December 25 -- December 31, 2023

Issue No. 517

Golden State Warriors 129

Washington Wizards 118

Chase Center, San Francisco

December 22, 2023

Dubs Rolling

Minus Green,

Reliving '75?

by Dave Newhouse

It’s a vitally important question the Warriors must ask themselves: Can they win a championship without Draymond Green?

The Warriors suddenly are starting to resemble a champion, and it’s without the quick-trigger temper of Green, who’s under another suspension. The Warriors maintain that they must hold together the Big Three — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green — or their winning days are over. But study how well they’re playing without Green.

They’ve suddenly caught fire, and a throwback look is the reason — the Warriors are getting valuable minutes from 10 players a game, much like the Warriors’ NBA champions of 1975. And it’s minus Green.

Steve Kerr can come up with a myriad of reasons why Green is essential to the team's success: He plays tough defense, runs the court well, and will make a key play down the stretch — a steal or a pass — to aid another victory.

However, his punch of teammate Jordan Poole derailed the Warriors’ entire season, even Kerr admitted, a year ago. And yet the Warriors rewarded this continued troublemaker with a huge contract not so long ago.

Now they have to ask themselves why, because they are a better team without him, and you’d swear that it's Al Attles’ team-oriented Warriors of a half-century ago that we're watching lately.

Back in ’75, the Warriors had a basic regular season, but they came together late and took off in the post-season. Expected to get swept by the Washington Bullets in the NBA finals, the Warriors did the sweeping in the greatest championship series upset.

Now observe the current Warriors, and you can detect the same scenario unfolding. Kerr, like Attles, is using virtually the whole bench to pull out wins.

Attles started Rick Barry, Keith (later Jamal) Wilkes, Clifford Ray, Butch Beard and Charlie Johnson. Attles then substituted Phil Smith, Derrick Dickey, George Johnson, Charles Dudley and Bill Bridges, creating a new NBA direction of mass substitutions.

Kerr has even more bodies to interchange, a “problem” that can only grow when Green returns eventually.

Observe how the Warriors are doing in the interim. Two rookies, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, are getting valuable minutes. Jonathan Kuminga has taken his game up a notch. Thompson has returned to shooting form, and Curry still is Curry — the NBA’s best shooter ever. His Purvis Short-like roof-touching, game-winning overtime jumper against Boston helped fuel the Warriors’ current ascent, just after Jackson-Davis’ classic block of Jaylen Brown’s dunk lit the fuse.

Green aside, consider how much better the Warriors will be when Andrew Wiggins, so important with his athleticism, and Gary Payton II, so instrumental with his versatility, return from injuries, adding to the team’s 1975-like combination.

Chris Paul runs the offense with efficiency when he comes off the bench, Kevon Looney is a steady influence in the pivot, Moses Moody is another young player with a skill set, and Dario Saric is a gunner from afar.

Paul is remindful of Beard at point guard, Curry is a game-turner like Barry, Podziemski and Jackson-Davis are youthful replicas of Wilkes and Smith, Jackson-Davis also blocks shots like Johnson, Kuminga is instant offense like Dickey, Kevon Looney is Ray without the glare, Payton II is an all-around contributor like Dudley, and Saric bombs from outside like Johnson, a corner assassin. Bridges was like Green — big, tough, smart, but restrained.

When Green returns, what happens next? Does he help or hinder the progress that’s been made without him? Your call, Steve Kerr.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

* * *

Dave Newhouse's journalism career spans more than half a century, including 45 years at the Oakland Tribune before his retirement in November 2011. Newhouse is the author of 19 books. His most recent book, Goodbye, Oakland, is available in bookstores and from Triumph Books. Dave grew up in Menlo Park, graduated from San Jose State, and has radio and television experience, in addition to his work as an award-winning sportswriter and columnist. For earlier articles by Dave published in Sports Today, click HERE.

Publisher: Christopher Weills

Marketing Director: Robert Moselle

Director of Sales: Ann Cooke

Staff Photographers: Jeff Bayer, Alex Ho, Ed Jay, Josh Nickel, 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 & Production: Jenny Kim, Ammar Bhaiji

Website: www.UltimateSportsGuide.net

Letters to the Editor

Jackson-Davis was drafted 57th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the second round in the 2023 NBA Draft. The pick was initially held by the Washington Wizards, who traded the rights to Jackson-Davis for cash considerations on draft night.

Sports Today's Pat on our Backs

Attn: Sports Today Readers: Due to Christmas and New Year holidays, we have reached back into our Reader Mailbag to illustrate what you may already know: that Sports Today's NorCal sports news is superior to what you may hear on the radio or witness on television, and to urge you to read Sports Today slowly and carefully. Be it in Letters from readers or articles from our roster of distinguished, legendary contributors, there is only ONE bona fide source for NorCal sports: Sports Today!, and we thank you for being part of the team.

