy game for them.

Mahomes looked very healthy playing for the first time since dislocating his right kneecap Oct. 17 against the Denver Broncos. His best play came with the pocket collapsing around him when he jumped up to throw over the linemen to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who ran for a 63-yard TD with 11:54 left and a 29-20 lead.

Oakland, who were picked by many prognosticators to finish near the bottom of the division this year but the infusion of young, rookie talent on both the offensive side (running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow), and the defensive side (defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell and Max Crosby) has rejuvenated the Raiders.

Jacobs is running away with the AFC’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in my opinion, leading all rookies in rushing yards (811), rushing attempts (168), and touchdowns (7).

With all due respect to tight end Darren Waller, who leads the team in receptions (51), targets (65) and yards (588) and wide receiver Tyrell Williams, who leads the team with five touchdown catches, Renfrow has become quarterback Derek Carr’s security blanket. Carr loves to look for Renfrow with the game on the line.

Renfrow is second on the team in receptions (28) and targets (42) for 299 yards and two touchdowns. His second-career touchdown against the Lions in Week 9 was his first game-winner.

Coupled with the fact that Carr, whose engineered 19 fourth quarter comebacks (which includes two in the span of four days) has played some of his best football in his career, throwing for 2,202 yards with 14 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a career-high 104.4 passer rating, Oakland is a legit playoff contender.

Harris comes home to be the GM of the SF Giants

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file photo the Athletic: San Francisco Giants general manager Scott Harris, who was hired this weekend, will be introduced by Giants team president Farhan Zaidi this week.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — There are many things on the plate of San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Farhan Zaidi during the 2019 off-season, and one of the plates is now filled.

Zaidi announced the hiring of Scott Harris as the Giants 10th General Manager in team history, replacing Bobby Evans, who was let go during the 2018 season.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring in an executive of Scott’s caliber to help lead our Baseball Operations group,” Zaidi said in a statement. “The combination of his breadth of experience, contributions toward building a championship-winning perennial contender in Chicago and his Bay Area roots made him an ideal fit for our General Manager position and I’m looking forward to executing our vision together.”

Harris, who grew up in Redwood City, went to Columbia Business School and worked for Major League Baseball as the League Coordinator of major league operations before going to work for the Chicago Cubs in 2012.

During his seven years in Chicago, he was part of the front office that saw the Cubs break their 108-year curse of not winning the World Series in 2016.

Harris was promoted to the position of assistant General Manager by the Cubs in January of 2019, but now he is coming home to the Bay Area and will get the wheels rolling for the Giants, who are still looking for a field manager after the retirement of Bruce Bochy at the end of the 2019 season.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Sharks win! Stop the presses, it’s now a 3-game win streak; Tampa Bay takes 2-game set in Stockholm past Buffalo

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sfgate.com photo: San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier, left, scores against Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) in the shootout of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. The Sharks won 2-1.

On the NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Big shootout win for Sharks over Nashville

2 Sharks’ Evander Kane sued by Vegas casino over gambling IOU’s

3 Lightning beat Sabres in first of two games in Sweden for the NHL Global games

4 Sidney Crosby donates car won at NHL All-Star Game to US veteran

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Are Atlanta and Minneapolis the Best Cities for Bumgarner?

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Photo credit: talkingchop.com

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Madison Bumgarner has won three World Series and is arguably one (if not the best) postseason pitcher in history. The Giants made a $17.8 million qualifying offer to the free agent, which guaranteed a draft pick compensation for the Giants, a team seriously in need of younger players. It is very doubtful the Giants will win the World Series in 2020. There are two young teams looking for that extra puzzle piece to make it over the hump. Two teams that won their divisions but fell way-short of going deep into the postseason. Two teams that could use a guy like him.

Atlanta Braves
The Braves won the East in the National League with a 97-65 record, four games over the World Champion Washington Nationals, but lost the Divisional Series vs. St. Louis Cardinals in five games. They have a great young ball club with a terrific starting rotation of, Mike Soroka, whose just 22 years old and finished 13-4, 2.68 ERA. He is currently their best hurler. Max Fried, who finished 17-6, 4.02 ERA. Mike Foltynewicz and a very good bullpen. Not to mention one of the best lineups around in Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña Jr.and Ozzie Albies. Bumgarner would be like gold for this young team, which he would bring experience. The location is excellent for Bumgarner, who lives nearby in his home state of North Carolina. Plus he would stay in the National League. I would say Atlanta is the best place for him.

