Tag: San Francisco Bay Area

The Jimmy Garappolo show continues as 49ers beat Jaguars 44-33 for fourth straight win

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Photo credit: @ESPNStatsInfo

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers saved the best for last on Faithful Appreciation Day, as they put up their highest point total of the season in a 44-33 victory over the AFC South Champion, Jacksonville Jaguars, at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

The Jimmy Garappolo show is thriving in Santa Clara as San Francisco has won four straight games for the first time since the 2013 season–the last one played at Candlestick Park. The Niners have also won five of their last six and might as well be the hottest team in the NFL, especially with a victory against one of the best teams in the league.

The buzz surrounding the 49ers is impressive for a five-win team in December. but is felt all around the locker room and the minute one walks into Levi’s Stadium.

Jacksonville secured the playoff spot right as the game kicked off with the Rams’ 27-23 victory over the Tennessee Titans, but played their starters the entire game, yet it still wasn’t enough.

Sunday marked the first time in NFL history with a final score of 44-33 as it played very similar to a basketball game with both teams going on runs.

San Francisco started hot out of the gate. Garoppolo marched the offense immediately down the field on a 79-yard drive lasting 4:42, capped off by a Garoppolo punch-in touchdown. The Niners would go up 16-0 before the Jags got on the board, thanks to a 27-yard Robbie Gould field goal and a 50-yard pick six from Dontae Johnson.

On the ensuing point after attempt, Gould’s PAT was blocked and returned for a two-point conversion by Aaron Colvin. The special teams’ play was enough to jump-start the Jags’ offense, as they were able to string off 19 straight points to take the 19-16 lead with 10:26 left in the third. However, San Francisco would recapture the lead with 6:46 to go in the third and not look back.

San Francisco’s offense saw contributions by nearly everyone. Garoppolo ran one touchdown in and threw for two. George Kittle and Trent Taylor were the recipients, while Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida also ran in touchdowns.

Brieda finished the day leading the team in rushing yards with 74 over 11 carries, while Hyde carried the ball 21 times for 54 yards.

Pro-Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk led the team in receiving yards, as he caught all five targets for 76 yards. Kittle was also perfect, catching all three targets for 42 yards. Garoppolo did an excellent job of spreading the ball around as nine different Niners had at least one reception.

Most impressively, the offensive line stopped one of the best pass rushes from getting to Garoppolo, as “Sacksonville” only sacked Garoppolo once.

San Francisco’s recent performances would be nothing without the work of the defense. The strongest third of the 49ers’ season has been getting overlooked now that they have support from the offense, but once again, they were a vital part in Sunday’s win.

Forcing bad throws from Blake Bortles all day cumulated in three interceptions from Johnson, K’Wuan Williams, and Ankello Witherspoon.

Bortles struggled most of the day, finishing 32-of-50 for 482 yards and two touchdowns. The Niners’ front seven also shut down one of the best rushers in the league, as Leonard Fournette carried the ball 18 times for only 48 yards.

While the 49ers remain one of the hottest teams in the NFL, they hope to close out their season with five straight wins against the Los Angeles Rams next weekend before one of the biggest offseasons in franchise history.

Draymond Green returns, Warriors rout Lakers 113-106 for 11th straight win

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Photo credit: @mercnews

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — Draymond Green returned to the court, NBC Sports Bay Area provided the fans their Authentic Fan cheer cards, and the Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this week. The Warriors beat the Lakers 113-106 at Oracle Arena on Friday night.

The Warriors were ready to shoot some hoops on a Friday night. The Golden State starting lineup consisted of Green, Kevin Durant, Jordan Bell, Klay Thompson and Patrick McCaw. Meanwhile, the Lakers put some pressure on the Warriors. The Los Angeles starting lineup featured Andrew Bogut (former Warrior), Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma.

The first quarter flew by, but Durant stepped back and drained a three-pointer with 3:17 left on the game clock.

The Warriors led the Lakers 27-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Durant continued to make it rain in the second quarter, and the Warriors carried a 61-44 lead over the Lakers to the locker room at halftime.

At the half, Durant led all Warriors with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Thompson scored 11 points. Bell had 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Green had five points, eight rebounds and three assists. West had six points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Omri Casspi had six points. Young had five points.

With a huge block, Durant put an end to the Lakers’ 8-0 run in the third quarter.

The Warriors led the Lakers 84-72 after three quarters.

Caldwell-Pope hit a three-pointer to make it a two-point game (88-86) with 8:09 left in the fourth quarter. Yet, the Warriors were still in charge of the game as they were up 99-97 with 3:12 remaining. Jordan Clarkson missed a three-point shot and the Lakers had a team rebound to close out the game.

The Warriors beat the Lakers 113-106 at home.

