San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Purdy ready to battle Buccaneers Sunday in Tampa Bay

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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch watches his players in a drill during camp in Santa Clara on Mon Jul 31st, 2023 (AP News file)

On the SF 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 Dave, the 49ers getting their last win against the Dallas Cowboys 30-24 a close game and Brock Purdy put up some good numbers at quarterback 18-26 for 260 yards, and one touchdown. How do you see Purdy matching up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense this Sunday?

#2 49ers general manager John Lynch said that running back Christian McCaffrey could come off the injury list soon. Lynch said that McCaffrey has passed every test in their plan. During the bye week McCaffrey stayed and worked with the trainers. McCaffrey has been on the injured list since Sep 14th when he injured his with bilateral Achilles tendinitis.

#3 There is talk that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy could wind up being one of the NFL’s top paid quarterbacks. The question is would Purdy make in the neighborhood of $50, $55, $60, or $65 million and if Purdy has the same type of second half like he did like in the first half he could fetch for those dollar amounts.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Blue Jackets 2-1 in OT, Wennberg With 2nd OT Winner; Celebrini is back from injuries

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) returned after suffering a hip injury his presence has fired up the team in their win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Nov 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime Tuesday. Jack Thompson and Alexander Wennberg scored for San Jose. This was the second time this season that Wennberg scored the overtime winner. Vitek Vanecek made 49 saves for the win. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves in the loss.

Vitek Vanecek was the difference in the game, keeping the Sharks in it despite a very lop-sided shot count. After the game, forward Alexander Wennberg talked about Vanecek’s performance: “He made so many good saves and key saves as well that makes us stay in the game. So, we wouldn’t win this game without him. So it’s just great to have that goaltending that you really can rely on.”

Macklin Celebrini made his return to the roster Tuesday. In 17:06 of ice time, he had three shots and one penalty. He also won 7 of 13 faceoffs. Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said, of Celebrini’s performance: “I thought you could see the rust in his game. Kinda what we expected. Obviously impacted the game in some other ways in a positive side.”

The first period saw several penalties. The Sharks had one power play and killed two penalties. The shot count at the end of the period was 13-6 Columbus.

Carl Grundstrom seemed to score his first as a Shark and the first of the game midway through the second period. The goal was called back as offside after a coach’s challenge from Columbus.

The first goal of the game came very late in that period, Just as a Columbus penalty expired, Jack Thompson scored his first NHL goal. He caught a cross-ice pass from Will Smith and put the puck in the net with a wrist shot at 18:49. A secondary assist went to Fabian Zetterlund.

In the second period, Columbus took the only two penalties. The shot count for the period was 17-11 Columbus.

The Sharks took a timeout at 8:06 of the third period. Columbus had just come very close to scoring, requiring four quick saves from Vanecek. After the timeout, Columbus continued to apply pressure and finally broke through with a goal at 9:17.

Kirill Marchenko gathered up a rebound from Damon Severson’s shot. He dragged the puck around Vanecek and poked it in on the far side. Assists went to Severson and Yegor Chinakhov.

The Sharks had a late power play but had no shots goal with the man advantage. The shot count at the end of regulation was 49-25 Columbus.

Alexander Wennberg scored the overtime winner 3:11 into overtime, skating around and between all three Columbus skaters before shooting into the top corner. Assists went to Zetterlund and Vanecek.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at 7:30 PM PT at home against the Minnesota Wild.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Eovaldi walks away from $20 million and Rangers declares free agency; Cole and Yanks settle on not changing the contract; plus more news

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Former Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi will be seeking greener pastures as Eovaldi has declined the $20 million offer by the Rangers and will not return for the 2025 season and will declare free agency and seek a new club. (AP News photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Texas Rangers Two time All Star starter RHP Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent on Monday. Eovaldi declined a vested $20 million player option with the Rangers for next season. Eovaldi will get a $2 million buyout. In 2023 Eovaldi pitched in the deciding game that landed the Rangers the World Series Championship. Eovaldi was 5-0 with a 2.85 ERA in the 2023 post season.

# 2 New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole was prepared to leave after asking for a $36 million extension that would raise his contract from $140 million to $180 million. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Cole sat down and hashed things out. It was agreed upon that both sides wanted to stay in New York so it was agreed that there would be no extension raise and Cole would finish out his current contract as a Yankee.

