Sharks Lose 4-1 to Flyers, Graf Scores Lone Sharks Goal

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Philadelphia Flayers Travis Konecny scored his 500th career goal against the San Jose Sharks on Tue Dec 9, 2025 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday. Christian Dvorak, Carl Grundstrom, Noah Cates and Travis Konecny scored for the Flyers. Dan Vladar made saves for the win. Collin Graf scored the only Sharks goal and Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves in the loss.

After scoring first, the Sharks gave up four goals to the Flyers. After the game, Sharks forward Ryan Reaves said: “You can’t win in this league not playing in your structure. And we show it every other game right now. That’s why we’re just kind of middle of the pack right now and I think we know we should be a little bit higher.”

Alexander Wennberg said:

“I don’t think we came out the way we wanted. We talked about playing fast, playing hard, tough puck plays and get the puck to the net. I mean obviously it’s not to the standard we want. So… disappointing result and there were some good parts to the game but I mean we gotta come in and give them a better fight.”

Collin Graf opened the scoring at 11:33 with a snap shot. Will Smith made a cross-ice pass to John Klingberg, who sent it right back across to Graf for the shot.

Christian Dvorak tied the game at 18:39. Dvorak and Trevor Zegras broke away and went into the Sharks zone two-on-one against Sam Dickinson. Dvorak got around Dickinson and beat Nedeljkovic on the glove side with a backhand. Assists went to Zegras and Travis Konecny.

The Sharks were outshot 16-3 in the first period. The Sharks also took two penalties and the Flyers took none.

Carl Grundstrom scored the second Flyers goal at 3:20 of the second period. Grundstrom tipped a shot by Nick Seeler. A secondary assist went to Travis Sanheim.

Noah Cates scored the third Flyers goal at 19:48 of the second period. Bobby Brink made a pass to Cates as they rushed to the net. Cates beat Nedeljkovic with a wrist shot on the blocker side. Assists went to Brink and Jamie Drysdale.

The shots were closer in the second, 10-8 Flyers. The Flyers also took the only penalty in the period.

Travis Konecny scored the final goal from the Sharks’ blue line into an empty at 18:17. Dvorak got an assist on that one. The Sharks led in shots in the third, 7-4. The Flyers again took the only penalty in the period.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs at 4:00 PM PT.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Reasons remain the same why Bonds and Clemens weren’t elected; Kent hit production gets him elected

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Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens (left) and former Miami Marlins coach Barry Bonds (right) were once again denied entry to the Hall of Fame this time by the Players Committee. (Getty file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury just wanted to ask you if you not surprised that former San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds was not elected to Cooperstown.

#2 Considering the reasons why Bonds was not elected this year were they the same reasons as before his connection with admitting during grand jury testimony that he unknowingly took steroids and his bad relationship with the media?

#3 Fernando Valenzuela also missed election. Valenzuela was a well respected figure in the game was his denial to making it to the Hall due his overall career where some writers felt his overall career didn’t meet the typical Hall-of-Fame bar for pitchers in terms of longevity and sustained excellence.

#4 For former New York Yankee and Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens the most given reason for Clemens rejection to being elected to the Hall of Fame was the chair of the Hall acknowledged that the committee’s decision likely mirrored many of the same “Steroid Era” concerns that affected the writers’ votes.

#5 Talk about former San Francisco Giant second baseman Jeff Kent and his election to the Hall of Fame. Some writers state that he has the most home runs for a second baseman in MLB history with 377 in his 17 year career, high run production, and hit consistently hit for average at .290. Was Jeff Kent the best candidate out of those other players for this year’s Hall of Fame candidates?

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874

From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.

We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

Jeff Kent punches ticket to Cooperstown

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Former New York Met and San Francisco Giant Jeff Kent addresses the media at the MLB baseball winter meetings in Orlando Fla on Mon Dec 8, 2025. Kent was elected into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame on Sun Dec 7, 2025. (AP News photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

Former Giants’ second-baseman Jeff Kent got his ticket to Cooperstown when the Contemporary Era Committee voted him in as the first member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

This a well-deserved honor for Kent, who hit .290 in 17-year big league big league career from 1992 to 2008. The 16-person committee is made up of six hall-of-famers; six current and former baseball executives; and three other members of the media. 12 votes were required, and Kent got 14.

