The Nightcap - 8/31: A's Rout Red Sox, Giants Fall in Wrigley, Stanford Survives Scare

It was a night that will not be soon forgotten at the Coliseum, as the A's pounded out 20 runs (yes, 20) to defeat the Red Sox by 18 runs. Not the same story for the Giants, though. MadBum struggled, and Alfonso Soriano burned the Giants en route to a 6-4 loss at Wrigley Field.And how about some college football? The Stanford Cardinal began their season at home against San Jose State, and barely escaped with a 20-17 victory. A shaky start, but hopefully better things are yet to co...

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Countdown to the NBA Season - 8/31

Well, we've reached the last day of August. Just two more months until Halloween, when the Warriors will being their season against the Phoenix Suns down in Arizona. In the meantime, indulge yourselves in these NBA headlines of the day:- Lakers to Retire Shaq's Jersey - Well it's about time. How many of you still miss the Kobe-Shaq days?- The Worst Division in the NBA - The answer may surprise you, because it contains arguable the best team in the NBA.- Who are the Smartest Spenders in the NBA? - These answers won't surprise you because those teams are perennial contenders for a reas...

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Stanford Beats San Jose State 20-17 in a Close Call

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A's Annihilate Red Sox 20-2 to Open the Series

Yes, you read that right. A's: 20, Red Sox: 2The final score from the O.Co Coliseum on Friday night was 20-2 in favor of the A's, an absolute spanking.But first, what will be forgotten from this night was Brandon McCarthy's fantastic performance, scattering eight hits for two runs in six and a third innings. The Red Sox actually threatened to score first, as they had runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but McCarthy was able to get out of the jams unscathed,Now, the fun part. How did the A's score their twenty runs?It was a four run second inning that kick-started it all; an RBI each by Brandon Moss and Jonny Gomes, followed...

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Complete Raiders Roster Transactions

Like all NFL teams, the Oakland Raiders had to trim their roster down to 53 players at 6 p.m. local time today. The transactions were announced a few hours ago, and here they are, courtesy of a press release by the Raiders:TransactionPos.Player (exp)WaivedLBKaelin Burnett (R)WaivedKEddy Carmona (R)WaivedWRDerek Carrier (R)WaivedWRBrandon Carswell (R)Reserve/PUP (knees)LBAaron Curry (4)WaivedDEHall Davis (1)WaivedTEKyle Efaw (R)WaivedDLDominique Hamilton (R)WaivedOLKevin Haslam (3)Reserve/Injured (hamstring)TETory Humphrey (5)WaivedOLNick Howell (1)WaivedLBChad Kilgore (R)Reserve/Injured (toe)PMarquette King (R)WaivedOLDan Knapp...

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Complete 49ers Roster Transactions

The 49ers trimmed their roster from 75 to 53 players today, meaning that many players would receiving some bad news.One of them, safety Colin Jones, was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a seventh round draft pick.Here are the others who were cut, highlighted by quarterback Josh Johnson, running back Rock Cartwright, and Stanford product Chris Owusu:OLB Ikaika Alama-FrancisOLB Eric BakhtiariRB Rock CartwrightG/T Derek HallILB Joe HollandDT Tony Jerod-EddieOLB Cam JohnsonQB Josh JohnsonDT Matthew MasifiloCB Anthony MosleyTE Kyle NelsonG/T Al NetterWR Chris OwusuWR Nathan PalmerT Mike PersonTE Konrad ReulandLB Kenny RoweWR Brett SwainS Michael...

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49ers Release Josh Johnson

The 49ers have released quarterback Josh Johnson, who they signed this offseason as one of their backup quarterbacks.Their quarterback depth chart now consists of: Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, and Scott Tolzien.Johnson is among several 49ers who will be cut tonight, as NFL teams must trim their rosters down to 53 players.Check back with us later tonight for a full list of cut players and roster mov...

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Red Sox Visit the Coliseum: Preview, Lineups

The A's have won six games in a row, including a sweep of the Cleveland Indians, and return home to face the Boston Red Sox, who essentially traded half their team away to the Dodgers earlier this week.Brandon McCarthy (7-5, 3.12 ERA) takes the hill coming off a strong performance in Tampa Bay, when he allowed just two runs in seven innings. He will opposed by the veteran Aaron Cook (3-7, 4.76 ERA), who has struggled in the month of August.Roster MovesThe A's recalled reliever Pedro Figueroa and have optioned right-handed pitcher Jim Miller back to Triple A Sacramento. Figueora has a 1.20 ERA in 11 appearances for the A's this season.Lineup...

