Tag: Oakland

Headline Sports with London Marq: Raiders might quit Oakland due to city’s lawsuit; 49ers just ran up against very good team in loss; Chair umpires call for boycott of Serena matches

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On the Headline Sports with London:

#1 The City of Oakland plan to sue the Oakland Raiders for financial impact loss to the city. The Raiders have said if the city continues with the suit, the team will pull up stakes and find a temporary site to play until their new stadium is ready.

#2 There was a lot of expectation on the Raiders on Monday night and a lot of hype on the return of head coach Jon Gruden and the trade of star Khalil Mack going into the regular season, but Oakland took a convincing 33-13 loss to the LA Rams on Monday night.

#3 How badly was the loss to the Minnesota Vikings for the San Francisco 49ers 24-16? Did Jimmy Garoppolo show promise despite the loss?

#4 Tennis chair umpires are calling for a boycott for future matches with Serena Williams. Tennis officials are upset due to the lack of support for chair umpire Carlos Ramos that umpires said Williams labeled Ramos a sexist, a thief, and owing Williams an apology for violation calls. But tennis chair umpires point to her unsportsmanship-like conduct in her U.S. Open match.

#5 Wild card races have the Oakland A’s and the New York Yankees most likely heading to a one-game playoff at the end of the regular season. The A’s have won five straight, but looking ahead-how do you see this one-game match up possibly in New York between the A’s and Yankees?

London Marq does the Sports Headlines each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: A’s have wacky schedule playing in AL Eastern cities in September

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On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

1) The schedule has the A’s in Baltimore and Tampa Bay this week with Minnesota in Oakland next week as the division race comes down to the wire. How can that happen?

2) The A’s have been testing using “bullpening” as a way to pitch their way through games. Liam Hendriks has twice been used as the opener. Is this concept worth pursuing?

3) Who will the starting rotation be for the A’s in the playoffs?

4) Can the A’s win the playoffs with a so-so starting rotation and a monster bullpen?

5) Sean Manaea is going to have arthroscopic surgery. How concerned are you about this?

Charlie O covers A’s baseball each Sunday and podcasts A’s each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

MLB The Show podcast with Daniel Dullum: Ex-D-Back helps Braves to defeat old mates; New hero every day for Oakland A’s–Olson helps beat Rangers; plus more

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On the MLB The Show podcast with Daniel:

1 Beware of the boomerang! Ex-D-Back helps Braves defeat Arizona and its imploding bullpen.

2 Matt Olson, playing off the bench, helps A’s beat Texas.

3 Top White Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech has UCL tear, likely candidate for Tommy John surgery.

4 Tigers announcers suspended after brawl; fight started over a chair and ended with a chokehold.

Daniel Dullum does the MLB The Show podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Joey Friedman: A’s need every win in this Rangers series starting tonight

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Joey:

#1 The Houston Astros never quit. They’re just 3 1/2 games ahead of the A’s with five straight wins and a convincing win over the Minnesota Twins 9-1 on Wednesday at Minute Maid Field.

#2 Alex Bergman hit for five RBIs on Wednesday as the Astros have some different player to come through every other day and they manage to stay ahead of the A’s in what can be called a real race in the AL West.

#3 The A’s meanwhile beat the New York Yankees two out of three and they out foxed and outbombed the Bronx Bombers’ best pitcher Luis Severino 8-2 with some early hitting.

#4 The A’s go up against the Texas Rangers tonight. The Rangers are 26 games out of first place. The season is finished for the Rangers, but as they say in the show, anything can happen on any given day and the A’s need every game of this series.

#5 The A’s need this series if they want to continue to chip away at the Astros. It starts Friday night at the Coliseum, the Rangers will start Yovani Gallardo (8-3) and the A’s will start Chris Bassitt (2-3).

Joey does the A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders on primetime show on Monday Night, but will it be all about Mack?

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On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe:

#1 Regular season kicks off on primetime TV in Oakland. The Los Angeles Rams pay a visit to the Oakland Raiders the prelude to this game. Is the anticipation of the deal to send Khalil Mack to Chicago and much discussion expected on national TV?

#2 You try and watch the opener on Monday Night Football, but not only Mack dominates the telecast, but also the discussion. How it might turn on how the Raiders made a mistake on dealing Mack and how the Raiders very well might not make postseason without their superstar player?

#3 Mack amassed 40.5 sacks, but the Raiders still finished 24th in the league in defense. Will the Raiders sink further now without Mack?

#4 What about the fans? Raider Nation isn’t taking this well at all. Has the Raiders’ front office been hit with emails, comments and messages since the deal went down?

#5 Can this team focus and can they get their best player out of their head on Monday Night Football?