Kent was originally eligible under the conventional BBWAA ballot from 2014 to 2023, but did not get in. So was Kent’s former teammate and adversary, Barry Bonds. Bonds, like Kent, did not get in on the BBWAA ballot.

However, Bonds did not get in on the Contemporary Era ballot either. In fact, under a new rule, since Bonds received fewer than five votes, even though this committee will next vote in December 2028 for the Class of 2029, Bonds will not be eligible again until December 2031 for the Class of 2032.

To make matters worse for Bonds under this new rule, if he once again fails to reach five votes in 2031, he will be permanently ineligible to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kent remained mum on the subject of Bonds not getting into the Hall of Fame, but lavished praise on his old rival. Bonds, meanwhile, was humble in another rejection from the hall, as he congratulated Kent on getting into Cooperstown.

The man whom Kent gave a lot of credit to was his old skipper, Dusty Baker, who may join Kent in the Hall of Fame in as little as a year from now. Kent, who originally came up as a dead-pull hitter, learned how to go the other way from Dusty.

Kent was drafted out of Cal Berkeley by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989, and made his major league debut in 1992. Kent was traded over to the New York Mets in the middle of 1992, and he would remain in Queens until he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the middle of 1996.

The Giants tapped Brian Sabean to replace Bob Quinn as the general manager at the end of 1996. One of Sabean’s first moves was to trade longtime and fan-favorite third-baseman Matt Williams to the Indians for Kent.

Giants’ fans absolutely lost their minds over the move, but after a disastrous 94-loss last-place finish in a miserable 1996 campaign, Sabean was willing to try anything. Sabean also added J.T. Snow and a few others, and the Giants miraculously went all the way from worst to first and won the National League West in a magical 1997 season.

Kent spent six years with the Giants from 1997 to 2002. He won the Willie Mac Award in 1998. He then beat out Bonds for the National League Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .334 in 2000, when Kent and Bonds, along with Ellis Burks, led the Giants to a memorable 97-win season—the best record in Baseball—in the first year at then-Pacific Bell Park.

Kent had another solid season in 2001. Despite a controversial injury in 2002, he hit .313 with a career-high 37 home runs, and helped lead the Giants to just their third National League Pennant in San Francisco.

Giants’ fans all know the story of how the 2002 World Series ended. After the Angels wrapped up their title in Game 7, Kent told the media gathered at his locker, “I feel like a loser.”

Dusty left the Giants to go manage the Chicago Cubs after the tragic finish to 2002, and a lot of players from that team also left. One of them was Kent, who signed with the Houston Astros. In his first visit back to Pacific Bell Park in April 2003, Kent was mercilessly booed by Giants’ fans.

The booing got even worse when Kent joined the Los Angeles Dodgers of all teams. Kent spent his final four seasons—2005 to 2008—with the Dodgers, and was even involved in a war of words with the Giants’ fiery young right-handed relief pitcher, Billy Sadler, on Aug. 9, 2008.

Kent announced his retirement on Jan. 21, 2009. When the Giants inducted him onto the team’s new Wall of Fame on Aug. 29 of that year, he was cheered like old times, and it seemed as if he was never booed in his old ballpark.

Kent has remained connected with the Giants’ organization since. He has shown up to spring training as a special instructor on multiple occasions, and has taken part in various ceremonies.

Kent hopes to go into the hall as a Giant. It is not known whether the Giants will retire Kent’s old number of 21, which would be very well deserved.

Kent had his ways, and feuded with a lot of people. While Kent was not the kind of player who hung or even became friends with his teammates, he came up with that same grin every time he stepped up to the plate, and he always put his team ahead of himself on the field. The man was a competitor who wanted to win every single time he took the field.

