The San Jose Earthquakes time and time again during their match against Charlotte FC take the ball up the field in the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio CA on Sat Feb 7, 2026 (San Jose Earthquakes X photo)
By William Espy
The San Jose Earthquakes kicked off their public preseason at the Coachella Valley Invitational as they faced off against Charlotte FC at Empire Polo Club, Indio, CA which concluded in a 2-2 draw.
San Jose Starting XI: Daniel, DeJuan Jones, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benji Kikanovic, Beau Leroux, Ronaldo Vieira, Niko Tsakiris, Jamar Ricketts, Ousseni Bouda, Preston Judd.
After a scoreless first half hour, the Earthquakes made a couple of changes bringing on Vitor Costa and Jack Skahan for DeJuan Jones and Preston Judd.
Despite Charlotte controlling play toward the end of the first half, San Jose native Beau Leroux opened the scoring for the Earthquakes off of a pass by Ousseni Bouda, making it 1-0 in the 41st minute. A couple of minutes later, Ronaldo Vieira was shown the game’s first yellow card for a challenge on Luca De La Torre.
The Earthquakes carried their lead into the halftime break.
The Quakes came out of the gate with a lot of attacking pressure in the second half. There was a big collision between Jamar Ricketts and Jack Neeley when they were both looking up at the ball in the 53rd minute. Both returned to their feet, avoiding the worst possible outcome. Ricketts was shown a yellow card on the play.
Wilfried Zaha and Vieira collided in the 60th minute causing another slight delay. Zaha was taken down again, this time by Leroux, right outside of the box about a minute later.
Just after the hour mark, the Earthquakes made quite a few changes. Daniel, Vieira, and Reid Roberts came out of the game, while Earl Edwards Jr, Dave Romney and Ian Harris came into the game.
Benji Kikanovic was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Zaha in the 65th minute. In the 67th minute, Charlotte got their best scoring chance to this point as they hit the goalpost.
When all was said and done, the Quakes held on to their clean sheet and walked away with a 1-0 victory to kick off their preseason in Indio.
Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) takes a shot between the Los Angeles Clippers forwards John Collins (20) and Derrick Jones (right) in first half action at Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Fri Feb 6, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey:
#1 Who were the key contributors for the Clippers in this game, and how did their performances impact the final result? Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the 114-111 win.
#2 How did the Kings’ recent struggles (including their lengthy losing streak) influence their performance against the Clippers? Sacramento’s loss extended their losing streak to 11 games, highlighting ongoing challenges for the team.
#3 What effect did recent trades and roster changes have on the Clippers’ lineup and chemistry in this matchup? Clippers were short-handed following trades, including James Harden and Ivica Zubac leaving the team.
#4 Which statistical categories (shooting efficiency, rebounds, turnovers) were most decisive in the final three-point game margin? The Clippers overcame a deficit and took control late, with balanced scoring and contributions from role players.
#5 What does this game’s outcome mean for each team’s season trajectory — such as playoff hopes for the Clippers vs. tanking/draft position implications for the Kings?
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Dylan Cardwell #32 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates against the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center on February 06, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO–Losers of 10 straight games coming into Friday, the Sacramento Kings played host to the Los Angeles Clippers at 7 p.m. PST. The Kings fell to the Clippers 114-111 on Saturday night.
In the first quarter, neither team’s starters did much to begin the game. The Kings and Clippers were tied at 14 with just over three minutes left to go in the quarter before the Kings bench lit the spark to go on a run to end the quarter. Malik Monk came in and scored nine points in the quarter to lead the bench unit to outscoring the Clippers bench 15-5. With the help of the bench, the Kings outscored the Clippers 27-17 to take the early lead in the game. The Clippers didn’t take very good care of the ball in the first quarter as they committed six turnovers that led to seven Kings points.
In the second quarter, the Clippers got back the deficit they lost in the first quarter. The Clippers’ offense picked up its production in the second quarter as they outscored the Kings 31-22. However, the Kings maintained the 49-48 lead going into halftime. John Collins led the resurgence for the Clippers with eight points for the club in the second quarter alone, as Kawhi Leonard added six for LA. Dylan Cardwell led the scoring in the second quarter for the Kings as he finished the frame with six points.
