That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: New York Yankees the biggest surprise of 2017

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New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge looks back after striking out during the sixth inning of Game 6 of baseball’s American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By: Amauri Pi Gonzalez

Yes, the New York Yankees are still the #1 professional sports franchise in Major League Baseball, worth about $4 billion together with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL also worth around $4billion the most valuable sports franchises in America. The Yankees have won 40 pennants and 27 World Series and they still have the history and the prestige that is far ahead anybody else in the game.

However, 2017 was not a year that the New York Yankees were supposed to be contenders. This is the biggest surprise this year in baseball without a doubt.

In 2016 the Yankees finished in fourth place with a record of 84-78. This season the Yankees finished second in their division with 91-71, AND 2 games behind the division champion Boston Red Sox.

Eliminating the Houston Astros would be another stunning event and advancing and winning the World Series would be an ever more incredible feat this year for Joe Girardi’s ballclub. They would have been the only team to date to advance and go all the way, and on the way there, beating three teams that won over 100 games. Cleveland 102 victories, Houston 101 and Los Angeles Dodgers 104.

The success of the New York Yankees is the best example of the unpredictably of baseball, unlike other sports like football and basketball, where it is easier to predict a team performance or an individual performance on any given moment. Enrique “Kike”Hernandez, is a very good utility man for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who played 7 different positions this year and ended hitting just .215. Yet, Hernandez became the 10th player ever in a postseason game to hit 3 home runs and established a new runs batted record, during a postseason with his 7 RBI during game 5 of the NLCS.The Puertorican-born player found his name with Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth, he could not believe it when he learned about his incredible performance helping the Dodgers clinch the 2017 National League pennant.

FOX Sports will again have the World Series this year. First game at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles will begin at 5:09PM(West Coast).

For FOX the dream World Series will obviously be Yankees vs Dodgers. It will have one team from the East and one from the West, two heralded franchises. two top TV markets. This would provide a plethora of stories for print and electronic media. The Dodgers prior to moving to Los Angeles in 1958 where one of three Major League teams in New York. The other two, well…the Yankees and the New York Giants. A Houston vs Los Angeles World Series would definitely be a very interesting affair, but not the “pipe dream”for FOX network, although it would showcase the two best teams in the West. That would never make a bigger and more attractive story than the Dodgers vs Yanks. The two best bullpens in the game, the two sluggers Rookies of the Year, among other nuggets.

But whatever happens, even if the New York Yankees do not advance to the World Series, they are the most unacceptable story this season in baseball.

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with Joe Lami: Beathard gets set for the real test this Sunday with Dallas coming to Santa Clara

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San Francisco 49ers C.J Boatyard (3) was on the run during an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins Sunday, October 15, 2017, in Washington, DC. The Redskins won the game 26-24. (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

1  The 49ers host Dallas this Sunday at Levis on Santa Clara they haven’t won a game yet but they’ve got awfully close a few times.

2 The game in Washington last week was a nail biter it was a game that the 49ers could have won

3 The switch for quarterback CJ Beathard for former starter Brian Hoyer and how that worked out

4 Against the Dallas pass rush will Beathard get some time and protection to throw the ball

5 After watching Dallas thus far this season can the 49ers finally have a shot at getting in the win column

Join Joe Lami each Friday for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings Press Row Podcast: Post-Mortem on loss to Rockets in season opener

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hosts Charlie O. Mallonee and Jordan Chapin

Fox to hoop
Fox was fearless in driving the lane against the Rockets on Wednesday night

  • Kings showed great effort versus the Rockets on Wednesday night

  • This was a classic battle between a Tier 1 team and a Tier 3 team

  • Willie Cauley-Stein silenced many of his detractors

  • The Kentucky connection came up big for the Kings in the opener – Cauley-Stein, Labissiere and Fox made a major impact in the game

  • Buddy Hield was a major player for SAC in the game

  • George Hill showed why the front office wanted him on the roster to provide a veteran presence on the floor

  • The Kings play their first game on the road Friday night in Dallas – this will be a Tier 3 vs Tier 3 game. Both teams will be in the 2018 Draft Lottery

  • It will be a chance to see Dennis Smith who many media reporters feel has the inside track on becoming Rookie of the Year

Join us for out next Kings Press Row Podcast next Tuesday only on SportsRadioService.com.

