San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) pushes off on the Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (right) in the second half at Levi Stadium on Mon Nov 24, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Francisco 49ers podcast David Zizmor:
#1 David you said that their San Francisco 49ers (8-4) next opponent the Cleveland Browns (3-8) are a dangerous opponent what most will the 49ers need to fear in this upcoming game this Sunday?
#2 The Browns running back Quinshon Judkins against the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday carried for 16 carries 47 yards and scored two touchdowns. No doubt the 49ers defense will be keying in on Judkins.
#3 The 49ers are coming off a win over the Carolina Panthers (6-6) on Monday Night Football 20-9 they head to Cleveland next Sunday and like you talked about last Sunday the Browns have improved and under center is no different with quarterback Shedeur Sanders 11-20, 209 yards, and one touchdown last Sunday against the Raiders.
Rukshana Haq owner of Sacramento Sports Souvenirs has a wide variety of Sacramento Kings souvenirs and many MLB, NFL, and NBA souvenirs just for you come by and take a look in Old Sacramento. (photo by Mauricio Segura/Golden Bay Times)
Sacramento Sports and Souvenirs with Rukshsana Haq and Mauricio Segura:
Old Sacramento’s original sports and souvenir’s store! We carry team sports t-shirts, Hoodies, and All kinds of Gift items.ie; Magnets, Mugs, Lanyards, Key chains, Pins, Zippos, Caps, Beanies, Scarves and more! Sacramento Sports and Souvenirs 1035 2nd Street Sacramento, CA 95814 call (916) 443-0556.
Get a great variety of Sports Souvenirs, T-Shirts, Hoodies, Bling chains, hats, all sizes, even for new born babies and up to four x shirts. Our customers are excited about all our inventory with some of the top NFL teams Raiders, Cowboys, A’s, and name your team we’ll get it for you.
You got to check it out the Sacramento Sports and Souvenirs store at 1035 Second Street Old Sacramento. They have the largest array of pro and college sports fan gear and souvenirs (photo by Sacramento Sports and Souvenirs)
New York Mets Juan Soto (22) slugs a three run home run in the fourth inning as Washington Nationals catcher Jorge Alfaro (left) watches at Citi Field in New York on Fri Sep 19, 2025. Soto is the highest paid player on the Mets. The Mets claim they lost $350 million because of their $342 million payroll in the 2025 season. (AP file photo)
That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:
How much of the $1.8 billion loss is due to player payroll, especially on high-spending teams?
For example, the Mets reportedly lost ~$350 million, largely driven by their $342 M payroll.
Did declining or restructuring media revenue contribute significantly to the losses?
Around 25% of team revenue comes from media, and teams have reportedly struggled to replace traditional regional sports network (RSN) deals.
Also, MLB and ESPN mutually ended their $550M/year deal early, which could have left a big revenue gap.
How much of the loss is “paper accounting” versus real cash-flow problems?
Some insiders suggest these losses are accounting losses — not necessarily indicative of a decline in franchise value.
Is there a structural imbalance in MLB’s economics ( lack of salary cap, uneven revenue sharing) that exacerbates these losses?
MLB is reportedly considering a salary cap, which could indicate that current spending is unsustainable.
Wealth disparities between big-market and small-market teams may be playing a role.
Are there longer-term strategic choices or risks ( media strategy, labor uncertainty) that could be contributing to the losses?
With media rights changing and ESPN opting out, MLB’s future broadcast deals may be less lucrative.
Also, potential labor issues loom: owners are discussing a salary cap ahead of the collective bargaining agreement expiring in 2026.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly before an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Las Vegas Raiders podcast Tony Renteria:
#1 Chip Kelly the Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) offensive coordinator who was fired right after Sunday’s game as the Raiders offense has sputtered all season long and Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (3-8) was no different as the Raiders were shutout in the second half of the game. Is the Kelly firing just the beginning for the Raiders coaching staff.
#2 The Las Vegas Raiders never could catch up to the Cleveland Browns Sunday getting beat 24-10 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
#3The Raiders quarterback Geno Smith just couldn’t get neither the run or passing game to get on the scoreboard.
#4 For Smith Sunday going 30-44 for 285 yards and one interception but just couldn’t get the offense to launch and once again the Raiders ended up being short this time way short.
#5 The Raiders were shutout in the first and third quarters. The Raiders defense were having a decent game they shutout the Browns in the second and third quarters but it wasn’t enough to close the game out in a 14 point loss at home.
#6 It doesn’t get easier for the Raiders they head to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4). The Chargers got crushed on Sunday by the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-6. How do you see this match up in Jacksonville for the Raiders Sun Nov 16th.
