Tag: Sports radio

San Jose State Spartans game wrap: Gaels Win Sixth In A Row Handily Beating San Jose State 96-61

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The St Mary’s Gaels forward Sam Fotu (42) drives on San Jose Spartans center Hugo Clarkin (5) on Fri Dec 11, 2020 at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga (smcgaels.com photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the San Jose Spartans took on the St. Mary’s Gaels at McKeon Pavilion. St. Mary’s came into the game with a 5-1 record while San Jose’s record is 1-0 due to the cancellations they have experienced this year. The Gaels are riding high winning five games in a row. They most recently beat the University of Texas at EL Paso. Their only loss came at the hands of Memphis 73-56.

The San Jose Spartans handled Fresno Pacific by the score of 87-79. A win tonight for the Spartans would mean a second straight victory as well as their first win over the Gaels since 2000.

The Spartans would be looking for another explosive performance by sophomore Omari Moore and Richard Washington who had 38 points against Fresno Pacific. All eyes will be on this power duo. Right now the Spartans are the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in defensive rebounding.

The Spartans will be without 4 players in this game although it has not been announced that any of them have covid. Seneca Knight is one of those players which is a blow for San Jose. The Spartans were looking at a very real challenge in this game.

The Gaels will be highlighting Tommy Kuhse, one of their offensive leaders, who had 24 points in their latest win against UTEP. St. Mary’s will also be counting on Matthias Tass and Alex Ducas to carry their offense. Right now the Gaels are a high-scoring team recording 72 or more points in each of their last four games. Head Coach Randy Bennett is 7-0 against San Jose.

It was a very tough start for the Spartans trailing from the start of the game. It was all St. Mary’s as they took a 57-27 lead into the locker room. Nine different Gaels scored in the first half shooting 68 percent which gave them a 30 point lead.

In the first half the only Spartan that had shot in double digits was Richard Washington with 13 points. It was the dominating Gaels that had two players in double digits: Matthias Tass with 11 and Dan Fotu with 11. The Gaels had a combined 25 points off the bench while the Spartans only had 7.

Midway through the second half the Spartans were trailing 77-42 and they struggled to get anything going against the powerhouse Gaels. The Spartans got some nice play from Washington and Moore with 35 combined points but it was the Gael’s bench with the combined 30 points of Tass and Fotu that did San Jose in. The final score was a shocking 96-61. San Jose will be facing Cal Poly Sunday with tip off at 1:00.

 

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: 2020 Worse News for Baseball? –No Minor Leagues–

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Reno Aces ballpark the Triple A team in Reno NV announced they will return for the 2021 season in a press release Dec 9th, 2020. The Aces are an affiliate for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Aces are a survivor of many of the minor league teams who are being cut in MLB (sierrasun.com file photo)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Major League Baseball, after all, came out “very well”, during an abbreviated 60-game season, compared to other sports, playing during a worldwide Pandemic. But (in case some forgot) there was no Minor League Baseball in 2020.

As of 2018 there were 14 ML-affiliated Minor League teams. A total of 160 teams in large, medium and small markets across the country and also in Canada, plus a total 80 teams in three ML-affiliated rookie leagues in Arizona, Florida and the Dominican Republic.

It was on June 30, 2020 that it was announced there was not going to be Minor League Baseball this year. The announcement explained that the season had been shelved because Major League Baseball will not provide players. It was the first time the Minor League season was cancelled since the Minor Leagues were founded in 1901.

However, it was actually in (pre-covid) 2019 that Major League Baseball were planning to eliminate 42 Minor League teams, most in the lowest levels, with more than half of those 42 either at the Rookie League level or Short-Season, Class A. MiLB (Minor League Baseball) also is a revenue-generating business. Most minor league teams are not owned by major league clubs, but they have contracts as affiliates.

Generally teams in organized minor league baseball are generally owned and operated independently but most are directly affiliated with a major league team. Very important Milb, because they have contracts with MLB teams for player development. Because of what happened in 2020, MLB teams lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and therefore had furlough employees, some were told their services terminate at the end of this year.

In the Minor League with zero games played, and even with some payroll protection loans issued early, more jobs were lost. If MLB suffered by playing 60-games in 2020, you can imagine how much the Minor Leagues suffered with no season at all, not one game played. It is very important for baseball to keep their minor league structure for the future.

The game of baseball needs a lot of practice, repetition, seasoning “if you will” of their young talent. All players in the Minor League system have one goal. To be promoted to the Big Leagues, as simple as that. When I was playing as a kid in Cuba with my brother, or just playing catch with my father and on teams in the area.

