That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Jim”Catfish” Hunter led the Way

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The author Amaury Pi Gonzalez (left) and New York Yankees pitcher Jim Catfish Hunter (right) in 1975 at the Oakland Coliseum (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)

Jim”Catfish” Hunter led the Way

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Today, rumors that New York Yankee superstar Juan Soto is getting offers of a $600 million contract continue to swirl around the baseball world. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, recently said in Los Angeles that they are in the process of selecting which team Soto will sign with.

The favorite teams for Juan Soto are the Dodgers, Mets, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. The first multi-million dollar contract in baseball was signed by pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter with the New York Yankees. It was for $3.25 million over five years, plus he received a $1 million bonus, a $150,000 per year salary, and deferred compensation.

This control specialist was one of the players responsible for opening the door to other free agents to follow and one of the first who helped usher the Free Agency as we know it today. Hunter began his career with the Kansas City Athletics in 1968 and pitched until 1975 with the New York Yankees.

He won five World Series championships, three with the Oakland A’s during their 70’s dynasty and two with the New York Yankees. He made Oakland history by hurling the first perfect game in A’s history in 1968, and, the first then since 1922.

Won the American League Cy Young Award with the A’s in 1974. Selected eight times to the All-Star Game.From 1971 to 1975, no pitcher in baseball had his type of control (almost a la Greg Maddux). A’s catcher Ray Fosse told me there was nobody even close to Catfish of all the pitchers he worked with.

His signature season was 1974, when he helped the Oakland A’s win the World Series in five games against the LA Dodgers. That season, he ended with a record of 25-12 with a league-leading 2.49 ERA, started 41 games, and completed 23.

If Juan Soto has already signed that monstrous contract, which would be only second to Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million with the Dodgers, by the time you are reading this, the baseball world could look to Jim “Catfish” Hunter as one of the key players who paved the way for Free Agency. Back then, it was a scandalous $3.25 million contract; today, it is an obscene $600 to $700 million.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Chicago Bears might be best chance for Niners to get back in win column

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For most of the game on Sun Dec 1, 2024 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was lost in the snow flurries against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 David, should head coach Kyle Shanahan had benched Christian McCaffrey for the game in Buffalo on Sunday Night Football. As it were he had to leave with a knee injury that ends his season?

# 2 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for only 94 yards and couldn’t get adjusted to the snowy conditions of Orchard Park was this a game where the weather made it tough for Purdy or has he been losing his touch like in the last few games?

#3 The 49ers have failed to make up 300 yards or more on offense in their last three games which were all loses. They now host the Chicago Bears who have lost six in a row and come into Levi Stadium with a 4-8 record can the 49ers who are snake bitten with injuries overcome and beat the Bears this Sunday.

Join David Zizmor for the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal end Mini losing streak and Stymie Wolverines 77-63 on the Farm

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Stanford Cardinal guard Ryan Argarwal (11) drives on the Utah Valley Wolverines forward Ethan Potter (35) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (7-2) halted their 2-game losing streak, with a resounding victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines (4-4), 77-63. Tuesday Night inside Maples Pavilion.

Utah Valley put Stanford behind the eight ball, as they scored the first bucket of the game, and took a six point lead early. During that juncture of the game, they also performed a 5-0 run.

However, the Cardinal were determined to avoid a third loss in a row, despite their sluggish start. At the 12:49 mark of the half, they finally took the lead (14-12). There were three lead changes and two ties during the initial 20-minute interval.

Stanford went on an 8-0 run themselves, and led by as many as 12 points.by the midway point of the contest. At recess, the Cardinal led 38-26. No players for the home squad had double-figure scoring, while the visitors produced one.

Graduate senior guard Jaylen Blakes the Card with 9 points, while senior forward Maxime Raynaud and junior guard Oziyah Sellers both scored eight points. Redshirt-Sophomore Tanner Toolson paced the Wolverines 11 points.

Stanford took the 12-point lead into the locker room, with thoughts of maintaining the advantage over the second 20-minute block of gametime. Stanford’s defense forced the Wolverines to shoot a 29% from the field, and the average 33% from beyond the 3-points Arc.

In the second half, Stanford got on the board first on Blakes’ two free throws, and immediately increased their lead to 14. They would widen the margin by as many as 19 points, with a 12-0 run incorporated in their push to dominate the game.

Utah Valley still fought like their moniker represents, narrowing the deficit two single digits midway through the final half. Unfortunately for them, Stanford was on a mission to get back into the winning column. At the end of the 40-minute battle, the Cardinal had won by 14 points, 77-63.

