San Jose State QB Josh Love named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University quarterback Josh Love is one of 93 players from the NCAA’s FBS named to the 2019 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.

The Wuerffel Trophy is named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wurffel of the University of Florida and is awarded to a college football player that “best combines exemplary community service with athletics and academic achievement.”

The 2019 Wuerffel Trophy will be presented on February 14, 2020, at the city’s 51st annual All Sports Association Awards banquet. Semifinalists will be announced on November 5 and the finalists will be named on November 18. The winner will be announced on December 10 in conjunction with the National Football Foundation’s activities that week in New York City.

Love, a senior from Mission Viejo, Calif., enters the season as San Jose State’s number one quarterback. The three-time Academic All-Mountain West award winner had his best season in 2018 completing 56.0 percent of his passes for 1,963 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Among his 2019 summer community service activities, Love and seven teammates visited the Northern California Ronald McDonald House near Stanford University and spent a mid-July afternoon with the siblings of patients receiving care at nearby Lucille Packard Hospital. In June, the entire Spartan team participated in the YWCA Silicon Valley’s annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event to raise awareness against domestic abuse and all forms of violence directed to women. Both activities were part of the San Jose State football team’s Beyond Football initiative.

Muguruza forced to withdraw from Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic 2019

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza has been forced to withdraw from the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic due to a right leg injury.

“I am so disappointed to have to pull out of San Jose,” said Muguruza. “Unfortunately my leg is not ready to compete and I am doing everything I can to be back on court and healthy. I am sorry to have to miss San Jose and wish the tournament a great week.”

“It is certainly disappointing that Garbiñe has had to withdraw from the event, but unfortunately injuries are a part of sports and a player’s health is always the top priority,” said tournament director Vickie Gunnarsson. “Hopefully she will be able to recover quickly and get back on the court soon.”

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is entering its second year at San José State University. The tournament is a weeklong WTA Premier event and highlights the best the region has to offer.

The tournament will showcase a complete entertainment experience including robust culinary options, an expanded food truck program, interactive fan exhibitions, premier hospitality options, daily autograph signings, and of course, incredible tennis action.

Fans visiting this year’s tournament will also see many improvements from last year, including shading on the west side of the stadium, shaded seating in the food court, and more seating overall around the site shaded with umbrellas. The tournament will also add artificial turf on the site to cover much of the exposed asphalt.

On the court, the 2019 player field is impressive including seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova.

Other featured players coming to San José include defending champion Mihaela Buzarnescu, 2018 finalist Maria Sakkari, 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, World No. 7 and Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina, World No. 10 Aryna Sabalenka, Belgian star Elise Mertens, Australian Open semifinalist Danielle Collins, two-time finalist CoCo Vandeweghe and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

In addition to the impressive list of WTA players set to compete in San José, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic will be hosting four former ATP stars as part of the Invesco Series on Saturday, August 3 following the evening women’s semifinal match.

The Invesco Series is a legends tour event that features three one-set matches consisting of two semifinals and one final. The line-up for the San José event is one of the best of the legend’s season and includes 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang, 10-time ATP tour winner James Blake and 11-time tour singles champion Mark Philippoussis.

Now entering its 49th year, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is a weeklong WTA Premier event bringing the worlds of tennis and technology together in a festival of sports and entertainment. Highlighting the best the region has to offer, the tournament showcases locally sourced cuisine, fine wine and cheese selections, interactive fan exhibitions, premier hospitality options, and of course, incredible tennis action.

Featuring a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw the tournament boasts $876,183 in prize money and serves as the opening women’s event of the US Open Series.

With several different ticket options available, the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic has something for everyone. To purchase tickets go to www.MubadalaSVC.com or call 1-866-982-8497.

ABOUT THE MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC
The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first women’s stop of the US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $876,183.

ABOUT MUBADALA
Mubadala Investment Company actively manages a worldwide portfolio supporting the vision of a globally integrated and diversified economy, through sustainable returns to its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi. In March 2018, Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) joined the Group. Mubadala’s US $225 billion portfolio spans five continents with interests in aerospace, ICT, semiconductors, metals and mining, renewable energy, oil and gas, petrochemicals, utilities, healthcare, real estate, defense services, pharmaceuticals and medical technology, agribusiness and a global portfolio of financial holdings. Mubadala is a trusted partner, an engaged shareholder and a responsible global company that is committed to ethics and world-class standards. For more information about Mubadala, please visit: www.mubadala.com.

