Super Bowl LIX Headline Sports podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Rooney Rule Founders and Goodell saying diversity improving but slowly; Eagles Graham might retire after Sunday’s game; plus more news

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is contemplating retirement after Super Bowl LIX this Sun Feb 9, 2025 at the Super Dome in New Orleans (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Two of the original founders of the Art Rooney Rule and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell agree that league diversity is improving but at a slow pace. They say that there is more work to be done. The area that they were referring to is head coaches and offensive coordinators.

#2 Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham who was big key in Super Bowl LII will have a shot at stardom and the Kansas City Chiefs again in Super Bowl LIX. Graham although he hasn’t announced it yet this might be his last game in pro football.

#3 Longtime NFL player and coach Dick Jauron who coached the Chicago Bears to the post season and was the AP Coach of the Year has died Saturday 74. Jauron was briefly an assistant coach for the Chiefs under Andy Reid.

#4 A former assistant to the owner of the Arizona Cardinals Michael Bidwill is suing Bidwell and the Cardinals for allegations that Bidwell “unmercifully harassed” her. The assistant said that Bidwell was trying to get her to quit. Brittany Neuheisel was an assistant for Bidwell from 2019 until last week. The charges in the lawsuit read, constructive discharge, wrongful discharge, discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

#5 In what critics call one of the biggest surprises on Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was voted AP Most Valuable Player Award. After 21 seasons it was the first time a player won the MVP without being picked for the first team All Pro.

Jerry Feitelberg filled in for Charlie O. Listen to Charlie O on Headline Sports each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Today’s podcast was sponsored by UNI Pizzeria 1234 Polk Street in San Francisco for the finest Pastas and Pizzas stop by UNI Pizzeria and tell em Sports Radio Service sent you.

Kings Overcome Slow Start to Secure Gritty Win Over Pelicans 123-118

Kings newcomers Zach LaVine, Jonas Valančiūnas, and Jake LaRavia light the beam postgame (Photo Sacramento Kings on X).

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO – On Saturday, the Sacramento Kings returned home, ready to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans entered the matchup as one of the worst teams in the NBA, holding a 12-39 record on the season. After the Kings’ loss on Thursday in Portland, they desperately needed a win against the struggling New Orleans squad. The game tipped off at 7 PM PST inside the Golden 1 Center, where the Kings secured a 123-118 victory over the Pelicans.

In the first quarter, the Kings got off to a horrendous start. Their starters were overwhelmed, and the team quickly fell behind by 20 points as the Pelicans took control early, leading 29-9. With the starters struggling, Doug Christie turned to his bench, bringing in Jonas Valančiūnas, Jake LaRavia, and Keon Ellis. The energy immediately shifted, allowing the Kings to cut the deficit to five points. By the end of the quarter, the Kings trailed the Pelicans 34-24, leaving them with work to do.

The Kings showed improvement in the second quarter, but they still couldn’t keep pace with the Pelicans. New Orleans outscored Sacramento 34-30, extending their lead. At halftime, the Kings trailed 65-54. Domantas Sabonis led the way for Sacramento with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

The third quarter saw the Kings’ offense come alive. They went on a tear, outscoring the Pelicans 45-22 to storm back and take the lead, entering the fourth quarter ahead 99-87. Through three quarters, Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 27 points, while Sabonis paced the Kings with 21.

In the final quarter, the Pelicans outscored the Kings 31-24, but it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback. Sacramento did just enough in the closing minutes to secure the 123-118 victory. Although it wasn’t the prettiest game, the Kings managed to get the job done, which was the most important factor for Doug Christie heading into the matchup. Sabonis led the team with 27 points and 16 rebounds, though he fouled out in the final minutes for the second consecutive game. Williamson finished as the game’s top scorer, dropping 40 points on an ultra-efficient 16-of-21 shooting.

Postgame, I spoke with Trey Murphy about his consistent success against the Kings whenever he plays in Sacramento. On Saturday, he put up 20 points and jokingly said, “I like the nets here in Sacramento.” Murphy continues to develop his game, making significant strides in his fourth NBA season.

Doug Christie addressed the media after the game, reflecting on the slow start. “The start of the game was not really what we wanted. We have to figure out how to begin a little closer to what we did in the third quarter… but the bench came in and gave us a huge boost.”

As the game neared its final minutes, Malik Monk repeatedly approached the scorer’s table only to return to the bench. Postgame, I asked Doug if Monk was set to replace Keon Ellis or another player. Christie clarified, saying, “No, he was coming in for Deebo, but Deebo made a shot. If Malik was in that position, Deebo would have been like, ‘leave him in the game.’ They understand the game, and it’s more about winning.”

