Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Carr getting some time to throw with good line protection

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 In a huge win against the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for two touchdowns, which was just enough to get by the Colts in Week 4 of the NFL season.

#2 Carr went 21-31 for 189 yards for one of his best games of the season.

#3 Talk about the line and how much time Carr was allowed to throw. He doesn’t spend a lot in the pocket, but just enough time to do some damage.

#4 The Raiders made it important to strike first with a 14-0 lead, and in the fourth quarter, it was the Colts who scored two touchdowns but were able to get by with a touchdown in the 31-24 win.

#5 So it’s game three of this six-game out of town schedule. This time in London and the Raiders will play home team this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Joe tells us about this matchup.

Joe Hawkes does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders fly to London for home game against the Bears

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Photo credit: bleacherreport.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

The Oakland Raiders, fresh off an impressive win in Indianapolis in Week 4, are off to London where they will host (that’s right, host) the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the NFL’s first-ever matchup in the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sunday’s game will mark the second-straight year that the Raiders have played in London, and the fifth time in six years playing an international game.

Kickoff for this game is at 10:00 a.m. PT this Sunday, Oct. 6.

The all-time series is tied at seven wins apiece, but the Bears have won the previous matchup between the two teams, 22-20, back in 2015 at Soldier Field.

Last week, the Raiders dispatched the Colts, 31-24, behind a fast start by the offense who jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was terrific, leading Oakland to touchdowns on three of their first four drives of the game.

“We finished our drives, we converted on third downs, we were efficient running the football. Everyone did their job,” Carr said after the win that pulled Oakland to 2-2 on the season. When everyone does their job, we can score points.

Carr was 21 of 31 with 189 yards and two TDs. On the game’s opening drive Carr was sharp, completing 6 of 6 passes for 53 yards and an 18-yard TD to tight end Foster Moreau to give Oakland an early 7-0 lead.

Oakland’s second offensive series of the game ended after wide receiver Trevor Davis ran past the Colts’ defense on the left side for a TD that propelled the Raiders to a 14-0 lead before fans at Lucas Oil Stadium sat down.

Wide receiver Tyrell Williams caught a touchdown for the fourth-straight game this season, a 19-yarder from Carr that gave the Raiders a 21-7 lead.

Oakland’s defense preserved the win late in the fourth quarter.

With the Raiders clinging to a 24-17 lead, safety Erik Harris stepped in front of a Jacoby Brissett pass and returned it for a 30-yard pick-six that gave Oakland a 31-17 lead shortly before the two minute warning.

Harris’ interception was the first takeaway by the Raiders this season.

Chicago (3-1) is coming off a 16-6 victory over their NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field in Week 4.

After starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was knocked out of the game on the first possession with a left shoulder injury, backup Chase Daniels would stabilize the Bears’ offense over the Vikings’ defense.

Daniels threw for 195 yards and a touchdown while completing 22 of 30 passes. With Trubisky most likely out for Sunday’s game, expect Daniels to get the start against the Silver and Black.

But the real calling card for Chicago has been its defense, which has made life difficult for opposing teams this season.

Through four games, Chicago is the fifth-ranked defense in the NFL, surrendering just 290.8 yards per game, but rank second in total points allowed (45), points per game (11.3), and sacks (17.0).

Former Raiders linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack leads Chicago with 4.5 sacks.

Mack who was traded to Chicago from Oakland before the start of last season, told NFL Network’s Deion Sanders following Chicago’s win over Minnesota that he’s looking forward to the matchup against his former team.

“That’s the one I’m looking forward to,” Mack told Sanders. “I can’t lie to you, man. It’s going to to be a big one.”

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who came into Sunday’s contest with an NFL-leading 375 yards rushing through four games, was held to just 35 yards on 14 carries.

The Bears lived in Minnesota’s backfield all day, sacking quarterback Kirk Cousins six times in the game.

Following Sunday’s game, both teams will enter their bye weeks before Oakland travels to Green Bay to face the Packers, and the Bears taking on the New Orleans Saints at home in Week 7 respectively.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Diaz home run disaster strikes twice, Oakland lawsuit could force A’s to leave Oakland

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tampabaytimes.com file photo: Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Tommy Pham (29), right, is congratulate by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames (1), center, and Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (2), left, after Pham hit a solo homer in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card game Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019 in Oakland.

