Tag: AT&T Park

Giants’ 4-run seventh inning helps them down Dodgers 6-4

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO–You never know what you are going to see in a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and this game was the epitome of that statement.

Pedro Baez committed a balk when he tripped on the mound that allowed Gorkys Hernandez to score from third base, as the Giants came back from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Dodgers 6-4 in the opener of the four-game series before a sellout crowd of 41,936 at AT&T Park Friday night.

Hyun-Jin Ryu helped out his own cause, as he drove in two with a two-run double down the left field line.

Yasmani Grandal cut the Giants lead in half, as he doubled in Matt Kemp, who walked just prior to the Grandal double.

After a Cody Bellinger walk, Yaisel Puig tied up the game with a double down the left field line and it looked like Bellinger was going to score; however, a fan down the line touched the ball and Bellinger was forced to stay at third base.

Kyle Farmer then struck out for the first out of the inning, and then Ryu took a Holland pitch down the left field line to score both Bellinger and Puig.

Ryu went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, not walking a batter and struck out seven; however, he did not fare in the decision.

It was a different story for Holland, who was pulled after the Ryu double. Holland went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking four and striking out four. Like Ryu, he did not fare in the decision.

Things looked for the Giants after they took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as Evan Longoria hit a long solo home run to straightaway centerfield and then three batters later, Brandon Crawford deposited a Ryu offering onto the arcade.

Brandon Belt extended his hitting streak up to nine games, as he legged out an infield single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Belt went to second on a Tony Cingrani wild pitch, but was then thrown out at third base by Kike Hernandez, who threw to Kyle Farmer for the first out of the inning.

Crawford then walked, and then Hernandez got the Giants within one run, when he singled in Austin Jackson.

Tomlinson then took a Cingrani offering and doubled into left field to tie up the game, and then most bizarre play of the night took place, when Baez fell off the mound, for a balk to give the Giants the lead for good.

Joe Panik then extended the lead up to 6-4, as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Tomilnson from third base.

Former Dodgers reliever Tony Watson came on in the top of the eighth, and despite giving up two hits that put runners on first and second with one out, he was able to get out of the jam, when both Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes flew out to Hernandez for the last two outs of the inning.

NOTES: Chris Stratton will take the mound in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, while the Dodgers have not decided on a starter.

Stratton became a father on Wednesday night at 11:53, as his wife Martha Kate gave birth to a daughter named Mary Bennett and she weighed in at eight pounds, four ounces and 20 inches long.

Johnny Cueto will take the mound in the second game, as he looks to improve to 3-0 on the season, while Alex Wood will go for the Dodgers, as he still looks for his first win of the season.

This is the first doubleheader between the Giants and Dodgers since September 27, 2003, where the Giants and Dodgers split the twin bill at AT&T Park.

Mac Williamson, who crashed into the wall near the Giants bullpen in the game on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals was placed in the concussion protocol.

The Giants improved to 10-3 on the season, when they score first.

UP NEXT: The Giants play a doubleheader Saturday with Game 2 at 1:05 pm PT and Game 3 at 7:05 pm PT.

Giants and Dodgers will meet once again

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Photo credit: @Laurel_Inn_SF

By Jeremy Kahn

Coming off of back-to-back series wins for the first two times this season, the San Francisco Giants return to play in the National League West and an old rival comes to town.

The reigning National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers make their second of three trips to the Bay Area this season for a four-game series at AT&T Park.

This will be the last time that the Dodgers come to AT&T Park until the last weekend of the season, as they will face the Giants from September 28-30.

Derek Holland will take the AT&T Park mound, as the left-hander looks for his first win as a member of the Giants, while the Dodgers will send Hyun-Jin Ryu, who looks to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The Giants are coming off a 15-2 loss to the Washington Nationals, as Jeff Samardzija made his second start of the season, but he did get out of the fourth inning.

Samardzija went 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on eight runs, walking three and striking out three in his first AT&T Park start of the season.

