NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Hurricanes Pesce out with lower body injury; Could Sharks be worst NHL team of all time?; Plus more NHL news

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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) stops the puck in the first period while defenseman Darren Raddish (43) and the San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob Peterson (24) anticipate the rebound at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay FL on Thu Oct 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Carolina Hurricanes lost Brett Pesce for two to four weeks with a lower body injury. Pesce has missed the last two games due to the injury. Pesce last played for the Canes on Oct 19th against the Seattle Kraken. Pesce has one goal and one assist through five games.

#2 This season no one expected the San Jose Sharks (0-6-1) to be a world beater and no one is really surprised that the NHL world is beating up on the Sharks who have now lost six games and are still looking for their first win of the 2023-24 season. The Sharks had problems in their expansion years in the early 90s but oddsmakers now are saying they could be one of the worst team in hockey history.

#3 Streaks: Vegas Golden Knights is 7-0, Boston Bruins 6-0-1 tied for all time best start in 100 years and lost in OT tonight 4-3, In Pittsburgh, the Avalanche have won 15 in a row on the road over two seasons and that’s an NHL. Penguins ended the Aves streak in shutout 4-0. Tristin Jarri goaltender for the Pens stopped 31 shots.

#4 More bad news for the Edmonton Oilers they have lost their star forward Connor McDavid for one to two weeks due to a upper body injury. McDavid has two goals six assists. McDavid got hurt last Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in 3-2 overtime loss.

#5 The New Jersey Devils Jake Hughes has been exceeding expectations and is considered one of the best NHL players this season. Last Saturday Hughes had four assists becoming the first player with at least 14 points in the first five games of the season since the Pittsburgh Penguins Mario Lemieux did it with 17 points in the 1992-93 season.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shut Out 6-0 by Lightning; San Jose remains winless at 0-6-1

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) replaces Sharks starting goalie MacKenzie Blackwood in the second period at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thu Oct 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks, still winless after seven games, fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-0 in Thursday. Brayden Point, Michael Eyssimont, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel, Nicholas Paul and Luke Glendenning scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 31 saves for the shutout win, his second shutout in a row. Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves on 21 shots before Kaapo Kahkonen replaced him in the net. Kahkonen made 9 saves on 10 shots.

Though not their first loss of the season, this was the first time the Sharks were shut out. After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “Not good, not good at all. Weren’t hard enough to play against, too much time and space for them. It wasn’t a good game for us. No, we’re not happy about that one, there’s nothing positive to take out of that.”

When asked what the team needs to do to improve offensively, Ferraro said: “I think we just as a team have to stop worrying about that.” He later elaborated on that:

“I think maybe we’re thinking too much on what we got to do offensively and how to create and I think just narrowing it down to the little things, our compete and being good teammates and working hard every night. Until we’re consistent with that, we can’t worry about scoring.”

Brayden Point scored the first of the game at 1:41 of the first. Mikhail Sergachev made a pass from the left side of the blue line down tot the right circle and Point shot it to the far side over Blackwood’s shoulder. Assists went to Sergachev and Nick Perbix.

Michael Eyssimont scored next, at 6:03, tipping a blue line shot while falling in front of the net. That shot came from Calvin deHaan. Perbix also got an assist.

Steven Stamkos made it 3-0 with a goal in the final minute of the period, during a 5-on-3 power play. Assists went to Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev.

Brandon Hagel made it 4-0 with a break away goal at 4:01 of the second period. Assists went to Alex Barré-Boulet and Victor Hedman.

Nicholas Paul added another at 7:29, with a back-hand on a rebound in traffic. Assists went to Stamkos and Hedman.

The Sharks pulled Blackwood after that goal and sent Kaapo Kahkonen into the net.

The sixth goal of the game came from Luke Glendenning at 5:44 of the third period. Connor Sheary’s shot was deflected by Glendenning and then went off of Matt Benning and Kyle Burroughs before bouncing into the net. Assists went to Sheary and Darren Raddysh.

The Sharks had just seven shots in each of the first two periods and nine in the third. They had two unsuccessful power plays and killed three of four penalties. The Sharks won 61.5% of the faceoffs. The Sharks were again without Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Alexander Barabanov was out due to injury.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 4:00 PM PT in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Bob Melvin back with the Giants

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Bob Melvin Topps baseball card

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–When the Giants hired Gabe Kapler in 2020, they did not hire the right man. Now, they hired Bob Melvin and he is the right man.

