No love in the East Coast: Earthquakes fall to Red Bulls 4-1

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes thought 2019 would be a better year under first-year head coach Matias Almeyda, but it turned out to be a high hope, as the team dropped back-to-back home matches–a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Impact on March 2nd and a 3-0 shutout to the Minnesota United FC on March 9th–to start the season.

San Jose, however, decided to try their luck in Harrison, N.J. against the New York Red Bulls, who won their third Supporters’ Shield in 2018 after winning their final five games as well as qualifying for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. New York’s current head coach Chris Armas replaced Jesse Marsch, who left the coaching gig after three and a half seasons.

It was gameday in the East Coast and the Quakes fanbase caught the livestream on Twitter at 12:30 pm PT. Though, the diehard Quakes fans saved their seats in section 220 in the Red Bull Arena.

Moreover, the Wondo watch was in full effect as Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski entered the match with 144 goals. Wondo’s goal was to score his 145th goal to tie Landon Donovan’s 145 career regular season goals.

Unfortunately, Wondo never scored his 145th goal, but at least the Earthquakes avoided a shutout, thanks to Cristian Espinoza’s first goal as a Quakes forward. Espinoza was loaned to the Quakes on a season-long loan by Villareal CF on January 2nd. San Jose took an early 1-0 lead at the fifth minute.

But the mere 1-0 halftime lead was as far as the Quakes could go. The Red Bulls scored three unanswered goals in the second half. So it wasn’t much of a greeting when the Quakes’ Twitter announced to the Twitterverse that they were back for the second half.

It all started with a shot and Alex Muyl kicked in a shot past Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega to tie the match 1-1 at the 51st minute. After that, Magnus Eriksson was just inches away from his second goal of the season and San Jose was unable to score a go-ahead goal at the 55th minute.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match, swapping Nick Lima for Marcos Lopez at the 62nd minute. That, however, didn’t help San Jose’s cause because Muyl scored his second goal of the match for a 2-1 Red Bulls lead at the 71st minute.

Muyl’s go-ahead goal was the reason why the Quakes made their second substitution of the match, swapping Judson for Danny Hoesen. Moreover, San Jose made their third and final substitution of the match, swapping Vako for Jackson Yueill at the 78th minute. But neither helped as the Red Bulls scored not only one, but two late goals to call it a day. Bradley Wright-Phillips made it 3-1 Red Bulls at the 85th minute and Daniel Royer wrapped up the scoring with a down-to-the-wire goal to extend the Red Bulls’ lead to 4-1 at the 89th minute. The Quakes fell to the Red Bulls 4-1 in N.J.

The Quakes have a much-needed week off before they host LAFC on March 30th at 12:30 pm PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks try to avoid another narrow loss; battle Preds tonight

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Photo credit: @sanjosesharksi1

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks took a six-game win streak into Thursday’s game, but couldn’t hold the Florida Panthers, who won 4-2 at SAP Center. Was their timing off.

#2 Was it a matter of the Panthers were on a mission or the Sharks just ran out of gas after playing back to back night on the road and a cluster of home games before the trip?

#3 One name that stands out throughout the last two weeks is Gustav Nyquist. He’s starting to have crucial value to this team.

#4 If you had to point to one development that has this team going like it is right now and passing the Calgary Flames in the Western Conference then is a game behind after the Flames get a win they moved back into first place, what would that be?

#5 The Sharks play game two on this three-game homestand against Nashville on Saturday night. Len sizes up tonight’s game.

#6 Sharks could clinch tonight for a playoff spot against the Nashville Predators

Len Shapiro does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No brotherly love in Philly: Sixers beat the Kings 123-114 on Friday night

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76score
Photo/Graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The road to the NBA Playoffs just became a long, uphill battle for the Sacramento Kings after they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 123-114 on Friday night to wrap up a four-game road trip. The Kings will return home having won just one of those four games. At a bare minimum, Sacramento needed to go 2-2 on the trip.

Sacramento is now two games under .500 with a record of 33-35. The team is 3-7 over their last 10 and has lost three consecutive games. The Kings are mired in ninth-place in the Western Conference 6.0 games behind the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz who are tied for seventh-place. With just 14 games remaining in the season, time is running out for the Kings unless they can go on an incredible multiple game winning streak.

The Kings played better basketball on Friday than they did on Thursday night in Boston. They improved their performances from the free throw line and from behind the 3-point line. Sacramento took care of the ball turning it over just nine times.