To prove the point, witness the Letter below from Jacques Diamond, from Issue No. 491, June 26 - July 2, 2023. This past week, as the Warriors were victorious in overtime over the supposedly invincible Boston Celtics, one new hero emerged -- a player who had been ignored by all media when the NBA draft was held. Trayce Jackson-Davis is that hero, and regular Sports Today reader and Letter-contributor Jacques Diamond, alone, had predicted it. He also included a YouTube link of all Trayce's college dunks from his four years at Indiana, which we have included, and urge you to watch

and enjoy.

Letters to the Editor

Issue 491, June 26 - July 2, 2023

Golden State's Draft Steal

As part of the Jordan Poole/Chris Paul wheelin' and dealin', like the gift of PBJ to the Wizards (almost everyone is a fan of Peanut Butter and Jelly), the Warriors received the Wizard's #57 pick and selected Indiana University's Trayce Jackson-Davis.

As he had watched the draft pass on him, Jackson-Davis tweeted: “Y’all will regret it . . . I promise you.” Well, the Warriors won't regret it, and it sure seemed time to pick a four-year college veteran, especially from a top conference, as so many of the early picks were from Basketball Trade School Academies or were G-Leaguers or one-year college wonders, largely anonymous to most viewers of draft coverage.

Jackson-Davis will be a solid addition and important complement to Kevon Looney, the Dubs' rugged blue-collar rebounder and defender. Purdue coach Matt Painter, whose Boilermakers had ample opportunities to observe Trayce 'up close and personal,' called Trayce: "a fabulous, great person, great player. When we made moves, our guys just bounced off him. He's a got a great future."

He ended his IU career with 2,211 points, 1,124 rebounds, 260 blocks and 49 career double-doubles.

Watch all the dunks of the newest Warrior: It's an impressive display of power and dexterity. Welcome aboard, Trayce!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpAWfBludHs

Jacques Diamond

Oakland, CA

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

Robert A. Moselle, Marketing Director, Sports Today!

https://www.cce-mcle.com/aboutus

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Contents

Columns

Hardly Trivial by T. Buff

Games

Saint Mary's Gaels (MBkB) 64, Missouri State Bears 69

USF Dons (MBkB) 77, Fresno State Bulldogs 57

Special Features

Sports Today Goes TikTok, by Ammar Bhaiji

Features & Commentary

Barry Bonds, from the Autograph Collection of Rich Yee

BOWLA, BOWLA, by Andy Dolich

Gondola for the Dodgers, by Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

It was the Best of Games and the Worst of Times, by Howard Pearlstein

Spread Christmas Cheer -- Your Support is Welcome!

The Weekly Longer NIL Thought, by Darren Heitner, Esq.

Organizations

Cal Bears

Cal State University East Bay

Golden Gate Fields

Golden State Warriors

Oakland A's

Oakland Roots SC

Oakland Soul

Oakland Spiders

Saint Mary's College Gaels

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco Giants

San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose State Spartans

Santa Clara Broncos

Sonoma Raceway

St. Francis Yacht Club

Stanford Cardinal

UC Davis Aggies

University of Pacific Tigers

USF Dons

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna

Seca

Have a Wheelie nice trip!

Go'n Bowl'n!

BOWLA!

by Andy Dolich

This has been one of the most controversial, chaotic and controversial years in the history of college football. All of the key areas relating to conference shifting, transfer portals, NIL rules regulations, backroom deal making and broken traditions are being debated on college campuses from coast to coast.

As we turn toward a new year, isn’t it time for us to take a look at the overflowing bowls from last Saturday’s slate through New Year's Day. Let’s not forget the yet to be decided National Championship matchup on January 8th in Houston.

Naming all of these bowls, where they kick it around, their official names and who is sponsoring all these football fests off the top of your sports noggin is a bit of a challenge. I gave it the old college try to correctly categorize what’s on the bowl naming rights menu for the next few weeks. Without doubt I’m sure I’ve fumbled and bumbled a few. Throw a flag and enjoy digging into your Bowl Menu.