This time Bob Melvin returns to the Giants, but as a manager. In 1986 Bob Melvin played the first of his three years with the Giants. That same 1986 when Melvin played catcher for the Giants, another manager, Dusty Baker retired as a player across the bay with the Oakland Athletics.

In total after playing with the Giants Melvin played for another seven years, a total of ten years in MLB. BoMel has also managed in: Seattle (2003-04), Arizona (2005-06), Athletics (2011-21 and San Diego (2022-23).

I first met Melvin in Seattle, when he was managing his first team, the Mariners and I was broadcasting home games for the Mariners in Spanish. He always had a kind word with yours truly, a mutual respect he always has shown with the media. Now, he is returning to the Bay Area, his original home base and were he was born.

Bob Melvin is the right man for the San Francisco Giants. After a bad 2023 where they finished next to last in the western division, this was not a surprise. Gabe Kapler had to go and they needed a new manager, and the moment the San Diego Padres gave permission to Melvin to interview with the Giants, is the moment I knew he was coming to the Bay Area again.

BoMel managed the A’s for 11 seasons and took them into six Postseasons, always a tough job with a team often with the lowest payroll in the game, he also won two of his three Manager of the Year Award with the A’s 2012 and 2018, the other time in 2007 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001 Melvin was a bench coach with the Arizona Diamondback and won a World Series ring.

Just like Dusty Baker (who also managed the Giants) during his 26 year-career as a manager. Bob Melvin is a player’s manager, Bright, affable, gets along with everybody, players as well as media wherever he has managed. Here in the Bay Area he is one the favorites all-time managers, very professional and hard working.

The Bay Area native had a difficult situation with the Padres in San Diego, a team loaded with high priced-talent, but just like in Hollywood, where movies with too many stars and egos do not produce a good film, the Padres were a disaster this year underachieving, until the last few weeks when they started winning, but it was too late. Manny Machado was one of those players that did not make the other players better, guys like Fernando Tatis Jr, and Juan Soto or Xander Bogaerts. The Padres had zero chemistry.

Some were surprised when Bob Melvin was given the opportunity to interview with the Giants, after all he had a year left in his contract in San Diego. I was not one of those, San Diego management understood his situation, one that was never comfortable for Melvin, specially with the guys in the front office. My contact in San Diego told me about this, just mid-way through this season, and people ‘in the know’ always were aware of the bad situation for BoMel in San Diego.

Giants just hired a winner, a good man and a bright manager, a strategist of character and honestly. I welcome him to the Bay Area, again.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead radio voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Durant says his number 35 should be retired; How big of a mistake was it to let Durant get away?

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Former Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant says his No. 35 jersey should be retired and hoisted in the rafters at Chase Center after what he did for the team in his short three years in San Francisco. (SF Gate file photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob said that no other player will ever wear No.35 again after Kevin Durant left Golden State for the New Jersey Nets in Nov 2019.

#2 Durant agreed with Lacob and said his No.35 should be retired. Durant was part of the Warriors for three seasons but was the key player on the team during those seasons and was part of back to back World Championships for Golden State.

#3 You might remember the bench argument between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. The argument went from the bench and spilled over into the locker room back on Nov 18, 2018. Green yelled at Durant to sign his contract or get off the team on the Warriors bench. Durant’s contract was going to expire after the 2018-19 season. Some fans at the time thought that should be the last straw for Green and the Warriors should have traded him for such a high profile outburst and at Durant the team’s star player. It was Durant who later left for New Jersey.

#4 Durant had 18 points for the Phoenix Suns against his old Golden State teammates Tuesday night at Chase Center in San Francisco. Durant played a key part in the Suns 108-104 defeat over the Warriors.

#5 Jerry, it’s Mike Brown and the Sacramento Kings hosting the Warriors at Golden 1 Credit Union Arena in Sacramento on Fri Oct 27th. The Kings battled Golden State last season in the playoffs but were eliminated by Golden State. How do you see these two teams on Tuesday night matching up?

Join Jerry for the Warriors podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Barracuda’s losing streak extends to three with an overtime loss against Henderson 4-3

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda. Adam Raska gets warmed up before the game.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

The Barracuda took on the Silver Knights for the third night in a row and suffered an overtime loss at home 4-3.

