San Jose Sport News

Steph Curry on Draymond Green’s latest ejection: ‘We need him’

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 21:44

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hours before he slipped on an all-yellow outfit and stood in front of his locker, before he hit his latest “night-night” celebration, before he recorded his seventh double-double of the season, Steph Curry was apoplectic.

After Draymond Green got assessed two technical fouls in rapid succession to get ejected Wednesday night, Curry keeled over. The Warriors were already without Jonathan Kuminga for a massive road matchup against the Orlando, now Green was gone too? Less than four minutes into the game, an exasperated Curry hid his red face in the neck of his jersey.

Curry, once again, lost the defensive yin to his yang. Green, for the fourth time this year and for the umpteenth time of this dynasty, lost his cool in such a manner that removed him from the court. Green is so crucial to the Warriors, any time he puts his availability at risk is a major hit to Golden State’s chances. They’ve had this discussion. They’ve had it so many times.

“We need him,” Curry said after an improbable 101-93 win in Orlando. “He knows that. We all know that. So whatever it takes to keep him on the floor, to be available, that’s what’s got to happen. Especially at this point of the year. Tough way to start the game, but I am extremely proud of every single person that stepped on the floor tonight and responded the way that they did.”

The NBA’s most loyal, unselfish superstar of his generation isn’t going to rip a teammate publicly, no matter how many times he messes up. And Curry loves Green. They’re bonded by 12 years of battles on the front lines together. They’ve won four championships together. And Green’s ability as a defensive savant has made him worth the headaches he induces.

But it was clear Green’s latest ejection struck a nerve. That the Warriors were able to rally their way to a stunning victory over the Magic without Green — and Kuminga — undoubtedly lightened the Warriors’ postgame mood.

“It was a beautiful team effort to respond the way we did and get this win,” Curry said. “We went and took it. That’s a big sign for us, a sign of growth, to be able to respond that way.”

Still, Curry’s emotions ran high — and rightfully so. Every game has serious playoff implications for the Warriors as Houston has won 10 straight and remains on their heels for the last play-in spot.

Steph’s reaction to Draymond’s ejection pic.twitter.com/5TH5DYC9w1

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 27, 2024

“We know how important this part of the season is, and our ability to get into a rhythm and secure a play-in opportunity, give ourselves a shot,” Curry said. “You don’t want to have self-inflicted wounds when it comes to that. We all care, we all are passionate about the game and our chances to have something to play for down the stretch. So, give everything you’ve got to this game, and that’s the emotion.”

The details of Green’s self-inflicted wound in the Kia Center were simple. According to crew chief Mitchell Ervin, “after a long diatribe, Green directed egregious profane language towards a game official.” His past history was “absolutely not” a factor in the decision to whistle him for back-to-back technicals with 8:24 left in the first quarter.

Green’s league-leading fourth ejection of the season was “deserved,” Steve Kerr said. Just days ago, the head coach praised Green’s ability to balance his competitive fire with composure; Wednesday was his first ejection since returning from his indefinite suspension. His actions against the Magic don’t erode Kerr’s confidence in Green going forward, the coach said.

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But it was a reminder that as Green tiptoes the line, any gust of wind could still push him over the edge. Green has certainly shown improvements in self-control since returning, but his midseason sabbatical didn’t change his DNA. He’s still a fiery competitor with a temper streak. That’s who he is, and that’s not going to change.

Green is still indispensable – in part because of that fire. The Warriors have no choice but to take his latest outburst and move on.

“That’s what we expect from him,” Curry said. “Like I said, we need him out there. Whatever needs to happen for him to be in a space where he can be productive and be in the right mind for us on the court, that’s what has to happen.”

‘Pat the Bat’ Burrell returns home on Giants coaching staff

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 21:27

SAN JOSE – If Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and the rest of the Giants’ young hitters break out this season, a new – but familiar – face in the clubhouse will be a big reason why.

“Pat the Bat” is back with the Giants for the latest chapter in his charmed Bay Area baseball life.

Pat Burrell joined new manager Bob Melvin’s coaching staff as a hitting instructor, 29 years after helping San Jose’s Bellarmine High win the West Catholic Athletic League title, 14 years after helping spark the Giants’ breakthrough World Series run, and four years after he got his coaching start as a roving hitting instructor in the team’s minor league ranks.

“I got a chance to resurrect my career here,” said Burrell.  “So this organization holds a special place in my heart.”

The Giants were Burrell’s final stop on a pro career that began with him as the top pick in the 1998 draft after being a three-time All-American at the University of Miami. The Giants signed the then-33-year-old outfielder after he had been released by Tampa Bay early in 2010, and he played a vital role in helping bring home the first World Series title in the franchise’s San Francisco history.

Pat Burrell throws a warm-up ball into the left field bleachers moments before the start of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010, in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Staff) 

And to think, Burrell, now 47, started out as an unknown transfer from San Lorenzo Valley trying to make his mark on the Bellarmine team.

After dominating on the JV team as a sophomore in 1993, it became clear to Bells coach Gary Cunningham that the 6-foot-4 teenager with the strength to hit moonballs was a special talent.

“Obviously, he had great natural ability, and I’m not gonna go and change anything,” Cunningham said, before chuckling and adding, “As I say to people, “Hey, I didn’t screw him up, because he got to the major leagues.”

By the time Burrell became an established part of the Bellarmine lineup, coaches around the WCAL took drastic measures to deal with him.

“By the time he was a senior, he would get walked every time,” former Archbishop Mitty coach Bill Hutton recalled. “He’d get the Barry Bonds treatment.”

Cunningham got creative in response: he started batting the hulking slugger leadoff, since no team would dare walk the game’s first batter.

“Yeah, Gary was a bit ahead on the analytics there,” Burrell recalled.

San Francisco Giants hitting coach Pat Burrell attends FanFest on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, at San Pedro Square in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

Despite rarely seeing good pitches, the future first overall pick still hit .370 with 11 home runs as a senior, helping the Bells beat Serra and a two-sport athlete named Tom Brady for the league crown.

“He stood out. He hit the ball further than anybody,” Hutton remembered, while adding that Burrell was far from a one-man band on those great mid-90’s Bells. “He just looked like a pro.”

Burrell spent 12 seasons in the majors, hitting 292 home runs, mostly with the Phillies. He won two World Series rings, including with the Phillies in 2008 when he hit  33 home runs.

After retiring with the Giants following the 2011 season, Burrell stayed involved in the game as a media personality, assistant coach at Bellarmine and a part-time hitting instructor.

“You just try everything you can, and sometimes you get opportunities like I have had here,” said Burrell, who lives in Portola Valley.

Burrell said his experience in the limelight as a top prospect was a different world from what the Giants’ young players have to deal with.

“In our generation, when you were a prospect, there was some media attention, but nothing like today,”  Burrell said. “Nothing like what Marco Luciano is going through.”

The job for Burrell as a hitting-instructor will be to unlock the slugging potential of those youngsters. But the 12-year MLB veteran said his job is as much about the mental side of the game than it is about hitting mechanics.

“We want to get our guys ready for that night’s game. Who they’re facing, possible matchups down the road in the bullpen. Certainly there’s guys who have pinch-hit roles that might come in late in the game,” Burrell said. “We want to make sure they feel good and confident going into the game.”

Since Burrell has been in the Giants system for years, he already has a rapport with most of the Giants top prospects.

Giants Pat Burrell is congratulated by third base coach Tim Flannery after Burrell hits a seventh inning three-run home run as the Giants take on the Brewers at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010. The Giants won 9-2. (Bay Area News Group archives) 

“I met him in 2020, and he’s been someone I can always reach out to,” second-year infielder Casey Schmitt said.

Cunningham, Burrell’s Bellarmine coach, says his star pupil has all the makings to be a success as a coach, just as he was as a player.

“He has a passion for the game,” Cunningham said. “He wasn’t one of those guys asking “When is practice going to be over, because I want to go do something.” He loved to practice and play, and that showed in his career.”

Now Burrell is ready to pen another successful chapter to his Bay Area story.

“I’ve found my home here working with players,” Burrell said.

Warriors shock Magic despite Draymond Green’s ejection

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 19:25

ORLANDO, Fla. — Steph Curry keeled over with his hands on his knees. He tugged the neck of his jersey over his red face, visibly upset that his long-time teammate got himself tossed.

Draymond Green, the Warriors’ embattled defensive star, got ejected less than four minutes into Wednesday night’s game for arguing with official Ray Acosta.

But Curry and the Warriors recovered from the early, Green-imposed drama. In fact, they never trailed after Green headed to the locker room.

In a tight fourth quarter, Andrew Wiggins dropped 13 points and Curry (17 points, 10 rebounds) celebrated a step-back 3 that clinched a 101-93 victory. On the second night of a back-to-back, when everything could’ve gone south, the Warriors (38-34) pulled out a win over the contending Magic.

“It was a gutsy effort in tough circumstances,” Steve Kerr said after Golden State’s win.

With 8:24 in the first quarter, Green earned his fourth ejection of the season — and his first since returning from his indefinite suspension. Kerr said that Green “deserved” the ejection, and that he’s confident he’ll bounce back. The coach recently praised Green for balancing competitiveness and composure, and said Wednesday night’s behavior doesn’t change that.

The Warriors were already short-handed even before losing Green, as Jonathan Kuminga was unavailable due to tendinitis in his left knee — an ailment Kerr considers minor. It was only the second game missed from Kuminga, who has emerged as the closest thing the Warriors have to a dependable secondary scorer next to Steph Curry. Kuminga has averaged 16.3 points per game and cracked double-digit points in 49 of his past 51 games.

Yet without both Kuminga and Green, the Warriors somehow wrestled Orlando into an extended submission. Immediately after Green jogged to the locker room, Golden State went on a 21-2 run. Paolo Banchero’s and-1 — the play Green lost his composure at with 8:24 left — was Orlando’s last made field goal of the opening quarter.

Orlando’s clanks added up to a 3-for-22 shooting start. Golden State held Orlando to 11 points in the first quarter, their second best defensive frame of the year.

Much of their success was simply Orlando missing clean looks. But the Warriors were bringing a physicality that appeared to give the Magic issues. Gary Payton II, in particular, flew around the court like a wrecking ball.