Fruit

Citrus Bowl, Iowa vs. Tenn., 1/1/24, Orlando, FL * Presented by Cheez It

Peach Bowl, Penn State vs. Ole Miss, 12/30, Atlanta, GA * Presented by Chick-fil-A

Orange Bowl, Florida St. vs. Georgia, 12/30, Miami Gardens, FL

* Presented by Capital One

Flowers

Camellia Bowl, Arkansas St. vs Northern Illinois U., 12/23, Montgomery AL

Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff, Michigan vs. Alabama, 1/1/24

Pasadena, CA * Presented by Prudential

Food

Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl, App. State vs. Miami, OH, 12/16, Orlando FL

Famous Toastery Bowl, Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion, 12/18

Charlotte, NC

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl, UT San Antonio vs. Marshall, 12/19

Frisco, TX

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Utah St. vs. Georgia St., 12/23, Boise, ID

Duke’s Mayo Bowl, North Carolina vs. W. Virginia, 12/27,Charlotte, NC

Pop-Tarts Bowl, NC State vs. Kansas St.,12/28, Orlando, FL

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, Notre Dame vs. Oregon St., 12/29,El Paso, TX

Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff, Washington vs. Texas, 1/1/24

New Orleans, LA, * Presented by Allstate

Corporate Presenters

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Texas Tech vs. Cal, 12/16,

Shreveport, LA

68 Ventures Bowl, South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan, 12/23,

Mobile, Al

Quick Lane Bowl, Bowling Green vs. Minnesota, 12/26, Detroit, MI

Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Kansas vs. UNLV, 12/26, Phoenix, AZ

DirecTV Holiday Bowl, Louisville vs. USC, 12/27, San Diego, CA

ReliaQuest Bowl, Wisconsin vs. LSU, 1/1/24, Tampa, FL

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Oregon vs. Liberty, 1/1/24, Glendale, AZ

Geography

Myrtle Beach Bowl, Georgia Southern vs. Ohio U., 12/16, Myrtle Beach, SC

New Mexico Bowl, New Mexico St. vs. Fresno State, 12/16,

Albuquerque, NM

LA Bowl, UCLA vs, Boise St., 12/16, Inglewood CA, *Presented by Starco Brands hosted by Gronk

Boca Raton Bowl, USF vs. Syracuse, 12/21, Boca Raton, FL

* Presented by RoofClaim.com

Birmingham Bowl, Troy vs. Duke, 12/23, Birmingham, AL

* Presented by SRS Distribution

Las Vegas Bowl, Northwestern, vs. Utah, 12/23, Las Vegas, NV

Hawai’i Bowl, Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State, 12/23, Honolulu, Hawaii * Presented by Easypost

Texas Bowl, Oklahoma St. vs. Texas A&M, 12/27, Houston, TX

* Presented by TaxAct

Fenway Bowl, SMU vs. Boston College, 12/28, Boston, MA

* Presented by Wasabi Technologies

Alamo Bowl, Oklahoma vs. Arizona, 12/28, San Antonio, TX

* Presented by Valero

Music City Bowl, Maryland vs. Auburn, 12/30, Nashville, TN

* Presented by TransPerfect

Arizona Bowl, Toledo vs. Wyoming, 12/30, Tucson, AZ

Pirate Inspired

Gasparilla Bowl, Georgia Tech vs. UCF, 12/22, Tampa, FL

* Presented by Union Home Mortgage

Honorary

Celebration Bowl, Howard vs. Florida A&M, 12/16, Atlanta, GA

Armed Forces Bowl, James Madison vs. Air Force, 12/23, Ft. Worth, TX

* Presented by Lockheed Martin

First Responder Bowl, Texas St. vs. Rice, 12/26, University Park, TX

* Presented by Servpro

Military Bowl, Tulane vs. Virginia Tech, 12/27, Annapolis, TX

* Presented by GoBowling.com

Pinstripe Bowl, Miami vs. Rutgers, 12/28, New York, NY

* Presented by Bad Boy Mowers

Liberty Bowl, Iowa State vs. Memphis, 12/29, Memphis, TN

* Presented by AutoZone

Animal

Gator Bowl, Clemson vs Kentucky, 12/29, * Presented by TaxSlayer

Product With A Million Uses

Cotton Bowl, Ohio State vs. Missouri, 12/29, Arlington, TX

* Presented by Goodyear

Let's not forget The 2024 College Football Playoff National

Championship scheduled on January 8th, 2024, at NRG Stadium in

Houston. It will be the tenth and final College Football Playoff National Championship under the 4-team CFP format and will determine the National Champion for the 2023 Season. Sponsored by AT&T, the game will be officially known as the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T.

* * *

Andy Dolich operates Dolich & Associates, a sports consultancy, in Los Altos. A local resident, Dolich has more than 50 years of experience as an executive in professional sports, working with the Oakland A's, San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and hockey and soccer teams. Dolich is also the co-author of Goodbye, Oakland, is available in bookstores and from Triumph Books. For earlier articles by Andy Dolich published in Sports Today! click HERE.

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San Francisco Giants

'An absolutely perfect fit':

Giants officially introduce Lee

Maria Guardado

@mi_guardado

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jung Hoo Lee put on his new Giants cap, tucked his hair behind his ears and immediately flashed his charm by leaning into the microphone to pose an important question to the two dozen or so media members who gathered for his introductory press conference at Oracle Park on Friday afternoon.