This insight sheds light on the potential future role of Keon Ellis. He appears to be one of the most impactful players on the roster, and time will tell if that earns him a spot in the starting lineup. His inclusion in the closing minutes suggests that he is already being rewarded for his contributions.

Before catching Kings basketball stop by Old Sacramento for a spectacular Mexican Meal at Le Terezza Restaurant at 1027 Second Street Sacramento. Choose from an array of delicious Mexican favorites on the menu. Call 916-440-0874.

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Dallas to take on the new-look Mavericks on Monday at 5:30 PM PST at the American Airlines Center.

Sharks fall 8-3 in Granlund and Ceci’s return

San Jose Sharks vs Dallas Stars on Saturday February 8th 2024 at SAP Center. (via sanjosesharks/instagram)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE- In Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci’s return to San Jose, the Sharks fell 5-2. Granlund registering two assists.

San Jose opened up the scoring at 1:25 when William Eklund scored his 11th of the season. Celebrini picked up a puck from Toffoli behind the net and no-look passed to Eklund. After good puck movement by Andrew Poturalski and Will Smith, Fabian Zetterlund scored his 11th of the season to extend the Sharks’s lead.

Dallas cut into their lead at 3:02 when their leading point scorer Matt Duchene scored his 21st goal of the season. Mikael Granlund registering the lone assist.

Dallas then tied the game at 2-2, just seven minutes later. Picking up a rebound shot by Matt Dumba, Jason Robertson scored his 20th goal of the season. Lian Bichsel registering the secondary assist. Dallas took their first lead of the game three minutes later at 13:24. Mason Marchment was left alone in the crease when he scored his 14th of the season. Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund registering the assists.

The 23rd rank powerplay got to work when Will Smith took a delay of game penalty. A little over 30 seconds into the powerplay, Matt Duchene scored his second of the night and his sixth PPG of the season. Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston registering the assists.

Dallas extended their lead to 5-2 when Mavrik Bourque scored his eighth of the season on a drop pass by Jamie Benn. Benn and Evgenii Dadonov registering the assists.

Although being up 5-2, Dallas didn’t take their foot off the gas, scoring 3 times in the span of three minutes. Wyatt Johnston scored at 11:20, Back and Blackwell registering the assists. Thomas Harley scored a minute and 20 seconds later, Lindell and Hintz registering the assists.

The Sharks cut into the lead 33 seconds later, Walker Duehr scoring his 1st as a Shark. Carl Grundstom and Ty Dellandrea registering the assists.

Jamie Benn sealed the deal 37 seconds later scoring his 14th of the season, Bichsel registering the lone assist.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Matt Duchene, 2G, 1A
  2. Thomas Harley, 1G,1A
  3. Jamie Benn, 1G, 1A

The Sharks will be back in action after the Four Nations face-off on February 23rd against the Calgary Wranglers.

Cardinal Pushed Back the Wolfpack, 74-73, on a Late Afternoon on the Farm; Agarwal the Hero

Stanford Cardinal forward Donavin Young (2) is seen here in a game against North Carolina State Wolfpack on Sat Feb 8, 2025 at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto (Stanford Cardinal X)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Ryan Agarwal’s game-winning layup helped the Stanford Cardinal (16-8, 8-5 ACC) regain the Maples Pavilion advantage, after defeating the North Carolina Wolfpack (9-14, 2-10 ACC) 74-73 in the Sunny Bay Area.

Stanford junior guard Oziyah Sellers put his squad on the scoreboard first from the “charity stripe.” He calmly converted two free throws, putting the Cardinal up 2-0. There would be three ties and three lead changes within the first 20-minute stanza.

Within that time frame, Stanford led by as much as three points, and went on a 4-0 run. The Wolfpack, on the other hand/paw, took a seven point advantage, and had a 6-0 run of their own.

Sellers led the Cardinal at recess, with 10 points. He was also the ony one on his team with double-digit scoring. Freshman sensation Trey Parker had the same distinction for his pack; however, his 12 points came on a sizzling 4-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Wolfpack managed to keep a four point distance between themselves and the Cardinal. Leading 33-29 midway through the conference contest,

Free throws once again were the path for digital movement on the scoreboards in the beginning of the second half. This time it was performed by the visitors. Senior Dontrez Styles put his team up by six, their largest lead of the second half.

