Photo credit: @NBCSWarriors
On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:
#1 After the Houston Rockets won Games 3 and 4 to even the series, the Warriors, who had the home floor for Game 5, held on to stay ahead of Houston in a 104-99 win.
#2 It’s off to Houston for Game 6 of these best of seven playoff as the Warriors, who have a 3-2 series lead, could eliminate the Rockets Friday night.
David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: @warriors
By Jerry Feitelberg
OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets continued their epic struggle in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series.
The series has been extraordinarily close, and neither team has been able to blow out their opponent. The first four games were extremely close as exemplified by the fact that the Warriors had outscored the Rockets by just one point in four games played.
Wednesday’s contest was another heat pounding nail-biter. The Warriors won 104-99, but it was not easy. They had a 14-point lead at the end of the first 24 minutes of play. The Rockets wiped out the lead in the third quarter. The teams entered the final period of the game 72-72.
The Warriors lost Kevin Durant to a calf strain late in the third quarter. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to figure out a way to stop the hard-charging Rockets. The Rockets took the lead just once in the period, and the Warriors summoned up the will to not let the guys from Houston beat them at Oracle Arena. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala showed everyone that they have the hearts of champions as they prevailed to take a 3-2 advantage. If they beat the Rockets Friday night, they will advance to the Western Conference Finals.
The first half of Game 5 between the Rockets and Warriors belonged to Golden State. The Warrior defense was outstanding as they held the Rockets to 43 points in the first half. Steph Curry did not score in the first 12 minutes of play. He connected on a three and a deuce in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 52-37 advantage. Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 20 points, and Klay Thompson was second with 17. James Harden led the Rockets with 14. The Warriors held Eric Gordon to 4 points, and he was) for 5 from the 3-point range. None of the other Rocket starters were in double figures.
The third quarter belonged to the Rockets as they outscored the Warriors by 14 points to finish the period 72-72. The Rockets put the clamps on the Warrior offense, and they caused the Warriors to turn the ball over six times. Kevin Durant left the game late in the quarter with a leg injury. He went to the locker room and was diagnosed with a right calf strain and did not return to the game.
Curry hit a three to put the Warriors ahead 82-79. The Rockets kept coming back, but the Warriors refused to relinquish the lead. The Warriors took a five-point lead after a technical foul was called on Draymond Green. Green’s answer was a three to give Golden State the lead 94-89. The Rockets kept clawing back, but Klay Thompson came up big with another three to extend the lead to eight 97-89. Curry made two free throws and Klay hit a three with 4.1 seconds left to ice the win. The Warriors prevailed 104-99.
Game Notes and Stats: Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 27 points. He made five threes in 10 tries. Curry, after a slow first half, pumped in 20 in the second half to finish with 25. He made three threes in 11 attempts. Kevin Durant had 22. Andre Iguodala finished the night with 11. Draymond Green had another double-double with eight points, 11 assists and 12 boards.
To no one’s surprise, James Harden led the Rockets with 31. Eric Gordon, who was bottled up in the first half, finished the night with 19. He connected on three threes to keep Houston in the game. Defensive whiz, P.J.Tucker also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Paul and Imam Shumpert each had 11.
The Warriors shot 45.3% from the floor. Their defense held the Rockets to 41,8%.
The Warriors made 13 threes, and the Rockets connected 12 times.
The Warriors outrebounded the Rockets 42-39 and had 12 offensive rebounds. The Rockets had eight.
Game 6 will be played in Houston on Friday. Game time will be at 6 pm.
Photo credit: @NBCSSharks
By Mary Walsh
SAN JOSE — For the fifth time in their history, the San Jose Sharks are going to the Western Conference Final after defeating the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 Wednesday. Sharks goals came from Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, and Joonas Donskoi. Avs goals came from Mikko Rantanen and Tyson Jost. Martin Jones made 27 saves for the win, while Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves in a losing effort.
Sharks captain Joe Pavelski was a game-time decision Wednesday, and the final decision was to play.
After the game, Sharks forward Logan Couture said of Pavelski: “For a guy that missed playoff action for two weeks, to have the injury that he has, to come back, set up a goal, score a goal. I wish I could tell you what he’s gone through, from seeing it first hand, you wouldn’t believe that he’s playing right now, I’ll just say that. He played unbelievable.”
