Monday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020
Issue No. 354
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49ers Blitzed by Packers, 34-17 |
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The San Francisco 49ers (4-5) had little to cheer about after being dismantled by the visiting Green Bay Packers (6-2), 34-17, but one bright spot was the play of third-year wide receiver Richie James, who caught nine passes for 184 yards and one touchdown. After the game, coach Kyle Shanahan said, “I’ve always had a lot of confidence in Richie. That’s why he was one of the four receivers who dressed for the Super Bowl. Richie had some bad luck with injuries this year. If he would have been healthy in training camp with Deebo being down and Aiyuk being down, he would’ve started Week 1.” James was drafted by the Niners in the seventh round with the 240th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. (James is pictured above in last year's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Levi's Stadium.) The 49ers return to the field against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 15 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome at 1:25 p.m., on FOX.
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San Francisco 49ers Schedule |
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Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Ahoy there Admiral. The below deck bilge crew unanimously agree that Darren Yamashita's photography helps to keep the Admiral's good ship, USG, sails full! ( See San Jose State Spartans album.)
Stay the course . . . .
Bob Heger
Bilge Captain
Oakland, CA
Dear Editor:
A Concurring Opinion -- I concur with the opinion of Amaury Pi-Gonzalez in
The Day the Manager Became a Computer, ( See Issue 353) which focuses on the removal by Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash of pitcher Blake Snell, who had been dominant but gave up a wimpy single in the sixth inning of Game 6. Within minutes, the Dodgers would score twice and proceed to win the World Series. In accord, the San Francisco Giants, in this weird 60-game season, had gone on an improbable run to win five in a row to move into contention by September 9. Enter Computer/Manager: "Delete Pablo Sandoval. Call up Justin Smoak!" The next day Pablo left, the Giants looked deflated and the team lost three in a row to become non-factors. (Smoak went hitless in his six At Bats). The Panda's magic was not in the database.
Robert Moselle
Counselor at Law
Executive Director, Center for Continuing Education
Monterey, CA
Dear Editor:
The Ultimate Sports Guide is just that, the ultimate guide to Bay Area sports.
As a sports psychologist, it's hard for me to keep up on all that’s happening in sports but fortunately the Ultimate Sports Guide gives me exactly the right content to keep me up to date. Thanks to my friend and colleague Christopher for continuing to keep us all updated on Bay Area sports.”
Dr. Michelle
Elite Performance Expert
Dear Editor:
So really? My Raiders are not even covered anymore? They keep winning, you know. Their record is better than your precious 49ers who I am beginning to really REALLY not like. Just because the Raiders are a Las Vegas team now, the Raider Nation exists here in the East Bay of California. When can we get Ed Jay, your superb photographer, to VEGAS to photograph a game or are you not really up for that drama?
I love that you are adding columns from Amaury Pi-Gonzalez and I STILL bleed Silver & Black and the pompous Santa Clara Niners are NOT my team and never will be... Harrumph!
Ann M. Cooke
Independent BEMER Distributor - US #23285
Alameda, CA
Dear Editor:
Passing thought from a fan – Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson would have been 85 today, 11/9. (d 10/2/2020)
"Barry Bonds? I'll tell you what, if he hit a home run off (Bob) Gibson or (Don) Drysdale and stood and admired it, they'd knock that earring out of his ear the next time up." -- National League Umpire Doug Harvey
Bob Gibson quote: "A great catch (this one was by Curt Flood) is like
watching girls go by; the last one you see is always the prettiest." Source: Sports Illustrated, June 1, 1964.
Robert Flammia
Flammia Enterprises
Berkeley, CA
Dear Editor:
I love the San Jose State Spartans! (See Issue 353.) And by the way, that's a brilliant idea about the inclusion of back issues.
Arif Khatib
Oakland, CA
Dear Editor:
Thanks for always remembering to mail me your sports journal. Yesterday was disappointing for the Niners and Jimmy got hurt again! I was also disappointed by the Tampa Bay Rays and, as you mentioned, Cash will suffer from his decision for years to come. (See Issue 353.) I don’t care much for the Dodgers. After all, I am a Bay Area lass! Keep smiling and “Carpe Diem.”
Elisabeth (Betty) C.
