Sharks Defeated 8-3 by Jets, Take a Big Step Back, Loss is Fifth Straight

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The Winnipeg Jets Gabriel Valardi (13) and Nikolaj Ehlers (27) celebrate Ehler’s goal as the San Jose Sharks Mikael Granlund (64) skates by in first period action at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on Fri Oct 18, 2024 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks fell 8-3 to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Neal Pionk, Kyle Connor, Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Jets, with two goals each from Ehlers and Perfetti. Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves for the win. Tykler Toffoli, Luke Kunin and Fabian Zeterlund scored for the Sharks.MacKenzie Blackwood made 13 saves on 18 shots before being replaced by Vitek Vanacek, who made 15 saves on 18 shots.

After the game, Sharks forward Nico Sturm said:

“The truth is, we did take a big step back these last two games. I thought we looked really really good the first three games of the season. I thought we looked really good in Dallas, on the road against a Stanley Cup contender. And then we took two massive steps back these last two nights. It felt a lot like last year, these last two games.”

Josh Morrissey opened the scoring for the Jets at 1:59. Nikolaj Ehlers carried the puck in to the goal line before passing it back to Colin Miller at the point. Miller passed it along the blue line to Morrissey for a long shot into the far corner of the net.

Ehlers scored the next one for the Jets at 9:25. Mark Scheifele passed the puck to Gabriel Vilardi at the net. Instead of trying for the shot, Vilardi sent the puck back out to Ehlers in the faceoff circle. Ehlers did take the shot.

Tyler Toffoli made it 2-1 with a power play goal at 11:43, tipping a shot from Jake Walman at the point. Mikael Granlund also got an assist.

Ehlers scored his second of the game at 13:31. Cole Perfetti took the puck away from the Sharks in the neutral zone and passed it to Ehlers, who skated into the Sharks zone and scored.

Neal Pionk made it 4-1 at 18:48 with a wrist shot from the point. Assists went to Ales Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had been outscored 4-1 and outshot 15-8. They also took three penalties, two of which overlapped for some five on three time and the third was a too many men penalty. Altogether not a good period for the Sharks, but they did score a power play goal.

Kyle Connor made it 5-1 with a wrist shot from the slot less than two minutes into the second period. Assists went to Pionk and Valardi.

The Sharks changed goaltenders after that goal.

Luke Kunin scored to cut the Jets’ lead to 5-2. Cody Ceci took a shot from the point but it went off of Iafallo. Carl Grundstrom gathered it back up and passed it back to Kunin in the slot.

At the end of the second period, the Sharks had again been outshot 14-8, but were not outscored in the period.

Cole Perfetti made it 6-2 with a power play goal at 9:50 of the third period. Iafallo carried the puck almost to the net before passing it back to Perfetti in the slot for the shot. An assist also went to Namestnikov.

Fabian Zetterlund showed some push back with a goal less than 20 seconds later. Toffoli carried the puck in two-on-one with Zetterlund and made a late pass to set up the shot. An assist also went to Granlund.

Perfetti scored his second of the night, another power play goal at 12:55. Pionk and Namestnikov assisted. Namestnikov scored with a wrist shot in the final minute to make it 8-3. Pionk and Perfetti got the assists.

The final shot count was 36-22 Jets.

The Sharks next play on Sunday back in San Jose, against the Colorado Avalanche at 5:00 PM PT.

Kings Go 0-5 In Pre-Season Play Losing To Los Angeles Clippers 113-91

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Oct 17, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Jordan Miller (11) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second quarter of NBA preseason game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesKiyoshi Mio

By Barbara Mason

Thursday night the Sacramento Kings (0-5) lost their final pre-season game to the Los Angeles Clippers (4-1) 113-91. The Kings have lost every pre-season game as they continue to work to get ready for the 2024-25 season.

Sacramento’s newest acquisition DeMar DeRozan is working hard to complete the starting roster for the Kings. Sacramento now has a week of hard practice ahead of them as they prepare to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves to open the season at Golden 1 Center.

Thursday evening the Kings finished up their pre-season losing to the Clippers at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Kings have lost all of their pre-season games and they are focused on working DeMar DeRozan into the starting lineup.

They did improve ball protection in their last game and continue to work hard as they prepare for the start of the regular season which gets underway on October 24 when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Sacramento.

Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Orlando Robinson, Trey Lyles and De’Aaron Fox were all listed GTD with a return date of October 24th. James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Jones did not play for the Clippers.