It is not often that a team improves its play in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road.

Why did the Kings lose?

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Photo: @NBCS
  1. They played a better team. The Philadelphia 76ers are a talented team that should go deep into the Eastern Conference Playoffs. All five of the Sixers starters scored in double figures with Ben Simmons being the low scorer with 18 points.
  2. The Sixers shot 50.5-percent from the field. It is very difficult to win when your opponent shoots over 50-percent for the contest.
  3. Philadelphia won the battle at the free throw line converting 24-of-27 (88.9%) opportunities. It does need to be noted that the Kings dramatically improved their free throw shooting performance over Thursday night by sinking 19-of-24 (79.2%) of their chances from the charity stripe.

Kings top performers

  • Marvin Bagley III was not the Kings leading scorer, but he did score 15 points in just over 20 minutes of playing time. His playing time is being limited after missing five games from suffering a knee sprain. Dave Joerger said after the game that he hated to take him out, but he knows there is no reason to risk rushing MB35 back into longer minutes.
  • Harrison Barnes continues to show why the Kings would like him to exercise his player option on his 2019-20 contract or request to talk to management about long-term options. Barnes recorded 16 points, six rebounds and three assists versus the Sixers.
  • Harry Giles III put up 12 points in just over 18 minutes on the floor. H20 shot 6-for-9 from the field and pulled down four rebounds. He also dished out four assists.
  • Other contributors: De’Aaron Fox 16 points, Buddy Hield 14, Willie Cauley-Stein 13 points and seven rebounds.

Philadelphia performers

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Photo: @NBCS
  • Jimmy Butler was the leading scorer in the game with 22 points. He also added seven assists and six rebounds.
  • Joel Embiid put a double-double in the book scoring 21 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. He is just a force on the defensive glass.
  • Tobias Harris continues to show why the Sixers made a trade to get him as he scored 19, made seven rebounds and distributed four assists.
  • JJ Redick put 19 up on the board. Redick went 4-for-9 from downtown.

Up next

The Kings traveled back to Sacramento after the game and will have Saturday off. Sacramento returns to action on Sunday at 3:00 PM when they will host the Chicago Bulls at the Golden 1 Center.

The Sixers head out on the road and will have to face the “Greek Freak” and company in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.

 

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Bumgarner battles his way in last start against Brewers

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Photo credit: @GiantsExtra

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Taking a look at Giants starter Madison Bumgarner’s last outing on Tuesday’s game, he looked like he was in regular season form after throwing three perfect innings.

#2 It was later when he gave up hits to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich, and Yasmani Grandal, which loaded the bases in the fourth inning that some might have questioned how long he could have stayed in this one.

#3 Then, there was plate umpire Brian Gorman. Bumgarner was having a hard time with as he felt Gorman was squeezing him. Bumgarner on a 2-1 pitch to Brewers’ hitter Travis Shaw thought he had strike two extended his arms in protest, then on the next hitter Mike Moustakas. Though, he had another strike call taken away by Gorman and extended his arms again and turned his back and walked back to the mound.

#4 MadBum helped his own cause with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth as the Giants got four runs. It was all they needed in their 4-2 win in Tuesday’s exhibition game.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Pens blank Sabres 5-0; Isles best Habs 2-1; plus much more

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Photo credit: @penguins

On the NHL podcast with Joe:

#1 The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Phil Kessel scored his 24th goal of the season. Brian DuMoulin, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bjugstad (11), Jake Guentzel (36), all scored in the Pens’ win over the Buffalo Sabres 5-0.

#2 The New York Islanders got a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens as the Isles’ Adam Pelech (5) and Anders Lee (25) scored for New York.

#3 The Washington Capitals’ Brett Connolly scored two goals–#18 and #19–to help lead the Caps in a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

#4 The Ottawa Senators got a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Sens got goals from Christian Wolanin (4) and Chris Tierney (9). Jake Allen started in goal for the shutout for Senators.

#5 The red-hot Tampa Bay Lighting (54-13-4) defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3. The Bolts’ Nikita Kucherov scored twice for #34 and #35 of the season.

Joe Lami does the NHL podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Friday

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Melvin says this year’s spring much healthier than last season

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Photo credit: @MLBStats

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The A’s manager Bob Melvin said the team looks more healthier than last spring training and that’s more important than anything else.

#2 A’s catcher Chris Herrmann said he was going for arthroscopic surgery rather than having ligament repair. It was reported that Herrmann chose arthroscopic surgery because the recovery time is much shorter.