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Tampa Bay Rays’ leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz got a jump on A’s pitcher Sean Manaea. Did that sort of shake up Manaea’s confidence to start the game?

#2 Then, in the top of the second, the Rays right fielder Avisail Garcia took one deep center just under the Holy Toledo sign for a two-run home run to put the Rays on top 3-0.

#3 In the top third, Diaz did it again with his second home run and the Rays go up 4-1 and Sean Manaea was lifted and charged for all four runs. The Rays’ Tommy Pham took A’s reliever Yusmeiro Petit deep and put the Rays up 5-1.

#4 The City of Oakland has filed a lawsuit against the Oakland A’s to stop the A’s partial purchase of Oakland Coliseum. The lawsuit was filed in Alameda Superior Court on Tuesday and it certainly broadsided A’s team president David Kaval, who just with the City’s lead negotiator Betsy Lake, discussed regarding building the new stadium Jack London Square.

#5 Going forward after the loss in the wild card to the Rays, now Kaval has to deal with not only trying to get an idea when the A’s can start building at Jack London Square, but also dealing with the lawsuit filed by the city of Oakland.

Jerry did the 2019 Oakland A’s podcasts on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

How it ended: A’s season ends with a thud fall to the Rays 5-1

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sfgate.com photo: After surrendering three home runs Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea heads for the A’s dugout as the Tampa Bay Rays win the AL Wild Card game at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday night 5-1

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- The Tampa Bay Rays won the Wild Card game and advanced to the ALDS against the Houston Astros. The Rays, with the second-best road record in baseball, scored all of their runs on the strength of four home runs. They sent A’s starter Sean Manaea to an early exit as he gave up three bombs in two-plus innings of work. The A’s could do nothing against Charlie Morton and the Rays’ bullpen.

The A’s had opportunities, but they failed to cash in, and that cost them the game. The A’s have made the playoffs five times in the Bob Melvin era. They failed to advance in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and now in 2019. Billy Beane and David Forst have to make some moves to improve the team over the winter.

Let’s see what happens. The Rays took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With the count 3-1, Yandy Diaz homered to right field. Sean Manaea settled down and struck out the next three hitters. The Rays lead 1-0 with the A’s coming to the plate. The A’s were able to load the bases as Marcus Semien led off with a single. The Rays’ starter Charlie Morton struggled with his command as he walked two hitters to load the bases.

He got Jurickson Profar to fly out to right to end the threat. The Rays put two more on the board in the second. Former San Francisco Giant Matt Duffy led off with an infield single. The next hitter, Avasail Garcia, hit a blast that went about 420 feet over the centerfield fence to give Tampa a 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the third, Yandy Diaz hammered his second homer of the night to make it 4-0. A’s manager Bob Melvin, decided to remove Manaea from the game. Yusmeiro petit came in and was able to stop the damage. Manaea’s line was two innings pitched, four hits, and four runs. The Rays tagged him for three big flys.

The A’s put their first run on the board in the bottom of the third. Marcus Semien reached third on a throwing error by Rays’ third baseman Mike Brosseau. Semien scored on a Ramon Laureano’s sacrifice fly to right. With two out in the fifth, the Rays continued to send the ball out of the park. Rays’ DH Tommy Pham hit the Rays’ fourth home run of the night over the center-field wall to put the Rays in the drivers’ seat 5-1.

The A’s bullpen shut down the Rays the rest of the way. The Rays’ bullpen stifled the A’s offense to secure the win. The Rays travel to Houston to play the Astros in the American League Division Series. Game notes- The winning pitcher was Charlie Morton, and Sean Manaea took the loss. There was some controversy about Bob Melvin’s choice of Manaea over Mike Fiers. Fiers led the team with a 15-4 record this season.

He was the A’s best pitcher, and many people were surprised by Melvin’s choice. Melvin said Manaea pitched very well when he returned from the IL and was 4-0 in five starts before the Wild Card game. Manaea gave up three home runs and four runs in two-plus innings of work. The bullpen gave up just one run in the last seven innings of the game. The A’s offense went to sleep Wednesday night.