#3 Amaury, 13 players are getting qualifying offers which includes the Yankees Juan Soto as free agency began on Monday. Soto hit .288, 166 hits, 41 homers, and 109 RBIs. No doubt Soto will be well sought after if he ever hits the market but like Cole he might want to stay in New York too.

#4 Two San Francisco Giants were awarded the Golden Glove Awards third baseman Matt Chapman and catcher Patrick Bailey both had a superb season at their respective positions.

#5 The former Oakland Athletics released brand new guidelines and saying they will be referred to as the Athletics or A’s not the Sacramento A’s where they will be playing for the next three years at Sutter Health Park. The A’s are foregoing any mention of Sacramento and do not want fans to be confused with any city name because they have already vacated Oakland and eventually will vacate Sacramento in 2028.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradiioservice.com every Tuesday

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders fire offensive assistant coaches; Vegas face Dolphins in Miami next Sunday

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The Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner (bottom) tries to recover quarterback Gardner Minshew’s fumble in front of the Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Logan Wilson (55) at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sun Nov 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) once again get pummeled this time by the Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati 41-24. In the first half Tony the Raiders did have a close half coming out of it trailing 17-10 and it looked like the Raiders were going to stay in step with the Bengals.

#2 Raider starting quarter back Gardner Minshew was 10-17, 124 yards, did not throw or carry for a touchdown and didn’t throw an interception. Minshew and the Raiders just couldn’t much going on scoring in the third and fourth quarters.

#3 The Raiders couldn’t shut down the Bengals scoring in the second half as the Bengals in third quarter scored 14 points and ten points in the fourth quarter to run away with the game.

#4 Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow got good protection and was mobile against the Raiders pass rush finishing with a line of 27-39, 251 yards, had all day to throw with five touchdowns and was intercepted once.

#5 The Raiders hope to end their current five game loss streak as they head to Miami and Hard Rock Stadium for a 10:00am PST kickoff with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have struggled of late as well with three loses in a row and they lost Sunday 30-27 to the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins drop their record to 2-6. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a 25-28 afternoon throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Any chance the Raiders can snap out of this funk against the Dolphins next Sunday?

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

Newbies lead Cal to 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield in season opener

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Cal Bears guard DeJuan Campbell (3) is all smiles on opening night against the CSUB Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 4, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 73 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 86 (1-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Cal Bears (1-0) opened the 2024-2025 season, and a bunch of new faces shined in an 86-73 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-1) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Monday night.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2023 season, the Bears bounced back under first-year head coach Mark Madssn to go 13-19. It wasn’t the greatest record ever, but it didn’t come without its memorable and heartbreaking moments.

The Bears had some epic come-from-behind wins last season, as well as big wins against stronger teams. They even had a chance at a winning season until they lost their final four.

Most of the faces from last season are gone, and the Bears are now in the Atlantic Coast Conference as Madsen returns for his second season. With new blood in the Bears’ locker room, and an entirely new starting lineup of transfers, Madsen would try to build off the momentum from last season.

First up in this new season would be the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners out of the lesser-known Big West Conference. Right away, one of the newcomers made his presence known. I’m talking about Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA forward Peja Stojakovic, who believe it or not transferred over from Stanford of all places.

Stojakovic hit a three 15 seconds into the game to put the Bears on the board and stake them out to an early 3-0 lead. Over a minute later, he would hit a layup to make it 5-2. Oddly enough, Stojakovic was just 3-for-9 in field goals, but his perfect 9-for-9 in free throws led him to a 16-point performance.

The Roadrunners would take an 8-7 lead a few minutes later, but that would be the only lead they would hold the entire night.

The Bears went into the half with a 46-28 lead. One of the biggest themes in Bears’ games last season was that whichever team had a big lead at halftime was likely to lose it in the second half. Fortunately for the Bears, that did not happen Monday night.

Yes, the Roadrunners made things a little bit interesting late, as they cut the lead in half. However, a strong finish gave the Bears a comfortable 86-73 win.

