That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 2018 Was a Great Season for the A’s

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By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s celebrated their 50th anniversary season in Oakland with a 97-65 record–second place in the Western Division–and a postseason berth as the second Wild Card team behind the New York Yankees, who finished 100-62. The A’s traveled to Yankee Stadium on October 3, and were eliminated by the Yanks with a final score of 7-2.

This was the best season for the A’s since 2002 when they ended with a 103-59 record, finishing first in the Western Division. That 2002 season saw the A’s winning 20 games in a row from August 13 to September 4–a record at the time–and that season was the subject of Michael Lewis’ 2003 book Moneyball, which later was adapted to the screen as the film Moneyball in 2011.

On April 21, Sean Manaea pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox 3-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Manaea became the first A’s pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Dallas Braden’s perfect game on Mother’s Day at the Coliseum on May 9, 2010 against Tampa Bay. Manaea’s gem came against a Red Sox team that had won eight games in a row.

In June, the A’s set a new MLB record by homering in their 25th straight road game. The previous record of 24 games had been held by the 1996 Baltimore Orioles.

The A’s hit 227 home runs, third best among all 30 MLB teams, Yankees’ 267–new MLB record–and Dodgers 235. A’s were No. 4 in most runs scored in MLB with 813 behind Red Sox’s 876, Yanks’ 851 and Indians’ 818. They were also second in total doubles with 322, only the Sox hit more doubles with 355.

DH Khris Davis became just the second player in A’s history and the first since Jimmy Foxx in 1934 to go back-to-back-to back with 40 home runs. He finished with 48 home runs, leading all of MLB. He also established a new MLB record–only man in history–ending with the exact same batting average .247 in three consecutive seasons (2016-17-18).

First baseman Matt Olson led the club playing in all 162 regular season games and also hit 29 home runs and 84 RBI–all personal bests. Also, these players enjoyed their best seasons in home runs and runs batted in: Davis’ 48 home runs and 123 RBIs, Stephen Piscotty’s 27 home runs and 88 RBIs, Matt Chapman’s 24 home runs and 68 RBIs, Jed Lowrie’s 23 home runs, 99 RBIs and his first All-Star Game, Mark Canha’s 17 home runs and 52 RBIs and Chad Pinter, who played in 110 games, and hit .258–all career-highs.

Blake Treinen had the best earned run average for a closer in the MLB with a 0.78 ERA (9-2 record) and saved 38 games in 80 1/3 innings of work and was selected to his first All-Star Game. Yusmeiro Petit led all A’s pitchers with 74 relief appearances, the most in his 11-year career.

In August, Chapman pleaded A’s fans to “come to the games” after only over 10,000 went to see the A’s play the Seattle Mariners. The attendance this year was 1,573,616–No. 27 among all 30 MLB teams, and an increase from 2017 when 1,475,721, (No. 29) watched  A’s baseball at the Coliseum.

The A’s need to have a healthy rotation. Their bullpen was great, but there is a reason the Astros, Sox, Dodgers and Brewers are still alive for a shot at entering the World Series. That reason? They all have conventional rotations. I still like the Astros to repeat as World Champions.

World Series History
Top three winning franchises: Yanks’ 27 titles, St. Louis Cardinals’ 11, A’s nine titles (five in Philadelphia and four in Oakland).

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders face Seahawks next in London; Raiders’ atypical travel plans; Raiders’ impact on world

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On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe:

1. The Oakland Raiders face the Seattle Seahawks at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. What are your three keys to the game?

2. Football teams have different approaches when it comes to preparing for a game overseas. The Raiders departed Thursday night and ran around on Friday morning with a walk-through and media availability. Do you feel like the Raiders’ travel plans will affect the outcome of their upcoming game?

3. The Raiders’ injury list obviously wasn’t as long as the 49ers’ injury list, but Marshawn Lynch was limited during Thursday’s practice. Various sources said the Seahawks miss Lynch and mentioned that Bobby Wagner couldn’t wait to tackle Lynch. If Lynch ends up not playing, would that have an effect on the Raiders’ offense?

4. #RaiderNation has gone global over the years in London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Tokyo. A saying was coined a few years ago: “The world’s team.” Do you feel like the Raiders are the world’s team and do you think they should play games in any other countries?

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Oakland Raiders podcasts each Friday for SportsRadioService.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers take on Packers next at Lambeau Field; Lots of 49ers injuries; plus more 49ers talk

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On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe:

1. The 49ers are coming off a rough 28-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and the best is yet to come as the 49ers travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. What are your three keys to the game?