I always dreamed of playing for a Major League team, I do not recall as a kid I ever dreamed of playing for the Cuban Sugar Kings of the Triple-A, International League, although that was a popular league as well as the Winter Leagues, kids dreams always relate to their Major League teams and stars, heroes.

Baseball has been always like that, and hopefully it will continue. We must remember than the overwhelming majority of the Major League stars began their professional careers and ascent to the Big Show in…yes, the Minor Leagues.

You cannot over emphasize the importance of the Minor Leagues. I can only hope 2021 will be played normally, and that there is a Minor League with younger players ready to come-up to the big team.

We all talk about how terrible 2020 has been, but we also must be positive and realize that we are ending this year with sort of a miracle. The development and approval of covid-19 vaccines, which took around 9 month from beginning to completion.

What Warp Speed Operation accomplished was unprecedented in the history of vaccines, we should be grateful that because of these vaccines (in days made available) millions of lives will be saved in the US and around the world, and this is exactly the news Baseball wanted to hear prior to 2021 Spring Training in Arizona and Florida, which is just two months and a couple of weeks away.

The Minority: These are some well known Major League Players, (some in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown) who never played in the Minor Leagues. They came directly from High School or College to the Big Show: Al Kaline, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Harmon Killebrew, George Sisler, Frankie Frisch, Joe Nuxall, Dick Groat, Dave Winfield, Mike McCormick, Mel Ott, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Herb Washington.

Felíz Hanukkah and Felíz Navidad

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: Alex Smith having success and fitting in as starter for Team Washington

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He’s come along way since this Aug 25, 2020 photo at the Washington training facility but  Washington quarterback who has won four straight games under center will be paying his old team the San Francisco 49ers a visit on Sun Dec 13, 2020 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ (AP News file photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has really fit in really well with Team Washington.

#2 Since taking over he’s completed 69% of his passes and has won in four straight games for Washington.

#3 Joe last week against Buffalo the 49ers just had that one rough second quarter when the Bills scored 17 points and the 49ers were shutout.

#4 Bill quarterback Josh Allen had an afternoon against the 49ers 375 yards and four touchdowns. The 49ers pass rush just couldn’t get to him and he had time to keep or throw.

#5 Washington seems to have caught fire winning five of their last six games including their last win against the Pittsburgh Steelers that ended the Steelers 11 game undefeated win streak.

Join J Hawkes each Friday morning for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Tale of the two halves defense picked up in second half Cal still lost

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Cal Bears Matt Bradley takes a free throw shot against the Pepperdine Waves Wednesday night in Malibu. This was Cal’s second straight road trip as they return back to Berkeley on Saturday against USF (calbears.com photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael, how big is it for Cal that they didn’t have to suffer too many postponed games, rescheduled games and pretty much rely on playing their home games at Haas Pavilion during this very strict Covid-19 shutdown.

#2 In Cal’s last game men’s basketball game at Pepperdine it was the tale of the two halves. The first half the Pepperdine dominated with a 44-30 whereas Cal improved the defense in the second half with the Waves just edging out Cal 32-30 but as you know it’s what the scoreboard shows at the end of the game as it was 74-62 Pepperdine.

#3 All things considered Michael did that second half show any improvements for Cal as they played a close second half against a very good Waves team who have made handy work of post season tournaments.

#4 Cal has now lost two straight including a loss to UCLA the game before Pepperdine they come back to Haas Pavilion for Saturday night’s game against USF (4-2). The Dons have won four straight after going 0-2. Knowing how well coached USF is how do you see this match up on Saturday?

#5 Michael talk about two of Cal’s top scorers from Wednesday’s game Grant Anticevich with 21 points and Matt Bradley who lead Cal with 27 points they had to work hard against the Waves.

Join Michael for Cal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headlines Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: NHL plans for 52 game schedule with lots of bubbles; Jackson is back as Ravens get big win; plus more

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The NHL announced they will play a 52 game schedule that opens the regular season on Jan 13th 2021 with bubble sites for each division (fathead.com image photo)

On Headlines with Jessica:

#1 The NHL is planning to open the regular season on Jan 13th with a 52 game schedule using divisions playing each other and each division will be in a bubble. That includes all seven Canadian teams will stay in Canada and play in a bubble there. The schedule format is also planned to be a baseball schedule style three game series.

#2 The current pandemic has discussion for a 2020-21 season in a tentative position right now as things could change. No details on how post season would be handled but with Covid-19 the NHL plans to use every precaution to get the season underway and work.

#3 Jessica, the Baltimore Ravens(7-5) a big win over the Dallas Cowboys (3-9) 34-17 on Tuesday Night Football LeMar Jackson playing since being out from the Ravens last game Dec 2nd for Coronavirus related issues. Jackson on Tuesday threw for 107 yards two touchdowns.

