San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Giants expecting big things from new second baseman Abiatal Avelino

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On the Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 In the Andrew McCutchen deal that sent him to the New York Yankees, it gave the Giants a young prospect that’s maybe the key to this deal in acquiring Abiatal Avelino a promising second baseman.

#2 Avelino thought that when he got the call to go the show. He thought he was going to New York to replace injured second baseman Greyber Torres, but he found out he was being traded to San Francisco for Andrew McCutchen.

#3 Avelino wasn’t disappointed about coming to SF realizing he’ll have a better chance at starting in the Giants’ rebuild. Also, what does that mean for second baseman Joe Panik’s future with the Giants?

#4 The Giants take a five-game losing streak into Milwaukee tonight. The Brewers are in the hunt. Is this going to be a series on what the call ups can do or can they get up for this game and take it to the Brew Crew and play spoilers?

#5 Also, talk about the Rockies’ Trevor Story, who hit three home runs Wednesday night and 31 for the year, and how Giants pitcher Andrew Suarez just couldn’t contain him.

Michael Duca does the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders on primetime show on Monday Night, but will it be all about Mack?

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On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe:

#1 Regular season kicks off on primetime TV in Oakland. The Los Angeles Rams pay a visit to the Oakland Raiders the prelude to this game. Is the anticipation of the deal to send Khalil Mack to Chicago and much discussion expected on national TV?

#2 You try and watch the opener on Monday Night Football, but not only Mack dominates the telecast, but also the discussion. How it might turn on how the Raiders made a mistake on dealing Mack and how the Raiders very well might not make postseason without their superstar player?

#3 Mack amassed 40.5 sacks, but the Raiders still finished 24th in the league in defense. Will the Raiders sink further now without Mack?

#4 What about the fans? Raider Nation isn’t taking this well at all. Has the Raiders’ front office been hit with emails, comments and messages since the deal went down?

#5 Can this team focus and can they get their best player out of their head on Monday Night Football?

Joe Hawkes Beamon writes a weekly preview on Raiders football each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Will the pressure be on Garoppolo to repeat last season’s performance on opening day Sunday?

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On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 How much anticipation rides on this Sunday’s game on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his getting the 49ers off to a great start on opening day?

#2 Garoppolo won five straight games the last five games of the 2017 season. Knowing what you know going into this season what you saw of him in camp, how ready is Jimmy G to pick up where he left off?

#3 The 49ers suffered a huge setback with the injury of running back Jerrick McKinnon with a torn ACL in on contact practice. How will this injury impact the team?

#4 Other running backs Matt Bredia and Alfred Morris are expected to help carry the ball for SF with McKinnon’s absence.

#5 The Nike decision to run former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the face of their ad campaign has been embraced favorably by most of the players. Do you see the NFL taking the next step and allowing Kaepernick back into the league after making the statement regarding acceptance?

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsrasdioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Exclusive Interview With WFAN’s Suzyn Waldman

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By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The New York Yankees paid their recent visit to the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum. Prior to the last game of the three-game series, I spoke with WFAN’s Suzyn Waldman, who handles commentary on all Yankee games with play-by-play man John Sterling.

Suzyn has been broadcasting sports for 32 years. This interview was conducted inside her broadcast booth at the Coliseum a good three hours prior to the game that night.

Q: Suzyn, how did you got started in sports broadcasting after 30 years of doing this?

A: Oh boy, well when I started I was in theater before I did this and musical theater it was changing and the only other thing I knew was sports, because I had my own season-tickets at baseball games with my grandfather when I was three and I was a sports person, but it was always my avocation, because little girls didn’t do that, and I was on Broadway and I sang and dance did all that and I go to ballgames, and…a friend of mine who used to be the announcer for the Boston Red Sox, Ken Coleman–we were very very close friends he said, “you know I have a friend and this next year they are starting this thing in New York it’s going to be called WFAN…and I told him he’s going to meet you, because you know more about sports than anybody I know and you’re female and they’re going to need a woman so I made a tape.