2. DeForest Buckner told the media that he was excited to go up against Aaron Rodgers for the first time at Lambeau Field. Should Buckner also be nervous about Rodgers and the Packers?

3. The 49ers’ injuries have reached a point that Kyle Shanahan has never seen before. Marquise Goodwin will return to the field, which will give C.J. Beathard a key target downfield, but what else has to happen so the 49ers’ offense will tread water against the Packers?

4. The 49ers invited the National Champions of Mexico to Levi’s Stadium to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. What are your thoughts on this special invitation?

Joe Lami does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Friday for SportsRadioService.com

Three takeaways from the Kings’ preseason loss to the Jazz

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By: Ana Kieu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings returned to familiar territory at Golden 1 Center, where they hosted a preseason game versus the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

Did the Kings bounce back? Nope. The Kings barely won their first preseason game 106-102 over the Phoenix Suns at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and then lost their next three preseason games, including their most recent loss–a 132-93 blowout to the Utah Jazz, who went undefeated in the preseason.

Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ loss to the Jazz:

The Kings’ rookie factor
The Kings were the home team in this preseason game, but that didn’t mean the team–and the Golden 1 Center–left a lasting impression on their fanbase.

But if you could look past the low attendance numbers and lack of community spirit, you’ll find a few bright spots like rookie power forward Marvin Bagley III, whom the Kings selected with the second overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Bagley III posted 17 points, eight assists and one assist in 21 minutes of play. Moreover, Bagley III led all Kings in scoring, which was a great sight to see.

The Kings made a slightly controversial move when they initially selected Bagley III, a Duke product, when there was a franchise-changing young man in Deandre Ayton, who was preferred by the Phoenix Suns, but CBS Sports has reported that the Suns should’ve spent a little bit more time looking at him.

Of course, every rookie in NBA history likely has thought that he was the best player in the draft, but Bagley III has told CBS Sports that he’d embark on a long and fruitful NBA career. While it’s too early to predict Bagley III’s future, we can reassure you that he has been making headlines for the right reasons.

The Kings fall flat
Even if you didn’t watch the game, the final score should scream that the Kings fell flat and the Jazz had the upper hand.

Sacramento suffered from a complete lack of defense along with missed field goals, lay-ups and other point-blank attempts. Utah, on the other hand, excelled when it came to field goals. The Jazz converted 60 percent of their field goals, including 14 of their 30 three-point shots. The Jazz jumped out to a 39-10 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

The Kings should take notes on the Jazz, who are an up-and-coming team with rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, who’s arguably the future of the Jazz. Also, Utah’s leading scorer–Ruby Gobert–finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes of play, so keep an eye out for him. In addition, Utah big men Alec Burks, Grayson Allen, Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder deserve parts of your attention for their hard work.

Buddy Buckets
Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield recorded seven points, seven assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Obviously, those aren’t above average numbers, but Hield proved that he deserves the nickname “Buddy Buckets.”

Hield’s steal and slam in the second half was a noteworthy moment for the Kings, who qualified for a positive moment following the awful first half. Hield’s game has shown marginal improvements over time and Hield will likely become a regular starter again. Hield’s one of the Kings’ best players. Hield may not be the definite cure for the Kings’ issues, but it’s a start.

The Kings have nowhere to go, but up.

Jazz refuse to quit with 132-93 pounding of Kings

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Photo credit: sacbee.com

By Jeremy Harness

SACRAMENTO — The Golden 1 Center was half-empty on Thursday, and the brave souls who showed up probably wished they had not.

The Sacramento Kings sure didn’t. They were smacked around in every way imaginable right from the opening tip-off in a 132-93 drubbing at the hands of the Utah Jazz, the team’s first home preseason game against an NBA opponent.

Let’s put it this way: The Kiss-Cam got more applause than the Kings did.

The boo birds, as well as the occasional shout of “you suck” started midway through the second quarter. It only intensified after a Rudy Gobert fast-break dunk gave the Jazz a 62-29 lead. The booing did cease, however, in the second half, possibly due to either a strong sense of resignation or a general lack of interest.

The majority of Utah’s field-goal attempts were uncontested, which explains why the Jazz converted 60 percent of them (51 of 85), including 14 of their 30 3-point shots. The Kings, meanwhile, were flat broke the entire game, starting with DeAaron Fox’s jumper from the free-throw line clanking off the base of the rim.

What followed were missed layups and other point-blank attempts as well as a complete lack of defense. Utah used the first 12 minutes of the game to get out to a 39-10 lead.

It got no better during the course of Thursday’s game. In fact, it got painfully worse. The Kings were a woeful 34 percent (32 of 93) from the floor.

