Tag: Sports radio

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Do the Giants have a shot at being viable this season?; Puig tries to take on the whole Pirates team in brawl; plus more

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Photo credit: @BruceBochy

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 It’s early in the season, but do the San Francisco Giants (4-8) have the players it takes to get out of the cellar and make this a viable season?

#2 The Cincinnati Reds’ Yasiel Puig wasted no time making things happen between himself and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. After Chris Archer Pirates pitcher hit the Reds’ Derek Dietrich in the backside, Dietrich took exception to getting hit and started jawing at Archer at that point both benches emptied and Reds star Yasiel Puig tried to take on the entire Pirates team.

#3 Talk about the Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant paring at the New York Knicks for next season. How will this important would a tandem like this be for the Knicks and how will it impact Golden State?

#4 The Oakland A’s, who won three of four from the Boston Red Sox, went out on the road and got swept in three games from the Houston Astros. The A’s still made the third game competitive with a one run loss. The Astros played catch up ball in order to win. The A’s lost the first game 12-4 of the four game series in Baltimore. In game two the A’s got a 13-2 win on Tuesday night.

#5 Oracle Arena is the home of many memories for fans, reporters, players and coaches Sunday. Was the last regular season game for Golden State what did you take away from 47 years of sports events at the arena in Oakland?

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez, who does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Will Joerger return to Kings next season?; Kings have improved over last season

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Photo credit: @James_HamNBCS

On the Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, what’s your biggest takeaway from this season as the Kings finish below .500 (39-42)?

#2 The Kings head coach Dave Joerger had been the subject of discussion. There had been talk that he will be back next season and also talk that the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in his handy work as well. After Sunday’s game, Joerger said that while he’s a Minnesota kid, his focus is with the Kings.

#3 There is that great feel the Kings had taking 12 more wins than what they finished with from last season. Although the playoffs alluded them, they are a couple players away from the postseason next year.

#4  The Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and team general manager Vlade Divak are noted friends with Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton would he be a possibility.

#5 The Kings De’Aaron Fox finished Sunday’s game with 24 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Charlie talks about the kind of season that Fox had.

Charlie O did the Kings podcasts each week throughout the 2018-19 season join for the Oakland A’s podcasts each Tuesday starting next week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors sow up the top seed throughout playoffs; Also, a virtual audio review of Dave’s Oracle experiences

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 With the win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, the Golden State Warriors assured themselves the number one seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

#2 Dave talks about his own personal experience attending games at the Oracle Arena. Oracle was the site of the Warriors home from 1967-2019. The Warriors open up at their new arena Chase Center next season, where the cheapest ticket for a walk up is said to be $300.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants getting the pitching, but hitting stays quiet

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photo from sfgate.com: Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier, center, scores a run past San Francisco Giants catcher Erik Kratz, left, as umpire Tripp Gibson, right, watches during the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, April 7, 2019.

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Giants pitching have kept what some say the Giants in some games from being a blowout.

#2 Giants pitcher Derek Rodriguez gave up two home runs early in this last start. Was this a matter of just having a rough start or do you think the hitters have picked up on how to hit him?

#3 The Giants have lost seven of their last ten games this hasn’t been much of a surprise knowing their offense average would be down.

#4 Giants first baseman Brandon Belt says the offense hasn’t clicked yet, but it’s a good opportunity for the offense to click and to look forward to.

#5 Giants starter Drew Pomeranz gave up six hits, two runs, three walks, and five strikeouts in the 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay Sunday,

Morris does the Giants podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAA National Championship Game podcast with Michelle Richardson: Texas Tech-Virginia duel it out in what could be one for the ages

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photo from yahoosports.com: The Texas Tech Red Raiders Jarrett Culver (23) celebrates during the second half of Saturday’s Final Four against Michigan State Spartans in a ten-point 63-53 win to advance to the National Championship on Monday night.

On the NCAA National Championship Game podcast with Michelle Richardson:

#1 It’s the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Virginia Cavaliers for the NCAA National Championship to wind down the NCAA season. Michelle sets this one up

#2 The Red Raiders got a hefty ten-point win over the Michigan State Spartans 61-51 and Matt Mooney led Texas Tech with 22 points for the win.

#3 Virginia just gets by the Auburn Tigers 63-62. How badly did the official miss Virginia’s double dribble and if they caught it would that have put the Tigers in the cat bird seat?

Michelle’s Final Four thoughts

Michelle Richardson did commentary on the NCAA for the 2018-19 season for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanley Cup Playoffs NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Taking a look at the postgame matches; CBJ’s win means Habs out again; Odds on Vegas as San Jose has home ice; plus more

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m.chron.com photo: Columbus Blue Jackets swarm goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, left, of Russia, after making three saves during the shootout against the New York Rangers during an NHL hockey game Friday, April 5, 2019, in New York. The Blue Jackets won 3-2.