I didn’t know what I was doing and I was hired to do updates, I was actually the first voice on WFAN in 1987 so that’s the beginning, but then I realized that nobody wanted me there because I was female, so then it became something else and it became don’t you dare to talk to me like that, and don’t you tell me I don’t know because I am female…and so that’s how that started with people saying “no.”

Q: How do you feel being a pioneer? Actually there still not that many women in sports broadcasting in baseball like, say Jessica Mendoza, anymore.

A: Well I wasn’t trying to be a pioneer, I was just trying to make a living and I didn’t like being told I didn’t know anything…to tell you the truth I expected there to be a lot more women, it is just me in the broadcast booth, I know Jessica does ESPN, but it is only one game a week … it is just me and I am waiting for someone else to do this I know there are women down in the minor leagues trying to to this to get a chance or whether or not they give up, I think there is no failures. It’s just people that give up too soon.

Q: Is this more fun that playing Dulcinea in Man of LaMancha?

A: Nothing is more fun that being Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha. You know I did get over theater, although I miss it everyday, but I am still on stage. This a different stage, but I’m still performing. I don’t sing and dance anymore and I don’t get applause … Yeah, I miss theater everyday … but this is important and this is where I should be”

Q: Your best message for a young female that aspires to be in sports broadcasting like you maybe in baseball.

A: Think of what you can do that’s difference from everybody else go and look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I have a different way of looking at this, and I am going to do this, don’t let anybody stop you, because people are going to say no, you do commercials on television, you’ll get 200 no, before you get a commercial, but don’t let people tell you ‘no.'” You will know … and don’t want to be me, don’t want to be Jessica, just be you, because if you take my job is just one, but if it’s you, then there are two of us. Don’t let anybody stop you.

It was truly a pleasure to interview Suzyn for the first time, despite the fact we’ve known each other for decades during baseball games at many parks across the country.

Amaury Pi-González is the Spanish voice of the A’s and since 2016, he’s in the Advisory Board of the American Sportscasters Association in New York City.

Giants starting to play out the string in upcoming series against the Brewers

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By Jeremy Harness

It’s quite evident that the Giants are not going to make the playoffs – Buster Posey having season-ending surgery and the team trading Andrew McCutchen after a little more than half a season more than showed they have waved the right flag – so they might as well mess things up for teams that are still contending.

They can start with this weekend’s three-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers, which starts Friday night at Miller Park. The Giants just got finished getting their heads handed to them by the Rockies in Colorado (what else is new?) in getting swept in a three-game series at Coors Field.

So if they are going to play spoiler–or if they think they actually have a chance in grabbing a wild-card spot in the National League–they will need to get things back on track very quickly.

The Giants’ Derek Holland (7-8, 3.56 ERA) will take the ball Friday night against the Brewers’ Chase Anderson (9-7, 3.96 ERA).

Anderson has won each of his last three decisions, and in his last outing, he went five innings and gave up only a run on four hits in a loss to Washington, although he got a no-decision. Holland, meanwhile, has won each of his last two decisions, while he has spent some time in the bullpen this season.

The left-hander went six innings in a loss to the Mets at home–he got a no-decision–and he also gave up only a run and surrendered only four hits in the process.

Chris Stratton (9-8, 4.90 ERA), who has spent some time in Triple-A Sacramento this year, will go Saturday afternoon, and he will face Milwaukee lefty–and former Nationals and A’s standout–Gio Gonzalez.

Stratton has been stellar in his past two starts, although he lost his last outing in a 4-1 loss to the Mets four days ago, when he gave up only a pair of runs on three hits over six innings. The outing before, he shut out the Diamondbacks over eight innings, giving up only five hits and striking out six in a 2-0 win.

On Sunday, Madison Bumgarner (5-5, 3.07 ERA) will take the hill for the Giants and opposite the Brewers’ Zach Davies (2-5, 4.88 ERA).

Raiders to host Rams in regular season opener on Monday Night Football

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Yes, the NFL regular season is finally here. No more of watching unwatchable preseason football and hoping that both teams put on solid efforts.

