San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks couldn’t get by Boston; Host Colorado Friday night at SAP

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On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks fell 4-1 to the Bruins in Boston Tuesday. Boston goals came from David Krejci, Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand. Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 19 saves in the win.

#2 Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said that within a few minutes he like the Sharks look, but it didn’t take long for the Bruins to over take the Sharks short 1-0 lead.

#3 Gustav Nyquist who was just acquired by San Jose skated for and had one shot on goal.

#4 One thing about Nyquist DeBoer said that he’s gong to be a great help to the team. DeBoer said he likes his game and was impressed by his work against Boston on Tuesday night.

#5 The Sharks are back in San Jose Friday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Mary Lisa sets this game up.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Will this second meeting with Harper mean he’ll become a Giant?; Johnny Football is out of football again; Will Green and Durant leave Warriors after this season?; plus more

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On Headline Sports with Tony Renteria:

#1 The San Francisco Giants had a second meeting with free agent superstar Bryce Harper. Does that look like an indication that Harper likes what the Giants organization is all about and what they have to offer?

#2 Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was released by the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes for violations of his contract. The Alouettes further informed the other eight teams in the CFL of Manziel’s release. The Alouettes did not give a reason why he was being released. But sources say Manziel violated his confidentiality agreement. It was reported that the CFL ordered his release.

#3 The Golden State Warriors have lost three of their last four games and have showed signs of tiring. They trailed the Miami Heat in Wednesday night’s game and talk has it that besides Kevin Durant who could go shopping after this season Draymond Green could announce for free agency after next season as well.

#4 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night and hosted the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night and lost 141-140. The Kings–even when they lose–still make it interesting right until the end of the game.

#5 How concerned should the Oakland A’s be about their starting rotation now that pitchers Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are returning from surgery from last season? Can the A’s rotation stay healthy this season?

Join Tony each Thursday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fun Without Winning One: Kings compete in overtime loss to the league-leading Bucks

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By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–When you compete this hard–for 48 minutes and overtime–it’s the last thing you want to hear.

But there was Eric Bledsoe, basking in the glow of hand delivering the road win for Eastern Conference-leading Bucks, and wanting to say something conciliatory towards the Kings after one of the best, and most competitive games in the NBA this season.

Again, it was the last thing the disappointed Kings wanted to hear.

“Even if they don’t make it this year–even if they do–they’ve got a bright future,” Bledsoe said of the promising Kings.

Yeah, that’s nice, Eric, but what the Kings really would have appreciated was a season-transforming win. After a stretch of five games against the some of the league’s best teams, the Kings have just one win, hardly the qualifications for ending the NBA’s lengthiest, playoff drought dating back to 2006.

“That’s what happens when you’re trying to make the playoffs, you go through some bumps and bruises, but we have to keep fighting and keep grinding,” said Buddy Hield, who led Sacramento with 32 points.

On the night the Clippers lost at Utah, and the Lakers got past the Pelicans at home, the Kings may have played the best basketball, but fell two games out of the coveted, eighth spot in the Western Conference.

The Kings didn’t shoot well, or shut down a Bucks’ attack that improved at the trade deadline with the addition of Nikola Mirotic, but they did protect the ball, hit the offensive glass and put up a whopping 118 shots. That effort paid off in the fourth quarter when the Kings wiped out a 13-point deficit and propelled themselves into overtime.

“They made several runs at us. … Just really impressed with their young players and with the job coach Dave is doing. They have a hell of a future ahead of them,” said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.

But the Kings reached overtime at a disadvantage without rookie standout Marvin Bagley, who was injured running into a hard screen in the middle of the floor that left him with a knee contusion. Bagley will have an MRI examination today to determine the severity of the injury.

The Bucks also reached overtime without their biggest star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was limited to 24 minutes due to a sore knee that forced him to miss Milwaukee’s previous game. But Bledsoe and Malcom Brogdon both hit big shots in the extra session to secure the win for the Bucks.

The Kings have an estimated 12 percent shot to make the playoffs, and overcome their most likely outcome of 41-41. Eleven of the Kings’ 22 remaining opponents currently have winning records, and their schedule is measurably tougher than the Clippers and the Spurs schedules.

Winning 45 games is still the goal, as that’s where the Clippers project as the most likely eighth-seeded team in the West. The Kings would need to win 14 of 22–which would be their hottest stretch of the season–to reach 45 wins.

Warriors’ comeback falls short in Miami 126-125

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, as has been their custom, lately, did not get off to a good start against the Miami Heat Wednesday night. The Heat, a team that averages 103 points a game, did everything right in the first half of the game as they poured in 74 points and held the W’s to 59. The 74 points almost tied the heat record of 75. At one point they led the W’s by 24 as they were making threes. The Heat players were driving the lanes and getting fouled. The Heat made nine 3s in 18 attempts. They made 17 free throws in 20 attempts. The Warriors were 5-for-21 from behind the arc. They made six free throws and missed two. The Heat shot 59.5% from the floor in the first quarter, and the Warriors were at 36%. The Heat led 32-22 after the first 12 minutes of play.

