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May 1 - May 7, 2023
Issue No. 483
For Gmail addresses, we recommend using the link immediately below for a pristine copy.
View as Webpage
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Publisher: Christopher Weills
Marketing Director: Robert Moselle
Director of Sales: Ann Cooke
Staff Photographers: Jeff Bayer, Alex Ho, Ed Jay, Ron Sellers, Darren Yamashita, Rich Yee. Kenny Karst (retired).
Contributors: Steve Chain, Harvey Cohen, Andy Dolich, Pete Elman, Rob Flammia, Bruce Macgowan, Robert Moselle, Dave Newhouse, Arnie Passman, Howard Pearlstein, Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, T. Buff,
Shelia Young
Social Media: Jenny Kim
Website: www.UltimateSportsGuide.net
Contact us at: theultimatesportsguide@gmail.com
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The Ultimate Sports Guide proudly announces the release of Insights and Outtakes, Excerpts and Epiphanies from the World of Sports, a compendium of Pete Elman essays which have appeared
in Sports Today.
Crafted to perfection, talented sports writer Elman covers the Warriors, A's, Raiders and
Bay Area sports.
Absorbing, frank and informative, Elman's smart prose makes for entertaining reading and brings to life our sports world with a deft touch.
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Highly recommended by:
Dave Newhouse, former Oakland Tribune sports journalist
and author of 19 books
Andy Dolich, prominent sports executive with fifty years experience with the NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL
Arif Khatib, author, filmmaker, founder of the African American Sports Hall of Fame
* * * * *
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New Pete Elman article belowe | |
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Letters to the Editor
NEW Sports Today Tournament: Pick The NBA Finalists
In Sports Today's second Non-profit Tournament"©️, the goal was to pick the NBA finalists, East & West, winners to receive free Sports Today promotion for their favorite non-profit. ST's first Non-profit tournament, the NCAA, 30-1 Longshot "Tournament" (Jerry Monkman, U. Conn), generated donations for the True Winner: www.balichildrensproject.org. They are most grateful.
As we entered Sunday's games, several entries had already been eliminated. One more has "left the building" with the Sacramento Kings. So, Sal Zavala of Grove Market, Pacific Grove, CA that's show business, as we say. You are now free to root for the Warriors.
Still in the hunt are:
Dennis Shary, (Bona fide psychic), Golden State Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Robert Moselle, Monterey, Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks
Enjoy the games and Sports Today's "Non-profit" Tournaments!
Have fun and help people!
NFL Draft Coverage - Niner Notes
Wow, what a rush! No picks in the first day, and finally we hit #99. At some point I know we got a kicker (to replace Robbie Gould, the #1 kicker in the League). Plus, a little of this and a little of that over the rest of the Convention. The only coverage I've read on any of them was "some skepticism on 49ers' kicker pick." Plus, stories about all the players currently in the NFL, courtesy of Trey Lance's injury and how all those 49ers draft choices were used to build other teams.
Maybe we'll find some Kittle Korn in our selections. Meanwhile, it's anyone's guess about who our QB will be. Announcements are always shrouded in mystery.
I never thought C-SPAN would have more excitement than the NFL. Time for a 49er YAWN!
Robert Moselle
Monterey, CA
https://www.cce-mcle.com/
Sports Education
Education is important in today's world, and it is makes me feel good that the ABC's announcers of Sunday's Warriors/Kings game could learn about Kevon Looney. I guess we've been spoiled by Sports Today's regular Looney-focused coverage of Kevon, including articles and even Haikus!
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btw, here's a photo of Domantas Sabonis who lost a jump ball to Looney in Game Six and paid the price. I guess he also learned about Kevon.
Kristen LaRue
San Francisco, CA
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The Mighty G-Men
I don't know who they are, but our G-Men suddenly hit a lot of home runs! Maybe S.F. will exceed expectations and we'll have an enjoyable season!
Jacques Diamond
Oakland, CA
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Contents
Columns
Hardly Trivial by T. Buff
Games
Oakland A's 5, Cincinnati Reds 4
Oakland Spiders 24, Seattle Cascades 23
Oakland Roots 0, Miami FC 0
San Francisco Falcons 16, Arizona Sidewinders 8
San Jose Earthquakes 2, Austin FC 2
Features & Commentary
Consider A Donation
Goodbye, Oakland -- A Book Signing at Perry's Restaurant
Memories of a Potential Dynasty, by Arif Khatib
Otto Graham, from the Autograph Collection of Rich Yee
The Heart of a Champion, by Pete Elman
There Used To Be A Ballpark, by Andy Dolich
What Comes Next? by Howard Pearlstein
Organizations
Cal Bears
Golden Gate Fields
Oakland A's
Oakland Spiders
Oakland Roots
Saint Mary's College Gaels
San Francisco Giants
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose State Spartans
Santa Clara Broncos
Sonoma Raceway
St. Francis Yacht Club
Stanford Cardinal
University of Pacific Tigers
USF Dons
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
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Stephen Curry's historic Game 7 carried the Warriors past Kings
The Heart of a Champion
by Pete Elman
Sunday was a microcosm of the Golden State Warriors schizophrenic season; moreover, it might have been a microcosm of the dynasty. Game seven unfolded like a Shakespearean drama, but, ironically, in the end it wasn’t even close.