On the NHL podcast with Daniel:

1 Playoff pairings set

2 Blue Jackets edge Rangers, beat out Habs

3 Vegas might be worst possible first-round draw for Sharks

4 McDavid escapes broken leg after collision with post

5 ASU goalie is first Sun Devil to play in the NHL

Daniel Dullum does the NHL podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Forget the Sharks’ recent funk, playoffs a whole new kind of season

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Edmonton Oilers fell on top of the San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier on Thursday night at Rogers Place, the Old Rexall building. Meier went in the x-ray room after the game to take a look at his left wrist. Meier most likely will be in tonight’s game at SAP against the Colorado Avalanche.

#2 The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl was working on a hat trick as he got goals 48 and 49 for the season, but the Sharks covered him well for the rest of the game as the Sharks got away with a close 3-2 win.

#3 The Sharks, with the win over the Oilers, picked up their second win in four games after a nasty seven-game skid. Are they beginning to show some signs of coming out of it?

#4 Joe Pavelski said the Oilers are a team who can get to another level of play and the Sharks need to commit to coming back when they get behind. Melker Karlsson is scheduled to come back and Erik Karlsson is day-to-day.

#5 After tonight’s final regular season game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Sharks will open with home ice for the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. Len sets this first round up for us.

Sharks podcasts are heard weekly with Len Shapiro Saturdays and Mary Lisa Walsh Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Exhausted, old, and living in the past, the Giants better get used to last place

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photo from nbcbayareasports.com: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy doffs his cap to the fans at the introduction of the Giants at the home opener at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday afternoon vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There is no guarantee sellout at SBC, Pac Bell, AT&T or Oracle Park anymore for San Francisco Giants fans and the dream of another World Series trophy in the near future is just that — a dream.

Looking at the National League West, there is little doubt that even the Padres have much more life, youth and talent than the aging Giants. You want a good surgeon,with lots of experience to operate on you, but in today’s baseball, youth is what is driving the game, not experience. Giants tried to sign Bryce Harper to a short two-year deal, but truth be said,why would he play in San Francisco, in a ballpark that is anything but a hitting paradise, when he could and did, wound up signing a lifelong contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, who play in a park that is truly a power-hitters dream.

Most teams are getting younger and younger, but the Giants obviously never got the memo, they live on days past,not on the present. Giants are anything but exciting. Their hitting is pathetic, they have no speed, and although their pitching is not bad, they feel a tremendous amount of pressure because when they are down early in a game, they can’t come back.

The most exciting player for the Giants is a guy who is getting paid by the Red Sox. Yes, Pablo Sandoval, who has been relegated to the most difficult job in the game, a pinch-hitter, and he seems to deliver, energize and excite the fans. Sandoval has all the passion that this team lacks.

The Giants made lots of mistakes giving huge contracts to players, whose best years were in the past: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto Jeff Samardzija, and Evan Longoria. There lies most of the big money on their payroll. They did this to please their fanbase. Loyalty might be very important in politics, when when it comes to baseball? Winning three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014 recruited thousands of new Giants fans, but this is the Bay Area, and unless you are the Warriors, who just win, there comes a time where you cannot please your fans.

The Giants have a great propaganda machine in the Bay Area. When the Oakland A’s were winning titles and the Giants were not, the Giants were the favorite team to cover for the media, but I also remember when I could not give away free tickets for the Giants at Candlestick Park.

I was there to call the first ever game at what is today Oracle Park, back in the year 2000. The park was the talk of town, people were going to see the beautiful new facility, and even people that have never seen a baseball game, I remember a tourist family in SF from Italy that I met as they were walking to the park, just to be there. 10 years later, the people were going to see a championship team. The park is already 19 years old.

I looked at all the rosters in the NL West, and I just could not find a team inferior to the Giants starting this 2019 season.

It is early, yes, and although it might seem like a pessimistic look at these Giants, I am truly a realist, I like to look at the half of the glass that is full, rather than the half that is empty, but at this time, the Giants are empty. The Dodgers will win the division again, and it should not be even close, but the most interesting team in the NL West are the Padres, not only they signed Manny Machado, but Fernando Tatis Jr., the youngest player in the MLB, is truly an exciting player with great talent, an All-Star shortstop in the making. The Padres have lots of young and up and coming players, and I do not think they are a last place team anymore.

The Giants better get used to last place.

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

Barracuda take down Griffins 3-1

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After a lackluster effort two nights ago, the San Jose Barracuda played like a desperate hockey team and took a another step forward in trying to clinch a playoff spot with a 3-1 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday evening at SAP Center.