It was more of the same in the second quarter. The Heat continued to play well while the Warriors were trying everything to get points on the board. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra sent in his two veteran sharpshooters, Dwayne Wade and Goran Dragic, to generate some offense and they did just that. Dragic was on fire as he knocked down four 3s and scored 20 points in the quarter. He finished the half with 25. Wade added 12, and the Heat led 67-43 before the Warriors woke up. The Warriors had a run late in the half behind Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Miami, the third-worst scoring team in the NBA, took it to the Warriors in the first half. Klay Thompson’s 21 points kept the Warriors in the game. Kevin Durant had 11, but he could not connect on a 3-point attempt. Curry finished the half with 9 and he, too, had trouble connecting on the shots from downtown. The Heat ended the first half leading 74-59.

The Warriors knew what to do in the second half. The first thing they had to do was stop the Heat’s offense. They did that. The second thing was to get more offense, and they outscored the Heat in the quarter 33-26 to finish the period trailing 100-92.

In the NBA, teams can erase an 8-point deficit without too much trouble. Draymond Green hit a 3 to bring the Warriors within six with 8:20 left to play. Curry followed with a 3 and the Heat’s lead shrunk to 3, 106-103. The Warriors continued to make stops and were able to take a 4-point lead late in the fourth quarter. In the last minute of the game, Durant missed a free throw. Had he mad the free throw, the Warriors would have had 3-point lead 126-123. He didn’t, and the lead was just two points, 125-123, when Dwayne Wade hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to stun the Warriors and send them down to defeat 126-125.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors gave Demarcus Cousins the night off for rest. The Heat was missing James Johnson and Hassan Whiteside.

With the loss, the Warriors drop to 43-18 and remain 1/2 game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference lead. The Heat snapped a six-game home losing streak and improved to 27-33.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 36 points, Curry finished with 24 points, but was 4-for-14 from 3-point land. Durant had 29 points and made three 3s in 12 attempts. Jordan Bell was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10 points. The Warriors shot 49% from the floor.

The Heat had six players in double figures. Dragic was held to two points in the second half, and ultimately finished with 27 points. Dwayne Wade ended with 25 points. Josh Richardson had 21 points, Kelly Olynyk had 15 points, Justise Winslow had 12 points and Bam Adebayo added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Orlando Magic Thursday night in Orlando, Fla. Game time will be at 4 pm.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Arenado signs second largest MLB deal; Harper still waiting to sign; Cowboys’ Gregory suspended indefinitely; plus more

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On Headline Sports with London Marq:

#1 The Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado signed a eight-year deal at $250 million. He does have an opt-out year when he turns 30 in three years from now. They really are counting on Arenado to be their cornerstone.

#2 Bryce Harper continues to be a free agent waiting for that longterm deal a payout that would top the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado’s $300 million deal. Harper is looking in the neighborhood of $350 million and ten years. Will he get a deal done soon?

#3 Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely for substance abuse. Gregory played two games in 2016, suspended for the whole season in 2017, played 14 games in 2018 and was second in sacks with the Cowboys. Gregory’s attorney says he can make it back in 2019.

#4 The Sacramento Kings have lost two of their last three games, but their efforts were right there with opposing teams: the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings have another tough task when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Golden One Center.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes open the season this Saturday at Avaya Stadium against the Montreal Impact. After the rough season they had last year, the Quakes are looking to turn it around this year.

Headline Sports with London Marq is heard each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

29 San Jose State football players named to Academic All-Mountain West Team for Fall 2018

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By: Ana Kieu

An all-time high 57 San Jose State student-athletes from five sports were named to the Fall 2018 Academic All-Mountain West team.

The 57 student-athletes are an all-time high at SJSU for this past fall, including an all-time high 29 Spartan football players. SJSU has the second-most football award winners in the MW.

Spartan volleyball had nine players honored, tying for the most honored since joining the MW in 2013. Women’s soccer had nine players honored, followed by women’s cross country at six and men’s cross country at four.

Five Spartan student-athletes received their fourth Academic All-MW honor — Luiza Andrade (volleyball), Darriell Franklin (women’s soccer), Craig Huff (men’s cross country), Josh Oliver (football) and Jeanette Zambrano (women’s cross country). Seven students-athletes received honors for the third time in their career, while 13 Spartans earned Academic All-MW recognition for the second year. 32 achieved the recognition for the first time in their career.

“We are elated to recognize a record-number of Spartans who exemplified academic prowess this past fall,” said Eileen Daley, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Academic and Student Services. “We reach these goals by setting high standards, providing academic support and genuinely investing in the academic achievement of our student-athletes. The ongoing partnerships with our academic team, coaches and student-athletes have led to this success. This Mountain West recognition also provides incentive for more student-athletes to continue their hard work and effort in the hopes of standing among their peers as Scholar-Athletes.”

To earn Academic All-MW recognition, a student-athlete must complete at least one semester, maintain a 3.00 or better cumulative GPA and participate in at least 50% of the contests for the season.