In this series there were story lines on both sides: for the upstart Sacramento Kings, the brilliance and toughness of De’Aaron Fox, the struggles of all-star Domantas Sabonis, and the mercurial magic of sixth man extraordinaire Malik Monk.
For the visiting Warriors, we saw the solid contributions of returning prodigal son Andrew Wiggins, the consistent intensity of Draymond Green, and the up and down shooting of Klay Thompson, who let us not forget is still coming back from two potentially career-ending injuries.
We also saw a seven game series in which the road team won the last three, the last two by blowouts. And we got to witness a riveting NBA chess match between close friends Steve Kerr and his former lead assistant Mike Brown, who deserves his award for coach of the year. He has made the Kings respectable.
But in the end, as it has so many times in this incredible nine-year run, it came down to just one man—the Nullifier.
Wardell Stephen Curry, age 35, was beyond great. When his beloved team needed him the most, he delivered an historic performance for the ages, breaking former teammate Kevin Durant’s record for most points ever in a game seven.
This was the most intense and hard-played first round playoff series in recent memory, and it ended in a war of attrition: who would collapse first. As it turned out, it was the younger Kings who ran out of gas.
After a disjointed first half that saw Sacramento take a tenuous 58-56 lead into the locker room, the game was hanging in the balance for who wanted it more. As it turned out, there were two players—both wearing the white road jerseys--who wanted it more, and who would absolutely not let their team lose.
Kevon Looney was a man possessed in the second half. His final line, as terrific as it was, does not do justice to the impact he had on this elimination game. In one of the all-time game seven performances, the 27 year-old from Milwaukee finished with 21 rebounds, 10 of them offensive, 11 points, and no turnovers in 31 minutes.
It was his third 20-rebound game of the series. Sabonis’ stunned expression on the bench with two minutes left said it all; the Kings had no answer for Looney.
The third quarter was marked by an avalanche of missed free throws by the Warriors and an inability of the Kings to secure a rebound, signs of mental and physical exhaustion. “It was a game seven--guys were nervous,” said coach Kerr.
And in a fitting moment, the biggest shot of the game was a four-point play by Thompson at the end of the third quarter which gave the Warriors a 91-81 lead.
The second half was all Steph—he scored 30 points- -with an assist by the where–have-you been-all-season fourth quarter defense on the road by the champs, who held Fox and Monk to only 30 points between them. And they committed only seven turnovers in the game, saving their best for the deciding quarter of the series.
In a stupendous display of shot-making that featured off-balance floaters, dazzling drives to the bucket and dagger-like treys, Curry’s final stat line was one for the ages: 50 points on 20-38 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists, and one turnover in 38 minutes.
We have all run out of words to describe not only the greatness of number 30, but what he means to his team. The Dubs were counted out twice in this series: after game two and Draymond’s absurd suspension (take that, Adam Silver!) and after the horrible home court disaster in game six. The Warriors responded, “Count us
out at your own peril.”
Game seven is when the championship DNA kicked in.
So, bring on LeBron and the Lakers. There is still some payback to be extracted.
Get the ball to Steph, and you will live to fight another day.
Pete Elman
Rockridge, Oakland
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A’s Fans kept holding on to their side of the frayed rope that was/is the ongoing tug of war between John Fisher, Dave Kaval, Rob Manfred, MLB powerbrokers and Oakland city leaders waiting to see who was going to actually do something real when it came to building a new ballpark in Oakland.
The Negative News about the A’s land deal in Vegas drove me to update the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s classic song written in 1973 to describe the gut punching loss of the Dodgers from Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field to LA LA land and the New York Giants deserting the Polo Grounds for that city across the bay from Oakland.