The only run they scored was unearned in the third inning. The A’s managed eight hits, all singles. The Rays had seven hits, but four were home runs, and that was the difference in the game. There were 54,005 fans at the park Wednesday night and that set a record for a Wild Card game. The time of the game was three hours and eighteen minutes. The A’s season ended sadly, but they have an excellent young team, and they will be back next year.

World’s Largest Mobile Kitchen has new home in CEFCU Stadium

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Resting in Silicon Valley, one of the America’s centers of innovation is the world’s largest mobile kitchen.

At 70 feet in length — much longer than the world record in the triple jump — nearly three-quarters of the length of a basketball court, and a greater distance than throwing a baseball from the rubber of a baseball pitching mound — The Powerhouse Kitchen is located at San Jose State University, north of CEFCU Stadium, the football home of the Spartans.

Also known as the “World’s Largest Mobile Kitchen,” The Powerhouse Kitchen is equipped with a massive commercial kitchen that chefs, barbecue pit masters, and cooks of all skill levels can produce high-end elegant meals or simple, traditional ball park food side-by-side or grill station to grill station.

The Powerhouse Kitchen is a self-contained entertainment center perfect in its current home of the Spartan Village Fan Zone, where people of all ages, interests and backgrounds can enjoy food, fun, and frolic for as long as three hours before every San Jose State home football game and through the first half.

The 16-foot retractable Jumbotron screen can show live footage of food being prepared inside The Powerhouse Kitchen, highlights of San Jose State Spartans’ Athletics events or feature-length movies like the Spartans did while hosting their annual “Evening with the Spartans.”

“We are thrilled The Powerhouse Kitchen will be an integral component of the San Jose State football tailgate scene,” said Marie Tuite, San Jose State University’s Director of Athletics. “It has a commanding presence in our Spartan Village Fan Zone. Our graphic design students created a standout visual that captures the essence of San Jose State University, school spirit, a zest for life, and the fun of eating and drinking responsibly at outdoor events.”

A creation of Cruising Kitchens, LLC, out of San Antonio, Texas, The Powerhouse Kitchen was purchased by Spartan Eats, the university’s food service concessionaire and a member of Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services. Thinking creatively, the Spartan Eats team enlisted San Jose State graphic design students to create the colorful, eye-catching and striking exterior that stands out from the upper deck of CEFCU Stadium and beyond.

Menus and price points are still being developed and tested. Fan favorites are certain to be on the menu. Don’t be surprised at the breadth of offerings that would reflect of the diverse cultures in Silicon Valley.

Regardless of your taste buds, interest in sports and outdoor activities, The Powerhouse Kitchen inside San Jose State’s Spartan Village Fan Zone at CEFCU Stadium will be your destination for some of the best food and entertainment in the city and throughout the greater Bay Area of six million residents.

Unbeaten Niners prep for dangerous Browns on Monday night

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Photo credit: ninersnation.com

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA–The 49ers are the only unbeaten team left in the NFC, something that has not happened in a very long time. Let that sink in for a little bit.

OK, good. Now that’s out of the way, on to the next order of business. And these aren’t the same Cleveland Browns that we have been accustomed to for the past few years.

In fact, the team that will be inside Levi’s Stadium to face the 49ers Monday night just knocked off the Baltimore Ravens on the road last Sunday, and they will have some offensive momentum going their way after the 40-25 win.

Baker Mayfield, who has taken a bit of heat in the media for his erratic decision-making, has seemed to get things together for the time being, as he hung 342 passing yards and a touchdown on the notoriously-tough Baltimore defense.

The Browns, however, will be facing a much-improved 49ers defense that has paved the way to their winning the first three games of the 2019 season. They also have an issue with injuries, as receiver Jarvis Landry, who torched the Ravens secondary last week, is currently in concussion protocol and is not a guarantee to play Monday night.

Cleveland may have a capable fill-in for Landry, however. Antonio Callaway, who was suspended for the first four games due to a substance abuse violation, will be eligible to play against the 49ers and is likely to be the No. 2 wideout opposite Odell Beckham, Jr. if Landry is not able to play.

Meanwhile, the 49ers need to figure out a replacement for corner Ahkello Witherspoon, who will miss about a month with a foot sprain. And they need to find it fact, if they are going to limit the potent Cleveland offense.