In the end, Durant led all scorers with 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks. Bell scored 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Thompson had 16 points and two blocks. Green had 13 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. McCaw had five points and three rebounds. Casspi had 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks. West had eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Young had just eight points and two rebounds.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Andre Iguodala (flu-like symptoms) is available to play. Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) & Shaun Livingston (sore right knee) are out.

Before the Lakers got rolling tonight, DeMarcus Hollins and South Bay (12-6) took on Canton at 4 pm PT.

Up Next
The Warriors host the Nuggets on Saturday, December 23 at 5:30 pm PT.

The Lakers host the Trail Blazers on Saturday, December 23 at 6:30 pm PT.

San Francisco Giants News and Analysis: Cueto-Manaea in pitching duel Giants break scoreless deadlock in 7th

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto throws to the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of an exhibition baseball game Thursday, March 30, 2017, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by Ana Kieu

The San Francisco Giants shutout the Oakland Athletics 3-0 in the first game of the Bay Bridge Series at AT&T Park Thursday night.

Giants fans got their first look at infielder Chris Marrero, who hit an opposite-field double and made a running catch in left field.

A’s pitcher Sean Manaea held the Giants hitless for four perfect innings, throwing 43 pitches in his final start as Oakland’s No. 2 starter.

Manaea told MLB.com: “Today was a good indicator of where I’m at…Mentally, physically, everything’s feeling really good. So, happy with how spring ended and just want to take it into Opening Day.”

Manaea added: “Came into spring and I just wanted to be more consistent with everything — mechanics, changeup, slider…I felt like I definitely accomplished that. It was a little rough at the beginning, but the past two or three starts have been right where I wanted to be. Today, everything just came together.”

Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto had six hits and two strikeouts over five innings on the mound.

Cueto told the San Francisco Chronicle: “Didn’t feel like a spring training game. It felt like it was already the regular season, but I guess that has to do with the fans who’re always really good here in San Francisco.”

But then the Giants broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning with three runs. Brandon Crawford and Eduardo Nunez hit RBI singles. Joe Panik added a sacrifice fly.

The Giants took game one of the three-game Bay Bridge Series with a 3-0 shutout victory over the A’s. Tyson Blach (2-1, 4.22 ERA) picked up the win. Closer Mark Melancon made one save.

Daniel Coulombe (0-3, 5.79 ERA) lost his third straight start with the A’s.

Notes
Longtime Giants television broadcasters Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper signed multi-year extensions on NBC Sports Bay Area.

Giants pitcher Mark Melancon made his first appearance in San Francisco.

Up Next
The Giants return home to host the A’s Friday at 7:15 p.m. PST on KNTV. Then, both teams return to Oakland for a Saturday matinee at 12:05 p.m. PST on CSCA before having a much-needed day off before 2017 MLB Opening Day. The Giants face the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PST on CSBA, ESP2 and FSAZ.

A’s proposed move to San Jose

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That’s Amaury News and Commentary

 

OAKLAND–Commissioner Bud Selig’s letter denies the A’s move from Oakland to San José, but…But Selig’s June 17 letter addressed only the details of the stadium relocation proposal – not the principle of relocation, the sources say. MLB questioned the feasibility of that project and felt that insufficient financial information and attendance projections had been provided about a downtown San Jose site. Again: “not the principle of relocation”.

 

To question San Jose’s financial and attendance projections is interesting, because at least on the financial side of the equation the South Bay city is listed as the wealthiest metro area in the United States of America in recent surveys. As far as the attendance is concerned? I do not buy it. San José’s weather is much baseball-like (warmer) than most other Bay Area cities; located inland, not close to the ocean or very close to the bay, it provides perfect baseball weather from April to October. During these days of a very bad economy, there is one industry thriving; the high technology industry, Silicon Valley. Are the Giants afraid of Silicon Valley?

 

Income for most of the 366 metropolitan areas measured by the U.S. Census Bureau are flat in the last year, and many are still down significantly compared to 2008. According to the Census Bureau, Brownsville, Texas replaced McAllen, Texas as the country’s poorest metro area. San Jose, Calif. took the top spot as the wealthiest metro area, replacing Washington, D.C. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the metropolitan areas with the highest and lowest median incomes in the U.S.

Again: “San José, California, took the top spot as the wealthiest metro area, replacing Washington, D.C”.

 

Obviously (and I have said this for years now) the San Francisco Giants opposition is the biggest hurdle. I do not believe that most Major League teams owners would oppose the move of the Athletics from Oakland to San José. Oakland doesn’t have the resources while San José has an abundance of resources. The Athletics need three-quarters approval of the owners for the proposed move to the south bay.

 

Although they do not say it publicly, what counts are actions not words, and the Giants ownership like to see themselves as “The Bay Area’s Baseball Team”. They have not won the big trophy until 2010, when they won the World Series for the first time in San Francisco in 52 years.

 

Are the Giants afraid that the Athletics with a new park in San José would lose at the gate? Are the Giants afraid that some of their great fans in the south bay, just might not travel to San Francisco to see the Giants, if the A’s have a beautiful brand new facility in San José? Are the Giants living these days with that much insecurity?

 

We are within days of 2014. This is not the Bay Area of 1969, this is a completely different Bay Area, in population, demographics and lifestyle. In 1969 San José was a huge tomato field and a truck stop with a sign:  340 miles to Los Angeles. The only thing that remain from those years is the sign.

 

Maybe the Giants are right to worry…

 

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each week for Sports talk radio 

                                                               
 

 

Dan Rusanowsky inducted to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame

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rusanowsky_09-10
That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary
Dan Rusanowsky, popular play by play announcer for San José Sharks since their first season in 1991, was inducted to the Class of 2013 of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame(BARHOF)at ceremony in Spenger’s Fish Grotto in Berkeley.
Rusanowsky who also serves as producer of all Sharks broadcasts, is a 33 year old veteran of hockey broadcasting. Native of Milford, Connecticut, has has served as a guest host on KNBR, as well as the nationally syndicated “Sports Byline USA”and “Sports Overnight America”programs.
 During his acceptance speech, Dan talked about,  “first letter I ever received as a Sharks announcer, was from an inmate at San Quentin, -who by the way also asked me for a Sharks media guide-” he was a listener, and he’s still there… The Sharks games are heard on KUFX(“K-Fox”) and the Sharks Radio Network.
Other inductees were Jane Morrisson, a ground-breaker as a teenage journalist in Oklahoma, later working for the Associated Press in Kansas City. Honored for her 30-year tenure as community affairs director at KNBR beginning in the early 1960’s. Roy Trumbull, in the category of engineering.
 Roy, a Marine County Native, worked at KDFC,KMPX,KBRG,KAFE,KPAT and KRE.later also worked at KNEW and KCBS, he began his career in 1962. In the category of specialty, Mike Pechner also known as “the weatherman’s weatherman”. He started at KCBS in 1968. Inducted as educator, the legendary Henry Leff.
 The Brooklyn-born Leff, developed the broadcasting department as San Francisco State College in 1948, nurturing numerous established radio journalist in the Bay Area and elsewhere.
For news, Barbara Taylor, KCBS longtime City Hall Bureau chief who joined the station in 1975, as well as Mike Sugarman well known for his weekly “About The Bay. In the category of owner/manager, the late Bill Weaver of KLOK-AM(San José and FM(San Francisco). And in the announcer/personality Dennis Erectus Netto a groundbreaking DJ on South Bay rock radio, most notable on KOME-FM, as well as Bobby Ocean a DJ on Top 40 powerhouse KFRC in the ’70’s.
Legendary Station: Went to KSFO, born as KTAB in Oakland in 1925  reached it’s apex in the 1950’s and 1960s as “the world’s greatest radio station with numerous Hall of Fame talent, among those Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons Jim Lange, Don Sherwood, Gene Nelson, Al “Jazzveaux”Collins, Terry McGovern, Carter B.Smith and Aaron Edwards, under the ownsership of the great “singing cowboy”and businessman Gene Autry’s Golden West Broadcasting.
For more info on the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame visit:  www.barhof.com
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is a member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame and does News and Commentary each week on Sports Radio Service

Morrison and Ouellet back with the SF Bulls

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By Kahlil Najar

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Bulls announced today that forwards Jordan Morrison and Dean Ouellet have agreed to terms. Morrison and Ouellet join last season’s other core members, Scott Langdon, Kris Belan, Dylan King and Christian Ouellet.

“It’s great news for the organization and the fans to get Jordan and Dean back for this season,” said SF Bulls President and Head Coach Pat Curcio. “Their return from Kazakhstan shows their desire to reach the next level in North America. Dean is an all-star and Jordan is a proven leader.”

Calling Ouellet an All-Star isn’t just a euphemism, it’s a fact. Last year, Dean Ouellet was the lone Bulls player to represent San Francisco in the ECHL All-Star game. Jordan Morrison on the other hand, may not have been voted an All-Star but he was definitely deserving of the title. Not only did he contribute 16 goals and 25 assists but he was one of the key players to help get the Bulls into the first round of the playoffs. In the playoffs, Morrison played in all five games and had two goals an assist.

On returning to the Bay Area, both players are looking forward to being back and bring the same kind of intensity to the ice that they did last year.

Dean Oulette said, “Coming back to the Bulls this season feels really good. San Francisco is like a second home for me. It’s going to be a great season.”

“It’s good to see so many familiar faces back with the Bulls,” said Morrison. “San Francisco became a home away from home last season. There were great fans and it was a great city. I’m looking forward to a productive season and doing better than last year.”