A’s get flagship stations KTRB 860 and KHTK 1140

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By Jerry Feitelberg and Oakland A’s press release

OAKLAND — The long wait is over. The A’s announced on Friday that they have reached an agreement with radio station KTRB 860 AM in San Francisco and KHTK-AM 1140 in Sacramento to broadcast the entire 2019 season. In addition, 17 other stations will join the A’s to form the largest radio network in team history. The A’s press release follows below.

The Oakland A’s today announced a new radio broadcast agreement with KTRB 860 AM and an expanded partnership with KHTK–AM 1140 in Sacramento. The dual stations, along with 17 additional radio network affiliates, will provide the largest coverage map ever for A’s baseball.

The Club also announced a partnership with TuneIn, the leading global live audio streaming service. In addition to free live streaming of all A’s games in-territory, TuneIn will launch a 24/7 A’s channel. The A’s TuneIn channel will air exclusive team content, including special programming and podcasts.

“Our new partnerships with KTRB 860, KHTK-AM 1140, and TuneIn significantly amplify our coverage and reach, ensuring that every Spring Training and regular season game will be available throughout Northern California. These partnerships will allow us to reach A’s fans from as far north as Butte and Mendocino Counties across the Bay Area and down to Fresno and Monterey, with both terrestrial and free streaming broadcasts,” said A’s COO Chris Giles. “We are also thrilled to launch a 24/7 A’s channel on TuneIn and deliver exclusive content and unprecedented coverage throughout the season.”

Ken Korach will return for his 24th season with the A’s and his 14th as the team’s lead radio announcer, pairing with Vince Cotroneo, who will begin his 14th season with the Club. Ray Fosse will also make special appearances in the booth throughout the season. The team will debut expanded pre and postgame shows – A’s Total Access and A’s Clubhouse – hosted by Chris Townsend.

KIQI (1010 AM, San Francisco) and KATD (990 AM, Pittsburg) will serve as the Spanish-language home of Oakland A’s baseball, broadcasting 72 games. Amaury Pi-González, will return for his 26th season with the A’s and 36th season overall in MLB. González will be joined by Manolo Hernández-Douen, who will begin his 11th season as an A’s analyst.

KTRB 860 AM will air every A’s game, and KHTK-AM will air every game, minus Sacramento Kings game conflicts. The A’s TuneIn channel can be accessed at tunein.com/athletics.com.

In addition, the A’s announced that all 162 regular season games will be televised. 147 games will be shown on NBC Sports California, and the other 15 on the MLB Network, Fox Sports 1, and ESPN.

The TV broadcasts will feature the Emmy award team of Glen Kuiper doing play-by-play, and Ray Fosse as the color analyst. Former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden will be featured on select broadcasts as a color commentator and a field analyst. Kara Tsuboi will be a sideline reporter for select home games. The A’s Pregame Live and A’s Postgame Live will be anchored by Brody Brazil and will have analysis from Braden, Dave Stewart, Bip Roberts, and Shooty Babbitt.

Jerry Feitelberg is a Oakland A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State returns home to host UNLV in Saturday matinee

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The 2018-19 San Jose State men’s basketball season has been a lost cause for quite a while now, so the team has been playing for pride because they have nothing to play for until the end of the season against the rival Fresno State Bulldogs at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. on March 9th. But, until then, San Jose State has to endure seven more games and possibly seven straight losses as much as I don’t want to say the latter.

SJSU last played against the New Mexico Lobos at the Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Wednesday and got ran over by a final score of 92-60. SJSU (3-20, 0-11 MW) lost its 14th consecutive game, while UNM (11-13, 5-7 MW) rebounded following a 91-62 blowout by the hands of the No. 7 Nevada Wolf Pack on February 9th. Moreover, UNM took out their anger on SJSU and that was an understatement as they pretty much had the conference game from start to finish. SJSU, however, put on a strong offensive show to open the first half, so let’s give them credit where it’s due, okay?