The leading scorer for the Bears Monday night with 17 points was Jovan a Blacksher Jr., a transfer from Grand Canyon University playing his sixth season of college basketball. Blacksher was 6-for-14 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

BJ Omot, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, scored 13 points. DJ Campbell, who transferred from Stockton University, scored 12; and Mady Sissoko, who came over from Michigan State University, scored 10.

The Bears are 1-0, and they will welcome the Cal Poly Mustangs into Haas Pavilion Thursday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Experience Goes A Long Way: Cal’s Women Open With Impressive 90-58 Win Over Short-Handed St. Mary’s

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lost among the excitement of Cal’s decisive 90-58 opening night win and their prospects for a competitive debut season in the ACC was former Cal assistant Jeff Cammon trying to get his Gaels’ back to Moraga with their confidence intact.

Last season, Cammon had a lot more experience on the team bus, and St. Mary’s nagged Cal in a 74-69 loss in which they came dangerously close to the home team after trailing by 15 with just seven minutes remaining.

On Monday, with two freshman guards playing extensively, without marquee offensive leader Zeryhia Aokuso and his entire team flubbing on an intricate, defensive game plan, Cammon watched the evening unravel in a 2nd quarter that saw the Bears outscore his group 22-6 and lead 42-21 before the break.

“It’s super challenging,” Cammon said. “You’re dealing with young ladies who have almost zero experience at the Division 1 level, not to mention we haven’t been together too long. We went to Italy but this is a whole different deal.”

Meanwhile, Charmin Smith’s Bears were unyielding, relying on their size, talent, and experience to wear down St. Mary’s from the early minutes to the final horn. Sophomore Lulu Twidale led Cal with 24 points, Marta Suarez added 17, and the graduate core of Ioanna Krimili (124 games at the D1 level), Kayla Williams (112 games) and Michelle Onyiah (105 games) combined for 34.

Cammon said Onyiah might have presented the biggest challenge with her quick, rehearsed post moves and 6’3″ grown woman confidence.

“Michelle is such a challenge for us. She’s so big and athletic for us,” Cammon said. “It puts a little pressure on us. Do we sink down and try to help or leave her to go one-on-one against our bigs?”

Smith wanted improvement, and she has it, declaring that this is her most impressive roster in six seasons as head coach. Last year, Smith and the Bears experienced a breakthrough with 19 wins and a WNIT Tournament postseason berth. With the additions of impact transfer portal additions, Williams, Jayda Noble, and Natalia Ackerman, Cal could surprise in the coast-to-coast ACC.

Williams ran the offense seamlessly in place of departed point guard Leilani McIntosh, and Krimili selflessly assisted Williams as Cal complied 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Inside the paint, Cal had their way with 18 more free throw attempts than the Gaels. Outside, they made 14 threes on 30 attempts.

Cal’s 22nd-ranked recruiting class showed nerves as the quintet of rookies combined to shoot 1 of 8 from the floor.   Kamryn Mafua, the highest ranked Cal freshman according to recruiting services, buried a wide-open three with 1:09 remaining to give Cal its biggest lead of 34 points.

The Bears have a Thursday matinee affair at 11:00 a.m. against Idaho State at Haas Pavilion before traveling to San Jose State on Saturday.

2

Kings Blowup In Third Quarter Hanging On To Beat Miami Heat 111-110

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The Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) defends against the Miami Heat Bam Adebayo (13) in the first half at Miami on Mon Nov 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (4-3) trailed after the first quarter, they trailed at the half in their game with the Miami Heat (3-3). They caught fire in the third quarter outscoring the Heat 37-17 and hung on to win the game 111-110.

De’Aaron Fox led the charge in the third quarter scoring 16 points. Domantas Sabonis had another double double in this amazing win. They have now improved to 4-3 on the season winning three games on this four game road trip.

Game recap: After the first 12 minutes of play, the Kings were trailing by a single basket 22-25. It had been a competitive quarter. The second quarter was not a great one for the Kings and at the half, the Heat had taken a 61-48 lead.

Miami had closed the first half with a 13 to 1 flurry. They outscored the Kings by ten points in the second quarter 36-26. It was a lackluster first half for Sacramento. The Kings were 3 of 14 from downtown while the Heat were 11-20.

They seemed at times that they were having trouble communicating defensively. They did protect the ball well with six turnovers in the half. The huge problem for Sacramento was the 21% accuracy from beyond the arc.