Minnesota Twins
The Twins won the American League Central Division with 101-61 record but were swept by the Yankees 3-0 in the Divisional Series. Like Atlanta, they are another young team in need of an experienced starter like the Giants lefty, but unlike the Braves, they are not as deep in pitching. Therefore, the Twins could go hard after Bumgarner. But there is one disadvantage as Bumgarner has only pitched in the National League with the Giants. He is one of the best hitting pitchers in the game and was even used as a pinch-hitter by Bruce Bochy. He loves to hit. The youngest and most talented starter with the Twins is the 25-year-old José Berrios, who finished 14-8, 3.68 ERA this season. The Twins are probably in the conversation for the Giants pitcher.

There are other potential teams looking for pitching,the Los Angeles Angels are one of those. He would definitely fit very well in Joe Maddon’s new team. The Angels are going to go heavy on free agents, especially Gerrit Cole, who was born in Newport Beach, about 45 minutes from Angel Stadium. He seems a perfect fit for the Halos. The San Diego Padres is another young up-and-coming team who plays in the same division as the Giants. They should be looking at him, too, and do not forget the American League Champion Houston Astros. Their rotation — especially if Cole leaves — will be a solid one with this acquisition.

Either Atlanta or Minnesota could offer Bumgarner, who is 30 years old, a two-year deal worth in the $40 million range. I do not see a problem with that. More than two years is a risk because he is still a good pitcher but not as dominant as he once was. Let’s face it, nobody knows which Bumgarner they would get. Although there is a chance of scenery for him, leaving a team that is not close to returning to the Fall Classic, like Atlanta or Minnesota, who are much closer, is something that he likely is considering at this stage in his career. He is the type of competitor that with a winning team, he would perform much better and he would be motivated to take his team to the postseason, which is something he cannot do with today’s Giants.

Bumgarner is in a good situation. If he decided to stay put with the Giants, that would have been a surprise to many. Although 60 wins is tied in total wins at home when Matt Cain was with the Giants. Pitching at Oracle Park, which is not a hitting paradise, is an advantage if he decides to stay in San Francisco and fans will love it, and if he retired with the Orange and Black, that would be even better, but fans do not have much of a say on his future. In my opinion, the only San Francisco Giant that will never leave the team (of the original players that were part of the even year World Series era) is Buster Posey. He was the Rookie of the Year in the NL with the Giants in 2010 and he will retire as a Giant.

Where will Bumgarner be pitching next season? At the end of the day, it is about the money. What else is new?

Healthier, Wealthier: Bears finally cash in with 33-20 win over WSU ending four-game slide

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Well, we knew coming in that previously ranked Washington State and Cal are pretty good football teams except when they aren’t.

The Cougs look bad when they can’t stop anybody, and when the Bears struggle they can’t score.  Those two storylines grew old in Pullman and Berkeley with all the losing. Since late September when WSU and Cal were both undefeated and nationally ranked, the two clubs combined for a 1-8 record.

So Saturday’s matchup offered redemption for one of the two teams, and more of the same for the other.

Who gained the upper hand?

Cal did, winning 33-20, as they welcomed back injured, offensive starters Michael Saffell, Kekoa Crawford and Devon Modster, three big reasons the Bears put up a season-best 33 points, one game after they were shutout in Salt Lake City.

“It just shows a lot of grit, coming off of a four-game losing streak,” said Modster, who threw for three scores and ran for another. “Our spirits didn’t die. We came out to work every day, and I think it showed tonight.”

The Bears scored just 24 points total in their previous three losses, but needed all of 45 seconds to find the end zone on Saturday night. Jaylinn Hawkins picked off Anthony Gordon’s first pass attempt of the game, and Christopher Brown Jr. covered 27 yards on a touchdown run one play later.

Any illusions that Cal was going to erase all its ills immediately were wiped out on the extra-point attempt when WSU’s George Hicks III scooped up a blocked kick and raced the length of the field for two points for the Cougars.

When is a touchdown not worth seven points on the scoreboard? In this case, when the Bears’ faulty place-kicking game gets involved. In that case, seven points is effectively reduced to four.

Defensively, the Bears were on point from the start, not only with Hawkins interception, but by getting off the field in a timely matter on Washington State’s next two possessions. But after tight end Gavin Reinwald fumbled trying to get extra yardage after a catch, WSU had a short field, and drew within a point on Drew Mazza’s 30-yard field goal.

Giving away points to a normally prolific WSU offense could have spelled disaster. Trailing only 6-5 after a lackluster beginning may have been the Cougars signal to bury Cal offensively, but it wasn’t. WSU committed too many penalties (10), couldn’t run the ball (16 yards on just 14 attempts) and didn’t do enough in the pass game despite racking up 407 yards passing on Gordon’s 58 pass attempts.