Joe Hawkes Beamon writes a weekly preview on Raiders football each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s to host Rangers in weekend series starting Friday night

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will host the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum for three games beginning Friday night. It will be the final time the teams will meet this season.

The Rangers find themselves in last place in the AL West with a 61-79 record. The Rangers had hoped to have had a better record as they put together a lineup with hitters that could put runs on the board. On the other hand, their pitching could not keep the other team from putting more runs on the board.

The A’s, who have an off-day on Thursday, after 20 consecutive games, find themselves in a race for either one of two possibilities. The A’s are 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the race for first place in the AL West.

If the A’s were to win the division, they would not have to play in the one-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams. They are also 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the first Wild Card slot. The first Wild Card hosts the game at their home park. If the A’s finish in the second spot, they would have to fly to New York for the game.

Also, history is not on the side of the second Wild Card. The home team usually, but not always, prevails when the one-game playoff is held at their home stadium.

The A’s have a lot to play for this weekend. While they have successfully handled the Rangers so far this year, they cannot take them lightly. The Rangers would love nothing more than upsetting the A’s apple cart.

Below are the A’s and Rangers pitching matchups:

On Friday night, The A’s will send Chris Bassitt to the hill. Bassitt has pitched well at times, but he has not been as consistent as the team had hoped. However, in his last start against Minnesota, he went 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run. The A’s could potentially use an “opener” when a bullpen pitcher to start the game and then bring in Bassitt after the first or second innings.

The Rangers will counter with the veteran hurler Yovani Gallardo who has a 8-3 record and a 5.97 ERA. Gallardo beat the Twins 7-4 in his last start. His line was pitched five innings and gave up three runs. Gallardo has a 5-2 record with a 4.07 ERA in his last eight starts.

On Saturday, the A’s Edwin Jackson will pitch for the Green and Gold. Jackson has a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA so far this year. In his last start, Jackson went six innings and allowed just one run and three hits.

The Rangers will start Yohender Mendez. Mendez recorded his first MLB win last Sunday when he beat the Twins. He pitched six scoreless innings and allowed three hits while walking one and striking out three. He has a 1-1 record and a 5.59 ERA for the season.

On Sunday, Trevor Cahill will start for the A’s, and Texas has not yet announced their pitcher. Cahill has a 6-3 record and a 3.60 ERA. The big righty has pitched extremely well at the Coliseum this year. In his nine starts at home, he has a 5-0 record and a 1.09 ERA. He beat the Yankees last Monday before 41,000 fans. He allowed the Yanks’ three runs (two earned) and five hits while walking one and striking out three.

The A’s pitching will have their hands full as they try to stop the Rangers’ hitters. The Rangers’ infield consists of Ronald Guzman at first, Rougned Odor at second, Elvis Andrus at short, and Adrian Beltre at third. The Rangers’ outfield will be patrolled by Shin-Soo-Choo, Joey Gallo, and Nomar Mazara. Robinson Chirinos will handle the catching. Every one of these players can hit the ball out of the park.

The A’s also have big boppers. They have five guys that have hit 20 or more balls out of the park this season. Part-time players such as Mark Canha and Chad Pinder are in double figures in that department.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the A’s cannot let their guard down. The team knows what’s at stake and their manager Bob Melvin will prepare them. The A’s are 84-57 and have 21 games left to play. They have to keep winning, and they will need help from other teams if they are to move up in the standings.

The Boston Red Sox could really help the A’s as they host the Astros at Fenway Park this weekend, and have six more, three at home and three in New York, against the Yanks. The Red Sox would love nothing more than upsetting the Yanks’ apple cart.

The surprise team and feel good story of the 2018 season have been the A’s. The players know they are good and they are showing the world what they can do.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Gruden satisfied with backup quarterback Manuel; How Mack deal impacts Raiders for MNF

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On the Raiders podcast with Tony R:

#1 One thing the Raiders got out of camp if anything is their backup quarterback EJ Manuel, who had himself a game last Thursday in the final exhibition game, going 18-22 for 255 yards in Seattle.

#2 Manuel likes his favorite receiver for that game Ken Hatcher, who caught two touchdowns. Hatcher got good footing and moved everywhere last Thursday.

#3 Talk about quaterbacks coach Brian Callahan. He took over for head coach Jon Gruden and was able to balance the run and pass ratio. How big of a help was he for Manuel?

#4 With linebacker Khalil Mack gone, will the Raiders’ linebackers Emmanuel LaMur, Kyle Wiber, Tahir Whitehead, and Nicholas Morrow, be able to fill some big shoes?

#5 The Raiders open up the season on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams. How much discussion on network TV and even at the Oakland Coliseum will there be about how big a mistake it was for the Raiders not signing and keeping Mack?