“Handsome?” Lee asked, drawing laughs from the crowd.

The Giants sure like the look of the 25-year-old Lee, who is expected to serve as the club’s new center fielder after inking a six-year, $113 million contract that includes an opt-out after the 2027 season.

“We think this is an absolutely perfect fit,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. “As we’ve talked about entering this offseason, our goals were to get more athletic as a team, from an offensive standpoint to make more contact and play the kind of baseball where the industry seems to be trending towards. Honestly, as we looked at our options this offseason, there was no player, no target, who was more of a perfect fit for what we were hoping to achieve than Jung Hoo.”

continued...

Maria Guardado covers the Giants for MLB.com.

She previously covered the Angels from 2017-18.

For a full report, click HERE.

www.sfgiants.com

Attend the Giants & KNBR FanFest Tour with stops in Sacramento, San Jose and Napa

Open House at Oracle Park is Saturday, March 9

The Giants & KNBR FanFest Tour 2024 is a new, reimagined experience for Giants fans that transforms the traditional one-day

San Francisco-based event into an expanded series across Northern California. Current and former Giants players, coaches, broadcasters and Lou Seal will caravan to meet fans in their local communities

-- including Sacramento, San Jose and Napa -- to sign autographs, participate in Q&A sessions, distribute merchandise and more.

The tour will end with an Open House at Oracle Park on Saturday, March 9 providing fans with access to often restricted ballpark locations -- including the field, clubhouse, broadcast booth and dugout. Meet-and-greets and autograph opportunities with Giants alumni and photo opportunities with Lou Seal and the World Series Trophies will also be available. Fans in San Francisco will be able to interact with players in Scottsdale, using new technology. The Giants Spring Training game in Scottsdale will be broadcast on the scoreboard during the event.

Event tickets are required for the Open House at Oracle Park.

Claim up to 10 complimentary tickets.

Receive Tour Updates

Free Open House Tickets

Learn More!

Oakland A's

Tyler Soderstrom being interviewed in the dugout.

Photo by Darren Yamashita.

Confidence the Key to Soderstrom's Success

Martín Gallegos @MartinJGallegos

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter.

To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to receive

it regularly in your inbox.

From amateur baseball to the pros, Tyler Soderstrom has always been considered a phenom. The best player on whatever team he was on. So when he encountered struggles in his first taste of big league action this past season, the lack of immediate success wore on him.

“The biggest thing I’ve got to work on is keep my confidence,” Soderstrom said on Sept. 10. “Learning to be confident all the time, no matter if it’s going bad or good. I know I’m a great player and I know I’m going to play in this league for a long time. That’s my mindset, and I’m just going to keep going with it.”

Soderstrom was called up to the Majors along with Zack Gelof on July 14. Rated the club’s Nos. 1 and 3 prospects by MLB Pipeline at the time and viewed as future potential franchise cornerstones of the A’s, the duo’s arrival on the same day felt like the beginning of a new era for Oakland.

continued...

For a full report, click HERE.

www.athletics.com

Goodbye, Oakland

(L to R) Oakland A's outfielder Billy North, authors Dave Newhouse and Arif Khatib. Photo by Ed Jay.

Goodbye, Oakland has been a remarkable success story

Filmmaker Doug Harris documented Dave's

appearance at Barnes & Noble in El Cerrito

Click link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka2vv1l_GVk

* * *

For purchase through Triumph Books

https://www.triumphbooks.com/goodbye--oakland-

products-9781637272152.php

Donate Today! -- Click Here!

Los Angeles Dodgers

A rendering of a proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project that would aim to ferry up to 5,000 passengers an hour from Union Station in downtown L.A. to the stadium. (LA Aerial Rapid Transit)

A Gondola for the Dodgers

by Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Remember when the A’s talked about building a Gondola to transport people to their future new home at Howard Terminal? It was in January 2019, and it was met with many bad jokes, primarily by cynical A’s fans. Something similar is in the works for the Los Angeles Dodgers to alleviate traffic to the games at Dodger Stadium. The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit gondola was proposed by Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC, an entity created by McCourt Global.

The company’s CEO is Frank H. McCourt, who owned the Los Angeles Dodgers and the stadium from 2004 to 2012. Originally, the LA gondola was said it would cost $125 million. Still, after all the environmental studies (as usually happens in costly California constructions), the cost now looks like a half-billion dollars for the project.

The aerial system would get fans from downtown Union Station to Dodger Stadium in about seven minutes. Up to 5,500 people per hour in each direction, which means that 10,000 fans could be transported to Dodger Stadium two hours before the start of a game.

Anybody who has attended games at Dodger Stadium has experienced the incredible amount of traffic going to a baseball park which averages about 47,000 fans per game. The Dodgers have led MLB in attendance for a few years now.