A league-record 703 student-athletes have been named to the Fall 2018 Academic All-MW team. Sports recognized include men’s and women’s cross country, football, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Former linebacker soaks in first AAF win; Hapless an understatement for men’s basketball; plus more

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On the San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu:

1. Frank Ginda, a former Spartan linebacker, and the San Diego Fleet soaked in their first AAF (Alliance for American Football) win 24-12 over the Atlanta Legends on Sunday, February 17th.

2. SJSU lost its 16th in a row last Wednesday 91-70 at home against the Colorado State Rams.

3. What were your thoughts on SJSU’s games against Air Force and New Mexico?

Ana Kieu records the San Jose State podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com

Barracuda comes up large in third period to down Wild 5-3

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by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda took on the Iowa Wild on Tuesday evening at SAP Center.

Iowa drew first blood in the first period on a counter attack after San Jose failed to cash in on an odd-man rush. Dmitry Solokov fed a pass over to Matt Read whose shot was initially saved by Cuda goalie Joeef Korenar but the rebound was cleaned up by Mitch McClain for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:08 mark.

San Jose received the equalizer while killing a Wild power play early in the second period. A clean faceoff win by Dylan Gambrell inside the Wild zone went perfectly back to the right point where Nick DeSimone rifled a shot past Wild goalie Kaapo Khakonen just inside the right post for short-handed goal and 10th goal of the season at the 3:02 mark.

Iowa regained the lead as Cal O’Reilly was rewarded when he was the trailer on a three-on-one odd man rush. Gerald Mayhew led the rush and fed a back pass over O’Reilly, who buried the puck past Korenar top-shelf in the left corner of the goal for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:32 mark.

Iowa thought they had a two-goal lead 62 second later when Mason Shaw put the puck into the back of the net on a two-on-zero break but the whistle blew just before the puck went in as coincidental roughing minor penalties were called on Jacob Middleton and Kyle Rau as they tussled at the Cuda blue line.

Calvan Fitzgerald scored the equalizer early in the third period for San Jose. Francis Perron found a wide-open Fitzgerald, who skated into the shot and fired a shot past Khakonen for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:27 mark.

Gambrell then gave then gave the Cuda their first lead when he received a pass from TJ Hensick and buried a wrist shot past Khakonen for his 15th goal of the season at the 3:37 mark. Kyle Wood received the secondary assist.

San Jose extended their lead when Gambrell then fed a pass over to Jeremy Roy at the point and he wristed a shot past Khakonen for firth goal of the season at the 6:11 mark. Gambrell earned his third point of the night.

The Cuda put the game away when Nick DeSimone sent a pass from behind the right boards over a wide-open Jon Martin. Martin’s shot squeezed past Khakonen for his 10th goal of the season at the 11:17 mark. Perron received the secondary assist.

Korenar stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced to earn his 19th win of the season. Khakonen made 23 saves on 28 shots in suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. Iowa was 0/3.

Jonathan Dahlen made his debut for the Barracuda. He skated on a line with Alex True and Jon Martin. Dahlen, son of former San Jose Sharks foward Ulf Dahlen, was traded over to San Jose from Vancouver yesterday in a deal at the trade deadline for center Linus Karlsson. Dahlen has 14 goals, including eight on the power play, and 29 points he scored while with the Utica Comets of the AHL.

Gambrell changed his jersey number to seven with newly acquired Sharks foward Gustav Nyquist taking the number 14. Gambrell wore the number seven when he played collegiately at the University of Denver.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to Ontario to take on the Reign on Friday 3/1 at 7:00 pm at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Durant has some defensive skills; Will charges get dropped for Kraft?; plus more

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Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 Golden State’s Kevin Durant gets lots of credit for his work shooting the basketball, but his defensive prowess also is something that he should take a lot of credit for as well.

#2 New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s solicitation charge is something that some have said shouldn’t even be that big of deal. Some say this is human trafficking. How deep is Kraft in and could he work things out with the justice system in Florida where this took place?

#3 How possible is it that the San Francisco 49ers could obtain the services of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown and the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr, who are noted two of the best wide receivers in the NFL?

#4 Oakland Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock is at the controls as the Raiders, who are about to get three first round picks for the 2019 NFL draft.

#5 The Oakland A’s are taking a close look at pitcher Mike Fiers and Marco Estrada as opening day starters. Fiers joined the A’s in August (5-2, 3.74 ERA) could be the most likely starter for opening day.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Is there trouble in paradise between Joeger and Hield?; Hield benched in last five minutes in Minnesota

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On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie O talks about why the Kings didn’t use Buddy Hield in the last five minutes of Monday night’s game in Minnesota. He didn’t want to talk about Hield and why he was benched at the end of the game. The question came up at the beginning of the press conference.

#2 Kings head coach Dave Joeger doesn’t like being questioned about his coaching and why he makes some of the moves that he did. Hield and Joeger got into a jawing match when they were playing Golden State.

#3 The Kings have struggled against Western Conference opponents with a 17-23 road record, but you would have never known that after watching the Kings play the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 119-116 win.

#4 Coming off the game in Minnesota and knowing Joeger’s reaction to the Hield question, will Joeger and the Kings shake the T-Wolves game off and turn the page?

Charlie O does the Kings podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com