#3 Another thing that Melvin is happy about is that A’s catchers Josh Phegley and Nick Hundley had great springs as both catchers hit two home runs, Phegley hit .346 and Hundley hit .292.

#4 Melvin said coming into spring he had confidence that that Phegley would have a great spring.

#5 A’s hitters Matt Chapman, Khris Davis, and Matt Olson didn’t have the best springs at the plate that Melvin expected, but they collectively hit in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. Davis got an RBI double, Olson got an RBI single walked twice, and Chapman  singled, doubled and scored twice.

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

 

 

Weekend scrimmage on tap for San Jose State football

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Linebackers Christian Webb and Lionell Wiggins share a lot in common. They are in their first spring with the San Jose State football team after joining the Spartans last fall as community college transfers. They contributed mainly as special teams players last year and are looking to earn spots in the linebacker rotation in their senior season.

“My first spring as a Spartan has been amazing. I really love the environment. It’s a great chance to learn plays and get used to the system than when you come (than) in during the fall,” said Webb, an Orange Coast College transfer.

“Spring has been going very well. Having a new linebackers coach in Coach (Scott) White and having him open his hands up to me and show me my assignment and what I am supposed to do on each and every play, it’s been going quite well,” said Wiggins, a transfer from San Jose City College. “He keeps coaching me and helps me get better as a player,” His older brother is former SJSU defensive lineman Larnell Ransom who was a Spartan from 2002 to 2004.

When Webb and Wiggins are on the field for Saturday’s first full-contact scrimmage, they will be keeping their eyes on a wide receivers group hoping for big things. Those WRs are Tre Walker, who came on strong at the end of the season to finish as the team leader in receiving yards with 714, Bailey Gaither, who averaged 20.4 yards per catch, JaQuan Blackwell and Leki Nunn. All four players have the most experience in the WR group.

According to WR coach Kevin Cummings, he will be looking for big plays from his group, not just in the passing game, but in the running game, too.

“This Saturday, I want guys to be physical. It will be the first time our guys can be ‘live’ in their blocking. I want our guys to be very physical in the run game, because we have to be a better run team this year. We know that. It starts with the receivers getting out on the perimeter and giving the running backs space to run,” said Cummings.

“For the linebacker corps, we want to make sure we want to grade out high first. We want to do our jobs and know our responsibilities. After that, we want to be explosive. We want to make plays and have ‘100-100’ effort,” Webb added.

When Webb referenced ‘100-100,’ it also could refer to he and Wiggins giving it a 100% effort in the classroom, too. Webb and Wiggins are two more of the program record-setting 29 SJSU football players to be named Academic All-Mountain West for last season.

“That was a huge accomplishment. It shows I’m not just a football player. I’m also a student as well. They say we’re ‘student-athletes.’ You have to be a student, first, and an athlete, second,” said Wiggins, a sociology major.

The first SJSU football scrimmage of the 2019 spring practice session is Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm in CEFCU Stadium. There is no admission charge.

Panthers postpone Sharks playoff clinching celebration

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Photo credit: sun-sentinel.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, March 14, 2019

Any celebration of the San Jose Sharks clinching a playoff berth will have to wait, following a 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers Thursday at SAP Center.

Mike Hoffman’s tie-breaking power play goal late in the second period helped the Panthers win their third straight game after a six-game losing streak.

The loss, San Jose’s second regulation setback at home since Dec. 20, ended the Sharks’ six-game winning streak, as San Jose fell short in its opportunity to become the first NHL West team to clinch a postseason slot.

At the same time, the Sharks failed to build on their one-point lead over second-place Calgary in the Pacific Division race.

The Panthers, meanwhile, pulled to within seven points of Columbus for the second NHL East Wild Card spot, with 12 games to play.

Hoffman also set up Florida’s insurance goal by Frank Vatrano in the third period. Also scoring for the Panthers was Jamie McGinn and Dryden Hunt. Rookie goaltender Sam Montembeault stopped 26 San Jose shots to earn his first career road win.

Melker Karlsson and Kevin Lablanc scored for the Sharks, while Martin Jones made 23 saves.

Florida surged ahead in the second period after Riley Sheahan won a faceoff, passed to Troy Brouwer, who then fed Hunt for his second goal in two games.

After a bad line change led to the Sharks being whistled for too many men on the ice, Hoffman scored on the power play on a pass from Keith Yandle for his 32nd goal of the season.