In the third quarter, the Kings and Clippers mainly traded baskets as the Clippers outscored the Kings again, this time 31-28, to head to the fourth quarter leading 79-77. Neither team had seized control of the game up until this point, and it was anyone’s for the taking in the fourth quarter. The Kings’ leading scorer through the first three quarters of action was Malik Monk with 15 points. Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers through three with 24 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Kings ran out of steam against the Clippers. Led by Kawhi Leonard’s seven points in the quarter, the Clippers outscored the Kings 35-34 to defeat Sacramento 114-111. Leonard led all scorers in the game with 31 points in the contest as the Clippers improved to 24-27 on the season. Dylan Cardwell led the way for the Kings with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort as the Kings lost their 11th straight to fall to 12-41 on the year. Malik Monk and Nique Clifford added the best scoring efforts for the Kings in the game as they scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the Kings.
After the game, Doug Christie spoke on the growing pains of playing young guys as a team out of playoff contention.
“Yeah, times like this get tough. You can look back at all the different things, and there’ve been a lot of them, but we don’t — I don’t come in and make excuses,” Doug said after the game. “… We begin to grow, and that’s what we want to do in the last 31. We want to make sure that we are growing and building a swell and the momentum that takes us into the offseason.”
The Kings will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers and host the return of Keon Ellis since his trade away from the Kings on Saturday at 7 p.m. PST inside Golden 1 Center.
San Jose Barracuda vs Abbotsford Canucks on Friday February 6th at Rogers Forum (via Abbotsford Canucks/flickr)
By Madison Montez
After a scoreless first period, Abbotsford’s Arshdeep Bains scored his sixth of the season to give the Canucks a second period 1-0 lead. Jimmy Huntington scored his ninth of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Less than a minute later, Jonathan Lekkerimaki was given a penalty shot and scored to take back the lead, now 2-1. Oliver Wahlstrom tied the game for the Barracuda again, scoring his thirteenth of the season.
To take their third lead of the game, Abbotsford’s Victor Mancini scored his third goal of the season to make it a 3-2 game. Coming out of the penalty box, Egor Afanasyev used his speed and tied the game once again at 3-3. Getting a shot off of Tolpilo, San Jose took their first lead of the game with Afanasyev scoring his second of the period. Two minutes later, Nolan Allan extended the lead, making it 5-3. To score his second of the season, Braden Hache scored an empty net goal to extend the score to 6-3. To seal the win, Anthony Vincent scored his fourth of the season to make it 7-3.
After the first period, both teams had six shots on goal. After the second period, the period where four goals were scored total, San Jose outshot Abbotsford seven to six. After the third, both teams had eleven shots on goal.
Both teams had opportunities to show their special teams in tonights game. For San Jose, they had 1 opportunity and came into the game first on the power-play and fifth on the penalty kill. For Abbotsford, they had four opportunities and came into the game, third on the power-play and last on the penalty kill.
Gabriel Carriere got the start for San Jose after coming off of a 22 save win against the Calgary Wranglers on January 31st. In tonight’s game, Carriere made 20 saves and recorded the win. For Abbotsford, Nikita Tolopilo is coming off of a 26 save win against the Laval Rocket. In tonight’s game, Tolopilo made 17 saves and recorded the loss.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
Jimmy Huntington
Egor Afanasyev
Victor Mancini
The Barracuda will be back in action tomorrow against this same Abbotsford Canucks team. San Jose will be looking to sweep the series.
Bad Bunny addresses the news media at Super Bowl LX media day in San Francisco on Thu Feb 5, 2026 (photo by Shawn McCullough-Sports Radio Service)
Super Tazón 60 -Santa Clara, California
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
Super Bowl LX comes to the Bay Area, and so do the fans from the US and many other places in the world. For the first time ever, the Half Time Show will be all in Spanish. Superstar Bad Bunny is the star. I am not familiar with the Bunny. Although I am Hispanic, I am from a different generation, and when I want to listen to Spanish music, I prefer Julio Iglesias, Celia Cruz, or many other truly legendary Spanish singers from earlier generations.
These people I mentioned (and others I did not) are truly icons of Spanish music. So, excuse me, but for me, the only bunny I like is Bugs Bunny, whose voice was dubbed by the great Mel Blanc from Brooklyn, and Bugs eating his “zanahorias” is widely known in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and other languages done at Burbank’s Warner Brothers studios.
Seems like the NFL all of a sudden discovered that the largest minority in the United States of America speaks Spanish, so their marketing brains concluded, “Hey, we better do a half-time show all in Spanish.” With all due respect to the NFL, Major League Baseball has been the leading pro sports broadcaster in Spanish-language in the US.
The NFL might be king in the US, but it’s definitely not in Latin America, where Béisbol es Rey”. Of course, the commercials are always fun because most of these companies pay around $8 million to show their products during the game, pre-and post-game, and everything else in between.