Cauley-Stein to hoop
Cauley-Stein goes up for 2 of his 21 points

Raiders win it on the final play of the game edge out Chiefs 31-30; Lynch ejected for contact with official

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) makes contact with back judge Greg Steed (12) during the first half of an NFL football game between the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. Lynch was ejected after the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-If you thought the ending of the Oakland Raiders game against the Los Angeles Chargers was nerve wracking, fast forward a little over 96 hours later.

Derek Carr found Michael Crabtree for a two-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game and Giorgio Tavecchio’s extra point gave the Raiders a 31-30 come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs before a crowd of 55,090 at the Coliseum.

The Carr to Crabtree touchdown ended an 11 play 85-yard drive in 2:25, giving the Raiders the win for the ages.

Carr began to drive the Raiders immediately, following an offensive pass interference penalty on Johnnie Holton. Following the penalty, Carr found Amari Cooper for 39-yard pass play; however, the Raiders began to falter and looked like it was going to be another hard-fought loss to a division rival.

On fourth-and-11, Carr found Jared Cook for a 13-yard pass play to the Chiefs 29-yard line. After back-to-back incomplete passes, Carr found Cook for what looked like a 29-yard touchdown pass; however, the play was overturned and Cook was marked down at the one-yard line and that is the bizarreness began.

Carr found Crabtree for a one-yard touchdown pass; however, it was nullified due to an Offensive Pass Interference call on Crabtree with seven seconds remaining.

After an incomplete pass to Cook with three seconds remaining was overturned due to a defensive holding penalty on Ron Parker, the Raiders got the ball on the Chiefs five-yard line with no time remaining in the game.

Since the game is not able to end on a defensive penalty, the game went on and it looked like the game was over, as Carr’s pass to Cordarrelle Patterson fell to the ground; however, for the second consecutive play, the Chiefs were called for a defensive holding, this time on Eric Murray.

Carr finally got the Raiders in the end zone on the third play of the drive with no time remaining on the clock, as he found Crabtree to tie up the game and Tavecchio’s subsequent extra point gave the Raiders a wild one-point victory.

It was a huge night for Carr, who went 29-for-52 for 417 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back after missing the 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to broken bones in his back.

After being in a huge rut to start the season, Amari Cooper broke out if his slump in a big way, as he caught 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Cook caught six passes for 107 yards, while Crabtree caught three passes for 24 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game.

DeAndre Washington led the Raiders on the ground in rushing, as he carried the ball nine times for 33 yards. Jalen Richard also carried the ball nine times for 31 yards and Marshawn Lynch carried the ball just twice for nine yards before being ejected from the game in the second quarter after touching Line Judge Julian Mapp.

It also appeared that Lynch left the sidelines to break up a skirmish with Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who went to McClymonds High School.

Lynch, of course is a 2004 graduate of rival Oakland Technical High School, the two perennial powerhouses in the Oakland Athletic League.

Navarro Bowman made his Raiders debut just three days after signing with the team after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

In his debut, Bowman led the team with 11 tackles, and Reggie Nelson added eight from his safety position.

Alex Smith went 25-for-36 for 342 yards with three touchdowns, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreke Hill and a 63-yard touchdown pass to Alex Wilson, who caught the ball after it was tipped by Keith McGill.

Hill ended up with six catches for 125 yards and that one touchdown.

Rookie sensation Kareem Hunt carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards.

Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal on a four game win streak faces a struggling Oregon State school on Thursday

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Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) scores a touchdown during the regular season game between the Oregon Ducks verses the Stanford Cardinals on October 14, 2017 at Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Jerry Feitelberg

PALO ALTO–There were a lot good things about doing today’s podcasts as there were a lot of smiles and good feelings going into this Thursday’s contest at Oregon State. The Stanford Cardinal are on a four game winning streak and could easily add a fifth as the Beavers head coach Gary Anderson recently quit an walked away from a huge salary. The Beavers who lost a heartbreak game against the Colorado Buffaloes in a razor close contest 36-33 drop their win loss record to 1-6.

The Cardinal in the meantime are getting it together with their four game win streak and coming off a huge win over the visiting Oregon Ducks 49-7. For the season this was the Cardinal’s first blow out for the season. They did beat UCLA 58-34 on Sep 23rd  but last Saturday the Cardinal left little doubt. They got excellent rushing again from running back Bryce Love 17 carries, 147 yards and two touchdowns and for quarterback Keller Chryst he threw for 15-21 and 181 yards, three touchdowns and one pick.

