Earthquakes fall 3-1 to the Red Bulls, but the #WondoWatch continues

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes faced the second-ranked, Eastern Conference playoff-bound New York Red Bulls at home on October 6, crossing their fingers for a win. The Quakes have not prevailed in over a month.

New York picked up the first netter in the 29th minute when the ball slipped out of San Jose goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski’s hands, allowing Alex Muyl to take a shot from the left side, six yards outside the goal line.

And then they did it again three minutes later. The ball bounced off of San Jose’s right goal post (from the goalkeeper’s perspective) and redirected to the right. This phenomenon allowed New York’s Bradley Wright-Phillips to “rebound” the ball and kick it in toward the bottom of the left corner.

At halftime, the Quakes were down 2-0, which was a reflection of their performance over the month of September and a foreshadowing of the remainder of the match.

One-ninth of the way into the second half, at the 50th minute, Aaron Long bumped a header and put up another point for the Red Bulls. Danny Hoesen, eventually caught offside, attempted a shot at the 54th minute from outside the left of the Red Bulls’ defensive zone, which was immediately caught by goalkeeper Luis Robles. This prompted head coach Steve Ralston to substitute Vako for captain Chris Wondolowski (marking his 32nd appearance).

Wondo made his first scoring attempt upon entry at the 70th minute, when his shot from the center of the box was blocked. 13 minutes later, however, Wondolowski received a punt from Florian Jungwirth at the 83rd minute. His header from the right side of the goalpost earned him his 144th career goal, just one shy of former Earthquake Landon Donovan who holds the record for most career goals in MLS history.

The Quakes trailed 3-1, which was the final score at Avaya Stadium.

The San Jose Earthquakes are back at Avaya Stadium on Saturday, October 13 to face Cruz Azul at 5:15 PM PST.

MLB The Show podcast with Matt Harrington: Sox get a jump on Yanks; Astros get lots of scoring done; Dodgers blank Braves need just one more; Rox in their head, Brew Crew get a shutout

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Photo credit: masslive.com

Matt takes a look at the NLDS and ALDS playoffs on the MLB The Show podcast:

#1 New York Yankees 4 vs. Boston Red Sox 5; Red Sox lead series 1-0

#2 Cleveland 2 vs. Houston Astros 7; Astros leads series 1-0

#3 Atlanta Braves 0 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 3; Dodgers lead series 2-0

#4 Colorado Rockies 0 vs. Milwaukee Brewers 4; Brewers lead series 2-0

Matt Harrington does the MLB The Show podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Taking it to the Banc, Sharks’ Labanc scores game-winner in OT

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dailynews.com photo: San Jose Sharks right wing Kevin Labanc, top center, scores the game-winning goal past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick during the overtime period of Friday night’s season opener at Staples Center

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Sharks finally got a win after the drubbing they took from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Wednesday night 5-2 at SAP Center the Sharks got by the LA Kings 3-2 in overtime.

#2 The Sharks’ Kevin Labanc scored at 2:53 in the overtime stanza to get the key victory over the LA Kings 3-2.

#3 How important is Labanc going to be for the Sharks this season?

#4 The Sharks’ Marty Jones in goal stopped 19 shots out of 21–just enough for the Sharks win.

#5 The Sharks continue this current road trip Monday morning in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders.

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

Kings get crushed by the Warriors in Seattle 122-94

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SEA BUDDY
Hield moves the ball while KD can only watch Photo: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

There are many things that can be said about the Kings’ 122-94 loss to the Warriors on Friday night in Seattle. It was the second game of a back-to-back schedule on the road. Sacramento went from playing “King James” and the Lakers on Thursday to having to face the World Champion Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The team didn’t even get to check into the hotel in Seattle until 3:00 AM on Friday morning.

That is a rough schedule. Welcome to the NBA, men. None of that is an excuse for losing–let alone for getting blown out and having the game’s outcome be decided by the end of the first half.

Klay Thompson was the slayer of the Kings in the game. Thompson put up 19 points on Sacramento in the first quarter. He connected on 5-of-8 shots from behind the arc. He  would finish with 30 points for the game.

Preseason games are never known for their defense but giving up 74 points in the first half is unacceptable no matter when it happens. The Warriors shot 51.6-percent (47/91) for the game. The Warriors’ 3-point shooting did slow down and they finished with a 35.5-shooting percentage.

