Oakland A’s Saturday Post Game wrap: Expect more players to join Maxwell during anthem Sunday; A’s get 1-0 shutout win in pitcher’s duel

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abcnews.go.com photo: A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell takes a knee during the national anthem before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum in concern for the country’s current racial divide

By London Marq

OAKLAND–You can expect more players to join Oakland A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell Sunday to take a knee at the Oakland Coliseum during the national anthem after Maxwell took a knee the first MLB player to do so on Saturday. After President Trump called NFL players SOBs on Saturday during a townhall in Alabama saying about players who protest the anthem “get that son of a bitch off the field right now he’s fired.”

For many athletes that was a signal a fire across the sports community’s bow, everyone weighed in from the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James, to even the NFL owners like the Jacksonville Jaguars Shahid Khan who locked arms with his players during the anthem before Saturday’s game. Khan was one of seven owners during Trump’s campaign to donate $1 million. But it took his statement about calling NFL players SOBs to finally realize that Trump has now crossed the line.

Also another campaign contributor New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he “was deeply disappointed by the tone” of Trump’s comments and that even a Trump supporter the staunchest Kraft had to side with his players and employees. The pressure is on the NFL owners to side with it’s players. During the Ravens-Jaguars game players took a knee or were locked arm and arm during the anthem. The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry said, “this is not what leaders do” regarding Trump’s comments. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even said that what Trump said caused “divisiveness.”

Maxwell before Saturday’s game at the Coliseum told his teammates that this was something he was going to do and he had the support of A’s manager Bob Melvin and later the A’s organization and his teammates. “This goes beyond the black community” said Maxwell to the media after Saturday’s contest against the Texas Rangers “it goes beyond the Hispanic community right now were having a  racial divide in all types of people, it’s being practiced from the highest power we have in government basically saying it’s OK to treat people differently. I’m kneeling to symbolize the fact that I’m kneeling for a cause. But I’m no way disrespecting my country or my flag.”

Oakland A’s Spanish broadcaster Amaury Pi Gonzalez didn’t quite see things Maxwell’s way a veteran in the US Army and a Cuban immigrant he feels that Maxwell’s kneeling or any other professional athlete is disrespectful to the flag and the military, “Tonight at Oakland, Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell took a knee during the National Anthem prior to the Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s game. I respect his right as a free American, but I do not respect his action, as many have died for that Anthem and that Flag to keep him/us free. That is my honest opinion as a US Army veteran (during the Vietnam conflict) and as an American. There are many forums to show you discontent and express yourself about anything you feel you should, but disrespecting the National Anthem, should not be one of those forums. And I did mentioned on my broadcast on Spanish radio.”

Davis’ homer the difference in pitchers duel: A’s starting pitcher Raul Alcantara set the tone on Saturday night at the Oakland Coliseum in going five innings walking two and surrendering two hits as it took five pitchers Ryan Dull, Daniel Coulumbe, Chris Hatcher and closer Blake Treinen to shutout the visiting Texas Rangers 1-0.

The Rangers for their part got good starting pitching from Miguel Gonzalez whose only mistake was giving up a solo shot to A’s left fielder Kris Davis in the second inning a 392 foot blast to deep right centerfield. Gonzalez who dropped his record to 8-12 went six innings, gave up four hits and Davis’ earned run in the second. Gonzalez was followed up by relievers Matt Bush and Alex Claudio who did not give up any runs to the A’s.

 

 

San Francisco Giants Saturday game wrap: Giants hold on for 2-1 win

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~ (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES– San Francisco maintained their lead against a late rally attempt by the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday.

Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out Yasiel Puig at second to end a Dodgers’ comeback that started in the eighth.

Los Angeles was scoreless entering the inning with only three hits. San Francisco had several scares as the Dodgers finally broke through starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, when catcher Austin Barnes hit a one-out home run. Charlie Culberson doubled and Cody Bellinger came in to pinch hit. Bellinger hit the ball long but not long enough. Culberson then moved to third and the Giants brought in Hunter Strickland (H, 19). Right fielder Hunter Pence caught that out on the warning track after eight pitches.

In the ninth, Los Angeles pinch hitter Curtis Granderson singled. Puig then replaced Granderson in a force out before Puig was caught stealing.