Sacramento was losing it on the court, and it seemed to trickle down to the head coach, and that didn’t take very long. After calling a timeout upon Sacramento going down 32-7 late in the opening quarter, Dave Joerger waited exactly seven seconds–about the time it took for Sacramento to get the ball across half-court–to call another one.

The second quarter was simply an extension of the first. While going down 45-10 in the first two minutes of the quarter, Buddy Hield missed a wide-open fast-break layup and watched as the putback attempt got wedged in between the basket and the backboard. Meanwhile, the Jazz built up a 36-point halftime lead and led at one point by 44 points.

The Jazz were led by Rudy Gobert, who caught numerous alley-oops for dunks and put in a few more uncontested attempts on his way to 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

Rookie Marvin Bagley III, whom the Kings selected with the second pick of this year’s draft, scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Willie Cauley-Stein had 16 points, but he was manhandled by Utah big man Rudy Gobert in the process. Harry Giles III and Justin Jackson each scored 12 points for Sacramento.

NOTES: It’s probably not a good sign when Skal Labissiere–who was a first-round pick just two years ago–doesn’t see his first action of the game until the start of the fourth quarter, after the Kings had been trailing by at least 20 since the opening minutes of the game.

Ben McLemore, who was part of the trade that sent guard–and proven leader–Garrett Temple to the Memphis Grizzlies, did not get into the game until the fourth quarter as well.

UP NEXT: The Kings head up north to the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in their final preseason game Friday night at 7:00 pm PT on NSNW.

Sharks Lose 3-2 in Overtime to Rangers

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By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Despite having the lead for most of the game, Sharks’ goals from Marcus Sorensen and Joonas Donskoi were not enough for the win.

The Rangers got goals from Brett Howden, Brendan Smith and Brady Skjei. Sharks goalie Aaron Dell made 24 saves, while Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 41 saves for New York’s first win of the season.

With this overtime loss, the Sharks are 2-1-1 on this road trip.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

We like to be a detailed team, we don’t like to give up a lot of chances, but we generated a lot of chances, you know, throughout the night. And we’ll have to really look at it to see how it is. It felt like we had the puck a lot, it felt like we had a lot of grade as. Just got to stick some in the net, and I’ll take part of the blame on that. I got some looks that just gotta go.

The first period started out well, with the Sharks dominating play right out of the gate. Less than five minutes in, Evander Kane was called for closing his hand over the puck as he stopped it from going into the bench. During the penalty kill, Sorensen made a beautiful play, stick-handing twice around Brady Skjei before scoring with a wrist shot into the far corner. Assists went to Timo Meier and Brent Burns.

The Rangers tied it in the final five minutes of the first. Brett Howden got the puck to Mats Zuccarello from behind the net, then got to the front of the net. Zuccarello took the shot, but Dell kept that out. Now close to the blue paint, bumped it back between his legs and under Dell. Assists went to Zuccarello and Kreider.

The Sharks challenged the play as an off side. After a lengthy review, the officials upheld the goal. While the puck carrier’s skates did cross the line before the puck did, he had touched it before crossing the line and appeared to be in control of it. There was one skater on the other side of the ice that the Sharks felt had crossed the line before the puck, but the officials could not verify that he had done so.

The Sharks outshot the Rangers 17-6 during the first, and each team killed two of two penalties.

The Sharks took the lead back with a goal from Joonas Donskoi at 4:59 of the second period. Burns cleared the puck out of the Sharks zone with a backhand off the boards. Antti Suomela picked it up in the neutral zone and took off with Donskoi and Sorensen three-on-one. Suomela was patient before making the pass to Donskoi, who put the puck in with a last moment shot just above the goal line. Assists went to Suomela and Burns.

That was the only goal of the second period. There were no penalties called and the shot count was slightly less lopsided at 16-9 Sharks.

Kane drew an interference penalty from Tony DeAngelo at 5:30 of the third period. The Sharks power play started in the offensive zone with Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Logan Couture. They had one shot blocked, two shots saved and one missed shot. When Lundqvist stopped the puck, the second unit came out for almost a minute, including Vlasic, Kane, Meier, Donskoi and Labanc. They could not hold the zone or get any shots. At the very end of their shift, trouble in the neutral zone resulted in a breakaway by Vinni Lettieri. Dell stopped his shot with a flourish.

Moments later, Hertl left the ice and went to the dressing room, leaving his helmet and gloves behind on the ice. He appeared to have an abrasion below his left eye.

The Rangers stayed neck and neck with the Sharks in terms of shots for the rest of the period. The shots were tied at 10-10 when the Rangers tied the game at 17:21. Pavel Buchnevich made a backhand pass from the right goal post to Brendan Smith who had three Sharks between him and the net. He took the shot just as he fell. Assists went to Buchnevich and Jesper Fast.