The Kings next practice will no doubt emphasize the defensive elements of the game.

How did they perform?

  • Harry Giles III lead the Kings in scoring with 17 points in just over 20 minutes of playing time. He also pulled down five rebounds.
  • Skal Labissiere had a better game on Friday night. He scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added two assists in his 26-plus minutes on the floor.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein also dropped in 10 points and cleaned seven rebounds off the glass.
  • Frank Mason scored 10 points and added seven assists in his 19 minutes of action.
  • Justin Jackson had a better night on offense as he recorded eight points. Marvin Bagley III also added eight points plus nine rebounds.
  • Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox and Ben McLemore scored seven points apiece.
  • The Kings shot 34.7-percent (34/98) from the field for the game. They did shoot a very decent 45.8-percent (11/24) from 3-point range. Sacramento went to the free throw line 21 times and converted 15 of those opportunities.

Up Next

The Kings will return to action on Monday night in Sacramento when they will play their annual preseason game with Maccabi Haifa. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 PM tipoff.

SEA
Key Arena will be gutted and completely remodeled Photo: @SacramentoKings

Sharks spoil Kings’ opener in OT, 3-2; LaBanc supplies game winner in OT

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Photo credit mercurynews.com: San Jose Sharks’ Evander Kane, right, celebrates his goal with teammates Antti Suomela, center, and Joonas Donskoi during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, in Los Angeles.

By: Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — After the San Jose Sharks lost their home opener, it was the Kings’ turn to feel the same way as they fell 3-2 at Staples Center on NHL Opening Night Friday under new head coach John Stevens.

The rivals definitely battled it out as both teams were deadlocked since the first 37 seconds of the second period.
It looked like it would continue a lot longer but just under three minutes into overtime, the game was decided.

Regarding the goal, Kevin Labanc replied, “Me and Cooch (Couture) and Karly (Karlsson), we kind of caught them late on their shift…It was a great pass by Cooch (Couture) and just kind of tucked it home.”

Both teams went scoreless on the power play, the Sharks 0-for-3 and Los Angeles 0-for-5.

Labanc pointed out, “Even though we’re not scoring, we’re creating momentum…the goals will start coming. We just got to be patient and stick to what we’ve been doing, put shots on net and be hungry for those rebounds.”

The first shot of the game came over five minutes into the contest.

The Kings got the first power play at 7:05 but San Jose the first goal. Joe Thornton passed back to Marc-Edouard Vlasic near the blue line who shot the puck. It got Timo Meier who was turned facing Vlasic on his left sleeve, and hit goalie Jonathan Quick across his chest on the way into the net at 9:42. All three got their first points of the season. Thornton is now three away from 11th on the all-time assists list.

Evander Kane doubled their lead with his second goal in as many games at 13:48. Both have been in the first period. Los Angeles could not clear the puck along the boards and took advantage. Antti Suomela and Joonas Donskoi got their first points with the assists.

Captain Anze Kopitar put his team on the board with their first goal of the 2018-19 season at 17:15. He shot the puck along the goal line and then made sure it entered the net. Teammates Alex Iafallo and Derek Forbort got the assists. Kopitar had a game-high five shots on goal.

The Kings turned the game around just 37 seconds into the second. The Sharks lost the puck and Los Angeles picked it up. Tanner Pearson took the initial shot past the left goalpost, which caromed over to the right. Goalie Martin Jones tried to block the gap between the post on his left side, but Tyler Toffoli was able to get through.

There was a lot of confusion on the cause, but what was clear was that Drew Doughty left the ice favoring his left leg after he went face down on the ice in pain at 5:23. It seems Meier’s stick caught Doughty’s knee. Luckily, Doughty was able to return to the ice later after going into the tunnel.

San Jose got a power play at 16:33 but lost it to even strength five seconds later with a penalty of their own.

Game Notes: Thornton played in his 1,495th game.

The Sharks have had a penalty in each period since they opened the season.

Justin Braun had a game-high five blocked shots.

Ilya Kovalchuk returned to NHL ice for the first time since 2012-13.

Official Linesman Darren Gibbs had to leave the game with an injury.

The Kings’ Austin Wagner made his NHL debut and drew lots of comments for his speed, as he went on three breakaways.

Up Next: San Jose continue their five-game road trip with a contest on the opposite coast, facing the New York Islanders Monday at 10 am PT.