“We had to lock in, get his back, go out there and play with the energy he’d have,” Payton said.

Orlando’s offense looked stagnant, with too many isolations and midrange jumpers. On one possession, Anthony Black bricked a layup and Mo Wagner airballed a fadeaway jumper in the paint. Golden State didn’t make major adjustments, just committed to communicating, gang rebounding and playing tough on-ball defense.

One night after holding Miami to 37 points in the second half, the Warriors limited the Magic to 37 in the first half. Miami shot 30.4% from the field. Not a single player on either team cracked double-digits in the first 24 minutes.

For the Warriors, it was a strong half that ended on a low note; nobody ran back on defense as Banchero leaked out for a wide-open dunk in the waning seconds.

But the Warriors didn’t let that sour note bleed into the second half. Curry found a slice of rhythm in the third and Trayce Jackson-Davis put pressure on each rim.

Jackson-Davis, his fellow rookie Brandin Podziemski, and the always-ready Moses Moody came up big. A Moody offensive rebound in traffic led to a Klay Thompson second chance 3. To end the third quarter, Jackson-Davis stuffed Cole Anthony at the rim. He and Podziemski combined for 23 rebounds.

Both teams shot under 30% from 3 as the Warriors entered the fourth with a 72-66 edge. Then, suddenly, the low-scoring slugfest’s dam broke.

Wiggins scored eight straight points for the Warriors, going back-and-forth with Magic guard Cole Anthony. Wiggins aggressively got downhill to answer a Franz Wagner whirling finish, then Moody followed up a miss for a putback slam.

Green had long been in the locker room, but the Warriors were playing with his fire. They sandwiched a Banchero 3 with a Thompson triple and Wiggins and-1.

The Magic cut Golden State’s lead to one late, but buckets inside from Payton II and Curry provided a late cushion. Then Curry drilled a dagger, step-back 3.

In the far left corner, Curry gestured his patented “night-night” celebration. He hasn’t been able to break it out much recently, if at all. When he got back to the Warriors’ bench, he kicked a chair in his heightened state of emotion.

But on a night that nearly went off the rails in the beginning, Curry put the Warriors on his back, and on track.

“That’s what the great ones do,” Payton said of Curry. “He turned it on.”

New Stanford coach Kyle Smith gets ‘best job in the country’

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 17:32

STANFORD – Kyle Smith remembers an argument he had in a bar in 2004, after someone said Mike Montgomery had just made a great move by leaving Stanford to coach the Golden State Warriors.

Smith disagreed, saying Montgomery already had the best job in the country.

Twenty years later, that “best job” now belongs to Smith, who was formally introduced as the men’s basketball coach at a press conference on Stanford’s campus Wednesday.

“I’ve been saying that this is the best job, period, and I meant that sincerely, and that was before Coach Montgomery got (Stanford) to No. 1 in the country,” Smith said. “You don’t understand, those people are elite. They’re workers. They’re achievers.”

Washington State head coach Kyle Smith watches the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washington, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) 

Smith arrived from Washington State, where he was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year after a 25-10 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament – an event Stanford hasn’t appeared in since 2014.

Washington State had experienced seven straight losing seasons before Smith’s arrival, but the Cougars went .500 or better in each of their first four seasons under Smith.

Now Stanford is hoping for a similar turnaround. The Cardinal finished 14-19 (7-13 Pac-12) and have already lost their three top expected returners to the transfer portal – leading scorer and rebounder Maxime Raynaud, and top freshmen Andrej Stojakovic and Kanaan Carlyle.

Unless Smith can convince one of them to come back, Stanford’s entire starting five will be new next season.

“There’s guys in the portal?” Smith said. “I’m like, great, who cares? This is Stanford. We’re going to be OK. Things are going to be OK. We’re going to get people that want to be here. Worry more about the ones we have, not the ones we don’t, has been the mantra.”

The Cougars were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this past season, but a team with nine new players ended up in second place.

Still, Smith will have more obstacles at Stanford than most other coaches at power conference schools when it comes to rebuilding, including restrictive transfer policies. He had already spoken with women’s coach Tara VanDerveer, who asked him to point out how the programs could benefit if more graduate transfers were admitted.

USC women’s basketball had transfers from Columbia, Penn and Harvard on their Pac-12 tournament title team this year, who were unavailable to VanDerveer.

“I do believe kids that are graduating from Ivy League schools would probably be good graduate school candidates (at Stanford),” Smith said. “I don’t know. Are we that hard? We might be.”

Athletic director Bernard Muir told the Bay Area News Group Wednesday that the issue of grad transfers is still something “we have to figure out as an institution,” but that adjustments are possible.

Smith acknowledged that Stanford also won’t be able to offer as much NIL money as other schools, but hopes Stanford’s unique qualities will make up for it.

“The reason I’m attracted to this place is people are going to be at Stanford not for the dollars they can earn in NIL,” Smith said. “Hopefully it’s for the degree, for the experience, for lifetime relationships, and we’ve got to keep selling that to the players in the program, or the people in the portal.”

Smith hopes another selling point is his use of analytics in order to improve performance, which he thinks will appeal to players with a growth mindset. In practice he tracks about 60 different stats in order to compute a player’s HPPP (hustle points per possession).

“That’s how we measure how hard you’re competing, and it’s quantifying the intangible things that help us win,” Smith said. “I imagine the players here would like it. They’d want to know, ‘what do I have to do to get better?’ ”

Smith must also navigate Stanford’s first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and all the cross-country travel and unfamiliar opponents that will come with it. He admits his opinion on Stanford’s move to the ACC changed this week.

“When I was at Washington State I thought it was silly, and then when I got the job, I’m like, that’s awesome,” Smith said. “I mean that. I was like, man, Cameron Indoor Arena? Syracuse is in that league, too. I’m not looking forward to going to the Carrier Dome in the middle of winter, but it’s awesome, to be honest. They care about basketball. This is Tobacco Road. It’s a big-time deal. It’s awesome.”

While Smith cracked jokes through the press conference, he choked up when discussing having the Stanford Autism Center as a resource for his son, Bo, who is on the autism spectrum.

It was yet another reason he said it only took one conversation with Muir – and a call from Condoleeza Rice – to accept the job after the Cougars were eliminated on Saturday night.

Draymond Green ejected from Warriors-Magic game

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 17:29

ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than four minutes into the Warriors’ contest against the Magic in the Kia Center, Draymond Green got ejected.

Green, arguing with official Ray Acosta, got assessed a pair of technical fouls in rapid succession. The faces of his teammates in front of Golden State’s bench expressed mild bewilderment.

Green hadn’t been ejected from a game since he returned from his indefinite suspension for reckless on-court behavior. Just days ago, Steve Kerr praised the veteran big man for his composure and leadership.

“He’s walked the line perfectly,” Kerr said on March 24. “Gotten a couple techs for yelling at the refs, but he has not crossed that line, nor do I expect him to. I hate that that happened to Rudy (Gobert) and to (Jusuf) Nurkic. I hate that that happened to Jordan. I’ve said this many times, I hate that all that happened. But I couldn’t be more proud with the way Draymond has responded, and he’s gotten his career and his life back on track. It’s wonderful.”

Green’s ejection came with 8:24 left in the first quarter. His ninth and 10th technicals of the year amounted to his fourth ejection. The most significant ones came when he put Gobert in a choke hold — earning a five-game suspension — and soon after struck Nurkic. Kerr said that after the latter incident, he thought Green’s “career was on the line.”

Draymond picked up two technicals and was ejected after having words with the ref pic.twitter.com/tn2muDIXGo

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 27, 2024

The Warriors were already undermanned in Orlando, as Jonathan Kuminga was ruled out with left knee tendinitis. Losing Green so early only made things tougher against a Magic team contending for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

A’s fan boycott: Public safety concerns grow as A’s plan to restrict parking lot access

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 15:08

Ready or not, here come the Oakland A’s fans.

As early as noon on Thursday, fans are expected to begin lining up to enter the parking lot at the Coliseum, but many won’t actually buy a ticket to the A’s Opening Night game against the Cleveland Guardians, a sign of protest against the team’s pending move to Las Vegas in 2028.

While 26,805 people went to the team’s opening game at the Coliseum last year, almost as many are planning to show up to the parking lot Thursday while boycotting the actual game, said Bryan Johansen, founder of A’s fan group Last Dive Bar and one of the organizers of the boycott.

“This is going to be like Burning Man,” Johansen said. “But we’re not going to set anything on fire.”

He has been organizing fan events such as Fans Fest, a celebration of Oakland sports teams in Jack London Square last month, and last year’s reverse boycott, which also took place in the A’s parking lot before fans eventually packed the Coliseum with almost 28,000 people on a Tuesday in June.

This time, though, there’s a big problem: The A’s appear to be staging a protest of their own.

While last year they opened the parking lots four hours before the season-opener, and Johansen said they’ve opened as early as six hours before the game in years past, this year the A’s aren’t playing ball.

They plan to keep the parking lot gates closed until two hours before the 7:07 p.m. PT game, a plan that could present serious public safety concerns if cars are stuck in line, potentially blocking the freeway exit and creating miles-long traffic jams.

Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan said on social media Wednesday that she’s encouraging fans to take public transportation and is also asking the A’s to open their parking lot earlier “and not harm community health and safety by creating a backup.”

The A’s issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying, “Our gate times are based on attendance, and we are projecting that the game attendance will align with these times.”

It remains to be seen what the City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department will be able to do to prevent such a mess. OPD declined comment on Wednesday afternoon.

“With our social media platform, we have received numerous messages that people are going to come as early as 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock to line up,” Johansen said. “We foresee the line to get in the stadium is going to be all the way to the freeway at 1 or 2 o’clock at the earliest.”

Making matters trickier, there will be a concert next door to the Coliseum at Oakland Arena, where The Love Hard Tour featuring Keyshia Cole and Trey Songz will be starting at 8 p.m.

“We’d like the A’s to open the gates earlier,” Johansen said. “Regardless of the situation with fans and ownership, we’re still the fans, we’re still the ones who have supported this team for 55 years. It’s our Opening Day, too. Whether we go in the stadium or not, we deserve the same respect as far as gate opening times that we’ve had every single year since the stadium opened.”