Instead, Cal limited WSU’s receivers after the catch, came up with Hawkins’ pick and a fumble recovery, along with a key stop early in the fourth quarter that preserved Cal’s 20-14 lead.

Meanwhile, the Bears took after halftime, as the Cougs imploded, building on their 13-11 lead at the break with a couple of big plays, most significantly, Makai Polk’s 52-yard catch-and-run that put Cal up 26-14 with 6:15 remaining. Polk, the freshman from Richmond, had just three catches all season prior to his touchdown, a moment of brilliance that saw Modster recognize the defense pre-snap, then have Polk take advantage after catching a simple screen pass.

“They were (in) cover zero and I knew it was going to be a big gain, but I didn’t know if it was going to be a touchdown or not,” Modster recalled. “But right when I threw it I saw a huge hole and Makai just did all the rest.”

The Bears are back in the postseason mix if they can gain at least one more win in their final three games. USC comes to Berkeley on Saturday, then the Bears visit Stanford. Both teams have been vulnerable at points this season, and Cal could benefit greatly if that resurfaces for either opponent. Bringing to an end the nine consecutive losses to Stanford probably is especially enticing to the Bears.

 

San Jose State comes up just short in Hawaii, 42-40

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

San Jose State football looked for a two-game winning streak in the islands against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the Spartans’ wish didn’t come true, but the road team put up a good fight in Honolulu.

Matt Mercurio opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal with 9:06 left in the first quarter. The Rainbow Warriors responded with a touchdown as Chevan Cordeiro threw a 5-yard pass to JoJo Ward for a 7-3 lead with just 27 seconds left in the first.

The Spartans lead 7-3 at the end of the first.

The Spartans scored first to start the second quarter. DeJon Packer ran for a 6-yard touchdown to put SJSU on top 10-7 at 11:15 of the second. Mercurio hit a 43-yard field goal to make it 13-10 Spartans with 9:59 left in the second.

The Rainbow Warriors made it a 1-point game, 14-13, as Cordeiro threw a 71-yard pass to Ward just 51 seconds later. But the Spartans quickly responded as Packer ran for a 20-yard touchdown to extend SJSU’s lead to 20-14 with 6:26 left in the second.

The Rainbow Warriors went ahead 21-20 as Miles Reed ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 2:37 left in the second. But the Spartans ended up taking a 23-21 lead to the locker room at the halftime break, thanks to Mercurio’s 43-yard field goal with just 44 seconds left in the second.

The Rainbow Warriors struck first in the third quarter. Cordeiro ran for a 3-yard touchdown for a 28-23 lead with 9:30 left in the third. The Spartans made it a 2-point game after Mercurio hit a 25-yard field goal with 1:21 left in the third.

The Spartans led 28-26 at the end of the third.

Cordeiro threw a 5-yard pass to Jared Smart for a touchdown to give the Rainbow Warriors a 35-26 lead at 12:13 of the fourth quarter. But the Spartans pulled within two as Josh Love threw a 40-yard pass to Bailey Gaither with 9:53 left in the fourth.

However, Hawaii went ahead 42-33 with 4:23 left in the fourth as Cordiero ran for a 2-yard touchdown.

SJSU seemed to have had the “never say die” attitude when Love threw a 19-yard pass to Isaiah Holiness for a touchdown that brought the Spartans within two with 1:51 left in the fourth.

The Spartans lost to the Rainbow Warriors 42-40. With the loss, SJSU fell to 6-4, 1-5 Mountain West, while Hawaii improved to 6-4, 3-3 Mountain West.

The Spartans have a bye week, then head to Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas to face the UNLV Rebels on Saturday, November 23 at 1 pm PT.

Sharks Beat Predators 2-1 in Shoot-out

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 2-1 in a shootout at SAP Center Saturday. Timo Meier scored to win in the seventh round of the shootout, and Tomas Hertl scored during regulation for the Sharks. Filip Forsberg scored for Nashville. Martin Jones made 24 saves for the win, and Juuse Saros made 31 saves for the Predators.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson said: “This is a good start. I think this was the first game where we felt right from the start no matter what the score was we felt like we were playing our game and we weren’t too worried about what they were doing. We were focused on the things that we needed to do well and I think we did that.”