There Used To Be A Ballpark
“And there used to be a Oakland Coliseum where the field was warm and green
And the teams played their big games with a joy we’d never seen
And the air was always fragrant from the bratwurst and the beer
Yes, there used to be a year-round sports home with three
championship pro teams right here
And there used to be World Champs, Hall of Famers and screaming sellout crowds
With fireworks exploding all across the Oakland Hills framed in clouds
And the fans watched in wonder, how they’d laugh and how they’d cheer
Yes there used to be a Coliseum with a Black Hole right here
Now the offspring of Raider Nation and Athletics try to find it
Because their parents' teams were constantly threatening to split
Their magic moments could end up playing out on another city’s street
With millions of hometown fans only left with a humongous Oakland
Coliseum Swap Meet
Oaktown sports fans used to get so rowdy
The welcomes to opposing teams was never Howdy!
The summer, fall and winter were their times to cheer
Now millions who wear their colors will surely be shedding a tear.
Yes, there used to be an Oakland Alameda County Coliseum right here.
There Used To Be A Ballpark
The lyrics were written by Joe Raposo. Many of Sinatra’s classic songs
and albums were arranged by the legendary Gordon Jenkins, father of our own sports writing legend, Bruce Jenkins.
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Andy Dolich operates Dolich & Associates, a sports consultancy, in Los Altos. A local resident, Dolich has more than 30 years of experience as an executive for professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer teams. For earlier articles by Andy Dolich published in
Sports Today!, click HERE.
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Yo, Editor:
I guess you’re gonna’ have to move your operation to Las Vegas. Well, okay, the Giants and Warriors are still here, I suppose (until they hear the siren call of Las Vegas and bolt over there, too.)
Fisher and his ilk, I (and the Chronicle’s Scott Ostler) *knew* he was going to play the Oakland solons against the casino owners in Vegas and eventually move the team there, anyway. Well, the sport has always been about money (see Eight Men Out) for a primer.
Back in 2018 I was in Las Vegas to attend a conference on behalf of the magazine I was writing for at the time, and the cab driver who took me from the airport to the hotel waxed on about how the city “fathers” (i.e., the big casino owners) were intent on making Vegas a “sports hub.”
It made sense: first, there was big money in sports betting that Vegas elevated into an industry that’s now on-line, and second, there’s the scheme that if you entice professional sports teams to Vegas, people will travel to see the games (at elevated ticket prices, of course) and then gamble in the casinos.
After the Raiders relocated there (the damn city built a stadium for them that was under construction when I was there in ’18), it was inevitable that they’d go after a baseball team, and the A’s (and their greedy owner) were immediately a candidate.
Next? How about the Warriors or Kings? Money talks and the teams walk: it’s basic capitalism. Oh, and fans? In addition to the Oakland city government, Fisher, et al., played us, too.
-- A Former Fan
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Giants 9th-Inning Comeback
Blake Sabol Walk-off Home Run vs Cardinals
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Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland A's Spanish Broadcast Booth during the historic 2023 season
-- Broadcaster Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
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Oakland A's 5
Cincinnati Reds 4
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Sunday, April 30
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Oakland Athletics center fielder Esteury Ruiz (left) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single in the ninth inning to defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday, April 30th.
Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.
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Book Signing at Perry’s
Restaurant in San Francisco
Noted sports marketing guru Andy Dolich and Perry’s Restaurant (Union Street, San Francisco) hosted a book signing on Tuesday evening, April 25 for the recently released
Goodbye, Oakland, also authored by the highly respected Dave Newhouse. The event drew a noteworthy crowd of Bay Area sports figures, paying tribute to the authors and the book’s timely release on the heels of the A’s decision to forsake Oakland for Las Vegas. Photos: Ann Cooke.
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Perry’s Restaurant, Union Street, San Francisco | |
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David Rubinstein, Bettina Flores, Michael Zagaris | |
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Peter Cooney, Doris Messina
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Bettina Flores, Joan Ryan, Ann Cooke | |
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Joan Ryan, Bob Arenson, Barry Tompkins, Michael Zagaris,
Pat Gallagher, Peter Cooney, David Rubinstein
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Michael Zagaris, Pat Gallagher, Peter Cooney, Andy Dolich | |
Cheryl and Bob Arenson, Christopher Weills | |
Perry and Margie Butler, from April 6, 2022 | |
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For great advertising rates call: APG Sports,
P.O. Box 3164, Fremont, CA 94539. Dir tel: 510-579-0682
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Reggie Jackson holds the World Series trophy | |
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Memories of a Potential Dynasty
by Arif Khatib
In 1973 the Swingin' A's were the talk of baseball. They were on the verge of a dynasty by winning back-to-back World Series. On Sunday, April 16, the A's, who won the second of three straight world series titles, were honored at the Coliseum before a crowd of over 17,000 when the team hosted the Mets. There were several members from the '73 team whooping it up in the suite after being honored on the field.