Johansen and other leaders of A’s fan groups have made one thing very clear for every event they’ve hosted: They’re showing up to celebrate Oakland sports, not to express anger or hatred towards anybody. They’re frustrated with the A’s for the way the team has handled its pending departure, but they have no problem with any fans who choose to attend Thursday’s game and buy a ticket.

Johansen is hoping even fans attending the game will feel welcomed to the parking lot celebration, which he expects to feature prize giveaways, food, drinks, T-shirts, air horns, cowbells and vuvuzelas as the fans make as much noise as they can from the parking lot.

“Just give a night of reprieve for fans to voice their frustration in a creative and vibrant way, not in a violent way,” he said.

Johansen is asking boycotting fans to use the money they would’ve spent on tickets as a donation to Schools Over Stadiums, a political action group formed by a Nevada teachers’ union that’s trying to stop $380 million of public funding from going towards a ballpark in Las Vegas.

Schools Over Stadiums representative Alex Marks said the organization will have a tent in the A’s parking lot on Thursday and plans to collect donations, while a major donor in the Bay Area has promised to match all donations up to $100,000.

Schools Over Stadiums will present oral arguments on April 9 in a courtroom in Carson City, where the teachers hope they’ll be able to finalize a petition that, with enough signatures, could send the public funding to a ballot in November.

“We’ll be ready to hit the streets with our volunteers either way,” Marks said.

Some of the 7,850 fans at the Coliseum for Monday’s exhibition game between the A’s and San Francisco Giants said they were also concerned about the potential chaos on Thursday and would not be attending the game or parking lot.

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“I’m coming on Saturday, but that (boycott) is too much,” said Juan Morales.

Gilbert Morin III, from San Jose, attended Monday’s game and plans to attend more games this year, but won’t support the A’s if they complete their move out of Oakland. He said he has put 40 years of fandom into this team.

“Baseball and football used to be for the working man, who would work all week, and then come out and enjoy the game,” Morin III said. “Now they’re taking it away from us. Now they’re saying that it’s not sports, it’s entertainment.

“Just let me spend my money because I’ve worked my (expletive) off all week, and I want to enjoy a game.”

A’s star Zack Gelof, a 24-year-old who could soon be the face of the franchise, said he has empathy for the fans’ heartbreak over losing the team to Las Vegas.

The players are facing their own uncertainty over where the team will play next year. The team’s lease at the Coliseum expires after 2024 and Sacramento is being floated as a potential home for the next three years.

“It’s tough whenever you lose a team,” Gelof said. “I’m not really sure what’s going to happen. As far as players, all we can do is control what we can control. At the end of the day, that’s winning baseball games. We just try to put a winning team together and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Bay Area News Group reporter Joseph Dycus contributed to this report.

Kurtenbach: Expectations must become reality for the 2024 SF Giants

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 15:06

The mandate for the San Francisco Giants in 2024 is crystal clear:

This big-market, big-money team cannot miss the postseason for a third straight year.

It doesn’t matter how they reach the playoffs. They can magically and inexplicably win 107 games again (the super fun route) or sneak in with a barely .500 record (the got-it-done option). They can do it by leaning on old players, young players, or a whole bunch of players in between. They can buy or sell at the trade deadline or do a bit of both.

For the Giants, the ends will justify the means, so long as the end is October baseball.

(Though I’m sure ownership would prefer if they could do that and “somewhat break even.”)

And here’s the good news: it’s an absolutely reasonable goal for the Giants to make the playoffs.

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It took a while to come together, but the Giants had a blockbuster offseason. Outside of the Dodgers, no one spent more on outside-the-organization talent.

In adding a top-of-the-order, everyday center fielder (Jung Hoo Lee), one of the best all-around third basemen of this generation (Matt Chapman), a former 48-home-run strongman to bat cleanup (Jorge Soler), and the reigning National League Cy Young winner (Blake Snell), it’s clear the Giants’ front office received the fanbase’s demands.

That heat emanating from their seats spurred action. The Giants acted like a team intent on making the Dodgers’ life hell in 2024 and perhaps making some waves of their own.

And outside of being the Dodgers (an impossible standard to match), I’m not sure what more anyone could ask for heading into this campaign.

After all, if the Giants that were already on the roster were fine, adding these new guys should make this year’s team pretty good.

This year, pretty good will be good enough.

And better yet, this team makes sense — at least on paper.

A team that plays 81 games a season at Oracle Park should be focused on run suppression. If the Giants have any positives in the talent pipeline, it’s pitching. They have a glut of young, impressive arms.

So by improving the team’s defense (outside of left field, there’s no clear weakness — and perhaps three Gold Glove winners on the infield) and doubling down on that impressive pitching depth by signing Snell and trading for another former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray (who will return mid-season), San Francisco should win games.

The offense should improve, too. The Giants’ 2023 season was torpedoed by anemic hitting in the second half. Before the All-Star break, the Giants had scored the 11th most runs in baseball. After that, they scored the fewest runs per game in the majors. Even the A’s were better.

Get this: the Giants’ plan to game the system and amalgamate a bunch of part-time guys in the hopes of receiving quality full-time production didn’t stand up to the scrutiny of six months and 162 games.

This year, we’ll avoid the daily mystery of who is in the lineup. There won’t be a clandestine operation to hide the day’s starting pitcher, either. Sure, there will still be some platooning—first base and right field will be split, at least to start the season — but we’re past the eras of openers, piggybacks, and general lineup tomfoolery.

The man tasked with putting together that standard, downright repeatable lineup this season was also an offseason addition.

And he might prove to be the biggest addition when the 2024 season comes to an end.

No manager in baseball has consistently gotten more from less than Bob Melvin. He won 53 percent of his games in Oakland and had the same winning percentage the last two years in San Diego, where he was hired to fix the incredible clubhouse mess former manager Jayce Tingler created in only 222 games.

And what’s most impressive about Melvin’s time, specifically in Oakland, is that he didn’t micromanage, making him a sharp departure from his predecessor in San Francisco, Gabe Kapler.

After all, that sort of thing was always beneath the Giants. Let the small-market, low-budget teams sweat the small stuff and play between the margins. The Giants play in the richest region in America. It was about time they acted like it.

Now they have.

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This isn’t to say that progression from last season’s 79-83 campaign is guaranteed. Far from it.

The Giants might be projected to win the third-most games in the National League this upcoming season after the March additions of Snell and Chapman, but it still puts them well behind the Dodgers and Braves — baseball’s two best. Furthermore, there are between eight and 10 other teams in the league that are projected (depending on what system you use) to be within four games of .500 this season.

Thanks to the expanded playoffs and the sport’s relatively new luxury tax thresholds, nearly every team that’s trying is playing for the middle.

Call it parity if you want — I’ll call it mediocrity. It pays in Commissioner Rob Manfred’s game.

The Giants could be part of that glob of “meh,” or they could be a step above it this season.

Either way, there won’t be much margin for error this season.

The work of the offseason was excellent and has the fan base feeling a sense of optimism that hasn’t been approached in nearly a decade. Give the Giants’ front office plaudits for that.

But now the real work begins.

Would it be nice if the 2024 Giants were fun to watch? Absolutely. We’d all like to enjoy six months of engaging, interesting, entertaining baseball.

While I think the Giants will, in fact, provide that this upcoming season, the only thing they need to deliver is a playoff berth.

This team has lofty, serious expectations this season.

They have to become reality by the fall.

 

 

 

Baseball 2024: What’s it like to sing the national anthem at an A’s or Giants game?

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 12:58

Kinsley Murray is an old pro at singing the national anthem.

She’s performed the famous Francis Scott Key-penned lyrics at more than 100 sporting events, including an array of major and minor league baseball games. It’s an impressive accomplishment — especially for an 8-year-old, who can’t get enough of the rush that comes from belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” for crowds of sports fans.

“When I see the people, I’m like, ‘Oh, I think this is going to be a good performance,’” Kinsley says. “I love the big roar. I’m already doing my best, but (the crowd) makes me feel more excited – and then I just really go at it.”

There’s no doubt that Major League Baseball views anthem singers as hot commodities. Each team hosts at least 81 home games a year, which require a daunting array of star-spangled music. Singers don’t hold a monopoly on ballpark gigs — Metallica, the Beach Boys and Carlos Santana have all done the patriotic gig — but vocalists are often the go-to. And singers of every age — pro and amateur — have graced the mic for both the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s, from Kinsley, the young Pasco, Washington, resident who sang for an A’s game in 2022, to Megan Slankard, who has performed the anthem at a dozen Giants games, despite the inevitable butterflies.

“At 1 minute and 30 seconds, the song always seems to be one of the more terrifying gigs on the calendar,” says the acclaimed Tracy-born singer-songwriter. “You pick it: challenging melody, crazy ballpark echo, 45,000 baseball fans. And don’t forget about the words! Oh, those words. It’s one long run-on sentence, and no matter how much you’ve burned it into your brain, there’s something about stepping on to that field that can make one’s mind go blank.”

Musician Megan Slankard performs the national anthem before a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers in San Francisco, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) 

Despite the nerves, Slankard says, there’s still a part of her that loves the experience.

“I love baseball. I love the energy, the suspense, the garlic fries, and I love the Giants and their fans,” she says. “It’s an electrifying experience.”

That’s true even when the gig involves singing while dressed up as one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history. Yes, Slankard can check that one off her list as well.

“One season, the Giants asked me to dress up like Princess Leia on a designated ‘Star Wars night’,” she explains. “Even though I am more of a Trek than a Wars kind of gal, it sounded like too much fun to decline.”

It wasn’t just singing. Some custom prep work was necessary to properly inhabit the part Carrie Fisher made famous in the 1977 film.

“I remember looking up YouTube tutorials on how to put my hair up into the traditional cinnamon-roll pigtails on either side of my head,” she says. “The organization even supplied a costume, though I was too short for it and had to clip it in the back, so I wouldn’t trip when walking out to the mic.”

Theme nights always make for ballpark fun, and they give organizers the chance to book singers who really fit with the occasion. So when the Oakland A’s held a Hawaiian day celebration at the Coliseum one year, they called in East Bay slack-key guitarist and vocalist Patrick Landeza to perform the anthem.