Rene Cardenas Spanish broadcaster who is in the Houston Astros Hall of Fame is vying for a shot at the Ford C Frick Award and a spot in the MLB Cooperstown Hall of Fame (photo by the Houston Chronicle)
MLB Ford C. Frick Award must go to René Cardenas
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
Amaury Pi-González
The Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasters is presented annually to one winner. The winner of the 2026 award will be announced on December 10, 2025, at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida. They will then be formally honored during the 2026 Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, NY.
I have recently written to MLB regarding the Ford C. Frick Award and have fully endorsed my good friend, colleague, and veteran Spanish-language pioneer broadcaster, René Cárdenas, who was the first Spanish-language announcer in Major League Baseball in 1958 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The nominees for the 2026 Ford C. Frick Award are: René Cárdenas, Skip Carey, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims, and John Sterling. When I was broadcasting for the Giants, the Giants asked me to call my mentor and broadcaster, Rafael (Felo) Ramírez, who had already won the Ford Frick Award, and ask him to vote for Jon Miller of the Giants, who then won it (2010).
René Cárdenas (born February 6, 1930) is a Nicaraguan-born sports journalist and announcer. He currently lives in Houston, Texas. In 1958, as a pioneer for the Dodgers he called the games from a studio in Pasadena while listening to the English broadcast by Vin Scully, and translated the action for the Spanish-speaking market.
When I was broadcasting for the Giants, the Giants asked me to call my mentor and broadcaster, Rafael (Felo) Ramírez, who had already received the Ford Frick Award, to ask him to vote for Jon Miller of the Giants, who then won, it was 2010.
Giants Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow are among the nominees; they are good broadcasters and good people. In the 1990s, while Hank Greenwald was the Giants’ pbp announcer, I remember Duane Kuiper broadcasting some games from a small tape recorder in his hands; he was rehearsing for what would be his first MLB broadcast for the Giants.
He took over after Hank Greenwald and has been the Giants’ pbp man ever since. Regarding my friend René Cárdenas, who is 95 years young, he deserves to win this Award. It is about time Major League Baseball recognizes him as a Spanish-language announcer in the country, a pioneer.
To date, only three Spanish announcers have won the Ford C. Frick Award: Buck Canel, Jaime Jarrin, and Rafael (Felo) Ramírez. I have worked with Jaime and Felo during postseasons for the Latino Broadcasting Network in the US, together with Cadena Caracol for Latin America .
Between 50 and 60 million people speak Spanish in the US, making the U.S. the country with the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, right after México’s 130 million citizens. In 1958, when René Cárdenas began broadcasting, there was not nearly as large a Spanish population as there is today, which has become the largest minority in the United States.
In Houston, the Astros honored Mr. Cardenas and inducted him into their Hall of Fame. He also once broadcast for the Houston Colt 45s. Interestingly enough, when I got my first break in MLB broadcasting, it was a few years after the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series (72-73-74), when Carl Finley informed me that Charlie had given him his OK to broadcast in Spanish for the Oakland Athletics.
Yes, Charlie Finley was a controversial owner, but also an innovative and revolutionary owner who did something only the New York Yankees have done to date: win three consecutive World Series. My first MLB game was with the A’s, and my last one was also with the A’s in 2024, the last year they were called the Oakland A’s.
I used to speak on the telephone with René, who always gave me great advice. The last time I spoke with René Cardenas in person was in 2009, Miami, Florida, when I was spending a few days at Miami Beach (my old stomping grounds as a kid).
He still had a great sense of humor as we spoke about what he called “the good old days” when he was behind the microphone. We also reminisce about when he was visiting Candlestick Park working for the Dodgers, but Jaime Jarrin did not make the trip with the team, because of a family emergency.
René (who was doing a solo) asked me to give him a hand, so I did, calling a few innings with him on the Dodgers Spanish Radio Network. It is time Major League Baseball recognizes René Cárdenas with the Ford C. Frick Broadcasters Award, while he is alive.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley takes control of the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Anna Fuder)
By Tom Walker
SALT LAKE CITY–Utah forward Logan Cooley scored four goals and assisted on another to exact revenge on the Golden Knights 5-1 from last week’s loss.
The Utah Mammoth (11-8-3) welcomed the Vegas Golden Knights (10-4-7) back to Delta Center on Monday night, just four days after Vegas defeated Utah 4-1 in Salt Lake City.
Dylan Guenther broke open the scoring at 14:54 of the first period with a top shelf blast for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley and Nate Schmidt. Barely a minute later, Guenther returned the favor to Cooley, setting him up for his tenth goal of the season with the additional assist to Nate Schmidt to give the Mammoth a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room. Karel Vejmelka turned away all 8 Golden Knights shots in the frame.