Evan Weinger came in on a three-on-one and found a trailing Jayden Halbgewachs wide open in the middle of the slot and he fired a one timer past Griffins goalie Patrik Rybar for what proved to be the game winning goal at the 8:48 mark of the third period. It was his 12th goal of the season for Halbgewachs and snapped six-game goal-less drought for the speedy forward.

“Playing with a little desperation,” said Halbgewachs. “I mean we want to finish with a run here for second place. Going into the playoffs you gotta make a big push and it all starts right now.”

“Halbs (Halgewachs) has been snake-bit,” said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer.  He’s been in the right spots but they haven’t been going in for him. So it was good to see he got rewarded (tonight).”

San Jose (36-21-3-4) drew first blood early in the first period on a four-on-three power play. Dylan Gambrell fed a pass from the high slot over to the left face-off circle to TJ Hensick, who quickly sent a cross-ice pass through the crease to a wide open Ivan Chekhovich, who blasted a one-timer it past the five-hole of Griffins goalie Patrik Rybar (16-14-5) for a tic-tac-toe goal at the 2:45 mark.

It was Chekhovich’s first goal of the season in his season debut with the Cuda since being called up following the conclusion of his third junior season at Baie-Comeau of the QMJHL.

“I feel really comfortable,” said Chekhovich after being back in the AHL. “Especially to score from the first shot in the first game. I’m pretty excited to be here.”

Chekhovich said the biggest difference between the juniors and the AHL is the speed of the game.

“You have to be aware and be faster. Every player up here are smart (and) you have to be ready.”

Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (22-8-2) was stellar in the opening 20 minutes. He came up with two big saves late in the period, while Grand Rapids was on the power play, including stopping a breakaway attempt by Wade Megan with under two minutes left.

“I just try to focus on the game,” said Korenar. “Breakaways happen, I think it was three of them tonight, but I stopped them. I like it when I get a lot of shots like in the first period.”

Grand Rapids (38-24-6-4) striked for the equalizer early in the second period. Libor Sulak skated down the right boards and threw the puck at the net that redirected off of Troy Loggins’ stick past Korenar for the rookie’s first career goal in his second game with the Griffins at the 4:06 mark.

San Jose outshot Grand Rapids by a slim margin of 10-9 in the middle frame, but headed into the second intermission tied up at 1-1.

Grand Rapids put on the pressure with Rybar pulled for an extra attacker with under a minute left in the final period and threw a flurry of shots at Korenar, who stood strong to close out the game without any further damage by the Griffins.

Kyle Wood iced the game with an unassisted empty-net goal with 34 seconds left for his sixth goal of the season.

“I wasn’t too happy about Wednesday (against San Diego),” said Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “Too many passengers and not enough guys on the bus. But tonight different story. I thought all four lines contributed. Our goaltender was real good for us. We got a goal at the right time.”

Korenar made 24 saves on 25 shots to earn his 22nd win on the season. Rybar made 27 saves on 29 shots in suffering the defeat.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/3 on the power play. Grand Rapids was 0/4.

Forward Lukas Radil was in the lineup for San Jose after being reassigned by the San Jose Sharks.

Cuda forward Jon Martin was not disciplined by the AHL for his major penalty for spearing on Wednesday night against San Diego. He was a healthy scratch tonight.

The announced attendance was 5,422.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Griffins in the home season finale on Saturday, April 6 at 1:15 pm at SAP Center.

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Sharks break out with 3-2 win over Oilers; Bruins’ Halak stops 26 shots for 3-0 shutout of Wild; Preds score 3 unanswered goals for 3-2 win; plus more

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the NHL podcast with Joe:

#1 Gustav Nyquist of the San Jose Sharks got it figured with a goal in the second period at 18:48 to break a 2-2 deadlock in Edmonton for a 3-2 win on Thursday night. The Sharks have now won two in their last four games after suffering a long seven-game losing streak.

#2 Boston Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots against the Minnesota Wild in a 3-0 shutout. Bruins goals from Joakin Nordstrom, Bradon Carlo, and Connor Clifton.

#3 The Vancouver Canucks scored two goals from Niklaus Granlund and Tanner Pearson in the first period against the Nashville Predators, but the Preds came right back with three unanswered goals, a goal in the second period from Colton Sissons and two in the third from Nick Bonino and Ryan Johansen for a 3-2 Nashville win.

#4 It took overtime to do it, but the Colorado Avalanche got by the visiting Winnipeg Jets 3-2 when the Avs’ Eric Johnson score the game-winning goal in OT at 1:49. The Avs head to San Jose for a Saturday night game with the Sharks at SAP Center.

#5 The Arizona Coyotes got a three-goal win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night 4-1. The Yotes got goals from Richard Panik in the first period, two goals from Derek Stepan in the second period, and from Oliver Eckman-Larsson in the third period.

Joe Lami does the NHL podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com