The Clippers got on top as the opening quarter wore down leading 30-20 after the first twelve minutes of play. The first quarter was sloppy at best for the Kings with 9 turnovers, shooting at 18% from downtown with only 30 % from the field.

Los Angeles continued to extend their lead in the second quarter and with 6:31 left in the first half the Clippers had a 28-48 lead. The Sacramento bench saw some action in the second quarter although Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Keegan Murray did play play in the quarter.

The Kings continue to push through the pre-season in an effort to get this lineup ready for the regular season. The Clippers took a 65-38 lead into halftime. They had outscored Sacramento 35-18 in the second quarter. The Kings finished the half with 13 turnovers, shooting 14% from downtown and 28% from the field. The Clippers were shooting nearly 60% from the field in this lopsided game.

The Kings made a rally attempt in the third quarter after trailing by as much as 27 points. They were able to pull to within 14 points before the Clippers pushed back holding onto a comfortable lead for the rest of the quarter. After three quarters Los Angeles had an 85-69 lead. The Kings were able to outscore the Clippers in the quarter 31-20.

The Clippers went on to win the fourth quarter 28-22 and the game 113-91. Domantas Sabonis finished with the high for the Kings with 24 points and 9 rebounds just shy of another double double. Keegan Murray had 11 points and 7 rebounds in the loss. Sacramento will now head back to Golden 1 Center to prepare for the start of the season next week.

The Kings will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first game of the 2024-25 season with the tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Sharks Lose 4-2 to Blackhawks, Penalty Kill Falters

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts the stop on a Chicago Blackhawks shot at the United Center on Thu Oct 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Blackhawks’ home opener Thursday. Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson scored for Chicago. Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zeterlund scored for San Jose and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves in the loss.

In one of their more lopsided losses of the young season, the Sharks had a very slow start. In the first two periods, they were outshot 23-11 and took seven penalties, two of those overlapping. It is unsurprising, then, that the Sharks’ perfect penalty kill was broken as they gave up two powerplay goals.

After the game, Sharks forward Mikael Granlund talked about that start: “We were playing too slow with the puck, skating-wise. It’s tough to play when you’re just chasing the game, we were chasing the game the whole period. So we gotta be better at that and that cost us the game tonight.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We didn’t do anything well. Got off to a slow start, hasn’t been us. Couldn’t defend in our own end, couldn’t close quick enough, couldn’t get the forecheck going. Didn’t do anything well.”

The Blackhawks’ first goal came from Taylor Hall at 4:20 of the first period. Hall caught a long pass from TJ Brodie and entered the Sharks’ zone with speed before scoring with a wrist shot.

Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0 at the end of the period, on the power play. Teuvo Teravainen sent the puck to the net frpm the wing and Bertuzzi tipped in from the slot. Assists went to Teravainen and Connor Bedard.

Nick Foligno made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second period, again on the power play. Bedard sent the puck across the ice to Teravainen, who sent it back to Foligno in front of the net for a redirect.

Tyler Toffoli got one back for the Sharks at 18:17 of the period. William Eklund carried the puck to the goal line before centering the puck for Toffoli. Assists went to Eklund and Mikael Granlund.

Jason Dickinson made it 4-1 at 2:19 of the third. Joey Anderson passed the puck behind the net to Dickinson, who swept it around the post and into the net before Vanacek could get across.

Fabian Zetterlund made it 4-2 at 2:52, deflected Mikael Granlund’s shot off of his lower body. Assists went to Granlund and Eklund.

The Sharks next play Friday at 5:00 PM PT in Winnipeg against the Jets.

MLB Post Season podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Guardians come back from behind to get walk off HR from Fry in 10th; Dodgers go up 3-1 can eliminate Mets Friday

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Cleveland Guardians David Fry raises his arms in victory after hitting a bottom of the tenth two run walk off home run against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Thu Oct 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the MLB Post Season podcast with Stephen:

#1 Stephen Cleveland almost had this game. The Guardians had a 3-1 lead through six innings but the Yankees rallied in the top of the eighth inning for three runs to take a 5-3 lead. The Guardians would come back and tie up the game in the bottom of the ninth 5-5. The Guardians a team never to give up scored another two runs in the bottom of the tenth for the 7-5 win and pick up their first win of the ALCS.

#2 In the bottom of the ninth inning down 5-3 the Guardians sent up pinch hitter Jhonkensky Noel who belted a 404 foot home run to left field to tie up the game. Sometimes you never know what the pinch hitter is going to do. The Guardians got a game winning home run in the bottom of the tenth when David Fry hit a two run shot to left center for 399 feet to end the evening with a 7-5 win.

