Aces drop heartbreaker to Sky 87-84

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Photo credit: @WNBA

By: Ana Kieu

The Las Vegas Aces were looking to win two in a row with a victory over the Chicago Sky at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday night. The Aces last defeated the Dallas Wings 75-70 at College Park Center last Saturday.

The Aces’ starting lineup featured Kelsey Plum, Kayla McBride, Liz Cambage, Dearica Hamby, and Jackie Young. The Aces were without A’ja Wilson, who is out with a left ankle sprain. Wilson collapsed to the floor after colliding with Cambage in the Aces’ game against the Seattle Storm at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on July 19th.

The Sky opened up the first quarter by scoring a handful of points. Stefanie Dolson hit plenty of three-pointers throughout the first. Dolson got past a few Aces defenders and hit a noteworthy three with 4:06 left in the first.

The Sky’s “uh oh” moment occurred with 1:09 left in the first. Gabby Williams made a long rebound to Diamond DeShields. DeShields knocked down the jumper to make it 24-10.

The Sky led 27-14 at the end of the first.

The Aces bounced back and outscored the Sky 27-21 in the second quarter. Sugar Rodgers provided a tremendous screen and knocked down a step-back jumper with 8:08 left in the second. Rodgers also delivered a sweet bounce that led to a three, pulling the Aces within seven, 31-24, with 6:35 left in the second.

The Aces trailed by seven, 48-41, at the end of the first half.

Aces rookie Jackie Young made a statement with a strong move that resulted in a two-point field goal, and as a result, the Aces trailed by two, 52-50, with 8:23 left in the third quarter.

McBride passed the ball to Cambage late in the fourth quarter. Cambage knocked it down for two. The Aces maintained a close game throughout the fourth, but they were unable to force overtime at the very least. Still, Young drained a clutch bucket to make it a one-point game with 2:10 left in the fourth.

The Aces (15-9) lost to the Sky (14-9) by a final of 87-84.

The Aces host the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, August 11 at 3:00 p.m.

Fiers Dominates White Sox, A’s Keep Pace in Wild Card Chase with 7-0 Win

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Photo credit: @MLBNetwork

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s hit a pair of solo homeruns in the first two innings to stake starter Mike Fiers to a 2-0 lead, and it’d be all he needed in a stellar seven-inning performance allowing no runs to the Chicago White Sox. Of course, the A’s would add in another five runs in the top of the eighth to turn the close contest in to a rout in a 7-0 A’s win in the South Side.

Fiers twirled a gem, punching out eight Pale Hosers, while scattering just three hits and walking none to give Oakland a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild card spot with Tampa yet to play in San Diego Friday night. Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty hit solo shots in the first and second innings off former Athletic Ross Detwiler. Chad Pinder had the big blow in a five-run eighth inning, hitting a two-run homer, while Dustin Garneau knocked in a pair as well.

After Marcus Semien grounded out to open the game, Matt Chapman fell in an early 0-2 against Detwiler. He took a ball then sent an 84-mph changeup on a line over the wall in left for his 25th homer of the season. Piscotty would open the next inning working Detwiler to a 2-0 account before missing on another changeup. He took Detwiler to centerfield on the 4th pitch of the at bat, a sinker belt high for a 2-0 lead.

While Fiers (11-3, 3.30 ERA) was near unhittable, Detwiler did settle in. He exited the game with an out in the fifth having given up only four hits and the two runs, but control was an issue. The lefty (1-3, 5.35 ERA) struck out four, but also walked a quartet. Jose Ruis pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, including stopping a pair of inherited runners from scoring to keep the game in reach.

The game was handed over to Jace Fry in the eighth inning, who struggled for the jump. He worked a full count on Mark Canha, but lost him on ball four, then surrendered Chad Pinder’s 11th homer of the year on a 3-1 count for a 4-0 A’s lead. He then walked Khris Davis and gave up a single to Jurickson Profar before being replaced by former San Francisco Giant Josh Osich without recording an out.

Jurickson Profar gave Osich a rude welcome, sending a line drive past Leury Garcia at second on the first pitch to knock in Khris Davis for a 5-0 A’s lead and a double. Dustin Garneau would also jump on the first pitch, hitting a double to left that would score Piscotty and Profar for a 7-0 lead. He bounced back to strike out Marcus Semien and coax groundouts from Matt Chapman and Matt Olson, respectively.

