San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks coming off some close games and a win against Minnesota last Monday

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On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks are coming off a Tuesday night win to the Minnesota Wild 4-3. The Sharks had some good flow at the start of the game.

#2 The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl was the difference scoring the game-winner. How big has Hertl been for the offense?

#3 Talk about some of the offensive work the Sharks have been getting out of Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Erik Karlsson, Evander Kane and Brett Burns.

#4 The Sharks have 17 points and are just two points behind first place Calgary.

#5 It’s off to Dallas and St. Louis for this Friday and Saturday. How do you see these two matches coming up?

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

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Did the Raiders make mistakes in giving up experienced players resulting in a dud season?

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On the Raiders podcast with Tony:

#1 How big of a mistake was it for the Raiders to wave defensive end Bruce Irvin?

#2 Is this NFL worst record a result of the Raiders letting go of its veteran high performance players like Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack?

#3 The Raiders 1-7 worst record in the NFL. How much does this weigh on head coach Jon Gruden?

#4 At the beginning of Gruden’s deal, do you feel it was a bad idea for Chucky to sign with the Raiders and give up working TV?

#5 Raiders head to Oakland to host the LA Chargers. How does this one shape up?

Tony does the Raiders podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings unable to stop Leonard, Raptors in 114-105 loss

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By: London Marq

If the NBA was known for having Cinderella, worst to first type stories, the Sacramento Kings would be the early season candidate. They have played with a breakneck pace through the first 10 games in the season, with a boastful record of 6-4. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. This early in the season it looks as the Sacramento Kings are moving towards no longer being a bottom-feeder in The Association.

In their first game back in the Golden 1 Center after a successful 3-1 road trip, where they defeated Miami, Orlando and Atlanta, Sacramento played host to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have been on a tear to start the season, entering play on Wednesday evening at 10-1.

The Kings started strong, behind a hot quarter from De’Aaron Fox, who scored 9, including one from behind the arc. Toronto’s star guard Kyle Lowry kept pace with Fox in the first 12 minutes, scoring 8 of his own. Despite leading by 8 at one point, the Kings found themselves on the short end as the quarter expired, 29-26.

The Kings, who have made it a habit to push the ball up and down the court with speed, found themselves slowed down be the fact that they were being muscled on the boards. Three players for Toronto had double-doubles, all with 10 rebounds or more. The Kings were outscored, in every quarter except the fourth. Kawhi Leonard led Raptors were arguably helped out by some scandalous calls by the referees, seemed liable to take the wind out of the Kings sails with a bad call or two whenever they were gaining momentum.

They Kings were able to hang around, and give themselves a chance, bur would be outmatched in the end as the had been in the beginning. The season is young and promising, and Kings players and fans have a lot be excited about, despite losing to a better Toronto team.

The Raptors defeated the Kings 114-105.

The Kings continue their homestand vs. the Timberwolves on Friday night at 7:00 pm PT.

Mullens earns second start as a 49er

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By Jeremy Harness

After he torched the Raiders last Thursday night, the 49ers named Nick Mullens the team’s starting quarterback for a second straight week.

The 49ers will look to get their second win in a row when they take on the 1-7 New York Giants at Levi’s Stadium Monday night, and Mullens hopes to take them there.

He got the first start of his NFL career against Oakland, and he did not disappoint at all, throwing for three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 34-3 blowout win.

Mullens will likely lean heavily on running back Matt Breida, who has battled ankle and shoulder injuries all year. Breida will have his workload increased, as fellow back Raheem Mostert, who emerged in last Thursday’s game, will miss the rest of the season after suffering a gruesome injury to his right forearm in the second half against the Raiders.

Breida’s backup is Alfred Morris, who did not see very much action against Oakland but could see his workload go up slightly on Monday night.

On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers will have to deal with rookie back Saquon Barkley, who had 111 total yards against Washington two weeks ago, and he has more than 100 yards from scrimmage in all but one game this season.

The Giants have named Eli Manning its starter for Monday night, but he has struggled mightily for the past two seasons. He threw for 316 yards against the Redskins in their previous game, he tossed one touchdown pass but also two interceptions.