Jerry Feitelberg does the Stanford podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sports Headlines Podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders face must win against Chiefs tonight it’s Win Big or Go Home

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) warms up before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Tony Renteria

The rivalry between the Oakland Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs goes all the way back to the 1960s in the AFL with two great teams. The rivalry doesn’t always necessary go on the field for the Chiefs and the Hunt family were the ones who were able to broker the merger with the NFL in Dallas in a Dallas airport parking lot and at the same time edging out then AFL Commissioner Al Davis.

For the tonight in the Oakland Coliseum the pressure is on the Raiders (2-4) to make hay after so much hype that Las Vegas oddsmakers went as far as to predict the Raiders to get to the Super Bowl. That’s gone by the wayside with four straight loses starting with Washington, Denver, Baltimore, and San Diego. The Raiders have heard and can see for themselves the many complaints and pressure regarding their offense. With quarterback Derek Carr throwing two picks against San Diego last Sunday and losing two straight games at home.

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

A’s announce Ryan Christenson as new bench coach for 2018

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By Jerry Feitelberg

athleticsfarm.com photo: Ryan Christianson is coming to the show as bench coach for the Oakland A’s after spending the last five seasons in the A’s minor league systems most recently managing Double A Midland to back to back championships

The A’s had a press release today that stated Ryan Christenson will replace Mark Kotsay as bench coach on manager Bob Melvin’s staff next year.

The press release is below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                       October 19, 2017

A’s Name Ryan Christenson Bench Coach

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland A’s named Ryan Christenson as bench coach on Bob Melvin’s coaching staff for the 2018 season, the club announced today.  Chip Hale, who moved from third base to bench coach in mid-June, will return to third base.  The remainder of the A’s coaching staff will return in their same roles.

Christenson has spent the last five seasons managing in the A’s farm system.  After Single-A stints at Beloit in 2013 and Stockton in 2014, Christenson guided Double-A Midland to back-to-back Texas League Championships in 2015 and 2016.  He served as manager at Triple-A Nashville in 2017 and his teams have a 391-307 (.561) record in five seasons.  As a player, Christenson was selected by Oakland in the 10th round of the June 1995 draft and played parts of six seasons in the majors with Oakland (1998-2001), Arizona (2001), Milwaukee (2002) and Texas (2003).  He was a .222 hitter in 452 games in his career.

In addition to Hale moving back to third base, Mike Aldrete returns as first base coach, Garvin Alston as bullpen coach, Darren Bush as hitting coach, Scott Emerson as pitching coach and Marcus Jensen as assistant hitting/catching coach

 

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Frankly put if Raiders don’t win tonight their playoffs chances go out the window

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes Beamon

OAKLAND–The last game that the Raiders played against the Los Angeles Chargers was a very close game in a one point decision 17-16 and losing by a field goal and they came into that game with a four game losing streak. They missed by an extra point it was really a tie game but running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 13 times for 63 yards and running back Cordarelle Patterson rushed for 55 yards, carried three times and scored a touchdown. The Raiders made it close but couldn’t seal the deal.

The Kansas City Chiefs come in tonight at the Oakland Coliseum if the Oakland Raiders don’t win this one tonight against a 5-1 Chiefs team the Raiders can almost be assuredly confident that they won’t make post season it would be hard tasking to come back from a 2-5 record.  Not too many teams have been able to come back from a record like that and the Raiders at the beginning of the season were expected to make post season this year.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kings fight to the final buzzer but come up short as Rockets win 105-100

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Cauley-Stein puts in a dunk to cut the Rockets lead to three points with seven seconds to go in the game

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings open the 2017-18 regular season with loss to the powerful Houston Rockets

The Sacramento Kings kicked off their new season before a sellout crowd of 17,583 at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night. Their opponent was the very powerful and talented Houston Rockets who started their season on Tuesday night with a last second win over the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in Oakland.

The Kings hoped to take advantage of catching the Rockets on the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They also received some good news when they learned that Chris Paul would not play due to ongoing problems with a knee contusion.

Sacramento (0-1) kept the game close through all four quarters. They even won the third quarter 24-23. The lead changed eight times in the game and the contest was tied four times. Houston’s largest lead was 11 points while the Kings biggest lead was six.

James Harden struggled through the first three quarters of the game appearing to be tired from effort that expended versus the Warriors on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the Kings, Harden caught a second wind in the final period and scored 12 of his game-high 27 points over those last 12 minutes. That performance really made the difference for the Rockets (2-0).