With the lead in hand, manager Bob Melvin tabbed trade acquisition Jake Diekman with the bottom of the eighth inning. He struck out Matt Skole and Ryan Cordell on four pitches each then forced a ground out from Garcia in his frame. Joakim Soria nailed down the win in the ninth, allowing a single to James McCann but being otherwise flawless.

The A’s and White Sox meet again on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. PT.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Jimmy G expected to sit out Saturday night’s preseason contest

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Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 In this first preseason game on Saturday night, what’s to be expected from 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?

#2 Garoppolo will not play on Saturday night. Usually in the first preseason game, you see the starter just playing with the other starters in the first quarter.

#3 After the ACL injury and the recovery in camp during 11-11 practices, Garoppolo hasn’t thrown a single pick yet.

#4 For the 49ers opponent, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will team up with Amari Cooper. How important do you see that tandem on Saturday night?

#5 Last season, Prescott had 3885 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, and threw only eight interceptions — one of the best passing records in the NFL last season.

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

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Carr might even commute with Gruden after becoming Vegas next door neighbors; Raiders have rough scrimmage against Rams

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Photo credit: @KrisWysong

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon:

#1 Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has just bought a house near head coach Jon Gruden. This is an indication that Carr might be staying with the silver and black for awhile.

#2 Carr’s purchase makes him a next door neighbor of Gruden’s and getting a cup of sugar just became easier as told by Carr’s brother David to NFL Network.

#3 There were false starts all over the place in scrimmage with the Los Angeles Rams, who are playing the Raiders on Saturday, and it was reported that Carr was not in synch with receivers.

#4 Also, Carr was getting dropped passes and miscommunications in the scrimmage and not a great thing going up against the Rams on this Saturday night.

#5 In scrimmage against the Rams, Gruden said the receivers mishandled a pass and perhaps a game-ending pass. How much concern should Gruden have going into this first preseason game with the Rams after a scrimmage like that?

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

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: The Greinke trade; Patterson story will become a movie; plus more

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On this week’s podcast Barbara talks about:

  • The Zack Greinke trade
  • The incredible Nathan Patterson story that is sure to become a movie
  • The importance of the Warriors resigning Draymond Green
  • What does Tom Brady’s new contract mean to the NFL?
  • Antonio Brown’s feet
  • A tribute to the late Cliff Branch
  • Updates on the A’s and the Giants

MadBum stifles Phillies 5-0

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Photo credit: @McCoveyChron

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO — After three straight days of famine at the plate in front of their faithful home fans, the Giants on Thursday returned to the feast that had been their calling card during their major resurgence following the All-Star break.

The bats were shut down by the Washington Nationals, but they bounced back in a big way against a pitcher who had entered the game on a real hot streak. Starter Aaron Nola (10-3) had entered the game having only given up two runs over his last three road starts, but the Giants capitalized on a third-inning rally to down the Phillies, 5-0, at Oracle Park.

Equally remarkable was Giants starter Madison Bumgarner (7-7), who blanked the Phillies’ bats with seven shutout innings and gave up only one hit in the process while striking out three, which would qualify as his best outing of the season.

His contributions were not limited to what he did on the mound, either. He also got a key hit in the third inning to help ignite the rally that would push the Giants ahead as well as drawing a pair of walks.

“He did it all tonight,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I felt good about him going tonight, because he’s so good at figuring things out when it doesn’t go well. He put in a lot of work in between starts, to get where he needs to be.”

Upon taking over for Bumgarner, the bullpen kept Philly off the scoreboard, as Trevor Gott and closer Will Smith, who picked up his 28th save of the season on Thursday with a perfect ninth, combined to surrender only a walk.

After two quiet innings, the Giants broke through in the third off Nola. Brandon Crawford and Bumgarner started the inning with back-to-back hits before Brandon Belt drove Crawford in with a single to break the scoreless tie.

Mike Yastrzemski went the other way and carried it all the way to the left-field wall, and when Jay Bruce couldn’t play the carom off the wall, Bumgarner and Belt were able to score rather easily, and the Giants had a 3-0 lead.

Bumgarner lost his no-hitter in the sixth, when Cesar Hernandez pinch-hit for Nola and promptly ripped a single up the middle.

With two out in the sixth, the Giants – particularly Kevin Pillar – took advantage of a pair of Philly mistakes to tack on another run. Pillar reached base on a fielder’s choice, and as he stole second, he forced a bad throw from catcher Andrew Knapp that sailed into center field and allowed him to scoot on to third.

