Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings first winning season in 17 years

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That’s the money smile as Domantas Sabonis hits the floor in the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Thu Mar 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (42-27) clinched their first winning season in 17 years with a 101-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets (39-31) at Barclays Center on Thursday night.

#2 It was the first time that the Kings have finished above .500 since the 2005-06 season when they earned a 44-38 record. 

#3 The Kings made the playoffs eight straight times under then-head coach Rick Adelman, the last being in the 2005-06 season, but had a losing record all the other years since moving to Sacramento.  

#4 Sacramento led by as many as 17 points, and the Nets made a comeback effort in the second half that came close but fell short. De’Aaron Fox had 18 points. Kessler Edwards contributed 10 points.

#5 The Kings (42-27) are second in the western conference. They continue their road trip on Saturday against the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Sacramento Kings podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Road Loses Continue To Pile Up For Warriors – Lose To Hawks 127-119

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, shoots a 3-point basket against Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins during the first half at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Road Loses Continue To Pile Up For Warriors – Lose To Hawks 127-119

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (36-35) met the Atlanta Hawks (35-35) at State Farm Arena. The Warriors dropped the first game of this road trip to the Los Angeles Clippers 134-126. Every road loss pushes the Warriors further and further away from their ultimate goal a playoff spot.

At home the Warriors are the number two team shooting from beyond the arc but on the road they make whoever they are playing look like world champions. The differential is uncanny as the Warriors seven wins on the road this season and they didn’t get their eighth road win against the Hawks losing 127-119.

Game recap: The Warriors got off to a good start in the first quarter taking a 16-4 lead in the opening minutes. With three minutes left in the quarter the game was tied at 27 and the Hawks had turned this game completely around leading after the first 12 minutes 39-31. There was a bit of trouble brewing after the first quarter for Golden State.

The Hawks continued to lead through most of the second quarter. With 3:25 left in the first half, the Warriors trailed 61-58 and were looking to take the lead into the locker room. Golden State could not get anything going even though they had more rebounds and more field goals.

They struggled from beyond the arc and that was the difference. The Warriors shot at 26.3% while the Hawks had a 39.1% winning the battle from outside. The Hawks led after two quarters 71-66. The Warriors also had nine turnovers in the first half. The Golden State starters all had double digits with the exception of Jonathan Kuminga who was right on the edge with eight points. The Warriors had some work to do in the second half in this must win game.

The Warriors continued to trail in the third quarter. While they did have numerous open shots not a lot of them were dropping. At 5:42 in the third quarter the Warriors trailed 89-77 in yet another shocker on the road. The Warriors were having a miserable three-point shooting night. After three the Hawks led 104-96.

The Warriors did pull to within one point in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter but just could not get over the hump. Golden State was 11 of 40 on three’s a shocking stat.

This was a collective horror show for the Warriors. The three’s failed hitting 11 of 40. They are now seven and 28 on the road. Six players had double digits in the game with Stephen Curry hitting the high with 31 points. Kevon Looney had 16 rebounds and 18 points. Golden State will have to pull it together as they head to Memphis tonight.

There will be little time for the Warriors to digest this one as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal handle Sacred Heart without Brink in tournament opener 92-49

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Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) shoots against Sacred Heart guard Ny’Ceara Pryor during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, the Stanford Cardinal (29-5) handled the Sacred Heart Pioneers (19-14) rather handedly 92-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they did it without high scorer Cameron Brink.

#2 Haley Jones picked up where Brink left off leading with 17 points Haley’s been a go to all season long.

#3 On defense the Cardinal held the Pioneers to 18 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 11 points in the third quarter, and 12 points in the fourth quarter.

#4 Daniel, how important of a win is this for Stanford considering they opened the tournament without Brink and had to create plays and win that opening game.

#5 Daniel, Stanford will carry on for their next opponent and their opponent will be well aware of the kind of season Stanford is having.

Join Daniel for Stanford basketball on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s bats come alive in 7-2 Cactus League win over Giants

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The Oakland A’s get the pitching and the hitting past the San Francisco Giants at Hohokam Park in Mesa AZ on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (@Athletics photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, March 17, 2023

MESA, Ariz. – Oakland hammered San Francisco pitching for 14 hits on Friday, as the Athletics defeated the Giants 7-2 in Cactus League play before an enthusiastic St. Patrick’s Day crowd at Hohokam Stadium.

