Stroman has dominant outing against Giants leads Cubs to win 3-2

Photo courtesy of San Francisco Giants. Patrick Bailey points to the mound on 6/9/23.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN FRANCISCO- The Giants opened a weekend series against the Cubs with a loss after a rough seventh inning by a final of 3-2.

Getting the start for San Francisco was Anthony DeSclafani while for Chicago Marcus Stroman got the nod.

The first inning saw some early trouble for DeSclafani who walked the first batter but thanks to great defense from Thairo Estrada and Patrick Bailey the Giants escaped unscathed.

In the bottom of the first Stroman also walked the first batter he faced but Chicago’s defense also held up turning a double play and ending the inning quickly.

The second inning went by quietly as only one hit was recorded with Mike Yastrzemski getting the lone single.

Then in the bottom of the third the Giants offense woke up Lamonte Wade Jr. walked with two outs already on the board. Joc Pederson then came up and singled putting runners on the corners for the Giants. Estrada did not pass up on the opportunity as he doubled on a line drive to left field bringing home Wade and making it 1-0.

After the burst of offense both Stroman and DeSclafani went on cruise control resulting in a pitchers duel until the seventh inning.

The fourth inning through the sixth saw some dazzling defense on both sides with Stroman making his defense work quite a bit. As in total Chicago’s defense recorded 14 groundouts with Stroman on the mound though surprisingly no fly outs.

The seventh inning opened with DeSclafani still on the mound but after a hit and a walk Gabe Kapler went to the bullpen and brought out Ryan Walker in relief. DeSclafani finished the night with a solid stat line of six innings pitched, two earned runs, two K’s, and four walks.

Walker did not help the situation much in the seventh inning as the first batter he faced flew out and then he hit the next batter with a pitch. With the bases loaded and only one out Nico Hoerner came in to pinch-hit for Patrick Wisdom. The substitution paid off as Hoerner singled on a ground ball to center field that knocked home two runs making it 2-1.

Already having given up two runs Walker was struggling with his control and then threw a wild pitch that advanced both runners on first and second. Tucker Barnhart proceeded to single on a line drive to center field making it 3-1.

After getting his first out Walker was taken out and replaced by Tristan Beck who got the final out of the top of the seventh.

Hoerner would remain in the game staying at second base for the Cubs.

Despite the rough beginning to the seventh the Giants did get a response going in the bottom of the inning with Brandon Crawford getting a double. Wade advanced Crawford to third on a ground out and Pederson brought him home on a single. Originally the single was called a ground out but after Kapler challenged the play the call was reversed meaning it was now a one run game.

After the seventh though the Giant’s offense went cold as both Mark Leiter Jr. and Adbert Alzolay helped to close it out ending in a final score of 3-2.

Of note Pederson went 4-4 and for Chicago Seiya Suzuki went 3-3 with a run and walk.

The Giants play the second of this three game home series against the Cubs at 4:35 p.m.

NBA Finals podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Nuggets up 3-1 can finish off series on Monday night in Denver

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (50)dunks the ball during the first half of Game 4 of the basketball NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Miami. (AP News photo)

On the NBA Finals with Jeremiah:

#1 The Denver Nuggets move up to 3-1 against the Miami Heat after taking game 4 on Friday night in Miami 108-95 this has been a dominating series for the Nuggets.

#2 For the Nuggets Aaron Gordon scored 27 points followed by Nikola Jokic with 23 points and Bruce Brown off the bench with 21 it was an offense that the Heat had trouble handling.

#3 The Nuggets with the lead in the series just have to win only one game in three ties maximum to finish off this series.

#4 Jamal Murray whose been a huge help for the Nuggets all season had 15 points and 12 assists his offense has helped the Nuggets get this far.

#5 The Heat have their backs to the wall and need this game 5 win on Monday night at Ball Arena in Denver or they just go home. They had scoring help from Jimmy Butler with 25 points and Bam Adebayo who followed up Butler with 20 points. The Heat will need to turn it up a notch if they want to get back in this series.

Jeremiah Salmonson covered the NBA for http://www.sportsradioservice.com for the 2022-23 season.

