San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: 49ers meet up with Commanders in bid for 8th straight win Christmas eve

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is exuberant after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle on Thursday Night Football Dec 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers (10-4) are just cruising right now and in the last three games where quarterback Brock Purdy has led since joining the scene and with the Niners last win 21-13 helped San Francisco win the NFC West.

#2 San Francisco clinched the NFC West, their first since 2019, with its seventh win in row and swept Seattle this season. 

#3 The Seahawks (7-7) have lost two games in a row and four of its last five as their playoff hopes suffered a huge blow as they have fallen to .500 after a surprising 6-3 start to the season.

#4 During the Niners seven game winning streak, their defense has been dominant and the main reason for their current run. 

#5 San Francisco hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday 12/24 at 1:05pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Reimer Sharp but Sharks Lose 3-2 Shootout to Kings

Los Angeles Kings’ Trevor Moore (12) scores against San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sat Dec 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

James Reimer made 39 saves in his second game back from injury but the San Jose Sharks dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Los Angeles Kings from the Crypto.com Arena. Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc scored in the loss, while Phillip Danault and Jaret Anderson-Dolan lit the lamp for LA(17-12-5).

Trevor Moore scored the shootout winner and Pheonix Copley stopped Alexander Barabanov to seal the loss for San Jose (10-16-6).

Danault opened the scoring on the power play 5:54 into the game when he managed to enter the zone and get Jaycob Megna turned around, roofing the puck for his 8th goal of the year with Drew Doughty and the goalie Copley picking up assists.

The Sharks evened it up on the power play with 6:37 left in the period when Erik Karlsson’s point shot rattled around before finding its way to Timo Meier on the opposite post. Meier knocked the puck home for his 15th of the year with Logan Couture picking up the primary assist in the aftermath of the Karlsson shot.

Labanc gave the Sharks a short-lived lead, scoring on a wrist shot with 4:34 left in the second. Meier chased down a failed backhand clearance from Sean Durzi then stripped Danault of the puck in the Kings zone. He then fed Labanc unmarked in the slot for the wrister.

The Kings tied it up just 50 seconds later when Mikey Anderson’s shot bounced off Reimer and landed at the feet of Anderson-Dolan for the second chance goal.

Neither team scored in the third period and the Sharks failed to cash in on an overtime power play. Gabe Vilardi and Logan Couture shared misses on the first two shootout attempts, then Reimer and Copley made saves in round two. The Kevin’s, Fiala and Labanc, scored for their respective teams in round three.

Moore scored in round four and wound up with his second shootout game winner courtesy a Copley stop of Barabanov after getting the decision against Boston Thursday as well (and inking a contract extention too).

The Sharks head home for a back-to-backer, facing Calgary Sunday at SAP Center. They won’t have to wait long for their next opponent to come to town as they’ll face the Flames again Tuesday before welcoming the Minnesota Wild Thursday.

Barracuda drops second of backs to backs against Colorado 5-2

Photo courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Patrick Sieloff gets warmed up before a game against the Colorado Eagles

By Titus Wilkinson

In their second of back to backs against the Eagles the Barracuda lost another one on the road 5-2.

Kicking off the first period San Jose quickly found themselves done taking a penalty just 1:59 into the game.

The penalty unit despite being forced out there early killed the PP off and went perfect in the first period killing all four penalties they faced.

Though the penalty kill went fine five-on-five the Eagles got a goal 9:39 into the first period from Ryan Wagner who got his fourth goal of the season. Both Spencer Smallman and Keaton Middleton got assists on the goal.

Less than five minutes after the first goal for Colorado they followed that up as Smallman got another his second in as many games. Middleton and Josh Jacobs also got assists on the goal.

That ended up being all the scoring in the first as the Eagles hung on to their 2-0 lead.

The shots at the end of the period favored Colorado 11-5.

Heading into the second the last thing I’m sure head coach John McCarthy would’ve wanted was for the Barracuda to take more penalties. But they did just that as Jasper Weatherby took a delay of game penalty just a couple minutes into the period.

On this power play the Eagles did not miss as Cedric Paré got his fourth goal of the season making it 3-0. Callahan Burke and David Farrance both got assists on the goal.

The early goal certainly was deflating San Jose but they would respond with a decent rest of the period.

Which the Barracuda would be rewarded for as 16:54 into the second Thomas Bordeleau scored his 12th goal of the season leading all AHL rookies. Both William Eklund and Jalen Smereck got assists on the goal.

The second period finished at 3-1 with the shots still favoring the Eagles at 19-18.

The third period was opened up again with an early goal as just 2:25 into the third Shane Bowers scored his third goal of the season. Oskar Olausson and Alex Galchenyuk both got assists on the fourth goal.