Ryu is coming off a seven inning performance against the Nationals on Saturday night, as he went seven innings, allowing no runs on just two hits, walking three and striking out eight.

This is the third consecutive start that Ryu won, as he did not fare in his first start of the season, as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 8-7 at Chase Field.

Brandon Belt continues to hit the ball well, as he went 2-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss to the Nationals and is now batting .304 on the season.

Mac Williamson was a late scratch to Wednesday’s game, as he suffered a neck strain from the attempt at a foul ball in Tuesday night victory over the Nationals, where he hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Rude Guests: Nats rob Giants’ momentum with rout, then rush off to the airport

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–From the Giants’ perspective, finally achieving a .500 record after an adversity-filled start to the season would have been a nice storyline.

But it didn’t happen, so maybe focusing on April 25–today’s date–and the still early stage of the long season will temper their momentary disappointments.

Either way, for the 25 guys trudging out the Giants’ clubhouse on Wednesday, perspective will be needed. 15-2 defeats aren’t easy to swallow.

The Nationals pounded out 18 hits, led 10-0 in the sixth, amply supporting starter Max Scherzer, who went six innings, and earned themselves a relaxed flight back to the Nation’s Capital.

“One of those games that started off rough and gradually got worse,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We gave up crooked numbers. That’s not going to work.”

The Giants still covet a 14-14 record after Sunday, their way of standing up to a brutal stretch to start the season that ends Sunday against the Dodgers. But after getting blown out they’ll have to regain their recent form immediately if they want to grab three of four from LA.

Concerning issues cropped up before the first pitch, and multipled in the game’s initial pitches. First, Buster Posey was given a day off to rest, then hard-swinging Mac Williamson was scratched due to a sore neck, a result of his sliding catch attempt on Tuesday that sent him tumbling into the low wall bordering the left field line bullpen. Giants starter Jeff Samardzija looked good in his season debut over the weekend at Anaheim, but lugged an 0-5 record against Washington in his last five starts to the mound Wednesday. That was essentially the opposite of Scherzer, who dominated the Giants in his last two appearances, striking out a combined 21 batters.

Then the game commenced, and the Nats took a quick 3-0 lead as Samardzija gave up three hits surrounding his wild pitch with Bryce Harper at bat.

The traffic on the basepaths never subsided after that. Samardzija escaped trouble in the second and third, then got torched in the fourth, allowing three more runs. Pierce Johnson gave up a pair of runs, then Josh Osich allowed four. Throughout, the last out of an inning became slippier than a piglet in soapy, bath water. In all, four relievers threw over 100 pitches, that after Samardzija threw 86 and couldn’t finish the fourth inning. Johnson allowed as many runs as he gave up in eight, previous outings.

“You’re looking for someone to put up a zero and we had a hard time doing that,” Bochy admitted.

And the AT&T Park crowd of 35,126 squirmed, then left, figuring they could realize greater entertainment value sitting in afternoon commute traffic. The game somehow ended after three hours, 13 minutes, partly attributable to Scherzer who struck out 10, and closed doors immediately after they opened.

“You just want to go out there and put up zeros to get the offense back in and have everybody run to the bat rack. That’s what makes it fun,” said Scherzer.

Andrew McCutchen (hitting .205), Brandon Crawford (.200) and Austin Jackson (.213) combined to strike out five times against the Nationals ace. Evan Longoria (.222) was spelled at third base by Pablo Sandoval. In a seventh inning, pinch-hitting role, Longoria faced reliever Trevor Gott and struck out swinging.

All four will likely be back in the starting lineup Friday to face Los Angeles’ Hyun-Jin Ryu. But Ryu’s undefeated with an ERA under two. The Giants won’t face Clayton Kershaw this weekend, and the Dodgers haven’t announced a starter for Saturday’s first game, but trouble could arise regardless for the Giants if the dead spots in their lineup don’t respond.