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s might not have enough votes to pass Nevada ballpark bill in the Assembly

From left to right, Community Benefits Planning Consultant Yolanda King, Oakland A’s vice president Catherine Aker and A’s president David Kaval sit at a committee meeting regarding SB1 the public funding for the A’s ballpark at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino on Wed Jun 7, 2023 at the Nevada State Legislature in Carson City NV (photo from the Nevada Independent)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the Nevada State Assembly who were supposed to vote on Thursday on using public funds to tax credit the proposed Tropicana ballpark but once again the vote has been delayed and is expected to resume on Monday.

#2 Both members of the senate and assembly after haggling all day on SB1 have adjourned extending the special session. The Senate and Assembly had adjourned last Monday without an initial committee vote and no vote had taken place all of last week.

#3 Throughout the day at the Assembly Legislature assembly members and lawmakers were around with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo who was signing bills. SB1 is still being debated as no decision and no vote as of yet. Democratic senators are looking for health care benefits for kids, food for the poor and elderly and school subsidies.

#4 Democrats who make up a majority of the Legislature 13-8 have expressed frustration over the lack of changes in the A’s ballpark bill Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas) said “To say I’m extremely disappointed that no work has been done on this bill over the past 10 days is an understatement.”

#5 Daniel, among some of the changes that Democratic lawmakers are pushing for is entertainment tax that would need to be applied at A’s home games. The NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces are exempt from the entertainment tax which would have been 9 percent. Also the A’s would need to make the same contributions like they had in Oakland to food banks in Las Vegas.

Join Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: The Homeless A’s

The Oakland A’s could abandon the Oakland Coliseum ahead of their lease expiring which is at the end of the 2024 season. The A’s could play at Las Vegas Ballpark home of the triple A Las Vegas Aviators after this season if the Nevada State Assembly approves the Tropicana Ballpark on the Vegas Strip. (photo from thegreatgame.com)

The Homeless A’s

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Oakland is as diverse as any other city in its size in the country and has a much larger media market than Las Vegas. Yet Oakland is currently going through a serious slump and seems to be more often than not in the news with a plethora of negative news and many challenges (as listed below); trying to keep the A’s is just one of those challenges.

-Homelessness. According to recent surveys of Oakland residents, it is the most urgent issue facing the city of Oakland. Conservative estimates list at least 5,000 homeless people “living” in the streets and parks in Oakland. A’s night games at the Coliseum are averaging less than 5,000 per game. -Drugs in the streets.

According to the OaklandSide, Methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant drug, is on the rise in Oakland. In both its quantity on the streets and the number of people who die from using it, meth comes second only to opioids (including fentanyl and heroin) in Alameda County.

But unlike fentanyl and other opioids, which have buprenorphine as a medicated treatment option, there isn’t yet a drug on the market that can treat patients’ meth addictions. -Crime: Oakland, CA, is a city that unfortunately suffers from significantly higher rates of crime than the US average. For violent crimes, the rate in Oakland is 75.5 compared to only 22.7 incidents nationally.

Property crime is also alarmingly above the national average, with 81.2 occurrences in Oakland compared to 35.4 on a national level. Clearly, this city needs to take steps to ensure the safety of its citizens and reduce these high crime rates to improve the quality of life for its residents.

-Affordable housing: Once Oakland was a “reasonable city” regarding rental prices for apartments and real estate/homes. Not anymore. In February, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao fired Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong from the city without a cause. Mr. Armstrong, an Oakland native, was one of the most popular chiefs of Police in recent history for the city of Oakland.

Oakland has had 12 chiefs of Police during the past 10 years. Oakland A’s and why the City of Oakland needs their baseball team to stay. It is good for their economy and good for the morale of not losing their third professional team during the last six years.

Considering all the stuff happening in Oakland in the last few years, Oakland needs the A’s more than ever today for financial and psychological reasons. Mayor Thao said she is “fighting for the A’s to stay in Oakland” this week.

During the negotiations in the Nevada Legislature, when lawmakers asked Oakland A’s representatives if they could not get the financing needed for their new ballpark, would the team reconsider going back to the table with Oakland, then Steve Hill, the CEO and President of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, jumped in to clarify the A’s stance and said (quote) “If this agreement does not go through, they will look for other cities to move to.

They will not decide to stay, even if this does not go through”. The A’s moving to Las Vegas has the support of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and most of the biggest Labor Unions in Nevada, plus the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Currently, the Homeless A’s are looking for a city to play their games, as they still hope to build a new park. Do the A’s need Oakland more than Oakland needs the A’S? Time will tell. Howard Terminal negotiations agreement with the baseball team expired during the month of May. Maybe owner Fisher will sell, maybe not.