Bad blood holds up in season opener as Knights win 4-1

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Photo credit: @GoldenKnights

By Pearl Allison Lo

The match between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights was filled with penalties and the usual physical aspects as the Golden Knights won again 5-1 in front of their home crowd at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday night.

In the previous two preseason games this year, the Sharks lost 3-1 and 5-1 as their struggles versus goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Vegas continued. 

Special teams went the same way in the three games, with the Knights scoring at least once each time (4 for 11) and the Sharks scoreless throughout (0 for 10). 

This was the contest that counted though, as the beginning of the two teams’ fate was in this new season. 

Sharks goalie Martin Jones played the whole game, but could not be faulted for all the goals that went past him. It was the first time San Jose was outshot at the end, but by a worse margin at 35-22. 

Fleury, meanwhile, continued to hold solid. 

Three skaters were missing this time, as the Sharks’ Evander Kane commenced a three-game suspension spanning from the first of three straight games between the teams, San Jose’s (Erik) Karlsson was absent due to personal reasons and the Knights’ Nate Schmidt would end up leaving after only 3:11 time on ice with the first injury of the game.

It was a continuation of the hyped up rivalry as Vegas converted the emotions into two goals within 95 seconds to begin the game. They showed this dominance with goals before the five-minute mark in each period. 

The Sharks’ Brent Burns was whistled for tripping at 2:48, and nearly a minute later, Mark Stone capitalized. 

10 seconds after Stone hit the post, he scored from the left faceoff circle as the puck glanced off goalie Jones’ left side upon its entry. Stone received the puck after Marc-Edouard Vlasic secured the puck but his pass went through Brendon Dillon’s legs to Stone. 

Vlasic and Dalton Prout then missed each other on the return of a back-and-forth in the Knights’ end. William Karlsson picked up the puck and fed Reilly Smith who caught Jones at 5:21 to make it 2-0 while Jones’ legs were in a zigzag position.

26 seconds later, San Jose got their first power play as Brandon Pirri was called for hooking. It only lasted a minute though as Kevin Labanc was called for hooking as well. 

An unintentional knee-on-knee collision between Schmidt and the Sharks’ newly crowned captain Logan Couture resulted in the former leaving the ice.

Vegas got another power play at 9:52, but this time, their advantage only lasted seven seconds as Paul Stastny was called for interference.  

San Jose then showed their hand at 12:14 as Marcus Sorensen scored off the crossbar as he went above Fleury’s left shoulder to bring along his team.

The first period had the most penalties (five) and a high faceoff advantage (76% to 24%) in favor of the Knights.  

Vegas struck with another early goal, this one at 2:12 of the second, as Cody Glass scored his first NHL goal in his debut. 

Scuffles off the puck came to a head at 13:44 when Bryaden McNabb was called for roughing on Timo Meier with a punch to Meier’s face. Smith had a shorthanded attempt during the resulting power play. 

With 1:02 left in the period, Sorensen played a part again as he tipped in Dillon’s shot. However, it was marked as no goal as Sorensen’s stick was high before the puck found the net. The call held under video review to preserve the Knights’ two-goal margin. 

Vegas stretched the shot differential open with 16 to five attempts in the period. The Sharks blocked 11 to four of them. 

This time, the third started with a San Jose power play. However, it also resulted in a goal as Burns lost the puck and Dylan Gambrell fell. Burns and Gambrell fell once more as all alone, Jones was forced to choose between the oncoming Karlsson and Smith as Smith scored his second of the night to put up a 4-1 lead at 4:01. 

If one looked at the resulting TV shot that showed Meier hunched over, it might seem that was a reaction to the goal but earlier, Meier had taken a puck to the gut from Labanc and he later retreated to the dressing room. 

Labanc subsequently ended up taking a high stick from Tomas Nosek at 14:59 and followed Meier to the dressing room too. 

Up Next: The teams return for the last game in a row Friday at 7:30 p.m. as the teams return to Northern California.

At Home. Home Runs? A’s simply out of character in Wild Card game loss to the Rays

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND — Seven A’s homered at least 20 times this season. Manager Bob Melvin’s wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel in advance of the win-or-swim Wild Card game: he penciled all seven into his lineup on Wednesday against the Rays.