Among the players in attendance to celebrate the 1973 World Series Reunion and celebrating in the suite were: Billy North, Joe Rudi Reggie Jackson, Blue Moon Odom, Vida Blue, Bert Campaneris and Rollie Fingers. Center fielder Billy North said, "These guys played a professional game of baseball, and the way it’s supposed to be played. They were fundamentally sound and the most efficient team you could ever imagine. Manager Dick Williams taught that and told us, don't give up extra outs, and don't make mistakes. Do your job."
The A's won three straight World Series, becoming the first to do so until the Yankees matched that record when they won from 1998-2000. You have to put in alot of work to accomplish what the Swingin' A's did and some teams were not ready to make that sacrifice. But the Swingin' A's did it back-to-back. The A's started the '73 season in a slump but by the summer they heated up. The A's scored the most runs in the American League that season and won 94 games.
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There was talk in the suite at the reunion about how Charlie Finley, the A's owner, had second baseman Mike Andrews sign a document stating he was injured to enabled Finley to deactivate him. But the players wouldn't stand for it. Some players said they would not play Game Three. The A's did play Game Three but wore armbands in support of Andrews. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn stepped up and insisted Andrews be re-instated and was for Game Four. A's left fielder Joe Rudi, said, "We voted on it because you just don't do that to a player."
The '73 team's championship ring did not have diamonds, and some players chose to have their own diamonds placed in it. Rollie Fingers said he put his ‘73 championship ring, without diamonds, up for auction but kept the '72 and '74 rings.
According to Reggie Jackson, the A’s are gone from Oakland. “They are not going to have a team here. You can’t play with three, four, five thousand people in the stands,” he said before the ceremony. “You have no revenues here.” That reminded me of Dave Newhouse and Andy Dolich’s new book, Goodbye, Oakland, regarding all of Oakland’s teams leaving the city. A must-read book that should be in your library.
The team has averaged 12,254 fans for the first games at home. The owner gutted the team last year but raised the ticket prices. They averaged 9,973 fans last season. The A’s have played at the Coliseum since 1968 and their lease will expire in 2024. “It’s a matter of how soon do they go to Vegas,” said Darold Knowles.
Jackson spoke to the fans, “We are rooting, of course, for some kind of breakthrough one of these days…and maybe we will get a new stadium.”
If you love the A's, prepare to join others in the coming days and weeks and fight to keep the A's in Oakland where they belong. This game is not over. I'll be part of that effort.
I want to thank A's Greg Korn for the press credentials and the fabulous job he and the A's staff did to make everyone feel at home.
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Arif Khatib
Founder and President Emeritus
Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame
Publisher: African American Sports Magazine
Author: In the Shadow of Obscurity..Toiling In A Reluctant Society
Remember Their Sacrifice....Stories of Unheralded Athletes of Color
Film Producer: Because They Believed
Cultural Ambassador for Indian American Hindu Community
www.becausetheybelieved.com
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Above, Arif Khatib with Tony Kemp. Photo by Eric Robinson | |
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What Comes Next?
by Howard Pearlstein
Thursday, April 27, Post Game Five
As distasteful as it seems to me, I suppose I need to give thanks to Adam Silver for being a petty, vindictive, small-time pettifogging pissant, because he electrified the Warriors with his creepy overkill penalty, suspending Draymond Green for a game during the playoffs. (Around the same time, 76ers Embiid kicked another player in the balls and got no grief for it.)
The Dubs came together the way the Dirty Dozen came together when Robert Ryan’s petty, vindictive nitpicking colonel Adam-Silvered Lee Marvin’s men over whom he had rank but no respect. And the result was the isolate Franko changing his “I won’t do it” to “WE won’t do it.”
Add Silver’s hench-creep NBA VP Joe Dumas to the gaggle of goons, he admitting he considers his pre-conceived notions of Draymond are actually valid criteria for “Flagrant 2 + We don’t Like you” punishment.
But Doris Burke! Gahdamm! I love Fitz and Buike, but on the network level, she is THE BEST play-by-play in the business, with a quick what happened PLUS a clear WHY and sometimes HOW. Once again proving the cliché to be true – as does local Ann Killion -- if you see a woman doing a job in which we usually see a man, she had to be twice as good to be there. And maybe three times.
Before Game 5, I had no idea, couldn’t even guess how the Dubs were going to do. My only clue -- cleaning up the laundry on the bedroom floor the day before, I found my missing Gold Blooded T-shirt, the one I bought last year when they won their first game of the playoffs, after which I knew it was going all the way. So maybe, in the ineffable universe of Nothing-But-Net-Mojo, I hoped that might mean something. And it did. Turned out to be a tough, hard fought cakewalk.