The Heat on the other hand were shooting 55% from downtown. The Kings had hit 3 three’s and the Heat scored 11 of 20. Sacramento had numerous open shots but just couldn’t hit them. The Kings had a bit of an uphill challenge in front of them but they tend to rise to the occasion when they are behind the eight ball.

They needed to play with urgency in the second half but without fouling. The Kings needed someone to get hot in the third quarter and it would not be long before we found out who that someone was.

The Kings came off the critical list at 8:58 going on a 9-0 run and pulling to within six points 57-63. It took nearly three quarters but at 3:09 Sacramento took the lead 77-76. The Kings continued to dominate the quarter going on a 12-0 run taking an 85-77 lead with 24 ticks left on the clock.

Sacramento had outscored the Heat 37-17 in an incredible turnaround. Fox was responsible for this huge third quarter comeback scoring 16 points. They took a 85-78 lead into the fourth quarter. Sabonis kept it clean in the third quarter with the three fouls drawn in the first half as did Malik Monk who had four fouls in the opening half.

The Heat began to creep back into the game cutting the Kings lead to three points 85-82 at 11:26. The game had a wild ending. When it looks as though the Heat would pull this one out, DeMar DeRozan hit a three plus a foul and it was a one point game, the Kings trailing 107-108 with less than a minute left in the game. Sabonis made a 9-foot two point shot with 0.7 giving the Kings the lead 111-110. After this physical brutal game, Sacramento was able to pull this one out.

When the dust had settled on this game four of the Kings starters had four personals along with bench player Monk who also had four but each of them was able to hold on and continue to play a physical game.

The high for the Kings was Fox with 28 points and six rebounds who spurred the Kings climbing back into this game after the first half. DeRozan finished with 26 points. Sabonis had a double double with 16 rebounds and 16 points.

Keegan Murray had 14 points and six rebounds. Monk finished with 14 points and the Kings had a 3-1 record on this road trip. Three road wins on any road trip is no small feat. After being down significantly these guys did not give up, they found a way to win. Everyone on the team had a hand in this game.

Game notes: Monday night the Kings took on the Heat. The Kings had a tough three-point loss in overtime to the Toronto Raptors Saturday night 131-128. Despite some impressive stats, the Kings were off. The turnovers were troublesome with 18 and second and third chance balls would not fall.

A lot of credit goes to the Raptors who did play a very impressive game with RJ Barrett going off for 31 points. The Kings did not get a lot of stops which hurt them throughout the game. The Raptors dictated play from the get go and it was not the case in Monday night’s game.

The Heat have a deep starting roster with Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Nikola Jovic. Saturday night Bam Adebayo was the top guy scoring 32 points, last Wednesday it was Tyler Herro with 34 points and last Monday it was Jimmy Butler who had the high score for the team with 23 points.

The Kings have now won three of their last four games. Unfortunately Kevin Huerter missed his second game of the season for the Kings due to a non-covid related illness. The Kings arrived in Miami three hours late Sunday due to various issues on the tarmac but they did get Sunday off and were rested and won Monday night.

The Kings will now return home getting another crack at the Toronto Raptors looking for a little payback on Wednesday night. That game will take place at Golden 1 Center with tipoff scheduled for Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

Cardinal Unsettle Pioneers 85-62, During Exploration on the Farm, Monday Afternoon

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Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) led the Cardinal in scoring on Mon Nov 4, 2024 against the Denver Pioneers at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Staford Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 ACC) won their season opener with a 85-62 victory over the University of Denver Pioneers (0-1, 0-0 Summit League) on an Early Afternoon in Palo Alto.

Despite a nip and tuck beginning to the contest, Stanford eventually took charge and pulled away from the competition. The first half had five ties and seven lead changes, and was really competitive until late in the stanza.

“I was really pleased for our first home game; I thought we played well in a lot of stretches, and Denver played really hard.” Explained Stanford HC Kyle Smith.

Near the 7-minute mark of the first half, Stanford went on a 17-0 run, taking a great deal of fight from the Mile-High Explorers. During the initial 20 minutes, the Cardinal hit five threes, blocked 5 shots, swiped 9 steals, dished 8 assists, and forced 12 turnovers.