Thus far in spring training, both Bay Area teams are having similar success. The A’s improved to 8-11-2 while the Giants are 7-12-1.

A’s starter James Kaprielian (1-0) worked four innings, giving up an eanred run on five hits and no walks while striking out four. He was followed by Trevor May, Domingo Acevedo and Chad Smith, who combined for four strikeouts over three scoreless innings. Drew Steckenrider surrendered a run in the eighth.

“Last year, we did a lot of matching up and tried to give the guys in the bullpen their best chance for success,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said about the Athletics’ bullpen plans. “We haven’t determined roles, per se, but our philosophy is that the bullpen is all about getting outs.”

Ross Stripling went five innings in his second start of the spring for San Francisco, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Stripling has a Cactus League ERA of 6.75. Scott Alexander and Tyler Rogers each threw a scoreless inning.

Oakland opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Seth Brown singled to right-center, driving in Aledmys Diaz. Brown, who was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double, is batting .304 this spring after getting off to a slow start.

The Athletics made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second on a two-RBI single to left-center by Cristian Pache, driving in Conner Capel and Jace Peterson. Pache was hitting .423 in his last 15 games going into Friday. He’s tied for the CL lead in triples with two.

Joc Pederson’s single to center drove in Bryce Johnson to put the Giants on the board. Pederson is going through the process of learning first base after spending his career as an outfielder and designated hitter. He played centerfield for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.

Tony Kemp’s run-scoring single to right-center in the bottom of the fourth plated Ramon Laureano, giving the A’s a 4-1 lead. Kemp had been struggling with a .100 average, but also has a .367 on-base percentage, thanks to eight walks and a hit-by-pitch.

The Giants cut the Oakland lead to 4-2 in the eighth on Brett Auerbach’s RBI single to center, scoring Johnson, who reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Oakland catcher Kyle McCann. Auerbach, originally a Colorado Rockies 40th round draft choice, is hitting .250 with four runs batted in.

Oakland tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth – two on RBI singles by Brent Rooker and Ryan Noda off Giants reliever Mauricio Llovera, and a groundout by Denzel Clarke after Melvin Adon replaced Llovera.

CACTUS LEAGUE NOTES: The Athletics’ average time of game this spring has been 2:47, compared to 3:07 a year ago. Across MLB, the average time of game has been 2:36, compared to 3:03 last spring. … Oakland has stolen 22 bases, second in the Cactus League behind Cincinnati (28). … This was the second of four spring training meetings between the Giants and A’s – the last two are March 26 in Oakland and March 27 in San Francisco. … Attendance for the St. Patrick’s Day contest was 10,190.

After 17 years of waiting Kings clinch first winning season with win over Nets 101-96

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Brooklyn Nets’ Edmond Sumner (4) passes the ball away from Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis (10) during the second half at Barclay Center on Thu Mar 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN, NY. — The Sacramento Kings (42-27) clinched their first winning season in 17 years with a 101-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets (39-31) at Barclays Center on Thursday night.

It was the first time that the Kings have finished above .500 since the 2005-06 season when they earned a 44-38 record. 

Despite the milestone, Kings head coach Mike Brown said he doesn’t equate March 16 with 42 wins and making the playoffs. The Kings are focused on “trying to get as many wins as possible,” he said. 

The game was tied at 41 with less than 3 1/2 minutes to go in the first quarter. Domantas Sabonis made a triple that set off a 13-0 run for Sacramento. Domantas scored 24 points, including nearly 20 by halftime. 

Sacramento led by as many as 17 points, and the Nets made a comeback effort in the second half that came close but fell short. De’Aaron Fox had 18 points. Kessler Edwards contributed 10 points.

“We were trying to get a win like that all year,” said Brown.

The Kings made the playoffs eight straight times under then-head coach Rick Adelman, the last being in the 2005-06 season, but had a losing record all the other years since moving to Sacramento.  

“I think being here for over four years now, and seeing the bottom – the very bottom – and to see the frustration of fans and the people in the organization, I think it’s nice to be on the other side it,” said Kings forward Harrison Barnes. “A lot of people, they don’t get a chance to stay in an organization long enough to see the good times and the bad, they just see the bad side. So I consider myself fortunate to be able to be part of this moment.”

The Kings (42-27) are second in the western conference. They continue their road trip on Saturday against the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.