Due to Pavelski’s return, Joonas Donskoi was bumped down to the fourth line and then he scored the game-winning goal. Thus, the game-winners in both Sharks Game 7s were scored by fourth-liners, which was what Logan Couture said the team needed after Game 6. Couture was asked about that after Wednesday’s game. Couture said of Donskoi:
Donny was great, we needed something, I said it last time. We needed some other guys to step up and score goals and I thought they were very very good tonight. I thought Donny played excellent: he was all over the puck, created chances. They had a really good night when maybe my line, we didn’t create much and have too too many chances. So we needed it.
Nathan MacKinnon went down with a shoulder injury in the first two minutes of play. He returned around the 15-minute mark and appeared to be able-bodied again.
The first goal of the game quieted any concerns about Joe Pavelski’s readiness to play. Tomas Hertl retrieved the puck in the corner and sent it back up the boards to Brent Burns. Burns had time to pick his spot and that spot was right on goal, through the Pavelski tip lane. Pavelski caught the puck with the bottom of his stick blade and sent it bouncing at the net, much lower than Grubauer was ready for. It was Pavelski’s third of the post season. Burns and Hertl got the assists.
The Sharks added another at 11:35. After Evander Kane sent the puck around behind the Avs net, Pavelski retrieved it and then brought it back the way it came. As he passed the net, he passed to an unguarded Hertl, right above the blue paint. Hertl knocked it in quick as a cat. Two defenders, intent on Pavelski’s movements, had not noticed Hertl back there. The one who did notice was not close enough to stop him. Assists went to Pavelski and Kane.
Mikko Rantanen scored with just seven seconds left in the first period, cutting the Sharks’ lead in half. Samuel Girard took a shot right down the slot from the blue line and Rantanen tipped it up into the net. A second assist went to Gabriel Landeskog.
Colin Wilson appeared to have tied the game near the eight minute mark of the second, but the goal was challenged by the Sharks for an offside play. Upon review, the goal was disallowed.
Joonas Donskoi came off the schneid with the Sharks’ third goal of the game. Picking up the puck near the corner, he carried it around behind the net, came out front and took a wrist shot at the near top corner. It was his first goal since January. Assists went to Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.
The Avs scored again 51 seconds into the third period. Alexander Kerfoot’s shot came out as a rebound that Colin Wilson tried to push back in, but Vlasic got to that. Vlasic’s clearing attempt hit Hertl and bounced back toward the net. Tyson Jost was able to reach it before Jones or Vlasic could. Assists went to Wilson and Kerfoot.
The Avs pulled their goaltender with 2:10 left in regulation, but the Sharks and their goaltender held them off.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Final will be on Saturday the 11th at 5:00 PM PT. The Sharks will host the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center.
Photo credit: @NBCSAuthentic
On the Headline Sports podcast with London Marq:
#1 Oakland A’s pitcher Mike Fiers made history pitching in baseball’s 300th no-hitter on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at the Oakland Coliseum.
#2 The Chicago Cubs are investigating the fan who flashed a “white power” sign behind Cubs broadcaster Doug Glanville, who is black, on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. The interpretation of the gesture an upside down OK sign is a racist gesture used by white nationalist trolls. The Cubs say once they identify this fan, he will be banned for life from Wrigley Field.
#3 How important is it that former Oakland Raider and San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice be named as NFL Ambassador for the NFL Academy in London with other football greats?
#4 San Francisco Giants Mac Williamson, who suffered a concussion in April 2018, has said that for safety reasons, the Giants should remove the bullpen mounds from the field. Williamson tripped on one of the mounds for the concussion.
#5 The series is all tied up 2-2 between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. Game 5 is at Oracle Arena in Oakland. London sets up the game prediction.