At 5:24 of the second period, Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev cut the Utah lead in half with his eighth of the season, assisted by Jack Eichel, and Braeden Bowman. It would be the only goal allowed by Vejmelka on 15 shots in the period, while the Mammoth were unsuccessful in all three of their shot attempts.
Whereas Vegas seemed unstoppable last Thursday, Utah turned the tables completely on Monday, particularly in their dominant third period. Logan Cooley deflected a puck for an unassisted goal at 4:19 for his 11th of the season to put the Mammoth up 3-1.
Down by two goals with less than five minutes remaining, Vegas rolled the dice and pulled netminder Carl Lindbom early. The house won on the Golden Knights gamble as Cooley recorded the natural hat trick with goal #12 into the empty net as hats rained down on the Delta Center ice to give Utah a 4-1 lead. With a little more than three minutes to go in the third, Mammoth forward Kevin Stenlund went to the sin bin for holding against Cole Reinhardt.
Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy rolled the dice one more time with nothing left to lose, pulling Lindbom again to go for broke with a 6-4 advantage in the offensive end. The strategy failed as Cooley netted his 4th of the night and 13th of the season into the empty net at 17:43 to seal the 5-1 victory with the shorthanded goal.
Logan’s run of goals resulted in the first four-goal game in Utah franchise history, and the first in the NHL this season. The last player aged 21 or younger to record four goals in a game was Patrik Laine who scored 5 for Winnipeg against St. Louis exactly seven years ago to the day.
Cooley joins Macklin Celebrini (San Jose) and Connor Bedard (Chicago) as the only players with two hat tricks so far this season, and the Mammoth join the Blackhawks as the only teams with three hat tricks so far on the year.
Cooley talked about his feat in the locker room after the game. “It’s awesome. Any time you do that, it’s special. Just to see how excited the guys were for me too, you get a cool feeling when you get the support of your teammates. I just think in general, we have such a tight group. Guys really care about each other and want everyone on the team to have success. So it’s awesome.” Talking about his mental process going into the game, Cooley said, “Yeah, I think it’s a long season. I think the big thing is consistency, and that’s something that for me, personally, I’m always trying to work on. … It wasn’t the easiest path to tonight, but I think just finding a way to stay with it. It’s a grind of a season, mentally, physically, but I think just leaning on guys that have experience, family, little things like that, get you out of it. And, I was fortunate to have kind of a big game tonight.” On the team’s improvement, he added, “I think just the way we kind of handled the lead too. I think that’s a big thing. I feel like in the past, we’ve been up and kind of get comfortable and teams start to bury us. I think the game against the Rangers and tonight, that’s how we know how to play. When we’re doing that, you see the results we get. For us, it’s about staying consistent with this process and not changing anything. There’s still stuff to clean up, but overall I was really happy about our performance the past two nights.”
Winning goaltender Goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who stopped 33 of 34 shots on the night, said, “Yeah, obviously, this one feels really good. It’s a big two points against a really good team, one of the best so far this season. So it feels really good.” Talking about how the team handles adversity, Vejmelka remarked, “Yeah, I think we are a really good team, and if we want to be successful, we need to find a way every night, and that’s part of being one of the best teams in the NHL. So we need to find a way every single night, no matter what, and we did it tonight. We showed up, and it feels really good.”
Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny said of Cooley, “He didn’t complicate his game. He didn’t try to get the play of the week. He will be on the play of the week because he scored four, but it was speed and space behind, and when he does that it’s special.” The second period has often been challenging for Utah this season, so it was particularly important to defend the lead. Tourigny commented, “Obviously in the second, they had a hell of a push. Like I said, they’re a good team. They’re a Stanley Cup contender for a reason. So we knew they would have a say in what will happen out there, but the intensity and the urgency we have in those situations and the way we protected that front, even if we’re not perfect and even if there’s a number of things we would like to get better at, I think the mindset is always the most important thing. I think the guys were really good with it. We were composed, we were intense, and we were even-keeled.” Last Thursday, Tourigny said that the team’s emotions got the best of them. Tonight was much different. “There was emotion and there was stress, you don’t want to lose the game, you don’t want to lose the lead, etc, etc. I think we did a pretty good job at staying composed. We did not do a perfect job. You could see the nerve, we didn’t make plays at the same pace, and we didn’t connect as much on our passes. So there’s stuff we can be better at, but that’s why there’s 82 games. We still have a lot of things to get better at, but the mindset of the guys was really good.”
Utah (12-8-3) wraps up the four-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens after which they will hit the road after Thanksgiving for six games away.