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Giants Expected To Add Players to the Roster

It's the time of year when teams can expand their rosters to 40 from 25. The Giants aren't expected to use all of the surplus roster spots, but you can expect them to make a few moves to bolster the depth of their current rosters.So far, the notables appear to be Aubrey Huff, Xavier Nady, and Brad Penny. Others will also be promoted, but as for Gary Brown's status, a call-up seems unlikely. In fact, he injured his should last night (Thursday), and manager Bruce Bochy has stated multiple times before that he doesn't seem him getting a September call-up.-Barring a move to acquire an extra outfield bat tonight (unlikely), Nady would presumably receive a...

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NHL, NHLPA Hit Roadblock in Negotiations

Donald Fehr, executive director of the NHLPAIf you don't follow the NHL then you probably aren't aware that the league and the players association are still trying negotiate and renew the old collective bargaining agreement. This is a very similar situation to what happened with the NFL and NBA last summer. If no deal is made by September 15, then the start of the season will be delayed at the least.Just less then two hours was all the NHL and the NHLPA met for on Friday to discuss the labor dispute. There are not any meetings scheduled in the future, which concerns some. However, both sides agreed that negotiations could resume at any time.How...

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Bumgarner Struggles as Giants Fall to Cubs

The "friendly confines" weren't exactly kind to Madison Bumgarner, who allowed five runs on six hits in just four innings pitched as the Giants fell 6-4 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field,Alfonso Soriano, who rejected a trade to the Giants earlier this year, did much of the damage for Chicago with an RBI double in the first and a two-run home run in the third.The Cubs would lead 5-0 after three innings, as Wellington Castillo's double brought in two more runs.San Francisco would rally to close it to a 6-4 deficit in the eighth, thanks to RBIs by Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence, but Cubs close Carlos Marmol would finish them off in the...

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Niners Trade Colin Jones to Panthers

The San Francisco 49ers have traded special-teams player Colin Jones to the Carolina Panthers for a seventh round pick, according to Scout.com.Jones recorded six tackles in 13 games last season. He was drafted by the Niners in the sixth round of last year's dra...

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Harrison Barnes Could Be the Warriors' Future Star

Harrison Barnes... Will he be the future star? Right now, in the off-season, as I say literally everyday, it is so hard to predict. Who's to say whether Perry Jones III won't be the best player, or Anthony Davis won't a bust.Post-draft reports indicated the Warriors did outstandingly in the NBA draft, selecting 3 valuable players that will make an immediate impact, positive of course.In the summer league, Barnes proved that he and Thompson can make a good combination. Their three pointers were endless, in rows. Defenders had their heads spinning deciding which side of the floor to run to. Barnes and Thompson really will form a key duo that no...

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Giants Start Series at Wrigley: Game Preview, Lineups

The Giants did their job against the Astros by sweeping them in a three-game series.Now they'll look to repeat that performance against the 50-80 Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.Madison Bumgarner (14-8, 2.93 ERA) will pitch for the Giants. He will look to rebound after a sluggish performance against the Braves in his previous start.He will be opposed by Chris Volstad (1-9, 6.28 ERA), who, as you can probably tell by his stats, should not be much of a threat.I'll repeat the same thing I wrote at the start of the series against the Astros: anything short of a sweep against the Cubs would be considered a disappointment.Lineup - Giants vs. Cubs 11:20...

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How Klay Thompson Can Fit Into Monta's Shoes

Thompson's scoring output nearly matched Monta Ellis after Ellis was traded. In drafting Thompson, I knew that Monta's reign in Golden State would come to an abrupt end.Klay Thompson is nowhere near as skilled, athletic, or experienced as Ellis, but he can become more like him. In being able to drive the ball and handle the ball more, Thompson will be taken seriously as a shooter, and a finisher at the basket.Defenders won't know what to do when closing out on him. With Jarrett Jack and Curry tossing him the ball, Thompson shouldn't have any problem scoring adequate numbers compared to Monta Ellis.If Ellis was 6'7 and still was able to play with...