#4 The NFL has played or will play their all sevens days of the week as the Ravens did last week on Wednesday night Dec 2nd and Tuesday. It’s rarity in the NFL but the 2020 season has brought the seven day football schedule. Will this be a regular schedule going forward the NFL is just trying to get this season finished before any further considerations.

#5 The NFL has not decided whether or not to play it’s post season in a bubble. The players union has talked to the players and they haven’t decided what to do yet. There have been a number of cases of Covid-19 infections during the regular season as teams travel from city to city. A bubble will keep everybody in one place but the players have not made a decision if that’s the way they’ll go.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports podcasts every other Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal women’s game canceled due to Covid-19 protocols; Cardinal football face Oregon State in last game of season

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Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer talks with her players during a time-out against Cal Poly in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal women’s (3-0)  game for Friday night vs. UC Davis (1-0) has been canceled due to coronavirus protocols. Santa Clara County does not allow sports of any kind to be played there until early January.

#2 Stanford women’s head coach Tara VanDerveer’s who is one game away from tying the late former Tennessee Vol’s head coach Pat Summitt’s record for wins could have come Friday. As a result Stanford will play at Cal on Sunday and VanDerveer with a win over Cal could tie Summitt’s record.

#3 The Stanford Cardinal (2-2) in football win over the Washington Huskies (3-1) last Sat Dec 5th was huge it evened the Cardinal win loss record at 2-2  and it was the Cardinal’s second straight win 31-26.

#4 Stanford quarterback Davis Mills threw for 252 yards and one touchdown, running back Austin Jones carried twice for two touchdowns and running back Nathaniel Peat ran for one touchdown in the Stanford victory.

#5 Jerry, the Cardinal close out the season against Oregon State (2-3), the last time these two teams met it was last season as it will be the two clubs first meeting of 2020. The Beavers in their last game lost to the Utah Utes (1-2) in a close game 30-24 and the Beavers upset the Oregon Ducks (3-2) on Nov 27th 41-38 could you see this one being as close as the Big Game was when they edged out Cal by just one point?

Join Jerry every Thursday for the Stanford Cardinal podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Washington vs. San Francisco 49ers preview by Jeremiah Salmonson

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Washington Football Team pays the San Francisco 49ers a visit at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ on Sun Dec 13, 2020 in week 13 of NFL football (youtube.com image)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a tough matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers didn’t play terribly against the Bills but not well enough to win.

In the loss, the 49ers pass defense struggled. They let Josh Allen throw for 375 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Meanwhile, Nick Mullens threw for just over 300 yards in the loss. It was just too many points for the 49ers to overcome.

In this week’s matchup, the 49ers will face the high-flying Washington Football Team. Washington was able to beat the only undefeated team left in the league last week, the Pittsburg Steelers. Former 49er QB Alex Smith will return to the Bay Area looking to do some damage against his former team.

The 49ers come into this matchup getting healthier. Players like Brandon Aiyuk and Raheem Mostert are slated to play as the 49ers offense looks to get back into a rhythm.

In other news, 49ers starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo is hoping to return soon. No day has been set yet, but it is looking like he will make a return before the end of the season.

The game will be Sunday at 1:25 PST in the Bay Area on Fox.

Prediction: I think the Washington Football Team will have a bit of a big game hangover. I predict the 49ers win 27-21

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Did unfamiliar surroundings throw 49ers off their game on Monday night?

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is congratulated by San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the Bills win on Monday Night Football Dec 7, 2020 (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 David in taking a look at the 49ers last game against the Buffalo Bills did they seem unadjusted and maybe seemed out of their element playing in Glendale as opposed to Santa Clara?

#2 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens had an afternoon that was good enough to win throwing for 316 yards and three touchdowns but just fell short on scores.

#3 It was quite an afternoon for Bills quarterback Josh Allen with 375 yards passing and four touchdowns the 49ers defense just couldn’t do anything with Allen and the Bills.

Join David for the 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: With Warriors Wiseman and Green out with Covid how it will impact Saturday’s game?; Sounders go for third straight championship; plus more

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Center James Wiseman during his Memphis East days playing against the Oregon Ducks will not debut in his first Golden State Warriors game after testing positive for Coronavirus this week and will be quarantined from 10-12 days according to NBA protocols (nba.com file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 With the Golden State Warriors first game this Saturday against Denver at the Chase Center the Warriors who were hampered with injuries last season will be no different than other NBA teams going in with Covid issues as they’ll be without center James Wiseman and Draymond Green

#2 NBA rules state that Green and Wiseman must stay away from the club ten to 12 days and will required to test negative twice before returning back to Golden State.