Carolina Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown blocks a pass thrown by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) in the first half at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara on Monday Night Football Nov 24, 2025 (AP News photo)
San Francisco 49ers podcast David Zizmor:
#1 The San Francisco 49ers (8-4) held the Carolina Panthers (6-6) to just six points how much do you attribute to the 49ers defense in picking up this 20-9 win?
#2 On offense the 49ers got a a touchdown in each of the first and third quarters. Quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t break the scales of most touchdowns in a game but was 23-32 for 193 yards, and was picked off three times.
#3 Next up for the 49ers the Cleveland Browns (3-8). The Browns are coming off a 24-10 against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) on Sunday. The Browns with the win over the Raiders snapped a three game losing streak. How do you see this match up between the 49ers and Browns this Sunday at Huntington Bank Field?
San Jose Barracuda forward Filip Bystedt (18) skates around the Abbottsford Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) at Tech CU Arena in San Jose Sat Nov 22, 2025 (San Jose Barracuda photo)
San Jose Barracuda podcast Marko Ukalovic:
#1 How did Oliver Wahlstrom’s two-goal performance (including his clutch effort in OT) elevate the Barracuda’s resilience and change the tide of the game?
#2 What role did Filip Bystedt’s goal play in shifting momentum for San Jose, and how did he find space against Abbotsford’s defense?
#3 Igor Chernyshov scored the go-ahead goal — how significant was his finish, and what preparation or positioning allowed him to capitalize on that rebound?
#4 In what ways did Pavol Regenda contribute beyond scoring (for example, on the power play or in transition), and how did that factor into the Barracuda’s late-game strategy?
#5 Which Barracuda player stepped up defensively—or on the boards—in the final minutes to help preserve the lead before and during the overtime period?
The Sacramento Kings Malik Monk (0) drives on the Denver Nuggets Bruce Brown (right) in the first half at Ball Arena in Denver on Sat Nov 22, 2025 (AP News photo)
Sacramento Kings podcast Barbara Mason:
#1 The Sacramento Kings Russell Westbrook scored 15 of 21 points against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter on Saturday in the Kings 128-123 win at Ball Arena in Denver.
#2 The Nuggets Nikola Jokic scored 44 points but in spite of that the Kings were pulled it off picking up their fourth win of the season.
#3 It was a big win for the Kings as they finally snapped their long eight game losing streaks.
#4 The Kings Dennis Schroder scored 21 points which was a huge contribution for the win. The Kings in their eight loses in a row had lost each of those games in double digits.
#5 Next up for the Minnesota Timberwolves have been playing .500 ball of late going 2-2 in their last four games. The last time the Kings met the Wolves back on Fri Nov 14 at the Target Center in Minneapolis the Timberwolves picked up the win 124-110. Tip for the Timberwolves and Kings at 7:00pm at Golden One Center.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers face each other at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles on Tue Nov 25, 2025. Los Angeles is a two team NBA market. (images from reddit.com)
Bay Area and Los Angeles Area Sports Rivalry
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
Amaury Pi-González
These two most populous areas of California have an interesting sports rivalry, especially in professional sports leagues. Let’s take a look at recent success stories for these two California sports regions. We are looking at the four most popular Professional leagues in the country. NFL, MLB, NBA. NHL. Looking a respective titles for each league.
Bay Area: Golden State Warriors won the NBA title in 2022. The San Francisco Giants won the MLB World Series in 2014, and the San Francisco 49ers won the NFL Super Bowl in 1995, their fifth consecutive Super Bowl title during their 1990s dynasty.
In Baseball, the last time the San Francisco Giants won the World Series was in 2014. In the NHL, the San José Sharks have never won the Stanley Cup; however, they did reach the 2016 Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The last title for the Los Angeles area was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ win in the 2025 MLB World Series. The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The LA Lakers won the NBA title in 2020.
Present: As of today, the LA Area is doing much better than the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Dodgers won the last World Series, as mentioned above. The other two teams, the Rams and the Lakers, are well-positioned to win a title this season.
The Rams, as of today, are leading the NFC West with a 9-2 record, the 49ers occupying third-place with7-4 record. While the Lakers are among the top teams in the NBA Western Conference. The Lakers are in second place behind the Thunder, but it is very early, with over 60 games left for most teams in the NBA. The other team in MLB, the Dodgers, already won the World Series, their second in a row. In MLB, the San Francisco Giants finished 81-81, in third place.
NHL. In the National Hockey League, the Southland’s two teams, the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks, are not expected to compete for a title this season. Here in the Bay Area, our NHL team, the San José Sharks, although so far showing improvement, is also not considered a team with a good chance of making the playoffs. In the history of these NHL Franchises, the LA-Anaheim Area has the clear lead, with the LA Kings winning two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, and the Anaheim Ducks winning one Stanley Cup in 2007.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.
While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com
Sports Radio Service 