London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
photo credit nbcsports.com screen shot by @adriangarro: Oakland A’s pitcher Mike Fiers is exuberant after tossing a complete, no hit game against the Cincinnati Reds as A’s catcher Josh Phegley prepares to meet Fiers on the mound Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum.
by Jerry Feitelberg
OAKLAND — People in baseball say “you never know what you are going to see at a baseball game.” Tuesday nights game featured Mike Fiers tossing his second career no-hitter. Fiers had everything working for him as he did not allow the hard-hitting Cincinnati Reds a single hit. The A’s won the game 2-0. The game was delayed about an hour and forty minutes due to a malfunction of the lights in left field, Play started at 8:45 pm.
In most games when a no-hitter occurs, pitchers are helped out by excellent fielding. The A’s made two great defensive plays in the sixth inning. Second baseman Jurickson Profar, who has been maligned for his poor defensive play this season, made a sensational catch robbing Kyle Farmer of a hit. The ball was hit into short right field and Profar made a diving catch to prevent the Reds from recording their first hit of the game. The next batter, Joey Votto, slammed a ball to deep left-center-field. Ramon Laureano made a leaping catch and robbed Votto of a home run. Fiers walked two hitters in the seventh, but he was helped when the A’s made a 6-4-3 double play.
In the bottom of the second, the A’s put a run on the board to grab an early 1-0 lead. With two out and Stephen Piscotty on first, Profar doubled into the right-field corner. Piscotty scored all the way from first and was called safe when the Reds’ catcher missed the tag.
The A’s added another run in the bottom of the seventh. With two, out, Profar slammed his third dinger of the year over the right-center-field wall. The A’s led 2-0.
Fiers continued his mastery of the Reds as he set them down in order in the eighth and ninth innings to record his second career no-hitter.
Game Notes: Jurickson Profar was not only a defensive star Tuesday night, but he also drove in both runs for the A’s, He drove in Piscotty with the A’s first run in the second, and his home run in the seventh gave the A’s their second run.
Bob Melvin said that “it was a great night.” He also said that it was no fun for me after he reached 120 pitches.”
Fiers threw 131 pitches as he won his second career no-hitter. His first came when he was a member of the Houston Astros and he no-hit the LA Dodgers.
Melvin also said that Fiers “was using all his pitches to be more effective.”
Mike Fiers had this to say about Bob Melvin: “I was ‘really thankful for him leaving me in.'”
When asked about the one hour and 40 delay due to the malfunction of the lights in left field, Fiers replied: “it didn’t affect me.
Fiers also said this about his performance: “I had to keep them off balance.” He did exactly that.
The line score for the game was this: A’s: two runs five hits and one error. Reds: no runs, no hits and one error.
It was the eighth no-hitter in Oakland history and 13th in A’s history. Fiers’ no-hitter is the 300th in MLB history, and he is the 34th pitcher with multiple no-hitters.
Matt Olson played his first game of the season. He was placed on the IL on March 25th after breaking his right hamate bone.
The A’s improved to 16-21 and the Reds dropped to 15-21. Tyler Mahle’s record fell to 0-5, and Fiers evened his improved to 3-3.
Time of game was two hours and 25 minutes. 11,749 people watched Fiers pitch his historical masterpiece.
Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be at the Oakland Coliseum Wednesday night. Game time will be at 7:07 pm. The A’s will send lefty Brett Anderson to the hill and Sonny Gray, the former A’s ace, will pitch for the Reds.
Photo credit: @Athletics
On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:
#1 After a long road trip and going 1-8, the Oakland A’s looked forward to Monday’s day off to gear up for the Cincinnati Reds series starting Tuesday.
#2 Both the A’s and Reds are in last place in their respective divisions. The Reds are 15-10 and the A’s 15-21. It’s hard to believe at one time both these two teams met in the World Series back in 1972.
#3 The Reds are coming off a split with the Giants in four games played in Cincinnati. The Reds got beat by the Giants in two comeback games after leading San Francisco by scores of 8-0 and 4-0.
#4 It’s been a long time since A’s outfielder Khris Davis has hit a home run. He’s sitting on 10 of them for this season.
#5 The A’s will start Mike Fiers (2-3, 6.81 ERA) goes for tonight going against the Cincinnati Reds Tyler Mahle (0-4, 4.09 ERA).
Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: @SFGiants
By Jeremy Kahn
It was not a big lead, but once again, the San Francisco Giants were forced to come from behind to get a win.