What happened next wasn’t what anyone in Oakland was expecting. One of the most prolific power hitting teams in the history of Major League baseball whiffed. The A’s hit 257 home runs this season, 315 doubles or triples, and none of that carried over to the disappointing Wild Card loss, 5-1 to the Rays.

The A’s managed just eight singles across nine innings, and even those weren’t struck with much authority. Charlie Morton and three relievers shut the A’s down without allowing even as much as rallying moment.

The Rays? They smashed four home runs in the first five innings, including the first courtesy of Yandy Diaz on the game’s fifth pitch. In the season of the home run, the Rays got the directive. What happened to the A’s?

“We couldn’t string anything together tonight,” Melvin said. “They kind of beat us with our game. We’re normally a home run-hitting team,”

“Get into this Wild Card game and a lot of times it comes down to pitching and timely hitting.  They got us on the run early in the game, and we really couldn’t answer.”

Home runs don’t always decide baseball games, and they haven’t traditionally played a major factor in postseason games, but times are changing. The 2017 World Series between the Astros and Dodgers was supercharged, and this postseason could be similarly built. But if one club belts four, and the other swings and misses, that’s always been decisive, playoff game or not.

Playing at home normally provides an advantage as well. The Oakland crowd, better than 54,000, setting a new Wild Card attendance record, did their part. But the A’s couldn’t follow suit, another anomaly given their 52-29 record at the Coliseum this season.

Starting Sean Manaea seemed like a smart move as well. Tampa Bay didn’t hit left-handed pitching that well this season, ranking in the lower third in most categories. But it mattered little. Diaz, fresh off the disabled list, and seeing his first big league game action since July 22, made Rays manager Kevin Cash seem like a genius. The hard swinging Diaz homered opposite field in each of his first two at-bats.

Manaea lasted just two plus innings, but he wasn’t awful. The A’s ace struck out five, didn’t walk any, and allowed just four hits. But three of those four left the park.

“I just was trying to get good pitches to hit and luckily they went out,” Diaz said.

And one more home run related note: The A’s hit the fourth most home runs among AL clubs this season, but those 257 home runs ranks them eight best all-time as home run records fell like confetti in 2019.

And the Rays? The were a bit of an afterthought in terms of power hitting with 217 home runs, 15 fewer than the American League average this season. But the Rays were number one by allowing 181 homers, the fewest in all of baseball.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: This one’s for all the marbles, Rays-A’s, expect a good pitching match

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yahoo.sports.com file photo: Oakland left handed pitcher Sean Manaea will start for the A’s in Wednesday’s AL wildcard game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The American League Wild Card game between Tampa Bay and Oakland is a one and done series. London tells us what’s on the line as the Rays’ Charlie Morton matches up against Oakland’s Sean Manaea.

#2 The A’s have had a key player throughout the regular season. Whether it’s Jurickson Profar, Sean Murphy, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson or Matt Chapman, someone is always digging in at the plate.

#3 The Rays are a good road team they are 49-37, which is the second-best record in MLB. They can really make a game of it against the A’s tonight.

#4 It just seems like A’s manager Bob Melvin has been able to position and place hitters and pitchers in the right spots to get the best out of them and it’s paid off and it’s what’s in them the home field in these wild card games.

#5 It’s all on the line, it’s a one and done series. Does the one-game format of the wild card rob a team’s dream working 162 games to get here and then to be eliminated or is that the best part of the wild card format to keep teams on edge?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks 2019-20 preview podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks hope to make new season a drive to postseason success

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sportsnet.com file photo: A lot rests on the shoulders of San Jose Shark Erik Karlsson, who signed for a big contract and is expected to carry the bulk of the team.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks are coming off an off season where they saw three key players leave — Joe Pavelski, Justin Braun, and Joonas Donskoi. By seeing those three leave, can the Sharks fill their voids?

#2 How optimistic, how positive has this dressing room been coming into camp and preseason and who are some of the players that you are looking forward to seeing that will make things happen?

#3 There has been talk about the Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane, two hard working players that might end up being one of the top lines on the team.

#4 The Sharks lost four of five of their preseason games. Does that hold any significance going into Wednesday night’s opener in Vegas?

#5 Talk about the opener, the Knights have been built to be one of the NHL’s most competitive teams and even gave the Sharks fits in the preseason.

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