Safeway Open: Snedeker takes the lead

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Photo credit: @SwingMasterGolf

By Jeremy Harness

NAPA–A familiar face is on top of the leaderboard now.

Brandt Snedeker grabbed the lead on Friday, as she shot a seven-under round of 65, using a high-powered front nine that featured five birdies to go ahead by three shots at the Safeway Open at Silverado Golf Resort.

He kept the momentum going on the back side, recording three birdies without a single bogey, including back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th to close the second round out in grand fashion.

Snedeker, the man with the never-changing, simple putting stroke, has nine wins in his PGA Tour career, the most recent one coming in the Wyndham Championship in August to close out the 2017-18 regular season.

“I’ve played pretty solid golf all the way around,” said Snedeker, who played with Champions Tour regular Fred Couples on Friday. “I only played, really, two poor shots all day today, was able to get up and down on one hole and didn’t get up and down on the other hole.

“We had a great group, we had a fun time out there. Freddie kind of keeps everybody relaxed, and part of the reason why I played so well the first two days is playing with him.” Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson stayed within striking distance in the second round, although his Friday round of 69 was four shots worse than the 65 he shot in Thursday’s opening round.

He got off to a fantastic start to the front nine, recording four birdies without a bogey, but things started to go sideways for him on the back side. He birdied the 10th and was in the lead at that point, he bogeyed the 13th and 14th holes before dropping another shot at the 17th before getting things together with a birdie at the par-5 18th.

Mickelson is tied with Ryan Moore, who is perhaps best known for clinching the Ryder Cup for the United States two years ago at Hazeltine, at 10-under par and three strokes behind Snedeker.

“I’m casually optimistic,” Mickelson said. “It’s certainly turning from pessimistic because I didn’t think I was going to be here on the weekend, and the next things you know, I’m on top of the leaderboard.

“I’ve hit a lot of good shots, I’m really surprised.”

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Don Quixote de la Mancha and the Oakland A’s

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Photo credit: @mlbtraderumors

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

OAKLAND — The great Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes wrote the unforgettable Don Quixote de la Mancha. A fictional character, Don Quixote de la Mancha, is a middle-aged man from the region of La Mancha in central Spain who read a lot of books and image of enemies he had to “take on” with his lance and sword to defend the helpless the poor and destroy evil. In the mind of Don Quixote, he believed he was a knight with bad eyesight, so he saw the windmills as dragons and wanted to fight the windmills.

The Oakland Athletics had a terrific season, which ended with 97-65 the fourth best record in all of MLB. The A’s went to New York and they didn’t have an imaginary enemy like Quixote, they had a team like the Yankees, who could start the series with Luis Severino, a legitimate Cy Young contender who finished with a 19-8 record and a 3.39 ERA, started 32 games, pitches 191 1/3 innings with 220 strikeouts. The Dominican with a great fastball around 97 and a very effective slider, Severino went four innings, allowed two hits and no runs, and struck out seven. He set the pace for the Yanks’ easy 7-2 victory to eliminate a good and young A’s team. A’s Liam Hendricks, who was 0-1, became the first pitcher ever in MLB postseason history to begin a game, the “opener” as they call it today, without a victory during the regular season. This is not to criticize Hendricks, as he is not a starter. I am sure you would never hire a plumber to fix an electric problem in your house.

If you look at all the teams currently in the playoffs as of today, they all have a starting rotation. Houston, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Colorado and Atlanta. Some are better rotations, like Houston, Boston, L.A., Milwaukee, Colorado and Atlanta.

The A’s did not have one. During the press conference at Yankee Stadium prior to the game last Wednesday, manager Bob Melvin explained that we have to adjust to the times and he has used the system of the “opener” more than once. A lot has to do that his rotation was wiped out with injuries during the whole season. And I say, folks, basically it is what it is, a manager can only use what he has at hand. Melvin will be the Manager of the Year in the American League, but he is not working as a magician at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas during the off-season.

I am willing to go with the program, and when something works, you do not change it. And yes, sometimes opening a game with a reliever will work. The big thing now is the third time a lineup has seen a pitcher, and how much use the bullpen are now part of the equation. The A’s are not the only team to have used “openers” Tampa Bay and others have.