Less than a minute later the Barracuda did respond as Brandon Coe sniped one in from an awkward angle to get his third goal of the season.

At just a two goal deficit San Jose looked to tie it by pulling their goalie. Burke though would end that push with an empty net goal his seventh of the season from Anton Blidh and Ryan Wagner.

That goal would end up being the last one of the game with the score finishing at 5-2.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Cedric Paré 2nd: Ryan Wagner 3rd: Spencer Smallman

The shots at the end of the game favored Colorado at 28-27.

San Jose’s next game will be on Tuesday on the road against the Abbotsford Canucks at 7 p.m.

Barracuda drop close game against Colorado Eagles 4-3

Photo Courtesy of San Jose Barracuda Twitter. Andrew Agozzino celebrates a goal against the Colorado Eagles.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

The Barracuda took on the Eagles on the road and lost a tight affair against Colorado by a final of 4-3 on Friday night.

The first period between the two teams was a tight checking period with no goals for most of the period.

At the 17:00 mark however the Barracuda got a powerplay opportunity thanks to high-sticking penalty against Nate Clurman.

Shorthanded though the Eagles scored a minute and 30 seconds into the powerplay from Spencer Smallman who got his first goal of the season. The goal was also unassisted.

That ended up being all the scoring in the first with the shots finishing in favor of San Jose at 13-11.

The second period started exactly opposite to the first period as just 1:09 in Andrew Agozzino scored for San Jose to get his eight goal of the season. Both William Eklund and Danil Guschin got assists on the goal.

The tie however did not last for long as just 28 seconds later Cedric Paré got his third goal of the season for Colorado with Smallman getting the lone assist on the goal.

After the quick outburst of goals to start the period both offenses quieted down with just a couple penalties for around the next 15 minutes.

15:20 into the second though Martin Kaut got his fourth goal of the season extending the lead for Colorado making it 3-1. Callahan Burke and Anton Blidh got assists on the goal.

Down by two with the minutes ticking away in the second the Barracuda pressed looking for a response.

For San Jose they would find that response with Tristen Robins getting his ninth goal of the season brining it back to just a one goal deficit. The goal itself ended up being unassisted.

That would be the final big play of the period as the score remained at 3-2 heading into the third.

The shots still favored San Jose at 23-22 going into the final period of play.

The third period did not get off to a great start for the Barracuda as far as penalties as they took two back to back to kick of the third.

San Jose’s penalty unit did come up big though and killed off both.

8:19 into the third period however Sampo Ranta scored his fourth goal of the season for the Eagles making it 4-2. Burke and David Farrance got assists on the goal.

Despite the goal Colorado also committed a couple errors also taking multiple penalties in the period.

On one of these penalties Guschin scored his seventh goal of the season to make it a one goal contest. Both Thomas Bordeleau and Eklund got assists on the play.

San Jose did push to tie it but it would not be enough as Colorado hung on to finish the game at 4-3.

The three stars of the game were: 1st: Spencer Smallman 2nd: Martin Kaut 3rd: Callahan Burke.

The shots at the end of the game still favored the Barracuda at 31-30.

San Jose will look to rebound tomorrow playing the Eagles once again in Colorado at 6 p.m.

The Cardinal Extinguished UW-Green Bay on the Farm, 85-40

Guard Michael O’Connell (5) of the Stanford Cardinal drives the ball up the floor against the Green Bay Phoenix at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Dec 16, 2022 (stanford.rivals.com photo)

STANFORD, Calif.– The Stanford Cardinal (4-6, 0-2 Pac 12) prevented the visiting University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Phoenix (2-10, 1-1 Horizon) from rising inside Maples Pavilion and manhandled them 85-40.

Stanford jumped on their Midwest opponent quickly in dominating fashion, including a 15-0 run and a lead as lofty as 23 points.

Green Bay shot a dismal 29% from the field the initial 20 minutes of the contest, as well as turning the ball over a whopping 15 times at the behest of the Cardinal stout defense. 

Conversely, Stanford shot an impressive 65% from the floor and never trailed in the first half.

The second half Stanford did not rest on their laurels, they actually increased the insurmountable lead to 45 points, despite shooting a lower percentage in part two of the game.

The Cardinal continued the onslaught, forcing a total of 27 turnovers and holding them to a paltry 27% shooting for the game.

After the Phoenix were aggressively subdued, that large 45-point margin was also the difference in the final score, 85-40 Stanford.

Four players scored in double-figures for Stanford: Senior forward Spencer Jones (10): junior forward Brandon Angel (10) & five rebounds; sophomore guard Jarvis Moss (10) and freshman guard Ryan Agarwal led everyone (11). 