The Oakland Raiders will begin their 2018 regular season on Monday night when they will welcome the Los Angeles Rams to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The game between the two clubs will be the second game of ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheader, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. PT.

The New York Jets travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions in Game 1. Kickoff for that game is at 4:10 p.m. PT.

The Raiders met the Rams in Week 2 of the preseason in Los Angeles. The Rams won a snore of a game, 19-15, with both teams opting to hold out their starters.

This time around, things will be different as this is the regular season and the games count more than they do in the preseason.

The big story surrounding the Raiders has been the trade of defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears on Sept. 2. Oakland was unable to come to terms on a new longterm contract for the star defender.

The Raiders were hoping that Mack would return to the team and play under the franchise tag of $13.8 million but when it appeared that Mack wasn’t going to show up for any of Oakland’s training camp, head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie shipped the 27-year-old former NFL Defensive Player of the Year to the Bears for a boatload of draft picks: first- and sixth-round picks in 2019, and first- and third-round picks in 2020.

Along with Mack, the Bears received second- and fifth-round picks in 2020 as part of the deal.

Oakland will miss Mack no doubt. Mack amassed 40.5 sacks over the past four seasons for the Raiders and the name of the game on defense is to hit the quarterback and Oakland just let their best pass rusher walk out the door.

Last season, the Raiders finished 24th in defense last year despite Mack’s 10.5 sacks. This season, the Raiders will need to improve that ranking if they are to return to the playoffs after a dismal 6-10 season last year following a 12-4 campaign in 2016. That means rookies on the defensive line such as P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key will be tasked to pick up the slack for Mack.

Quarterback Derek Carr is looking for a bounce back season of his own in 2018.

Last season, Carr’s numbers dipped a bit: throwing for 3,496 yards, with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 86.4 passer rating after throwing for 3,937 yards with 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions to go along with a career-high 96.7 passer rating in 2016.

With Gruden back in town (after taking over for the fired Jack Del Rio), Carr’s play is expected to take off. Gruden is credited as being an offensive genius when designing plays and Carr’s performance will be critical for the Raiders’ offense that finished  23rd in production in 2017.

The Rams defense finished in 12th in scoring defense (20.6 points per game) and are loaded.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Rams into Oakland looking to build off of the team’s first postseason birth since 2004. Los Angeles won the NFC West title after finishing 11-5 last season and are one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2019.

Los Angeles added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to play next to Donald in the offseason, along with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters via trades to shore up their secondary.

The Rams have one of the best offenses in the league, led by third-year quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley.

After a subpar rookie season in 2016 in which he threw for just 1,089 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions under former head coach Jeff Fisher, Goff exploded in 2017 under first-year head coach Sean McVay throwing for career-highs in yards (3,804), touchdowns (28) and passer rating (100.5).

Goff threw just seven interceptions during the 2017 campaign.

Gurley had a bounce back season too under McVay after a disappointing 2016 season where Gurley rushed for a career-low 885 yards and six touchdowns. The fourth-year running back rushed for career-highs in yards (1,305) and touchdowns (13). Gurley finished second in the NFL in total rushing, falling just 22 yards short of league-leader in rookie Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders could have their hands full with a Rams offense that finished first in scoring last season, averaging 29.9 points per game.

After Monday night’s game, both teams will begin their divisional schedule Sunday, September 16, with the Raiders traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos, while the Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Games will be scheduled for 1:25 pm and 1:05 pm, respectively.

It’s one thing after another: SJSU continues to make headlines, despite tons of losses

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State, as the headline suggests, has been a recent victim of what appears to be a media circus surrounding the school’s athletic program.

Just hours after SJSU lost to UC Davis 44-38, a columnist at the Reno Gazette-Journal suggested that the Mountain West Conference should get rid of SJSU.

More recently, SJSU baseball was placed on a two-year probation by the NCAA for practice time violations under former head coach Jason Hawkins, who was also given a one-year show cause penalty. Hawkins was accused of asking players to participate in voluntary activities before and after practices. Hawkins then listed those activities on the daily practice schedules, which led players to believe their presences were mandatory. Other coaches observed some of those activities and held practices that ran longer than their scheduled times.