Overtime affair ends with Seattle on top over San Jose 2-1

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks Twitter. Erik Karlsson walks out on to the ice for warmups. 

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE–Thursday night a battle between two aquatic beasts took place as the Kraken came in to town to play the Sharks at SAP Center. 

For the Sharks James Reimer was between the pipes while Phillip Grubauer started for the Kraken. 

The first period saw San Jose come flying out the gate with them putting up a quick three shots on Seattle. 

After the quick start the Kraken responded with a few chances of there own while also clamping down defensively. 

Seattle was able to shut the Sharks down so effectively that they did not have a shot in the first period for a stretch of eight minutes and 20 seconds. 

Part of that clamping down defensively was also playing physically as the Kraken were making sure to finish every check on the ice. 

At the end of the first the shots favored San Jose at 10-8. 

In the first period Evgeny Svechnikov was hurt knocking him out of the lineup for the rest of the game.

The beginning of the second period saw a similar start as San Jose had a couple good looks early. 

Due to the pressure Seattle defenseman Justin Shultz took a tripping penalty to put San Jose on the power play. 

The Kraken’s PK came through on the power play killing it off and not giving the Sharks many good looks. 

Seattle’s power play unit was also given an opportunity as Matt Benning took a penalty but they were also not able to capitalize. 

Overall, the second period was played much like the first with not a ton of chances either way. 

At the end of the second the shots favored Seattle now at 23-18.

The third period once again got off to an exciting start as William Eklund got a breakaway but was hooked on the shot meaning that he was awarded a penalty shot. 

On the penalty shot Eklund glided in and snuck the puck through the five-hole of Grubauer making it 1-0. The goal is just Eklund’s second of his young career but was certainly an exciting one. 

After the goal though the Kraken pushed back with a strong shift putting San Jose on their toes. The Sharks responded right back afterwards as the third period had a much more back-and-forth feel to it. 

A little later into the third Yanni Gourde in own zone found a streaking Oliver Bjorkstrand who found himself alone against Reimer and scored tying the game up. 

Not long after that goal Eklund was called for a hold putting Seattle on the power play again. Before the power play began though head coach Dave Hakstol called a timeout to set things up. 

Despite the timeout though San Jose’s penalty kill came through for a big kill keeping the score at 1-1. 

The score remained that way till the end of the third period meaning overtime was next. 

In the overtime period on a defensive breakdown Vince Dunn found himself wide open in the slot and scored on Reimer giving the Kraken the victory. 

“I liked a lot about our game it’s unfortunate that we gave up such an easy goal. We did so many great things and then we gave up a breakaway but those breakdowns have been hurting us all year,” head coach David Quinn said after the game. 

San Jose’s next game will be against the New York Islanders at Sap Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Clock is Ticking toward New Baseball Season

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Oakland A’s infielder Jace Peterson (6) tosses bubble gum out of the A’s dugout in Hohokam Stadium in Mesa AZ during an A’s photo shoot at spring training (Oakland A’s Facebook photos)

The Clock is Ticking toward New Baseball Season

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–2023 is The Year of the Clock, and the clock is ticking towards a new baseball season as the Oakland A’s will punch the clock and go to work on Thursday March 30 at 7:07 at the Oakland Coliseum against the Los Angeles Angels. It will be the 55th season for the A’s at their historic Oakland Coliseum.

The same place where the A’s hoisted four World Championship flags. This place had survived many great and not-so-great moments, crazy games and one of the four World Series championships played in the middle of an earthquake in 1989, but for some of us who were there, it didn’t get any crazier than that.

This 2023 Oakland A’s team has players that you have seen like Tony Kemp, Nick Allen, Seth Brown, Christian Pache, and Ramón Laureano (among others), and many that you have seen but with another team, like Jesús Aguilar, Aledmys Díaz, Esteury Ruíz, or never seen at all, like the most interesting addition to this ball club, Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, who although he pitched for 10 years in Japan, will be a rookie in the majors.

An assortment of players will keep manager Mark Kotsay and his staff busy all summer long, looking for that ‘winning combination’ and will try to play as a unit and bring some positive results and fun moments to the A’s fans. One young A’s player that will become a star this year and take charge is catcher Shea Langeliers.

A’s No.1 prospect (# 39 MLB) Tyler Soderstrom, catcher, and first baseman survived the last cut and is still in Spring Training with two weeks until Opening Day. Will he make the roster? There is always a surprise or two in Spring Training.