I went to N.Y. to call that game for the A’s Spanish Radio Network, N.Y. is a special place for baseball, after all, it is where the first baseball game ever took place. The passion runs deep–The Babe,The Clipper, The Mick, Yogi, Munson, Jeter and many others. It is a unique and historical place for this great game. They have won 27 World Series and their fans will let you know if you dare to start and argument about the Yanks. I lived for a couple of years in N.Y. after I was honorably discharged by the US Army in 1968 after I served my time. I attended games at the old Yankee Stadium as well as the old Shea Stadium. For some reason, I always liked the AL.

I was ready and packed to go to Boston for the ALDS, but the baseball Gods didn’t have that in mind. We all should feel good about this A’s team and the way they performed during this season. We can only hope that guys like Melvin are retained to stay with the team for many years and Khris Davis would get the multi-year deal he truly deserves.

A good old friend of mine, who passed away a few months ago, used to tell me “Amaury, most people in life do not get what they deserve.” You can interpret or spin that in any way you want.

Congratulations to the A’s on this 2018 season!

Barracuda take down Reign 4-1 on AHL Opening Night

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Dylan Gambrell made an immediate impact in his first AHL game. Gambrell’s first two career AHL goals sparked the San Jose Barracuda (1-0-0) on AHL Opening Night to defeat the Ontario Reign (0-1-0) 4-1 victory on Friday evening at the SAP Center.

Newly acquired Francis Perron, who came along part of the blockbuster trade that brought Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks, sent a pass over to Gambrell, who snapped a one-timer over the shoulder of Reign goalie Carl Petersen (0-1) on his first shot for a 1-0 lead at the 4:23 mark of the first period.

“It was nice, it’s kind of weight off the shoulders,” said Gambrell on his two-goal performance. “You know get some more confidence, feel more comfortable out there.”

Gambrell delivered his second goal on just his second shot just under four minutes later on the power play. Defenseman Kyle Wood slid over a cross ice pass to Gambrell at the left point and he bombed one past Petersen to double the Cuda lead at the 8:19 mark. Captain John McCarthy received the secondary assist.

“We’ve practiced with each other a couple of times together,” said Gambrell, regarding playing with Perron. “But I think we were reading off each other really well.”

Perron would increase the lead to 3-0 when he was able to clean up a rebound off  a wrap-around attempt from Gambrell. Petersen made the initial save on Gambrell, but wasn’t able to get back in position to stop Perron’s first goal of the season at the 15:53 mark.

“It was a great first period obviously,” said Perron. “I think Dylan had a lot of jump in the first. Me and Vinnie (Vincent Preplan) just followed him and it worked out pretty well.”

San Jose outshot Ontario 14-7 in the first period and controlled the tempo throughout the frame.

Zach Mitchell was able to get Ontario on the board with his first goal of the season in the second period when he was able to tip in a shot from Kale Clague fired from the left point. Mitchell planted himself in front of Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau to get in position for the tip in that came at the 6:30 mark on the power play.

Maxim Letunov gave back the three goal lead to Cuda late in the second period. After winning a battle behind the goal against Mitchell. He then circled around in between the circles, where he snapped home a back-hander to the left corner of the goal for his first career AHL goal at the 15:43 mark. Jayden Halbgewachs and Nick DeSimone received assists.

Despite being out shot 18-8 in the second period, San Jose carried a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.

“You know (with) 12 rookies (on the roster), I think at this point in the year you take a win anyway you can get them,” said head coach Roy Sommer.

Things got chippy toward the end of the third period when Kurtis MacDermid went after Alexander True after True was called for a boarding penalty. A brief scuffle ensued with six players involved. MacDermid was given a instigator penalty and a game misconduct that resulted in a five-minute power play for San Jose.

Bibeau stopped 30 of 31 shots for his first victory on the season. Petersen suffered the loss, making 23 saves on 27 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/1 on the power play. Ontario was 1/4.

San Jose has only 11 players returning from last season in a team that features 11 new players.

Defensemen Zach Frye and Thomas Gregoire were healthy scratches for San Jose.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels down south to take on their Pacific Division rival Bakersfield Condors on Saturday, October 6 at Rabobank Arena at 7:00 pm PT.

Warriors rout the Kings 122-94 for preseason win in Seattle

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors returned to the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington for the first time since 2007. It was a long time coming for the Warriors, who took on the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game in the Emerald City. There was a sellout crowd, and that wasn’t the only thing that got the Warriors fired up. Warriors star Kevin Durant recently said that Seattle is a basketball city that deserves an NBA team. In case you need a refresher, Durant was selected second overall by the ex-Seattle SuperSonics and spent the 2007-08 NBA season with the SuperSonics.