Anyways, I’m not ruling out the fact that SJSU can somehow pull off an upset over UNLV, but there’s a sad reality that all of us must realize and that’s how the Spartans struggle to close out the games as they tend to suffer second half scoring woes for some reason or more than a few reasons if you’re a glass half empty type of person…or a full blown troll who has too much time on his or her hands.

But I can confirm that Noah Baumann is like a boss as his most recent performance allowed him to lead the Spartans with 10 points. Not only that, Baumann hit two 3-pointers and extended his consecutive games with a 3-pointer streak to 21 games to tie SJSU’s record set in the 2009-10 season by Robert Owens. I’d also like to add that Ashtin Chastain has been having himself a game after what seemed like a long scoring drought that partially occurred due to injuries in the past year or so. Chastain recorded a team-high 11 rebounds along with seven points in the Spartans’ loss to the Lobos in Albuquerque. It was just that Lobos won the rebound battle 44-39 as the Spartans actually finished with just 11 turnovers. The Lobos were simply the better team as a whole and they weren’t anywhere near the likes of Nevada, Utah State, Fresno State, San Diego and UNLV.

SJSU will likely get blown out by UNLV. My prediction stands at 95-55, but hey, anything can happen, so let’s see if the basketball Gods will work wonders or not.

In case you missed it, SJSU had a productive Friday morning. The Spartans read out loud to the elementary school students at Horace Mann Elementary in San Jose. Moreover, Caleb Simmons, a 6-foot-6, 195 pounds guard from Desert Vista High in Phoenix, Ariz., talked to the students about positivity, perseverance, and prosperity. It’s good that Simmons did that and I hope those young kids learned a thing or two because today’s kids are supposed to be the future in the advancement of this country.

If you want to pledge to support Fight for Literacy before tomorrow night’s game, click on the “Pledge Here” link to the embedded tweet below. It’s a notable cause that will do good for the local students in the South Bay.

Stanford continues homestand against UCLA Saturday night

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By: Ana Kieu

Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball surely showed that they were the Comeback Cardinal in Wednesday’s thriller against the rival USC Trojans 79-76 at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal (13-11, 6-6 Pac-12) certainly rebounded after a rough two-game road trip in the Beaver State against Oregon and Oregon State this past weekend. Now the Cardinal will seek their second straight win over the lowly UCLA Bruins, who currently stand at 13-12, 6-6 Pac-12 in the conference standings. That’s clearly not super low to the point of being a hapless team, like, say, my alma mater San Jose State University, but they’re just a step below the Cardinal and this should be a winnable game for the home team as long as the Bay Area big men continue to play with grit throughout the two halves.

In case you missed it, Stanford not only celebrated the exhilarating win over USC Wednesday with its head coach Jerod Haase, but also a familiar face in football head coach David Shaw, who appeared to be really happy to be back on the Stanford University campus as the Cardinal support each other, no matter what teams they play for or what genders they describe themselves as.

Check out the Cardinal’s postgame celebration in the embedded tweet below.

As you should already know, Stanford took matters into their own hands and gutted out a gutsy win over USC and also carried some momentum into Saturday’s rivalry matchup. Well, at least a fan rivalry in the minds of those who follow these two Pac-12 schools.

I’d also like to mention that Bryce Willis was clutch down the stretch against USC and even threw in the much-needed game-winner to help the Cardinal get ahead for the win.

Since both teams aren’t leading the conference, I believe Saturday’s Pac-12 matchup will feature a lot of back-and-forth action along with fluctuating leads and deficits. As long as there are runs for the money, they’ll be strides to try even harder over the course of the game itself. But I predict that Stanford will somehow pull off a win, so my prediction will be 80-75 Stanford. Let’s see how I’ll do Saturday.

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Point biggest part of Tampa Bay’s success; Crosby plays big role in win over Oilers; Ducks get a win for Murray in coaching debut; plus more

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Photo credit: @Buccigross

On the NHL podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 With all the success the Tampa Bay Lightning has had, how important is Brayden Point?

#2 Sidney Crosby proved key for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday

#3 Anaheim Ducks get a win in head coach Bob Murray debut. How much of a difference will he make for the Ducks?

#4 Will the Nashville Predators go all in at the trade deadline?