The loss capped a bad day overall for the Sharks. It was learned that defenseman Radim Simek will need surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, and forward Evander Kane was sidelined for personal reasons after announcing he and his wife recently lost a child during pregnancy.

The Sharks host Nashville on Saturday at 7:30 pm PT.

The playoffs are “slip, sliding away”: Kings lose to Boston 126-120

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atbosscore
Photo/graphic: @NBCS

by Charlie O. Mallonee

On Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings record fell under .500 for the first time since January 8th when they lost to the Boston Celtics 126-120. The Kings are now 33-34 on the season after this loss on the road. They are now 1-2 on the four-game road trip with one game to go in Philadelphia on Friday night

This was once again a battle of the tiers. There are three tiers in the NBA. Tier one is the upper one-third of the teams that are guaranteed a playoff spot and have a relatively realistic chance to go deep into the playoffs.

Two tier teams are the ones that are battling for the number seven or eight slots in the playoffs and may wind up in the draft lottery with very late selections. Tier three teams are tanking to get the best shot at one of the top three picks in the draft lottery in order to turn their team around as soon as possible.

Boston is a tier one team. The Kings have made the jump from tier three to tier two this season. That has been exciting for fans, but ultimately, it is going to be painful because each loss drops the Kings further out of playoff contention.

Why did the Kings lose?

  1. The first reason the Kings lost was the play of Kyrie Irving. Irving is a closer. He is a legitimate superstar. Irving posted a triple-double scoring 31 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds. As they said in the classic movie Glengarry Glen Ross, “Coffee is for closers.” Kyrie can have the whole pot.
  2. The Kings also lost because they did not convert their opportunities at the charity stripe into points. Sacramento went to the free throw line 23 times but put only 13 shots through the hoop. A 56.5-percent free throw shooting percentage is just unacceptable for professional basketball players. This has been an on-going problem for the Kings this season, and it is a problem that the team must address in the off-season if they are to take their game to the next level.

Kings top performers

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Photo:@NBCS
  • Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 34 points. He hit 14-of-24 shots overall and went 6-for-10 from long distance. Mr. Hield also distributed seven assists while turning the ball over just one time.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. WCS added four assists and made zero turnovers.
  • Marvin Bagley III returned to the court and scored 14 points in just over 19 minutes of playing time. It is reasonable to believe that MB35 was playing with a minutes restriction in place. After the game, Dave Joerger said it was unfair to expect too much from Bagley having to come back in a “playoff game”.
  • De’Aaron Fox turned in another strong performance scoring 19 points while dishing out nine dimes and hauling in seven rebounds.
  • Harrison Barnes put 20 points up on the board.

Boston top performers

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Photo:@NBCS
  • Kyrie – see point 1 on why the Kings lost.
  • Jaylen Brown came off the bench to score 22 points. His play proved to be a real “back-breaker” versus the Kings.
  • Marcus Morris posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Where the teams stand after the game

With the loss, the Kings remain in sole possession of ninth-place the NBA Western Conference, but they are now five games back of the eighth-place LA Clippers. The Kings have 15 games left to play in the regular season. The projection has been that they would need to win a minimum of 43 games to make the playoffs. That would mean going 10-5 in the final 15 contests.

The Celtics record improves to 42-27 on the season and Boston has a very secure hold on fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. They have a 6.5 game lead over sixth-place Brooklyn. Boston is chasing Philadelphia for fourth-place. The Sixers currently have a 1.5 game lead over the Celtics.

Up next

The Kings made the short flight to Philly and will play the very tough 76ers on Friday in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. The tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM PDT.

Boston will host the scrappy Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Raiders getting Brown for draft picks–a steal; Despite dysfunction, Warriors still a winner; plus more

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photo from nbcsports.com:  Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown (center) receives his new jersey standing at podium during Wednesday’s presser with head coach Jon Gruden (left) and general manager Mike Mayock (right)

On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown said he can lift the rest of the team offense for the rest of the season

#2 Brown is a seven time Pro Bowler as the Raiders sent a third and fifth draft pick to Pittsburgh for Brown.

#3 Brown will get $54.125 million for the next three seasons with Oakland

#4 On the Warriors their well published dysfunction didn’t stop them from picking up a win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night 106-104

#5 San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey trying to come off his off season surgery caught in Monday’s game but manager Bruce Bochy decided to rest Posey on Tuesday. Bochy expects Posey to go full strength once the regular season begins

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