Mac Williamson, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day came up with the big blow, as he hit a three-run home run as part of a five-run fourth inning and the Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 14-4 at Coors Field.
This was just the Giants third win over the Rockies at Coors Field in their last 21 games.
Williamson was not the only one to go deep in that five-run fourth inning, as Kevin Pillar hit a two-run home run to give the Giants a 6-1 lead.
Charlie Blackmon gave the Rockies an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as he he hit a home run off of Madison Bumgarner and the Giants came back from that little deficit to pick up their third win of the road trip.
Lately, a five-run game involving the Giants is not safe, but this one was essentially over, as Bumgarner was dealing.
In six innings of work, Bumgarner gave up three runs on eight hits, walking just one and striking out eight and won for the second time this season.
Bumgarner also came up with fourth hit of the season, as he singled off of Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela, who lasted just four and two-thirds innings, as he gave up seven runs on eight hits, while walking just one and striking out three and saw he his record fall to 2-2 on the season.
Williamson was at it once again at the plate, as he drove in two more runs, as he singled in Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria.
The road back to the major leagues took a long time for Williamsson, who suffered a concussion on April 24, 2018, when he fell over the bullpen mound and then lingering symptoms, caused him to miss most of the regular season.
Williamson was then designated for assignment during spring training and he accepted the teams assignment to Sacramento, where he was batting .378 with nine home runs, which included three home runs on Monday night against the Fresno Grizzlies. One of those three home runs traveled an estimated 511 feet at Raley Field, the home of the Rivercats.
Chris Iannetta attempted to get the Rockies back in the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as he hit a solo home run off of Bumgarner to get the Rockies within five runs; however, the Giants were not going to relinquish this lead.
Steven Duggar got in on the act in the top of the eighth inning, as he singled to left field to score Pablo Sandoval and Williamson, who scored for the third time on the evening.
Luis Tapia doubled in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he once again got the Rockies within five runs, but the Giants blew the game wide open in the top of the ninth inning and this lead was too insurmountable.
Brandon Crawford, who came up with the big two-run home run in Sundays come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Reds wanted to get in on the act and he singled to right field to scored Buster Posey and Longoria.
Tyler Austin gave the Giants a nine-run lead, as he hit a two-run triple that scored Crawford and Pillar.
Joe Panik then followed the Austin triple up with a single of his own to close out the scoring for the victorious Giants, who scored their most runs in a game this season.
NOTES: Williamson was not the only one on the move for the Giants on the day, as the team purchased the contract of infielder Donovan Solano and reliever Williams Jerez from Sacramento. After Mondays 12-4 to the Reds at Great American Ballpark, the team sent Mike Gerber and Pat Venditte to Sacramento. Gerber was eventually outrighted to Sacramento; however, he opted to become a free agent and Yangervis Solarte was designated for assignment.
Venditte was also designated for assignment.
UP NEXT: Derek Holland is scheduled to be activated from the 10-day disabled list to start the second of the three-game series. Holland is on the injured list with a bone bruise on the index finger on his pitching hand.
Jon Gray goes to the mound for the Rockies, as he looks to pick up his first ever win against the Giants. In his career, a span of seven starts, Gray is 0-3 with a 5.18 ERA.
Photo credit: apnews.com
On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason:
#1 How much of an impact was the decision of the officials at the Kentucky Derby to eliminate and disqualify Maximum Security and allow Country House the winner? The first time a winning horse has ever been disqualified in 145 years.
#2 With the Golden State Warriors, you never know what team is going to show up, They handled the Houston Rockets in first two games with a four-point win in Game 1 and a six-point win in Game 2, but it was Game 3 where they lost to the Rockets by five and lost another one in game 4 on Wednesday night as the series is tied 2-2.
#3 After having two comeback victories against the Cincinnati Reds during their four-game series, the San Francisco Giants split with the Reds, losing Monday. Giants starter Drew Pomeranz got lit up in 1.2 innings, nine hits and seven runs. While striking out two batters, Pomeranz continues to labor in the 12-4 loss.
#4 The LPGA Mediheal Championship was held at Lake Merced in Daly City from April 29th through May 5th. The leaderboard showed Sei Young Kim taking the $270,000 winnings finishing on top with a par 281 on Sunday.