“Singing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ is one of those bucket list gigs for me,” Landeza says. “Not only was I proud to play our national anthem but also represent my Hawaiian heritage by doing it my way — performing my Hawaiian slack-key guitar version.”

Still, the San Lorenzo resident says he was feeling mighty nervous on game day, despite all his practice and prep work, as he readied himself to sing in such a cavernous space.

“There was about a six-second delay that didn’t compare to me practicing in the bathroom, where it was probably a two-second delay,” he remembers. “To make things even worse, every time I completed a practice run in the stadium, the bullpen booed me. The sound man said that they do that to everyone, but it was making me more concerned.”

In the end, the day proved unforgettable for Landeza — for all the right reasons.

“I genuinely got a lot of positive feedback,” he says. “I watch the video and look at the pictures from time to time in disbelief that I did this — and at the same time, swear to never do it again!”

Oakland A’s players hi-five Kinsley Murray, 6, of Pasco, Washington, after she sang the national anthem before the start of their MLB game at the Oakland Coliseum on Aug. 21, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Landez may have caught rehearsal boos from bullpen pranksters, but some artists get it for real — from the crowd. When Alison Levy and The Sippy Cups, her Bay Area kiddie-rock act, did the anthem for a family day-themed Giants game, the experience proved memorable for less than positive reasons.

“We gave the Giants organization the option of a traditional solo vocal performance or a full band rock version,” says Levy. “They opted for the rock band version, but the crowd was not with us and booed us and called us un-patriotic!”

And the crowd was still upset at the group 7½ innings into the game.

“Later (organizers) asked me and the other lead singer to lead ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game.’ That’s when we realized that the Giants fans were not on our side!” the San Francisco resident recalls. “We hightailed it out of there after that.”

But Kinsley Murray had the opposite experience in Oakland, where A’s fans treated her like a major celebrity.Related Articles

“Funny thing is, to this day, she always say’s the A’s is her favorite anthem because of the reaction and all the people that came up to her after for selfies and autographs,” says Shafer Murray, Kinsley’s father. “We couldn’t get through the concourse without getting stopped, probably 100 times, if not more.”

Now Kinsley, who has sung for NCAA games, as well as professional basketball and baseball games, is setting her sights on the anthem spotlight at San Francisco’s Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, calling that “my dream.” It’s not a reflection of her baseball allegiance. She just wants to see Klay Thompson, who attended Washington State University, the school this young anthem singer hopes to attend one day.

Washington State’s AD vacancy: Six names to watch as the Cougars start the search to replace Pat Chun

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 11:50

Washington State on Wednesday morning is where Washington was a few days earlier: without an athletic director or men’s basketball coach.

The Huskies filled their voids quickly, hiring Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle to take over the basketball program and raiding Washington State for Pat Chun, who takes over as athletic director in Seattle immediately.

We suspect the Cougars will need more than 48 hours to get both pieces in place and have prioritized the basketball search in order to prevent key players from leaving through the transfer portal.

Where should they turn to replace Chun? President Kirk Schulz plans a national search — a commendable goal, for sure. But WSU would be wise to regionalize the process.

The school’s uncertain athletic future is the woolly mammoth in the room, a massive complicating factor that assuredly will scare off many otherwise qualified candidates.

The Cougars need candidates who are willing to take on the challenge and understand the state of play in Pullman (or a comparable campus).

Schulz might decide to promote from within — that continuity and a quick fix are paramount considering the double-whammy of losing Chun and basketball coach Kyle Smith, plus the ever-present issue of charting a strategic path forward for the athletic department.

In that case, Anne McCoy, the Cougars’ senior deputy athletic director, makes sense.

If Schulz decides to look outside the department, his first call should be to San Diego State athletic director JD Wicker, who spent a decade (2001-11) working for Cougar athletics under Jim Sterk.

We are deeply skeptical of Wicker’s interest, despite his ties to the school. Given the circumstances, San Diego State provides more stability and an equivalent competitive platform. Moving forward, there is zero difference between the ‘Pac-2’ schools and a top-tier Mountain West athletic program.

But it cannot hurt to make the call. At the very least, Wicker might suggest qualified candidates and offer strategic insight.

Speaking of which, the Hotline has a few names to offer — free of charge — as the Cougars rebuild their leadership team.

(Listed alphabetically)

Western Michigan AD Dan Bartholomae: While a tad light on experience in the big chair — he has been in charge at WMU for just two years — Bartholomae is extremely well versed in the Pacific Northwest and the challenges facing Washington State. He spent five years as Oregon State’s deputy athletic director under Scott Barnes. Their relationship would serve the Cougars well given how closely WSU and OSU are working to navigate the aftermath of the Pac-12’s collapse.

Toledo AD Bryan Blair: Hired by Toledo two years ago, Blair hits the sweet spot for WSU. He worked for the Cougars under Chun (as the deputy athletic director) and has experience running a department. But would he be interested? Toledo’s conference, the MAC, is as stable as any in the country, and Blair grew up on the East Coast. Moving back to the Palouse would present both risks and challenges in equal, and daunting, amounts.

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Montana AD Kent Haslam: If the Cougars want a sitting athletic director who understands working in remote locations and oversees a high-level athletic department, Haslam fits the model. A graduate of Brigham Young, he has been on the job in Missoula for more than a decade. The Grizzlies have won Big Sky titles in both football and men’s basketball.

Northern Arizona AD Mike Marlow: The only member of this list who hits the trifecta, Marlow attended WSU (multiple degrees), worked for the Cougars and has significant experience as an athletic director. (He has been on the job in Flagstaff since 2017.) During his seven years with WSU, Marlow focused on football and helped then-athletic director Bill Moos hire Mike Leach. Also, he spent more than a decade on the Oregon athletics staff.

Texas A&M deputy AD Chris Park: The only candidate on our list who has not been an athletic director, Park does fit the other important criteria: institutional knowledge. He spent four years in Pullman as one of Chun’s top lieutenants before returning in 2022 to Texas A&M, his alma mater. His area of expertise is on the business development side, a vital area for the Cougars as they try to make the finances work through this period of uncertainty.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

De La Salle lacrosse coach, among notable alumni at Kobe Bryant’s high school, carves trailblazing path

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Wed, 03/27/2024 - 11:00

CONCORD – Before De La Salle seniors Henry Benner, Andrei Gran and Mikey Lencioni became key players on the Spartans’ dominant lacrosse team, they were watching highlights of their head coach on YouTube.

Johnny Christmas was one of the most exciting players of his generation. He won a national championship at the University of Virginia, was a Major League Lacrosse All-Star and had one of the sport’s best dive-across-the-crease shots.

At the same Pennsylvania high school where the late Kobe Bryant starred before being drafted into the NBA, Christmas’ name is listed alongside the basketball legend and numerous others as notable alumni.

“The knowledge Coach brings to the table is unmatched,” Gran said. “We can go to him for questions about different situations and he can tell us from his perspective what he would do. His experience helps us a lot and it translates to our success.”

In some ways, Christmas, who is Black, is a trailblazer.

He is a former star player and now a successful coach in a sport not known for its diversity. According to data compiled by the website Zippia.com, nearly 73% of lacrosse players are White while just 8.9% are Black or African American. Insidelacrosse.com reported that 83.34% of NCAA lacrosse players in 2020 were White compared to 3.86% who were Black, noting at the time that the sport was 40% more diverse than in 2012.

Christmas hopes his presence, which includes those YouTube videos, will help inspire more Black athletes to give lacrosse a try.

“Lacrosse is still predominantly not Black,” Christmas said. “I think as the sport grows and kids that are Black see me on video or on the sidelines, I hope it makes them more comfortable and a little more inclusive in this space.”

Christmas, 41, is in his ninth season as De La Salle’s head coach. His program has won three consecutive North Coast Section championships and is aiming to capture an unprecedented fourth in a row this spring.

There are three lofty goals Christmas sets for his team each season: Win East Bay Athletic League and NCS titles and beat the Bay Area’s premier program, Central Coast Section powerhouse St. Ignatius, a team that is 15-1 against De La Salle dating to 2008, including a 14-8 triumph this month.

“That’s the standard every year going forward,” Christmas said. “We want to win championships. That would be a successful season for us.”

De La Salle’s Henry Benner takes a shot against St. Ignatius on March 19. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Christmas certainly knows what it takes to flourish in a sport that has had steady high school participation numbers in California the past decade. He first picked up a lacrosse stick when he was in third grade, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jason, who went on to play lacrosse and football at Villanova.

Growing up in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Christmas saw firsthand what a high-level athlete looked like. Before he became a star at Lower Merion High School in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Christmas would often wait hours in line to watch Bryant (Class of 1996) play for the school’s basketball team. Christmas’ brothers were among Bryant’s teammates.

“I remember seeing Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in line waiting to see Kobe,” Christmas said. “It was really awesome for me to see how he became one of the best basketball players of all time and one of the best competitors. There’s just a lot of pride around Kobe being from Ardmore.”

On the lacrosse field, Christmas became a three-time high school All-American and was heavily recruited by schools in the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference, but ultimately chose to play lacrosse at Virginia.

Under then-Virginia coach Dom Starsia, Christmas thrived. He was a two-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American and led Virginia to a national championship in 2003.

After college, Christmas turned pro. He played in both the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse for five years.

During his time as a pro, Christmas became a sales rep for a lacrosse manufacturing company. His responsibilities included traveling across the country to sell lacrosse equipment to brick and mortar stores.

That’s when he developed a love for the Bay Area.

“I had the choice to travel to Chicago or San Francisco, and since I went to Chicago a few times already, I wanted to see a place I haven’t been before,” Christmas said. “I immediately thought this place was great. I met some people who told me lacrosse was really starting to boom in the Bay Area. They told me it was a tremendous opportunity to start a club and build the sport and I just made the leap.”

With strong roots in the East Coast, lacrosse has migrated West over the past couple of decades. The NCS held its first lacrosse championships in 2004. The CCS crowned its inaugural champions in 2021.

Before taking over at De La Salle in 2015, Christmas was the junior varsity coach across the Bay at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.

At De La Salle, Christmas took over a program that had won three NCS titles under former coach Bob O’Meara.

Christmas’ teams have added four more section championship trophies to the case, earning acclaim from even the Bay Area’s top program along the way.