Stanford presented four players with at least 10 points at the end of the game, Blakes led the host team with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Sellers chipped in 15 points, Raynaud contributed another double-double (14 points and 17 rebounds), while redshirt-sophomore Ryan Agarwal offered 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Utah Valley added another double-figure hooper to the aforementioned Toolson. Junior guard Dominic Nelson not only emerged in the second half, but he led all scorers with 22 points, and grabbed 7 rebounds. Toolson remained pat at 11 points, but did snatch 8 rebounds.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, December 7, across the Bay at Haas Pavilion to take on Cal in both teams initial ACC game, in addition to the Battle of the Bay continuing in another conference (ACC). The big game has an afternoon start ai 1:00 pm PT. on the ACC Network

Utah Valley travels across the country to Virginia to face James Madison University, also on 12/7, at 4:00 ET. on ESPN+.

Kings consistency 15 straight baskets put away Rockets 120-111 at Golden 1

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a shot over the Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings returned to action on Tuesday night, hosting the Houston Rockets at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings last played on Sunday, falling to the San Antonio Spurs 127-125 at home. Heading into the game, the Kings were in 12th place in the Western Conference with a 9-12 record, while the Rockets held the second spot in the West with a 15-6 record. The game tipped off at 7 PM PST. The Kings defeated the Rockets on Tuesday 120-111 to improve to 10-12 on the season.

In the first quarter, the Kings delivered an underwhelming performance, being outscored by the Rockets 28-21. The Kings lacked the urgency needed, allowing Houston to take advantage. Domantas Sabonis showed early aggression, which was a positive sign, but the question remained whether it would lead to sustained scoring. Jalen Green sparked the Rockets with nine points in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings fell behind by double digits early. However, De’Aaron Fox led a rally, scoring 10 points in the period to bring the Kings closer. The Kings outscored the Rockets 33-27 in the quarter, cutting the deficit to 55-54 at halftime. Jalen Green led all scorers at the half with 16 points.

The third quarter belonged to the Kings. Their offense exploded for 42 points, while their defense limited the Rockets to 29 points. The Kings’ intensity after halftime was evident. The big question was whether they could maintain it to close out the game, something they had struggled with all season. Through three quarters, Jalen Green had 26 points for the Rockets, while Sabonis and Fox each tallied 20 for the Kings.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings sustained their energy to secure the victory. The game ended with some drama, as Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and Alperen Şengün were ejected with only a few minutes remaining. The matchup had been physical throughout, but the two couldn’t keep their emotions in check. Jalen Green had a quiet final quarter but finished as the game’s top scorer with 28 points. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 27 points in the win.

Up Next: The Sacramento Kings will travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Thursday at 5 PM PST. The Grizzlies, currently third in the Western Conference, will provide a tough challenge for the Kings.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Higashioka signs 2 year $13.5 million deal with Rangers; Cubs sign Boyd for two years, $29 million; plus more news

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FILE – Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, right, collides with San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka as he scores on a single by Teoscar Hernández during the fourth inning in Game 1 of baseball’s NL Division Series, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Higashioka Mark J. Terrill – staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury how big is it that the Texas Rangers signed catcher Kyle Higashioka for two years at $13.5 million with a mutual option for the 2027 season. Higashioka played for the San Diego Padres in 2024 hit .220, with 54 hits, 17 home runs and 45 RBIs.

#2 The Chicago Cubs signed pitcher Matthew Boyd. Boyd will join the Cubs starting rotation. This was the Cubs first big deal in the off season. Boyd who came back from Tommy John surgery was 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA last season. Boyd signs with the Cubs for two years at $29 million. Boyd 33, could earn up to $1 million in performance bonuses.

#3 In a letter to the Tampa Bay Rays from Pinellas County (Fla.) the cost to build a new ballpark would run $1.3 billion in a letter from the county. The Rays presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman said in a letter to the county that they would not agree to a deal for the new stadium. The Rays said they have spent more than $50 million on the new stadium but the county had suspended work on the entire project. The park was scheduled to be completed by 2028. The Rays are without a ballpark after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of the Tropicana and will play their regular season games at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay.

#4 Should the Tampa Bay Rays move out of Tampa Bay since the county and the owners can’t come to an agreement and where could they move to Nashville, Montreal, Charlotte, San Antonio, Vancouver or Mexico City?