MLB Commissioner Manfred has been very quiet during the past couple of weeks. The A’s are on pace to establish the new record for the lowest record during a season, that of the New York Mets in their inaugural season (1962), when Casey Stengel’s Mets ended with 40-120 (.250), finished tenth and last in the National League, 60 1/2 games behind the National League Champion San Francisco Giants, who went on to the World Series won by the New York Yankees in seven games.

Finally, but very important, about revenue sharing – The A’s would receive only a 25% share in 2022, a 50% share in 2023, a 75% share in 2024, and a total share in 2025. The shares in the last two years were contingent upon the A’s having an agreement in place for a new ballpark by 2024.

No agreement, no revenue sharing, My wife posed a very interesting question: With all of these back and forth, will the A’s be able to sign high-priced talent, to be competitive again? Las Vegas until next week: Joe Lombardo, Governor of the State of Nevada, has postponed the vote for the A’s stadium in Las Vegas and extended the vote until next week.

When lawmakers meet in these special sessions, a lot of horse trading goes on behind closed doors, like “if you scratch my back, I scratch yours”; they all want something. This recently elected Governor has publicly said he believes the A’s will be good business for Nevada. Did You Know?

The NFL Buffalo Bills, among the favorites to win the Superbowl next February, just got approved for a new venue under a cost of $1.4 billion, with $850 million paid by local and state taxpayers, for a franchise owned by multi-billionaire couple Terry and Kim Pegula. It is called the lure of professional sports.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead radio voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

River Cats survive late error, walk off Aviators 4-3 to snap four-game slide

The Sacramento Rivercats celebrate the winning walk off run on a Las Vegas Aviators error at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Thu Jun 8, 2023 (@RiverCats photo)

By Stephen Ruderman

SACRAMENTO–The River Cats walked off the Las Vegas Aviators on a bizarre play to cap off a thriller, and to snap their four-game losing streak 4-3.

Patrick Sanders took the ball for Sacramento, and he was rudely welcomed, as the second batter of the game, Trenton Brooks, hit a home run to right to put the Aviators on the board early. Sanders then gave up a base-hit to Jordan Diaz, and got Cody Thomas to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. Sanders walked Tyler Soderstrom to start the second, and escaped the inning thanks to a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Conner Capel, which would do it for his night.

Kyle Muller made the start for Las Vegas, as he pitched through a jam in the bottom of the first, and he pitched through a two-out single in the second. Muller got Bryce Johnson to ground out to third to start the bottom of the third, but Luis Matos then hit a towering home run to left-center to tie the game.

Chris Wright followed Sanders for the River Cats, and pitched through a one-out single in the top of the third, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Cody Thomas singled with one out, stole second and scored on a double off the bat of Soderstrom to put the Aviators right back ahead. Wright struck out Garcia, and walked Capel, which led Wright to be pulled for Tanner Andrews, who struck out Zack Gelof to end the inning.

Muller set down the River Cats 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth, and got Bryce Johnson to fly out to right to start the bottom of the fifth. Luis Matos then hit a towering double off the wall in left-center; advanced to third on an infield hit off the bat of Tyler Fitzgerald; and scored on a base-hit by David Villar.

Andrews pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, and got Capel to pop out to third to start the seventh, but he was pulled after giving up singles to Gelof and Yohel Pozo. The left-hander, Joey Marciano, then came in, and he hit Tyler Wade to load the bases with one out. Marciano was on the ropes, but he then struck out Brooks and Diaz to get out of the inning with the game still tied.

Chad Smith, who followed Muller with a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, gave up a home run to Will Wilson that just got out just to the left of straightaway center on the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh, which gave the River Cats their first lead of the night. Marciano and Erik Miller then combined to strike out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the eighth.

The River Cats threatened to break the game open against Aviators’ right-hander, Norge Ruiz, in the bottom of the eighth, but were unable to extend their lead, which sent the game to the ninth with the River Cats up 3-2.

Miller came back out for the ninth, and on a 2-2 count, got Capel to hit a routine fly ball to left, which was dropped by Shane Matheny, who had come in for Will Wilson for defense. Miller was then clearly rattled, as he walked Gelof on four pitches. Miller got Pozo to hit a chopper back to the mound for the first out, but that also advanced the runners to second and third.