Derek Holland opposes Ryu. He’s yet to defeat the Dodgers, but with just two, previous starts, it’s a limited sample.

Giants Notes: Twists and Turns Keep on Coming

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Ana Kieu

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants defeated the Washington Nationals by close scores of 4-2 and 4-3, in that order. However, San Francisco was unable to complete a three-game sweep over Washington at AT&T Park Wednesday afternoon as they fell behind early and never came close to their opponent.

April 25, 2018
Final: 15-2 Nationals
Attendance: 35,126
Time: 3 hours, 13 minutes

Here are some Giants news and notes:
– Giants manager Bruce Bochy tweeted just minutes after the Giants’ 4-3 win over the Nats Tuesday night. Bochy and his team are 1-0 when he’s on Twitter.
– The Giants congratulated the Golden State Warriors on eliminating the San Antonio Spurs to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. They also announced their Bay Area Unite night at AT&T Park during their home game versus the San Diego Padres on April 30 at 7:15 pm PT. You can purchase your tickets here: atmlb.com/2qYFhQA
– The Giants congratulated the nearby San Francisco Dons on their recent win.
– The Giants brought fans a double dose of No. 25 Wednesday by giving out a collectible figurine of father-son duo Barry and Bobby Bonds.
– Longtime Giants fan Marci Salvador turned 100 last week, but celebrated her birthday at AT&T Park Wednesday.
– Dylan, who’s dealing with pediatric cancer, got to meet some of his favorite Giants players on the field prior to Wednesday’s game. Sam Dyson let Dylan use his glove and played catch with the little boy.
– Mac Williamson was scratched Wednesday due to neck stiffness.
– Chris Stratton was placed on paternity leave.
– Roberto Gomez was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
– Jeff Samardzija made his AT&T Park debut Wednesday.

Up Next: The Giants host the rival Dodgers this weekend. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, April 27 at 7:15 pm PT on KNTV and SNLA. Games 2 and 3 are scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at 1:05 pm PT on KNTV and SNLA and NSBA and SNLA, respectively. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, April 29 at 2:05 pm PT on NSBA and SNLA.

Williamson and Belt each go deep in Giants’ 4-3 win over Nationals

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Photo credit: @SFGiants

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO–It maybe early in the year, but the San Francisco Giants are beginning to show why they have three World Series in the past eight years.

Mac Williamson hit a towering home run to straightaway centerfield in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Giants made it three straight victories with a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals in front of a crowd of 37,147 at AT&T Park Tuesday night.

The Williamson home run measured at 423 feet went deep over the centerfield wall to give the Giants the second series win in a row.

There was a scary moment for Williamson in the top of the fifth inning, as he attempted to catch a Bryce Harper foul, Williamson went crashing into the padded wall near the bullpen area.

“Feeling fine, spiked my calf,” said Williamson.

Brandon Belt continued his hot hitting, as he extended his hitting streak to seven games, as he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. It was the fifth home run for Belt in the last six games.

Joe Panik went three-for-four at the plate, as the Giants have won four out of their last five games.

Reyes Moronta pitched two innings, as he allowed just one hit and struck out two and won his first major league game.

“Reyes is doing a great job,” said Ty Blach.

Blach went five innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while walking two and striking out three, as he did not fare in the decision.

Blach was looking good until he got into trouble in the top of the fourth inning, as he walked Ryan Zimmerman, gave up a single to Moises Sierra and then Michael Taylor tied up the game with one swing of the bat. Taylor took a Blach pitch to the right-field arcade for a three-run home run that tied up the game.

It was a tough few days for Blach, as he suffered food poisoning in Anaheim, and was on IV yesterday, according to Bruce Bochy.

“Down eight or nine pounds,” said Blach.

Tanner Roark pitched six innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walked two, struck out four. Roark also threw two wild pitches, and gave up two home runs, as hid record fell to 1-2 on the season.

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija heads to the mound on Wednesday afternoon, as the Giants look for the sweep. The Nationals will send Max Scherzer to the hill, as they look to salvage the series finale.