Getting the start in goal for San Jose was Georgi Romanov while Henderson had Jesper Vikman get the start.

It was a quick start for the Cuda offense as just 3:23 in Danil Gushchin scored his first goal of the season. Both Justin Bailey and Leon Gawanke got assists on the play.

The response from Henderson took some time but was decisive as Brendan Brisson scored his third on the campaign tying the game back up.

Before the first came to a close, San Jose found a way to break the tie as Ozzy Wiesblatt scored his first of the season, making it 2-1. Radim Simek and Cole Cassels got the assists.

The first San Jose lead in shots 19-10.

In the second there would be a total of five penalties combined but neither team gave up a power play goal.

Instead late in the second Bailey found the back of the net with less than one minute remaining making it 3-1. Gushchin and Gawanke both picked up assists.

At the end of the second, the shots favored Henderson 29-27.

Quickly the Silver Knights opened up the scoring as just 32 seconds in Jakub Demek scored his first of the season making it 3-2.

Then on a 5-on-3 Henderson tied the game at three as Byron Froese shocked the home crowd with his third goal of the season.

The score would remain that way meaning overtime was on the way.

In overtime, it did not take long to find the winner as just 59 seconds in Froese got his second of the night sending fans packing for the exit.

The shots ended tied at 41-41. Both team’s powerplays were not particularly effective as Henderson went 1/5 and San Jose went 0/2.

This game caps off a stretch where the Barracuda played the Silver Knights thrice and lost all three games.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Byron Froese 2nd: Danil Gushchin 3rd: Jesper Vikman

San Jose will look to bounce back on Saturday when they take on the Firebirds at home at 6 p.m.

Sporting KC outlasts Earthquakes in penalty shootout, advance to play St. Louis

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Sporting Kansas City forward Dániel Sallói celebrates with goalie Tim Melia after beating the San Jose Earthquakes in a shootout victory at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday OCT 25. 2023. (Sporting Kansas City)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Blue Hell continued to be a house of horrors for the San Jose Earthquakes.

Dániel Sallói kicked the winning goal in the shootout to give Sporting Kansas City a Wild Card win after winning the shootout 4-2 after both teams went scoreless for 90 minutes on Wednesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia improved to 5-0 in penalty kick shootouts as his team will face St. Louis City SC in the best of three first round of the Western Conference playoffs. San Jose went home disappointed after making the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Johnny Russell opened the shootout with a goal. Cristian Espinoza then telegraphed his shot that Melia made a diving save on. Just as Alan Pulido gave the ‘Quakes life when his awkward shot was saved by an outstretched goalkeeper Daniel, captain Jackson Yueill killed any chance for a San Jose win when he overshot the ball high over the net.

Jack Skahan and Carlos Akapo scored for San Jose, but it was not enough as Sallói’s heroics in the fifth round sent the crowd of 17,437 into a frenzied celebration. The Earthquakes suffered a similar fate three years ago on the very same pitch the last time they were in the playoffs that also ended in a shootout loss.

“I thought our intensity was amazing, including our energy, our togetherness, and our work rate. I thought we got into the game eventually, and even in the second half we created good chances and with a few fresh legs coming in. I thought they did great. I thought we were unlucky at the end not to nick a last pass getting into the box. Getting just a different play that I think could have changed the game and put us in the win column in regulation. I am proud of the guys and the staff, and in our approach and our mentality going into the game,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

Russell was a thorn in San Jose’s side all match long with multiple scoring chances. His best chance came off a free kick in the 79th minute when his shot hit the right post. He also sailed a free kick six feet wide left from just outside the box in the 72nd minute.

Sporting KC had San Jose on its heels for the majority of the first half as they possessed the ball in the ‘Quakes zone only to have San Jose’s defense clear the ball out of the danger once it got inside the 18-yard box.

Gonzalez instilled some fresh legs in the second half in attempt to turn the tide of the momentum in his team’s favor. Forward Cade Cowell made the most of his substitution in the 57th minute when replaced Matthew Hoppe.

Cowell had the Earthquakes best scoring opportunity in the 66th minute with a long run past multiple Sporting KC defenders. However, his shot attempt into the middle of the box was blocked by a Sporting KC fullback and cleared out of danger.