San Jose State took care of business at home with 89-72 win over Life Pacific

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans men’s basketball team opened its 2018-19 season versus the Life Pacific College Warriors inside the Event Center on Wednesday night. SJSU was seeking their third straight season-opening win and third straight win over LPC. Last season, SJSU routed LPC 109-70 at home.


Perhaps it was the loud, rabid crowd (and yes, that includes the uber-talented SJSU Cheer squad) that fired up the Spartans, who opened the first period with a 9-0 run, thanks to Brae Ivey’s 3-pointer, Zach Chappell’s layup, Seneca Knight’s pair of free throws on the fastbreak and Oumar Barry’s layup in the paint. The Warriors then responded with a 8-0 run of their own, which consisted of Edgardo Campo’s two threes and Chez Lister’s layup on the fastbreak.

Both teams exchanged threes, free throws and layups throughout the first, but the Spartans played high-quality defense to keep themselves on top. SJSU carried a 49-38 lead over LPC to the locker room at halftime. Moreover, Knight led the Spartans 15 points, one assist, one steal, one block plus 5-10 shooting from the field goal line, 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 2-2 shooting from the free throw line in 12:08 minutes at halftime.

The Spartans continued to dominate early in the second period. Michael Steadman threw down a dunk to expand SJSU’s lead to 13 for a 51-38 advantage just 52 seconds into the second. This time, SJSU didn’t go on a prompt run, as Adam Gotelli hit a three to reduce the Warriors’ deficit to 10 for a tinier trail of 51-41 just 24 seconds later.

Gotelli proceeded to give the Spartans a hard time with a jumper in the paint and a subsequent field goal. Also, Andre Allen made a layup to pull the Warriors within nine at the 16:43 mark of the second.

However, SJSU wasn’t bothered by LPC’s efforts. Christian Anigwe made a pair of free throws. Knight wrecked some more havoc with a layup and some other shots. Ivey and Chappell made their pairs of free throws, respectively. And, let’s not forget, Isaiah Nichols’ three. Nichols was one of the biggest forces on the Spartans’ roster last season.

The Spartans remained at a steady pace for the remainder of the second. SJSU defeated LPC 89-72 for its first win of the season. Spartan nation received coupons for free tacos from Chacho’s and went home happy, which was excellent considering the fact the Spartans’ football team has been pretty darn bad this season.

Notes
SJSU’s starting lineup boasted Michael Steadman, Zach Chappell, Oumar Barry, Brae Ivey and Seneca Knight.

SJSU’s projected roster featured Steadman, Ivey, Chappell, Barry, Knight, Isaiah Nichols, Christian Anigwe, Noah Baumann, Kaison Hammonds, Craig Lecesne, Brian Rodriguez-Flores, Ashtin Chastain and Trey Smith.

Up Next 
The Spartans host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, November 10 at 6:00 pm PT.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda coming off big win against Stockton Monday, face Tucson for two on Friday

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On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko:

The San Jose Barracuda (9-1-0-1) scored three unanswered goals on Monday night against the Stockton Heat (4-6-1-0) for San Jose’s fourth straight win. The Heat took advantage of a power-play goal at 5:01 of the first period with a goal by the Heat’s Kerby Rychel.

A Barracuda’s Jeremy Roy shot nailed a left pad shot into the Heat goalie Jon Gillies which went into the back of the net for a San Jose tie. But it was the second period for San Jose that turned the trick, scoring three unanswered goals that got them over the hump in the 5-2 win. The Barracuda open up a two-game set with Tucson Roadrunners starting on Friday night (November 9th).

Marko does the Barracuda podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Giants Usher the Era of Analytics

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By: Amaury Pi-González

The Giants won their three World Series in San Francisco in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with very good pitching, good defense, timely hitting and less power. Bu now, the game has drastically changed, and it is all about the modern metrics, analytics and the launch angle. Power, power and more power! Relief pitchers come in early after a starter has seen the lineup three times. That being said, there is a totally different approach to the game today than the last time the Giants won the World Series.

Farhan Zaid, aged 41, is the Giants’ new President of Baseball Operations and he will report only to Larry Baer, Chief Executive Officer, in San Francisco.

“He’s definitely an analytical-type guy who will use his computer skills to create a model for the Major League club and the Draft,” said a National League official.

However, Zaidi has a good reputation in working well with scouts.

