Condors beat up on the Barracuda in 5-1 win

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The San Jose Barracuda visit the Bakersfield Condors only to get pounded at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on Sat Jan 15, 2022 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was night to forget in the Central Valley.

The Bakersfield Condors scored three goals in the first period en route to a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last four games. Bakersfield has won four games in a row.

Bakersfield (12-8-3-3) jumped out to an early lead in the first period. A turnover inside the ‘Cuda by Evan Weinger led to a two-on-zero chance. Michael Kesselring fed a pass over to Adam Cracknell and he buried a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Sam Harvey for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:45 mark.

Cracknell snapped a 12-game goalless draught.

The Condors doubled its lead halfway through the opening frame. Seth Griffith sent a rink wide pass over to Philip Kemp and he sniped home a wrist shot past Harvey for his second goal of the season at the 9:22 mark.

Bakersfield scored their third unanswered goal late in the period. Brad Malone sprung James Hamblin in all alone on Harvey. Hamblin made a forehand to backhand move to beat Harvey for his sixth goal of the season at the 18:29 mark.

San Jose (13-17-1-0) despite its eight shots weren’t able to generate much offense during the opening 20 minutes.

Hamblin scored his second goal of the game late in the second period. Cooper Marody had a nice give and go with Hamblin on a two-on-one break. Hamblin beat Harvey to the short side for his seventh goal of the season at the 13:48 mark.

Marody extended his points streak to seven and has 11 points in that stretch.

Bakersfield scored its fifth unanswered goal in the first 39 seconds of the third period. Philip Broberg sent a rink wide pass over to Griffith who ripped a wrist shot past Harvey for his ninth goal of the season.

San Jose spoiled Condor’s goalie Olivier Rodrigue shutout bid with its only goal of the game near the halfway mark of the period. Nick Merkley found Steenn Pasichnuk at the right slot and Pasichnuk buried a wrist shot top shelf past Rodrigue for his first goal of the season at the 8:27 mark.

It was Pasichnuk’s first goal since April 17th, 2021, against the Texas Stars and his first road goal of his AHL career.

Rodrigue (3-5-2) finished stopping 23 of the 24 shots he faced to earn the victory as he snapped a three-game losing streak. Harvey (2-2-0) didn’t fare well in his first back-to-back start of the season. He made 26 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-2.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Hamblin 2) Griffith 3) Kemp

San Jose is now 15-17-2-3 at Mechanics Bank Arena.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the San Diego Gulls on Tuesday 1/18 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Sharks Fall to Penguins 2-1 in OT; SJ drops second straight game

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (28) and goaltender Louis Domingue, right, are in the process of prevent defense against the San Jose Sharks left winger Matt Nieto (83) in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Jan 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks lost their first overtime game of the season, falling 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel scored for Pittsburgh and Louis Domingue made 40 saves for the win. Rudolfs Balcers scored for San Jose and Adin Hill made 25 saves in the loss.

For the first time in a long time, the Sharks had Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on the same power play unit. The Sharks had three power plays Saturday, one of those a double-minor, but still could not convert against the Penguins’ top-ranked penalty kill. Most of the Sharks’ power play shots came from the first unit, but short-handed chances were given up by both units.

Sharks’ Head Coach Bob Boughner did not put too much stock in the power play’s failure to score:

“I thought our power play had some great looks. At the end of the second and the beginning of the third, we had some great looks and we had traffic and we picked the rebounds off. I think our second unit was just very average, I thought we didn’t get anything going on the second unit but, you know, we did a lot of good things, the only thing we didn’t do was score but that’s not on our power play. I think Pittsburgh’s a good team.”

Rudolfs Balcers scored the first goal of the game at 7:01. Erik Karlsson chased down the puck as it came off the boards, then spun and sent it to the net. It went right to Balcers as he arrived in front of the net and angled his stick to deflect it in. Assists went to Karlsson and Timo Meier.