Steph, Klay, Wiggs, and Poole. Loony in an Omigod 22-rebound performance, more than TWICE the 10 Sabonis managed!
And Draymond!
21 points, four rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block in 32 minutes. They were calling him Draymond Nowitski for the killer shot. And -- the very end of the third q uarter, it happened:
“Everybody gangsta until Draymond starts hitting threes.”
What idiot started the “Draymond leaving the Dubs next year?” As if.
Saturday Morning Hangover
Game 6, the Game that will -- and should -- live in infamy aka WTF
Well, maybe they learned -- if it's not, as the old song says "A lesson too late for the learning," maybe they learned you don't do an in-your-face jumping-around in a circle Victory Dance BEFORE the crucial game.
I would have thought anyone in the Bay Area would have known THAT, given how the most famous dissing in local history was done years and years ago when the talented but pathologically narcissistic idiotic Terrell Owens dissed the Dallas Cowboys during a game by jumping up and down on their 50-yard line Star Logo.
What the Dubs did for the Kings was pretty much what Adam Silver did for the Dubs -- totally disrespect them, publicly -- but worse, because the Dubs did it directly and personally to a Kings team that was already fully aware they were in a Win or spend the off-season thinking about how "it might have been" after 17 years wandering in the desert.
It pushed the Kings seventeen miles beyond already desperate into hyper-hate, and they took all the anger the Dubs had for Adam Silver and added it to their own brilliantly revised all-or-nothing offence.
And I have no doubt it also turned the Sunday noon fans in Sacramento into a pitchfork-and-torches murderous crowd chanting "Kill the monster! It's for the children!!"
The smartest team in the NBA, breaking records in almost every game, somehow set a new record for something dumb.
This was written Saturday morning and hoping something not unlike a miracle of biblical proportions in Game Seven can turn the Dubs fall from the heights around.
--- and Mirable dictu there it was, with the usual suspects once again breaking records – Steph and Kevon are saints in my heretical blasphemous universe.
On to the Lakers.
* * *
Howard Pearlstein has been a few places and done a few things.
An old friend once said, "Howard, you live your life like you're trying to fill in a dust jacket blurb." Well, then all I have to do is write a book that will get published.
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Otto Graham -- from the Autograph Collection of Rich Yee | |
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I attend a lot of sports collectors shows and I remember seeing this photo on one of the athletes table. I didn’t know who the athlete was but I absolutely love the photo and had to get it. I found out that he was Otto Graham, HOF Quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. He led the Browns to 10 championship games and won seven of them and this was before the Super Bowl. We talked for about 15 minutes and he told me some amazing stories about the history of football. The more I talked to Mr. Graham the more I respected him and the sport. He was one of the nicest and most talkative athletes I have met. Sportswriters regarded him as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play and he never missed a game in his career.
Rich Yee, Sports Today photographer
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San Jose Earthquakes 2
Austin FC 2
Austin, Texas, Saturday, April 29
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Earthquakes 2, Austin FC 2
Quakes to host LAFC at Levi’s Stadium next Saturday
AUSTIN, Texas – The San Jose Earthquakes and Austin FC played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The result sees the Quakes earn a point on the road and rise to fourth place in the 14-team Western Conference.
San Jose opened the scoring with a strike by team captain Jackson Yueill in the 21st minute. Carlos Akapo passed a ball into the penalty box to Yueill for the left-foot power shot to the top right corner of Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver’s net (highlight). Austin later evened the score through Emiliano Rigoni in the 40th minute
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.sjearthquakes.com
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Oakland Roots SC 0
Miami FC 0
DRV PNK Stadium, Miami, Saturday, April 28
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Roots Leave Points on the Board, Draw 0-0
with Miami FC
In its third game in seven days, Oakland Roots battled to the end at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward but couldn’t quite muster a game winner against eastern conference opponent Miami FC.