That brought up the top of the order in Tyler Wade, who hit a ground ball to River Cats’ second-baseman, Brett Wisely, who was playing in; Wisely then threw home, but Joey Bart was unable to come up with the ball, and Capel scored the tying run. Miller then got out of the inning without further trouble, and the game was tied going to the bottom of the ninth.

Garrett Acton then came in for the Aviators, and walked Bryce Johnson on four pitches to start the bottom of the ninth. Luis Matos then played some old-school baseball, and laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Johnson to second. It was then up to Tyler Fitzgerald, who hit a high fly ball to left-center; Aviators’ center-fielder, Conner Capel, had the ball in his glove, but left-fielder, Cody Thomas, ran into Capel and knocked it out of his hand; Johnson had gone towards third, turned around and headed back towards second, but came in to score once the ball was dropped to win it for the River Cats. The play was ruled an error on Thomas—E7—due to an official scoring rule, which gives an error to a fielder, who in the act of colliding with another fielder, knocks the ball out of the other fielder’s hand.

Erik Miller ended up with the win to improve to 1-0, and Acton got the loss to fall to 5-2. This win snapped a four-game losing streak for the River Cats, who improve to 27-33, but remain in last place and seven games behind the first-place Reno Aces in the Pacific Coast League West.

As for Joey Bart, who is still on his rehab assignment, he went 0-for-4 with a hat trick. His third strikeout marked his eighth in 11 plate appearances.

Game 4 of the series will be tomorrow night at 6:45, as Kyle Harrison will take the mound for the River Cats.

Aces snap seven game win streak to Sun 94-77

The Connecticut Aces Dewanna Bonner (24) takes a shot against the Las Vegas Aces at Mehegan Sun Arena in Montville CT on Thu Jun 8, 2023 (@espnW image)

Aces Drop First Game of the Season to Connecticut 94-77

By Barbara Mason

Thursday and the Las Vegas Aces (7-1) faced the Connecticut Sun (7-2) for a second game of this two game series. The Sun came out in this game the way that the Aces came out in their game Tuesday. They jumped all over Las Vegas and after the first quarter Connecticut had a 26-15 lead.

At the half the Sun extended their lead winning the second quarter 17-13. The half time score was 43-28 in favor of the Sun. Connecticut had incredible energy to start the game and they did not let down and ended the Aces seven game win streak 94-77.

Last Tuesday the Aces barely got past the Sun in a re-match of last years championship game. The Sun had an incredible second half after trailing 48-31 at halftime. The Aces had to pull out all the stops to get past Connecticut 90-84.

Thursday game wrap up: DeWanna Bonner was having an incredible game and the Aces had no answer. Bonner had 29 points going into the fourth quarter. The Sun kept their foot on the pedal leading after three quarters 64-52. The Aces were turning the ball over the likes that the Aces have not seen from this team with 18.

As the fourth quarter got underway it became obvious that there would be no stopping Bonner who finished with 41 points the 36 year-old’s career high. Las Vegas was playing from behind for the entire game. The Sun outplayed the Aces in the paint and most importantly on the defensive side of the ball. At times the Aces were struggling to keep up with the Sun who dominated.

The Sun brought the heat in this game and the Aces were lukewarm at best. This loss was their first this season; their season record is 7-1. After Connecticut’s loss last Tuesday it was a given that they would come into this game with a new resolve, and the Aces saw that from the start of the game and they never let down once.

This loss was a bit of a shocker. It was without a doubt the worst performance of the season for Las Vegas. The Aces lost in rough fashion by 17 points.

Sunday the Aces will be back on the court taking on the Chicago Sky at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Las Vegas will be looking to get back to business, back to what they do so well and that is winning. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM.

A’s off day report: Both on the field and potential move to Las Vegas updates

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Hogan Harris delivers during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Park in Milwaukee on Thu Jun 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s have a travel day this Thursday. The team is going to Milwaukee to play the Brewers for three games. Milwaukee is the last stop on the nine-game road trip. The A’s are 2-4 so far on the trip. The A’s won the last two games of the three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The offense woke up as the A’s put eleven runs on the board Tuesday night and nine on Wednesday. The A’s will want a win on Friday to give them their first three-game win streak of the season.