#3 In spite of the New York Mets walking Shohei Ohtani three times Ohtani did enough damage hitting a home run in the first inning scored a run in the third, and scored another run in the after Mookie Betts homered in the sixth inning.

#4 Dodgers Tommy Edman had a night at the plate against the Mets with a third inning RBI double, a two run RBI double in the eighth. Mookie Betts with a fourth inning two run RBI double, Betts with the homer in the sixth and scored on Will Smith’s RBI single in the eighth inning.

#5 Dodgers take a 3-1 lead in the series and could wrap it up in game five on Friday afternoon a 2:08pm PT first pitch at Citi Park. The Mets have absolutely struggled in this series in trying to figure out the Dodgers.

Stephen Ruderman is an MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal looking to snap three game skid against NC State Saturday

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Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) had to run for his life pretty much all afternoon against Pitt Panther tackle Braylan Lovelace (0) and the Panther pass rush at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Oct 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 There was no holding down Pitt Panthers last Saturday as they maintained their undefeated record now at 6-0 while Cal drop to 3-3.

#2 Close game but Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza couldn’t get enough points on the board as Cal fell short 17-15.

#3 For Mendoza he threw 27-37 for 272 yards and one touchdown. Did the Panthers have Mendoza running for daylight as he was running out of the pocket and often and ended up getting sacked six times.

#4 Cal’s defense kept the Bears in the game but the offense just couldn’t score enough to get by the Panther in the two point loss.

#5 Cal now focuses on the NC State Wolfpack (3-4)this Saturday with a 12:30pm PT kickoff at Memorial Stadium. The Wolfpack who have lost their last two games the last one against the Syracuse Orange 24-17. Cal comes into this game against NC State snake bitten having losing their last three games all close games against Florida State on Sep 21, to Miami on Sat Oct 5 and to Pitt on Sat Oct 12. Cal will no doubt be driven to get back in the win column after last week’s loss to Pitt with home field advantage.

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB Post Season podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Mets shutout on home field 8-0 by Dodgers take 2-1 series lead

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani watches the distance of his home run in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Park in New York on Wed Oct 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the MLB Post Season podcast with Stephen:

#1 Once again the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching came through again with a shutout against the New York Mets 8-0. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler went four innings, allowing four hits and two walks.

#2 The Dodgers also got help with the long ball tonight from Enrique Hernandez with a sixth inning home run, Shohei Ohtani an eighth inning home run, and Max Muncy a ninth inning home run.

#3 Mets starter Luis Severino pitched well going four plus allowing three hits, four walks and three strikeouts. It was the Mets relief core who surrendered runs later in the game Reed Garett 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and two runs and Tyler Megill 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and four runs.

#4 What does this say about this Dodgers pitching staff that pitched 33 consecutive innings of shutout ball and lost game two 7-3 but bounced right back in game 3 with a huge 8-0 win.

#5 Dodgers can move up 3-1 if they can pick up another win against the Mets at Citi Park on Thursday night. Starting for LA Yoshi Yamamoto (1-0, 5.63) and for the Mets Jose Quintana (0-0, 0.00) first pitch 5:08pm PT at Dodger Stadium for game four.

Stephen Ruderman is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Jessica Kwong: Cooper expected to be offensive weapon for Bills; Rogers is all in with Adams at the Jets

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Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) is headed for the Buffalo Bills after getting dealt on Tue Oct 16, 2024 (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 Well Jessica if you enjoy covering former Las Vegas Raider players who are on the trade block the last 24 hours this is the coverage for you. Former Raider Amari Cooper was dealt on Tuesday to the Buffalo Bills giving the Bills a solid receiver from the Cleveland Browns. Cooper for the Browns thus far this season has 24 receptions, 250 yards, two touchdowns, and is averaging 10.4 yards.

#2 With the addition of Devante Adams at wide receiver for the New York Jets joining quarterback Aaron Rogers. Rogers said it will be the added punch the Jets need on the receiving core, “Obviously, I’m really excited,” Rodgers said, “It’s on us now. We’re going all in.”

#3 Former New England Patriot legend Tom Brady will be a minority owner for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Brady stake in the purchase was approved by the NFL owners on Tuesday. Brady played 23 seasons with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers combined.