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “I think 60 minute effort for sure. You know, I thought we handled the adversity of not scoring first even though we were playing well better than we have in the past. Stuck with it, and yeah I think it was our best 60-minute effort.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, Nashville had won 2 of their last 5, with their last game being a 9-4 loss in Colorado. The Sharks had also won 2 of their last five, and had just come off a high-scoring game that they prevailed in 6-5. Tightening defense was clearly a goal for both teams, so it should be no surprise that the game was scoreless through the first period and much of the second. In shots, the teams stayed within three or four, each leading for one period they each had two power plays and no power play goals. The Sharks had the lead in blocked shots and the Predators were doing better in the face-off circle.

Filip Forsberg broke the deadlock at 14:44 of the second. He scored his eighth goal of the season carrying the puck in from the blue line while fending off Erik Karlsson on his right. Despite Karlsson getting a stick in his way, Forsberg put the puck up and over Jones on the short side. Dante Fabbro got the assist for his pass from the Predators’ blue line.

With a little over a minute left in the second period, Dante Fabbro took an Evander Kane shot in the face and had to leave the game. He returned during the third period wearing a face cage.

Tomas Hertl tied it at 5:22 of the third period. He had a shot knocked off his stick during the zone entry but the Sharks retained control of the puck and eventually Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s point shot got to the net and Hertl was there to knock it in. Assists went to Vlasic and Erik Karlsson.

The score remained unchanged through the rest of the period and overtime, including an overtime power play for Nashville.

Before Timo Meier scored to win the shootout for the Sharks, Saros stopped shots from Kevin Labanc, Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, Evander Kane and Brent Burns.

Martin Jones stopped Matt Duchene, Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg, Kyle Turris, Ryan Johansen, Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

Four Cardinal score in double figures in Stanford’s 70-54 win over Cal State Fullerton

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball had hoped to make it two wins in a row. Did it happen? Yup!

To be specific, four Cardinal players scored in Stanford’s 70-54 win over Cal State Fullerton at Maples Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Daejon Davis scored 15 points. Davis was one of four Stanford players to score in double figures. Davis’ efforts helped the Cardinal win their second straight to open the young season. With the win, Stanford improved to 2-0, 0-0 Pac-12, while Cal State Fullerton fell to 0-2, 0-0 Big West.

Oscar da Silva added 14 points for Stanford (2-0), which played the Titans (0-2) for the first time in seven years. Tyrell Terry and Spencer Jones each scored 12 points.

Wayne Arnold scored 14 points, while Davon Clare had 15 rebounds to lead Cal State Fullerton. Brandon Kamga added 10 points.

The Titans were 4-of-23 from 3-point range, including 2 of 13 in the second half. The Cardinal were 5-of-17.

Jones entered the game midway through the first half and immediately hit a 3-pointer to give Stanford a double-digit lead at 17-5. The Cardinal led by as many as 19 before halftime and the Titans never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

NOTES: The Cardinal welcomed back former Cardinal and manager Olatunde Sobomehin as their honorary caption prior to tonight’s game. Sobomehin currently serves as the CEO of Streetcode Academy.

UP NEXT: The Cardinal host their second straight Big West opponent when Long Beach State comes to town for a Tuesday night contest. Stanford opens with six home games for the first time in 13 years.

The Cardinal host the Long Beach State 49ers on Tuesday, November 12 at 6 p.m. PT.

Thunder holds off injury-riddled Warriors 114-108

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photo from sfgate.com: Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, as Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov 8, 2019, in Minneapolis.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 9, 2019

Five Oklahoma City players scored in double-figures on Saturday, as the Thunder defeated a short-handed Golden State squad 114-108 in Oklahoma City. It was the Thunder’s second win over the Warriors this season.

Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 19 points, followed by Dennis Schroder with 18 points and six assists. Chris Paul scored 16 points to go with nine assists, Steven Adams netted 13 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 12 points.

Oklahoma City has won three of its last four games.

D’Angelo Russell continued his torrid scoring for the Warriors, scoring 17 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter. His 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer tied the game at 84-all.

On Friday, Russell scored 52 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Alec Burk added 23 points for Golden State (2-8), and Glenn Robinson III added 18 for a Warriors team that has five players inactive due to injury, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Early in the fourth quarter, Willie Cauley-Stein’s jumper put the Warriors ahead 88-86. OKC (4-5) responded with a 9-0 run, sparked by four points from Paul. A jumper by Hamidou Diallo gave the Thunder a 14-point lead with 5:01 remaining.

Though Golden State cut its deficit to 112-108 with 17.7 seconds to play, they could get no closer.

The Warriors were 17 of 17 on free throws. Oklahoma City’s 43 baskets had 30 assists, and the Thunder outrebounded Golden State 42-35.

Golden State returns home on Monday night to host the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m.