In a game that has unnecessarily been made overly complicated over the last eight years, players should heed the wise words of the new hall-of-famer: “the money lies in the RBI.”

Well said! Congratulations on the greatest honor of your life, Mr. Kent!

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: MLB Steroids Era Committee?

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Cover of the book Juice: Wild Times, Raging Hormones, and the Untold Story of Steroids in Baseball. In 2004 by author Jose Canseco

MLB Steroids Era Committee?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The original committee that began voting for the Hall of Fame alongside the Baseball Writers Association of America was the Veterans Committee, established in the late 1930s and later evolving into the current system of Era Committees.

Over the years, various committees have formed. Writers don’t vote across these committees; they vote for the standard ballot, while the designated Era Committees handle the older or post-BBWAA-eligibility players, with the Contemporary Player ballot (voted by a special committee, not all writers) being the primary path for recently retired stars.

The Steroids era in baseball spans from the late 1980s to the early 1990s and through the late 2000s. We all (covering baseball at the time) witnessed a surge in home runs and offensive stats. Steroids were banned in 1991.

The US Federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, and then later, when Commissioner Fay Vincent’s 1991 memo to teams added steroids to the banned list. However, enforcement and testing in MLB came in the late 2000s. Not only the 2004 Senate hearings but José Canseco’s book in 2005 brought widespread awareness, as it was well publicized and many bought it, titled Juice: Wild Times, Raging Hormones, and the Untold Story of Steroids in Baseball. In 2004,

Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, and Rafael Palmeiro faced questions and testified before the Senate Commerce Committee regarding the use of steroids, with emphasis on the BALCO scandal. Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) had its headquarters and operations primarily in Burlingame, California.

During the hearings, among players who testified before the Senate Commerce Committee regarding steroid use, Rafael Palmeiro tested positive shortly after his denial, and Bobby Bonds later faced perjury charges. This was the “highlight” of the Steroids Era.

Many people in the business of Major League Baseball have suggested including an “asterisk” when somebody from this steroids era is officially inducted into the Hall of Fame of Baseball, and there is doubt about whether they used steroids or not.

To make it easier, I suggest they create another committee that can include a new slate of players who are not currently in the Hall of Fame but are suspected; they would not need an asterisk, because being on that list would be self-explanatory.

That new committee will be named: “Steroids Era Committee.”

Quote: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” -Jackie Robinson, MLB Hall of Fame (1962)

Kings Double Up Mammoth 4-2 To Open Homestand

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Utah Mammoth Daniil (19) battles with the Los Angeles Kings Cody Ceci (5) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Dec 8, 2025 (Utah Mammoth photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Los Angeles struck twice in the first period and never looked back while defeating deflated Utah.

The Utah Mammoth (14-13-3) returned to Delta Center on Monday night to face the Los Angeles Kings (13-8-7)  following a six game road trip in which the team went 2-4-0. The road trip began on a tragic note when the father of Mammoth captain Clayton Keller passed away unexpectedly Thanksgiving night. Keller played the following day in a tough 4-3 loss at Dallas, and then again the following night in his hometown of St. Louis where the Mammoth fell 1-0 to the Blues.

Utah would go on to lose their fourth consecutive game in San Jose, 6-3, before breaking out with a 7-0 shellacking of the Pacific Division leading Anaheim Ducks.  Following a 4-1 victory against the Canucks in Vancouver, the road trip concluded in Calgary where the Flames shut out the Mammoth 2-0. 

Adding injury to insult, Utah forward Logan Cooley, who leads the Mammoth with 14 goals and is 3rd in points with 23, sustained a lower-body injury in Vancouver which will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely.

When the puck dropped in the first period, Utah radio play-by-play announcer Matt McConnell officially registered his 2000th NHL game behind the microphone.  His 29-season broadcasting career began in 1993 with the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and then continued with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, and in 2011 he landed with the Phoenix Coyotes which were renamed the Arizona Coyotes before the 2014-2015 season.

When the assets of the Coyotes were sold and the team relocated to Salt Lake City, McConnell remained behind the mic for the new franchise.