#5 The San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche battled in Game 6. The Avs came away with a 4-3 win to tie the series in overtime 3-3, to force a Game 7, bringing the game back to San Jose.
Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast at www,sportsradioservice.com
Photo credit: wordpress.com
By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Demographics show that there are 52 million people of Hispanic/Latino descent in the United States of America. This is 16.7% of the population and the largest minority. The next Census will be in 2020. There are a lot of opinions and controversy regarding those Hispanic/Latinos who did not report in the past Census because they may be undocumented. The first US Census was taken in 1790, and since then, it has been taken every 10 years.
Since 2000, legal immigrants as a whole to the US number approximately 1,000,000 per year. The US leads the world in this category. Recent US government statistics project that at the conclusion of this year, the US might have another million that came in as undocumented, most of whom would be Hispanic/Latinos.
Here are the MLB who schedule Spanish broadcasts: Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers.
Some teams employ their Spanish broadcasters, while others are employed by radio stations. With these stats, the Hispanic/Latino audiences are increasing, especially now that the MLB has become more international, playing regular season games in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Depending on the size of the Hispanic/Latino market, the local teams should not ignore this potential source of revenue. This segment of the population is very passionate and loyal following their respective teams. Also, sponsors should not be ignored. Regardless of legal status, we all work, pay taxes, buy soda pop, hot dogs, beer and nachos.
I have witnessed this growth of the Hispanic market during the last 40 years.
Hasta la vista amigos!
Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com
By: Ana Kieu
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball has signed Eduardo Lane and Ralph Agee as part of their 2019-20 class, SJSU head coach Jean Prioleau announced on Tuesday.
“I’m excited to have Eduardo and Ralph join the program,” Prioleau said. “They are a couple of big guys that will give us some size and depth up front, and I feel that both can make a big impact for us next season.”
Lane averaged 9.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 30 appearances last season with Marshalltown, a community college in Marshalltown, Iowa. The forward drew 15 starts and tallied 14 games of double digit scoring, including a stretch of eight-straight games in which he averaged 15.5 points. He topped the 20-point plateau twice, including a season-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting against Kirkwood on November 28.
The 6-foot-10 prospect also played his freshman season at Marshalltown, averaging 5.5 points in 23 appearances. Lane played high school basketball at Capinas High School in Campo Grande, Brazil, where he was born and raised.
“I’m looking forward to joining San Jose State and am excited about the new changes and challenges of going there to play in the Mountain West,” Lane said. “It’s a new team, new coaches, new experiences and new everything. I’m thankful for the opportunity that Coach Prioleau has given me to become a Spartan.”
Agee joins the Spartans after spending his sophomore season at East Los Angeles College, where he helped lead the South Coast Conference champions to a 24-5 record and clinched the second seed in the California Community College Athletic Association Southern California Regional.
A 6-foot-9 forward, Agee appeared in all 29 games at ELAC last season while drawing five starts. He had one of his best games against Mesa Community College, finishing with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. In the final regular season game of 2019 against LA Trade Tech, Agee chipped in 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench to help the Huskies clinch the conference title.
“Ralph provided ELAC with physicality and toughness at the power forward position,” ELAC head coach John Mosley said. “He is athletic, has a great motor and plays inspired. He is loved by his teammates and campus community here at ELAC. He still potentially ha a high ceiling and should have an immediate impact for the Spartans in the Mountain West.”
Prior to ELAC, Agee played his redshirt freshman season at CSU Dominguez Hills, where he started 11-of-30 games played, averaging 4.9 points and just under 3 rebounds per game. He tallied 14 blocked shots and had double-digit rebounds twice. His best game came on November 11, 2017 as he dropped 24 points against Holy Names.
“I’m happy to be a Spartan and do what I need to do to help my team win,” Agee said. “Coach Prioleau, Coach Kimble and the rest of the coaching staff treated me like family and showed me how good the program fits my family and me. I can’t wait to get there and get to work.”
Agee played his school ball at Silverado High School and is a native of Victorville, California.
Lane and Agee are the third and fourth members of the 2019-20 class, joining Omari Moore and Richard Washington. Both have two years to play at SJSU.