The Warriors tweaked their starters with Tyler Ulis, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Marcus Derrickson and Damian Jones. All these five starters made a positive impact on the court.

Just moments after the tip-off, Thompson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer that sparked Golden State’s 10-0 run early in the first quarter. Durant picked up where he left off. Other players like Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell added some points to the scoreboard. The Warriors led the Kings 39-18 at the end of the first.

Golden State resumed their 3-pointer streak in the second quarter. In other news, Shaun Livingston picked up a dime and handed it to Jonas Jerebko, who threw it down, late in the second. Durant then got the slam before the buzzer to close out the first half. The Warriors brought a 74-44 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Thompson and Durant continued to dominate to kick things off in the third quarter. Durant also notched the alley and Damian Jones collected the oop. Durant later knocked down yet another 3-pointer to give himself 26 points on the night, The Warriors put the game out of reach with a 102-69 lead over the Kings at the end of the third.

Bell made plenty of jumpers in the fourth quarter. Also, Thompson refused to back down as he threw down more 3-pointers late in the fourth. The Warriors had this preseason game from start to finish and downed the Kings 122-94.

Durant proved to the critics that he was still a big deal in Seattle. Durant finished with 26 points, six rebounds ans assists. Moreover, Thompson was just as a big deal as he recorded 30 points, 10-for-15 field goals and 6-for-10 3-point field goals.

Notes
According to the NBA GMs, the title of best pure shooter in the league came down to four NBA players. Three of them were Warriors players.

Up Next
The Warriors return home to host the Phoenix Suns in a preseason game on Monday, October 8 at 7:30 pm PT on NBA TV.

Barracuda to kick off the 2018 AHL season vs. Reign

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

Minor league hockey fans can rejoice as the San Jose Barracuda kick off the 2018 AHL season at SAP Center versus the Ontario Reign on Friday night.

Here’s everything to know about the rivalry matchup.

Friday’s meeting
Friday’s meeting marks the first of eight rivalry meetings in 2018. San Jose went 2-5-1-0 a season ago against the Reign and are 10-13-5-0 since the Pacific Division was established in 2015. Ontario is the only team San Jose isn’t .500 or better against all-time.

Frenemies
Former teammates and Calder Cup Champions with the Maine Mariners (AHL) during 1983-84, Roy Sommer and Mike Stothers have enjoyed a friendship off the ice and a heated rivalry on it since Stothers took over as the head coach of the Kings’ top affiliate during 2014-15, where he propelled the Manchester Monarchs to a Calder Cup Championship in his first year. Over five years, Sommer is 14-20-5-1 against Stothers’ teams.

Dynamic duo
The L.A. Kings re-acquired Peter Budaj from the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason, pairing him with Cal Petersen as a one-two punch in the AHL. Budaj was the AHL’s Goaltender of the Year (Baz Bastien Memorial Award) in 2015-16 as a member of the Ontario Reign, leading the league in GAA (1.75), SV% (.932), shutouts (9), and wins (42). As a rookie 2017-18, Petersen, an AHL All-Star, went 4-0-1 against San Jose in five games.

Youth movement
The Barracuda open up the 2018-19 season as the AHL’s youngest roster with an average age of 22.7 years old, which is comprised of 10 rookies. Ontario is the AHL’s 20th youngest roster at 24.38 years old. 13 players on San Jose’s 25-man opening night roster skated in at least one game for San Jose last year.

Big trade
On June 14, Sharks GM Doug Wilson traded forward Adam Helewka to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the 6-foot-5, 235-pound defenseman Kyle Wood. Two seasons ago, Wood was named to the AHL All-Rookie team after collecting 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) from the blueline.

National pride
With the offseason signings of Vincent Praplan (Switzerland) and Lukas Radil (Czech Republic), along with the return of Barracuda captain John McCarthy, San Jose’s opening night roster will be comprised of three different skaters who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

If you bring your entire family tonight, then you won’t have to pay any fees and you can save $18 at the Threat Metrix Ticket Office. In addition, the Intermission Player Signings–presented by Will Party–will happen during the second intermission tonight. Barracuda players to be announced. Enjoy the game!