Sporting KC had a golden opportunity late in the match to keep the game from going to a shootout. Sallói’s point-blank attempt in the 90th minute from 3-yards out was stoned away by a sliding Daniel after Sallói sneaked in unmarked past the ‘Quakes defense.

Daniel collected three saves and the Quakes’ defense blocked an additional four shots to keep the score deadlocked after 90 minutes despite Sporting Kansas City amassing 18 total shots.

Despite the early exit from the playoffs, it was a successful season under Gonzalez in his first year as the team’s manager. The club had a nine-point improvement from last season when it finished dead last in the Western Conference with just 35 points.

“We gave validation to all the work that we put into the season on and off the field. Trying to make our fans and families admire the way we act and play. We fought and kept building enough points to get into the playoffs. We came here on a mission and with motivation,” Gonzalez said.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with four corner kicks. Sporting KC had eight.

The Earthquakes’ defense earned their first postseason shutout in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs since Nov. 4, 2012, when San Jose defeated the LA Galaxy on the road, 1-0, in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals. Victor Bernardez scored the lone goal in the 94th minute to give the Quakes the victory.

San Jose’s all-time playoff record goes to 12-13-2 and 4-10-1 on the road, with an even 40 goals scored and 40 conceded. The Quakes’ postseason record against SKC drops to 2-2-1 with eight goals for and eight against.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: 49ers Purdy out of action against Bengals; Why Dusty Baker retired after game 7; plus more news

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Down goes Purdy: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is caught from behind for a sack by the Minnesota Vikings Danielle Hunter linebacker (99) on Mon Oct 24, 2023 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports Jessica Kwong:

#1 After last Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings it was learned that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be out this Sunday on concussion protocols.

#2 Another fun fact concerning the 49ers is when they are down by five points or more in the fourth quarter they are 0-29 under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Was winning the first five games to start the season an aberration?

#3 Turning to baseball and the World Series the Houston Astros were mighty disappointed and the last game 7 in the ALCS turned out to be Astros manager Dusty Baker’s last game of his baseball career. He announced his retirement after the game calling the 162 season plus post season a grind.

#4 There is joy in Mudville today as the San Francisco Giants have signed former San Diego Padres and Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin. Melvin had caught before as a player for the Giants and managed for the Padres where last season became a toxic working relationship between the Pads GM AJ Preller and Melvin.

#5 Jessica, lastly the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics are favorites to win the NBA Championship according to sportsbooks around the country. The Celtics got some key help signing guard Jrue Holiday and the Milwaukee Bucks got Damian Lillard from the Portland Trailblazers. With Lillard now pairing up with power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings defeat Jazz 130-114 in Salt Lake City

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The Sacramento Kings took on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The Kings defeated the Jazz 130-114 at Delta Center. Sacramento improved to 1-0, while Utah fell to 1-0 to open the 2023-24 NBA season.

Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 33 points and four rebounds and was 11-for-16 from the field goal line. Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds. De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points and six assists. Mailk Monk added ten points and seven assists.

The Kings’ starting lineup featured De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis. Fox got his first bucket of the season early in the first quarter. In addition, Sabonis capitalized on a three-pointer opportunity in the first. The Kings ended the first on a 12-4 run and led 32-24 over the Jazz.

The Kings continued to succeed in the second quarter. Chris Duarte made his first regular season bucket, Harrison Barnes poured in the points, and Sacramento went back-to-back from three-point land.

The Kings led the Jazz 72-58 at the end of the first half. Harrison Barnes had 27 points and four rebounds and 10-for-11 from the field goal line and 5-for-5 from the three-point line — the most points in a first half in the opening game of the season by a Kings player since the 1996-97 NBA season, passing Kevin Martin, who had 24 at the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 28, 2009.

The Kings reached the 100-point plateau in the third quarter. Malik Monk’s noteworthy dunk helped the Kings to a 20-point lead, 102-82, with 40 seconds left in the third. The Kings led the Jazz 105-87 after three quarters.

The Kings maintained composure in the fourth quarter. Domantas Sabonis waited patiently around three Jazz defenders to shoot his shot, which hit the rim, late in the fourth. The Kings beat the Jazz 130-114.

Notes
Kings’ injury update
Chris Duarte (left knee) is available, while Trey Lyles (left calf strain) and Jalen Slawson (illness) are out.