In his last five starts against the Nationals, Samardzija is 0-5 with a 6.43 earned run average in 28 innings pitched.

On the other hand, in his last two starts versus the Giants, Scherzer has 21 strikeouts and just one walk.

UP NEXT: The Giants and Nationals conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at 12:45 pm PT.

Giants have that youthful glow as Stratton, Williamson lead them past the Nationals

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Will this be the 14th consecutive season without a 30-home run hitter for the Giants?

It’s been awhile, but for the first time in awhile, the Giants at least have some candidates, most prominently Brandon Belt, who has never hit more than 18 homers in his seven season career.  He’s hit five thus far, and looks healthy, since health has been the biggest reason he didn’t achieve the feat previously.

Evan Longoria has hit 30 home runs in a season four times, all for Tampa Bay, most recently in 2016 when he hit a career-best 36. Andrew McCutchen hit 31 in 2012 for the Pirates. Hunter Pence hit 27 in 2013, Buster Posey hit 24 in 2012. None of that quartet seems likely for a breakout, at least not one that would take them past 30.

So how about Mac Williamson? Now that’s an interesting possibility.

In Monday’s homecoming, 4-2 win over the Nationals, Williamson’s sixth inning home run increased the Giants’ one-run lead to three. Not only hit at a pivotal juncture, it was smoked, leaving the park at 112 mph and traveling 465 feet, over and past Triples Alley. After the game, it was all anyone wanted to discuss.

“I just haven’t seen many balls hit there, even in BP, and with the wind blowing,” manager Bruce Bochy said.  “That’s impressive. It shows you how strong this guy is. Big home run too, big moment there. It’s an area where few guys can hit a ball.  And I think all his teammates were pretty impressed too.”

“I hit it well. But you never know here at AT&T,” said Williamson.

Talk about pronouncing yourself ready to take on a definitive role at the major league level, here’s Williamson’s path. First promoted in 2015, Williamson and Jarrett Parker both get opportunities given their power game and capable defense to assume roles in San Francisco. But over the last three seasons, neither emerged with injuries derailing both. Parker’s no longer in the San Francisco organization, but Williamson is, after regaining his health and refining his swing in the anonymity of minor league ball.

Fast forward to spring of 2018, and Williamson turns head in spring with some prodigious feats, but he’s still demoted to Sacramento prior to Opening Day.  Left fielder Hunter Pence starts slow, and then is injured, clearing a path for Williamson, who hits .487 with six home runs in just 11 games with the AAA River Cats.

Then on Friday night in Anaheim, in his season debut, Williamson homers off Angels’ reliever Andrew Heaney, an opposite field blast that travels 434 feet and at 114 mph is the hardest hit ball to date for the Giants.

Quite simply, it’s a story that says Williamson has arrived.

Chris Stratton has been with the Giants all season and pitched well in all but his first outing.  That string continued Monday as the 27-year old allowed just four hits, two runs, and bailed out the whole team in the sixth when two Giants’ errors could have been the precursor to the Nats getting back into the game. With runners on second and third, one out, Stratton struck out Matt Adams, and got Matt Wieters to fly out to end the inning.

In that stretch, Stratton relied heavily on his improved changeup, and didn’t get caught trying rush the ball to plate in a stressful situation. Last season, Stratton beat the Nats in D.C., striking out a career-best 10, and on Monday, he doubled down on that performance, beating the Nats this time with Bryce Harper in the lineup.

“Sometimes it’s his breaking ball, but he’s got confidence in that changeup,” Bochy said of Stratton’s repertoire. “And that’s a big pitch for him. And he used it instead of trying to power his way through them. That’s why he’s a starter, and that’s why he’s on this club.  He’s got four pitches with command.”

The Giants have won three of four, and improved to 10-12 on the season. That gauntlet of an opening stretch–the first 28 ballgames of the team’s season considered the most difficult of any major league club based on last year’s won-loss records–now appears surviveable with six games remaining, concluding this Sunday against the Dodgers.