The first 45 minutes went scoreless as both teams jousted and jostled for possession. Edgardo Rito provided some dangerous counterattacking moments, but it was defender Danny Barbir who came closest to scoring the opener. He blasted a long shot that was tipped over the crossbar by Miami FC's second-choice goalkeeper, Jake McGuire. Apart from a few corners that Paul Blanchette caught with ease, the Roots' goal remained unthreatened.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.oaklandrootssc.com
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Bears Earn Second Straight NCAA
Championship Berth
No. 8 Cal Faces No. 9 Long Beach State In First Round
BERKELEY – The California beach volleyball team is going dancing for the second straight year after earning an NCAA Championship berth Sunday morning. The No. 8 Golden Bears (28-9) received their highest seeding in school history and will face No. 9 Long Beach State (24-14) in the first round on Friday at 8 a.m. PT.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.calbears.com
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Found Another Gear
No. 2 Stanford defeated No. 1 USC 12-7 to win its
second straight MPSF title
SAN JOSE -- No. 2 Stanford led from start to finish and Aria Fischer produced four goals and three assists, fueling Stanford to its second straight MPSF title with a 12-7 victory over No. 1 USC on Sunday afternoon.
Stanford (21-1, 5-1 MPSF) claimed the conference's automatic NCAA bid and will likely receive the No. 1 overall seed when the NCAA Championships get underway May 12-14 in Stockton, Calif.
continued...
By Stanford Athletics. For a full report, click HERE.
www.gostanford.com
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Watch SJSU's Spring Football Game at Brewfest on May 6
Purchase Tickets Here
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State's spring football game will be part of Brewfest on Saturday, May 6, beginning at 3 p.m. inside CEFCU stadium. The Spartans will have numerous breweries and wineries on the field and head football coach Brent Brennan will address the group before the spring game kicks off just after 4 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets for $100 apiece ($25 for ages 20 and under) ahead of time, or price of admission will raise to $125 the day of the game (credit only). The ticket includes food and beverage and fans can be close to the action on the field.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
#AllSpartans
www.sjsuspartans.com
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Saint Mary's College Gaels | |
Gaels Head to Lake Natoma for WIRA Championships
MORAGA, Calif. – After a few weeks of recovery and training, the SMC Women's Rowing team are back in the boats for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships at Lake Natoma.
The Gaels will tackle multiple races over Friday and Saturday, as this is their final tune up before the West Coast Conference Championships the second weekend of May.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
#GaelsRise
www.smcgaels.com
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DeMera Delivers in Extra Innings as Dons
Knock Off Saint Mary's
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Bouncing back from a tough late innings loss yesterday, the USF Dons baseball team (15-23, 6-14) earned a 4-3 extra innings victory on Saturday afternoon over the Saint Mary's Gaels (18-20, 11-9) to even the weekend series at Benedetti Diamond.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.usfdons.com
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Softball Unable to Hold Onto Late Lead
on Senior Day
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara softball took a 6-4 lead into the top of the seventh in hopes of salvaging the series against West Coast Conference leader LMU but the Lions erupted for five runs as the Broncos fell 9-6 on Senior Day Sunday.
The big hit in the inning came from Izzy Jamgotchian who hit a bases clearing double to turn a one-run deficit into an 8-6 lead. She finished with four RBIs on the day on 2-for-4 hitting. Arianna Jaurequi added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly for the final margin of victory.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.santaclarabroncos.com
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University of Pacific Tigers | |
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Softball Falls to Saint Mary's in Home Finale
STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific softball team dropped its final home game of the season, falling to Saint Mary's 8-2 in a West Coast Conference contest at Bill Simoni Field.
"It's not how you want your last home game to go," Head Coach Brian Kolze said after the game. "We didn't much at the plate but had a couple of good swings from Allie [Capello] and Jordan [Hayes]."
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
www.pacifictigers.com
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Watch any program on CCE's YouTube channel, or, for attorneys, earn MCLE credits online, economically, with "The Best in Topics and Talent."
Center for Continuing Education, Monterey, CA is a State Bar of California MCLE approved Provider, #8450
https://www.cce-mcle.com/
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Historic Trans Am Rumbles to Life at SpeedFest
Get ready to rumble…the rumble of historic Trans Am cars. The Trans Am SpeedFest May 5-7 is an exciting weekend of motorsports shared between the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), which is the largest and one of the oldest vintage racing organizations in the U.S. Together, it makes for an incredible three days of non-stop racing and family activities.
continued...
Click HERE.
www.weathertechraceway.com
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Four-Time NBA Champion and World-Renowned DJ Shaquille O’Neal Headlines
Sonoma Pre-Race Concert
SONOMA, Calif. (April 20, 2023) – Basketball fans worldwide know him as Shaquille O’Neal, but it’s his alter ego DJ Diesel that will rev up the crowd with electronic dance music prior to the June 11 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
The four-time NBA champion and platinum-selling recording artist will drop the beat on the pre-race stage to headline race festivities for the 34th annual NASCAR Cup Series race.