Kings forward Adrian Kempe gave Los Angeles the first lead of the game with a backhand shot at 7:50 of the first period for his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Kevin Fiala.  Just over two minutes later, Fiala assisted on a breakaway goal by Joel Armia, his 6th on the year, to put the Kings up 2-0. 

At 11:05 of the frame, Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev had a breakaway of his own which he put into the back of the net, however the replay showed he was unquestioningly offside and L.A. held onto its two-goal lead heading into the locker room. Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper turned away all 7 Utah shots in the period, and Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 10 of 12.

Utah began the 2nd period on the power play, courtesy of an interference penalty by Andrei Kuzmenko against Dylan Guenther which carried over from the first period.  Just 34 seconds into the period, as fans were still settling into their seats, Clayton Keller fed Guenther a perfect pass which he one-timed into the Kings net for his 11th goal of the season to bring the Mammoth to within one, with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev picking up the second assist.

The goal is the fastest to begin a period so far this season for Utah.  Guenther’s 3rd power play goal of the season ties him for the team lead with Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley.  His 7th one-timer goal of the season also ranks third-most in the NHL.  The period would end with Kuemper stopping 5 of 6 shots, and Vejmelka turning away all 7 attempts by L.A.

In the 3rd, Kings captain Anze Kopitar put a backhand shot past Vejmelka for his 6th goal of the season at 3:27, assisted by Kempe and Joel Edmundson, to restore L.A.’s two-goal advantage.  At 12:15 of the third, Clayton Keller brought Utah back to within a goal with a beautiful backhand top shelf shot which Kuemper had absolutely no chance to save.

Keller’s 10th of the season was assisted by Nick Schmaltz and JJ Peterka who joined the top line in place of the injured Cooley. With Vejmelka pulled for the extra attacker, Kings forward Joel Armia scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, unassisted, to put the game away 4-2.

Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev addressed the media after the game.  “Disappointed we didn’t get the two points. That’s a team that likes to play stingy through the neutral zone, and to generate offense, you’ve got to be simple with the puck. Get pucks to the net and ultimately create traffic. I think we did a little bit of that, but we didn’t do enough at the end of the day.” Talking about what the team needs to do moving forward, Tanev said, “I think we understood that wasn’t our best tonight, even though we fought and clawed at the end there. That’s a good hockey team. At the end of the day, we need to understand what makes us successful. Work on that in practice, and then we’ve got to get back here for the next one.”

Captain Clayton Keller commented, “Not a great first from us. They’re an experienced team. They’re structured. They defend really hard, and they made it tough on us in the first. We were able to kind of bounce back in the second. That’s one of our best second periods of the year in terms of everything. Game management and trying to outchange them and use our speed. It sucks to have that little push there and not be able to get it done.” Weighing in on what needs to be better, Keller stated bluntly, “Starting on time is obviously a big one. We’re a tough team to play against, and I think that’s the main thing from us. We know what we have to do each night. The coaches do a great job telling us how we have to play and how we can break them down and have success. Our execution was a little sloppy tonight, but as the game went on, it got a little bit better.” Talking about the third period he added, “There’s never any quit in this room. Guys play for one another. It sucks to not get the win. We did kind of push there. There are moments where we have a chance to score on the six-on-five, and we have to find a way to do it. Teams have done it to us, and that’s something over the last two years that we haven’t been able to do. That’s something that we can take away from it. Really dial that in. Practice it. Watch video. Our coaches do a great job, and it’s on us to execute and go out there and do it.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks by saying, “We obviously didn’t have the start we were hoping for, and we needed to. Against that kind of team, it is tough to create offense. I like the way we played in the second and third. I thought we competed really hard, and our effort was there; the focus was there. Unfortunately, when you have that kind of a start, I often repeat in front of you, it’s a one-goal game all the time, so you cannot give any free opportunities to your opponent. I didn’t like our start, and, like I said, a really good second and third.”  Bear continued, “I think what LA does really well is counterattack. If you mismanage the puck or if you force play, they counterattack. In the first period, we definitely gave them too much space. We let them take the middle on the rush, so they had too many entries. I think after the guys adjusted well and did a really good job at it. But they’re number one in the league at certain things, for a reason, and I think by giving them the lead, it made them play in their strength even more so that was the unfortunate part of the night, because I think the effort, as I said, was good in the second and the third.”  During morning practice one of the players commented that the team was playing too much on the perimeter. Tourigny agreed.  “I think tonight we did. But I think tonight you could see in the third and the second we went in there, in the dirty area, and we got a few tips and a few rebounds. And I think the effort from the guys was definitely there.”