No city in North America has more automobiles than Los Angeles, so a gondola to Dodger Stadium is practical and it is not a joke and makes sense. Coincidentally, if approved, the gondola would take thousands of fans from Union Station to Dodger Stadium in seven minutes, just in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The gondola is planned to be inaugurated in 2028, the same year the Oakland Athletics plan to inaugurate their new ballpark in the Las Vegas Strip, but…without a gondola. Finally, and ‘for the record,’ the Dodger Stadium gondola was planned years before the Oakland A’s announced they wanted to have one for what was to be their new home at Howard Terminal.

Gondola Trivia: The original gondola has existed in Venice, Italy since the 11th century. It is estimated that there were eight to ten thousand gondolas during the 17th and 18th centuries, most over the canals of Venice. There are only 400 hundred in active service today, most of them used by tourists.

* * *

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Newsletter, Image, Likeness

Vol. 59: Having An Attorney Or Agent Read NIL Contracts Matters

The Weekly Longer NIL Thought

by Darren Heitner

Founder of HEITNERLEGAL

"Having an attorney or agent read contracts matter. Happy more athletes are doing this."

Pete Nakos, my friend and one of the best writers when it comes to NIL, tweeted that sentence as National Signing Day came to a close.

Unfortunately, it's only partially true.

Having an attorney or agent read contracts before they are executed, and negotiate them, and redline them, and explain them, is vital.

And more college-bound athletes do seem to be retaining counsel to be a part of this process. It has been my honor to work with some of them.

But not enough high-profile players are working with competent counsel and it could come to severely bite them later on if things do not go according to plan.

Nakos' tweet was impliedly a reaction to Jeremiah Smith's agent reading the terms of his NIL-related paperwork before Smith's National Letter of Intent (NLI) was signed. Smith is the player who nearly made Ohio State head coach Ryan Day faint. He had appeared to sign his NLI during a ceremony at his high school but then waited a while to send it in, which led to some speculation as to whether he would make a last-minute flip.

Anyhow, kudos to Smith and the myriad of other players who had at least one representative assisting them with their affairs.

Yet, I'm concerned by some other stories I heard in and around National Signing Day.

Thus, you may be wondering what its relevance is to a newsletter focused on NIL.

Judge Bailey does make references to NIL within the 31-page order.

On Page 9 of the order, he describes the process of schools wooing players to transfer from one institution to another.

"Once an institution lures an athlete to transfer to their school (often with the promise of NIL money), the institution does not want anyone else to take the student-athlete as a transfer," wrote Judge Bailey.

I found it interesting to see a federal judge put that in writing. We all know this type of "NIL" activity is occurring rampantly, but I don't recall a judge ever acknowledging same. It flies in the face of the NCAA interim NIL policy, which continues to preclude such type of inducement-related activity.

continued...

For a full report, click HERE.

Saint Mary's Gaels 64

Missouri State Bears 69

UCU Pavilion, Moraga

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Saint Mary's Gaels guard Augustas Marciulionis led the team with 17 points and five assists as the Gaels dropped a 69-64 decision to the Missouri State Bears on Saturday, December 23rd at UCU Pavilion in Moraga. Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.

Center Mitchell Saxen recorded a double-double with ten points and ten assists. Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.

Sophomore Aiden Mahaney hit four three-pointers, finishing with 16 points. Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.

Fans participate in the Ugly Christmas Sweater Night before the game. To view a game photo album, visit our Facebook Page and be sure to LIKE us or visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.

San Jose State Spartans

Check out Season 3 of The Charge

on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The debut of season three for The Charge, San José State's All-Access Show, aired recently on NBC Sports Bay Area. There will be several re-airs throughout January on NBC Sports California.

Season 3, Episode 1

First segment: Meet the Jenkins twins that helped lead the football team to a second consecutive bowl game and the first Mountain West championship in 2020.
Second segment: The men's golf team took a global trip to Japan to compete in a world/amateur golf tournament.
Third segment: Professional women's soccer is back in the Bay Area as Bay FC will partner with SJSU.
Fourth segment: The men's water polo team captured the inaugural West Coast Conference championship in stunning fashion.

#AllSpartans

www.sjsuspartans.com

USF Dons 77

Fresno State Bulldogs 57

War Memorial Gym, Sobrato Center, San Francisco

Friday, December 22

USF Dons guard Malik Thomas hit four three-pointers on the way to 22 points as the Dons defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs, 77-57, at War Memorial Gym at the Sobrato Center on Friday, December 22nd. Caption and photo by Darren Yamashita.

Sophomore guard Mike Sharavjamts added two three-pointers as the Dons shot 15-for-29 from deep. Caption and photo

by Darren Yamashita.

Forward Jonathan Mogbo grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with nine points, four steals, and two blocks. Caption and photo

by Darren Yamashita.