#5 How much of a factor will it be for the Ottawa Senators going forward in trying to sign unrestricted free agents Pierre Dorion, Mark Stone,  Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel? Why do players want to leave Ottawa is this part of that Erik Karlsson mystic?

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

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors looking forward to All-Star break after playing five games in eight days

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On the NBA podcast with Jerry:

#1 Golden State were without Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and DeMarcus Cousins for Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. How much of a load was it for the rest of the team in the loss to the Blazers 129-107?

#2 How exhausted is the team playing its fifth game in eight days?

#3 In the second and third quarters, neither team gave in. It was a tough bout, noting that the Warriors held a five-point lead at most and the Blazers had a six-point lead.

#4 Draymond Green had been hit with a flagrant foul, resulting in head coach Steve Kerr getting thrown out on two technicals.

#5 The Warriors host the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 21st and the Kings could be a handful at times this season.

Jerry does the NBA podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Blown Out By Cup Champs 5-1, Streak Ends at Six Wins

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By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–Joe Thornton passed Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne for 15th place all-time in career points, but there was very little else for San Jose Sharks fans to enjoy on a heart-and streak-breaking Valentine’s Day. The Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals scored five unanswered goals to end the Sharks’ winning streak at six games in a 5-1 drubbing. T.J. Oshie had two goals and an assist, Alex Ovechkin scored his 646 lifetime goal and Braden Holtby made 25 saves in net for the 2018 Champs.  

Kevin Labanc scored his sixth goal in as many games with the Sharks. Erik Karlsson rejoined the team at practice but did not skate in the contest. Martin Jones made 24 saves in the loss. 

After passing Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe in all-time assists during a four-game Canadian road swing, Jumbo Joe passed another all-time great and former Shark Selanne in points Thursday on a helper (naturally) on Labanc’s first period goal. In true Thornton fashion, Jumbo’s pass was one only he and few others have the ability to make. It was so perfect, it left Labanc facing an empty net for an easy goal and a 1-0 lead 2:06 into the first. 

Oshie responded on the power play just 1:32 later than Jakub Vrana scored his 18th of the year with 8:27 in track meet of a first period. San Jose controlled most of opening minutes of the second, but Alexander Ovechkin did what he does best, sniping a one-timer from the dot 4:14 into the second. A missed chance with just under two minutes left in the 2nd by Evander Kane became an odd man rush the other way  that Brent Burns bungled, allowing Oshie to dangle past Jones his second on the night and 18th of the year and a 4-1 Caps edge. Tom Wilson got the empty-netter for the 5-1 final. 

Next up for the Sharks is a stretch of games at home against playoff hopefuls. Vancouver comes to the tank Saturday in a rematch of Monday’s Sharks blowout, then the Boston Bruins make a visit to SAP or the first part of the home-and-home season series against team Teal. 

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Harper not in Giants camp, so still anyone’s guess where he’s going

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washingtonpost.com file photo: Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle left and Bryce Harper right bump gloves last season. Harper is currently looking for a deal that fits his expectations including no short-term deals.

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 Baseball’s biggest free agent Bryce Harper, who just talked with the San Francisco less than two weeks ago, is still looking for a big league club to sign with

#2 Harper was nowhere near Scottsdale for the Giants camp, while his name was dropped as a possibility. No one, but maybe himself knows what he’s up to.

#3 With Kyler Murray deciding on football, what do you think the odds are that he could play with the Oakland Raiders and stay a two-sport player and play for the A’s’?

#4 The A’s badly missed pitchers Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk are returning after Cotton and Puk were out for most of last season after having Tommy John surgery.

#5 The Oakland Raiders are very close to getting a deal done with the Oakland Coliseum Authority. The Raiders, who vowed not to play at the Coliseum after last season, had no choice but to come back after the San Francisco Mayor London Breed gave the San Francisco Giants the message that the Raiders should stay in Oakland and talked about traffic issues if the team were to play it’s final season in San Francisco.

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

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey Friedman: Sheffield’s 16 points gets him some more minutes in Stanford’s win

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On the Stanford Cardinal Men’s Basketball podcast with Joey:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (13-11) got a key win over the USC Trojans (13-12) on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion 79-76.