When a reporter for KSL.com noted that fans at Monday night’s game gathered to write letters to Keller after the unexpected passing of his father, Tourigny responded, “The community has a heart in the right place, there is no doubt about it.  We saw it last year when Ingram was going through a tough time, and again now they rally [for] Kells. I think when we often talk about home, how important are our fans, and how much we care and how much they care for us. I think I often talk about a relationship, I think always in tough moments you see who you can rely on.”  

The Mammoth (14-14-3) return to the ice Wednesday for the second game of three on this homestand against the Florida Panthers (14-12-2), followed by the Seattle Kraken on Friday.

Kings Rally But Come Up Short Losing to Pacers 116-105

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Sacramento Kings Maxime Raynaud (42) shoots while being defended by the Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (left) and center Jay Huff (right) defend in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Mon Dec 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (6-18) lost to the Indiana Pacers (6-18) Monday night 116-105. They trailed in the second half by 19 points and took the lead in the fourth quarter but could not finish. A slow start in the first half was a huge part of the loss.

At halftime only one King had scored double figures. They rallied in the second half but it was too little too late. Russell Westbrook had the team high with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. It was a tough loss for the team after beating the Miami Heat over the weekend.

Monday night’s game was a tale of two teams who have faced struggles since the start of the season. The Kings have not gotten on track for most of the season with occasional flashes of brilliance.

The Pacers after a most successful 2024-25 season lost their 25-year-old phenom Tyrese Haliburton in last year’s finals to a torn achilles knocking him out of the current season. On December 8th Haliburton posted a video of himself working out.

In these clips he is shown running, dunking and lifting weights. A torn achilles typically takes between 8-to-10 months to resolve so a return this season is a wash. These two teams clashed Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Pacers came out with a 11 point win. The Kings are coming off a win over the Miami Heat Saturday night 127-111 while the Pacers are also coming off a nice win over the Chicago Bulls 120-105.

Game recap: The Kings, unlike Saturday night got off to a slow start trailing after the first twelve minutes of play 35-23. It did not go much better in the second quarter as Sacramento continued to trail by double digits unable to make-up much ground.

Offensively there was not a lot going on for the Kings as the Pacers continued to extend their lead. Sacramento continued to struggle at the line hitting only 9 of 15 for a 60% success rate. With two minutes left in the half the largest lead for the Kings had been three points while the Pacers had a 16 point advantage in the first half. Indiana took a 66-51 lead into the locker room at the half. Indiana had outscored the Kings in the quarter 31-28.

Not a single King had hit double figures in the first half until the clock ran out on the half and DeMar DeRozan hit a seven foot two point shot for the first Sacramento player to reach double figures with 11 points.

Zach LaVine had scored eight points and Russell Westbrook had nine points. While Sacramento still had the chance to make a game out of this contest, they would need a whole lot more offense and defense. They struggled on both ends of the court in the first half and what we saw against the Heat Saturday night had all but vanished.

Indiana continued to dominate the pace hanging onto a 72-58 lead three minutes into the third quarter. As the quarter wore on, the Pacers started to extend their lead. Stops were hard to come by for the Kings in this game.

With just under six minutes left in the quarter the Kings got a few stops and cut the Pacers 19 point lead to twelve 81-69 going on a 6-0 run. Four of the Kings starters had now scored double figures and continued to cut the Pacers lead now trailing by eight points 85-77 with a lot of time left in the third quarter.