“De La Salle has always been a difficult place to play,” St. Ignatius coach Chris Packard said. “I have a lot of respect for coach Christmas and the entire De La Salle program.”

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The Spartans under Christmas have achieved two of their goals through the years – league and section titles. The third goal – beating SI – remains elusive.

De La Salle is 0-9 against the San Francisco powerhouse since Christmas was hired by the Concord school.

The Spartans won’t get another shot at SI until next season – the Wildcats are not in DLS’s section – but their quest for more league and NCS titles is still attainable.

De La Salle is 6-3 overall and 3-0 in the EBAL after beating Monte Vista 13-6 on Tuesday. The Spartans have a one-game lead over the Mustangs for first place in the league standings.

“It’s definitely an expectation for us to be able to come back and win another NCS title this year,” Lencioni said. “To win the past two years and lose to a couple section teams to start the season is rough, but I think we’re working to get back to the place we know we can get to.”

De La Salle’s Mikey Lencioni (21) makes a running shot against visiting St. Ignatius during their lacrosse game March 19. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Opening Day starter Alex Wood trying to change Oakland A’s culture and ‘build a winning program’

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 18:33

SAN FRANCISCO — For Alex Wood, signing a one-year deal to play for the Oakland A’s wasn’t simply about individual opportunity.

He wants to help change the culture.

Wood, 33, will get the Opening Day start on Thursday at the Coliseum as the A’s kick off their 2024 season looking to improve after back-to-back 100-loss seasons.

“I’ve been to a lot of places where I’ve been able to win,” said Wood, whose teams have made the playoffs in seven of his 11 big league seasons. “I want to set the example of what that looks like on a day-to-day basis and what goes into it, to have a winning culture and build a winning program.”

The idea that the A’s will be anything but last-place finishers in the American League West for the third straight year requires a bit of optimism. The oddsmakers at DraftKings have the A’s over/under set to 57.5 wins this season, a big jump from the 50-112 record they finished with a year ago.

“I think that we’re definitely going to be better than what people are expecting,” Wood said. “We’ve been banged up a little bit but I think we’re going to play good baseball. We’ve got some good arms, some good young position players. I think we’ll be super competitive.”

Last year, the A’s used a franchise record 41 different pitchers while posting a league-worst 5.48 ERA.

They hope to have upgraded by signing Wood (career 3.74 ERA) to a one-year deal worth $8.5 million and trading for 34-year-old Ross Stripling (career 3.96 ERA). The veteran starters were part of a San Francisco Giants team that won 79 games last year and will now lead a battle tested A’s rotation that also includes JP Sears, 28, Paul Blackburn, 30, and Joe Boyle, 24.

Boyle, acquired in exchange for lefty Sam Moll in a midsummer trade with the Cincinnati Reds, is a flame-thrower who had one of the hardest average fastballs (98 mph) in baseball last year.

“In terms of experience, there are four guys leading the way and it’s a much better start than what we had last year,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “Nothing against the guys we did start last year, but there’s a lot more experience on the mound, guys who understand how to manage the game and get through it, whether they have their best stuff or need to go compete.”

The A’s haven’t had an ace in years. Chris Bassitt is the last A’s starter to be worth at least 4.0 WAR (wins above replacement) when he threw 157-1/3 innings with a 3.15 ERA in 2021. Before him, there was Sonny Gray in 2015, Bartolo Colon in 2013 and Gio Gonzalez in 2011.

Wood, who was used as a swingman with the Giants last year, hasn’t made 30 starts since 2015 but has found a way to contribute, often pitching important innings for playoff teams in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Atlanta. He has a career 3.11 ERA in 21 postseason appearances.

Wood said he didn’t sign with Oakland so he could join a team with lower expectations and less pressure.

“It’s funny because there are two separate things as far as expectations individually and as a team,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what team you’re on, what the expectations are. There’s pressure on every individual in this clubhouse to succeed, play well and solidify themselves in their own careers. That helps to feed into where the team is heading.”

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It’s the mindset that’s helping fuel a culture that Kotsay hopes will change in Year 3 under his management.

“They understand what it means to be big leaguers now,” Kotsay said. “This group came here, a lot of them, in survival mode. They are creating a culture together where they’re working out in the weight room together, they’re challenging each other on the field, challenging each other to put in the work. And yet have fun in the clubhouse together. That’s the best way to describe this culture.”

The rest of the league might not be expecting much of the A’s, but they’ve got their own expectations.

“The goals are always to win and have an opportunity to get to the postseason,” Kotsay said. “As an organization, where we were last year (losing 112 games), we understand that as a group. Our goal is to improve. And in our minds, make big improvements. Those are goals we want to set.

“This group has come together in spring training and started to build a culture. They’ve got some confidence.”

SF Giants will use Cal Poly public-address announcer vs. A’s

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 17:32

The first of the Giants’ rotating voices following the departure of longtime public-address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon will be Carolyn “CJ” Silas, who is set to announce Tuesday night’s Bay Bridge Series game against the A’s.

Silas is the baseball announcer in San Luis Obispo for Cal Poly, where she is in her 22nd season calling Mustangs games. Silas has also called minor-league games for the Blue Jays’ and Yankees’ affiliates in New York state.

Team president Larry Baer said last week during the Giants’ open house ahead of the season that the club would use a rotation of announcers in the immediate aftermath of Brooks-Moon’s departure after 24 seasons behind the microphone. Brooks-Moon had been the team’s public-address announcer since the Giants moved to their waterfront stadium now known as Oracle Park.

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The split with Brooks-Moon, announced last week, was billed as amicable after contract negotiations stalled, but it drew backlash from some fans and observers less than two weeks before Opening Day.

The Giants did not specify who else would be in the rotation along with Silas, though Baer said last week that he expects the team to begin its search for a new PA announcer soon. The Giants open the season Thursday in San Diego and host the Padres for their own home opener on April 5.

How Warriors’ Podziemski is honoring his late high school coach

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 17:20

MIAMI — For the rest of this season, Brandin Podziemski’s sneakers will be marked up with two messages: “R.I.P. Duane Mlachnik” and “L.I.F. – DM.”

Podziemski, for the second time this season, is grieving the loss of a coach close to him. Duane Mlachnik, Podziemski’s high school coach for two years, died on March 21, 2024 at age 61.

“He really jump-started my love for basketball,” Podziemski said. “He kind of showed me the endless potential and opportunities it could create for me.”

Podziemski started seriously playing basketball when he was in eighth grade. He was tight with Mlachnik’s nephew, Max, and through him was introduced to Duane and his program at St. John’s Northwestern — a military academy outside Milwaukee.

After one year of public school, at his parents’ behest, Podziemski transferred to St. John’s. He spent his sophomore and junior year — two All-State campaigns — playing for Mlachnik.

But during Podziemski’s senior year, Mlachnik was diagnosed with Blastomycosis, a rare fungal pneumonia. Mlachnik’s son took over as head coach in a year Podziemski was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball.

The past four years have been difficult for Mlachnik and his family amid his health issues. Podziemski said he received a lung transplant, lost so much weight that he “didn’t look like himself” and required an air tank to breathe.

While NBA players, even rookies like Podziemski, are long removed from their high school days, many stay connected to coaches who make an impact on them. Gary Payton II last week honored his AAU coach, Darrel Jordan, who helped him hone his skills once he committed to pursuing his basketball dream, at an awards event. Steph Curry keeps in occasional touch with his high school coach at Charlotte Christian, Shonn Brown, and once surprised the school with a message on the loudspeakers when he was back in town.

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Podziemski was especially close with Mlachnik. Up until March 21, Podziemski would regularly check in with the coach to see how he was feeling. And Mlachnik, even in his condition, continued to coach his former star guard.

Over a three-game stretch, from March 16 to March 20, Podziemski struggled through arguably his worst stretch as a rookie. He recorded only seven points across 81 minutes, including a scoreless night in a loss to the Knicks.

“He noticed that I didn’t really look like myself out there, particularly offensively,” Podziemski said. “Playing a little more passive than aggressive. So like, on my shoes, it says ‘L.I.F’ — let it fly. That’s what he kept stressing to me.”

Danny Emerman | Bay Area News Group

In the two games since March 21, when Mlachnik died, Podziemski has taken, and sank, more shots. The loss is still weighing on him “quite a bit,” though.

“It’s been tough,” Podziemski said. “But I think through playing, being around basketball to try to take your mind off it. I’ve been trying to do a lot of that. Obviously in my free time, you think about it quite a bit. Lot of death, obviously, with Deki. Just trying to use basketball as a way to get your mind off it.”

Podziemski has made arrangements to return to Wisconsin on April 1 for Mlachnik’s funeral. His high school teammates will be there, as well as many members of Mlachik’s family he knows well. According to Mlachnik’s obituary, he had six kids and 16 grandchildren, many of whom he coached.

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“He meant a lot to me,” Podziemski said. “He kind of showed me what my journey could look like if I really put my mind to it…He’s always been in my corner through ups and downs. Same with everyone else in his family.”

Sharks’ Labanc, having little communication with Quinn, knows time in San Jose is ending

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 15:42

SAN JOSE – Kevin Labanc still carries with him a message that he learned from playing with San Jose Sharks legends Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton.

“It goes by quick,” Labanc said. “It’s crazy. They played 20 years, but it goes by quick, so don’t take a day for granted.”

There are less than four weeks left in the NHL regular season and by all indications, these will be the final days of Labanc’s eight-year tenure with the Sharks organization.

Labanc, 28, is a pending unrestricted free agent with a rebuilding organization that has undergone massive roster upheaval since Mike Grier took over as general manager in the summer of 2022. Veterans like Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl, and a handful of others, are on different teams. Some are out of the NHL altogether.

Labanc has 225 points in 473 career NHL games and is one of the few players left from the Sharks’ last playoff team in 2019. But it’s hard to see him fitting into the team’s long-term plans, given the organization’s overall desire to get younger, and bigger.

In the short term, Labanc’s been a healthy scratch over 20 times this season and will sit out again Tuesday when the Sharks face the Dallas Stars looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.

While his offensive skill has never been questioned, his consistency and commitment to playing a sound two-way game have been. That landed him in David Quinn’s doghouse at times this season, and on ex-coach Bob Boughner’s naughty list in seasons prior.