Bumgarner (4-9) had four 1-2-3 innings including three consecutive as he ended his four-game losing streak. He threw 99 pitches in 7.2 innings, gave up five hits, one run, one walk and struck out five.  Bumgarner also pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits in his last start versus the Dodgers July 30, but did not get a decision

San Francisco only had two innings where they didn’t get on base. Left fielder Gorkys Hernández went 3-for-4 with a walk and stolen base as he crossed home plate twice.

Los Angeles starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-8) had to leave in the third inning with a left forearm contusion. X-rays were negative.

Hernández started the game with a leadoff double, moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Joe Panik and with two outs, Posey hit the ball up the middle to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first inning for the third game in a row. Posey now has a four-game hitting streak.

It was Panik’s hit that got to Ryu. Ryu was able to retrieve the ball and make the out at first but after, had to leave the game. Ross Stripling entered the game in relief. Ryu’s line was 2 and ⅓ innings, three hits, one run, one strikeout and 23 strikes out of 36 total pitches.

San Francisco doubled their lead in the fifth. With one out, Hernández singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Denard Span. Span also stole second.

The Dodgers almost had another 1-2-3 ending but the third out, Hernández’s hit, went in and out of Puig’s glove after he had to run for the catch.

Game notes: At game end, Puig may have twisted his ankle as he left limping. Giants’ Brandon Crawford had a save up the middle and Panik robbed Corey Seager with a sliding catch. Sam Dyson earned the save. Los Angeles pinch hitter O’Koyea Dickson got his first Major League hit in the third. The teams finish the season series at 1:10pm Sunday.

Mullins torches ‘Quakes with four-goal game for D.C. 4-0

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sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes Danny Hosen (9) boots the ball in the loss to the DC United in Washington DC 4-0 on Saturday night

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, September 23, 2017

D.C. United striker Patrick Mullins torched San Jose with a four-goal match Saturday, leading United past the Earthquakes 4-0 in MLS action at RFK Stadium.

The Quakes were outshot 14-10 as San Jose entered the match trying to stay alive in the MLS Western Conference playoff hunt in a battle with FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake. San Jose is seeking its first postseason appearance since 2012.

Mullins scored his first goal of the season in the 57th minute, and finished off his hat trick over the next 11 minutes.

In the 88th minute, Mullins finished off his big night by scoring on a free kick. His 31-minute scoring spree was the fastest in league history. In order, Mullins scored his goals left foot, header, right foot, free kick.

It was D.C. United’s first victory against the Earthquakes since 2014, when they defeated San Jose at RFK. An announced crowd of 25,229 watched Mullins’ exploits.

Mullins tied the D.C. record for scoring three goals in a game with three other players, and it was the first time in team history that a player scored four goals in a half.

The Earthquakes had chances early, as they tested D.C. keeper Steve Clark with seven shots in the first half. Clark earned a shutout in his first start for United.

The Quakes return home for their next match on Wednesday, when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:15 p.m.

Stanford overcomes sluggishness, refs to down UCLA 58-34

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Cardinal running back Bryce Love breaks into the clear against the Bruins for a 69-yard scoring run to give Stanford a 51-34 lead in the fourth quarter. (Los Angeles Times)

By Jeremy Harness

STANFORD – The Stanford football team had a few things to get through on Saturday, one of them being a slow start for its offense.

If that wasn’t enough, the officiating crew injected itself into the game in the second half, giving UCLA some momentum.

Stanford (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12) shook all of that off to turn in a marvelous bounce-back effort that got things back on track, particularly on offense, to put an end to a two-game losing streak with a 58-34 win over UCLA at Stanford Stadium Saturday night.

It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a guy like Bryce Love running the ball for you. After a bit of a slow start, the junior back proceeded to gash the porous Bruins run defense to the tune of 264 yards on 30 carries, including a gut-wrenching 69-yard dash into the end zone late in the fourth quarter that thwarted any chance that UCLA (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) had of a late-game comeback.

That total is the second highest in program history, trailing only Christian McCaffrey’s 284-yard performance at Cal last year. He has now rushed for at least 160 yards in each game this season.

Love wasn’t the only one toting the rock with authority, however. Fellow junior Cameron Scarlett further gouged UCLA’s defense, piling up 86 yards on eight carries and found the end zone three times. As a team, the Cardinal rushed for an astounding 405 yards, and at least for one week, re-establishing their dominance in the part of the game that they take the most pride in.

This also overcame UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen’s 480-yard passing night, as he threw for three touchdowns while connecting on 40 of his 60 throws. He was also, however, intercepted twice, including one in the fourth quarter that Stanford quickly turned into a touchdown.