Hertl returned to the ice in the final frantic minutes, but Donskoi was hobbled by a Karlsson shot in the final minute. The Rangers held the zone for most of that minute, keeping the Sharks on their heels.

The Sharks started overtime with Karlsson, Hertl and Couture on the ice. Hertl won the faceoff to give the Sharks’ possession. That was the only Sharks line used in overtime. A passed from Karlsson to Hertl failed and 76 took the puck. He carried it all the way down and then scored with a shot over a prone Couture.

The Sharks will finish up the road trip against the Devils on Sunday at 10:00 am PT.

Stanford Cardinal Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: After two straight tough losses, can Stanford overcome ASU?

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On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal came into last Saturday’s game and ranked #14 and then took a 38-17 loss by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a week before coming home and getting crushed by the Utah Utes 40-21.

#2 The Utes running back Zach Moss scored two touchdowns–one was in the red zone from a pitch from the 10 that gave Utah a 7-0 lead.

#3 To make things worse, Stanford quarterback KJ Costello mastered getting the Cardinal into the red zone, but threw a pass into the end zone that was picked off by the Utes’ Jaylon Johnson, who ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown.

#4 The afternoon continued to look rough for Costello, who was sacked four times and picked off twice.

#5 The Cardinal head to Arizona State University for a Thursday night Pac-12 football game on October 18th. Join our very own Daniel Dullum for your Cardinal coverage that night.

Jerry Feitlelberg has your Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Chargers were too much for Raiders; Raiders prepare for London vs. Seahawks

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On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony:

#1 The Raiders dropped their record to 1-4 in a 26-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Carson, Calif.

#2 Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers got things going, breaking a 3-3 tie with a 44-yard touchdown pass to the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler.

#3 The touchdown from Rivers to Ekeler to start 19-0 run. It was on a bobbled snap on first and 10 as Rivers was trying to get the pass away to Ekeler, who scored the go-ahead touchdown and the Chargers never looked back.

#4 Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said the team made bad plays, that they pressed and the play cover needs to improve.

#5 It’s off to London, where the Raiders will be the home team next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Tony tells us how he sees this one.

Tony has the Raiders podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Press Row Podcast: October 10, 2018

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

press row podcast

Hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin & Charlie O

  • Will the Kings make the playoffs?

  • How many games will the Kings win?

  • Is Dave Joerger’s job safe?

  • Is Vlade Divac’s job safe?

  • Will the uptempo style work for the Kings?

  • The answers to these questions and more on in less than 30 minutes!

Nowhere to go, but up for the 49ers

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Photo credit: espn.com

By Jeremy Harness

Four weeks ago, 49ers fans had reason to hope for big things to happen this year. Now they have this to process:

The 49ers have been reduced to a very good practice squad team, thanks in much part to injuries, and then this development: The 49ers just lost to a winless team.

That’s right, they gave the Arizona Cardinals their first win of the season last Sunday, and things do not figure to get any better for the 49ers this season, making 1-15 a very distinct possibility. They are not favored in any of the remaining 11 games, and to say that they face a daunting task at Green Bay this Monday night would be an understatement.

Here’s reason No. 1: If you put on a 49ers uniform, apparently you’re much more susceptible to getting seriously injured than any other team in the NFL. The proof is in the ever-growing injury report each week, not to mention losing their starting quarterback in the second week and your starting running back before the season even began.

In the latest episode of “ER” — masterfully disguised as a football game — Matt Breida had to leave Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and did not return. Thankfully, it did not turn out to be a high ankle sprain – which takes several weeks to recover from – but it is serious enough that he will likely not play Monday night.

Meanwhile, receiver Dante Pettis will miss Monday night’s game as well due to the knee injury he suffered against the Chargers a week and a half ago. Another blow has been dealt to the already-hurting offense, as receiver Marquise Goodwin has a hamstring issue that threatens to keep him out against the Packers.

All of this means that the C.J. Beathard really has no big-play receivers or backs to go to, not a good sign for a backup quarterback that needs all the help he can get right about now, especially going into a place that the 49ers have seldom won over the years.

The Packers are dealing with some injuries of their own, but they are fairly manageable, especially compared with what the 49ers are facing. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is listed as questionable for Monday night with a knee injury that he has been battling for a couple of weeks. However, he is expected to suit up against the 49ers.

Receiver Randall Cobb, like Goodwin, is attempting to fight off a pesky hamstring issue, but he is reportedly hopeful to play this Monday night.