UW – Green Bay was led by junior guard Randy Tucker, with ten points and seven rebounds, while his sophomore teammate Cade Meyer also tallied ten points and grabbed six rebounds.

Stanford will head down to the Lone Star state to take on the Texas Longhorns in Dallas, Sunday December 18, which will be a homecoming of sorts for two players.  Sophomore forward Harrison Ingram (Dallas) and the aforementioned Ryan Agarwal (Coppell) are excited about the road trip.

The Phoenix will stay on the west coast and travel up to Corvallis, OR to take on the Oregon State Beavers, also Sunday December 18.

Depleted Warriors Fall To 76ers 118-106

Golden State Warriors’ Donte DiVincenzo, right, tries to get a shot past Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid during the second half at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Fri Dec 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

Depleted Warriors Fall To 76ers 118-106

By Barbara Mason

A huge question looms going into the Warriors (14-16) game Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers (16-12). How relevant will Golden State be without Stephen Curry?

The 76ers are hot at home and this was a very tough game for the Warriors who dropped it 118-106. It does not stop with Curry, the team was missing Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green as well. It was critical to keep the fouls and the turnovers to a minimum.

The Warriors after Friday’s are now on a four-game road skid and are on a three game losing streak with the loss to the Sixers. They needed to take care of the ball because opposing teams are scoring way too many points off those turnovers.

The starting line up for Golden State on Friday were: Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Donte Divincenzo.

Friday game recap: The Warriors got a fast start courtesy of Donte Divincenzo who was four of four from downtown and the rest of the team needed to catch up with him. They had an eleven-point lead at one time but Philadelphia came back to within four points.

Golden State answered and led 29-22 with three minutes left in the quarter. The Warriors were shooting 74% in the opening quarter and led 38-33 after 12. They were nine of 12 from beyond the arc.

The 76ers did not lead once in the first half. The Warriors took a 57-55 lead into the locker room. Golden State cooled off in the second quarter but managed to hang onto the lead going into halftime.

Golden State had a great first half but the second half was all Philadelphia. They won the third quarter 33-24 and the fourth quarter as well. Joel Embiid finished with 34 points and 13 rebounds. James Harden also had a great night with 27 points. The Warriors just ran out of steam in the second half.

The Warriors came out with the right energy but they could not sustain it. Poole got a late start but did finish with 29 points. Divincenzi had 17 points with 10 rebounds. Looney was equally impressive with 11 rebounds and 14 points.

Golden State travels next to Toronto to take on the Raptors. Tipoff on Sunday is scheduled for 3:00 PM.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Carlos Rodón from Giant to Yankee

Former San Francisco Giant Carlos Rodon will be delivering pitches for the New York Yankees for the next six years for $162 million (AP News file photo)

Carlos Rodón from Giant to Yankee

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

SAN FRANCISCO–The New York Yankees signed Carlos Rodón to a 6-year $162 million contract.

Carlos Rodón had the best year of his career in the 2022 season with the San Francisco Giants, ended with a 14-8 record and 2.88 ERA with 237 struck outs in 178 innings. The lefty born in Miami who has been in the major leagues since 2015 with the Chicago White Sox, and in 2022 with the San Francisco Giants signed a 6-years $162 million deal with the New York Yankees.

Rodón is now second in the Yankee rotation behind Gerrit Cole, who led the major leagues in strikeouts with 257, while Rodón (now his teammate) was #3 in major league in strikeouts with 237.

Giants got the best of Rodón and were lucky the lefty was healthy during the whole season, which in his case was the main reason he got the Yankees to that six year deal. Rodón dealt with shoulder injuries in 2016 and 2021 and in between had Tommy John surgery. And even with his best season in 2022 with the Giants, making 31 starts he averaged just 5 2.3 inning per start, which was his career high.

Many say the Yankees overpaid Rodón, but the same could be said about the Giants for Carlos Correa giving him a 13 year deal for $250 million. We must have in mind Correa played most of his career with the Houston Astros (previous to his one season in 2022 with Minnesota) and with the Astros he was surrounded by some great players like José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yuliesky Gurriel.

Starting in 2023 we will see if Carlos Correa can become the leader of the Giants. The Giants are still in need of that big slugger, like the one they went after in Aaron Judge.

While the Yankees were able to keep their slugger Aaron Judge and now acquiring left handed pitcher Carlos Rodón, among all these big names some might have forgotten that the Giants a few weeks ago signed Bay Area native outfielder Mitch Haniger, although a few injuries have limited him over the years,

Haniger when healthy was one of the Mariners best hitters for a decent average and good power, having a couple 25+ Home Run seasons including 39 in 2021. As a matter of fact Correa has never hit 39 home runs or driven 100 runs in a single season, something that Mountain View native Haniger has done with the Seattle Mariners in 2021.