As the quarter came to an end the Pacers were clinging onto a four point lead 92-88. The Kings had to come up with a winning fourth quarter after outscoring the Pacers in the third 37-26.

Four minutes into the fourth quarter the Pacers had a two-point lead 97-95 when the Kings Russell Westbrook hit his second three of the game. At 7:39 this game was tied at 97. Now the question loomed; could the Kings close this game out?

Sacramento took their first lead since the first quarter at 5:38 101-100. The Pacer’s took back the lead with five minutes left in the game 103-101. The Pacers began to hit three’s with Bennedict Mathurin accounting for four of them.

The Kings came oh so close in this game after a nice comeback but came up just short losing to the Pacers 116-105. Once again Sacramento was unable to close out the game getting outscored in the the final six minutes 19 to 4.

The Kings had a slow first half and a disastrous final six minutes of this game. Russell Westbrook had the team high with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists. DeMar DeRozan had 20 points, and Zach LaVine finished with 16 points. Maxime Raynaud had 13 points and eight rebounds so another good one for him.

The Kings will get some time off before they take on the Denver Nuggets Thursday night. After losing to Sacramento in late November Denver will be looking for a little payback. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason: Indiana gets by Kings 116-105 Monday night; Kings snap 4 game skid last Saturday

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The Sacramento Maxime Raynaud (42) take a shot over the Indiana Pacers guard Benedict Mathurin (00) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Mon Dec 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

  1. On Monday night Sacramento Kings took a tough beating by the Indiana Pacers 116-105 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
  2. The Kings despite the loss had Russell Westbrook led with 24 points and DeMar DeRozan 20.
  3. On Saturday night after four straight losses, the Sacramento Kings pulled an upset win over the Miami Heat.

4. The outstanding performance by Zach LaVine clinched the win for the Kings after a disappointing game against the Rockets only scoring two points.

5. Every starter for the Kings scored double figures and Maxime Raynaud clocked another double double solidifying the decision to start him going forward.

6. It was a tough loss for the Heat who have stumbled lately losing three straight games for the first time this season. They were short-handed missing Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pello Larsson. Miami had a better fourth quarter but 15 points was as close as they would get in the second half.

7. Thursday night the Kings will take on the Denver Nuggets again after beating Denver back on November 22 in Denver despite Nikola Jokic scoring 44 points. How will they fare in this game.

Barbara Mason does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

San Jose Barracuda podcast Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda defense just got pelted by Roadrunners in 6-2 loss Saturday

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San Jose Barracuda skated to a 6-2 loss on Teddy Bear Toss day against the Tucson Roadrunners at Tech CU in San Jose on Sat Dec 8, 2025 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

SJ Barracuda podcast Marko Ukalovic:

#1 San Jose Barracuda Jack Thompson scored the opening goal of the game on Saturday at 5:20 in the first period — It was the first of only two goals for San Jose.

#2 How did players like Lucas Cagnoni or Quentin Musty perform in the game (shots, assists, ice time)?

#3 Did the Barracuda get any power-play (PP) goals during the game, — which Barracuda forwards (from the roster such as Anthony Vincent, Donavan Houle, etc.) had chances or contributed on special teams?

#4 Which Barracuda defensemen (Mattias Havelid, Jake Furlong, or others) logged the most ice time or had notable defensive plays — and how did that impact the final 6–2 result?

#5 Looking at the Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 games back-to-back between the teams, how did the Barracuda adjust their lineup from the win (4–3 OT on Dec. 5) to the loss (6–2) — did they make changes to forwards like Igor Chernyshov, or shift defensive pairings including someone like Cagnoni or Havelid?

Marko Ukalovic does the San Jose Barracuda podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum: Stanford loses heartbreaker to UNLV 75-74

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Stanford Cardinal lose in a heartbreaker to the UNLV Running Rebels at Maples Pavilion on Sun Dec 7, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum Sun Dec 7, 2025:

#1 Daniel, what were the biggest takeaways from Stanford Cardinal (7-2) close performance Sunday with the UNLV Running Rebels (4-5), and where do you feel the game ultimately swung in UNLV’s favor?”