ABOUT THE US OPEN SERIES
Now in its 16th season, the world’s best players on the WTA and ATP Tour are coming together for the US Open Series. Linking seven summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open, the US Open Series serves as a true “regular season” of hard court tennis. Featuring a cohesive schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today’s top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow’s emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.

ABOUT IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media, operating in more than 30 countries. The company manages some of the world’s greatest sports figures and fashion icons; stages hundreds of live events and branded entertainment experiences annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in sports training and league development, as well as marketing, media and licensing for brands, sports organizations and collegiate institutions. IMG is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network.

ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San José State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study — offered through its eight colleges. With more than 33,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San José State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce. The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders’ Gruden expects Carr to lead team in offense; Jimmy G has a brand new knee, looking good in drills; plus more

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On Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 What are the expectations of Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden for quarterback Derek Carr and will Carr get the protection he needs?

#2 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo says that it was a tough process to rehab from the ACL injury he had last season, but says he ready and he’s agile and mobile.

#3 You can’t win them all. The SF Giants took on the NL Central first place Chicago Cubs and lost two out of three. The Cubs are one of baseball’s toughest clubs in the majors.

#4 The A’s are a wild card team, but for them to play catch up to the Houston Astros is a reach. The A’s lost two out of three to the Astros, including an 11-1 laugher to open the series on Thursday.

#5 Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that Andre Iguodala’s move to the Memphis Grizzlies was like a punch in the gut and Iguodala’s absence will no doubt impact the Warriors as he was considered one of the best presences on the club.

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Despite loss to Astros, A’s had competitive road trip

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Oakland A’s dropped their second game of the three-game series 4-2 to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Field in a Wednesday matinee.

#2 The A’s went 3-4 on the road trip, splitting a four game series with the Twins and losing two out of three with the Astros. The record reflects how competitive the A’s are.

#3 The Astros’ Justin Verlander improved his record to 13-4 and pitched six innings, two hits, two walks, and 11 strikeouts.

#4 The Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt went six innings with five hits and four runs. Although he got the loss, Bassitt had a decent outing.

#5 The A’s host the Texas Rangers starting Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum. The Rangers will start Ariel Jurado (5-6, 4.92 ERA), and for the A’s, Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.82 ERA).

Jerry does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Heavy Trumps Hot: Streaking Giants cooled by the Cubs’ home run bats, 4-1

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO — Now that the Giants have achieved some level of competency by surpassing the .500 mark in 2019, know that these two statistical numbers weigh heavily on the mind of GM Farhan Zaidi as the July 31 trade deadline fast approaches.

The Giants have hit 108 home runs this season, 30 fewer than the Major League average, 65 fewer than the Dodgers, and 83 fewer than the Twins, who are threatening to smash the major league record for home runs in a season and become the first team to hit 300.

Entering play Wednesday afternoon, the Giants had won 17 of 20, becoming only the second team to win so frequently over a 20-game stretch in 2019 (Dodgers). And what has that hot stretch earned the scrappy, upwardly-mobile Giants?

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Giants have just a 13 percent chance to qualify for the playoffs, despite passing six NL clubs during their hot streak.

Disbelieving of what you just read? Believe this: the Giants winning ways were interrupted Wednesday in a 4-1 loss to the Cubs, as Chicago sluggers went deep three times off San Francisco starter Tyler Beede in the first four innings.

And the Giants’ offense? You had to ask.

Leadoff batter Brandon Belt, who’s not really a leadoff batter, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Tuesday night’s hero, Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 3 with a walk, and the Giants managed just five hits, no home runs and one run against fill-in starter Tyler Chatwood and a pair of Cubs relievers. Alex Dickerson, the Giants’ preferred cleanup hitter was out of the starting lineup for the second time in three games, dealing with back issues.

“They’ve got to be running on fumes,” said manager Bruce Bochy, referencing his Giants’ grueling schedule that saw them conclude a stretch of 14 games in 13 days on Wednesday. “They were doing all they could to get this one. We just came up short but the fight was there.”

Throw all that information into your baseball diamond-calibrated computer, and what spits out?

Buy or sell?

Sell is the smart move.

Of course, it’s buy.

In reality, it’s complicated like a personal profile on Facebook. The Giants are red-hot, but it might not much matter if they don’t tear it up in San Diego over the weekend, then fill up on the Phillies next week in Philadelphia.

