That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Tiger’s Masters win is confidence-building, could he win another one?; How Walton will fit in in Sacramento; plus more

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That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 On Sunday, Tiger Woods made a comeback and won the Masters for the first time in 11 years. What made this day so unbelievable?

#2 How do you see Luke Walton fitting in at the Sacramento Kings organization as head coach?

#3 It was a true battle between the Warriors and Clippers on Monday night as the Clips erased a 31 point deficit for a 135-131 win.

#4 After the San Francisco Giants got nearly no hit by the Colorado Rockies pitcher German Marquez, is this alarm that offense has to do something and very soon?

#5 The Oakland A’s got clobbered by the Houston Astros on Tuesday night and the A’s struggled with the Astros on the road trip earlier this month.

Barbara Mason is a freelance sports reporter for Area Grande Spanish Newspapers and is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for News and Commentary.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: The KD-Beverley battle heads to LA for game 3

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On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Will the Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley and the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant keep up their feud? It’s been an entertaining series.

#2 The series moves back to Los Angeles. Will that be some kind of advantage for the Clippers as they know anytime they play Golden State they have a lot to go up against?

David does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Three home runs by the Giants get a huge 7-3 win over the Nats

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By Jeremy Kahn

Maybe what the San Francisco Giants needed was a trip outside the state of California for the first time this season.

Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Steven Duggar each hit home runs off of Stephen Strasburg, as the Giants defeated the Washington Nationals 7-3 at Nationals Park.

Entering the game, the Giants hit only 10 games in 17 games, only the Detroit Tigers, who hit seven in their first 15 games have hit fewer.

With the victory, the Giants have won four out of their last five, that included a fantastic performance on the mound by Dereck Rodriguez.

He went five innings, allowing just one run on five hits, walking three and striking out six, as he improved to 2-2 on the young season.

Longoria led off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run that tied up the game, and then after a single, Duggar launched a 92 mile per hour Strasburg over the left-center field wall to give the Giants the lead for good.

Belt hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, for his fourth home run of the season.

The Giants closed out their scoring in the top of the seventh inning, as Nationals reliever Matt Grace was charged with an error, as he was unable to cover a bunt and then committed another error, when he jumped in the way of a teammate at first base.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez was ejected by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo for arguing called third strikes against Brian Dozier and Anthony Rendon.

Strasburg may have been saddled with the loss, but he did pickup his first extra-base hit since the 2016 season.

In all, Strasburg went six innings, allowing four runs on six hits, not walking a batter and striking out eight; however, his one downfall was the three home runs that he allowed and lsot for the first time this season against one win.

Once again, the Giants bullpen fared good, as the quintet of Reyes Moronta, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson, Mark Melancon and Will Smith went a combined four innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two and striking out four.

NOTES: Tyler Austin (right elbow) should not have to go on the injured list, and may start the series finale at first base on Thursday.

The news is not good for 2018 first-round pick Joey Bart, who will miss the next four to six weeks after a fracturing his left hand after getting hit by a pitch on Monday night.

UP NEXT: Jeff Samardzija takes the mound, as he looks to back up his fantastic seven inning performance on Thursday night against the Colorado Rockies, as he faces right-hander Jeremy Hellickson.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Multiple home runs and hits have A’s leading the A.L.

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mlbpick.com photo file photo: Alex Bergman of the Houston Astros takes a hack as he and the Astros open up a two game series against a very offensive potent Oakland A’s team at the Oakland Coliseum starting tonight.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The A’s, despite losing by a run on Sunday to the Rangers, are leading the American League in multiple home run games. Sunday’s game was their eighth consecutive multiple home run game with Stephen Piscotty and Matt Chapman belting home runs against the Texas Rangers.

#2 The A’s, who had their second day off in four days after playing everyday since March 28th, still show consistency, but with more rest.

#3 The A’s also set a mark for the second time in franchise history. They hit five home runs in back-to-back games. The second time the A’s have done it in franchise history.

#4 The A’s at their current pace have a shot at setting the all-time season mark for home runs for a team. The A’s are on a pace of hitting 307 home runs, which would break the New York Yankee’s all-time mark from last season of 267.

#5 Charlie talks about how things look at the Las Vegas Aviators, the A’s triple A affiliate, and if their are any prospects of anyone getting promoted.

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hold off from pressing the panic button on the Warriors

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bleacherreport.com photo: The Los Angeles Clippers routed Golden State Warriors, erasing a 31-point deficit in Game 2 at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Monday night. The series moves to Staples Center in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday night. 

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors were riding high, leading the Los Angeles Clippers 73-50 at halftime.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry led all scorers with 22 points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, 4-of-7 from three, and 6-for-6 from the foul line. But in the second half, Curry scored just seven points.

Then the roof caved in.