The back and forth the first half produced between the two ACC foes more than double itself in the second half. There were five more lead changes and four additional ties.

NC State had their largest 2nd half lead with the aforementioned free throws. The Cardinal, on the other hand, had 6-0 and 9-0 runs, while leading by as many as nine points.

Stanford did everything they could to protect home-court advantage, but the Wolfpack were ungrateful guests and attempted to put Stanford in a home losing streak. However, the Cardinal were able to avoid the Wolfpack’s bite, by the bark of their tree. Stanford won by one, 74-73.

Agarwal’s layup with :08 left in regulation, despite the hot handed Trey Parker attempting a potential game-winning…his first name. The shot did not go in, and it may have not been released in time either. It was a scary momen, because Parker was 5-8 from Three Land, including that final miss.

Maxime Raynaud produced his 20th double-double (25 points and 12 rebounds) of the season, tying a Stanford record held by Adam Keefe. Oziyah Sellers finished with 12 points, whileEvan Stinson and Chisom Okpara both chipped in 10 points apiece. Although he finished below double-figures plateau, Agarwal made the most importatnt basket at the end. He tallied 9 points and 8 assists.

The Wolfpack were led by Parker’s 19 points. Dontrez Styles added 18 points and 7 rebounds to the cause, while Marcus Hill Jr. chipped in 14 points. . Stanford won a conference thriller, 74-73!

Stanford will next be in action Wednesday, February 12 in Atlanta, as they will take on the Georgia Tech YellowJackets at 7 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT on the ACC Network. NC State heads back to Raleigh on the same date, to host the Louisville Cardinals at & PM ET on ESPN2/U.

Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s claim they have their share of construction costs for Vegas ballpark

Sandy Dean Athletics president has said all along the A’s would come up with the funding for their share of the Las Vegas ballpark on the Las Vegas strip which is expected to open baseball season 2028 (LV Sports Biz file photo)

On the Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The Athletics are saying they have the $350 million coming from SB1 and the State of Nevada and $300 million from Goldman Sachs and US Bank.

#2 One of the requirements are that the A’s have to spend $100 million of their own money before they can touch any of the public funds from Nevada.

#3 The A’s have spent $40 million of the designer process so far the site selection and the A’s stadium will occupy nine acres of the 35 acre Tropicana casino and resort which should be ready by opening day 2028.

#4 The A’s will be sharing the space with Bally’s Mega Corp where the rolling of the dice and slot machines will be a baseballs throw away.

#5 The A’s have submitted their land use permit has been filed. The A’s have officially submitted their land use permit to Clark County. Which is important in getting construction underway.

A’s Relocation podcasts can be heard each Sunday with Daniel Dullum at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wilkinson’s 21 points not enough, as three-headed Wake Forest beast downs Bears 76-66

Cal Bears Andrej Stojakovic takes warm ups before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 76 (18-6)

California Golden Bears 66 (12-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 21 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Cal fell back to .500 with a 76-66 loss at the hands of Camer Hildreth, Hunter Sallis, Reid Efton and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Cal got back over .500 with a 74-62 win over NC State on Wednesday night. Saturday, they would be in for a challenge against the 17-6 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.


The Bears amped and ready to go out of the gate. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three 25 seconds in to start the day. Mady Sissoko then hit a hookshot 36 seconds later to put the Bears out to an early 5-0 lead.

Even though the Bears held onto a steady lead in the opening minutes, Wake Forest made their charge. They tied the game at 13-13 on a layup by Jake Harris, and then they took their first lead of the game, 16-15, a minute and 25 seconds later on a free throw from Cameron Hildreth.

Wake Forest opened up their lead to six points at 24-18 with 6:45 to go in the first half, and appeared ready to pull away with it. However, Cal quickly closed the deficit to 24-23 after Jeremiah Wilkinson hit a three and Andrej Stojakovic hit one in the paint. 

Efton Reid extended Wake Forest’s lead to 26-23 with a layup, but Rytis Petraitis tied the game with a three, and Blacksher put the Bears back ahead with a three of his own. Efton then hit a three to re-tie it, and Hunter Sallis took an alleyoop for a dunk to put Wake Forest back ahead 31-29.  

That would be the score as the game moved to the second half. Wake Forest held a small lead for the first two minutes and 46 seconds until Wilkinson tied it with a three. 

The game would remain neck and neck over the next few minutes, as Wake Forest would twice retake a miniscule lead, and Cal would tie it again both times. However, after Wilkinson hit two from the line to make it 42-42 with 14:51 left, everything would suddenly change.