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What's on Tap - 8/31: Stanford Begins Football Season, Giants at Wrigley, A's Back Home

Can you believe that college football is already upon us?The 21st-ranked Stanford Cardinal will begin their post-Andrew Luck era tonight in their season opener as they play host to San Jose State. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.But first, some good ole-fashioned afternoon baseball at Wrigley Field, as the Giants take on the woeful Chicago Cubs at 11:20 AM. The A's return home to face off against the Boston Red Sox, who appear to be spiraling out of control at the moment. First pitch? 7:05 PM.Stay tuned for recaps of these games on this beautiful Friday by the B...

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The Nightcap - 8/31: A's, Giants Complete Sweeps, NFL Preseason Wraps Up

The Giants and A's took "taking advantage of weaker teams" to a whole new level this week, sweeping the woeful Astros and Indians, respectively.The A's pounded the Indians 12-7 early this morning, hitting four long balls against Cleveland pitching.As for the Giants, they won comeback-style again in Houston, thanks to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence.MLB Standings - Giants (74-57) 4 and 1/2 games ahead of Dodgers, A's (73-57) a game up in the AL Wild Card, four games back of Rangers in division.-------------Switching gears to the NFL, as the Raiders and Niners wrapped up their preseason tonight.Colin Kaepernick impressed for the 49ers, who hammered...

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Raiders Get Pummeled by Seahawks in Final Preseason Game

If it wasn't for Eddy Carmona's 31 yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the game, the Raiders would have been shut out by the Seahawks tonight. That said, this 18 point loss ends Oakland's preseason at a disappointing record of 1-3. The Raiders played an excruciatingly bad overall game and it stands as a poor performance to lead them into the regular season. The Seahawks had nearly triple the total yards of the Raiders, as Oakland only racked up 101 to Seattle's 334. Granted, Carson Palmer and the first team only played one drive at the beginning of the game, but the Oakland squad should be playing much harder, especially because they are...

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Niners Blast Chargers 35-3 in Final Preseason Game

Yes, it's just the preseason. But yes, it sure does feel good to crush another NFL team.The San Francisco 49ers poured it on against the Chargers at Candlestick on Thursday, scoring five touchdowns en route to a 35-3 victory.Alex Smith played five snaps and never attempted a pass, setting the stage for Colin Kaepernick to steal the show. According to CSN's Mattt Maiocco, Kaepernick had his best performance in a 49ers' uniform.Kaepernick completed 12 of 18 throws for 158 yards, including beautifully thrown touchdown passes to Delanie Walker and A.J. Jenkins.Josh Johnson would enter in the second half, going 9 for 14 for 125 yards. He also threw...

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Pence and Sandoval Fuel A Comeback Win to Complete the Sweep

Road games are like the new home games for a lively Giants’ away offense. Comebacks are a rarity at the spacious AT&T Park, but twice in the past three days the Giants have come back from early devastates.Ryan Vogelsong fell into an early hole. Jason Castro and Jimmy Paredes both knocked in a run to charge two runs to Vogelsong’s line after only the first inning. The Astros would add to that total in the next frame, as Matt Dominguez smacked a leadoff triple to put Vogelsong into another messy situation. Brian Boguesevic plated him with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to extend the Astros lead, 3-0.And the Astros weren’t about to stop. Tyler...

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Countdown to the NBA Season: 8/30

Pre-season good enough? Well that hasn't started yet, but it's still a nice though that the preseason is much closer than the regular season. Baseball anyone? Our blog site has plenty of capable writers giving you up-to-date news about the Bay Area baseball teams. That's another way to fill the void of NBA basketball, isn't it? Even if it's not, the month of August has passed by quickly, and the countdown continues to go...NBA News and Buzz: - Who has the best chance of stopping the King?- Who will be the next Jeremy Lin? (Yes, they're already talking about this..)Not much news today, as the main headlines of the NBA were the D-League games....

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Tell it Goodbye to the Houston Astros: A History

The National League will no longer be represented in Texas after this season. With the Giants playing their last common league game with the 'Stros today, I felt it was a good time to pay my last respects to Houston by looking back at the history between the two teams. The Giants lead the overall series with a record of 374-343. In their first match-up, the Houston Colt 45's bested Gaylord Perry's Giants by a score of 7-0 in Houston on May, 11, 1962. The very next day, the Giants got revenge for the lopsided loss with Juan Marichal throwing a shutout in an 11-0 game. A week later, on May 18th, 1962, the 45's played their first game in San Francisco....