Golden State couldn’t hold on to its 31-point lead that they built up in the third quarter after starting the frame scoring 21 points on 9-for-9 shooting off eight assists, and saw the Los Angeles Clippers complete the largest postseason comeback in NBA history by shocking the Warriors, 135-131, to take Game 2 of their first-round series to even the best-of-7 series at one game apiece.

Rookie Landry Shamet hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds remaining to complete the Clippers’ historic comeback over the Warriors.

The Clippers outscored Golden State 85-58 in the second half. In the third quarter alone, Los Angeles outscored Golden State 44-35. The 44 points were the most in a postseason quarter for Los Angeles.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 this Thursday night from Staple Center.

Oh yeah, the Warriors lost center DeMarcus Cousins with what is being reported as a “significant” quad injury for an “extended period of time.”

Cousins injured his left quad muscle after diving to the floor following a steal in the first quarter. Cousins immediately grabbed his left side and limped off the floor and into the locker room.

An MRI for Cousins is scheduled for Tuesday, but it is feared that Cousins will miss the rest of the series if not, the remainder of the Warriors’ playoff run.

Before Warriors fans hit the panic button, let me put you at ease: the Warriors will still win this series. I know that’s not nothing new, but its just reassurance from me.

Sure, the top-seeded Warriors were punched in the mouth by the eighth-seeded Clippers on Monday night behind a career-high 36 points and 11 assists from Lou Williams and 25 points from Montrezl Harrell, but it did take a herculean effort for Los Angeles to take down the two-time defending NBA champions in front of a frenzied, sold out Oracle Arena crowd.

Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley, who continues to be the team’s biggest mouthpiece, has clearly made life difficult for Kevin Durant in this series. Beverley has been irritating (in a good way) Durant at every point, and even gotten the two of them ejected from Game 1.

You expect Durant, who had 21 points, five rebound and five assists in Game 2 before fouling out, to bounce back in Game 3. Durant finished with more turnovers (9) than shot attempts (8), but shot 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson scored 17 points and Draymond Green had 14 points with nine assists.

Golden State committed 21 turnovers in Game 1, then follow up with 22 more on Monday night. The Warriors have been flat out sloppy in protecting the basketball.

When the Warriors protect the basketball and limit the turnovers, they are nearly unbeatable. Golden State got away with that in Game 1, but got caught with their hand in the cookie jar in Game 2.

The Clippers made Golden State pay this time around.

Even in the defeat, one positive the Warriors can take from this loss was the game that backup center Kevon Looney had. After Cousins left the game, Looney played big, finishing with a career-high 19 points and making all six shot attempts.

Looney will most certainly start Game 3 in Cousins’ absence. Looney did make 24 starts this season for the Warriors and will look to build off his breakout performance.

Instead of the projected four-game sweep that everyone penciled for Golden State, the Warriors will end the series in five or six games.

The Clippers exasperated all their energy in securing Game 2 and after stealing a game that they had no business of winning, Los Angeles has gotten the Warriors’ full attention and are beaming with confidence.

That’s not a good thing.

Giants offense hoovering below the Mendoza Line to start 2019 season

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By Morris Phillips

Anyway you slice it, the Giants’ offense is chopped liver.

No main course, just a side dish relegated to a lesser than status. That simply is who they are.

The Giants rank 29th in home runs (10 in 17 games), 29th in batting average (.199), and 27th in runs scored (47) which averages out to 2.76 a game.

There are only 30 major league clubs. Only one of those 30 has yet to score a run in the first inning: the Giants.  Need I say more?

Steven Duggar supposed to set the table. The leadoff hitter is batting .224 with an OBP of .250. On Sunday, Duggar went 0 for 4 and struck out twice.

“It’s something we’ll talk about, how can we get more aggressive and put some pressure on early in games,” said Evan Longoria, when asked about the team’s lack of early offense.

Ok, what about the run producers? Buster Posey’s hitting .220. Not much power from the fading catcher. Posey hit five home runs in 2018, and has yet to homer in 2019. If he hits fewer than five this season, it will mark the sixth, consecutive year his home run total has dipped. If he hits more than five, will he hit 10, 15? Either way his home run total goes, he’s the least likeliest guy a team would pick to hit cleanup with his .298 slugging percentage.

Brandon Belt is hitting .218 and hasn’t driven in a run in any of his last eight starts. Longoria has one home run and a .197 batting average.

Unlike last season when the Giants had more proven offensive threats, there’s really nowhere else for Posey, Belt, Duggar and Longoria to hit but at the top of the lineup. But that quartet has already struck out 64 times.

The Giants rank third in the National League with a 2.75 staff ERA. They can pitch, and the defense is clearly improved. But with these offensive numbers, the margin for error is razor thin. Pitch and play defense? Yeah, maybe for a team with more resources in the lineup, not this club.