The Brewers are currently in first place in the NL Central Division with a record of 34-28. The Brewers own a game and 1/2 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig Counsell manages Milwaukee.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay has announced his starters for the three-game set. On Friday, Luis Medina will pitch for the A’s. Medina is still looking for his first win of the year. Medina is 0-6. His ERA is 8.19. The Brewers starter will be Adrian Houser (2-1. 3.45 ERA.

Paul Blackburn will go for the A’s on Saturday. Blackburn is 0-0, and his ERA is 6.00. Julio Teheran (1-2, 1.45 ERA) will be on the hill for Milwaukee.

Lefty J.P. Sears (0-3, 4.20) will handle the pitching chores for Oakland on Sunday. The Brewers’ starter will be Freddy Peralta (5-5, 4.55 ERA).

The Brewers’ biggest name is Christian Yellich. Yellich was the MVP in 2018. Since that year, Yellich has never had the great success that he had that year. Currently, Yellich is hitting .257 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs.

Another key player, catcher William Contreras is out of action until next Wednesday. The Brewers acquired Contreras in the three-team trade, resulting in A’s catcher Sean Murphy going to the Braves, Esteury Ruiz and Kyle Muller, and two other Braves players coming to the A’s.

Other Key players for Milwaukee are first baseman Rowdy Tellez, second baseman Owen Miller, and shortstop Willy Adames. The Brew Crew’s designated hitter is Jesse Winker. Winker, who was with Seattle last year, is not producing for the Brewers. Winker is hitting. 204 with no home runs and 13 RBIs. Milwaukee’s best pitcher Corbin Burnes, the Cy Young Award winner two years ago, will not face the A’s this weekend.

The A’s, as mentioned above, have won two straight games. The players and coaching staff know all the news about the possible move to Las Vegas. People must realize that most players and coaching staff live outside the Bay Area. Players are paid mercenaries. They sign a contract for a specific time, and if not re-signed by their current team, they are free to play elsewhere.

The situation in Oakland has to be hard for the A’s players. They would love to play before large home crowds. It must be disheartening to have a big night and not see fans in the stadium. The A’s have had so many crowds, with less than 5000 fans in the seats. The fans that are there love the Green and Gold and are loyal. They are angry at the owner John Fisher, who won’t pay for players. The A’s traded away several stars last before the start of the 2022 season.

Then the club raised ticket prices. In their 56 seasons in Oakland, the A’s have won six AL Pennants, four World Series titles, and numerous division crowns. The people, if they feel they have an owner that will commit to building a winning franchise and spend the money to make the dream happen, will fill the seats in the Coliseum.

As of this writing, the Nevada Legislature has yet to vote on the A’s proposal to move to Las Vegas. If the legislature votes to approve the spending measure, the A’s will be gone. A no vote means the A’s will have to seek other options. It might mean going back to negotiations with the city of Oakland. It might mean John Fisher will have to sell the club. It might mean the A’s will relocate to another city.

The players must wear their uniforms daily and give the team 100% effort. Mark Kotsay has done a great job in not letting the club get discouraged by its poor performance so far this year. Let’s hope things will improve on the field, despite anything else happening.

Giants Sweep Colorado In Another Come From Behind Win 6-4

San Francisco Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg and Thairo Estrada celebrate a home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Thu Jun 8, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Sweep Colorado In Another Come From Behind Win 6-4

By Barbara Mason

Thursday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (32-30) got a sweep over the Colorado Rockies (26-38) taking the third and final game 6-4 at Coors Field in Denver.

On Tuesday the Giants won game one handily 10-4 and on Wednesday they had a come from behind to win it in the eighth inning 5-4 in game two. Finally the Giants have a healthy roster with two key players back in Joc Pederson and Thairo Estrada. Thursday San Francisco finished up this series with a sweep of Colorado.

Thursday game recap: San Francisco’s Thairo Estrada homered in the first inning for the 1-0 lead; it was a solo shot to left field.

The Rockies answered back in the same inning scoring four runs. Ryan McMahon singled driving in a run followed by a Nolan Jones single which got two runners across home plate giving Colorado a 3-1 lead. Ezequel Tovar doubled a run home and after the opening inning had a 4-1 lead.

It was quiet for San Francisco into the sixth inning. Michael Conforto hit a 2-run home run and this game was looking just like yesterday’s contest, trailing by a single run in the latter innings 4-3.