To predict how the A’s will do this year is not that difficult, because nobody is expecting them to contend. Even the staunchest A’s fan will tell you that to play .500 all year will be the biggest goal for a team with these many moving pieces, but even that is unrealistic.

Any A’s fan should be happy to see the 2023 A’s version ending with 81 wins, which can also be said of many other teams that are not considered contenders. I know this 2023 year will be key for one A’s player; Ramón Laureano, trying to capture that 2019 season magic, his best for the A’s when he hit .288 with 24 home runs and 67 runs batted in.

His defense has always been there and owns one of the best arms from the outfield in the game. During the off-season rumors had Ramón leaving for the Yankees, the Phillies, and even the Marlins.

Ramón needs to stay healthy for the A’s. The team lost 102 games last season, positive minds believe 2023 should be a better year. Among my own survey, I ended with an average of a season for the A’s, this 2023 with a 76-86 record.

In 2022 (among all 30 teams) A’s last in combined average .216, #28 in home runs with 137, and #29 in RBI with 537. Their pitching had a 4.52 era which ranks #23 in all MLB. The Coliseum holds the distinction of containing the largest foul territory of any ballpark in the Major Leagues and this always helps their pitchers.

2023 is another rebuilding year for the A’s but could be also a year where this franchise announces a change of “geographic” direction to another State or maybe a change of address from the Oakland Ring Central to just six miles north on highway 1-80 by the Port of Oakland, a place called Howard Terminal.

I have friends on both sides, those that believe the A’s can’t leave Oakland but that they need a miracle for that to happen, and others who are gamblers and you know what they are thinking.

The disparity in baseball. Are you kidding? In 2022 there were four 100-win teams and four 100-lost teams, both tying the all-time record.

Famous winner and great baseball philosopher catcher Yogi Berra holds the MLB record for the most World Series rings, with ten, and was quoted as saying when it came to baseball knowledge; “In baseball, you don’t know nothing”.

Happy Weekend everybody!

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for all the play by play of Oakland A’s baseball on the A’s Spanish radio network 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s blanked by Royals 2-0; KC uses 7 pitchers in shutout

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The Oakland A’s starter Ken Waldichuk pitched 4.1 against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in Surprise AZ on Thu Mar 16, 2023 (file photo by si.com)

Oakland. 000 000 000. 0

Kansas City. 000 020 00x. 2

Time: 2:30

Attendance: 6,098

WP: Ryan Weiss

SV: Jacob Wallace

LP: Ken Waldichuk

Thu, March 16, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

SURPRISE, AZ–Don’t let the line score that appears above this report fool you. You’re not reading an account of this afternoon’s action at Surprise Stadium. These lines are the jottings of a tired 82 year old fan who’s just watched and reported on nine games in five days, with half a day (i.e., one game) off to thaw out a frozen computer.

The action on the field at Surprise was a spring training exhibition game between teams representing Kansas City and Oakland, two cities well acquainted with the heartbreak of franchise loss.

The Athletics’ imminent departure lent an added tinge of unreality to the experience inherent in any spring training game, and the tinge was heightened by my having just covered the World Baseball Classic, where callow young minor leaguers, over the hill 4-A players, big league journeymen, and superstars compete, representing countries and regions to which they often have the most tenuous of connections.

But any brand of baseball has a charm of its own , especially in a small ballpark on a warm desert afternoon after five days spent in the cavernous confines of Chase Field in the heart of downtown Phoenix, a city where you can see convenient store clerks with pistols strapped in their holsters selling cheap beers to scruffy down and outers. It’s also a pity where you can experience kindliness and friendliness from people of all walks of life.

That’s enough about the context of our afternoon in Surprise.

Reviewing my emails last night, I learned that the A’s have trimmed their roster to 41, cutting a couple of players we saw perform quite well in the WBC, Adrián Martínez and Jordán Díaz.