The Giants open an eight-game trip on Tuesday in Washington. Dereck Rodriguez gies for the Giants, Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals in a 4:05 pm start.

Clippers tie series 1-1 with 135-131 win over Warriors

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By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors returned to Oracle Arena with a 1-0 series lead and had hoped to make it 2-0 against the Los Angeles Clippers in a nationally televised game Monday night. The Warriors didn’t do that.

It was a cold, rainy day in the Bay Area, but the Warriors announced their starting five of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins nonetheless.

Game 2 was presented by realtor.com, who provided gold and royal blue playoff t-shirts. The lights and flames went up and the game was underway in Oakland. Los Angeles scored first for a 2-0 lead, but Curry tied the game with a 2-point field goal to tie the game 2-2 at the 10:34 mark of the first quarter. The game remained close throughout the first, and at one point, Golden State was 9-10 from the free throw line compared to LA’s 0-0. Yet, Golden State continued to amaze Dub Nation with some sweet plays, including a reverse layup from Klay Thompson. The Warriors led 33-25 at the end of the first.

DeMarcus Cousins suffered a left quad injury in the first and didn’t return to Monday’s game. Cousins will get an MRI in the next 24 hours.

Despite Cousins’ injury, Golden State continued to prevail. The Warriors expanded their lead to the double-digits from the start of the second quarter. Shaun Livingston dribbled the ball and tried to knock down a jumper, but it was unsuccessful. However, Andre Iguodala came to the rescue and knocked down a shot.

Green and Durant got the job done late in the second. The two made eye contact, Durant caught Green’s pass and then threw down a wide-open slam dunk that could’ve destroyed the rim. Oh, and there was a lot of yelling, but thankfully, no scuffles like the scuffle between Durant and Patrick Beverley in Game 1 at Oracle Saturday.

Curry added to the Warriors’ lead with a 3-pointer at the 2-minute mark. The Warriors went up 64-48 with two minutes left in the second. But the Warriors weren’t done yet. Kevon Looney scored his 10th point of the second and 14th point overall to make it 70-50 in favor of the Warriors. With that point, Looney recorded a new playoff career-high with 14 points (5-of-5 FG), one off of his regular season career-high of 15 points (January, 28, 2019, at the Indiana Pacers). Curry quickly stepped back from a Clipper defender and hit a 3 to give the Warriors a 73-50 lead to close out the first half.

The Warriors kept the points and assists coming in the third quarter. The Warriors were outscored by the Clippers 44-35, but they held a 108-94 lead at the end of the third.

The Warriors were outscored by the Clippers 41-23 and ended up losing by a final score of 135-131. Their series is now tied 1-1.

Check out the Warriors’ final stats below.

The series shifts to LA for Game 3 at Staples Center Thursday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Sportstalk podcast at Diplomat Steakhouse in downtown Sacramento — Monday, April 15, 2019

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Cast: Michael Duca (mlb.com and host), Jeremy Kahn (SF Giants reporter), Jeremy Harness (SF Giants and PGA reporter), London Marq (Sacramento Kings and SJ Earthquakes reporter), Jeremiah Salmonson (Sacramento Kings reporter), Charlie O (Oakland A’s and Sacramento Kings reporter), Lee Leonard (producer). Sportstalk is proud to podcast at The Diplomat Steakhouse at 1117 11th Street in downtown Sacramento. Our thanks to our hosts: Owner Ramesh Prasad,  Pa Vang Executive Vice President, Brianna Blaschke Event Concierge and Executive Chef Chris Manning.

On the podcast, discussions of the recent Sacramento Kings season and their new head coach for the 2019-20 season, progress reports on the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants along with the San Jose Sharks and Golden State Warriors in the playoff hunt.

The Diplomat’s statement is as follows: Being diplomatic is our brand’s core binding. We are intuitive when in conducting your dining experience, and can achieve peaceful resolutions to any quandary while facilitating intriguing discussion with anyone on the map. We broadened the scope and magnified the habitual steakhouse fare. We resolve differences by implementing international fusion cuisine to please any and all palates. We strive to achieve a peaceful atmosphere, and our ingenuity gives us the edge to connect to any guest.

Restaurateur, Ramesh Prasad, has dined worldwide in the vast-ever occurring steakhouse and knows the ins and outs of traditional fine dining concepts. Complacent with their predictability, he manifested his vision into reality. Sacramento is in the prime of revitalization, and developing a signature steakhouse is pioneering the industries’ cravings.

KZ Okpala honored with Hank Luisetti MVP Award at Stanford men’s basketball banquet

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By: Ana Kieu

KZ Okpala captured the Hank Luisetti Most Valuable Player Award, as the Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team celebrated the 2018-19 season at its awards banquet at Bing Concert Hall Monday.