Hawkins, as you may already know, resigned in February after being placed on administrative leave.

SJSU athletics director Marie Tuite issued a statement Thursday.

Tuite said, “We are committed to adhering to NCAA and conference rules and self-reporting when we learn of violations. We have a comprehensive rules education program, and we emphasize the importance of having a culture of compliance in our program at all times. … The violations were isolated to our baseball program and occurred under the previous coaching staffs during the 2017 and 2018 academic years. The violations were discovered and self-reported by the institution.”

Tuite added, “We will continue to emphasize rules education, compliance and self-reporting of violations in our program. Compliance will always be at the core and a guiding principle of everything we do in our athletics program.”

The NCAA Committee of Infractions reportedly commended SJSU for immediately acknowledging and accepting responsibility and imposing meaningful corrective measures.

While I’m glad SJSU acknowledged and accepted responsibility, things like this should’ve have happened in the first place. As a SJSU alumna, I’ll always stand by the Blue and Gold, but enough is enough. I hate to say it, but it’s starting to become more clear as time passes by. And, it’s not really about the wins and championship seasons right now; but the culture–especially within the sports teams–has to change sooner than later.

Former men’s basketball coach Dave Wojcik also resigned just months after the 2016-17 season following an investigation along with a lawsuit filed by a former player.

In case you need a refresher, Jean Prioleau is the current head coach for SJSU men’s basketball. Prioleau, however, isn’t much better. Prioleau just racked up a 4-26 (1-17 MW) record last season, and will enter his second season as a head coach this coming November. Like Wojcik, Prioleau’s abilities aren’t just limited to the court.

According to an inside source, Prioleau has attracted tons of haters, but for the wrong reasons. Last year, SJSU star Ryan Welage (now with the Xavier Musketeers) wasn’t introduced during a sports-related banquet, and Welage was never properly acknowledged, despite receiving a phone call.

I don’t think the MWC is going to part ways with SJSU anytime soon, but I do think the Spartans should focus on picking up wins and positively shifting core values in all men’s and women’s sports.

A written prescription for tonight’s game from the Fantasy Football Doctors

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Logo

 

By doctors Charlie O. Mallonee, Vasu Vaddiparty and Jordan Chapin

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Atlanta Falcons
QB
If you drafted Matt Ryan, you drafted him as a number one QB. Of course, you are going to start him versus the Eagles tonight. Just don’t have too high of expectations for his production. Most of the predictions have him passing for 230 to 240 yards with up to two TD’s. Expect approximately 20 completions.

RB
Devonta Freeman was a Top 10 pick in most Fantasy Leagues, so he’s starting for you tonight. Again, do not get too excited because the projections for his production are not great. Many have Freeman rushing for under 50 yards. The experts say chances of Freeman scoring a touchdown are minimal.

WR
Yes, you are going to start Julio Jones. If you don’t start him, we are going to make you turn in your Fantasy Football membership card. Again, the projections are not great. The prediction is for 75 yards receiving with an outside chance of catching a touchdown.

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Philadelphia Eagles
QB
If you have Nick Foles as your starting QB tonight, it probably means you picked Carson Wentz hoping he would be ready to go tonight. Well, you are going to have to wait at least until game three for Wentz so Foles is your man until then. He is projected for 240 yards versus the Falcons with two touchdowns.

RB
Jay Ajayi will be the main man carrying the rock for the Eagles. Look for him to run for about 80 yards in the game.

TE
Zach Ertz was a fantasy football assassin in the second half of the season last yerar. If you have him on your roster, he is a must play.

Game Projections
FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Eagles a 65-percent chance of winning tonight’s game. They make Philadelphia the favorite -4.5 points.