Look for an Xfinity advertisement with something to do with Jurassic Park, and of course, Budweiser is always one of the most ingenious spots for the Super Bowl. The Budweiser Clydesdales have been a staple of the Super Bowl since 1975, appearing in over 45 commercials and marking their 48th national appearance by Super Bowl LX in 2026.
They are considered an enduring, long-running tradition in the game’s advertising My Prediction: Seattle Seahawks 17, New England Patriots 10 ¡Adiós, muchachos!
Quote: “WINNING is not everything–but making the EFFORT to win is.” – Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
Photo of the author standing in front of Diablo Stadium in Tempe AZ the spring training home of the Los Angeles Angels (photo from Amaury Pi Gonzalez)
From My Baseball Notebook: Spring Training is Baseball’s Appetizer
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Beginning in 2026, during Spring Training in the Arizona desert or Florida near beach resorts, every one of the 30 Major League Baseball teams is in first place. The Cactus and Grapefruit League schedules open on February 20th, with the Cubs playing the White Sox and the Yankees playing the Orioles.
A slate of games follows on Saturday, February 21st. But there are also exhibition games against World Baseball Classic games for March 3-4. An interesting game, especially for scouts, will take place from March 19th to March 22nd.
An English poet wrote in the 1700s that “hope springs eternal in the human breast.” In baseball which is a marathon of a season, where a team could play close to 200 games in a year, between Spring Training games, regular and postseason games, marathon applies perfectly for this game of balls and strikes, and even teams that usually live in or around the cellar, like Nationals, White Sox, Pirates, A’s, Angels or Rockies, erverybody, they all have hope in Spring Training.
Rookies and Veterans both report as they start their engines for another season. Rickey Henderson, in my opinion, the best position player ever to wear an Oakland A’s uniform, was always available and a joy to speak with the media at the A’s camp in Arizona. Rickey once told me with a smile, “Every Spring Training feels like the first time to me,” as he always called me “Chief”. Rickey already stolen 1,000 bases in Heaven since he left us.
Vladimir Guerrero was in Tempe, Arizona, for his first Spring Training with his new ballclub, the LA Angels of Anaheim, in 2004, after playing for the Montreal Expos for most of his career. Vladi, as he is affectionately called, sat with me for an interview in Tempe, in which he told me he felt very melancholic for leaving Montreal, Canada, where he was living for years, and where his son Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was born, today one of the game’s top players, his father was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 2018. Many times after he stopped playing, Vladi would sit inside our Fox Sports Net/Spanish broadcast booth in Anaheim. He is truly one of the guys that I have met who truly enjoys the game of baseball.
José Canseco was the most fun to talk to in Arizona during Spring Training. I covered José since his first year (1986, when I was in Houston to cover the All-Star Game and he, along with another young star named Darryl Strawberry), José always seemed carefree and talked a lot about music and other things besides baseball.
Like his father, Jose Sr., whom I met and was his “número uno” fan. I always spoke in Spanish with José, who was born in Regla, a little fishing town across Havana Bay. In Spring Training, he was a joyful Canseco, always telling me stories about his childhood, his career, and stuff. When I once asked him who his favorite singer or group was, he responded, ‘Foreigner’. José arrived in the US very young, so although I wanted to ask him for real Cuban music, he was not up to date with it. But José (pre-roids) was as pleasant of a player I ever met. I told him I wanted to write a book about him (en Español), he seemed to be fine with it. Later in his career, for obvious reasons, I dropped that project.
In the San Francisco Giants camp, one of the most interesting players I interviewed was Marquis Grisson. He was toward the end of his excellent and long career. He told me about reporting to Spring Training, when I asked him, as a veteran, what are your goals ” I know there is a young man here someplace that will replace me, so I have to work very hard every year to keep my job”.
Stan Javier played for both Bay Area teams during his career. The A’s and the Giants, he came from a baseball family, Royalty in the Dominican Republic, his father Julián Javier was an All-Star second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. Stan was kind of shy, but I always appreciated it when he talked. He always felt optimistic about his season. Stan Javier began his career with the Oakland A’s and, towards the end, also played for the San Francisco Giants, among other teams. The versatile outfielder played for 17 seasons. Stan would tell me, “What are we going to talk about? This is only Spring Training.”, However, later he came back to me and told me, “ok, vamos,entonces:” trans “OK, let’s go then…” He was a hard worker, intelligent, and always a gentleman. He was part of the 1989 World Champion A’s who beat the Giants during the Loma Prieta earthquake. He would fill in for Canseco when José needed some rest or was injured. Stan Javier was an excellent outfielder and a great asset to the A’s during those championship years.
Spring Training is indeed Baseball Season Appetizer.