Up Next
The Kings will return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Giants hire Bob Melvin as 39th manager in franchise history

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San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin met with the media after being hired as the new Giants manager on Tue Oct 25, 2023 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (@SFGiants photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants officially announced that Bob Melvin will be the 39th manager in franchise history this morning.

After the Giants dismissed Gabe Kapler as manager on Sept. 29, it seemed that with Melvin’s situation in San Diego, there was a very good chance he was going to end up managing the Giants. The Giants were granted permission by the San Diego Padres to interview Melvin, who had managed the Padres the last two seasons. In just 48 hours, the Giants knew they had their man.

We are so excited to have [Melvin] leading our club,” said Giants Chairman Greg Johnson. “I can’t think of any other person in Baseball with the level of integrity, respect and achievements Bob has had in his career.”

“We view Bob as the perfect manager, and the perfect leader for this team and this organization right now,” said Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi. “There are so many players out there who played for Bob, who to this day will say he is the best manager they ever played for, and that carried so much weight for us in this process.”

For Melvin, he returns back to the Bay Area, where he grew up; where he went to college at Cal; where he played for the Giants as a backup catcher from 1986 to 1988; and where he managed the Oakland Athletics from 2011 to 2021.

“This is kind of a surreal moment for me,” said Melvin, who described it as coming full circle. “To be able to not only play here, manage here, go to Cal [and] manage the A’s, it’s not even something you even dream about.”

Melvin will bring a healthy mix of old-school baseball and new-age analytics to the table. While Melvin comes from an old-school background, he quickly got acclimated to analytics in his time managing under Billy Beane in Oakland.

“[Analytics are] very important,” said Melvin. “Every team, even the teams you see now that are playing deep into the playoffs, analytics are part of it

“Coming from Oakland, without analytics, we wouldn’t have had the success that we did there,” Melvin added. “There’s always a balance to everything…….I learned from my days in Oakland that there [are] a lot of smart people that contribute to this game; and there [are] also a lot of old-school baseball people, who understand what it’s like to go out there and compete, and the one thing analytics doesn’t show you is the competitive[ness] in certain people and certain players.”

Melvin coming to manage the Giants doesn’t just connect Giants History in terms of him playing for the Giants, but it connects in terms of the fact that he played for Roger Craig, who made an indelible mark on this team, as well as the city of San Francisco.

“There are certain things I learned from every manager, but really for me, Roger was the guy that made me watch the game like a manager,” said Melvin. “To this day, I will always be indebted [to him] for that.”

Just over two and a half months ago on Aug. 4, the Giants were 12 games over .500 61-49; held the first wild card spot in the National League; and held a four-game lead over the Miami Marlins for a playoff spot. They then went 18-34 the rest of the way, finishing under .500 at 79-83.

Melvin also credited Phil Garner, Billy Beane and Sal Bando for the manager he has become today. Melvin was the bench coach under Garner in 1999 with the Milwaukee Brewers, and in 2000 with the Detroit Tigers. Melvin credited Garner with teaching him old-school philosophies, while he also credited Beane for introducing him to analytics.

Zaidi dismissed Manager Gabe Kapler on Sept. 29 prior to the team’s game against the Dodgers that night. Bench Coach Kai Correa managed the final three games against the Dodgers.

It was believed that Kapler had lost the clubhouse, as a sense of a lack of urgency, as well as Baggarly’s report that Outfielder Joc Pederson had the clubhouse enthralled in the filipino card game, ‘Pusoy.’

Melvin was hired by the Padres following the 2021 Season in almost the exact same situation he is set to be hired by the Giants. The Padres went 36-24 in the shortened 60-game COVID sprint season of 2020, and were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division series.

On Aug. 10, 2021, the Padres were 18 games over .500 at 67-49, and half a five-game lead for the second—in 2021, the final—wild card spot. They then collapsed, and went 12-34 the rest of the way, finishing at 79-83, the same record the Giants finished at this season. The Padres dismissed Manager Jayce Tingler, as the Padres had clubhouse issues in 2021, which was highlighted by a dugout spat between Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado on Sept. 18 in St. Louis.

Melvin was brought in, and the Padres had a much more solid clubhouse in 2022, as they went 89-73 to get the second wild card spot; upset the New York Mets in the National League Wild Card Series; and upset the 111-win Dodgers in the NLDS before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games in the National League Championship Series.