Julia Markovetskyy (center), the 13-year-old sister of San Francisco Dons center Volodymyr Markovetskyy (not shown), is introduced to the crowd during the first half. (Julia's family is from the Ukraine and it was Volodymyr Markovetskyy Night on Saturday.) Julia moved to the US to live with Volodymyr while the parents are staying in the Ukraine. Story: https://usfdons.com/news/2023/12/20/mens-basketball-to-celebrate-volodymyr-markovetskyy-night.aspx To view a game photo album, visit our Facebook Page and be sure to LIKE us or visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net. Caption and photo

by Darren Yamashita.

Sports Today Goes TikTok!

Sports Today has ventured into the TikTok realm with Cal Football Fan, a TikTok account dedicated to covering Cal Football. This and next season you can expect all sorts of Cal Football content, including commentary, game recaps, and TikToks covering Cal Football alumni who are in the NFL currently or were at some point in time.

Keep checking our TikTok account, Cal Football Fan, and please feel free to follow our account and share with Cal alums, football fans, or anyone you think would enjoy it. Additionally, feel free to comment on content that you’d like to see, as feedback is always encouraged! We can be reached at theultimatesportsguide@gmail.com.

https://www.tiktok.com/@cal.football.fan?_t=8gdIUGofPpO&_r=1

Ammar Bhaiji

California Memorial Stadium Berkeley

Creator Ammar Bhaiji is a Cal alumni who graduated in the Spring of 2023. Ammar majored in public health and hopes to attend medical school in the future, but is taking some time to explore other passions, including social media and football. Outside of sports and social media reporting, Ammar enjoys the outdoors, swimming, and hanging

out with friends.

Sports Precis

It was the Best of Games and

the Worst of Times

by Howard Pearlstein

The game was the best. Even though the Dubs had beaten them for the 2022 Championship, I was still haunted by the 1950s Warriors’ gestalt. A great season, visions of playoffs dancing in the rafters… and then the Celtics would come to town: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, Arnie Risen, Andy Philip -- every All-Star but Godzilla, if he’d been available.

Still, we have Steph. And Klay and Wiggs and Looney have been handing multi-point middle-finger games to the “career is over” doubters in the peanut gallery.

The starting lineup: Steph, Podziemski, Looney, Kuminga, Klay. It looked like Coach Kerr was going with his ideal: 10 players, all starters, Mix and Match the five on the court at any time according to needs of the moment.

Kerr’s fluid roster was working, coming from never too-far behind to tie it for OT, Dubs players giving Curry protection through the fourth quarter, killing the Celtics’ belief that the five fouls would put him out, handing the surprised Celtics a sort of tutorial on what it means when all the players are really working together on the same page.

And the worst? It starts with the crappy “big time” announcers we get with big games. Kevin Harlan obviously reading the research squib about Podziemski for the first time. Sloppy, chatting, not even noticing an amazing play a few minutes into the game: Kuminga passed the ball to Klay, his 3-point shot blocked straight up by Derrick White and fielded by Kuminga who took it in for a layup. (The announcers thought it was a second-chance rebound.) So ok, I’m small-time and I’m used to announcers like Fitz and Buike, who actually watch the game and know what they’re talking about.

But then comes the real stinker. The infamous turd in the punchbowl showed up early, just before seven minutes in the first quarter. Steph scored and drew a foul, but before the shot, the TNT feed turned to commercials – to the congenial Jamie Foxx, smiling into the camera and asking: “Oh, what’s up? Watching the game? Or one later? Put a little Bet-um GM action on it and any game becomes THE game.”

I figured, ok, a little sleazy, people betting on making the foul shot or not.

But then, below his smiling face, bottom third of the screen green with white type showing the BETMGM logo ALWAYS BET RESPONSIBLY. Below that: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800 GAMBLER and a series of locations with the various phone numbers to call. And I thought, this one makes the Hall of Fame for Hypocritical Bullshit. Come on, bet on the game, come on… but be responsible…. it got worse.

That was just the first half of what we used to call a Split-60 – two short commercials tied together so they’d always be shown in that order.

“Ready to sell your car? Just enter your info on CarMax.com and get a real offer in two minutes or less. Yeah, it’s that easy.” A family in a red sedan. “Car-selling re-imagined.” We see the family, the red car disappears, they land on their butts on the blacktop. Smiling.

Later, we see a FanDuel logo across the front of the check-in table. Athletes used to be thrown out for gambling. Now the bookies own the game. And their spokesman is the late Oscar Brown Junior’s

Mr. Kicks:

“I teach a course in ruination from the devil’s text

For fools who can’t withstand temptation,

Step right up, you’re next”

Progress – ain’t it grand?

* * *

Howard Pearlstein has been a few places and done a few things.