#2 A big turn around from they’re game against the Oregon Ducks when the Cardinal scored just 46 points.

#3 How is Daejon Davis’ progress after his head to head collision?

#4 KZ Okpala scored 18 points and Marcus Sheffield scored 16 points for Sheffield’s personal high.

#5 The UCLA Bruins are headed to Stanford for 7:00 PM tip on Saturday.

Join Joey for the Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: After successful road swing in Canada, Sharks look to do damage against Washington on Thursday

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yahoo.sports photo: Vancouver Canucks goaltender couldn’t do anything with the San Jose Sharks in his rookie debut as the Sharks scored seven times on him. The Sharks’ Marcus Sorenson stands above him to the left.

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks take a six-game win streak into the game with the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. The Sharks beat the Caps back on Tues., Jan. 22 to start this winning streak.

#2 The Caps had such a great run last season winning the Cup. They’ve currently have been playing .500 hockey, going 4-4 in their last eight games. Are they a .500 team or are they better than that?

#3 The Sharks will face Alex Ovechkin, who has set some records for a Russian player. Will Ovechkin be one player that can’t be contained or have the Sharks handled him pretty good in past games?

#4 The Sharks had a successful road swing through western Canada with wins over the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks.

#5 What has been working best for San Jose? Joe Thornton and his point-setting records, goals from that wild scoring contest Monday night in Vancouver by Evander Kane (2), Melker Karlsson, Kevin LeBanc, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski.

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

Kings For a Half: Nuggets pick it up after the break in 120-118 win over Sacramento

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By Morris Phillips

The Sacramento Kings may have run wild in the first half on Wednesday night, but the third quarter belonged to the Denver Nuggets–with Isaiah Thomas in his debut, without Coach Mike Malone who was ejected, and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic reaching into his bag of tricks.

The Nuggets overcame an 11-point halftime deficit in the first six minutes of the third quarter and held on for a 120-118 win over the Kings.

Both teams concluded play prior to the All-Star Break, with the Nuggets moving within two games of the conference-leading Warriors, and the Kings temporarily falling out of the eighth and final playoff spot by losing while the Clippers blew past the Suns, 134-107 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Kings started the evening four games over .500 for the first time this season, and they hardly looked satisfied, shooting a high percentage from the start on their way to an 11-point lead after a quarter. Buddy Hield put up 11 of his team-high 25 points in the opening frame that end with Sacramento leading 41-30.

The Kings continued to roll into the second quarter, and with their lead holding at eight prior to the half, Malone was at his boiling point. When Malik Beasley took a physical path to the basket without a foul call, Malone went from coaching to observing instaneously. Two technicals sent the defensive-minded coach to the showers.

“I think our players know me, they know who I am,” Malone said of his ejection. “I am a fighter, I am a competitor. I didn’t like some of the calls that were not being called and I am going to stick up for my players.”

Denver’s third quarter response was an example of why and how quickly they’ve vaulted to the top of the Western standings this season. With Jokic the primary ballhandler, the Denver offense turned poetic, a parade of driving, cutting and passing with the 6’11” center as the hub. Jokic’s consecutive assists on baskets by Torrey Craig and Malik Beasley brought the Nuggets within 85-83 with 3:09 left in the third.

Isaiah Thomas got into the act later in the third with eight, quick points in the final two minutes plus that allowed the Nuggets to open the fourth period with a 93-91 lead. Thomas, seeing his first action in Denver uniform, missed the first 56 games of the season rehabbing his hip.

When asked what type of impact Thomas will have on the Nuggets and their post-season aspirations, Monte Morris, a player who likely will lose minutes to Thomas, was quick to chime in.

“13 minutes out there (and score) eight points quick.” Morris said. “That just shows you right there what type of player he is.”

Jokic tipped in the game winner with 0.8 seconds remaining, which allowed enough time for a desperation shot from the Kings. Hield got a shot off that would have counted, but it merely grazed the front of the rim.

The Kings open the post All-Star break portion of the schedule in Oakland a week from Thursday against the Warriors.