DJ Diesel isn’t new to the sport. In 2010 O’Neal had the opportunity to race Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his reality TV show "Shaq Vs." but this will be O’Neal’s first appearance ever at Sonoma Raceway before the annual NASCAR Cup Series race and his last raceway stop before the summer music festival season.
continued...
Click HERE.
www.sonomaraceway.com
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Photos & video © St. Francis Yacht Club / Salty Brother
Johnny Heineken Wins Inaugural Spring Wingding & Pacific Coast Wingfoil Championships
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—On April 14-16, St. Francis Yacht Club hosted the Spring Wingding & Pacific Coast Wingfoil Championships, the first-ever wingfoil regatta of its kind on San Francisco Bay. For racers and spectators, there was a shared spirit of adventure as this new sport took on traditional forms of buoy racing, slalom-style, at speeds most sailboats will never hit.
Sixty wingfoil riders competed in 11 races over three days in perfect conditions on courses situated between the StFYC clubhouse, Alcatraz Island and Golden Gate Bridge, adjacent to Crissy Field. Racing commenced with five heats on Friday, followed by a Grom Freestyle Session. Saturday opened with two races, then the “San Francisco Bay Challenge” — a distance race of approximately 20 nautical miles from the San Francisco city front east to Berkeley and back, that was also open to Hydrofoil Kites and Formula Windsurfers. Scores for the Bay Challenge counted twice in the overall results. On Sunday, competitors were whittled down to the top 20 in three heats, who then competed in two final championship races.
Overall winner and Pacific Coast Champion was Johnny Heineken, who won all 11 races plus the two championship races. His sister, Erika Heineken, won the Women's division.
continued...
For a full report, click HERE.
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Oakland Spiders 24
Seattle Cascades 23
Fremont High School, Oakland, Saturday, April 29
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On a beautiful day for the double header, the Oakland Spiders launched their AUDL season with an overtime win against their conference counterparts, the Seattle Cascades, with a 24-23 decision. This was the first of two games on the day on the same field, as the evening game was the San Francisco Falcons from the WUL, who needed a win to proceed to the championship weekend in their last home game of their season. The Falcons prevailed over the Arizona Sidewinders, 16-8. Above, team co-captain and head cheerleader Keenan Laurence (#51) snags the disc away from the Cascades defender for the score in the first quarter, as the Oakland Spiders hosted the Seattle Cascades, AUDL West Division at Fremont High School in Oakland.
Caption and photo by Ron Sellers.
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Going full horizontal on the layout bid, Mac Hecht (#44) just cannot come up the catch in the end, but gets the A for effort in the third quarter.
Caption and photo by Ron Sellers.
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The Spiders post-point entertainment value soared for the hometown fans as co-captain and head cheerleader Keenan Lawrence (#51) lines up to kick a field goal as teammates stand-in as the goalpost in the third quarter.
Caption and photo by Ron Sellers.
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San Francisco Falcons 16
Arizona Sidewinders 8
Fremont High School, Oakland, Saturday, April 29
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Committing to the catch, Malina Wiebe (#10) starts her day with a score in the opening minutes as the San Francisco Falcons hosted the Arizona Sidewinders, WUL, at Fremont High School in Oakland on Saturday, April 29. Caption and photo by Ron Sellers. | |
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All game long the defensive lines gave little ground and forced multiple turnovers, holding the Sidewinders to only 8 points. Pin-Wen Wang (#36) makes herself as large as possible to block any throwing angle.
Caption and photo by Ron Sellers.
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“A must read…an in-depth look into stories that come from all avenues of professional sports."
- Andy Dolich, prominent sports executive with fifty years experience with the NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL
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"Good things come to those who wait"
The Guinness is pouring well and honestly we can't drink it all by ourselves so join us. Open Monday through Thursday at 4pm. Friday through Sunday at 12pm. Happy Hour 4pm to 6pm. Look forward to seeing all your smiling
faces once again.
https://www.thechieftain.com/
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Editor's Note
Have a favorite Sports Moment you would like to share?
With perhaps a photo or two? Send a brief description along with any photos and we'll make room. Why not bring those memories to life?
Write: sportstoday@ultimatesportsguide.net
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Where The Bay Comes To Play! | |
Recent Facebook Albums to Enjoy | |
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Oakland A’s 5, Cincinnati Reds 4, April 30, 2023.
Photos by Darren Yamashita
San Francisco Falcons 16, Arizona Sidewinders 8, April 29, 2023. Photos by Ron Sellers.
Goodbye, Oakland / Andy Dolich Book Signing, April 25, 2023.
Photos by Ann Cooke.
Cal Bears (Rugby) 29, Saint Mary’s Gaels 28, April 15, 2023.
Photos by Alex Ho.