Barry Bonds -- from the Autograph Collection of Rich Yee

As far as I know, Barry Bonds has never appeared at a sports collector show. He has always been a very difficult autograph to obtain. A few years ago he did a private signing to avoid the fan interaction and charged quite a bit to sign items. I purchased this 11x14 inch photo from that signing which included his own hologram near his signature. No San Francisco Giants collection would be complete without something from Barry Bonds.

Rich Yee, Sports Today Photographer

San Jose Earthquakes

Quakes Foundation, PG&E Foundation to Donate $200,000 Toward 50,000 Meals for Earthquakes’ 50th Anniversary

Community partnership to assist multiple organizations in fighting food insecurity

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Quakes Foundation, in partnership with The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation), will donate a total of $200,000 for 50,000 meals to help fight food insecurity in 2024. In honor of the Earthquakes’ upcoming 50th anniversary season, the club and The PG&E Foundation will work with 10 Bay Area organizations to distribute the meals, including Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen, Hunger at Home, and Martha’s Kitchen. Additional organizations will be announced later.

This initiative stems from the Earthquakes’ Pledge 74 campaign, an organization-wide program that aims to combat food insecurity concerns in the Bay Area. Pledge 74 was named after the team’s founding in 1974 and carries with it a legacy of nearly 50 years of community service.

“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with The PG&E Foundation and our local organizations to address food insecurity in our community,” said Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee. “This partnership aligns with our Pledge 74 program to have a major impact on this issue. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we recognize our history as a community steward and look forward to supporting our fans and families for the next 50 years.”

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.sjearthquakes.com

Your Tickets Are Waiting

Whether you are getting them for yourself or as a gift for a loved one this holiday season, make sure to get your tickets now! Prices may increase as events approach and our hospitality experiences sell out!

**Stay Tuned for more information on Ferrari Challenge and

GRIDLIFE Coming Soon**

Trans Am Speedfest

The Trans Am Series has been thrilling fans and drivers alike since 1966, with a range of classes that include production-based entries all the way up to the iconic 850-plus horsepower Trans Am class. Come see America’s muscle like Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers competing against European-based Audi and Mercedes-AMG for racing honors on Monterey County’s iconic racecourse, Trans Am’s spiritual Monterey home.

Supporting the modern-day racing is a full grid of the original Historic Trans Am racers of the past that made the series so dominating. These historic Trans Am cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s will once again roar to life on the same track where driving legends once competed in door-to-door and paint-swapping action.

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.weathertechraceway.com

New Racing Surface to Greet Drivers at Sonoma Raceway; Bay Cities Paving & Grading

to Repave Iconic Racing Surface

Photo courtesy Brandy Falconer

SONOMA, Calif. (December 5, 2023) – Racers and fans are about to be treated to a newly paved surface at California’s busiest racing facility.

Sonoma Raceway announced today a significant milestone in its ongoing commitment to providing the best racing experience for fans and drivers alike. The world-renowned road course will undergo a comprehensive repaving project in preparation for the June 7-9, 2024 NASCAR race weekend.

“Our racing surface is in use more than 300 days per year,” said Brian Flynn, executive vice president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway. “While our headline event is the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend, our raceway is used by car clubs, automotive enthusiasts, corporate clients and manufacturers on a daily basis. It’s important that we continue to upgrade this first-class facility for everyone who comes to Sonoma Raceway.”

Local area business Bay Cities Paving & Grading of Concord, CA has been awarded the contract for the project.

“We’re thrilled to have our repaving project managed by a Bay Area company,” Flynn said. “This is part of our continuing effort to work within our community while producing world-class events that bring in guests from around the country and the world.”

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.sonomaraceway.com

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Cal Bears

No. 7 Cal Opens Season At Mean Girls Super 16

Golden Bears To Face Alabama, Auburn, UCLA

BERKELEY- The No. 7 California women's gymnastics team will begin its 2024 campaign at the Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, Jan. 6 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

For the second-straight year the Golden Bears will compete in the biggest regular season event in collegiate gymnastics history that features 16 NCAA teams and over 300 student-athletes. Cal will compete in the final quad meet of the weekend which begins at 6 p.m. and features No. 5 UCLA, No. 8 Alabama, and No. 17 Auburn.

The rest of the field includes No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 10 Denver, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Oregon State, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 21 Washington, No. 24 Southern Utah, No. 26 Illinois, No. 31 BYU, and San Jose State.

In 2023 the Bears won their quad and recorded the second-highest team score out of all 16 teams in attendance notching a 197.475.

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.calbears.com

Stanford Cardinal

Cold Shooting Night Hinders Stanford

in San Diego

Stanford closed its non-conference action

against the Aztecs

SAN DIEGO – Taking the court for the final time before the start of Pac-12 competition, Stanford men's basketball dropped a 74-60 contest to San Diego State at Viejas Arena.