Simply, it’s an four-game schedule, and the 2019 Giants will be defined by what they do in the first half of the upcoming road swing. Lose, three of four, fall below .500 and it would be prudent for the club to sell. Win three of four, and the front office and the team put all their focus on catching the Cardinals, Brewers and Phillies.

“Everyone wants to win, whether it’s players, coaches or the front office,” said Stephen Vogt. “I think everybody in this building wants to win, and we’re going to do everything it takes.”

One last statistical snap shot of the completed home stand: the Giants won 5 of 7, but were outscored 27-22.

On Friday, Jeff Samardzija takes the hill for the Giants at Petco Park. At presstime, the Padres had not named a starter for any of the three games in the series.

Verlander, Springer, and Altuve lead the Astros to another win over the A’s, 4-2

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s finished their seven-game road trip with a 3-4 record. They split the four-game series with the AL Central leader, the Minnesota Twins, and lost two out of three to the AL West leading Houston Astros. The Astros, behind their ace Justin Verlander beat the A’s 4-2 at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the first inning. Marcus Semien reached on a throwing error by Astros’ third baseman Alex Bregman. He scored on a Matt Olson single to right field. Josh Reddick committed a rare mistake, and that allowed Semien to score.

A’s starter Chris Bassitt was sharp as he retired the first seven hitters he faced. He struck out the last five. Astros catcher Robinson Chirons, who had tormented the A’s over the years, broke the spell with a double. He came around to score when George Springer blasted his 23rd of the year to put Houston ahead 2-1.

In the fifth, Bassitt plunked Chirinos on the hand to start the frame. Chirinos scored again when Jose Altuve hit his 15th of the season over the fence in center field. The Astros led 4-0.

The A’ added their second run of the game in the top of the ninth. Astros’ closer Roberto Osuna gave up a run. The A’s failed to score, and the game was over. Houston won 4-2.

Game Notes: Chris Bassitt gave the A’s six innings of work. He allowed five hits and four runs. Bassitt is now 7-5 for the year. Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen each worked an inning and did not allow Houston to put any runs on the board.

Verlander, who probably will go into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he is finished playing, improved to 13-4. His line was six innings, two hits, one unearned run, two walks, and 11 strikeouts.

The A’s drop to 58-45 and trail the Astros by 7 1/2 games in the division. The Astros improved to 66-38.  The Astros continue to dominate the A’s as they lead the season series 9-2.

Up Next: The A’s return home to face the Texas Rangers for four games starting Thursday night. Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.82 ERA) will go for Oakland. Game time will be at 7:07 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Giants play their 4th extra inning game in 6 games; A’s come back on Astros for 1-run win; plus more

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On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 If you like extra innings, the San Francisco Giants have played four extra inning games in their last six. On Tuesday night, the Giants were down by two runs, but came back to tie the game and force extra innings against the NL Central first place Cubs. This team has a lot of fight in them.

#2 The Houston Astros, one of baseball’s toughest nemesis, a team that has given the Oakland A’s fits all season long. The A’s battled with the Astros to an 11-inning duel. The Astros opened up the game with two runs and the A’s came right back with three runs in the top of the ninth and the Astros came right back and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. The A’s got the game-winner in extra innings in the top of the 11th to break the deadlock for the 4-3 win to even the series at Minute Maid Field on Tuesday night.

#3 Hard work pays off the Oakland Raiders. Antonio Brown is reportedly working his hardest where some coaches say his work ethic is as hard as former Raider Jerry Rice. He was seen tossing a brick from hand to hand while moving side to side during drills.

#4 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been rehabbing well since tearing his ACL last season in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo said he was able to do pretty much everything and it was a rigorous process to come back.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes continue to plow on through. They have gone undefeated in their last four games, which included a friendly, and defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in their most recent game last Saturday. They’ll host the Colorado Rapids (5-5-11). The Rapids have struggled of late, they have not won a game in four tries, including a friendly against the Arsenal.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday and is a beat writer for the San Jose Earthquakes at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes are on a roll, but can they keep up?

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On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes beat Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-1 last Saturday.

2. The Quakes acquired Targeted Allocation Money in a trade with Columbus Crew SC last Thursday.

3. The Quakes return home to Avaya Stadium to host the Colorado Rapids this Saturday.

4. Was the ability to believe the key to the Quakes’ recent success?

5. Once again, Vako was named to the MLS Team of the Week.

Ana Kieu does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

2019 Mountain West Media Day: What’s in the cards for San Jose State?

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By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State football hosted its 2019 Mountain West Media Day on Tuesday. The Spartans finished with a lowly 1-11 record in the 2018 season under second year head coach Brent Brennan. Brennan, however, has learned a lot in his first two seasons.