#3 In MLS the Seattle Sounders continue on their road to get another championship as they just got by Minnesota 3-2 Monday night to advance to the next round and face the Columbus Crew tis Saturday night. The Sounders are going for their third MLS cup they won in 2016 and 2019.

#4 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) suffered their third loss in four games this time to the Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) last Sunday in a three points loss 27-24. The Bucs quarterback Tom Brady had another great throwing line with 345 yards and two touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as the Bucs fell short again.

#5 The Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) perfect record fell as they took their first loss of the season to the Washington Football Team (5-7) 23-17 in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Washington quarterback Alex Smith threw for 296 yards and a touchdown for Washington’s fifth win of the season.

#6 London they’re still talking about it. The New York Jets who were vying for their first win of the 2020 season couldn’t get over the hump leading the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth quarter with 26 seconds left Raider quarterback Derek Carr put up a Hail Mary that found receiver Henry Ruggs III for the game winner 31-28 and Jet’s defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was fired shortly after the game was concluded.

Join London Marq for Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Is Baseball Strategy Out the Window?

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The Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman who hit .341 last season will DH when needed at American League parks as the DH will not be in effect during National League games this season (file photo from Atlanta Journal Constitution)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González.

The last time I remember seeing  a ‘hit and run’ I was in the parking lot outside the park, before the game started. I am afraid we will eventually see a defensive alignment of five outfielders when a guy that seldom hits a ground-ball comes to the plate.

A complete game thrown by a starting pitcher would be tantamount to a perfect game. Bullpen games would be regularly scheduled, in other words, the manager will give his lineup and also a “pitching lineup” of the seven pitchers he is planning to use in any given game.

In other words, there will be two lineups, the regular one with every player place in the batting order as well as position the he is playing and then the seven pitchers to be used. Plus, other stuff that would make it look like a game from the planet Pluto.

Those that were against the Designated Hitter rule will find that as a “traditional” part of the game, almost like wood burning in a fireplace on a cozy Christmas Day, compared to what is coming down the pike with more Analytics and more regulations and changes.

We have strayed so much from the game of baseball as it was meant to be, that it is soon coming to the point of no recognition. Are hitters so lazy that they cannot adjust to the shift? If the third-baseman is playing in mid-right field, and the shortstop and second-baseman can shake hands behind second base and the hitter cannot hit to the left side of the infield, which is vacant of fielders.

What do we have? Atlanta’s first-baseman, Freddie Freeman won the National League Most Valuable Player this year, he hit .341 and he can find the hole in the infield when the shift is on, that is why he hit .341. Freeman is the exception in today’s game.

Image a quarterback that every time he goes back to throw to the end zone, there are 4 unobstructed receivers standing there just waiting for the ball? Or in basketball a 7’4″ center waiting under the basket with nobody allowed to check him or block a shot? OK, baseball is different, I get it.

Still the biggest changes in the game of baseball throughout the years have been mostly by their players. They are faster and stronger. There is more advances in the science of conditioning, surgeries, rehab programs and such.

The equipment has changed, catchers (unlike years past) do not have to wear 60 lbs of protections, today’s material is lighter and more resistant to impact, the ball is lighter than it was, the gloves are better, the playing surfaces are in immaculate condition and we have many parks with re-tractable roofs, so there can always be a game, with rain or shine. Players today are stronger and faster than ever, however that doesn’t mean they are better ballplayers, they might be better all-around-athletes.

Today’s players make ridiculous amounts of money and the advances in technology are now part of the game. Analytics, finances and technology as we head to 2021 is what really rules the game. Yet, baseball has long had the goal of moving things along, shortening the time of the game has been one of the topics, but baseball will never be what it was meant to be if we begin looking too much at the clock.

This is why one of my favorite quotes was by one of my all-time favorite managers, the great Earl Weaver of the Baltimore Orioles who said: “In baseball you can’t kill the clock. You’ve got to give the other man his chance.”

That’s why this is the greatest game”. We agree that is ‘the truth and nothing but the truth’. In baseball strategy, every move counts. An extra-base hit, a walk, an error, can gain a run, one run can win a game, one game can win a division and one game can win the World Series. Statistics are a great part of the game.

What would it be without? Scoring a game you need a road-map to know what happened, and watching the game is much more fun when there is a strategy at play. It is a game of averages and a mathematician dream, but we should not be carried away, because stats are not always what they seem.

In the words of ex-baseball player Toby Harrah: “Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything”. I hope and pray for today and future generations this great game is played correctly and doesn’t become just another video-game of quick self-gratification.

I still love the game of baseball, otherwise I would be writing about something else. Most of my life, since a kid, it is the game I mostly compare to life, because it like life, everyday is different.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Join Amaury for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com