Maxime Raynaud led the offense with 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Michael Jones and Brandon Angel were in double figures with 14 and 10 points apiece. The Cardinal, which entered the night leading the Pac-12 in made 3-pointers per game, shot just 3-for-20 from beyond the arc and 40.8 percent from the field on the night. Stanford made 17 of 19 free throws (89.5%).

Stanford led for a majority of the first half, and took an early five-point lead, 10-5, after six early points from Raynaud. The Cardinal was unable to extend its lead, with the entire period played within two possessions. Jones scored four points later in the frame, but San Diego State scored the final four to take a two-point edge into the half, 34-32.

The Aztecs went on a 15-3 run to open the second half and create separation. Andrej Stojakovic scored all six of his points in the second half, and Stanford cut the lead to 10 on three different occasions, but the Aztecs held on for the victory.

continued...

By Stanford Athletics. For a full report, click HERE.

Photo: Orlando Ramirez - USA TODAY Sports

www.gostanford.com

San Jose State Spartans

SPARTANS TAKE DOWN SANTA CLARA, 81-78

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Myron (MJ) Amey Jr. scored 17 points and Alvaro Cardenas recorded a double-double to lead the San José State men's basketball team (7-6, 0-0 MW) in an 81-78 win over Santa Clara (8-5, 0-0 WCC) on Wednesday night.

In addition to his 17 points, Amey Jr. filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block.

Cardenas registered 14 points and 10 assists for his third double-double in his last four games.

Latrell Davis tallied 12 points and a career-high seven rebounds.

Tibet Görener also produced 12 points, shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field.

Adrame Diongue marked his return to action with a career-high 10 points.

William Humer was a game-high +17.

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.sjsuspartans.com

Saint Mary's College Gaels

WBB | Gaels Come Back for 61-56 Win at Denver

DENVER – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball won the final three quarters at Denver University on Thursday night for a 61-56 comeback win over the Pioneers.

If taking on the Cal State East Bay Pioneers in SMC's last game was like a big leaguer going down a level to get their swing right, the start of the game versus the Denver Pioneers saw the Gaels miss on some fastballs down the middle.

Saint Mary's struggled offensively to start the game, including missing some open layups, even on fast break opportunities. They found themselves down by 11 to start the second quarter before going on a 11-0 run.

A couple of layups from Addison Wedin to start the quarter helped give the Gaels some offensive stability before the run started with a basket and the foul for Tayla Dalton. The three-point play cut it the deficit to eight with 6:40 to go in the second frame, and gave the Gaels some momentum.

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For a full report, click HERE.

#GaelsRise --- Photo/Tod Fierner

www.smcgaels.com

USF Dons

Dons Power Past Bulldogs for Tenth Win

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Picking up another dominant win at home, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (10-4) used a second half surge to take down Fresno State (6-6), 77-57, on Friday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

www.ucdavisaggies.com

Cal State University East Bay Pioneers

Pioneer Women's Basketball Drops Exhibition Game to Saint Mary's on Monday

MORAGA, Calif. - Cal State East Bay women's basketball traveled to Moraga on Monday to take on NCAA Division I member Saint Mary's College in Moraga for an exhibition game as Pioneers lost 83-67 inside University Credit Union Pavilion.

The Pioneers trailed by two at the end of the first quarter 22-20. In the second quarter, the Gaels pulled away outscoring the Pioneers by seven 18-11 for a 40-31 lead. Although the third quarter was even at 22-22, the Gaels pulled away in the fourth quarter for the 83-67 victory.

Peyton Sterk led the Pioneers in scoring with 19 points. Jaela Richardson had a double double with 12 points and a game high 16 rebounds.

Also scoring in double figures for the Pioneers were Kayla Rosemon with 18 points and Lailah Carey with 12.

Defensively, Richardson had a pair of blocks and three steals.

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For a full report, click HERE.

Photo/Rob Edwards / KLC foto

w w w .e ast b a yp i o n e e r s .c om

St. Francis Yacht Club

SAN FRANCISCO & TINSELY ISLAND

St. Francis Yacht Club’s facilities include the city clubhouse, an historic Mission-style building on the waterfront adjacent to Crissy Field and the Marina District of San Francisco, and Tinsley Island, a 40-acre private island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The city clubhouse provides a boating and social venue for members and their guests, featuring deep-water docks, three outstanding dining rooms and incredible event spaces with vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. Tinsley Island is approximately 60 miles from the clubhouse and accessed by a Club-owned launch or private boat. This year-round getaway for Members features docking and houseboats, on-island lodging and kitchen facilities, a swimming pool, small boat fleet for member use and a variety of other diversions in a rustic, relaxed setting.

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For a full report, click HERE.

www.stfyc.com

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