The Sharks held the Penguins to one shot for the first half of the period but at 10:56, Kris Letang tied it up. Letang skated around the outside to get behind the Sharks defense, then cut across the slot to score with a backhand over Hill’s right pad. Assists went to Jake Guentzel and Teddy Blueger.

The shot count for the period was 11-4 Sharks, and San Jose also led in the face-off circle with 53% of the draws. The Sharks took the only penalty of the period, and the penalty kill allowed no shots on goal.

The Penguins got more shots through in the second, with four on net in the first half of the period. The Sharks also had more, 8, at that point. By the end of the second, it was 17-8 Sharks.

With a little more than a minute left in the period, Jake Guentzel went to the box for four minutes after drawing blood from Jonathan Dahlen with a high stick. The Sharks power play ended the period with three shots on goal and a little under three minutes remaining to start the third period.

The Sharks had that power play and another in the third period. They had six shots with the man advantage and gave up four short-handed shots. Overall, the Penguins out-shot them by just one, 14-13.

Jake Guentzel scored the game winner 37 seconds into overtime. Sidney Crosby carried the puck into the zone and across the slot. Guentzel had just arrived at the blue paint when Crosby sent the puck back to him for an easy tap-in. Assists went to Crosby and Kris Letang.

The Sharks had an excellent night in the face-off circle, winning 67% of the draws. Noah Gregor led the team in shots with seven.

The Sharks next play on Monday at home against the Los Angeles Kings at 1:00 PM PT.

Radim Simek is still out with a lower body injury, and Alexander Barabanov is on the COVID-19 list. Jacob Middleton was put on the injured reserve list after being injured in Detroit on January 4. James Reimer is off of the injured reserve list and he backed up Hill on Saturday.

AFC Wild Card playoffs: Raiders fall a touchdown short as Bengals eliminate Las Vegas 26-19 at Paul Brown

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) looking to find a receiver as he prepares to throw against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati Sat Jan 15, 2022 in the AFC Wild Card game (AP News photo)

By Rich Perez

Las Vegas Raiders beat writer

It was a heartbreaker the Las Vegas Raiders (10-8) in the AFC Wild Card game. In the first half the Raiders couldn’t take a lead into the dressing room at the half with the halftime score at 20-13 and it was all defense. Both teams in the second half didn’t score much and the Raiders could only muster up two field goals. The Cincinnati Bengals (11-7) scored six points in the fourth quarter and it was enough for the win. The Bengals pulled ahead in the fourth quarter with six points and a 26-19 victory to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow led the Bengals on offensive scoring on six drives, Burrow threw for two touchdowns and kicker Evan McPherson kicked for four field goals not bad for the rookie in a pressure game like the AFC Playoffs and helped the Bengals get a victory over the Raiders.

It was the Bengals first post season win in 31 years and after eight consecutive playoff defeats to finally pick up a post season victory. The Raiders had brought the ball up to the Bengals nine yard line on fourth down Carr got picked off by the Bengals Germaine Pratt in a crucial turnover that costed if not for the pickoff Carr and the Raiders could have possibly got that crucial touchdown that would have made all the difference.

The Bengals got some plays that should have been called for penalties where the officials should have thrown a flag but did not and allowed Burrow to throw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Boyd that could have been called back.

The Raiders have not been to the playoffs since 2016 when they lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round. The Raiders who had lost five of six games previous to going on that four game win streak just got into the post season with the win streak. The last time the Raiders advanced in the post season was back in 2002 when they won the AFC Championship and got into the Super Bowl.

What really hurt the Raiders was the Bengals scored a perfect four for four in scoring drives in the first half and that really took the Raiders out of their game. There was one play where the official blew the whistle and thought Burrow had rolled to his right and called him out of bounds but the play was able to count. Burrow later threw a ten yard pass to wide receiver Tyler Boyd who caught it in the back of the end zone to put the Bengals up 20-6.

The Raiders had argued on the play that it should not have counted and the ball should have been returned to where it was previously spotted. Burrow threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals are having such a good season it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them advance again no matter who they play next.

Rich Perez was the Raiders beat writer for the 2021-22 Raiders season for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: Will a good post season keep Garoppolo in San Francisco for next season?

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) seen here throwing against the Los Angeles Rams last Sun Jan 9, 2022 in Los Angeles on the final day of the regular season (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe how crucial is it for San Francisco 49ers (10-7) quarterback to comeback have a good playoff and get the team back to the Super Bowl that could very well save his job at the 49ers?

#2 Garoppolo is remembered for his Sueprbowl meltdown when things just fell apart in the 2019-20 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs what will Garoppolo need to do to save his legacy and facing a fine Dallas Cowboys team Sunday.

#3 Joe, how badly did the 49ers miss nickelback K’Waun Williams last Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams due to Covid 19 protocols?

#4 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is in doubt to play against the Cowboys Sunday. Al-Shaair missed the last two regular season games suffering from a knee injury. Al-Shaair did not practice on Friday. Al-Shaair will be evaluated in Dallas over this weekend to see if he can play on Sunday.

#5 The Dallas Cowboys (12-5) can be a very tough customer at home in Arlington they have won five of their last six games and Dak Prescott against the Philadelphia Eagles threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to a 51-26 win.

Join Joe Hawkes for the 49ers podcasts throughout the post season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Caps Ovechkin back in line up after missing practice; Leafs Marner and Engvall back after Covid protocols; plus more

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The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin who hasn’t missed a game this season was out from Friday’s practice due to an upper body injury and who started for the Caps today against the New York Islanders (NHL.com file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin is back he returned after missing practice Friday after suffering from an upper body injury. Ovechkin made it to Saturday morning’s skate and played against the New York Islanders in the afternoon. Ovechkin has not missed a game this season.

#2 The Toronto Maple Leafs Mitchell Marner and Pierre Engvall are both expected to return tonight against the St Louis Blues both missed three games due to Covid 19 protocols. The Leafs are glad to have them back in the line up Marner has 21 points and Engvall with ten points in 32 games.

#3 The Anaheim Ducks Troy Terry is a question mark for today’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Terry was out on Covid 19 protocols. The Ducks 19-14-7 second in the NHL Pacific.

#4 Aisha Visram made NHL history becoming the first woman to serve behind the bench in an NHL game as head trainer for the Los Angeles Kings. Visram got the call to serve after members of Kings staff were placed on Covid 19 protocols.

#5 Matt, the Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov, the New York Rangers Adam Fox, and Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar were three of 18 first time All Star selections for Sat Feb 5th’s All Star game in Las Vegas. The trio has had themselves quite a first half.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Tale of two different games (vs. Red Wings and Rangers)

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It was a fight all night for the San Jose Sharks as New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, top, fights with the Sharks left wing Jeffrey Viel at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Jan 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, how would you describe the San Jose Sharks contrasting overtime 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings and their 3-0 shutout loss on Thursday night against the New York Rangers?

#2 The Sharks struggled hard to figure out the goal tending antics of Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin who stopped all 37 shots against the Sharks for the shutout.

#3 How remarkable is it for defenseman Brent Burns to have an assist on all three goals in two straight games a first for a NHL defenseman doing it before Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Red Wings.

#4 Burns is getting a lot of minutes of late and on Thursday he got 25:57 minutes against the Rangers and Sharks head coach Bob Boughner says Burns will never short you in the work department.

#5 The Sharks will keep busy they host the Penguins on Saturday night a 7:30 puck drop and a matinee on Monday for Martin Luther King’s Birthday a 1:00pm start against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center.

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday nights at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fox leads Kings with 27 points in 126-114 win over Rockets

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Sacramento Kings’ Tyrese Haliburton guards Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) during first quarter action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Jan 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (18-27) were back in action on Friday night. The Kings last played on Wednesday when they took on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kings downed the Lakers 125-116 at home in a great team win.

On Friday, the Kings welcomed the Houston Rockets (12-32) to town for a two-game set. The Kings would play the Rockets on Friday at 7 PM PST and Sunday at 3 PM PST. On Friday, the Kings downed the Rockets 126-114.

In the first quarter, it wasn’t pretty for either team on defense. The Kings and the Rockets were getting basically anything they wanted at the basket. However, it was worse for the Kings. The Kings allowed the Rockets to score 41 points in the first quarter.

It was one of the worst defensive quarters of the year for the Kings. On the other hand, the Rockets held the Kings to 31 points to take an early game nine-point lead.

In the second quarter, the Kings flipped the script on the Rockets. The Kings offense had a fire lit under them and erupted for 34 points in the second quarter. However, that’s not the whole story. The Kings also dramatically improved on the defensive end.

The Kings held the Rockets to only 20 points in the second quarter as the Kings stormed back to take the lead. In the first half, the Kings were led by an explosive De’Aaron Fox, who had 18 points. The Rockets best first-half performance came from Christian Wood, who scored 15 points. As a result, the Kings took a 65-60 lead into the second half of the game.

In the third quarter, the Kings continued to play as they did in the second quarter. The Kings outscored the Rockets 33-29 in the third quarter to increase their lead. The Kings offense continued their pace for themselves in the third quarter as the defense wasn’t as sharp.

On the other hand, the Rockets picked up the pace on the defensive end but couldn’t contain the Kings offense. The Kings would need to play a clean fourth quarter to come away with a win.

In the final quarter, the Kings managed to hold onto the lead and beat the Rockets 126-114. The Kings outscored the Rockets 28-25 in the fourth quarter. It was the third straight quarter the Kings outscored the Rockets after starting the game terribly in the first quarter.

It was the Kings second win in a row as they improved to 18-27. The Kings were led in victory by De’Aaron Fox, who scored 27 points, followed by Marvin Bagley, who had 26. The Rockets best performance came from Christian Wood, who scored 26 points.

It was an excellent win for the Kings, who so often get complacent against bad teams. It appeared they did again on Friday after a terrible first quarter, but they quickly turned it around in the second.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Houston Rockets again on Sunday at 3 PM PST.

Harvey makes like wall in Barracuda 3-0 shutout win over the Roadrunners

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The San Jose Barracuda goaltender Sam Harvey got a shutout win over the Tucson Roadrunners at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Jan 14, 2022 ( file image from Chasing the Puck)

by Marko Ukalovicv

SAN JOSE —Quality over quantity.

Goalie Sam Harvey has produced shutouts in 66% of his starts. His outstanding performance led the San Jose Barracuda to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday evening at SAP Center.

Harvey (2-1-0) was perfect stopping all 28 shots he faced, which included having to help kill off a double-minor penalty to Jake McGrew with 4:25 left in the game, to earn his second shutout of the season (and second of his AHL career) in just three starts.

The 23-year-old native of Alma, Quebec played aggressive, challenging the Roadrunner shooters and did not give up many second chance rebounds in his strongest game of the season.

“I think I needed that game after what happened last game,” Harvey said. “I got pulled after (giving up) five goals. For me, I was just trying to get back to my game, play well and the boys helped me (out) in front as well.”

San Jose has won two out its last three games and split the series. Tucson has lost four out of its last five games.

San Jose (13-16-1-0) drew first blood halfway through the first period. McGrew sent a rink wide pass that caromed off the boards over to Evan Weinger who rifled home a one-timer top shelf past Roadrunner’s goalie Josef Korenar for his sixth goal of the season at the 10:49 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead on the power play late in the opening frame. Nick Cicek’s slapshot from the point caromed off the backboards out in front where Jayden Halbgewachs chipped it out in front of the crease. Scott Reedy buried the point-blank shot into an empty net for his team leading 16th goal of the season at the 16:02 mark.

“A lot of it’s timing,” said Reedy on his consistent scoring. “Boxing out offensively. I kind of just know when the puck is coming in. That’s been happening a lot lately.”

Tucson (12-12-2-1) only managed four shots on goal in the first period as San Jose had the ice tilted in its favor in the opening 20 minutes.

The middle frame was scoreless as San Jose out shot Tucson eight to six in the second period.

San Jose clamped down defensively in the third period and did repeat what happened on Wednesday night when they blew a third period lead against Tucson.

“We really should be sitting right now with three wins in a row,” said Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer. “We got that one back, which is good, but (when) you lose a game, you learn a lesson hopefully.”

San Jose received some insurance when they scored their league leading eighth short-handed goal early in the third period. John Leonard poked the puck out the ‘Cuda zone off the faceoff. On the breakaway, his shot went through the five-hole of Korenar as it trickled into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:59 mark.

The unassisted goal was Leonard’s second short-handed goal of the season.

Korenar (2-4-1) made 21 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-3 on the power play. Tucson was 0-for-5.

Cicek was hit in the face with a shot from the point late in the second period.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Harvey 2) Reedy 3) Weinger.

UP NEXT: San Jose take on the Bakersfield Condors on Saturday 1/15 at 7:00pm at Mechanics Bank Arena.

Warriors Provide Electric Play To Trounce Bulls 138-96

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Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole, left, dribbles against Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (right) at the United Center in Chicago on Fri Jan 14, 2022 (AP News photo)  

Warriors Provide Electric Play To Trounce Bulls 138-96

By Barbara Mason

After last nights game against the Milwaukee Bucks the Golden State Warriors were not entirely sure what they would be seeing from the Golden State Warriors going forward. The Bucks put the hurt on the Warriors in a blowout 118-99. At the half in that game the Bucks led by the score of 77-38.

Friday night the Warriors (31-11) took on another great team the Chicago Bulls (27-13). The Bulls are the leaders in the Eastern Conference and were probably pretty confident going into this game especially seeing what the Bucks had done to Golden State last night. Going into the game the Bulls were favored by four points.

We knew that it was just a matter of time before the Warriors shook off the funk they were in. We know what this team is capable of. What we saw in this game was a reversal of fortune. Golden State totally cleaned up the turnovers and the shooting in this game was a thing of beauty.

After the first quarter the Warriors led 37-28. In the second quarter it was the Warriors who took a significant lead into the locker room 78-47. Instead of giving up 77 points in the first half, Golden State scored 78 points.

Andrew Wiggins had 20 points at the half followed by Jordan Poole with 15. Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry both had double digits. With only two turnovers in the game and 11 of 24 from downtown plus shooting at 57% it was clear that the Warriors were on a mission.

The Warriors had held the Bulls to 45% shooting and forced eleven turnovers which turned into 21 points for Golden State. There was a bit of a scare in the second quarter when Curry fell on his hand and favored his wrist for a bit.

He was able to shake it off and it appeared that he suffered no ill effects from the fall. Going into the third quarter the Warriors kept the pressure on the Bulls. Four of the Warriors starters had shot in double digits mid-way through the quarter.

Kevon Looney had a double double with 11 rebounds and 10 points. It was an amazing turnaround for the team. It was Warrior basketball at it’s finest. It was all Warriors through three quarters. When they should have been fatigued from back to back games, the Warriors were sharp and refreshed and showing not a sign of lethargy or weariness.

As the third quarter came to an end the Warriors were still tearing it up 112-72 for a 40 point lead.

In the fourth quarter it was Jonathan Kuminga who was attacking the rim like a pro shooting for 23 points. This was as complete a game offensively and defensively as one could ask for. In the fourth quarter Curry went to the locker room to have his hand evaluated. He returned without a wrap on his hand and appeared to be just fine. The final was 138-96 in a blowout.

Off the bench Kuminga had 25 points in an excellent game, his best of the season. Starters Poole had 22 and Andrew Wiggins had 21. They finished with only seven turnovers.

“We needed this win, it was important. We’ve got to be strong and show them what we are about,” said Wiggins after the game. “We have a lot of guys who can dominate,” he said.

The Warriors will be taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday to end their road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM. Golden State will head home after this game for a 7-game home stand.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Las Vegas the New Gold Rush for Sports

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A view of the front doors of the Tropicana Casino Hotel Resort in Las Vegas which could wind up being the home to either the Oakland A’s or a new MLS franchise (photo by troplv.com)

Las Vegas the New Gold Rush for Sports

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Major League Soccer Commissioner, Don Garber is looking to Las Vegas for expansion: “Las Vegas is a frontrunner for MLS 30th team” said Mr. Garber, who added, “We are looking to build a stadium right off the strip”.

Sin City has gained national attention in recent years with the birth of the NHL Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Oakland Raiders, now Las Vegas Raiders, both playing in the most famous desert in the country.

Now they are also in the mix for MLS 30th team according to Garber who added “our 30th team is really going to round out expansion in Major League Soccer, so stay tuned, because in the first quarter of 2022 we should be announcing a 30th team”.

It makes sense for the MLS build a new stadium for their expansion team in Las Vegas, since that is an outdoor sport with the regular seasons beginning in late February and ending early October, they play lots of games in the summer and in Las Vegas you need an indoor-air conditioned stadium.

Obviously, Oakland A’s aficionados are still in a unique situation where the team is moving forward with two parallel plans one for the Howard Terminal new ballpark at Jack London Square in Oakland, and one someplace in Las Vegas.

That is sort of good news for each plan. In Oakland the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) a 3,500 page document which the city of Oakland planning commission could vote next month and approve. This is just one step in a very long process as the A’s and the city of Oakland are still in on-going negotiations about how to pay for the project and the infrastructure around it.

Meanwhile in Las Vegas, the A’s are also involved in looking for land to build a new stadium. After earlier in 2021 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred gave the team permission to look for alternate sites in other cities, in case they cannot build the Howard Terminal new park.

The Tropicana Hotel site on Las Vegas famous strip a primary target, also Dave Kaval President of the A’s and John Fisher owner have made repeated visits to the desert and are evaluating other options like a plot owned by Wyndham Hotel and Resorts Las Vegas and another by betting on casino company Caesars Entertainment.

It has been reported also (although not confirmed) that the Hughes Corporation (originally owned by Howard Hughes) has offered “free” land to the Oakland team if they wish to build their new park in Summerlin, an affluent suburb, minutes from the strip. Las Vegas media also has reported the A’s have looked at Henderson, Nevada, just a few minutes from the Strip for their new park

A’s fans by now have heard just about everything they need to know, stuff they like, and stuff they do not, like the team announcing last year a substantial increase in their season tickets, which was not very well received.

The one positive is the Howard Terminal plans are moving along, although (we must keep in mind) still a non-binding agreement. Many scenarios are floating around here in the Bay Area among fans and media.

One is that the A’s will play in 2022 at the Oakland Coliseum but sometime during the season they will announce their plans for the Howard Terminal although it’s still in development however, they do not believe that is going to materialize and announce that they will be moving out of Oakland. By 2023 they will be playing at their AAA facility Las Vegas Aviators Park, while they build their new permanent home in Sin City.

Your guess is as good as anybody. But two things that you can bet on, in the near future Las Vegas will have an MLS team and the other one: sometime this year we will finally know where the A’s are going to play. The Commissioner has made it abundantly clear that his patience with Oakland is about to expire. The ‘fish or cut bait’ scenario is coming soon.

During the 2021 season the Oakland A’s played 80 games at the Oakland Coliseum and averaged 8,767 fans per game, that ranked #29 among the 30 teams in baseball, the Miami Marlins finished last averaging 7,933.

We have to consider that most teams attendance have gone down during the past two seasons because all the Covid-19 restrictions. And this upcoming 2022, which has been in a lockout by owners since last December 2, could figure to be a wild card.

Is another variant on the way after Omicron? How will States handle all this, we are a big and complex country we have 50 States and they all have different laws and regulations.

Like we say on radio as well as television “stay tune for more news to come”

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com