The first thing I learned about spring training in Arizona is that you can stop and chat with Dave Stewart in the parking lot. Then I learned that a small stadium can be difficult to navigate

After the first pitch was thrown, I learned that

  • The Curse of the Ground Rule Double still is in effect. Slick fielding Nick Allen led off the game with a two bagger, stole second, and, in spite of walks to Ramón Laureano and Brent Rooker, was stranded there.
  • Catcher Kyle McCann has a pretty good arm. He cut down an attempted steal by Edward Oliver’s in the second.
  • However prepared you might think you are for the torrent of in game substitutions that is the bane of every baseball sportscaster, you’re not going to be able to get all those changes right on your score sheet.
  • They give the media a pretty decent free lunch at Surprise Stadium.
  • The attendance at this Cactus League exercise was higher than that at many MLB games in Oakland. 6,098 fans enjoyed themselves in the clean, sunny, and warm surroundings.
  • As my wife noted, it’s remarkable how green the grass can be on a baseball field in the desert.
  • It’s not often that you see someone pinch run for Ramón Laureano, but it happened in Surprise in the top of the seventh. Greg Deichmann was the replacement, and he beat out an infield single two innings later.

That’s all, folks. ’til April.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Bettman says $1 mil cap increase considered due to league profits; Habs Dvorak out for rest of season; plus much more

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NHL top prospect Connor Bedard is top candidate for number one draft pick as the San Jose Sharks and the Columbus Blue Jackets could be the winner of the Bedard draft sweepstakes by season’s end. (photo from nhl.com)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says that the salary cap could increase by one million it may not sound like much but it could make a huge difference for club trying to make a trade, draft a player or just make it budget for that free agent. Bettman says revenues have exceeded expectations and an uptick just might be in the works.

#2 Gary Bettman said he’s not ready to reveal who will be the next owner of the Ottawa Senators. Bettman said there are multiple buyers vying for ownership of the Senators but Bettman did say there are bidders of magnitude of interest. Bettman said the sale is not tied to any future downtown arena as the Senators have played in the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata Ottawa since 1996.

#3 Montreal Canadiens Christian Dvorak will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season. Dvorak had knee surgery Wednesday. When it rains it pours Dvorak has not played since Mar 7th when the Canadiens lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 suffered a lower body injury.

#4 While you don’t see too much NHL coverage on ESPN during daily programming and a lot of the talk shows and sports reports don’t discuss game recaps but one thing ESPN, ABC and TNT are acknowledging that viewership of NHL hockey is is averaging 1.1 million a 19 percent bump up. The networks are in their second year of their seven year deal with the NHL. That’s pretty good considering the league gets very little mention on ESPN’s daily schedule programming.

#5 Len, the race to the bottom might prove to be fruitful for either the San Jose Sharks 51 points and the Columbus Blue Jackets 49 points in their bid for NHL number one draft pick Conner Bedard. The Sharks just lost in overtime in San Jose to the visiting Blue Jackets on Tuesday night 6-5.

Join Len for the NHL podcasts Thursday nights at http://www.sportsradioservice.com


Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Garoppolo joins old coach in Las Vegas; Rogers close to signing with Jets; plus much more

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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seen in 2022 photo will join the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2023 season. Garoppolo reunites with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is excited about reuniting with his former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who signed with the silver and black for $72.75 million three year deal. The Patriots won two Super Bowls when Garoppolo was the back up quarterback to Tom Brady. Garoppolo quarterbacked for the Pats from 2014-2017.

#2 Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers says he wants to go to the New York Jets talks between Packers and Jets have not been finalized yet but sources say that both sides are working details out. Rogers said he will always love the Packers organization and the city of Green Bay.

#3 Jessica, with Diamond Sports owners of Bally Regional Sports Networks filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy who are scheduled to host streaming for some 14 Major League Baseball teams. Diamond missed a $140 million interest payment to it’s bondholders. Diamond while their in negotiations with their stakeholders are restructuring. Meanwhile baseball teams will not see any payments on their rights holdings that Diamond was scheduled to pay. MLB most likely will have to develop their own streaming network to cover the teams during Bally’s restructuring.

#4 Jessica, the New York Yankees who are the most valuable team worth $6 billion. In MLB the Yankees are one of two teams in the Majors that do not pay for their team’s inflight Wi Fi the other is the Cincinnati Reds. The cost in one year for inflight Wi Fi comes to $40,000 which is equivalent to pitcher Garrett Cole’s salary in four games.

#5 Oakland A’s Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami struck out seven batters on Tuesday in his third start for the A’s. Fujinami. Fujinami almost got himself in a jam throwing for 35 pitches in the first inning and had the bullpen up as he was heading for his pitch limit. Fujinami came out in the second and third inning throwing 30 pitches 21 for strikes and struck out seven hitters to recover.

Join Jessica Kwong for Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com