This season, Labanc, in the final year of a four-year, $18.9 million contract awarded to him by former Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, has just nine points in 41 games and has averaged a career-low 11:45 in ice time.

For now, Labanc, a 2014 sixth-round draft pick by the Sharks who defied the odds to get this far, is talking like this is the end of his time in San Jose.

“Playing in San Jose, it’s been a privilege,” Labanc said Thursday morning. “I didn’t take it for granted. Every practice, I came every day and came to work. I’ve made so many memories playing at SAP Center in front of that crowd, just the whole community is so supportive of all the guys, (through) bad or good.

“I really appreciated it and anytime you put on that Sharks jersey, you want to represent those people.”

Labanc said he hasn’t had much communication with Quinn about when he might get into the lineup again, adding there’s, “nothing more to elaborate on that.”

“I’m kind of past it. It is what it is,” Labanc said. “We’ve got 12 games left. Do what you can and control you can, on the ice and off the ice. Just support the boys. It’s always fun being in the locker room with these guys. So I’m just enjoying my time with them.”

Quinn said last Saturday morning he was thinking about getting Labanc into the lineup that night against the Chicago Blackhawks. But he opted not to make any lineup changes after a relatively strong performance by the forward group in the game before against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I do want to get him back in,” Quinn said of Labanc, “so it’ll be sooner than later.”

Earlier this year, Labanc and his agent, Mike Curran, began working with the Sharks to try and get the forward to another team.

Labanc did not play in eight straight games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 15, but then Quinn dressed him for six of nine games before the March 8 trade deadline. But moving Labanc was always going to be a challenge, given his $4.725 million cap hit for this season and his modest offensive output all year.

“I think (Grier) was trying,” Labanc said of a possible deal. “It’s obviously tough when I’m in the position that I’m in and I haven’t really been playing all that much, either. So, it doesn’t really help the case.

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“I’m just doing it for the guys,” Labanc said. “Just being there for them and try and be supportive as much as you can. Whatever the coaches decide, that’s on them. Just trying to help the guys get off this losing skid that we’re on and try and get a couple more wins before the season ends.”

A pending UFA, Labanc faces an uncertain future in the NHL.

But he had 33 points in 72 games last season, and 14 points in 30 career Stanley Cup playoff games. His most unforgettable moment in San Jose came when he had four points on a five-minute power play in Game 7 of San Jose’s 2019 first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

He remains confident that he can still play in the league.

“I know I can play, I know I can contribute, I know what my skill set is, and I know what it takes to be in that playoff-type environment and compete in those regular season games where you need those points,” Labanc said. “So given the opportunity, I know I can succeed. And I’m excited.”

49ers brace for Brock Purdy to reset quarterback market in 2025: CEO York

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 14:32

Brock Purdy’s payday is on the 2025 horizon, and 49ers CEO Jed York is embracing that vision.

“It’s a good problem when you’re quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league,” York told Bay Area reporters Tuesday at the NFL’s annual owners meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Purdy must finish out the third year of his especially modest rookie contract — at a 2024 salary of $985,000 — before the collective bargaining agreement allows him to get a new deal, one befitting a starting quarterback who guided the 49ers to back-to-back NFC Championship Games as well as last month’s Super Bowl overtime defeat.

“It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before,” York said without trepidation. “I don’t know how many players are making over $40 million (annually) as a quarterback right now.”

The answer is nine, including four who crested the $50 million annual mark: Joe Burrow (Bengals, $55 million), Justin Herbert (Chargers, $52.5 million), Lamar Jackson (Ravens, $52 million) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles, $51 million), according to OverTheCap.com. The Cowboys announced Tuesday that Dak Prescott will play out his contract this season that pays him a $29 million salary before he, Purdy and surely others vie for new deals in 2025.

With Purdy still anchored to his rookie contract — a $3.7 million deal as the 2022 draft’s final pick — the 49ers have had the financial wherewithal to pay top-end salaries at other positions, a luxury that threatens to become endangered once Purdy strikes it rich like Jimmy Garoppolo did in 2018 (five years, $137.5 million).

“When we signed Jimmy several years ago, it was the largest deal in the history of the NFL, for three minutes,” York said. “But Jimmy was at ($27.5 million). That’s what the market is and you have to accept the reality of the world.

“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money.”

The 49ers’ more pressing contract situation revolves around wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is slated to make $14.1 million on his fifth-year option. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have insisted they want to keep Aiyuk and reward him with a multi-year deal, after the 2020 first-round pick evolved into a 1,000-yard receiver each of the past two seasons.

A year ago, Purdy’s future was in question as he underwent surgery on his right elbow. In his ensuing comeback, he set the 49ers’ record for most passing yards in a season (4,280) and he became their first Pro Bowl quarterback in 20 years.

York is not wincing at eventually having to again pay top dollar for a quarterback, saying: “There’s a lot of planning that goes into it. I’m glad we have Paraag (Marathe), J.L. (John Lynch), Kyle (Shanahan). They’re the ones that are going to figure out the details of it, and I just have to sign the check. My part in that is kind of easy.”

York is adamant about rewarding homegrown stars rather than relying on higher-risk, high-priced signings in free agency. “Brandon, guys that you drafted, I’d much rather pay guys we drafted than guys we didn’t draft,” York said. “We’ll do everything we can, like we have in the past, to find a way to make those work.”

At this week’s NFL meetings, York is expected to ascend from 49ers CEO and replace his mother, Denise DeBartolo-York, as principal owner of a franchise in which their family controls 97 percent of the stakes. While that would give him the 49ers’ power as their lone representative in NFL meetings, he has essentially served as the ownership group’s spokesman for his 13 years as CEO, though that’s essentially amounted to a once-a-year press conference. Instead while deferred to Shanahan and Lynch.

“It’s a move from a family standpoint to just keep this team in our family for generations to come,” York said. “It’s reflective of how we’ve sort of operated. My parents are going to stay the co-chairmen. I don’t think you’re really going to see any change. It’s more of a long-term planning thing. … Estate planning stuff is always a unique process within families. It’s something we’ve always discussed. Watching different family successions and seeing how reading a will can be very different than having a conversation with everybody still around, to walk through and talk through, we thought it was a better process to transition into it smoothly. Being a very close family, I don’t ever anticipate any problems with my family. But it’s an easier, smoother transition to make sure this team stays in our family.”

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As for losing a third Super Bowl since his parents assumed ownership in 2000 from his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo, York is preaching not only patience but the need to take pride in those championship close calls.

“You can’t be ashamed of a successful season,” York said. “Our goal is always going to be to win Super Bowls. Even if we won the game, it’s not like, ‘OK, well, we can take off 2024 because we won the Super Bowl in 2023.’ Our goal is always going to be the same.

“… It’s almost worse to a Super Bowl than not make the playoffs, and I don’t think that’s how teams should feel. I would give anything to have this game or four years ago against Kansas City, you can’t leave and say the whole season was a disgrace. It’s a disappointment to not win, but you can’t destroy yourself and everything you built because you didn’t finish and hit your ultimate goal. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to work towards it and do everything we can to build this thing so we get back there and go win it in New Orleans this year.”

Kurtenbach: 5 brash, possibly irresponsible 2024 SF Giants predictions

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 14:00

As the 2024 baseball season starts in earnest on Thursday, I’m trying to pin down whatever emotion is coursing through my veins and the veins of so many San Francisco Giants fans.

Is this optimism?

I’m not terribly familiar with it. But I certainly don’t dislike it, either.

Yes, San Francisco’s vibes are off the charts right now. And while big additions and a strong Cactus League campaign are probably not enough to take down the billion-dollar boys in blue from the Southland, they should be enough to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

At the very least, Giants baseball should be fun to watch again. What a concept!

With all this optimism and positivity raging through our systems, I figured it was a good time to make some big, bold predictions.

All of these are plausible, but — let’s be honest — I’ll be lucky to get one of them right. Of course, if I do, I expect a parade down Market Street.

Will the Giants be following me? Probably not. But this team has enough to make things interesting come the fall, and that’s a nice upgrade from years past.

And between now and then, we’re going to see some big performances from these guys:

Matt Chapman will finish Top-5 in National League MVP voting

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This might end up being a bad thing for the Giants as Chapman is on, effectively, a one-year contract. But he’ll have a monster year for San Francisco in the field (duh) and at the plate, where he regains his form from his last year in Oakland and first year in Toronto.

With the Giants making the playoffs, Chapman’s all-around prowess will make him a sleeper MVP candidate.

He has finished seventh and sixth in the American League vote. His first season in the National League will land him a fifth-place finish (I’m picking Trea Turner to win it), but more importantly for him, it’ll secure him a better opportunity to land a long-term contract starting in 2025.

Keaton Winn will be the Giants’ top rookie starter

I’m a big Kyle Harrison fan, but he is just 22 years old and has only 314 innings as a professional pitcher. There will be plenty of fun ups, but there will be a few downs, too. He’s a high-ceiling player, but the floor is still rather low. That’ll improve with time.

Winn, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old with a high floor and a ceiling that I think is underrated. He is just straight-up nasty and I can’t wait for his first start of 2024.

With a sinker that is as good as any pitch in baseball — that sandbag he tosses up there at 90 miles per hour is 43 percent better than the average sinker in baseball, per Stuff-plus — and a plus slider (19 percent better than league average), Winn already has enough for a breakout season.

After all, there are only nine projected starters in baseball who had better Stuff-plus numbers than Winn posted in his 42 innings last year.

And if Winn’s upper-90s four-seam fastball becomes a weapon this season, he has a chance to have a truly special year, particularly at Oracle Park with the Giants’ improved defense behind him.

Yes, Harrison can win National League Rookie of the Year. But when we look up in September, don’t be surprised if Winn is one of the better and more reliable starters in the league.

Jorge Soler will end the drought

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Barry Bonds in 2004. As all serious Giants fans know, that was the last time San Francisco had a 30-homer hitter.

Jorge Soler will put an end to that streak of futility in 2024.