Surprisingly, the offense couldn’t get out its own way in the early going, as the first quarter was one that was full of mishaps for both teams.

The Cardinal gave UCLA a very short field when Jay Tyler muffed a punt at his own 15-yard line. Luckily for him, the Cardinal defense stiffened up and held the Bruins to just a field goal to tie the game at 3-3. Later on in the quarter, Stanford’s defense intercepted quarterback Josh Rosen deep in UCLA territory. However, the Cardinal were not able to move the ball at all and also had to settle for three points.

Neither Keller Chryst nor backup Ryan Burns could generate anything in the passing game, so the Bruins concentrated its efforts on bottling up Stanford’s prized running attack. So in the second quarter, K.J. Costello was summoned, and the sophomore responded, completing 13 of his 19 passes for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

That’s when Stanford’s run game came to life, and from that point, the Cardinal seized control of the game and never relinquished the lead.

However, there was one final obstacle for Stanford to get past, as the officiating crew attempted to take over the game in the third quarter, with a pair of very-questionable targeting calls.

A quarter after UCLA’s Adarius Pickett was ejected for targeting, Stanford cornerback Elijah Holder tackled Eldridge Massington below the waist during UCLA’s first drive of the half, but the officials took it upon themselves to call Holder for targeting anyway, although he was nowhere near Massington’s head while making the stop.

After a review, the call was somehow upheld, and Holder was subsequently kicked out of the game. But the refs didn’t stop there, as they also flagged safety Ben Edwards for targeting while making a tackle on the very next play. Thankfully for Stanford, the officiating crew came to its senses and overturned the call.

Holder’s penalty did enough damage, however, and the Bruins used that to score three plays later, as Soso Jamabo punched it in from three yards out to narrow Stanford’s lead to three.

Stanford, however, quickly overcame that by pounding the Bruins on the ground to get into scoring position on its next possession before Costello hit Trenton Irwin for a 15-yard touchdown, giving the Cardinal a 30-20 advantage.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Cardinal, however. Next week, Stanford will play host to Arizona State (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12), who upset No. 24 Oregon Saturday night.

Sharks Preseason 2017: Sharks Win 5-4 in Arizona

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By M. Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their third preseason game on Saturday, against the Coyotes in Arizona. The final score after a shootout was 5-4. Tim Heed got the game winner, with Sharks goaltender Troy Grosenick stopping 24 of 28 shots.

San Jose got off to a slow start in Saturday’s preseason game in Arizona, falling behind by three goals before turning the tables late in the first period and through the second. Mikkel Boedker started the rally with two goals, followed by goals from Barclay Goodrow and Kevin Labanc, with goals in the shootout from Logan Couture and Heed. Coyotes goals came from Nick Cousins (2), Derek Stepan and Luke Schenn. Max Domi added a shootout goal.

For their third preseason contest, the Sharks lineup included forward prospects Timo Meier, Noah Rod, Ryan Carpenter, Kevin Labanc, and Rudolfs Balcers. On defense, Joakim Ryan, Radim Simek, Nick DeSimone and Tim Heed joined Sharks veterans Brendan Dillon and Dylan DeMelo. Recent addition Brandon Bollig played at forward with Sharks regulars Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow, Joonas Donskoi, and Mikkel Boedker. Troy Grosenick started in net with Aaron Dell backing up. Goaltender Antti Raanta played the first two periods for Arizona, and his backup Marek Langhamer played the third.

The Coyotes jumped out to a strong lead with two goals in the first period. The first came just 30 seconds in from Nick Cousins, asisted by Alex Goligoski and Christian Dvorak. The second came from Derek Stepan at 7:26, assisted by Clayton Keller. The Sharks challenged the second goal as offside, but the call held up on review and the Sharks came away witha penalty to kill.

The Coyote power play was shortened by a hooking call to Goligoski at 9:01. Playing 4 on 4, the Sharks gave up another goal, this one to Luke Schenn, with Stepan and Keller picking up the assists.

The Sharks scored on the ensuing power play when Mikkel Boedker beat Coyote goaltender Antti Raanta. Assists went to Ryan and Heed. Boedker cut the lead to one when he took advantage of a broken play to score, assisted by Joonas Donskoi at 18:49.

Nick Cousins started the second period as he had the first, extending the Coyotes lead back to two at 1:38. The lead lasted for several minutes, until Barclay Goodrow and Kevin Labanc both scored in just over a minute. Sorensen and Carpenter took assists on the first, Tierney and Meier assisted on the tying goal.