Livermore, CA
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Fans can help decide who makes the 2020 All-MLB Team presented by CohnReznick, which recognizes and commemorates the top performances of the 2020 regular season.
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Vote Hendriks, Diekman, Bassitt and Murphy
for the 2020 All-MLB Team
Fans can help decide who makes the 2020 All-MLB Team presented by CohnReznick, which recognizes and commemorates the top performances of the 2020 regular season.
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Austin Hooper, tight end, Cleveland Browns
Sports Illustrated dubbed Stanford University "Tight End U" for a good reason. An article in the April 2020 issue of the iconic sports magazine pointed to the seven Cardinal tight ends drafted by NFL teams in just the last decade. Austin Hooper, the pride of the nationally-ranked De La Salle High School Spartans in Concord, was near the top of that list. Rated by Rivals.com as a three-star recruit, Hooper graduated from De La Salle and committed to Stanford University where he red-shirted his first year in 2013. During the following year as a red-shirt freshman, Hooper played in all of the Cardinal's 13 games in 2014 (including the pictured road game at Oregon), and was a finalist for the coveted John Mackey Award in 2015, presented to college football's outstanding tight end. Hooper chose to forfeit his final two years of eligibility at Stanford and entered the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was selected 81st overall in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons who signed him to a four-year contract. Hooper became the Falcons' starting tight end in 2017 and was named a Pro Bowl replacement in both 2019 and 2020. The Cleveland Browns signed Hooper to a four-year contract on March 20, 2020, and he's been a favorite target this year of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Caption and photo by Kenny Karst.
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Hardly Trivial by T. Buff |
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Wouldn't it be crazy if Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Bucs to a Super Bowl victory, earning him SB ring #7? It is not outside the realm of possibility seein' as how the Bucs are leading their division... With that said, 6 rings is great, but what individual has earned a remarkable 8 (eight, so you know it is not a typo) rings? You get extra points if you can name the person with 7.
(See answer below...)
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A.J. Hinch gets a new lease on life after spending the 2020 season suspended from the Houston Astros scandal. Hinch will be at the helm for the Detroit Tigers for 2021. (photo from the Detroit Free Press)
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Baseball:
Is Cheating
Rewarded?
By Amaury Pi-González
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Alex Cora was hired by the Boston Red Sox as their new skipper for the next two years, running through 2022, with a two-year club option for the ’23 and ’24 seasons. In 2017 Alex Cora was the bench coach for the World Champion Houston Astros.
Because of a coordinated cheating of signs, he was suspended for a year, together with manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Lunow, who is a very good general manager, proficient in Spanish, and sat with us during a few innings of a broadcast a few years ago when the Astros visited Oakland.
Alex Cora’s suspension expired immediately after the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays in the recent World Series. Cora also assumed the manager’s position (during that 2017 cheating season with the Astros) every time manager Hinch was ejected; which was on three occasions. To refresh our memories: The 2017 Houston Astros team won the West with 101-61 record, 21 games over the second place Los Angeles Angels. The A’s finished in last place, 26 games behind. Then the Astros took the World Series from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Obviously, the cheating paid off.
Not a surprise Cora is returning to Boston; He is well-regarded by the Boston Red Sox organization. As a rookie manager Cora guided the Red Sox to 108 victories and a World Series title in 2018. However, the next season under Cora, the club ended with a 84-78 record, in third place 19 games behind the New York Yankees.
The most famous baseball scandal was that of the 1919 World Series, between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, most well known as The Black Sox Scandal. In 1920 four players admitted to a Grand Jury they had thrown the 1919 World Series in return from a bribe by a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein and his associates.
A total of seven players were involved. Eight Men Out is an excellent movie about that most famous scandal. 1920 and 2020 are two different planets in baseball. The highest paid player in 1920 was the great Ty Cobb, earning $20,000 a season with the Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Tigers franchise in 2020 is worth an estimated $1.25 billion.
Major League teams have the right to hire whomever they want; they are a private business and that is their right. And granted, Cora won a World Series as manager of the Red Sox and nobody accused the Red Sox of cheating that year.
However, I would think that the memory of the 2017 Houston Astros cheating and winning a World Series is still very much fresh in our minds. In a way, it looks like you can cheat and wait a couple of years and you are back in the game.