Quote: For some reason in Spring Training, everything just clicked. You don’t try to do anything in Spring Training but get ready, but things fell into place. -Bobby Bonilla
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drake Maye addresses the media in San Jose on Mon Feb 2, 2026 during media day in preparation of Super Bowl LX (photo by Shawk McCullough-Sports Radio Service)
Super Bowl LX podcast Lincoln Juarez:
#1 Who will be the key difference-maker in Super Bowl LX Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold or Patriots quarterback Drake Maye — and how might their performances decide the game?
#2 How might Seattle’s top-ranked defense impact New England’s offensive game plan on Super Bowl Sunday?
#3 With the Seahawks favored by around 4.5 points in the odds, what strategies could the Patriots employ to keep the game close or pull off an upset?
#4 How will injuries — such as Seahawks rookie Nick Emmanwori’s ankle sprain — affect each team’s performance in the biggest game of the season?
#5 What historical or narrative storylines — such as this being a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX — add extra intrigue to the Seahawks vs. Patriots matchup?
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) speaks with the news media Thu Feb 5, 2026 in San Jose (AP News photo)
Super Bowl LX podcast Michael Duca:
#1 Who will be the key difference-maker in Super Bowl LX Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold or Patriots quarterback Drake Maye — and how might their performances decide the game?
#2 How might Seattle’s top-ranked defense impact New England’s offensive game plan on Super Bowl Sunday?
#3 With the Seahawks favored by around 4.5 points in the odds, what strategies could the Patriots employ to keep the game close or pull off an upset?
#4 How will injuries — such as Seahawks rookie Nick Emmanwori’s ankle sprain — affect each team’s performance in the biggest game of the season?
#5 What historical or narrative storylines — such as this being a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX — add extra intrigue to the Seahawks vs. Patriots matchup?
Stanford Cardinal Ebuka Okorie (1) drives towards the basket agianst the Clemson Tigers in the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Feb 4, 2026 in ACC action (AP News photo)
By Michael Roberson
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (14-9 3-7 ACC) suffered a cat attack inside Maples Pavilion, 66-64, with a loss to the Clemson Tigers (19-4, 9-1 ACC) in a “Hump Day” conference night game.
Clemson started the game off with an immediate lead, as they converted a three-pointer. However, Stanford did respond and fought hard to be in front at recess. Although the Tigers led by nearly five times as many first half game clock ticks, the Cardinal found a way to be in front at halftime.
There were five lead changes and two ties within the initial 20 minutes of game action. Both teams shot 100% from the charity stripe, while Stanford tallied 44% from the floor, and 27% from beyond the arc, Clemson shot 41% and 36% respectively.
The only player on either squad to eclipse double-digit scoring was Cardinal freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, with his 12 points. Stanford entered the locker room with a lead, due to the shooting prowess of redshirt-sophomore forward/center Aidan Cammann. He hit a buzzer-beating jumper from the left side to put the home team up 32-30 at the midpoint of the game.
In the second half, Stanford was able to extend their advantage to six points early in the final half. Clemson was not content with their position and clawed back into the lead, and the already back and forth contest was filled with added excitement. Three more lead changes and six more lead changes occurred in the second stanza, providing a possible nail-biting finish.
With that being the scenario, the contest came down to free throw shooting. In the final minutes of the game, the two teams who were perfect from the free throw line in the first half, both had crucial misses down the stretch in the second. half.
Stanford had two missed (1&!)s, which could have been four points added to their total. Clemson missed two consecutive free throws to the delight of the Maples faithful, as they were rewarded a voucher for a free burger from a franchise restaurant, located across the Bay and US, as well as one on campus at the Stanford Mall.
Despite that gift from the visitors, they converted both free throws for their next opportunity at the line. California (Mission Viejo) and redshirt-senior Nick Davidson calmly sank both of his attempts. At the time, that appeared to be the game-winning points; however, they added two more free throws, which were proven to be the actual GW-FTs.
Therefore, Okorie’s buzzer-beating layup was not a factor with the four free throw points cushion. After 40 minutes of ACC regulation action, Clemson held on to win by two points, 66-64.
The aforementioned Cammann led all scorers with 19 points, and he chipped in 5 rebounds. Okorie added six more to his halftime tally, and contributed 18 points for the Card.
Clemson presented three hoopers with double-figures to their names. Nick Davidson put up 16 points and 7 rebounds in his homecoming in the Golden State. Ace Buckner (11) and Chase Thompson (10) gave their contributions too.
The Cardinal will next be in action Saturday, February 7, hosting the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 5 PM PT on ESPNU. Clemson travels across the Bay on the same date and time, to take on the California Golden Bears on the ACC Network
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