#4 Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is none too happy about talk show hosts  Shan Shariff, R.J. Choppy and Bobby Belt at 105.3 The Fan. Jones was asked on the show if the lack of aggressiveness was the reason why the Cowboys were 3-3. “That’s not your job or I’ll get somebody else to ask these questions, men. No, no. I’m not kidding.” said Jones

#5 The Atlanta Falcons will host the Super Bowl LXII in 2028. It will be the fourth time Atlanta will host the Super Bowl. It’s the Atlanta’s first time since 2019.

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal face potent SMU on the Farm Saturday

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The Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Emmett Mosely V (right) takes the ball on the run against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Kyngstonn Vilamu-Asa (27) at Notre Dame Stadium on Sat Oct 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 When Stanford battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish they had a hard time containing Irish quarterback Riley Leonard who threw three touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown as No.11 Notre Dame crushed Stanford 49-7.

#2 Leonard also went 16-22 for 229 yards, rushing six times for 31 yards and a touchdown.

#3 The game was delayed an hour due to lightning in the area and Leonard was replaced by back up quarterback Steven Angeli who was 2-5 for 19 yards. Leonard did most of the damage under center for Notre Dame.

#4 The Fighting Irish shutdown offense with eight tackles, four sacks and recovered a fumble. Those turnovers hurt the Cardinal most and Notre Dame were just running away with the game.

#5 It doesn’t get any easier as Stanford face the SMU Mustangs who are 5-1. The Mustangs have won three straight games and defeated the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday 34-27. The Mustangs have an offense they landslided TCU on Sep 21st 66-42. Michael how do you see this match with SMU and Stanford this Saturday on the Farm.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Battle for Women Sports in the US

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San Jose State University Spartan’s volley ball player Blaire Fleming (3) a transgender has been the subject of boycotts by four universities (San Jose State University photo)

The Battle for Women Sports in the US

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Although this instance involves a Bay Area University, this issue is becoming a bigger and bigger national issue. Simple, should a biological male who transitioned to female be able to participate in biological women’s sports? Several teams have canceled matches against San José State rather than compete against the team that features transgender senior Blaire Fleming.

Below: This was the official statement by the University of Reno women’s volleyball team.

“We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against San José State University and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University,” the statement said, referring to the other teams who have forfeited their matches. We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any game that advances injustice against female athletes.”

So, how do we approach this issue in sports as a society? According to the professionals in academia, the people who know and are authorized to talk about biology, men have more skeletal muscle than women, an average of 26 pounds. Regarding upper-body strength, men have about 40% more upper-body strength than women. Regarding lower-body strength, men have about 33% lower body strength than women.

In other words, when a male is born compared to a female, they have deeper bones, tendons, and ligaments and a greater cardiovascular reserve. Men also have larger hearts, greater lung volume, higher red blood cell counts, plus other physical advantages.

This is not a commentary but a fact revealed by people who study and are qualified to give us this type of statistical information. We are all entitled to offer our opinions on sports and cultural issues. However, most people with any common sense agree that a biological man is born with more physical attributes than a female.

70% of the country agrees that biological males who do the transformation to women should not compete against biological females. I am part of that 70%, and we cannot criticize these women in collegiate sports who refuse to play against a team that showcases a biological man.

Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer and the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women’s 500-yard freestyle event in 2022 before being barred from competing in women’s events by World Aquatics.

Thomas’s career has been a part of the public debate about transgender women in women’s sports. I, for one, would not like any of my two grandaughters to compete against the biological men who transitioned to female. I consider myself fair, and in my book, such a thing is not fair.

This issue is bigger than sports, but since it is now part of our sports culture, I thought we should consider what we are doing, and should be open for debate.

Amaury Pi Gonzaelz does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Pearsall returns to practice for first time after being shot; plus more Niners news

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall sits on the 49ers bench against the New England Patriots on Sun Sep 29, 2024 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. Pearsall’s return to the practice field is imminent depending on his recovery as being evaluated by the 49ers medical staff. (AP photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David:

#1 David, talk about Ricky Pearsall’s return. Pearsall has returned for the first time since being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery attempt in downtown San Francisco. Pearsall was shot nine days before the NFL season was set to kick off. With Pearsall’s return the 49ers have three weeks to activate him.

#2 David, talk about how important the rookies were in avoiding a collapse against the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday as the 49ers held their own in their 36-24 win at Lumen Field in Seattle.

#3 The 49ers take on one of football’s toughest the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi Stadium this Sunday Oct 20th. The Chiefs have not lost a game 5-0 and it’s almost a rematch as these two teams meet for the first time since the Super Bowl.

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