Tony does the Raiders podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: A’s honor their very best in the Hall of Fame class, then go out and beat Yanks 8-2

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On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Big night for the Oakland A’s honoring their Hall of Fame class of 2018 of ex-owner Charlie O Finley, Jim Catfish Hunter, Dave Stewart, Rollie Fingers, Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.

#2 You gotta love it when Rickey gave his speech and said, “I’m the youngest player up here” and “I’ve been called back here four or five times already.”

#3 Everybody got one of those green jackets that were for the honorees in the A’s Hall of Fame. There’s a lot of hard work that went into earning that jacket.

#4 The A’s got an 8-2 win over the New York Yankees and got great pitching out of starter Mike Fiers to take the series 2-1.

#5 The A’s open up a three-game series with the Texas Rangers. Each series is important as the A’s are trying to chip away at the Astros and Yankees in the AL West and Wild Card races.

Jerry does the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Khris Davis is the other KD that people should be talking about

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By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — I think it’s pretty obvious that Khris Davis is the other KD in the Bay Area that people should be talking about. But, just in case you need a couple of reasons on why Davis deserves a similar amount of praise like Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant, I’ll give you a couple of reasons.

Davis, a Lakewood, Calif. native, has been piling up the hits and RBIs on the field as the A’s designated hitter. The Coliseum’s playing surface, Rickey Henderson Field, is a gorgeous reflection of the Green and Gold. But, as you may already know, Davis has a shot at becoming a big A’s star. The 30-year-old bats and throws right and recently has joined quality company alongside Jimmie Foxx and Mark McGwire with his third straight year with 40 or more home runs.

“It’s just miraculous [the kind of] numbers that he puts up,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’ve had a long history of power hitters here, and to be with Jimmie Foxx in that kind of company and we’re still looking at close to a month left … He’s been as consistent a power hitter as anyone’s been in Oakland.”

Davis also joined Foxx as the second player in A’s history to go back-to-back with 40 homers. Davis needs eight more homers to pass Terry Steinbach for 15th place on the A’s all-time home runs list.

Davis has been dubbed as “the most consistent hitter in baseball history” by FiveThirtyEight.com. Davis’ batting average is consistent to the point where it’s scary.

Davis’ opposite is Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper, who’s currently tied as the third most volatile hitter over a five-year span. Harper’s batting average has taken quite the roller coaster ride, but it’s obvious that inconsistency doesn’t automatically mean that a hitter is subpar. Harper’s team, however, tends to fall apart in the postseason, thanks to the so-called Washington D.C. sports curse.

In my opinion, Davis’ other nickname could be “Mr. Reliable” since he provides a ray of consistency in the midst of random batting averages among MLB players.

Additionally, Davis’ actions off the field speak volumes that he’s not just a respectable DH, but also an all-around good guy. Last month, Davis asked a young male fan, Anthony Slocumb, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to sign his jersey. Slocumb is a sixth grader from Oakland. Slocumb had been in remission from a rare cancer called Langerhans cell histiocytosis, but attended an A’s vs. Rangers game at the Coliseum with a group from the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Greater Bay Area chapter.

Davis kept Slocumb in his memory while out and about on the field. Davis also slugged a homer for the A’s 9-0 shutout win over the Rangers that day.

“I thought about him around the bases. There’s not a better feeling than hitting a home run, so hopefully he got some excitement and joy from watching that,” Davis told ESPN. “They’re really the stars. … He was excited. I could tell that he was just happy to be here and wanted to have some fun. It was amazing, the look on his face.”

Davis never thought once about changing uniform shirts either.

Slocumb’s mother was pleased by Davis’ kind gesture, as it’s not everyday where an average person or group of persons crosses paths with a talented and kind-hearted MLB player.

With all that said, Davis may not become this year’s MVP, but he has been a large chunk of the A’s renaissance; and this why he’s the other KD that people should be talking about.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Raiders open up regular season on MNF; The shock waves of the Khalil Mack trade; plus more

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On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Oakland Raiders open up their regular season this Monday night September 10th at the Oakland Coliseum. There are lots of expectations for the Raiders on the primetime show.

#2 The talk throughout the NFL is the Khalil Mack trade to the Chicago Bears and getting a record $114 million deal. London discusses how this will work out for the Bears.

#3 Trump says that Nike is sending a “terrible message” with the Colin Kaepernick ad. Trump still doesn’t see unequal treatment and police brutality going on in the African American and Latino/Hispanic communities.

#4 The San Jose Earthquakes, who took a tough 2-1 loss last Saturday in Vancouver, have another two months worth of soccer left with only three wins for the season. Can they make the best of it or will they just go through the motions and suffer through it?

#5 After former Sacramento Kings player DeMarcus Cousins left Sacramento, who will carry the Kings this season? Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, Bogdan Bogdanovic, D’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, or another player to be named later?

London Marq does the Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com