In the ninth inning, the Giants tied up the game 4-4 going on to take the lead 6-4. Brandon Crawford doubled and Blake Sabol scored to tie things up. Yastrzemski scored when LaMonte Wade Jr. sacrificed and Joc Pederson singled bringing Crawford home.

After trailing 4-1 in this game San Francisco rallied to take the 6-4 lead. The Giants were three outs away from the sweep. The pinch hitting was huge for San Francisco in this game as they celebrated a second come from behind win in as many days.

When things looked a bit grim, this ball club got it together in the ninth inning. You just cannot count this team out. It was not the greatest start for pitcher Alex Cobb who went five innings allowing 8 hits and four runs. He settled down in the next four innings and his team mates picked up the slack to end this game in the win column.

What is so encouraging for San Francisco is that they are winning late in the game. This has not been the case this season so something else is really turning around for the Giants right now.

The Giants did it all in this game; relief pitching, efficient innings, great hitting (especially pinch hitting) and defensively. This was a gut-punch for the Rockies after they had led into the latter innings only for the Giants to tie and win in not only today’s game but also yesterday’s game. This was the 8th consecutive win against the Rockies at Coors Field.

San Francisco will now head home for a series with the Chicago Cubs (26-35). Anthony Desclafani will take the mound for the Giants with a 4-5 W/L record and a 3.97 ERA. The Cubs will send Marcus Stroman with a 6-4 win/loss record and a 2.39 ERA. This game will get underway Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 PM.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len Shapiro: Panthers on the ropes 0-2 host Knights in game 3 tonight

Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) scores around Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during the second period at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Mon Jun 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Len:

#1 Len through the first two games of these Finals the Vegas Golden Knights have dominated with wins in games 1 and 2 on Vegas home ice. How important has goaltender Adin Hill been for the Knights.

#2 In the most recent game, game 2 the Vegas Golden Knights came away with a five goal win 7-2. The Knights showed all the signs of being in control from the start and the Panthers just couldn’t get any defense to stop the Knights.

#3 The Panthers who over came the odds in the first round of the playoffs overcoming the Boston Bruins from a 1-3 deficit to coming back and winning the series and winning the next two rounds to advance to the Finals can the Panthers find something deep down and pick up a win on Florida ice?

#4 The Knights who won 5-2 and 7-2 in games 1 and 2 are the first team in 25 years of NHL finals to show that no other team has been so dominate.

#5 So the Knights who have the upper hand get after it tonight in game 3 up 2-0 and can take game three or the Panthers really have to find the back of the net and often and get some great netminding from Panther goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Len Shapiro covers the NHL Stanley Cup Finals for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Nevada Legislature takes vote tonight on A’s ballpark

From left, lobbyists Alfredo Alonso and John Griffin, Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, President Dave Kaval and lobbyist Jessica Ferrato inside the Legislature in Carson City on May 31, 2023. (Nevada Independent photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry the Nevada State Legislature met until midnight last night discussing the SB509 the public funds from the State to fund the possible Tropicana ballpark in Las Vegas. There are residents who voiced their opposition to the ballpark because they feel the A’s might not be the right team for Las Vegas and that maybe expansion or the Tampa Bay Rays might be a better option.

#2 Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has called his second special session to push for the Tropicana ballpark. The bill didn’t get pushed through on Monday night and had been in a second special session for the last two night Tuesday and Wednesday. As of midnight last night nothing has been decided. The Legislature will take a vote tonight on the ballpark bill where the future of the A’s moving to Las Vegas is on the line.

#3 A’s team president David Kaval was put in a spot when asked about the team paying and being obligated to pay the entertainment tax. Kaval was told by assemblyman questioning him that he was answering a direct question when Kaval said the A’s would pay the entertainment tax through profits from the ballpark but would not make a commitment.

#4 The fact that there still is no decision on the A’s Las Vegas ballpark and it’s Thursday does that basically say that Lombardo who wants a budget passed needs to get the ballpark through for this session and the legislature is trying to sell those who are opposed reasons to try and change their minds.

#5 Las Vegas residents who spoke at last night’s session emphasized that 81% of Las Vegas residents polled are against the Oakland A’s moving to Vegas and that John Fisher and David Kaval are not the right people to lead this campaign and that the legislature should vote no on funding the ballpark.

Join Jerry F for the Oakland A’s podcasts heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com