He hit 36 home runs last year despite playing in Miami, and that’s because he doesn’t hit cheap ones. Few players in baseball can hit the ball harder, and Soler showed a more judicious eye at the plate last year, allowing him to be one of baseball’s finest sluggers. According to Statcast, if he played his 2023 exclusively in Oracle Park, he’d have hit 32 home runs.

I think he can beat that number with more protection in the lineup than he had in Miami.

Let’s call it 35 and never talk of Bonds’ mark and the dead-ball era that followed again.

Jung Hoo Lee will score 100

I was stunned to learn that Hunter Pence was the last Giant to score 100 runs in a season. He did it a decade ago.

Even more depressing? Kevin Pillar was the last Giant to touch home 80 times in a season. No wonder he got that MVP vote…

But Jung Hoo Lee appears to be a leadoff man of the highest order, and I think he’ll hit .300 with an on-base percentage near .400.

Bold? You bet. But he tore up the KBO, the Cactus League, and the National League seems like the next logical step.

Lee will be atop the lineup every day, and his glove will play the whole game, too. With a much-improved lineup behind him, I think he can outperform his most positive preseason projection—84 runs, per Steamer—and reach 100.

He looks so in control it’s hard not to believe he’ll hit the ground running in the big leagues.

And with excellent base running and (I think) the potential to steal 20 bags, it can all add up to a three-figure run total.

The Iceman will be near-perfect

Do you know the Giants’ single-season record for saves? Of course not. You’re a normal person with things to do.

So let me tell you: It’s 48, shared by Rod Beck (1993) and Brian Wilson (2010).

Well, I think they’ll be tied for second in a few months.

Camilo Doval is going to save 50 this season.

That’s 11 more than he had in 2023, sure, but seeing as Doval blew eight saves and pitched — for some unholy reason — in 22 games without the ability to register a save, I think the potential is there for a boost.

Add in that I think Bob Melvin will be more judicious about when he uses Doval, the Giants will win at least 10 more games than last year, and their offense—while good—won’t create many blowouts, and I think it’s a perfect storm for Doval to dominate in 2024.

Let’s call it 50 saves in 52 chances with 65 relief appearances overall — a dominant season for the unflappable reliever that will stand in the Giants record books for years to come.

Oh, and add another All-Star Game to the mix, too. He’ll be there.

And in this era of disposable starting pitchers, can I interest you in some Doval votes for National League Cy Young?

Washington hires Pat Chun: Home run for the Huskies is a gut punch for Washington State

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 13:28

Washington clocked its in-state rival with another right cross Tuesday and, in the process, made the smartest move possible for the future of its athletic department.

The Huskies have hired Washington State athletic director Pat Chun for the same post on Montlake, and they can be fairly certain Chun won’t be blowing town in five months like his predecessor.

In fact, the entire Troy Dannen experience morphed into the perfect scenario for UW because it led to president Ana Mari Cauce hiring the most qualified person possible for the job.

This is college athletics. Schools rarely make the smartest move available.

The Huskies screwed up once with Dannen, who fled Seattle after five months for the same post at Nebraska.

In the scramble to fill the void, they turned to Chun, who should have been their choice after Jen Cohen left for USC last summer.

Chun has a stellar track record for hiring coaches, possesses first-rate fundraising chops and understands the roiling college sports landscape as well as anyone from his work on the NCAA transformation committee.

Also, he has spent six years in the Palouse and won’t experience culture shock in Seattle.

And his grasp of Big Ten dynamics — he attended Ohio State and worked for athletic director Gene Smith — will serve UW well in its new conference.

(The opportunity comes a few months after Ohio State passed on the chance to hire Chun — a gut punch for him, we suspect — and hired Ross Bjork from Texas A&M.)

In other words, Chun was uniquely qualified to take over for his good friend, Cohen.

While the former didn’t directly succeed the latter, it’s like the Dannen era never happened … except for losing Kalen DeBoer, hiring Jedd Fisch and firing Mike Hopkins.

Chun inherits a department with new head coaches in football (Fisch) and men’s basketball (Danny Sprinkle), so the transition to the Big Ten, and putting UW in the best possible competitive position, will be his first order of business.

For Washington State — oh, Cougs! — the Chun move comes one day after basketball coach Kyle Smith left for Stanford.

But it’s a far more significant loss. Chun’s stewardship of Cougar athletics was the one constant through the tumult that began Aug. 4, when the Pac-12 collapsed.

You remember the collapse — and Washington’s central role in the affair. The Huskies declined an all-in deal with Apple and in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 4 opted to enter the Big Ten along with Oregon.

The resulting implosion eventually left WSU and Oregon State alone. While the two schools just finalized a settlement with the 10 outgoing members that secured approximately $250 million in long-haul revenue, their futures are anything but secure.

Eight months after delivering the hammer, the Huskies used their elevated status to lure Chun away and leave the Cougars scrambling once again.

The one saving grace for WSU: Chun will have immense empathy for the Cougars and, we suspect, will make every attempt to help the Cougars with intra-state scheduling and any other matter related to their survival and prosperity.

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Where might the Cougars turn to replace Chun?

Unless president Kirk Schulz plans to promote from within, they should focus on hiring a basketball coach.

It won’t be easy without an athletic director, but it’s necessary. The transfer portal is open, and players will flee if clarity doesn’t come soon.

Washington was in that position days ago, after Dannen left in the middle of a coaching search. But UW had an obvious, qualified candidate in Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle and worked quickly to finalize the deal on Monday.

Cauce surely had targeted Chun before this morning — she knew he was coming, and Sprinkle might have, as well.

(Do we blame Chun? Nope. He spent six years working to better WSU and isn’t an alumnus.)

The end result of a wild week in Washington has the Huskies in vastly better position than they were a few days ago — at the perfect time, with the Big Ten move coming — and the Cougars in scramble mode.

It’s not the first time for WSU. But given the backdrop, this is a particularly difficult stretch.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

The Baseball Project mixes the national pastime with great guitar work

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 12:55

Any baseball fan knows that music and the great American pastime overlap a bit. There are walk-up songs, after all, ballpark DJs and an organist playing pump-up tunes. And then there’s The Baseball Project, a guitar-centric quintet whose all-star musicians include half of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act R.E.M. — five die-hard baseball fans who write, perform and record irresistible original songs inspired by their favorite sport.

Their debut album, “Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails,” hit it out of the park in 2008 with 13 engaging tracks offering up such songs as “Fernando,” about iconic Los Angeles pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, “Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays” — arguably the most beloved San Francisco Giant of all time — and “The Death of ‘Big Ed’ Delahanty,” which addressed the short life, but brilliant career of this early-era baseball power hitter.

Three albums later, the Baseball Project is still going strong, finding plenty of musical inspiration in a seemingly endless supply of decades-old stories and modern-day tales about the game.

“We are really big baseball fans,” says vocalist-guitarist Steve Wynn, who is best known for his work in the L.A. rock act Dream Syndicate in the ‘80s. “We really do follow the game every single day of the season. It’s not even like where you’d think we’d have to say, ‘OK, time to put aside a little time to think about baseball.’ We think about baseball pretty often.”

Baseball Project vocalists Scott McCaughey performs during concert at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

That passion leads to an abundance of ideas for song topics. You’ll find “The Voice of Baseball,” about Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, “Screwball” and “Journeyman” on the band’s fourth album — “Grand Salami Time!” — which was released last summer

“There is never any shortage of ideas or material for things to write about,” Wynn says. “I wish all my other projects were that easy, because it is pretty natural and effortless with this band.”

Wynn is one of five all-stars in this three-guitar-driven rock outfit. The other members include vocalist-guitarist Scott McCaughey (the Fresh Young Fellows, the Minus 5) and drummer Linda Pitmon (Filthy Friends) as well as half the original R.E.M. lineup — guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills.

It’s a group with strong Bay Area ties, too: Buck was born in Berkeley; McCaughey grew up in Saratoga, and Wynn is a UC Davis alum. So their performance at Menlo Park’s Guild Theatre in September — part of a 27-city national tour to support the new album — was a homecoming for the band, with plenty of local fans on hand for the show.

Baseball Project performs during concert at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

“I moved (to the Bay Area) in 1963, became a Giants fan instantly and then became an A’s fan, when they came in ’68, too,” says McCaughey, who attended Saratoga High School before moving to Seattle to start the Young Fresh Fellows. “I liked having both teams there. They are still my teams.”

He talks warmly about some of his earliest experiences watching baseball here.

“I saw some great Giants teams in the ‘60s, but they were always frustrated in the end,” he says. “But that was a great team to root for when you were a kid — Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry.”

Those Giants teams couldn’t quite get the job done, but the new guys who moved into the ballpark on the other side of the Bay quickly began hanging championship banners.

“That was good timing,” McCaughey says of the A’s move to the Bay Area. “I went to a couple of World Series games in ’72 and ’73. They won (the World Series) three years in a row which is amazing.”

Baseball Project vocalist Steve Wynn performs in concert at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Wynn grew up in L.A., but favored the Reds and A’s over the Dodgers in his formative years — even before landing at UC Davis as a freshman in 1977.

“I went there with the full intention of being a sports writer,” he says. “Like Scott, I was into rock ‘n’ roll in high school and played guitar and wrote songs. But I did not think I was going to end up playing in a band professionally for the next 50 years. That didn’t seem like an option. Sports writing felt like the way I was going to be going.”

Wynn became sports editor at the college newspaper, but found the Bay Area’s thriving punk rock scene impossible to resist. He started spending much of his time driving back and forth to Berkeley and San Francisco to buy records and go to shows.

“I was seeing all those great shows in the Bay Area,” remembers Wynn, who lives in New York now and follows the Yankees. “My punk rock education was going to the Old Waldorf, Mabuhay Gardens – just whatever shows that were happening around there. After three years in Davis, I think I was still a sophomore, because all I wanted to do was DJ at the radio station, play in my new wave band Suspect — which was a forerunner to the Dream Syndicate — and go to concerts.”

Sports writing’s loss was the music world’s gain. Wynn delivered multiple memorable albums with the Dream Syndicate and other outfits as well as during his own solo career.

A fan claps his hands as Baseball Project performs during concert at the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

It was R.E.M. who brought The Baseball Project together — or rather, it was their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 that did the trick. The musicians were celebrating the band’s honor at a party in New York, when McCaughey — an auxiliary member of R.E.M. who recorded and toured with the band for years — got to chatting with Wynn about this idea of recording some songs about baseball. The excitement grew as the conversation went on, and when they parted company, it was to begin writing new material.