Since the All-Star Break in 2016, the Giants have won a total 167 games. The Giants join the Orioles, White Sox and Padres on that woeful list. Zaidi is considered a top baseball mind who was the Dodgers’ General Manager for the previous four seasons reporting to Andrew Friedman, President of Baseball Operations, in Los Angeles.

Zaidi also worked for the A’s from 2005 to 2014. He urged the A’s to acquire Yoenis Céspedes. With an economic degree from MIT and a PhD in economics from UC Berkeley, he is an intelligent and educated baseball executive. Of the six consecutive NL West Division titles the Dodgers have won, four were under Zaidi.

The Giants’ Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy is your typical old school type of manager and many are skeptical if he is going to get along with Zaidi. That remains to be seen, but there is no question that Bochy’s legacy has been cemented. And even if he retired today, the Giants will have to move on, and he is the first to understand the game is changing and the Giants do not want to be the last team to join the party.

The Giants have some heavy contracts on their payroll and they will have to be extremely creative to return to be the contending team they were three years ago. Zaidi’s mission is to find the magic formula to return this franchise to success on the field and the obvious decisions he has to make right away, like, say, to keep ace Madison Bumgarner or to trade him? The Giants feel they do not have to rebuild,and believe they still have the pieces to return to be a power in the NL West. Some Zaidi’s first decisions could indicate which way the Giants are headed.

The Giants need younger and more athletic players as their current roster is not getting any younger. AT&T Park is not a home run friendly park, and even if they would acquire Bryce Harper and give him the $400 million contract he and his agent are seeking, they might still need more than Harper to fight the Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Can Giants really sign Harper?; The waving of Bruce Irvine; Chinese fans love Cal basketball; Gold Gloves for the A’s Matt’s

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washingtonpost.com photo: Former Washington National Bryce Harper turned down a $300 million deal from the Nats and is seeking employment elsewhere. The Giants are actively seeking Harper’s services and could strike up a deal.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 How realistic is it that the San Francisco Giants will be able to sign free agent Bryce Harper?

#2 The San Francisco Giants tried to pull all the strings without a general manager. The position was filled when they hired Farhan Zaidi as they rebuild the team. In reality everyone knows the one pulls all the levers and ropes behind the curtain for the Giants player personnel is that ole wizard team vice president Brian Sabean.

#3 How big of a mistake was it for the Oakland Raiders in waving defensive end Bruce Irvin?

#4 The Cal Bears will be in Shanghai this Friday for their second game of the season against Yale on Friday. Fans in Shanghai have been flocking to see the Cal and Yale teams.

#5 The Oakland A’s Matt Olson and Matt Chapman each won Gold Gloves. This is first time any A’s first or third baseman have won in 12 years.

London Marq does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Third Line Steps Up With Hertl Out, Sharks Beat Wild 4-3

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@SanJoseSharks photo: The San Jose Sharks kept Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) busy all night long at SAP Center in San Jose

By Jerry Feitelberg

A late goal from Barclay Goodrow proved the difference-maker for the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center Tuesday night, with team Teal beating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 after blowing a 3-1 lead. Two’s were wild for San Jose with four different players scoring their 2nd goals of the young season. A newly-formed third line of Joe Thornton, Barclay Goodrow and Marcus Sorensen combined for six points in the win.

With Tomas Hertl out of the lineup, the Sharks (8-4-3) needed some of their depth players on the lower lines to step up and start contributing. Tuesday they did just that, starting with Marcus Sorensen. Sorensen netted the first goal of the contest just under five minutes into play after Brent Burns’ masterful pass left Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk out of position. Sorensen tapped the puck into the empty net for the 1-0 lead. Burns’ assist was his 400th career point as a Shark.

Thornton continued his hot streak in the second period, netting his second goal in as many games since returning to the lineup after his knee infection kept him sidelined for most of the year. The goal was originally credited to Sorensen, who fired a perfect shot, but review showed that it glanced off Thornton’s shoulder and in for a 2-0 lead 5:36 into the second period.

The goal was Thornton’s 399th of his career on a night in which he tied American hockey legend Mike Modano for 19th all-time in games played with 1499. This was one of the first times since joining the Sharks that Thornton didn’t appear in the team’s top six forwards, instead centering the third line between Sorensen and Goodrow, who each assisted on Thornton’s goal.