#2 How would you assess the defensive execution in the second half, especially during the key stretches where momentum shifted as the Rebels outscored the Cardinal 37-35 in the second half for the narrow win?

#3 Several players had standout moments Sunday—what did you see from your younger guys/veterans that encouraged them to move forward?

#4 Rebounding seemed to be a major factor in this matchup. What adjustments did Stanford need to make to control the boards?

#5 With a quick turnaround ahead, what’s the biggest focus for the team coming out of this game, whether in terms of corrections or building on positives?

Daniel Dullum does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2026 FIFA World Cup is a Win Win for the United States

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the match schedule for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC on Sat Dec 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

2026 FIFA World Cup is a Win Win for the United States

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

For the second time in history, the FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States. The first time was 1994. As a Sports Anchor/Reporter for Telemundo 48 San José, it was a privilege to cover the 1994 US World Cup, a truly spectacular event unique in the world, in the final match, in which Brazil beat Italy 3-2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in a penalty shootout to win it all.

The 1994 World Cup was the most financially successful in history and set attendance records that have yet to be broken, but will be broken this next year, and again here in the US. I will explain further in this article. It was an unforgettable event.

At that time, the 1994 US World Cup (Fútbol, Soccer) was not very popular in the US. At Telemundo 48 in San José, I used to get lots of calls from people in the Bay Area asking me to give scores on the air of many regular Fútbol games in Latin American Pro-Fútbol leagues, which came from México to Argentina, to Europe, and other countries.

Most of the people who called us at Telemundo 48 in San José were not Hispanics, but they were real Fútbol fans. Stations here in the Bay Area, affiliates of ABC, CBS, and NBC (non-Spanish speaking stations), did not report on any soccer games in the US or around the world.

In 1994, Soccer in the US didn’t rank high as a sport. But 30 years later, this international sport has grown in popularity in the United States.. During that USA ’94 World Cup, my good friend Tony López, who was Sport Anchor for Univisión CH 14 San Francisco, and yours truly at Telemundo 48, were able to interview the greatest and most famous Fútbol player ever, the great Pelé, is full name; Edson Arantes de Nascimento, a Brazilian national treasure, and basically the Babe Ruth of Fútbol.

He was traveling with Brazil as a World Ambassador of the sport. Although our stations were competitors, Tony and I have been good friends to this day, 31 years after that great event. It was an excellent experience for me to cover that World Cup.

The Bay Area (San Francisco/Palo Alto) hosted six games at Stanford Stadium during the 1994 World Cup, including group matches for Brazil, Sweden, Cameroon, Russia, Colombia, Romania, and the USA. I have a great picture with Pelé here at home that I am still trying to find and download to my computer, and I hope I can find it before the next World Cup to write about this extraordinary man, Pelé.

This 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the greatest, not only because it is one of the most significant sporting events in the world, but also because it is the only other sporting event that brings this much international interest, besides the Olympics.

It will be hosted by 16 cities, 16 in North America, 11 in the US, 3 in México, and 2 in Canada. Of all the countries in the world, the US is the one with the largest population, is diverse and rich, and is uniquely qualified for this event.

Estimates by FIFA and the United States suggest over $30 billion in economic output, creating thousands of jobs, especially from international visitors, plus the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first with 48 teams/countries.

The last 2022 FIFA World Cup had close to 5 billion fans who watched in some form or another. Only the Olympics come close to that global viewership. These are the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup; Spain, England, France and Brazil.

The US is not considered a serious contender, with odds of 80 to 1,after the recent draw which translates to a 2% chance. Fútbol/Soccer originated in England. The first official rules were drafted in 1863 by Ebenezer Cobb Morley, who is credited as the “father of soccer” when he formed the English Football Association (FA) FIFA means: Fédération Internationale de Football (French) Federación Internacional de Fútbol Asociado (Spanish) International Federation of Association Football (English) US Host Cities for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

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