I do not want Alex Cora suspended for life. That would be ridiculous but coming back this soon? I do not think is a very good look for Major League Baseball. The wounds are not healed yet.
If there is cheating inside an organization, the most culpable are those in charge, from the top down, general manager, to the field manager, then the players and in some instances, maybe even the owner.
During these times, owners are not that involved with what happens down on the field, unlike the days of black and white television and prior, where some owners were really “hands on” with the teams. Not that very long ago, owners that come to mind are Charlie O. Finley with Kansas City and the Oakland A’s and George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees. Those were hands-on owners. They were really bosses with lots of passion for the game and they were not shy to show it.
Back in the days of the Black Sox Scandal, things were different, teams were mostly owned by families with certain affinity to the game and not big corporations like today. Not to mention a record that will never be broken, that of the owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics for over 50 years. Connie Mack won 3,731 games, tops in major league baseball. He also played prior to his manager-owner years and never wore a uniform while managing and was famous for his white straw hat.
“Cheating is baseball’s oldest profession. No other game is so rich in skullduggery, so suited to it or so proud of it,” – Thomas Boswell.
Stay well and stay tuned.
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Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s radio on 1010 KIQI Le Grande San Francisco and contributes News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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The BEST Bay Area sports photos from
Michael Zagaris, Ed Jay, Rich Yee, Darren Yamashita,
Ron Sellers, Alex Ho, Rob Edwards, Kenneth Wong,
Timothy Reynolds and Larry Rosa
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Where The Bay Comes To Play! |
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"It's an ocean planet. As the oceans go, so goes the planet."
-- Bill Carvalho, Wild Planet founder and president
Wild Planet Foods has been honored with TWO awards by Whole Foods Market -- Global Supplier of the Year AND Environmental Stewardship! The annual awards recognize suppliers who embody Whole Foods Market's mission and values through a proven commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation, and partnership.
More Awards and Counting!
Prevention -- 100 Cleanest Packaged Food Awards
Men's Health -- 125 Best Foods for Men
Prevention -- Eat Clean Best Packaged Foods
Every Day with Rachael Ray -- Brand New Buy
Better Homes and Gardens -- Catch of the Day
Clean Eating -- Clean Choice Awards
Natural Health -- 3rd Annual Good Food Awards
Runner's World -- Good Catch
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Camino Del Paraiso wins the Joseph T. Grace, ridden by Catalino Martinez, trained by O. J. Jauregui and owned by Paradise Road Ranch, LLC. The 1 1/16 mile turf race ran 1:43.30, with a $65,000 added purse. Photo credit: William Vassar, Vassar Photography.
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San Jose Earthquakes 1
Seattle Sounders FC 4
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San Jose to face Sporting KC in first round of playoffs
SEATTLE, Wash. - The San Jose Earthquakes fell to Seattle Sounders FC 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field. The Quakes finished the regular season in eighth place in the Western Conference and will now play the top seed Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs.
After a scoreless first half, Seattle scored two goals in the first nine minutes of the second half to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
Just moments later, San Jose cut the deficit in half when defender Marcos Lopez scored a direct free kick from a tight angle along the end line.
Sounders FC then regained their two-goal advantage through Jordan Morris in the 74th minute before adding another by way of an own goal six minutes later.
The Earthquakes will now return to San Jose to prepare for their first-round playoff match against Sporting Kansas City. The date, time and broadcast details of the match will be announced soon.
GAME NOTES
The Quakes finished the 2020 regular season in eighth place in the Western Conference with an 8-9-6 record (1.30 PPG).
The Earthquakes held a 6-3-1 record over their last 10 matches, tied for the best record in the Western Conference during that span, while keeping four shutouts.
Defender Marcos Lopez scored his second goal of the season and the second of his
MLS career.
Homegrown defender Nick Lima made his 100th MLS appearance, starting and playing 90 minutes. He became the second Homegrown Player in Quakes history to reach 100 regular season appearances, following Tommy Thompson.
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Sonoma Raceway
Takes Virtual Food Drive into High Gear
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Donations to Benefit Bay Area Food Banks
SONOMA, Calif. (Nov. 2 , 2020) - Sonoma Raceway has kicked off its season of giving with the 20th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, but for the first time ever, the food drive will take place virtually, Nov. 2-Dec. 5.