Zach Parise scored with 7:04 left in the middle period before Antti Suomela added to the Sharks lead with just under three minutes left in the period. Sorensen picked up his third point of the game, assisting on Suomela’s tally.

The Wild answered back with a ferocious start to the final frame, scoring two goals in the first 4 minutes, with Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba beating Martin Jones to tie the game 3-3.

Goodrow scored the winning goal on the Sharks second strike, thanks to traffic in front of Dubnyk. Burns kept the puck in at the blue line and fired it on net, with Goodrow grazing the grease and tipping the puck past Dubnyk for a 4-3 lead 7:25 into the third.

Martin Jones would hold on to the lead in the Sharks net making 23 saves in total. San Jose didn’t go on the power play, but killed three Minnesota power plays. Dubnyk made just 18 saves in the loss. Eric Staal missed the game for the Wild (8-4-2) due to illness, ending his iron man streak at 330 straight games.

The Sharks head to Dallas to take on the Stars on Thursday, November 8 at 5:30 pm PT.

Stanford’s 96-74 win opens the season against Seattle U

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By Joey Friedman

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The 2018-2019 regular season got off to an energetic start for the Stanford Cardinal on Tuesday night as they hosted Seattle University at Maples in the season opener. The Cardinal beat the Redhawks by a score of 96-74.

Stanford’s return to the court got off to an energetic start, however, the energy didn’t translate into a favorable score for the Card. Despite collecting the opening tip, a Daejon Davis bucket on the first offensive possession, and a shot clock violation on their first defensive possession, Seattle kept pace as the Stanford defense began to yield easy buckets and the offense began to stagnate.

Two early fouls on Josh Sharma sent him to the bench and gave Trevor Stanback substantial playing time, however his play was inadequate as he provided little support to Stanford on both offense and defense. Seattle’s lead grew to eight points with the score 24-16 at which point Stanford seemed unwound and lacked defensive discipline.

Stanford was able to climb within two points of Seattle on three separate occasions as the clock wound down on the first half. The first two times, Seattle was able to counter with the three-point shot, however, they couldn’t respond the 3rd time and Stanford was able to tie the game on a pair of foul shots for KZ Okpala. A Jaiden Delaire three-pointer took the lead with a minute and a half left and Stanford closed the first half with a 40-36 lead while shooting only 42% from the field.

KZ Okpala led the force in the first half with a team-leading 13 points and 6 rebounds. Alternately, for the Redhawks, Junior forward Anand Hundal came off the bench to contribute a team-high 11 points while going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Stanford rode the 3-ball to a twelve point lead within the first ten minutes of the second half; Cormac Ryan hit 4 consecutive three-pointers just as Daejon Davis and KZ Okpala each hit one. Fittingly, after the game, Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he lost a game of horse.

Stanford started to heat up on the backs of KZ Okpala, who contributed another 3 as well as a number of points in the paint, and Josh Sharma who contributed six points of his own, Stanford stretched the lead to 20 points with just under six minutes to play. Stanford only got hotter as the lead grew to 29 points by the time there were only three minutes left.

KZ Okpala finished a double-double with a whopping 29 points to pair with 10 assists in 36 minutes of play. The others to collect double digits in the points column were Cormac Ryan with 16 (5/6 from beyond the arc), Daejon Davis with 15, and Marcus Sheffield with 10. Despite KZ’s big night, after the game Coach Hasse was quick to recognize the 3 turnovers he had, the high ceiling he posesses, and room for growth KZ still has as only a sophomore.

For Seattle, the following four players scored more than 10 points: sophomore guard Terrell Brown had 16, junior guard Matej Kavas and junior forward Anand Handal each had 13, and junior guard Morgan Means finished with 11.

Stanford shot an immaculate 73% (11/15) from three while finishing the game with a 52% overall field goal percentage. Seattle finished shooting 44% from the field. Stanford outrebounded Seattle 39-28 but unfortunately turned the ball over more as well, by a 13-11 margin.

Stanford will be back in action on November 9th on the road against UNC Wilmington at 1:00 PM PT. They will have the 8th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on the road on November 12th before they return to Maples to play Wofford at 7:00 PM on November 16.