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Giants Look to Sweep Astros: Preview, Lineups

The Giants will look to sweep the three-game series in Houston before heading to Wrigley Field tomorrow afternoon. Ryan Vogelsong (11-7, 2.90 ERA) will look to get back on track. Vogelsong has been struggling as of late, and will look to regain some of his early-season dominance.The highly mediocre Jordan Lyles (3-10, 5.47 ERA) will pitch for the Astros. Lyles got his first win in over two months last Friday when he defeated the woeful New York Mets.Bottom line is, nothing short of a sweep would be a disappointment for the Giants. Lineup - Giants (73-57) vs. Astros (40-90). First pitch at 5:05 PT.CF Pagan2B Scutaro3B SandovalC PoseyRF...

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A's Complete Sweep of Indians with 12-7 Pounding

The Oakland A's did what all good teams should do: beat up on the weaker ones.There was a strong possibility that the A's could sweep the Indians in their four-game set this week, and they did, finished off with a Thursday afternoon 12-7 beating.It was the long ball that won the game for the A's today, as four different players smacked it out of Jacobs Field. Coco Crisp tied the game at 1-1 in the third with a solo shot.They would take the lead in the fourth with a five-run inning. George Kottaras cleared the bases with a double, then Cliff Pennington drove him in with a two-run homer to make it 6-1 A's.But they weren't done just yet. Josh Reddick,...

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3 Reasons Why Joaquin Arias Should Be The Giants' Everyday Shortstop

The Giants have had their share of issues, but none of those problems are quite like shortstop. Joaquin Arias had provided the thump lately, while Brandon Crawford has flashes the leather. However, Arias deserves the starting job. Here are three reasons why:Platooning Isn’t EffectiveIn the Giants’ situation, platooning seems like the only plausible solution to having two average utility infielders. Not so fast. While Arias hits southpaws far better than right-handers, Crawford doesn’t hit righties much better than he does, which is the pretty much the point of using a platoon.Granted, playing time is inconsistent for both of them and...

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Ranking Warriors' Back Court

The best backcourts in the NBA include the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Golden State Warriors?Yes it's true. Since the unpopular, but good trade of Monta Ellis, the Warriors' backcourt looks promising. With Stephen Curry being able to handle the basketball, Klay Thompson is the sharpshooter and go to guy, with unlimited range. The backcourt forms a perfect combo because they know how to handle the situation, and no one is fighting over control of the offense. Thompson also stands at 6'7. Enough said?Vs. Lakers: Against the Lakers, the Warriors don't really have...

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MLB Investigating Melky Cabrera's Agents

USA Today is reporting that the MLB is investigating Sam and Seth Levinson acted as the middle-men by introducing former major-league catcher Paul Lo Duca to steroid distributor Kirk Radomski.The Levinson's are the agents for Melky Cabrera, who is currently serving a 50-game suspension for taking PEDs. Here is more courtesy of an excerpt of an MLB.com article:According to USA Today, Lo Duca alleges that he was introduced to Radomski by the Levinsons. When the Mitchell Report was released in December 2007, it documented copies of three checks to Radomski for $3,200 each. USA Today reported that it has a copy of one check from a joint account...

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A's Look to Sweep Indians in Cleveland: Game Preview

There's nothing like some early morning baseball to start off your day.The A's will look to sweep the Indians on the road after decisive wins in the first three games of the series.Jarrod Parker (8-7, 3.52 ERA) will toe the rubber for the A's, and he will take on Justin Masterson (10-11, 4.60 ERA) of the Indians.Parker has followed up a three-game slide with consecutive quality starts. After tossing eight scoreless frames vs. Cleveland on Aug. 19, the righty didn't factor into the decision on Friday in Tampa Bay, where he allowed three runs in six innings. (h/t MLB.com)A's vs. Indians, 9:05...

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What's on Tap - 8/30: A's Look for Sweep, Giants in Houston, NFL Preseason

A busy Thursday in the world of Bay Area sports, with all baseball and football teams in action.Leading us off will be the Oakland A's, who will look to sweep a four-game set in Cleveland. You're going to have to get up early for this one - first pitch is at 9:05 PT (that's AM).Ryan Vogelsong will look to regain some of his success from early on in the year as the Giants take on the abysmal Astros. That game commences at 5:05 PT.On to football...One final tuneup before the real games begin. The Niners will take on the Chargers at Candlestick, while the Raiders will be up in Seattle to face the Seahawks. Kickoff for both games is scheduled for...