Despite being down by 11 points with 5:13 remaining in the game the Kings did not give up and cut the Houston lead to just three points with 26-seconds to go in the contest. It was at that point this game took a left turn that the Kings would never recover from.

The Kings George Hill sank two free throws to make it a 98-95 game with Houston in the lead with 26-seconds remaining. On the inbounds play, Hill appeared to disrupt the possession by Eric Gordon who lost control allowing the ball to go out-of-bounds. The big crowd went wild but settled as a video replay was ordered.

What the crowd, the Kings bench and the majority of the media did not understand was the replay was not to determine if Gordon was the last player to touch the ball before it went out-of-bounds. The replay was to confirm a foul call that made on Hill by the referee on the far-side of the court. The replay center in Secaucus upheld the foul call and Gordon was sent to the charity stripe to shoot two shots.

Gordon hit both shots to give Houston a five-point lead with 26-seconds to play essentially sealing the win for the Rockets. The Kings gave it their best effort but came up short.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger addresses the call in a very subdued manner in part two of his video comments.

Dave Joerger was very proud of the effort his team gave against the talented Rockets

  • Sacramento shot 42-for-88 (47.7%) from the floor
  • The Kings shot 8-for-23 (34.8%) from 3-point land
  • The team went just 8-for-10 from the free throw line vs. 27-for-29 for the Rockets

Joerger was not happy about the foul call that was upheld by the video replay center

  • De’Aaron Fox 14 points (7-for-15 shooting), five assists, four rebounds, 23-minutes of playing time
  • Buddy Hield 19 points (8-for-17 shooting including three 3’s), five rebounds, four assists, one steal

Coach Joerger was pleased with the play of Willie Cauley-Stein

  • Cauley-Stein with the double-double: 21 points (game-high for SAC), 10-for-15 shooting, 10 rebounds (four offensive), three blocked shots

This was a Tier One vs a Tier Three game

  • Kings played without Zach Randolph who was sidelined by oral surgery
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic did not play because of a sprained right ankle

The Kentucky connection was very important to the Kings on Wednesday 

  • Skal Labissiere 12 points, 10 rebounds to post a double-double
  • Cauley-Stein, Labissiere and Fox = 47 points, 24 rebounds, seven assists

Up next for the Kings and Rockets

  • Sacramento heads out on the road and will face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night
  • The Rockets will have their home opener on Saturday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks

49ers could be in for a long haul vs. Cowboys

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AP Photo File: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson (33) breaks up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys receiver Brice Butler (19) during a 2016 NFL week 4 regular season game, Sunday, October 2, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Cowboys defeated the 49ers, 24-17. (James D. Smith via AP)

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers have, at the very least, been very competitive this season, and in fact, they have set a new NFL record for consecutive losses by three points or fewer.

Now that they have proven that they can compete, now the young 49ers need to learn how to win.

The team just got younger this past Sunday, as the 49ers scrapped the Brian Hoyer experiment and decided to go with rookie quarterback C.J Beathard, and the young signal-caller got the 49ers back in the game to the point that they had a chance to steal the game in the final minutes.

This week, however, the task for the first win of the year is expected to get even harder against a loaded Dallas Cowboys team that will be looking to get back into the picture in the NFC East.

For about a week, it appeared that the six-game suspension against Cowboys back Ezekiel Elliott in connection with a domestic violence case would be upheld.

Within the past few days, however, Elliott has gotten another reprieve, as an injunction was recently placed to allow Elliott to play in at least one more game, which means that the 49ers will see the star running back lining up against them on Sunday.

The 49ers rested offensive tackle Joe Staley, defensive end Elvis Dumervil as well as receiver Pierre Garcon on Wednesday, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk was held out of practice with his ongoing back issue. Meanwhile, defensive end Aaron Lynch’s calf injury prevented him from practicing at all.

Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong suffered a shoulder injury in last Sunday’s loss at Washington but was able to practice in a limited capacity, as was fellow backer Reuben Foster, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain he suffered in the first game of the season.

Both are expected to play this Sunday, but they had a bit of a scare on their hands earlier this week. Both men were out in downtown San Francisco late Monday night, and in the process, they barely avoided being held up in an armed robbery.

Neither man was harmed, but both players reportedly apologized to the team for potentially putting the team in a bad position.

Safety Eric Reid appears to be all the way back from his knee injury, as he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday after playing last Sunday.