“We both immediately dashed off three or four songs and were like, ‘Wow, these are really good. This is going to be cool,’” McCaughey says.

Soon after, they recruited Pitmon and Buck for the project and ventured into the studio.

“We went in making the record, not having any idea that it was going to be a band or anything like that,” McCaughey says. “We didn’t even know what we were going to call it when we recorded the album. Then it turned into something.”

The band was a hit right from the start, quickly landing a coveted slot on the “Late Show with David Letterman” and appearing at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

The band’s first album was followed by “Volume 2: High and Inside” in 2011. By the time the group’s third album — “3rd” — was released in 2014, Mills had officially joined the Baseball Project. After a nine-year hiatus, the group returned with more songs about our national pastime on “Grand Salami Time!”Related Articles

The Baseball Project’s music is a hit with all kinds of fans, from baseball die-hards who can recite Rickey Henderson’s top stats from memory to folks who know all the words to R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by heart.

“We definitely have baseball nerds who come to see us. We definitely have R.E.M. nerds who come to see us. But that might be 20 percent on either side,” McCaughey says. “And then you’ve got the 60 percent in the middle who are just people who just love our music — who are fans of all of our bands.”

High school baseball rankings March 26, 2024: Bay Area News Group Top 20

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 11:30
Bay Area News Group Baseball Top 20

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

(Records through Monday)

No. 1 GRANADA (10-0)

Previous ranking: 2

Since last ranking: Beat Dougherty Valley 5-0, California 2-0, Cardinal Newman 6-1

Up next: Wednesday at Monte Vista, 4 p.m.

No. 2 SERRA (11-1)

Previous ranking: 8

Since last ranking: Beat Archbishop Riordan 6-1, 12-0, Whitney-Rocklin 5-1, Palo Alto 14-1

Up next: Thursday vs. TBD at Boras Classic semifinals in Sacramento, 7 p.m.

No. 3 ACALANES (9-0)

Previous ranking: 3

Since last ranking: Beat Piedmont 10-3, San Leandro 6-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. Pinole Valley, 4 p.m.

No. 4 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (10-2)

Previous ranking: 1

Since last ranking: Lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral 6-3, beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 6-2, lost to Brophy College Prep-Phoenix 1-0

Up next: Tuesday vs. TBD at Bishop Gorman Tournament, TBA

No. 5 DE LA SALLE (6-2)

Previous ranking: 4

Since last ranking: Beat Dublin 7-0, Livermore 12-0

Up next: Wednesday at Dougherty Valley, 4 p.m.

No. 6 BELLARMINE (7-1)

Previous ranking: 6

Since last ranking: Beat Archbishop Mitty 13-1, 2-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. Granite Bay at Boras Classic in Sacramento, 10 a.m.

No. 7 ST. IGNATIUS (9-3)

Previous ranking: 7

Since last ranking: Beat St. Francis 4-3 (8 innings), 2-1, lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral 1-0 (8 innings)

Up next: Tuesday vs. Hillsdale, 4 p.m. 

No. 8 JAMES LOGAN (7-1)

Previous ranking: 10

Since last ranking: Beat Moreau Catholic 4-0, 2-0

Up next: Tuesday at Newark Memorial, 4 p.m.

No. 9 LOS GATOS (8-2)

Previous ranking: 5

Since last ranking: Lost to Palo Alto 5-0, beat Palo Alto 4-3

Up next: Wednesday at Mountain View, 4 p.m.

No. 10 HERITAGE (8-1-1)

Previous ranking: 16

Since last ranking: Beat Tokay 13-1, Tracy 4-0

Up next: Tuesday at Antioch, 4 p.m.

No. 11 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (8-5)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: Beat Valley Christian 6-3, lost to Valley Christian 6-2, beat St. Ignatius 1-0 (8 innings)

Up next: April 2 vs. Woodside at South San Francisco tournament, 1 p.m.

No. 12 BERKELEY (5-3)

Previous ranking: 13

Since last ranking: Beat St. Mary’s-Stockton 3-2, lost to Bear Creek 2-0

Up next: Wednesday vs. Alameda, 4 p.m.

No. 13 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (6-3)

Previous ranking: 17

Since last ranking: Beat Concord 5-0, Alhambra 2-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. Tokay, 4 p.m.

No. 14 PITTSBURG (7-3)

Previous ranking: 12

Since last ranking: Lost to De Anza 10-1, beat Washington-Fremont 9-1

Up next: Tuesday at Foothill, 4 p.m.

No. 15 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (6-5-1)

Previous ranking: 9

Since last ranking: Lost to Bellarmine 13-1, 2-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. St. Mary’s-Stockton at Boras Classic in Sacramento, 4 p.m.

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No. 16 SAN RAMON VALLEY (5-4)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: Beat Foothill 9-3, Dublin 5-0

Up next: Wednesday vs. California, 4 p.m.

No. 17 LEIGH (6-4)

Previous ranking: 11

Since last ranking: Beat Westmont 2-0, lost to Westmont 2-1

Up next: Tuesday at Willow Glen, 4 p.m.

No. 18 CARLMONT (8-4)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: Beat Capuchino 5-4, 5-1, Monterey 6-2

Up next: Wednesday at Burlingame, 4 p.m.

No. 19 AMADOR VALLEY (6-4)

Previous ranking: 15

Since last ranking: Lost to California 5-4, beat Monte Vista 1-0

Up next: Wednesday at Livermore, 4 p.m.

No. 20 BURLINGAME (7-3)

Previous ranking: 19

Since last ranking: Lost to The King’s Academy 9-8, beat The King’s Academy 7-6 (8 innings)

Up next: Wednesday vs. Carlmont, 4 p.m.

Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

High school softball rankings March 26, 2024: Bay Area News Group Top 20

Bay Area Mercury News Sports - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 11:00
Bay Area News Group softball Top 20

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

(Records through Monday)

No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (7-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Since last ranking: Beat Monterey 11-0, Hollister 7-1

Up next: Thursday vs. Otay Ranch-Chula Vista (Michelle Carew Classic), 11 a.m.

No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (8-1)

Previous ranking: 2

Since last ranking: Beat Notre Dame-Salinas 3-1, Capuchino 4-0, Monterey 13-3

Up next: Tuesday at Carlmont, 4 p.m.

No. 3 ALAMEDA (8-1)

Previous ranking: 4

Since last ranking: Beat Arroyo 11-2, Castro Valley 7-6

Up next: Friday vs. San Leandro 4 p.m.

No. 4 FOOTHILL (8-2)

Previous ranking: 3

Since last ranking: Lost to Dublin 18-13, beat Clayton Valley 5-4

Up next: Tuesday vs. Amador Valley, 4 p.m.

No. 5 LIVERMORE (6-1)

Previous ranking: 11

Since last ranking: Beat Amador Valley 5-4, Dublin 4-3

Up next: Tuesday at Granada, 4 p.m.

No. 6 SAN RAMON VALLEY (6-3) 

Previous ranking: 6

Since last ranking: Beat Bishop O’Dowd 8-1, lost to Liberty 4-3, beat Carondelet 4-3

Up next: Tuesday vs. Monte Vista, 4 p.m. 

No. 7 CALIFORNIA (5-2) 

Previous ranking: 7

Since last ranking: Beat Dougherty Valley 6-1, College Park 5-2

Up next: Tuesday at Carondelet, 4 p.m.

No. 8 WILLOW GLEN (4-3) 

Previous ranking: 9

Since last ranking: Beat Leigh 13-1

Up next: Wednesday vs. Santa Teresa, 4 p.m.

No. 9 BENICIA (6-0)

Previous ranking: 8

Since last ranking: No games played

Up next: Tuesday at Las Lomas, 4:30 p.m.

No. 10 HILLSDALE (9-1)

Previous ranking: 12

Since last ranking: Beat St. Ignatius 8-0, lost to Carlmont 6-5, beat San Mateo 8-1

Up next: Tuesday at Burlingame, 4 p.m.

No. 11 AMADOR VALLEY (4-3)

Previous ranking: 5

Since last ranking: Lost to Livermore 5-4, Granada 3-1

Up next: Tuesday at Foothill, 4 p.m.

No. 12 FREEDOM (4-2)

Previous ranking: 10

Since last ranking: Beat Millennium-Tracy 3-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. Clayton Valley, 3:30 p.m.

No. 13 GILROY (9-3)

Previous ranking: 16

Since last ranking: Beat Westmont 11-1, Ann Sobrato 1-0

Up next: Wednesday at Branham, 4 p.m.

No. 14 CAPUCHINO (5-3)

Previous ranking: 14

Since last ranking: Beat Sequoia 9-0, Burlingame 4-0, lost to Mitty 4-0, beat Carlmont 3-2

Up next: Wednesday vs. Valley Christian, 4 p.m.

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No. 15 LOS GATOS (7-2) 

Previous ranking: 18

Since last ranking: Lost to Santa Teresa 3-2, beat Branham 14-6, Mountain View 2-1

Up next: Wednesday vs. Homestead, 4 p.m. 

No. 16 BRANHAM (8-6) 

Previous ranking: 13

Since last ranking: Lost to Los Gatos 14-6, beat Live Oak 3-2

Up next: Wednesday at Gilroy, 4 p.m.

No. 17 COLLEGE PARK (3-3)

Previous ranking: 15

Since last ranking: Beat Granada 6-2, lost to California 5-2

Up next: Thursday at Acalanes, 4:30 p.m. 

No. 18 CLAYTON VALLEY (3-3) 

Previous ranking: 17

Since last ranking: Lost to Foothill 5-4

Up next: Tuesday at Freedom, 3:30 p.m.

No. 19 DUBLIN (3-3)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: Lost to Livermore 4-3 

Up next: Thursday vs. Livermore, 4 p.m.

No. 20 GRANADA (3-5)

Previous ranking: 20

Since last ranking: Lost to College Park 6-2, beat Amador Valley 3-1

Up next: Tuesday vs. Livermore, 4 p.m. 

Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The rankings were compiled by BANG’s Darren Sabedra and Nathan Canilao.