#5 This coming Thu Dec 5th is the big Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting regarding the financing for the A’s share of the construction costs for the ballpark at the Tropicana. The A’s said they would present four documents that would outline how the financing would proceed. Dec 5th is the drop dead date to come up with the financing for the Vegas A’s park as the A’s took one year to try and get their financing together. A’s owner John Fisher was reportedly getting financing together from his family to pay the $1.5 billion joined with the State of Nevada’s in put from SB1 at $380 million. Can the A’s make it happen on Thursday?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Capitals 2-1 in OT, Win Streak at Three

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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot on goal in front of the Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) in the second period at the Capital Center in DC on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday. The win capped the Sharks’ second three-game win streak of the season,. It qualifies as an upset since the Capitals are currently ranked third in the League and first in the Eastern Conference.

Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for the win. Nic Dowd scored for the Capitals and Logan Thompson made 29 saves in the loss.

The Sharks took the lead at the end of the first period. With just a minute left, Tyler Toffoli intercepted a pass I the neutral zone, carried the puck the other way and scored from just over the blue line.

The Capitals outshot the Sharks 16-8 I the first period. The Sharks took two penalties in the first half of the period, and the Capitals took one in the second half of the period.

Nic Dowd tied the game at 13:02 of the second period. Martin Fehervary sent the puck across the ice to Dowd in front of the net. Dowd shot as he dropped to one knee and beat Blackwood on the stick side. Assists went to Fehervary and Ivan Miroshnechenko.

The Sharks took the only penalty in the second period. The Capitals again outshot the Sharks, but by a much smaller margin, 9-7.

The Sharks pressed during the third period, outshooting the Capitals 13-4. They balanced the shot count but could not score, even with two power plays.

One of those power plays was a double minor at the end of the period, carrying 1:43 into overtime. That was Tom Wilson, high-sticking Macklin Celebrini. It was during that overtime power play that the Sharks scored.

39 seconds into overtime, Mikael Granlund’s pass found William Eklund in the faceoff circle. Eklund used a slap shot to put the game away. An assist also went to Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at 4:00 PM PT in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders hope to end 8 game skid in Tampa Bay Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders kicker Dan Carlson (2) holds his helmet after missing a late fourth quarter field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony talk about the fumble at the end of the game. The Las Vegas Raiders were in the Kansas City Chiefs zone at the 48 trying to get good field position for kicker Daniel Carlson to kick a game winning field goal with seconds left in the game. The Raiders wanted a little more field position for Carlson when quarterback Aidan O’Connell was counting his audibles when center Andre James snapped the ball which deflected off O’Connell for a fumble and was recovered by the Chiefs to win the game 19-17.

#2 No doubt about it Tony it had to be a heartbreaker for Antonio Pierce the Raiders head coach after O’Connell was moving the ball down field on that last offensive possession to get it over the 50 in the Chiefs zone and it didn’t hold up for the Raiders.

#3 In this game the Raiders had a more mindful defense and O’Connell was staying in step with the Chiefs offense For O’Connell on Friday Night Football 23-35, 340 yards, and two touchdowns. The Raiders kept it close but again just fell short at the end of the game.

#4 To Raiders defense they kept the pressure up on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs scored a field goal in the first quarter, a touchdown in the second quarter, two field goals in the third quarter by Michael Wright, and it was Wright’s game go ahead field goal with 9:53 left that lifted the Chiefs past the by a field goal.

#5 The Raiders now 2-10 having lost eight in a row will come face to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bucs are just a game out of first place with a 5-6 record. The Bucs are 2-4 at home the Raiders are a 1-6 on the road. It’s a 10:00 AM PST kick off how do you see this game shaking out?

Tony Renteria does the Las Vegas Raiders podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Falls To Division Rival Dallas Stars 2-1 

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The Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) makes a save against the Utah Hockey Club’s center Jack McBain (22) in the second period at the Delta Center on Mon Dec 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Following a 6-0 rout of the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, Utah’s offense faltered at home against Dallas losing 2-1 at the Delta Center on Monday.

The Utah Hockey Club returned home from a successful one-game road trip in Las Vegas where rookie backup goaltender Jaxson Stauber recorded 29 saves in a 6-0 blowout of the Golden Knights in his Utah debut. The shutout is the first in Utah franchise history. The win gave André Tourigny his 99th career victory as a head coach.

On Monday night, Utah welcomed the Dallas Stars to Salt Lake City for a one-game homestand. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was recognized during the contest for competing in his 500th NHL game. Sergachev would not get on the scoresheet in his milestone effort in which his two minor penalties would not factor into any Dallas goals.