At the midway point of the game, Stanford led by 16 (38-22), although their largest advantage during the initial half was two points greater. Junior guard Benny Gealer led the home team with 12 points, on four made 3-pointers. Senior forward Maxime Raynaud was near a double-double, with nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard DeAndre Craig topped the Pioneers with eight points and four rebounds..

The second half had even more contributions from the Cardinal hooper, including junior guard Oziyah Sellers and his 17 additional points to the teams’ tally. Sellers had a productive seven points in the first half, but exploded for more than double his early output. Raynaud also continued his consistent play with points, rebounds and assists,

Denver continued to fight; however, the Cardinal ‘s attack and defense was too strong, as they led by as much as 27 points late in the game. When the final horn sounded and the 40 minutes of regulation expired, the Cardinal had secured their first win of the 2024-25 season, 85-62.

The aforementioned Sellers led all scorers with his career high 24 points, and he grabbed 7 rebounds. Raynaud accomplished a double-double (16 points & 12 rebounds) and gave 6 assists, swiped two steals and blocked a shot.

Two other Cardinal hoopers were in double figures: Gealer (12) and graduate guard Jaylen Blakes (12), who also dropped 6 dimes himself for the squad.

The Pioneers had three players to eclipse the 10-point plateau. Craig (12), freshman guard Sebastian Akins (150 and senior forward Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente (10).

The Cardinal will next be in action Friday, November 8 at Maples hosting Fullerton at 1:00 PM PST on ACC Extra/ESPN+. Denver heads back to Colorado to host Western Colorado on the same date at 1:00 PM MST on Micro Sports Plus/Summit League Network.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda get swept by Wild in Des Moines losing Sunday 5-2; San Jose drops third straight game

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San Jose Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski (22) scored twice against the Iowa Wild at Iowa Wild Arena in Iowa on Sun Nov 3, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda photo)

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 Marko tough road trip to Iowa as the San Jose Barracuda (6-3-0-0) were swept in a brief two game series to the Iowa Wild (3-6-1-0) and on Sunday losing 5-2.

#2 The Barracuda after winning four straight now have lost three straight for head coach John McCarthy is there any concern right now? The Wild in those two games seemed to have figured out the Barracuda’s formula?

#3 The Wild scored the first three goals of the game all unanswered, in the first period at 13:19 Liam Olgren and at 18:18 David Spacek, Michael Milne scored the first goal of the second period at 5:13 the Wild were quickly up 3-0.

#4 At 19:13 of the second period Andrew Poturalski scored the first of two unanswered goals for the Barracuda and in the third period at 8:32 cutting the Wild’s lead to 3-2.

#5 The Wild would put it out of reach in the third period at 13:18 on Hunter Haight’s goal and at 15:50 Devine Shore scored the game’s last goal for a 5-2 final. Tough Sunday for Barracuda goaltender Georgi Romanov allowing five goals stopping 31 shots.

#5 Up next the Barracuda open up a two game set against the Colorado Eagles on Sat Nov 9th at Tech CU for a 6:00pm PST. The Eagles have won their last two games are in fourth in the Pacific Division at 4-3-0-1. How do you see these two games this coming Saturday?

Join Marko for the San Jose Barracuda podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason: Kings tip off against Heat tonight in Miami

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The Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis scored his 60th career triple double against the Toronto Raptors on Mon Nov 4, 2024 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (Sacramento Kings X photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Toronto Raptors RJ Barrett was the top scorer with 31 points as the Sacramento Kings were defeated 131-128. The Kings just couldn’t keep Barrett down he was just hitting his shot on Saturday night.

#2 Barrett’s teammates were also able to connect with the bucket Ochai Agbaji scored a season high of 22 points and teammate Grady Dick had 22 points as well and it was challenging for the Kings who kept up with the Raptors.

#3 In spite of the loss the Kings Domantas Sabonis chalked up his 60th triple double had 17 points, 20 rebounds, and ten assists but the Kings fell short and ended their three game win streak.

#4 Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan missed two three pointers in the last minute of the game but scored 33 points.

#5 The Kings take on the Miami Heat on Monday night in Miami with a 5:15pm PST. The Heat have won three of their last four games including their last game Monday night defeating the Washington Wizards 118-98. Talk about how you see the Kings and Heat match tonight?

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