The Cardinal highlighted the accomplishments of Josh Sharma and recognized the overall achievements of a roster that featured 11 of 15 student-athletes in their first or second year. Anne & Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball Jerod Haase thanked both Sharma and senior manager Ryan Cole for their outstanding efforts throughout their respective Cardinal careers. Haase also expressed his enthusiasm for a promising future with an experienced roster back on The Farm for 2019-20.

Okpala, a First Team All-Pac-12 selection, First Team USBWA All-District pick and a Second Team NABC All-District selection this past season, took home the Hank Luisetti MVP Award. He averaged a team-best 16.8 PPG to go along with 5.7 RPG and a SPG. He finished fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring with the second-most 20-point games (15) in the conference. He also ranked 16th in the conference in rebounding and 12th in defensive rebounding (4.5 DRPG). During the Pac-12 regular season, he finished fifth in the conference in scoring (17.5 PPG).

Sharma and Oscar da Silva were each the recipient of the Howie Dallmar Coach’s Award.

Sharma was recognized following a standout senior season on The Farm. He was a candidate for the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player Award and established a school record for field goal percentage in a season. His mark of .673 was not only a program record, it was the eighth-best field goal percentage in a season in Pac-12 history. He completed his standout career eighth on Stanford’s field goal percentage list, shooting .563 for his career. He was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection, after finishing the year as the conference’s field goal percentage leader and ranking in the top-10 in the league in offensive rebounds (3rd, 2.6 ORPG), blocks (7th, 1.4 BPG) and rebounds (9th, 7.1 RPG). He averaged 11.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG during Pac-12 play, posting double-doubles in five of his final seven games. He averaged 14.7 PPG and 11.1 RPG over those final seven contests. He was selected to play in the NABC College All-Star Game at the Final Four, which featured the top seniors in the nation.

da Silva was recognized for the second consecutive season. He was the lone Cardinal to start all 31 games. He averaged 9.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG. He averaged 28.3 MPG and finished second on the team in blocks with 40 on the season. He finished the season ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in blocks (1.3 BPG) and 13th in rebounding. He registered four 20-point games on the year, posting a career-best 23 points against both San Jose State and Oregon State. He recorded three double-doubles for the season.

Rodney Herenton was the recipient of the Peter Sauer Most Inspirational Award. Named in honor of the late Peter Sauer, who was the inspirational leader and captain of the 1998 Final Four Team, the award recognizes an individual who embodies the same qualities as Sauer did — enthusiasm, leadership and courage, which serves as an inspiration to the team. He has been a constant voice of encouragement and inspiration as a true representative of the Invested, Tough and Selfless pillars. He played in six games, highlighted by four points in four minutes of action in the win over Washington State in February. He has represented the program globally, earning a selection to the prestigious Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program. He traveled to India, where he served as a mentor and teacher for English, math and athletics to children. Commanding the utmost respect of his teammates, he has exemplified the exceptional character and charisma that helps define the Peter Sauer Most Inspirational Award.

Bryce Wills captured the Roy Young Toughness Award, recognizing the individual who was a leader in floor burns for the season. Originally created at Kansas in honor of Haase, the floor burns stat was adopted by Stanford when Haase was hired as head coach. Floor burns recognizes individuals for diving for loose balls, taking charges and making the extra effort to help their team win. He collected 48 floor burns and was recognized for giving the extra effort on both ends of the floor, highlighted by scoring performances down the stretch to win games and blocks on the defensive end to help seal victories. He became a regular starter as a freshman. He averaged 7.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.2 APG from the guard spot, scoring in double figures in seven Pac-12 games. He also recorded multiple steals in five games, including four in the win over Middle Tennessee in the Battle 4 Atlantis. He scored four of his 11 points in the final 14 seconds, including the go-ahead basket in the 79-76 come-from-behind win over USC in February.

The banquet concluded with speeches by Sharma and Cole, who both shared their gratitude to everyone involved in the team.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Joe Thornton Suspended for Game 4

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Photo credit: @Deadspin

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks will be down one more player for Game Four of their first round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Joe Thornton has been suspended by the NHL for one game after an illegal check to the head of Tomas Nosek in Game Three.

As Nosek came out of the corner after retrieving the puck in the defensive zone, he was pitched forward and his head was still down after defending the puck from Brenden Dillon. Thornton was coming out from behind the net and moving as if to help get the puck from Nosek. The collision occurred after Nosek got rid of the puck and while the play was starting to move the other way. Thornton’s shoulder made contact with Nosek’s head as they passed.

A minor penalty was called at 16:45 of the second period. Nosek did not skate again in the second period but did return for the third.

Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and forward Micheal Haley are both listed as day-to-day. Vlasic was injured blocking a shot in Game Two, so missed the rest of that game and Game Three. Haley was also injured blocking a shot early in the second period of Game Three and missed the rest of Sunday’s game.