The same could not be said for Utah captain Clayton Keller who was whistled for holding against Mavrik Bourque at 5:46 of the second period, resulting in a power play goal for Dallas winger Evgenii Dadonov, his seventh of the season, assisted by Matt Duchene and Miro Heiskanen. With less than a minute remaining in the middle frame, Dallas winger Jamie Benn made it 2-0 on his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Sam Steel.

Utah forward Nick Schmaltz would finally cut the Dallas lead in half at 6:57 of the third period with his third goal of the season, assisted by Matias Maccelli and Nick Bjugstad, but that would turn out to be Utah’s lone score of the night. Despite Utah outshooting the Stars 35-21 with numerous Grade-A chances, Dallas goaltender Casey DeSmith outdueled Karel Vejmelka for the win.

Utah Hockey Club head coach André Tourigny, who was unable to register his 100th coaching win at home, complemented tonight’s opponent. “Dallas is, by any metrics you can find, a really tough team to get anything sustained against them in terms of O-zone time. They put a lot of pressure on you. They create a lot of O-zone time themselves. You look at their bread and butter, you look at what we did against them; I’m really proud of the guys. They fought, they played hard, they were focused. Obviously, we generated (offense) as well. If you look at our three games we played against Dallas last year, you put all the scoring chances we had together; I think that’s about the number (of chances) we had tonight. I’m not saying we had a million tonight. Last year we had seven, eight, nine per game. They were 2-1 games, but we didn’t have a lot of offense sustained. Today, we had a lot of offense sustained, a lot of shots from the slot, a lot of passes through the slot, a lot of opportunities to break the game down. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish. In those kinds of games, you need it because normally you don’t have quantity. So you need to bury your chances.”

Tourigny addressed the grind of the next series of games following the strange scheduling of home-away-home games over the past four nights. “We’ll have a day off tomorrow. We must not forget we’re starting…(a stretch of) five games in eight days. And we’re going across the country. Need to make sure, as a coach, that you’re not putting yourself ahead of the team and that you give all the opportunity to your players to have all the energy possible. As an organization, I think we do a good job managing those things. Our departure will be on Thursday for the game on Saturday, so that we have time to arrive in Buffalo and have a practice there. Then an afternoon game. Then we play (the next night) in Philly, and then we come back, we’ll arrive late and 36 hours later, we play against Minnesota here in our building. And then we’re going back on the road the very next day. All of that to say, energy’s really important. Tomorrow will be a day off. We’ll have a good practice on Wednesday, we’ll travel on Thursday, good practice on Friday.”

Utah’s next home game is against the Minnesota Wild at 7:30pm MST on Tuesday, December 10.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda take 3 game win streak into Wed game vs. San Diego

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San Jose Barracuda defenseman Luca Cagnoni (42) had himself quite an afternoon against the Abbottsford Canucks scoring two power play goals and picking up three assists at Tech CU in San Jose on Sun Nov 30, 2024 (photo by San Jose Barracuda)

On the San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda scored their most power play goals of the season with four as they defeated the Abbotsford Canucks 7-4 at Tech CU in San Jose.

#2 Marko their offense is going so well their seven goals on Saturday is also a season high for most goals scored in a game.

#3 It took seven different Barracuda scorers to combine the seven goals. The Barracuda Collin Graf had three assists and Luca Cagnoni scored twice on a power play.

#4 Barracuda goaltender Gabriel Carriere made 25 saves for his second win against no loses. Carriere is 3-0 in his AHL career. Carriere is doing so well he got an assist for Andrew Poturalski’s power play goal a first assist in his career.

#5 The Barracuda are getting a lot of offense and how much has that carried over to their parent club the San Jose Sharks who are starting to have some success of their own?

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

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Struggling Kings host on a roll Rockets Tuesday night at Golden 1

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Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (13) defends against the San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Dec 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama picked up his first triple double with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists to help defeat the Sacramento Kings Sunday 127-125.

#2 The Spurs Devin Vassell came off the bench and added 21 points to help the Spurs in a very close game.

#3 The Kings DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 28 points. The Kings were looking up in the first half before things took a turn in the second half. The Kings led 17 points in the first quarter and were up at the half 65-58.

#4 The Kings just couldn’t stop Wembanyama who shot five 3 pointers, and scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Spurs Chris Paul put the icing on the cake hitting a three pointer with 20 seconds left in the game to help give the Spurs a two point win.

#5 No rest for the weary Kings as they’re back at it again at Golden 1 Center as the tip off against the visiting Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at 7:00pm PST. The Kings have now lost five of their last six games. The Rockets have won five of their last six games and have won three in a row. How do you see Tuesday night’s game between the Rockets and Kings?

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