Wake Forest scored eight unanswered points to take a 50-42 lead. Wilkinson hit a much-needed three to close it to 50-45, but Wake Forest did not let up. They ended up going on a 20-5 run to take a 62-47 lead and put the game away.

The only real excitement in the game’s final minutes was a near-fight that Head Coach Mark Madsen had to sprint to the middle court to break up. He had to restrain two young and tall basketball players, which is no small task for a coach. But hey, when you’re in a hurry to make sure two of your guys don’t get suspended, I guess it comes naturally. 

Really, three guys carried Wake Forest to victory Saturday. Camer Hildreth scored 23 points; Hunter Sallis scored 20; and Reid Efton scored 19. The three of them combined for 62 of Wake Forest’s 76 points. 

Wilkinson of course led the scoring for Cal with 21 points. After Wilkinson, Blacksher scored 12, and Stojakovic scored 10.

The Bears fall back to .500 at 12-12, and things won’t get any easier for them when they head to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday. Duke is only number two in the entire country, so no pressure.

Cal will also head to Georgia Tech next Saturday, and they will conclude their three-game road trip much closer to home, as they will go just down the road from Berkeley to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal the following Thursday.

Gushchin’s two goals pave the way for Barracuda in 5-3 win over Roadrunners

San Jose Barracuda forward Danil Gushchin celebrates along the ‘Cuda bench one of his two goals during the Barracuda’s 5-3 win over the Tucson Roadrunners at Tech CU Arena on Saturday FEB 8, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Danil Gushchin scored two goals and came within a crossbar of a hat trick as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose split the series with their Pacific Division rival and has won three out of its past five games. The ‘Cuda picked up points in six games of their seven game homestand. Tucson has lost nine of its past 10 games.

San Jose (24-14-2-3-53 points) drew first blood just past the halfway point of the first period. Danil Gushchin dropped a back pass over to Braden Hache at the Roadrunners blueline. Hache wrist shot from the point was redirected by Filip Bystedt past Roadrunners goalie Matthew Villalta for his eighth goal of the season at the 10:55 mark.

Bystedt snapped a season long 13-game goal-less draught. This was Hache’s first game with the ‘Cuda since being called up from the Wichita Thunder as he made his home debut.

Tucson (20-20-2-1-43 points) answered back late in the opening frame with an even strength goal. Egor Sokolov won a battle along the left boards. He centered the puck over to Hunter Drew who rang a shot off of the post. The rebound came right to the tape of Sokolov who buried the puck into an open net past ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov for his 15th goal of the season at the 18:08 mark.

The Barracuda regained the lead with 14.8 seconds remaining in the first 20 minutes. Thomas Bordeleau threaded a needle of a pass up to a wide-open Gushchin in between the faceoff circles. Gushchin made a move in before lifting the puck over the glove of Villalta for his 10th goal of the season.

The Roadrunners evened it up at two early in the second period. Max Szuber kept the puck inside the Barracuda zone and was able to push it up to Cameron Hebig along the left boards. Hebig skated in and pinpointed a wrist shot off the far side post and past Romanov for his team leading 17th goal of the season at the 4:31 mark.

Gushchin gave the ‘Cuda its third lead of the game with a power play goal. Luca Cagnoni found Gushchin along the left slot. Gushchin skated in before firing a wrist shot top shelf to the glove side for second goal of the game and 11th of the season at the 12:02 mark.

Gushchin thought he scored his third straight goal of the game with 1:11 remaining in the middle frame when he beat Villalta with a wrist shot after receiving a rink wide pass from Bordeleau after Colin White made a drop pass to Bordeleau. The call on the ice was called a goal by the officials. However, after a very lengthy video review it was determined the puck caromed off the crossbar.

White returned to the Barracuda after being placed on waivers yesterday by the San Jose Sharks.

In the third period the Barracuda held down the fort and shut out the Roadrunners the rest of the contest. White iced the game for San Jose when he scored an empty netter after Tucson pulled Villalta for an extra attacker. White’s sixth goal was scored at the 17:38 mark.

Cardwell completed the scoring for San Jose with an empty goal at the 18:47 mark, his sixth goal of the season. White picked up the only assist on the play to complete a three-point game.

Lleyton Moore scored his sixth goal of the season with 1.2 seconds left in the contest to close out the game’s scoring.

Romanov (10-6-3) finished the game stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced to earn his 10th victory of the season and snap a three-game winless streak. Villalta (10-15-3-3) made 35 saves on 38 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-2 on the power play. Tucson went 0-for-1.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gushchin (2G, 1A) 2) White (1G, 2A) 3) Bordeleau (OG, 2A).