Brandon Bollig and Michael Latta exchanged blows in the second half of the period. The teams exchanged penalties as the period wound down, but the score remained tied going into the third.

The Sharks had a scare in the middle of the third when Logan Couture caught a puck to the upper body after Simek tried to dump the puck in. Couture went down but got back up and seemed fine.

The game went to overtime and then on to the shootout. Logan Couture was the first San Jose shooter and he scored. He was followed by Mikkel Boedker, Kevin Labanc and Chris Tierney before Tim Heed got the game winner. Clayton Keller, Max Domi, Derek Stepan, Brendan Perlini and Conor Garland shot for Arizona, with the lone goal scored by Domi.

The Sharks next play on Thursday the 28th at Anaheim.

PURE INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP: Langer jumps into lead

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Photo credit: PGA Tour Champions (@ChampionsTour)

By Jeremy Harness

Golf can change dramatically from one day to the next, and Saturday’s second round at the PURE Insurance Open at Pebble Beach showed that.

Bernhard Langer, who entered Saturday’s second round behind only one stroke, did not light it up like he and first-day leader Scott McCarron did on Friday, but he was proficient enough to grasp hold of the top spot heading into the final round Sunday.

Starting on the 10th hole Saturday, Langer got off to a bit of a slow start, bogeying his seventh hole before picking up a birdie at the scenic par-5 18th to draw even for the round.

Then he really picked things up on his back nine. He ran off three birdies in a row at holes two through four before picking up shots on both the sixth and eighth holes to finish with a round of 67 and a one-shot lead.

To accomplish this, he hit 9 of his 14 fairways as well as hitting 14 of his 18 greens in regulation in the second round. He made four fewer birdies on Saturday, but he did a much better job of getting up and down, as he recorded only one bogey.

McCarron, meanwhile, did not get any momentum at all, and by shooting an even-par 72, he lost quite a bit of ground to the field, as he is now four strokes back at eight-under in a tie for the fifth position.

Vaulting into the second spot and only one stroke back of Langer is Kenny Perry, who shot a nine-under 63 on Saturday. He shook off a bogey on his first hole and birdied four of the next eight holes. He then picked up even more steam with an eagle at the par-5 second before he birdied the fourth and ran off three birdies in a row at holes six through eight.

Scott Parel sits one shot behind Perry after his second-round score of 66 while Jerry Kelly, who came within a shot of winning the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship last year, is three shots behind the lead after his 66 on Saturday.

14 losses and counting: Cal mistakes undo upset bid against No. 5 USC

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AP17266784185597
Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold (14) scrambles from California’s Alex Funches, right, and James Looney, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The list of things the Golden Bears did well on Saturday afternoon against mighty USC was lengthy, longer than any pundit who picked the Bears 12th in the Pac-12 could have envisioned.

The Bears were engaged and prepared with Justin Wilcox and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter creating an aggressive attack that had Heisman hopeful quarterback Sam Darnold on his heels. Cal’s running game was effective in both halves. Ross Bowers made some big throws. Receiver Kanawai Noa had his coming out party. Devante Downs’ play continued at an all-conference level.

And the scoreboard remained manageable through the first half, and into the scoreless third quarter.

But a missed field goal, a glut of late USC interceptions doomed the Bears, who fell 30-20, their 14th consecutive loss to the Trojans, dating back to 2004. For the Trojans, it was a second straight great escape, as they emerged 4-0 and squarely in the national title picture.

“They’ve been a rough two games but we’re 2-0 in that stretch and that’s all that matters to me, and that’s all that matters to this team,” Darnold said referencing USC’s thrilling overtime victory over Texas last week.

Darnold was pressured frequently as Cal threw all their attention towards USC’s best player, who was minus tailback Ronald Jones and receiver Steven Mitchell, Jr. Wilcox, the former USC assistant, proved his familiarity with the Trojans’ attack by shutting down the run game early. Against the pass, Wilcox masked his familiarity to the USC coaches by deftly throwing in wrinkles presumably cooked up by defensive coordinator DeRuyter, who was previously the head coach at Fresno State.

That mix proved Cal to be well-coached and prepared, but over the course of 60 minutes, the superior talent of USC turned the tide. Nothing new for the Trojans, who took control of games against Western Michigan and Texas, after uninspired play through three quarters.