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Writers Wanted: Calling All NFL/NCAA Fans

With the NCAA and NFL seasons about to begin, we here at "The World of Bay Area Sports" would like to cover every aspect of the brilliant games that await us.So, if you have any interest in NCAA football or the NFL, and would like to give a shot at writing about it, we would love to have you join our team here on the blog.Specifically, we are looking for writers to cover the Bay Area's football teams (Niners, Raiders, Cal, Stanford), but anyone with knowledge of football (regardless of the team) is more than welcome to join.How do I get started? Simply send an email to eriche3383@gmail.com stating your interest in writing for this blog....

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The Nightcap - 9/29: Giants, A's Continue to Dominate

Needless to say, both the Giants and the A's are taking care of business against weaker opponents. Hunter Pence's three-run homer made the difference for the Giants in Houston, as they defeated the Astros 6-4. Josh Donaldson did the same for the A's. His three-run homer propelled the A's comeback against the Indians in Cleveland, as Oakland continues their hot stretch. MLB Standings - Giants up by 3.5 games on Dodgers in NL West, A's take over top spot in AL Wild Card.&nb...

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Countdown to the NBA Season: 8/29

The NBA season is now close to 2 months away. As fans sit around wondering how to fill the void, maybe they consider doing something. Maybe taking up the sport, basketball. Who knows? Maybe you're good! Until the NBA season starts, you guys should try watching some NHL games, the season starts a little bit earlier. No? Think about the joyous occasions that one could have. It's nearly as satisfying as an NBA game!NBA News and Buzz:- Chalmers thinks he's the best PG (Told you! Chalmers is arrogant, and wants all the credit for being mediocre) - Don Nelson talks Maui for Retirement? (Sounds great, Where do I sign up?)- Martell Webster Finds a New...

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Pence Propels Giants to 6-4 Victory in Houston

Led by a four-run first inning capped off by a three-run homer from Hunter Pence, the Giants beat the Astros, 6-4. The wheels fell off early for Barry Zito, however. Signs of an Astros outburst loomed after Zito allowed a run in the bottom of the second inning. Not only did the Astros hit him hard, but Zito's command was all over the place leading to a abnormally high pitch count early. Those signs of a wobbly outing from Zito proved to be spot on. The southpaw allowed four straight hitters to reach base, and allowed one more before being summoned for George Kontos. The end result was 2 1/3 innings pitched, three earned  runs, and seven...

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Donaldson Leads A's to Victory Against Indians

It wasn't a shutout by any means - the Indians scored twice in the second inning and twice in the eighth, but a win is a win and the A's will surely take it.It was Josh Donaldson who was the hero on this particular night. With the A's down 2-0 and two runners on base, he crushed a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run homer.The put the A's in front, and they would never look back. They would add on with runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth to take it 8-4.Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick both had three-hit games, and each also knocked in a run as well.Travis Blackely pitched 5.2 solid innings, allowing two runs on three hits. The...

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Warriors' Best and Worst Case Scenarios

The Warriors are blessed with a hopefully healthy roster, and amazing talent, as well as younglings who are very capable. The only thing they need to worry about now is injury. If the units come together, the Warriors will for sure make a post-season run.Best Case:1. Warriors end up in 5th place. The Warriors have the potential to pass the Nuggets, Mavericks, Jazz, and other teams to get to the 5th cede. They have the most explosive lineup that us fans have seen in a while. They could end up getting further than expected, because of fresh legs, and never getting tired.2. Warriors beat Heat, Lakers, Thunder: In doing this, the Warriors will gain...

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Best Giants Hitters of the AT&T Park Era

Buster Posey is having an MVP type season from behind the plate and perhaps the best season ever by a San Francisco backstop. This actually got me thinking about who has had the best seasons for the black and orange. I went over names like Mays, McCovey, and Marichal, but despite them being legends, I was drawing a blank on how to compare them to the guys I've personally watched from the bleachers. I didn't want a good topic to die, so instead I changed the question; who are the best Giants hitters to play in AT&T Park? I decided to pick one great season as the best by McCovey Cove and one runner up. I also decided that each player could...

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