On Tuesday, they face under-the-radar Giants’ killer, Tanner Roark, who has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts against San Francisco.  Ty Blach takes the ball for the Giants at 7:15pm.

Giants to start 2018 season with patchwork rotation

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Photo credit: @Starting9

By Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants spent a great deal of time–and money–upgrading their lineup in the field. Meanwhile, the once-vaunted rotation has begun to fall apart.

The most glaring absence is that of Madison Bumgarner, who suffered a fracture in his left hand after getting hit by a line drive Friday and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks as a result.

Enter Derek Holland, who started Monday’s game for the Giants and had his longest and overall best outing of the spring but was marred by a pair of solo home runs in a 9-2 loss to the A’s at AT&T Park.

Holland gave up only two runs on four hits over five innings and cruised through the first two innings without much issue. However, he made a huge location mistake in the third, and Matt Chapman made him pay for it immediately. He left a fastball over the plate waist-high, and Chapman drove it into the left-field seats to tie the game at 1-1.

Two innings later, he made the same mistake to Mark Canha, and the result was just as damaging. Holland could only watch as the ball disappeared into the seats in center field as the Giants fell behind, 2-1.

All in all, it has been a productive spring for Holland, who was a non-roster invitee to spring training who has been penciled in as part of the Giants’ starting rotation when the season starts. The former Ranger, who spent last season with the White Sox, had a 4.20 ERA entering Monday but showed very good command of the strike zone, which is what the Giants are looking for.

To make room for Holland on the roster, the Giants released outfielder Jarrett Parker.

He will take the mound for the Giants for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, assuming the spot originally saved for Jeff Samardjiza, who has a strained pectoral muscle and will be out for the next 10 days, thus missing his first scheduled start of the year.

As the Giants head into Opening Day, the rotation is expected to look like this: right-hander Johnny Cueto, lefty Ty Blach, Holland and righty Chris Stratton.

After trailing by a run after seven innings, the Giants rallied in their half of the eighth and tied the game when Gorkys Hernandez sprinted home on a wild pitch.

The game eventually went into extra innings, but Oakland dropped a seven-spot in the 10th to even up this annual Bay Bridge series.

Bumgarner Flirts With Perfection, Tosses Shutout In 8-0 Victory.

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By Shawn Whelchel

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.-It may have only been September, but starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner looked to be in mid-October form on Saturday night as he flirted with perfection through 7.2 innings during the Giants 8-0 win at AT&T Park.

After retiring the first 23 batters of the game in order, Bumgarner’s bid for perfection came to a disappointing ending after outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. hit a 2-1 pitch up the middle of the infield for a single.

The single may have thwarted Bumgarner’s shot at the history books, but the hard-throwing lefty came back out to an ecstatic crowd to down the Padres in order in the bottom of the ninth to cap off his complete game shutout, earning his 18th win of the season.

Bumgarner looked dominant throughout the night, mixing in his entire arsenal of sharp 0ff-speed balls while painting this strike zone with his fastball command.

The southpaw was hardly shook until the night-changing single by Upton Jr., with just two deep fly balls in the fifth inning and a sharp liner that was gloved by a perfectly placed Kelby Tomlinson at second base in the seventh threatening his night.

While the raucous crowd at AT&T Park may have been disappointed by the night’s outcome, the ever stoic Bumgarner balked at the thought of being upset over the missed opportunity.

“I don’t mean to say it like I don’t care, but I’m not here for perfect games, or no-hitters, or any of that,” said Bumgarner. “That’s definitely special, no doubt about it, but my main concern is winning games…I’m just as happy with what we got.”

However, his teammates, along with manager Bruce Bochy, were more candid in their disappointment in not being able to watch Bumgarner sling his way to the history books.