The Giants also signed Haniger to a three-year $43.5 million contract on the second day of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego. Haniger’s has an opt-out clause in 2024. That deal, not as big as the Correa’s, could prove to be much productive for the Giants. The one downside to Haniger is that he is prone to injury, but when healthy he is very much underrated and could be a key for the Giants if they want to compete next season.

As far as I am concerned, the Giants are probably to finish again in third place. The San Diego Padres are loaded, with great pitching and one of the best lineups in the game and the LA Dodgers still formidable division winners, and they know how to win.

I am still not totally sold on that the Giants fans are very happy with Correa’s signing, but Giants management had to do something after missing on Aaron Judge they when after the next best option. Nobody in history before has signed an infielder to that type of a contract.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks looking for third straight win against Kings tonight in LA

San Jose Sharks center Nick Bonino (13) falls as he passes the puck while under pressure from Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Strome (16) during the third period at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Fri Dec 9, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 For the San Jose Sharks (10-16-5) Nick Bonino he’s finding the back end of the net without any problems scoring in his fourth consecutive game last Tuesday in the Sharks 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes (9-14-4).

#2 Sharks goaltender James Reimer picked up his first win since returning from his injury. Reimer allowed two goals and faced 22 shots in the one goal win for the Sharks.

#3 The Sharks in the first period didn’t waste anytime scoring as Bonino and Thomas Hertl scored in a 1:02 time span which was a crucial period for scoring in a tight game.

#4 Nick Sturm’s second period goal was crucial in the 3-2 win in a rare Sharks home ice win in San Jose their third win in 15 games for the Sharks.

#5 The Sharks prepare for Saturday night at cryptocurrency.com Arena for the Los Angeles Kings at 7:30pm. The Sharks have now won two in a row and are looking to try and extend the streak against the Kings.

#6 Tuesday was throw back California Golden Seals sweater night and that’s been such a popular promotion are fans gobbling up those sweaters and also it was Sharks TV broadcaster Randy Hahn 2,000 game as a Sharks broadcaster.

Join Len for the Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal men host Green Bay Friday; Cardinal women go for 5 wins in a row Sunday

Gonzaga guard Kaylynne Truong (14) is fouled by Stanford guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu during the first half action at Maples Pavilion on Sun Dec 4, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 MBB the Cardinal (3-6) lost a close contest 68-64 to the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-1) in their last game Sun Dec 4th. The Cardinal got good efforts from Spencer Jones 13 points and Harrison Ingram and Michael Jones both scored 12 points.

#2 The Cardinal face the Green Bay Phoenix (2-8) who are struggling in their own right this Friday night at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal have won only three games and have the home floor advantage.

#3 Stanford women (10-1) have won four straight games, five of their last six games including a win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-2) in their last game 84-63. The Cardinal are getting offense and defense on both sides of the basketball and it might be safe to say look for this team to be a huge threat when March comes rolling around.

#4 The Cardinal match up against the Tennessee Vols (6-5) who have won four of their last five games. Tip is a 12 noon at Maples Pavilion how do you see this match up on Sunday.

#5 On Monday the Cardinal football team announced a new head coach Troy Taylor who comes from Sacramento State. Taylor help bring three Big Sky titles after taking over the Hornets football program in Dec 2018. Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir said “Troy’s credentials stood out”

Join Daniel Dullum for the Stanford podcasts Thursday nights at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal tries to get that first win of the season Sunday against Santa Clara

Grant Newell who scored a career 17 points said he would rather have wins than be the top point scorer takes a shot against the Butler Bulldogs guard Simas Lukosius (41) on Sat Dec 10, 2022 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Grant Newell and Devon Askew led Cal in scoring with 17 points each against the Butler Bulldogs who wiped out the Bears 82-58.

#2 Three of the top shooters for Cal Lar Tiemann, Newell and Askew despite their efforts it’s just not enough for Cal as they can’t buy a win at (0-11).

#3 Newell’s 17 points was a career high and was 7-13 shooting Saturday it was Newell’s best game of his career.

#4 For Askew he had that outstanding game against USC back on Wed Nov 30th scoring 23 points, scored 25 points against Arizona on Sun Dec 4th, sat out due to health reasons against Eastern Washington on Wed Dec 7th and scored 17 points against Butler last Saturday.

#5 Michael talk about how important it was for Cal to take a full week off as they get ready for the Santa Clara Broncos (9-3) for a 2pm tip this Sunday at Santa Clara which is considered their third true road game.

Join Michael Duca for the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com. Michael is a beat writer for the Golden Bear Insider a publication for everything Cal basketball.