Oakland Spiders @ Oakland Roots Match, April 15, 2023.
Photos by Ron Sellers.
Oakland Roots 1, Hartford Atlanta 2, April 15, 2023.
Photos by Ron Seller.
Cal Bears Spring Football Showcase, April 15, 2023.
Photos by Ron Sellers.
San Jose Earthquakes 3, Sporting KC 0, PayPal Park, Saturday,
April 15, 2023. Photos by Alex Ho.
San Francisco Giants 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Wednesday, Oracle Park, April 12, 2023. Photos by Rich Yee.
Oakland A’s 6. New York Mets 17, April 14, 2023.
Photos by Darren Yamashita.
Stanford vs. Cal Beach Volleyball, April 8, 2023.
Photos by Rich Yee.
San Francisco Falcons 13, Los Angeles Astra, 15, April 8, 2023.
Photos by Darren Yamashita.
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Weekly Bay Area
Sports Calendar
Monday, May 1, 2023 through
Sunday, May 7, 2023
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Monday, May 1
San Francisco Giants @ Houston Astros, 5:10 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
San Francisco Giants @ Houston Astros, 5:10 p.m.
Oakland A's vs. Seattle Mariners, 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday, May 3
San Francisco Giants @ Houston Astros, 11:10 a.m.
Oakland A's vs. Seattle Mariners, 6:40 p.m.
Thursday, May 4
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 6 p.m.
Oakland A's vs. Seattle Mariners, 12:37 p.m.
Friday, May 5
San Francisco Giants vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 7:15 p.m.
Oakland A's @ Kansas City Royals, 5:10 p.m.
Saturday, May 6
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers, 5:30 p.m.
San Francisco Giants vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 4:15 p.m.
Oakland A's @ Kansas City Royals, 4:10 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. LAFC, 4:30 p.m.
Oakland Roots SC @ Birmingham Legion FC, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 7
San Francisco Giants vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 1:05 p.m.
Oakland A's @ Kansas City Royals, 11:10 a.m.
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Enjoy the
Under the ultra-skilled leadership of Cal graduate Ricky Liu, a team of talented Cal students assembled the elegant Ultimate Sports Guide website for your readers. Ricky's team included Natalie Leung, Yafei Liang and Kasey Woo. Visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net
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FIELD OF PLAY
For the past 60 years, Michael Zagaris has taken his camera behind the scenes of the NFL, capturing the moments that define America’s game.
To order: https://www.zagarisbook.com/
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LOL, Loss of Logo: What’s Your Next Move? was written for sports professionals by Andy Dolich and Jack Hirschman and offers valuable takeaways for everyone chasing the fancy logo and corner office. | |
The Emerald Mile: The epic and award-winning story of the fastest ride in history through the heart of the Grand Canyon, by Kevin Fedarko. A thrilling true tale during the legendary flood of 1983. | |
More than a cookbook, this culinary delight was written to preserve a great chef's traditional family recipes and stories of her childhood for her far-flung grandchildren. Author Leonie Samuel-Hool recounts stories of a vanished society and legends of the gods and goddesses that protect and sometimes make mischief in Indonesian homes, fields and foods. The recipes are explicitly presented. | |
The absolute greatest Yankees were the 1949-1953 pinstripers, winners of an unprecedented five consecutive World Series. "The Yankee Way," Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa writes in the book's foreword, is "full of Yankee winning keys, star-studded competition, and insights about one of baseball's historically fascinating periods." By Charlie Silvera with Dave Newhouse (Author). | |
To Order: $15 hardcover, $10 paperback, plus $4.95 shipping. Send check/M.O. to Christopher Weills, P.O. Box 4515, Berkeley, CA 94704 | | |
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Agent 510.512.2145
Office 925.847.8900
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Many people -- maybe even you -- have been getting out on their bikes more during Shelter-in-Place. "Check for Bikes" clings and bumper stickers are great ways to keep bicyclists safer out there on the road by promoting awareness by drivers to share the road. Keep safe out there and keep your neighbors safe by using or passing along vinyl clings for inside a car window or windshield and 4" circular bumper stickers. We have Youth and Spanish versions, too!
Go to www.checkforbikes.org or email contact@checkforbikes.org
with questions or to order.
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Ultimate Sports Guide
P.O. Box 4515
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The Ultimate Sports Guide is very appreciative to the ongoing contributions made by former staff photographer Kenny Karst and Robert Moselle. Mr. Karst, now retired, continues to contribute through helpful ideas and his archives. Mr. Moselle is now lending his extensive editorial experience and marketing savvy to the publication. | | | | |