“I think we all felt it. Once you get in the fifth inning area, the way he was throwing the ball, he was on tonight with all his pitches,” said Bochy. “What an incredible performance. We’re all a little disappointed, yet you witness just a beautiful game he threw tonight.”

So where does an outing like Saturday night’s rank amongst Bumgarner’s many impressive starts after the 26-year old slinger has seemingly made a career of pitching in big-game scenarios?

“Its right up there,” Said Bochy, ” This one was right there with so many great games he’s thrown. He just had a great look about him from the get-go.”

Opposing starter Ian Kennedy looked to match Bumgarner’s performance during his first three trips to the mound, before being roughed up his second time through the lineup.

The Giants broke open Saturday’s pitching duel with a two-out rally that plated four across the bottom of the fourth inning.Kennedy continued to cruise through the first two batters of the bottom frame, before a pair of consecutive walks to Buster Posey and Brandon Belt gave the Giants their first runner in scoring position of the ballgame.

Marlon Byrd would cash in on the scoring opportunity by knocking a two-out double off the glove of the sprinting Justin Upton near the left field warning track to clear the bases for a 2-0 lead. The Giants would tack on a pair of additional runs as the speedy Kelby Tomlinson legged out a triple after splitting the left-center gap with a line drive, followed by an Ehire Adrianza bloop single to left field to cap off the scoring outburst.

Kennedy’s night would not get any easier during his next trip to the mound, as Angel Pagan opened up the bottom of the fifth with his second home run of the season, launching one over the arcade in left field to give the Giants a 5-0 lead.

Left fielder Alejandro De Aza would follow up Pagan’s solo blast with a drive of his own deep into triples-alley, just past the sprinting reach of RF Matt Kemp before landing safely at third with a triple. De Aza would be plated two batters later after Belt reached second base on a throwing error by 2B Cory Spangenberg, who launched the ball into the Padres dugout following a double-play attempt.

The error on Spangenberg would quickly haunt the Padres, as Byrd would net his third RBI of the night with a rocket up the middle for an RBI single, giving the Giants a 7-0 lead heading into the sixth inning. Byrd’s single would also chase Kennedy from the game, ending his night after 4.2 innings pitched while surrendering seven earned runs on seven hits.

Belt would add on an additional run to support Bumgarner in the bottom of the seventh by launching a solo shot over the sixth archway in left field to make it an 8-0 game.

The outburst of offense was a side story to Bumgarner’s impressive effort however, as the crowd was keyed in on the dominant southpaw’s efforts throughout the night.

The Giants will look to sweep the series against San Diego tomorrow as Mike Leake takes on the Padre’s Odrisamer Despaigne in a 1:05 p.m start tomorrow at AT&T Park.

 

Game Notes:

The Giants have scored five or more runs in nine of their last 11 home games.  San Francisco has also won 18 of their last 23 games at AT&T Park.

Tonight’s complete game was Bumgarner’s 10th of his career and fifth shutout.

Bumgarner’s night was his closest bid to perfection in his career at 7.2 innings. His previous high was 7.0 perfect innings against Colorado on August 26, 2014.

Morris Phillips on the NCAA: Former Raider Tuiasosopo to coach Hunger Bowl for Washington

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by Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Kraft Hunger Bowl is back and kick off is scheduled for Sat December 28th at AT&T Park between BYU and Washington University. Friday night I was in downtown S.F. and ran into the BYU advance crew. The Cougars don’t arrive in the City until Sunday. The Cougars former head coach Lavelle Edwards was in town on Friday night.

There’s a lot of excitment downtown it’s BYU’s first appearance in the Kraft Bowl and it’s Washington’s also. It should be a great football game. BYU is having a great season. The Cougars lost games during the regular season to Wisconsin and Notre Dame. BYU is a good football team and they run the football.

Washington runs the football just as well with their running back Bishop Sankey and the Huskies are 8-12 for the regular season in the Pac 12. Then there was the coaching change for Washington as Steve Sarkisian who left for USC is replaced by Chris Peterson. Sarkisian will not be involved in this game.