UP NEXT: San Jose starts a four-game road trip on Tuesday 2/11 against the Colorado Eagles at 6:05pm at Blue Fcu Arena.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal frustrations come out in 76-66 loss to Wake Forest

Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 One thing you can say about the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-6) is they’ve kept their shots falling and staying ten points ahead of the Cal Bears (12-11) all game long Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

#2 Wake Forest’s leading scorer Cameron Hildreth was hitting his shot and lead the Deacons in scoring in this on.

#3 Another thing that was working for Wake Forest was they were getting their share of shots that were falling.

#4 In the second half Cal was behind on an average of ten points and just couldn’t get enough offense against the Deacons to make up the difference. The game got physical and at one point frustrating for Cal as head coach Mark Madson had to come out on the court to restrain his players who were jawing with a Demon Deacon player.

#5 Cal tries it again this time at Duke University who are number two in the nation at 21-2. The Blue Devils are first are 12-0 at home and have won seven in row. Cal with the loss to Wake Forest on Saturday come into Duke with a 2-6 away record. Cal is playing .500 ball having won three of their last six games.

Stephen Ruderman covers Cal basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA G League Friday action: Des Moines finds a way past Stockton 121-116 to open two game set

Stockton Ellis guard Boogie Ellis (5) takes the ball down court against the Iowa Wolves at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Fri Feb 7, 2025 (Stockton Kings X photo)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings continued their road trip, visiting Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa to take on the struggling Iowa Wolves. The Wolves entered the night in the middle of a seven-game losing streak that sunk them to last in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Kings were heavy favorites as they were on top of the West. The Wolves pulled off an upset with a some offense to beat the visiting Kings 121-116.

The Wolves got out to an early lead, out-scoring the visiting Kings 29-21 in the first quarter. From there, Iowa only continued to extend their lead in the second, as they outscored Stockton by a similar margin, 30-24. The Wolves entered halftime with a 59-45 lead, showing that they can compete with even the strongest teams in the G-League.

The Kings surged in the second half, as they outscored the home team 38-31 in the third quarter, the highest scoring frame of the night. The Wolves still led, 90-83 heading into the fourth but it was once again anyone’s game.

The Kings battled back, even leading late in the fourth but the Wolves kept fighting back. Ultimately, Stockton would outscore Iowa in the final quarter but not by wide enough of a margin to secure the victory. The Wolves found a way to win over a heavy favorite, with a final score of 121-116.

Skal Labissiere led the Kings in scoring, with 27 points in the losing effort. The Kings had a short bench, only using an eight-man rotation over the course of the night. As a result, Terry Taylor led Stockton in minutes, playing 44 of 48 possible minutes.

Meanwhile, Iowa had two players score 20 or more points. Leonard Miller led the team with 29 points, while Trevor Keels had 22 off the bench. Miller also played 44 minutes, recording a double-double as well with 16 rebounds.

For the Wolves, this type of victory will help get their season back on track and if they can keep the momentum rolling in the second half of the back-to-back against Stockton, it will allow them to start climbing up the standings. Meanwhile for Stockton, they need to bounce back in their next game with Iowa. As the top seed in the Western Conference, they can’t afford to be dropping games to a team at the bottom of the standings.

The two teams will be back at it tonight from Wells Fargo Arena, as the Kings try to get revenge on the Wolves.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks take on Stars tonight in effort to end three game skid

San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts a stop on the Vancouver Canucks left wing Drew O’Connor (left) in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Vancouver Canucks Drew O’Connor scored on a penalty shot 33 seconds into the overtime stanza as the Canucks got by the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night. O’Connor got to make the penalty shot after the Sharks Macklin Celebrini got called for a hooking penalty.

#2 The Canucks Dakota Joshua scored at 8:04 on a power play to get the Canucks on the scoreboard with the lead 1-0.

#3 The Sharks were behind 1-0 in the third period when Tyler Toffoli tied up the game at 1-1 with his 20th goal of the season at 18:32.

#4 Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko was looking for his second shutout in a row but will settle for the win and 33 saves. The Sharks Vitek Vanecek stopped 22 Vancouver shots.

#5 Dallas Stars are second in the central division this is a team that is on a roll with a 38-18-1 with 69 points only behind the mighty Winnipeg Jets. They’re in San Jose tonight how do you see the Sharks chances?

Join Mary Lisa for Sharks podcasts each Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com