The Fantasy Football Doctors Podcast will be available Friday afternoon on sportsradioservice.com

Stanford to host USC for Pac-12 showdown on Saturday

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By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal look to continue their dominance on home field after last Saturday’s 31-10 rout of the San Diego State Aztecs at Stanford Stadium. SDSU has a chance versus Sacramento State this Saturday, but let’s focus on the Cardinal’s upcoming game versus USC, who is currently ranked No. 17. Stanford, on the other hand, is currently ranked No. 10. That being said, Stanford looks like they got the upper hand, but this is college football, and anything could happen.

It’s #BeatUSC week in the Palo Alto area, and the Cardinal appear to be confident coming into Saturday’s home game. A couple of things happened on the Stanford campus this Monday. First, head coach David Shaw, defensive end Dylan Jackson, and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside held a press conference to address the media members on Stanford’s top-25 matchup with rival USC. Secondly, Arcega-Whiteside earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week with 3 touchdowns, 6 catches, and 226 yards. It was a well-deserved honor for Arcega-Whiteside, who’s on fire (or en fuego) as a Spanish-born WR with a 34-inch vertical leap along with hands that can catch passes for touchdowns.

Arcega-Whiteside told GoStanford.com, “As a receiver, that’s what you want, all you can ask for.”

Let’s not forget that running back Bryce Love had a 75-yard touchdown against USC at the Coliseum last year. I don’t know if Love will repeat that play, but it’s likely that he’ll do something on the field.

Since the Pac-12 Network is at Stanford all this week for Saturday’s The Pregame, so they decided to let placekicker Jet Toner take over their Snapchat @pac12conference. So if you’re on Snapchat, give the Pac-12 a follow if you haven’t already done so.

The Cardinal host the Trojans on Saturday at 5:30 pm PDT on FOX.

SJSU to take on Washington State on Saturday night

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not only did the San Jose State Spartans suffer a heartbreaking 44-38 loss to the UC Davis Aggies this past Saturday, the Spartans–along with everyone else inside CEFCU Stadium–witnessed the top running back, Tyler Nevens, suffer a gruesome injury on the field. Nevens had been resting following his release from a local hospital, but it’s unclear as to when he’ll return to the lineup.

SJSU’s record is 0-1 (0-0 MW). The Spartans lost their season opener to UC Davis, 44-38, on August 30.

WSU’s record is 1-0 (0-0 Pac-12). The Cougars defeated Wyoming, 41-19, on September 1.

The Cougars lead the series, 7-4-1. These two teams are playing each other for the first time in the 21st century, resuming a series that began on November 12, 1955 when the two teams tied, 13-13, in what was later called “The Refrigerator Bowl.”

More recently, WSU won the last meeting between these teams, 52-16, on September 28, 1996.

All four SJSU wins in the series occurred in the state of Washington.

In each of the last six seasons, SJSU had a 1-1 win-loss record after two games. The Spartans needed wins over UC Davis (2012), Portland State (2016) and Cal Poly (2017) for their 1-1 win-loss record in those seasons.

The Spartans seek their first win over a current Pac-12 Conference member in 12 years. SJSU is 0-11 since defeating Stanford, 35-34, on September 9, 2006 in CEFCU Stadium. Since then, the Spartans lost to Stanford six times; Utah, twice; USC, UCLA and Oregon State, once each. The Pac-12 team was nationally ranked in five of those losses.

SJSU’s Josh Oliver was the leading pass receiver among FBS tight ends for the opening week of the season. Oliver caught a single-game career-best eight passes for 86 yards. Six of his eight receptions resulted in a first down. The John Mackey Award candidate came into the UC Davis game with 42 receptions in his first three seasons.

For the second consecutive season, Bailey Gaither’s opening game resulted in at least 100 receiving yards on six catches and two touchdowns. Gaither heads into the WSU game ninth nationally in all-purpose running with 213.0 yards per game.

SJSU is looking to get into the win column in this Saturday’s game against the Washington State Cougars at 8:00 pm PDT on Pac-12 Networks. The Spartans’ players and coaches were utterly disappointed after their home opener versus UC Davis, who pulled off the first FCS over FBS upset of the 2018 season.