Golden State Warriors report: Curry not invited to Trump White House

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President Barack Obama welcomes the 2015 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry The Golden State Warriors visit the White House, Washington DC, America – 04 Feb 2016 (Rex Features via AP Images)

By Jerry Feitelberg (SRS Staff writer)

OAKLAND–President Trump told the Golden State Warriors in a tweet that they were no longer welcomed to visit the White House and that the reigning NBA Champs were no longer invited for the presidential ceremony of honoring the top NBA team. Trump apparently offended by a recent comment by Warriors star Stephen Curry when he said that he did not agree with Trump’s policies. Trump in turn said “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team,” Trump tweeted. “Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!”

Curry also had a problem with Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank who sat on Trump’s advisory board and because he uses the Under Amour product and considered some of the things that Trump said about race and police brutality he thought endorsing Under Armour was a huge conflict of interest. At the time Plank called Trump “a real asset” and Curry said, “if you remove the ‘et’ from asset.” Plank and Under Armour with the rest of the advisory board were dismissed by Trump after board members said they were going to leave the board after Trump said that the rioters in the Charlottesville riots which included KKK and Nazi members and counter protesters were “both wrong on both sides.”

Golden State released a statement to the media Saturday afternoon saying they will use their designated visit to the White House instead doing community work in Washington DC with local youth and other DC community groups during their off day trip before they play the Wizards. The Warriors also said in the statement, “In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization,” said the Warriors.

Curry had stated on Friday that he had no interest in going to the White House and that the team were planning to meet to discuss whether to go or not but Trump had disinvited them over the weekend before the team was able to meet.

 

 

 

Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Matt Harrington: Shaw to use Perez and Alfieri at linebacker with Barton hurt; A lot riding on Chryst and offense against UCLA

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Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against San Diego State Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

On the Stanford Cardinal Podcast with Matt:

1 Matt takes a look at a play that Stanford had the ball at fourth and one at the San Diego State Aztecs that they chose to kick instead of play and the Cardinal lost a close game in which they were the favorites to win

2 Linebacker Sean Barton is out with an injury so Stanford Head Coach David Shaw has made a move with Barton who was out of last week’s game in San Diego with a injury. Shaw played Jordan Perez and Joey Alfieri who will take up more playing time with Barton out at the linebacker position.

3 Walker Little who plays right tackle was key in assisting running back Bryce Little particularly on a 51 yard carry. Little also assisted on two more long carries can he make the difference against UCLA at Stanford Stadium Saturday night

4 UCLA comes to Stanford this Saturday and Matt tells you how this game will shape up

Matt Harrington does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Carlos Beltran donates $1 million dollars to Puerto Rico

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Houston Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran (15) makes contact in the fifth inning during an MLB game between the Houston Astros and the White Sox at Minute Maid Park, Thursday, September 21, 2017. Chicago White Sox defeated Houston Astros 3-1. (Photo by Juan DeLeon/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Los Angeles– Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico and players in the major leagues born in Puerto Rico are raising money to help in the reconstruction. I spoke with Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin (El Machete) Maldonado “Todos estamos unidos para ayudar en todo lo que sea posible, dinero, suministros de ayuda, de construccion, lo que sea” Translation: “We are all united to help in whatever we can, with money, help, even construction materials, whatever it takes”.

Carlos Beltran, veteran of the Houston Astros who won the American League West is going to the playoffs and Beltran donated $1 million from his own pocket, motivating many other players from Puerto Rico to start raising funds for the cause, guys like Carlos Correa a great young shortstop of the Astros as well as Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians, reigning champions of the American League Central Division and American League champions of 2016. Carlos Beltran has played for 19 years in the major leagues, with close to 500 home runs he is one of the most prolific switch-hitters in history and a sure thing to be enshrined someday in Cooperstown.

Many other players born in Pueto Rico have also donated money from their own pockets like Los Angeles Dodgers Enrique (Kike)Hernandez who pledged $10,000. Yadier Molina, born in Puerto Rico considered the best catcher in baseball is also raising money for the worthy cause. There has never been a disaster of such magnitude in Puerto Rico as the category 5 Hurricane Maria (Cat 5 is the strongest category for a hurricane considered catastrophic) hit that island right on the nose and now all Puerto Rican players are united, together with the US government/FEMA in campagins to collect money for the reconstruction in Puerto Rico.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Puerto Rico.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio talent for the Oakland A’s, the Spanish TV talent for the LA Angels, and does That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

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