The clubhouse issues returned in San Diego this season, but Melvin’s handling of the Padres’ clubhouse in 2022 shows that he can fix an uneasy clubhouse situation. He will be walking into a calmer situation, and he will have the immediate backing of clubhouse leaders, such as Logan Webb, Mike Yastrzemski, Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada.

Melvin is also a former Giant, and was a prodigy under one of the greatest managers in Giants’ history, Roger Craig. Melvin played with the Giants from 1986 to 1988, and was a part of the 1987 Giants team that got within a win of the National League Pennant, but ultimately lost the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the NLCS.

After retiring as a player, Melvin was a coach under Bob Brenly on the 2001 World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks, and was hired by the Seattle Mariners to manage prior to the 2003 Season. The Mariners went 93-69 in 2003, and missed the sole American League Wild Card by just two games. After a disappointing 63-99 2004 Season, the Mariners let Melvin go.

Melvin was then hired to manage the Diamondbacks in 2005, and after a pair of subpar seasons in 2005 and 2006, he took Arizona to a 90-72 National League West division title in 2007, as they swept the Chicago Cubs in three games in the NLDS, before being swept in four games by the Colorado Rockies, who were on an historic 21-1 run, in the NLCS. The Diamondbacks went 82-80 in 2008, but after a slow start in 2009, Melvin was let go on May 8.

After falling short of the Houston Astros’ managerial opening, Melvin spent the 2010 Season as a scout for the Mets, and then returned to the Diamondbacks in a front office role in 2011, following unsuccessful interviews for the Mets’ and Milwaukee Brewers’ managerial openings.

On June 9, 2011, Melvin was hired to manage the Oakland Athletics, following their midseason dismissal of Bob Geren. In 2012, Melvin took the A’s to an improbable division title, but he ran into a buzzsaw in Justin Verlander, as they lost the American League Division Series in five games to the Detroit Tigers. The A’s ran into the same buzzsaw in Verlander, and lost the ALDS to the Tigers in five again in 2013.

The A’s led the American League West for most of 2014, but a midseason trade of Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox, and a late-season collapse barely netted them the second wild card spot, as they ended up losing a thrilling American League Wild Card Game to the Royals in Kansas City.

The A’s traded away their talent, and suffered in the standings from 2015 to 2017, but they were back in the playoffs after another improbable run in 2018, which saw them get the second wild card spot with 97 wins. They lost the wild card game in both 2018 and 2019, and then lost the 2020 Wild Card Series to the Chicago White Sox.

The A’s contended with an 86-76 record in 2021, but there was every indication that season that the A’s would once again trade their talent following the end of the year, which they indeed did, and Melvin left for San Diego.

Melvin will not be the former Giant returning to the team. It is expected that Matt Williams, who has been a part of Melvin’s coaching staff in Oakland in San Diego, will join Melvin in San Francisco. Williams was a fan favorite in San Francisco, as he spent a decade with the Giants from 1987 to 1996, and would have had a chance to break Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 home runs if it was not for the Strike in 1994. Williams hit 43 home runs through 115 games.

Former Giants, Pat Burrell and Ryan Vogelsong, are also rumored to be back in Giants’ uniforms on the coaching staff, with Burrell as the hitting coach, and Vogelsong as the pitching coach.

Zaidi expressed gratitude to the Padres for allowing the Giants to interview Melvin, and said that the Giants will not have to compensate the Padres. The only compensation will be from Melvin to Giants’ young infidler, Casey Schmitt,” whose number six will be worn by Melvin for the 2024 Season.

Johnson also said that the team expects to announce soon that Zaidi will be extended through the 2026 Season.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: 49ers look to bounce back against Bengals Sunday at Levi Stadium

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The Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addision (3) scores a 20 yard touchdown in front of the San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) in first half action at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Mon Oct 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with David:

#1 How surprising does it have to be for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after having an efficient and well planned play book going into the first five games of this season only now to have put together two straight loses.

#2 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy did get some yardage against the Minnesota Vikings with 272 yards, one touchdown but was it not connecting with the receivers and throwing two picks that got him into trouble?

#3 The 49ers host the Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sun Oct 29 at Levi Stadium. The Bengals have won three of their last four games. The last win coming last Sun Oct 15 against the Seattle Seahawks 17-13. The Bengals are 3-3 and have improved on both sides of the ball. How do the 49ers coming off two loses in a row matching up with the Bengals this Sunday.

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