After he walked Crawford, reliever Nick Pivetta uncorked a wild pitch that rolled to the backstop, which Pillar used to scamper to the plate and give the Giants a 4-0 advantage. Yastrzemski added to that lead with one mighty swing of the bat, pulverizing a Pivetta fastball and sending it into the arcade in right-center for a solo homer.

“You pull for these guys (like Yastrzemski),” Bochy said. “He spent a lot of time in the minor leagues, and finally gets called up, and he hasn’t been in awe of anything.

“He’s been like that since Day 1. He’s just a nice all-around player.”

San Jose State offense strives to stay clean in first scrimmage

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven is in his second season. It’s the first time in three years anyone can make that claim.

Put it another way. Spartans quarterback Josh Love has learned three different offensive schemes in his four-plus seasons as a Spartan.

Through the early stages of fall camp, many veteran offensive players have said how much more comfortable or second-nature the offense is to them compared to a year ago. Hopefully, that familiarity turns into more points.

“There’s no question those guys are playing faster with the concepts we’ve had in since last year. It’s knowing the signals, going through the coaching, the repetition. Those guys are able to really focus on the finer details whereas some of the young guys are still not playing as fast, because they don’t understand it. But the guys who have been here have a high level of understanding,” said McGiven.

The 2018 Spartans scored 49 more points than the previous Spartan group, but this year’s squad believes it is capable of much more. With eight practices in the books, the core of the offensive scheme is installed. Going forward, it’s practice, refinement, execution, and the added tweak or wrinkle for the unexpected surprise.

The offense will be on display Saturday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the team’s first scrimmage of the fall inside CEFCU Stadium. McGiven hopes to see at least three things come out of the scrimmage.

“When we get into those scrimmage situations, I like to see a clean operation. Everything that is under our control pre-snap — no procedure penalties, turnovers, all those things besides the scheme that can cost you the game. You like to see it clean from that standpoint. And, I anxious to see the development of the young guys, see who can make plays and can push the starters,” McGiven said with the implicit understanding the offense will score points.

There is no charge to attend the August 10 scrimmage. Parking is available across the street in the Park & Ride Lot at 7th & Humboldt Streets.

Tickets for the San Jose State season opener with Northern Colorado on Thursday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. and all home games are available at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets.

Raiders open up 2019 preseason schedule with visit from Rams

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

Welcome back football!

The Oakland Raiders open up the 2019 preseason schedule this coming Saturday, when they host the visiting Los Angeles Rams at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Kickoff is at 5:00 p.m.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden told available media on Thursday in Napa that the starters won’t see the field Saturday night against the reigning NFC Champions.

“You’re not going to see some of the starters,” Gruden said. “You’re just not going to see them. You saw them today. You saw them yesterday. They took about 120 reps so we’re going to take a look at some of the young players, some guys need that opportunity, and I don’t have that for you right now but I’ll have that for you tomorrow.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the starters, most notably quarterback Derek Carr, won’t suit up in the first preseason. Typically, starters don’t see any real action until the second and third preseason games.

Teams usually treat the preseason as a proven ground for players on the roster bubble looking to burst on to the scene. The four games are essentially job interviews to see if a player does fit a team’s system for the upcoming season.

With Carr most likely not playing on Saturday, expect plenty of action for quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman as the two battle for the backup job.

Glennon, signed with the Raiders as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason after spending 2018 with the Arizona Cardinals. In two games played last year, Glennon completed 15-of-21 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.

For his career, Glennon has been a serviceable starter with Tampa Bay and Chicago as well, has thrown for 5,107 yards with 35 touchdowns to just 20 interceptions as he enters his seventh year in the NFL.

Peterman, who spent his first two years of his career in Buffalo, is trying to win a roster spot with Oakland. For his career, Peterman has thrown just three touchdowns, but a ghastly 12 interceptions in four career starts.

Defensively, the Raiders have a few young players that I’m intrigued to see get in the game such as rookies defensive end Clelin Ferrell and safety Johnathan Abram.

The Raiders spent two first-round picks on both Ferrell and Abram in the 2019 NFL Draft, and both are expected to compete for starting positions.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Ferrell was drafted fourth overall from Clemson after winning a national championship, while the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Abram was selected 27th overall out of Mississippi State.

After Saturday’s game, which will be the only one in Oakland during the preseason, the Raiders will travel to Arizona and take on the Cardinals on Thursday night on ESPN. Oakland’s second home game, which will be on Aug. 22 in Winnipeg against the Green Bay Packers.