“In this conference, you play a lot of close games. You’ve got to find a way to finish. We’ve had a huge emphasis in practice on finishing,” Brennan told reporters on Tuesday.

So what’s in the cards for San Jose State? Check out the details below.

Game times for San Jose State University’s 2019 football season opener and the Spartans’ Homecoming game top the news coming out of Las Vegas during the Mountain West Football Preview.

San Jose State will host Northern Colorado, Thursday, August 29, 7:00 pm and San Diego State, Saturday, October 19, at 4:00 pm inside CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans. Tickets for both games and for all San Jose State home contests are available at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets.

In addition, the Spartans’ game at Hawaii on Saturday, November 9, will kick off at 6:00 pm HT/8:00 pm PT.

Game times for the September 21 non-conference contest at Arkansas and the November 30 regular-season finale at home against Fresno State will be announced at a later date.

Now, let’s get to the projected order of finish among Mountain West football teams. 21 media members covering Mountain West football picked San Jose State to finish sixth in the conference’s West Division standings this season.

Defending champion Fresno State was picked first in the division with 17 first place votes and 122 poll points. San Diego State received three votes to finish first and 106 points.  Hawaii, who was fourth in the poll with 67 points, had the other first place vote.

On the Mountain Division side, Boise State had 15 first-place votes and 120 points to finish as the favorite. Utah State, with six first-place votes, was a close second with 108 points. Air Force, the Spartans’ first conference opponent on September 27, was third with 73. Wyoming with 66, Colorado State with 52, and New Mexico with 21, round out the projected order of finish for the conference’s Mountain Division.

In other news, the Mountain West will launch a brand campaign called “At The Peak.” The Mountain West and its member institutions recently announced a new branding and marketing campaign for the conference to further define the Mountain West’s strong, energetic brand as it begins its 21st year as an NCAA Division I athletic conference.

Designed to make clearer the league’s purpose, vision and values the conference has adopted “At the Peak” as its tagline. The new high-impact moniker resonates the league’s personality and uniqueness as one of the elite conferences in NCAA athletics.

The brand platform was unveiled Tuesday in a coordinated campaign, including Mountain West member institutions and the Mountain West headquarters working together to promote the “At the Peak” brand direction. The campaign will continue throughout the academic year and beyond on multiple platforms, including social media, print, traditional advertising, television and radio.

Aces head into All-Star Break with win over Storm, 79-62

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20190602 - Dearica Hamby 01

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By Shawn McCullough

Getting rest during the All-Star Break could be good for the Aces, but it could be bad with how well they are playing right now.

The Aces have won seven of their last eight games with a 79-62 win over the Seattle Storm at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“There’s nothing better than going into All-Star break with a win,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “Any time before an All-Star break you never know how it’s going to go.  We got it.”

The Aces were led by forward Dearica Hamby with 24 points, who is starting in place of injured forward A’ja Wilson.  Liz Cambage recorded her third straight double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Aces held the Storm to just 35% from the field and forced 18 turnovers.

“Just playing hard and helping each other out,” said Hamby on their defensive effort.  “When we take care of the ball our defense is great.”

The Aces head into the All-Star Break with a 13-6 record and sit atop the WNBA standings.

Three Aces were elected as starters in the All-Star Game: Liz Cambage, Kayla McBride and A’ja Wilson (who will not play due to an ankle injury).

Wilson is an All-Star Game captain along with Washington Mercury’s Elena Delle Donne, who did a school yard draft to set the teams for Saturday’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Wilson drafted Los Angeles Sparks’ Chelsea Gray with her first pick, Aces’ forward Kayla McBride with her second pick and Aces’ center Liz Cambage with her third pick.

“Oh, okay, I see how it is,” said Cambage jokingly on being picked third by Wilson.  “She clearly doesn’t love me like I thought she did, so I’m gonna have a heart-to-heart with her. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it’s just All-Star, I don’t actually really care that she chose me third.”

Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer with coach Wilson’s team.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • Liz Cambage scored in double figures for the 50th straight time, which is the longest active streak in the WNBA (15 points).
  • All five of the Aces starters scored in double figures, outscoring the Storm starters, 75-43.
  • The Aces only got 4 points off the bench.
  • Rookie Jackie Young scored a career-high 13 points.

Game Starters:

F – 5 Dearica Hamby
F – 21 Kayla McBride
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum