Arizona defeats COVID-decimated Bears 10-3, snaps 20-game skid

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The Cal Bears Ethan Saunders defensive end (99) gets a sack on the Arizona Wildcats quarterback (10) Will Plummer on Sat Nov 6, 2021 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson (Cal Bears photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, November 6, 2021

Arizona (1-8) took advantage of a COVID-19-depleated California (3-6) roster and defeated the Golden Bears 10-3 Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., snapping the Wildcats’ 20-game losing streak.

The Golden Bears (3-6) were without starting quarterback Chase Garbers, three starting offensive linemen, and three defensive starters, all held out of the game for testing positive. In addition, Cal assistant coaches Geep Chryst, Andrew Browning, Angus McClure and Tre Watson also tested positive and did not travel with the team, according to ESPN.

Cal issued a statement on Friday, announcing that 99 percent of its roster was vaccinated. The combination of positive tests and injuries reportedly left the Golden Bears with 42 scholarship players for the Pac-12 game.

The Golden Bears had two positive COVID tests earlier in the week, and the city of Berkeley then required the entire team to be tested on Wednesday, revealing the outbreak.

The COVID outbreak had a direct effect on the Bears’ offense. With the starting center, left guard and left tackle sidelined, backup quarterback Ryan Glover – a transfer from Western Carolina – completed 11-of-29 passes for 94 yards and was sacked four times. To compound matters, Cal gained only 28 total rushing yards on 24 carries.

After a scoreless first half, Arizona (1-8) took the first lead of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Tyler Loop with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter. Cal tied the game at 3-3 four minutes later when Nick Lopez, filling in for Dario Longhetto, booted a 34-yard field goal.

Arizona surged ahead with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quartert on Michael Wileuy’s 30-yard touchdown run.

The Wildcats’ top two quarterbacks, Jordan McCloud ad Gunner Cruz, were already out for the season. Three backups, Will Plummer, Jamarye Joiner and Luke Ashworth, each attemped at least one pass. Plummer had all 16 of Arizona’s completed passes on 28 attempts for 129 yards and one of three Wildcat passes intercepted.

Next Saturday, the Golden Bears return home to host Southern California (4-5).

Sharks Fall to Devils, 3-2 in a Shoot-Out

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer in goal and the New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson (28) who scores in the shootout for the game winner at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in a shoot-out to the New Jersey Devils Saturday at SAP Center in San Jose. Ryan Graves and Janne Kuokkanen scored for the Devils and Jonathan Bernier made 25 saves for the win. Sharks goals came from Rudolfs Balcers and Jonathan Dahlen. James Reimer made 26 saves in the loss.

New Jersey out-shot San Jose 10-9 in a scoreless first period. Each team had a chance on the power play, with the Devils power play getting two shots on goal and the Sharks power play getting three. The teams were also very close in the face-off circle, with the Sharks winning 11 draws and the Devils winning 10.

Rudolfs Balcers scored the first goal of the game early in the second period. The Sharks had just killed off an early penalty, having given up just one to the Devils power play. Mario Ferraro carried the puck all the way across the Devils blue line before making a pass through the blue paint to Balcers, who was able to put the puck in the net. Assists went to Ferraro and Brent Burns.

Devils defenseman Ryan Graves tied the game at 16:45 with his first goal of the season. He trailed the play into the zone and arrived just in time to catch a cross-ice pass from Nico Hischier. Reimer could not get across in time to stop the shot. Assists went to Hischier and Michael McLeod.

The teams continued to be very close in shots, with the second period count at 9-7 Sharks. In the face-off circle, the Devils improved to 61%, or 11-18. The Devils had the only power play in the period, and had just the one shot on goal.

Jonathan Dahlen made it 2-1 with a shot on the power play into the top corner at 4:21 of the third. Assists went to Brent Burns and Ryan Merkley.

Janne Kuokkanen tied tied it back up at 17:04 of the third. His shot was one of many that flew at James Reimer in quick succession. Kuokkanen was able to shoot while Reimer was prone across the goal mouth. Assists went to Jimmy Vesey and Colton White.

Logan Couture shot first and scored with an assertive wrist shot through the Bernier’s five-hole.

New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt shot next. His shot hit Reimer’s pad and seemed to stop but instead slid over the line to count for a goal.

Rudolfs Balcers shot next for San Jose but his shot hit the post.

Alexander Holz shot next for New Jersey and Reimer stopped his shot.

Tomas Hertl shot next, but Bernier deflected the shot away from the net.

Damon Severson shot last for New Jersey and scored. After a shimmy and a shake he lifted the puck over Reimer and up into the corner.

The final shot count was as close as ever, 28-27 Devils. In the face-off circle, New Jersey also prevailed, winning 54% of the draws. The Sharks power play scored on one of three chances, and their penalty kill was perfect against four Devils power plays.

The Sharks will hit the road now and play next in Calgary against the Flames on Tuesday at 6:00 PM PT.

Knicks Go tops three year old competition for $6 million purse at the Breeders Cup in Del Mar

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Knicks Go in front of the pack for the winner of the 2021 Breeders Cup Classic at Del Mar on Sat Nov 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

Knicks Go defied age and beat a trio of three-year-old top horses including controversial Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday in Del Mar.

The five-year-old with 3-1 odds, ridden by Joel Rosario and trained by Brad Cox, set the pace and finished with a 2 3/4-length victory. Knicks Go covered 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.57, coming within three-fifths of a second of the record at Del Mar Racetrack for that distance.

“He broke really sharp,” Rosario said. “He looked like he was really enjoying what he was doing. I could see his ears, he was so relaxed.”

Knicks Go paid $8.40 to win on a $2 wager. It was his fourth consecutive win and boosted him in the running for the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.

“Speed is very dangerous,” Cox said.

Embattled trainer Bob Baffert’s Medina Spirit, who failed a drug test after the Derby, came in second. Medina Spirit is expected to be tested for the anti-inflammatory which is legal, but after the race week. Baffert currently does not face any charges.

Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, the 9-5 favorite, finished third. Essential Quality is retiring due to his stallion value.

The hometown hero Hot Rod Charlie, who enjoyed “Let’s go Chuck” chants leading up to the race, came in fourth.

The Breeders’ Cup classic had only eight horses because Express Train had swelling in his right hock in the morning and was scratched.

Last year, Knicks Go won all three of his races, including the G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. In January, the Maryland-bred Paynter colt won the G1 Pegasus Invitational.

While Baffert’s horse came in second in the classic on Saturday, his horse Corniche won the $2 million Juvenile on Friday. Corniche became a horse to watch in next year’s Derby, but it remains to be seen who will train him since Baffert is banned from the race for two years amid the Medina Spirit controversy.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks host New Jersey tonight at SAP Center; Devils playing .500 hockey

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San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) puts a stop on the St Louis Blues left winger John Hayden (15) shot on goal during the third period at SAP Center in San Jose Thu Nov 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 After winning two straight wins the San Jose Sharks (6-4-0) took a tough loss on Thursday night to the St Louis Blues (7-1-1) 5-3. The Blues built up a cushion with a three goal second period.

#2 Len, the Blues are a tough group playing six games over .500 and have a Western Conference lead with the Winnipeg Jets just a point behind the Blues.

#3 The Blues have top offensive players taking a look at the stats, Vladimir Tarasenko with 11 points, Dave Peron 6 goals, Jordan Kyrou has 8 assists and ten points some skaters that St Louis can depend on.

#4 The Sharks are sending rookie forward William Eklund 19 to Sweden. Eklund was looking forward for a chance to skate with the big club but the Sharks are looking to develop Eklund for the future.

#5 The Sharks are hosting the New Jersey Devils (4-3-2), New Jersey battled the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center last night and are playing back to back games. New Jersey are playing .500 hockey. Sharks are coming off a big loss to St Louis how do you see this match tonight at SAP Center?

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

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Lightning’s Sergachev suspended two games for illegal check; Eichel to rehab from disk; plus more

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The Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (left) goes airborne after getting checked in the head by the Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev (right) on Thu Nov 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning’s defenceman Mikhail Sergachev who illegally checked the Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner in the head in the first period at 17:47 on Thu Nov 4 in Toronto. Sergachev was suspended for two games. Sergachev was also fined $48,000 which go to the NHL players fund.

#2 Matt, talk about the value of the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring center Jack Eichel who has to have a artificial disk replacement that will take three months for Eichel to come back and play again.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will return between the pipes after entering a players’ assistance program back on Oct 7th. Carey is expected to be back with the team on Monday but will not play right away and the team plans to have Price see a therapist and to later draw up plans.

#4 Former 2010 Chicago Blackhawks video goal coach and sexual abuser Brad Aldrich had his name scratched off the Stanley Cup Trophy with X’s this week for abusing former Blackhawk Kyle Beach back in 2010.

#5 The San Jose Sharks ended up reassigning rookie forward William Eklund to his former team in Sweden. Eklund is expected to be the future center piece for the Sharks.

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

Stars take down the Barracuda 7-3

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by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—It was not a good afternoon for the The San Jose Barracuda.

The Texas Stars scored five goals in the final two periods to route the ‘Cuda 7-3 on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

San Jose has lost three games in a row and fell under .500 for the first time this season. Texas snapped its three game losing streak.

Both teams used the first 10 minutes of the game as a feeling out process as there were only five combined shots on goal.

Texas (4-5-0-0) was almost gift wrapped a goal thanks to ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk. The second year goalie misplayed the puck behind the net to Stars captain Curtis McKenzie but Melnichuk was able to slide back into the crease preventing the puck from going into the back of the net at the 7:55 mark.

San Jose (2-3-1-0) drew first blood just halfway through the first period. Joachim Blichfeld skated down the right side into the Stars zone. Blichfeld drew three Stars defenders toward him before finding Noah Gregor, who played his first game since being in Covid-19 protocol the past week, all alone in the slot. Gregor snapped home a wrist shot to the short side beating Stars goalie Jake Oettinger for his third goal of the season at the 12:30 mark.

Gregor led the ‘Cuda was involved in all three of the Barracuda’s goal on the afternoon.

“It was three points good,” said ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer when asked how good it was to Gregor back in the lineup. “But you can’t rely on one line to get all the points for us right now.”

The Stars answered back on the power play late in the opening frame. With San Jose in the sinbin for too many men on the ice, Anthony Louis fed a pass back up to the point where Andres Borgman fired a one-timer through a sea of traffic into the back of the net for his third goal of the season at the 14:50 mark.

Texas earned its first lead of the game with 63 seconds left in the period. Gregor turned the puck over inside his own defensive zone. Fredrick Karlstrom found Nicholas Caamano in the left slot. Caamano centered the puck over to Oskar Back whose shot deflected off Caamano for his second goal of the season.

The Stars struck early in the second period early after the ‘Cuda were guilty of another turnover trying to clear their own zone. Josh Melnick finished off a two-on-one when he buried a one-timer past Melnichuk after receiving a cross ice pass from Karlstrom. The Stars third unanswered goal was Melnick’s second goal of the season at the 3:28 mark.

San Jose cut the lead to a one a goal deficit with a power play goal of their own. Gregor found Scott Reedy below the net on the right side. Reedy fed a backhanded pass to Jayden Halbgewachs in the slot and the ‘Cuda left winger buried a one-timer to the far side past Oettinger for his third goal of the season at the 6:15 mark.

Texas regained a two-goal lead late in the middle frame. San Jose failed to clear the puck out its own zone when a shot from the point by Ben Gleason pinballed off a couple of ‘Cuda defenders out to the front of the crease. Karlstrom came in a lifted a backhander top shelf past Melnichuk for his second goal of the game at the 15:52 mark.

The Barracuda once again cut the lead down to one goal with just over a minute remaining in the period. Gregor slid a pass over to Mark Alt at the left point. Alt sent in a wrist shot that deflected off a Stars defender and pass Oettinger for his first goal of the season at the 18:51 mark.

Texas capped off a wild middle frame with its third goal of the period 27 seconds later. Joel L’Esperance threaded a nifty backhanded pass between two ‘Cuda defenders over to Riley Tufte whose quick wrist shot beat Melnichuk for his fourth goal of the season at the 19:18 mark.

‘Cuda goalie Zachary Emond, who was recently called up from the Orlando Solar Bears, made his AHL debut when he replaced Melnichuk to start the third period. Melnichuk made 13 saves on 18 shots in 40:00 of action.

The Stars scored a controversial goal just over three minutes into the third period. Caamano crashed into Emond as he came in on an coast-to-coast rush in what appeared to have been goalie interference. With Emond down and out of the net, Alex Petrovic fired the puck into an empty net. After deliberation from the officials on the ice, Petrovic was awarded the unassisted goal, his first of the season at the 3:09 mark.

“That was a bullsh*t goal. He (the referee) should’ve blew the whistle. He (Emond) was down for five seconds. He was ran over, that’s goalie interference and it’s a sh*t call,” Sommer said.

McKenzie capped off the scoring with a breakaway goal with 30 seconds left remaining for his second goal of the season. McKenzie’s leads the Stars in scoring with seven points on the season (2G,5A).

Oettinger finished the game with 16 saves on 19 shots to earn the victory. Emond stopped 10 of the 12 shots he faced in his first appearance of the season for the ‘Cuda.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-2 on the power play. Texas went 1-for-2.

San Jose is 13-7-1-2 all time against Texas. They went 4-2-0-0 against the Stars last season.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Karlstrom 2) Caamano 3) Gregor

UP NEXT: San Jose conclude their four-game homestand with another battle with Texas on Sunday 11/7 at 3:00pm at SAP Center.

Stanford Beaten Up By Utah under Friday Night Lights 52-7 at Stanford Stadium

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback tight end Benjamin Yurosek (84) can’t find the handle on the football as the Cardinal fall hard to the visiting Utah Utes at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Fri Nov 5, 2021 (AP News photo)

Stanford Beaten Up By Utah 52-7

By Barbara Mason

Utah’s Tavian Thomas ran roughshod all over the Stanford defense scoring four touchdowns in the first half to lead his team to a 52-7 win. He finished the game with 177 yards.

Utah (6-3) jumped all over Stanford (3-6) in the first quarter taking an early 14-0 lead. Stanford was rendered helpless and after the first quarter had -13 in rushing yards. Passing attempts by Stanford had resulted in incompletions and sacks. The Cardinal would get a badly needed break generating a Utah turnover late in the quarter. Stanford would send in quarterback Jack West late in the quarter still looking for some offense. Isaiah Sanders and West shared quarterbacking since Tanner McKee was ruled out due to injury for this game.

Utah’s Tavion Thomas scored his third touchdown in this game early in the second quarter giving Utah a 21-0 lead. Stanford stadium went silent when Utah scored their fourth touchdown of the game leading 28-0. It was Thomas’ fourth touchdown finishing the half with 153 rushing yards.

TJ Pledger would score for Utah in the final minutes of the half and the Utes led in a runaway 35-0. With 34 seconds left in the game Stanford was called for roughing the passer and Utah went to work on the Stanford 19 yard line. Utah settled for a field goal extending their lead 38-0.

The first half could not have been more lopsided in favor of Utah. This is not the way that the Cardinal wanted to come out in this game especially playing at home. With 23 receiving yards and 5 passing yards it was an absolute nightmare for Stanford. Utah had 434 total yards to Stanford’s 28 yards in the first half.

Stanford quarterback Isaiah Sanders would score in the third quarter for the lone Cardinal touchdown of the game. The score after three was 38-7

In the fourth quarter, Utah had a first and goal but Stanford held them on four downs. This was one of the few highlights for the Cardinal in this game. That highlight was followed by a devastating lowlight when Stanfords Sanders threw a pick six giving the Utes a 45-7 lead.

Utah was sailing though this game. Late in the final quarter the Utes would strike again scoring their sixth rushing touchdown of the game. The final was 52-7. The way that Utah is playing they have a great shot at the NCAA crown. Stanford will play Oregon State next Saturday November 13th. Status of quarterback Tanner McKee is unknown for this game. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 PM.

Baffert horse Corniche wins Breeders Cup at Del Mar

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Corniche crosses the finish line with Jockey Mike Smith at the Breeders Cup at Del Mar on Fri Nov 5, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

Corniche, trained by embattled trainer Bob Baffert, on Friday won the Breeders’ Cup $2 million Juvenile, becoming a horse to watch for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

On the opening day of the 38th Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California, jockey Mike Smith led Corniche to a 1 3/4-length victory.

Smith guided Corniche to break from the outside in the pack of 11 horses and did not give up the lead in completing the 1-1/16 miles in 1:42.50.

The jockey said he was mostly concerned with how warm Corniche was before the race.

“The only thing I was worried about was that he got hotter than he ever had. It just made me get calmer,” Smith said. “I don’t think I have ever been so calm in a big race. I just sat really still, he caught a flyer leaving the gate and I just left him alone.”

Corniche, the 7-5 favorite, earned his third victory in three attempts and positioned himself as an early favorite for the 2022 Derby.

Baffert said he knew from the 11th hole that Smith was going to have to push Corinche harder than usual.

“Mike is a great rider. I love him on a horse like that,” said Baffert, who won his 18th Breeders’ Cup and fifth Juvenile.

While all eyes are now on Corniche, it remains to be seen who will prepare him for the Derby. Baffert is banned from the race for two years after his Derby winner this year, Medina Spirit, came back with a positive drug test. Corniche would not be able to earn points to qualify for the Derby if trained by Baffert.

Pappacap, a 15-1 longshot, came in second with jockey Joe Bravo, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Giant Game, also a longshot.

Giant Game’s trainer Dale Romans said he thought they would win the Juvenile, but congratulated Corniche.

“Congratulations to the winner. It was a big race by him,” Romans said. “It’s hard to beat Bob on his home court.”

The Breeders’ Cup continues for its second day on Saturday.

Golden State Annihilates Pelicans 126-85 at Chase Center

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Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) spreads his wings and shows he can fly as he led Golden State with 26 points against the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Nov 5, 2021 (AP News photo)

Golden State Annihilates Pelicans 126-85

Golden State (7-1) blasted the New Orleans Pelicans (1-9) in a runaway 126-85. Jordan Poole had another high for the game with 26 points and Andre Iguodala had a record high 10 assists.

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (7-1) took on the New Orlean Pelicans (1-9). This would prove to be an interesting match-up. The Warrior offense would be tested by the impenetrable Jonas Valanciunas, however New Orleans will be dealing with injuries that will hurt the team with Brandon Ingram out due to a right hip contusion and of course Zion Williamson’s return is still murky. Coming into this game the Pelicans have lost five in a row.

Golden State will be heavily counting on Kevon Looney, Otto Porter Jr., and Nemanja Bjelica, the Warriors who can almost match 6’11” Valaciunas in height. The Warriors are highly favored in this matchup.

The Pelicans got a quick start in the first quarter leading early but Golden State got their offense going and erased that lead to even the score 16-16 mid-way through the quarter. Golden State had a 38-31 lead after one quarter.

The Warriors had a nice start to the second quarter. They were having alot of success dropping three’s and already were 9 of 19 in early play. The only true weapon that the Pelicans had in this game was Valaciunas.

Although leading by fifteen points in the second quarter, Golden State went cold and led by a slim margin at the half 54-50. Missing three 3’s in a row is something that we seldom see from Golden State, but we saw it in the second quarter. The Warriors will need a lot more successful offensive effort in the second half.

The Warriors got that effort and extended their lead in the third quarter leading 88-66.

Golden State really went to town in the final quarter rendering the Pelicans helpless. New Orleans was unable to get anything going offensively or defensively. A four point lead for the Warriors at the half turned into a 126-85 final.

Poole, Curry, Wiggins, Payton and Bjelica all shot in double digits and Green led in rebounds with 8. This team was on fire and fans at Chase tonight got a real show.

The Warriors will be back on the court Sunday taking on the Rockets. Two teams with opposite records – the Warriors with a 7-1 record and the Rockets with a 1-7 record. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Kings crush Hornets with 30 point victory 140-110 at Golden One

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The Sacramento Kings put on the defensive pressure on the Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) on Fri Nov 5, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night. The Kings had the day off on Thursday after taking on the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. The Kings entered action on Friday with a record of 4-4 and what seemed to be some early season momentum. The Kings opened up on the Hornets with a 30 point win 140-110 at Golden One Center in Sacramento.

The Hornets entered play on Friday with a 5-4 record looking to improve on their solid start to the season. The Kings and Hornets would play in Sacramento at 7 PM PST. Before we dive into Friday night’s action let’s take a look at the Kings last game.

Flashback Wednesday: The Kings took on the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night and beat them handily. The Kings matched their play most of the game and took over in the final quarter. The Kings ended up winning the game 112-99.

Friday tip off: The Kings were set to take on the Charlotte Hornets at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

The first quarter was a tremendous outburst from the Kings. The first quarter saw everything the Kings had to offer this year. The defense was spectacular, and the offense was on fire. The Kings hit 9 three’s in the first quarter alone to set the tone for the offense. The Kings in the first quarter managed to outscore the Hornets 41-22.

In the second quarter, the Kings took a step back. The Kings defense allowed the Hornets to score 31 points to try and mount a comeback. Fortunately for the Kings, the shots continued to fall for the purple and black. The Kings outscored the Hornets by scoring 33 points in the second quarter to take a 74-53 lead into halftime. The Kings Richuan Holmes and Buddy Hield had double figures in the first half with 12 points each. The Kings looked to lock the game down in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings defense melted down. Part of that meltdown was in part because Gordon Hayward torched the Kings in the third. Hayward managed to score 12 points and was the biggest part of keeping the Hornets in the game. However, the Kings did still continue to light it up on offense adding scoring 33 albeit as the Hornets scored 36. The Kings would need to tighten up on the defensive end of the floor to come out with a victory. The Kings led heading into the final quarter 106-89.

In the final segment, the Kings managed to finish the Hornets off in victory. The Kings outscored the Hornets 34-21 as the Kings had all the momentum down the stretch in the 140-110 victory. At points throughout the fourth quarter, you could hear the Joy from Kings fans as they chanted in the blowout victory.

The chants were “Buddy Buckets” and “We want Bagley” among others. This was by far the best Kings team blowout in recent memory. The Kings were led in victory by Buddy Hield with 26 followed by Richuan Holmes with 23 points. The Hornets were led by LaMello Ball who scored 24 points.

Up Next: The Kings will stay home to take on the Indiana Pacers on the first night of a back-to-back on Sunday at 3 PM PST.