The Raiders won’t play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum again until Sept. 9, as the nightcap to ESPN’s Monday Night Football double-header.

San Jose State football introduces new flagship station Real Talk 910

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University Athletics and its multimedia rights holder, Learfield IMG College’s Spartan Sports Properties, announced Thursday that Real Talk 910 (KKSF-AM) in Oakland, Calif., will serve as the flagship station for Spartan football, effective through the 2021 athletics season.

As part of the agreement, Real Talk 910 will broadcast all Spartan football games live each season. The 2019 games can also be heard on PowerTalk 1460 AM (Salinas/Monterey), Power Talk 1360 AM (Modesto), and PowerTalk 1280 AM (Stockton). Broadcasts will begin with a 30-minute pregame show, the in-game broadcast, and conclude with a 30-minute post-game wrap-up. San Jose State football radio broadcasts will feature play-by-play announcer Justin Allegri, a.k.a. Voice of the Spartans, and analyst Kevin Richardson, who are entering their seventh season together.

“We’re delighted to be affiliated with San Jose State University as the flagship radio station for Spartan football,” said Kathryn Wilcox, iHeartMedia Markets Group President for the Northern California Region. “Our audience enjoys local content on Real Talk 910 and we are proud to offer programming affiliated with such a respected institution. While I don’t have any ‘lucky loafers’ like Coach (Brent) Brennan, we’ve still pulled out a win to be partnered with the team!”

In addition to tuning to Real Talk 910 during football season for game broadcasts, fans can also visit the Spartans’ official Facebook page for a live broadcast of the weekly Brent Brennan Show from the Hukilau restaurant in San Jose’s Japantown. The one-hour live show with the head football coach airs each week, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. PT, beginning Tuesday, August 27.

“We’re thrilled Real Talk 910 and the iHeartMedia Marketing Group are joining our Spartan Athletics family,” said Marie Tuite, San Jose State University Athletics Director. “We’re looking forward to this new broadcast agreement and appreciate their commitment to deliver exceptional, informative and entertaining Spartan football game day experiences over the airwaves for our fans.”

For those unable to tune in to Real Talk 910, the Spartan football broadcasts will also be available via the TuneIn app. In addition, Learfield IMG College’s Spartan Sports Properties, will oversee all aspects of the radio network on behalf of the university.

Real Talk 910 AM is the leading media outlet in the San Francisco market with multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations; live events; data; and its digital businesses and platforms, including mobile, social and its own iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service — with more than two billion app downloads and more than 130 million registered users.

About iHeartMedia San Francisco Bay Area
iHeartMedia San Francisco Bay Area operates KIOI-FM, KISQ-FM, KKSF-AM, KMEL-FM, KOSF-FM, and KYLD-FM, and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month — and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company’s leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms including more than 850 live broadcast stations; streaming music, radio and on demand via its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, TVs and gaming consoles; through its influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher globally. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics and attribution technology for its marketing partners, using data from its massive consumer base. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

About San Jose State Athletics
San Jose State University sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 490 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition, and compete in the Mountain West.

San Jose State has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. SJSU athletes have won seven gold, six silver and seven bronze medals at the Olympics. Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.

About Learfield IMG College
Spartan Sports Properties is the San Jose-based Learfield IMG College team that works alongside the athletics administration. Learfield IMG College unlocks the value of college sports for fans, brands, universities and conferences. The company is a longtime advocate for intercollegiate athletics and the student-athlete experience. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants suffer 7th loss in 10 games, get swept at Oracle by Nats

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sfgate.com photo: Washington Nationals’ Gerardo Parra hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019.

On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 The San Francisco Giant have now lost seven of their last three games, including getting swept at Oracle Park by the Washington Nationals. Was it a matter of the Giants facing a Nats team who were prepared, ready to conquer or the Giants are fizzling out after having such a great run?

#2 How much of an advantage was if for former Giant Gerardo Parra to have played for the Giants and to be able to hit the key three-run homer against the Giants on Wednesday for the Nats win.

#3 The Nats’ Joe Ross started against the Giants for the win, pitching six shutout innings of three-hit ball for an effective game. Was it a matter of the Giants’ lineup just didn’t have the drive or were off balance facing Ross?

#4 Former Giant second baseman Joe Panik’s departure this week — was it a surprise or was it something that had been on the mind of Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi?

#5 Giants open a four-game series Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park. For the Phillies, Aaron Nola (10-2, 3.60 ERA), and for San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner (6-7, 3.92 ERA)

Join Michael for the Giants podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com