Through the Virtual Food Drive, race fans can donate nutritious food without lifting a can. Each week for five consecutive weeks, Sonoma Raceway will utilize its social media channels to highlight Bay Area food banks, including Alameda County, Contra Costa-Solano Counties, Napa County, San Francisco-Marin Counties and Sonoma County, and encourage race fans and community members to donate online.
The raceway’s annual food drive has distributed more than 40 tons of food since its inception in 2000, including nearly 2,500-pounds of food and more than $2,400 in donations in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the raceway has suspended the donation of non-perishable food items, but encourages donating virtually to the food banks listed below.
“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate all that Sonoma Raceway does for us,” said Dee Weaver, volunteer coordinator for the F.I.S.H. Holiday Food Basket Program. “The monetary donations will help with gift certificates for meat and produce for each participant, as we will have about 450 families sign up for holiday food baskets.”
In addition, RKA, a Windsor-based manufacturer and retailer of motorcycle equipment and luggage, is accepting monetary donations for Redwood Empire Food Bank and F.I.S.H. in Sonoma. For the past 19 years, RKA has coordinated a food drive motorcycle ride, collecting donations for area food banks, but has cancelled this year’s ride due to the pandemic. Currently, RKA is offering a $25 gift certificate for any single product they offer in exchange for a donation of $100 or more to REFB or FISH. For contact information,
Donations can be made to the following food banks on behalf of the Sonoma Raceway Thanksgiving Food Drive:
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Hardly Trivial by T. Buff |
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Answer: Bill Belichick: six as head coach of the New England Patriots; two as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. https://bit.ly/3p55aeP will take you to the tale of Super Bowl ring distribution. Just in case you didn't know who has seven Super Bowl rings, it's Neal Dahen, five as administration with the 49ers and two as administration with the Denver Broncos.
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In the last seasons of the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, Ultimate Sports Guide photographer Ed Jay collected images and stories of some of the Raiders most passionate and beloved fans. To view and read their stories, click on this link and revisit your all-time favorites. Above, Wayne Mabry, aka The Violator.
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The 2019 Fall/Winter edition of the Ultimate Sports Guide, a San Francisco Bay Area sports reference publication published twice a year for avid Bay Area and Northern California sports fans, is in the house. The Ultimate Sports Guide is distributed free of charge or may be ordered via subscription. Each seasonal edition provides professional and collegiate team coverage through commentary, photo essays and player profiles. To order, visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net or send $5 to: Ultimate Sports Guide,
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Back Issues
not to be missed!
Offering superb photography and
entertaining chronicles
* Click here for 2019 editions.
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Weekly Bay Area
Sports Calendar
Monday, November 9 through
Sunday, November 15, 2020
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Games for most major and minor league sports, including collegiate and high school teams,
have been cancelled.
Monday, November 9
Tuesday, November 10
Wednesday, November 11
Thursday, November 12
Friday, November 13
Saturday, November 14
Cal Bears @ Arizona State Sun Devils, TBD, TBD
Stanford Cardinal vs. Colorado Buffaloes, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU
San Jose State Spartans vs. UNLV, 7:30 p.m., FS2
Sunday, November 15
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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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Write: sportstoday@ultimatesportsguide.net
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The vast majority of student-athletes dreaming of athletic stardom won't make it to the pros. Yet, the discipline and skills they've developed while balancing a sport and academics make them ideally suited for satisfying careers elsewhere. In 20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes Who Won't Go Pro, the authors draw on personal experience, interviews, expert opinion, and industry data to provide a game plan for student-athletes through key transitions at each stage of their careers, from high school through college and beyond. Modeled on Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this book provides a much-needed strategy for achieving career success. Readable and concise, it will be a valuable tool for students, parents, and sports administrators. To order, click here.
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5980 Stoneridge Drive, Ste. 122
Pleasanton, CA 94588-2723
CalBRE License #:01770629
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!
with questions or to order.
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Ultimate Sports Guide
P.O. Box 4515
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-2035
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The Ultimate Sports Guide is very appreciative to the ongoing contributions made by former staff photographer Kenny Karst, now retired. Mr. Karst continues to contribute through helpful ideas and his archives.
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