Peterson left Boise State to coach the Huskies and with the Hunger Bowl in the last couple years there have been coaching changes for this game. It will not affect the product on the field it should be an exciting game. Former Raider quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo the Huskies interim coach knows the system going into this bowl game. It’s all hands on deck with Sarkisian gone and the team has to rally around the new coach for this game.

The players have to be more attentive and the assistants have to assume the responsibilty it’s not going to affect them on the field. They’ve got plenty of time to prepare and they might be able to do well without Sarkisian for this game. What happened two years ago with Illinois they came into the bowl to play UCLA with their new coach and last year a coaching change happened when Boston College came town and they also had a new coach.

That’s just the kind of timing they have in football and particuarily with this bowl game coaches are taking new jobs at this time of the year and obviously athletic directors are not interested in having somebody around whose accepted a new job who can not even coach the last few games. They get the guy out and he doesn’t coach the final bowl games and they just move on.

It shouldn’t effect Washington at all with this change and again Peterson will take over at the beginning of next season and coach the Huskies 2014 season. Peterson maybe attending this game as an observer. He might be there as a consultant but Peterson left Boise State and it’s great for Washington he was an excellent coach while he was with the Buffaloes and made a couple of BCS appearences.

Morris Phillips is filling in for Michelle Richardson this week for NCAA commentary

49ers report: Team gets ready to bid fond adieu to 55 yr old Candlestick Park

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by David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–The last game ever at Candlestick Park this coming Monday night will feature a lot of pomp and circumstance as the 49ers close out the old park with the Atlanta Falcons. You will see a lot of superstars coming to bid the old park goodbye which includes Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Eddie DeBartolo Jr, Steve Young, just about everybody you could think of whose still alive and kicking. There’s a rumor that some former baseball Giants might come out and say goodbye to the old place too.

So anyone that had anything positive to do with the park over the years will be at Candlestick to celebrate the final game of this old and crumbling stadium before the 49ers move down to Levis Stadium down in Santa Clara. It’s been a long run for Candlestick it’s not the greatest stadium and anyone whose been there knows it’s past it’s prime. Even in it’s prime I wouldn’t call it a great stadium it was always a hulking mass.

It’s way too cold and way too hard to get to it’s one of those places that you like it because but it’s not a Soldier Field in Chicago or a Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Fans are going to miss it but they also look forward to going to their new stadium in Santa Clara they’re kind of crossing their fingers that it will have the same impact that it did like AT&T Park had in the city for the Giants when they moved at the end of the 1999 season.

When the Giants moved to AT&T Park pretty much everybody agreed that AT&T is one of the top stadiums in baseball and hopefully the 49ers new stadium will have an equal impact and it will be like as much as AT&T Park that’s kind of the gold standard. It will be sad to see it go.

Fans have a lot of memories there I first met Lee Leonard at that stadium so it’s even historical for Sportstalk radio we had our moments there. Good times, good memories but it’s time to move from Candelstick before it crumbles to the ground and the next time we talk about it is when they blow it up which everybody would like to go and see that because it’s going to be really cool.

49ers and Falcons preview: The Falcons have a lousy record but they might be better than what their record reflects. The Niners look really good, they got the running game going and Tampa had a good running defense last Sunday so that’s a good sign for San Francisco.

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been in more control than he has in the last several weeks even in the win against Seattle this game was the best that Kaepernick has had in throwing against Tampa in five or six weeks. You also saw the defense playing well as it always has. This game coming up against Atlanta should be an interesting one.

First of all the Niners are playing the Falcons the team they beat to get into the NFC Championship game last season
but the fortunes have switched the Niners are still a very good team. The Falcons have an awful record this year they’ve been just sent reeling this year the bottom line is Atlanta has suffered a series really bad injuries and as a result they’re 4-10 so there’s no chance the Falcons are going to the playoffs. The Niners should have this game handled on Monday Night hands down.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio