Monday, July 13 through Sunday, July 19, 2020
Issue No. 337
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A Sportscaster's Memories
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The Golden State Warriors, led by Rick Barry, swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets in four game to win the 1975 NBA Championship
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Daughter Molly, sportscaster Bruce Macgowan, Bogie and wife Colette
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Warriors amazing 1975 NBA title tops my list
by Bruce Macgowan
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If I had to pick
the most memorable team and the most amazing season I was lucky enough to cover in over four decades of working in the media, it would be no contest.
The 1974-75 'Cinderella' Golden State Warriors would be that team. Not only did they win the NBA Title, but coach Al Attles club did it in unusual fashion, using 11 players throughout the games, keeping his guys fresh for the stretch portions of contests.
“Of course I had to play Rick (Barry) almost the entire game, because he was our best player, but we had such a great group of selfless guys,” Attles explained to me.
“People such as Charlie Johnson and Phil Smith, who were both local stars, journeyman such as Derrick Dickey and Charles Dudley, who other teams didn’t seem interested in. Everyone thought we were crazy to trade Nate (Thurmond,) for Clifford Ray, but that guy set the tone with his defense. We had a 175-pound power forward in rookie Keith Wilkes, (later known as Jamaal Wilkes). And I had smart guys such as Butch Beard and Jeff Mullins running the floor or helping out me and Joe Roberts (Attles’ assistant coach).
After they beat the Chicago Bulls in a thrilling seven game series, coming back from double digits down to win their last three games, the Warriors were heavy underdogs against powerful Washington in the Finals.
“Almost all of the media, especially those covering the Bullets, said we’d get swept in that series. Washington had guys like Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Phil Chanier. They were all-star caliber players. But our guys were NOT going to lose. Every coach should have a team like that at least for one season. My wife asked me once, ‘How come you didn’t have another team like that?’ I told her, ‘I would have LOVED to have had another team like that! ’”
As in the West Finals against the Bulls, the Warriors came back three times from ten points down or more to stun the Bullets in four games. And as usual, virtually every player had a hand in the success. Rick Barry called it the “biggest upset in the history of the NBA,” and he was probably right.
“I don’t wear my title ring but I love what was written on the side of it. ‘Togetherness,’ “ Attles explained to me.
“That was a group of guys who loved playing together and really cared about each other. That’s rare in any team sport,” Barry told me.
For a 22-year old broadcast rookie who was just getting his start working in minor league radio in Auburn, CA this was quite a way to break into covering big time sports. I’ll NEVER forget that team or that season!
Sportscaster Bruce Macgowan has been in the media world for over 44 years, starting in Auburn and Eureka (CA). Assignments drew him to New York City and also back to the Bay Area, where he spent 18 years with KNBR 680 AM. Other assignments have included NBC Sports Bay Area, KGO and KCBS radio. Bruce is now working on a book which will give fans a special look at some of the great Bay Area teams over the last 40 years and the athletes and games he's covered.
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Gems
Over the years we have reviewed thousands of photos to bring you the finest work from some of the Bay Area's top sports photographers. Each week during the Coronavirus-induced sports lull we will bring you one of our favorites.
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Rough stuff.
San Jose Sharks center Micheal Haley drives Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Gustav Forsling into the boards during the second period of their contest at SAP Center, freeing up the puck. The Sharks would send the visiting Blackhawks home with a 5-2 loss on March 3, 2019. With the win, the Sharks took another step toward first place.
Photo by Darren Yamashita.
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The BEST Bay Area sports photos from
Michael Zagaris, Ed Jay, Rich Yee, Darren Yamashita,
Ron Sellers, Alex Ho, Rob Edwards, Kenneth Wong,
Timothy Reynolds and Larry Rosa
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Where The Bay Comes To Play!
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"It's an ocean planet. As the oceans go, so goes the planet."
-- Bill Carvalho, Wild Planet founder and president
Wild Planet Foods has been honored with TWO awards by Whole Foods Market -- Global Supplier of the Year AND Environmental Stewardship! The annual awards recognize suppliers who embody Whole Foods Market's mission and values through a proven commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation,
and partnership.
More Awards and Counting!
Prevention
-- 100 Cleanest Packaged Food Awards
Men's Health
-- 125 Best Foods for Men
Prevention
-- Eat Clean Best Packaged Foods
Every Day with Rachael Ray
-- Brand New Buy
Better Homes and Gardens
-- Catch of the Day
Clean Eating
-- Clean Choice Awards
Natural Health
-- 3rd Annual Good Food Awards
Runner's World
-- Good Catch
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American Century Championship,
Lake Tahoe
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Steph Curry (right, rear), Del Curry (center, rear), tournament winner Mardy Fish (center, foreground) and World Boxing Champion Canelo Alvarez (center, red shirt) get set to collectively jump in Lake Tahoe at the conclusion of the American Century Championship.
Caption and photo by Jeff Bayer.
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Steph and Del Curry during Thursday's practice round.
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MVP to MVP -- Super MVP's Marcus Allen and Patrick Mahomes talk during a practice round of the American Century Championship.
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I hit 24 home runs in 2019 for the Oakland Athletics and batted .288, which happened to be the same mark I tallied in part-time duties in 2018.
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San Francisco Giants Summer Camp
Saturday, July 11
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Incorporating proper social distancing, San Francisco Giants team members gather on the infield to review Summer Camp drills.
Photo by Rich Yee.
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Push ups, whether one-handed or two, are part of the training regime.
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Masked infielders Donovan Solano (left) and Pablo Sandoval walk off the field between innings during an intrasquad game.
Photo by Rich Yee.
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Unobstructed view. Two lucky observers have no one in front of them. Or on either side. Or behind! To view a game photo album, visit our
Facebook Page
and be sure to LIKE us or visit
www.ultimatesportsguide.net
.
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Oakland A's Summer Camp
Saturday & Sunday, July 11 & 12
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Marcus Semien participates in infield practice on Saturday, July 11.
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Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane sits in a seat to watch an intrasquad game during the Oakland Athletics Summer Camp workout at RingCentral Coliseum.
Photo and caption by Darren Yamashita.
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Above, legendary Bay Area photographer Michael Zagaris continues to practice his trade at the A's Summer Camps. “Z”, as he is affectionately known by co-workers, friends and the media, is a revered photographer whose career spans 50 years, dating back to his coverage of the embryonic San Francisco music scene of Cream, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, The Who and legions more. Today Z remains as active as ever, in his role as official photographer for the A's (since 1981) and the San Francisco 49ers (since 1973). Michael has photographed 39 Super Bowls, 13 World Series and 13 All-Star games and his photos have appeared in numerous publications, including on the covers of both
Sports Illustrated
and
Time
magazine. To view a photo album of the Oakland A's Summer Camp on July 11, visit our
Facebook Page
and be sure to LIKE us or visit
www.ultimatesportsguide.net
.
Photo by Darren Yamashita.
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This Day in Sports -- July 12, 2019
Oakland A's 5, Chicago White Sox 1
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A's starting pitcher Mike Fiers didn't allow a run into the eighth inning and Oakland belted three solo home runs (Ramon Laureano, Jurickson Profar and Mark Canha ) as the Athletics defeated the visiting Chicago White Sox, 5-1, on Friday evening, July 12. Above, shortstop Marcus Semien (left) and right fielder Mark Canha talk on the field after the end of the seventh inning. To view a game photo album, visit our
Facebook Page
and be sure to LIKE us or visit
www.ultimatesportsguide.net
.
Photo by Darren Yamashita.
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Odds to win the 2020 World Series
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San Francisco Giants -- 300/1
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Oakland Athletics -- 30/1
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For Your Handy Use
2020 San Francisco Giants Schedule
2020 Oakland A's Schedule
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Lurie Family makes historic gift to SJSU
Baseball Practice Field Project
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(L-R) Bob, Connie and daughter Dana Lurie
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SAN JOSE, Calif. –
Connie and Bob Lurie became big names in Bay Area baseball over 40 years ago. The Luries have given back to the sport and the Spartans with a matching gift to the San Jose State baseball practice field project. The couple will match any and all donations to the project up to $400,000, athletics director Marie Tuite announced on Tuesday.
"We are delighted to support Marie's work in completing the South Campus sports complex at San Jose State," Connie Lurie said. "The student-athletes are an important part of the university's Spartan family. By investing in this project, we believe this will further the vision of the South Campus project and will elevate the student-athlete experience at SJSU."
The Lurie's donation is the largest single gift in San Jose State baseball history.
Connie Lurie graduated from San Jose State in 1964. The university's Connie L. Lurie College of Education is named in her honor after a $10 million donation in 2007. The Luries, former owners of the San Francisco Giants, are involved in numerous philanthropic and charitable efforts around the Bay Area, including the Visiting Author Program at SJSU. Bob Lurie is a member of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. The couple’s daughter, Dana, is also a SJSU alum and many other members of their extended family are Spartans.
"Today is the latest thank you through the years to Connie and Bob Lurie for their lead gift to the San Jose State on-campus baseball practice facility,” said Tuite. “In a recent conversation, the South Campus facility enhancements we've undertaken and completed in recent years was one of our talking points. Our baseball program has been without an on-campus practice facility for several years, and Connie, Bob and their daughter, Dana, recognized the importance of this project by their gracious gift. Thanks to the Luries, this creates much needed momentum and we have some work to do; however, we anticipate construction starting soon on a first-class practice facility. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to the Luries."
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Rendering of the San Jose State Baseball Practice Field
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The baseball practice field is part of the two-phase Spartan Diamond project. The first phase is the construction of a practice field next to the East Fieldhouse on 10th street at an expected cost of $1.3 million. The practice field, located next to the current baseball locker room and coaches' offices, will give the team its own location to train while still playing games down the road at Excite Ballpark. The Spartans share the city-owned stadium with the San Jose Giants. The second phase of the project is the construction of a stadium around the existing practice field, continuing the transformation of the SJSU South Campus athletics facilities.
"Our student-athletes, coaches, and alumni are so appreciative and thankful for the generous gift from the Lurie family to Spartan Baseball!" said baseball head coach Brad Sanfilippo. "This is a huge step in breaking ground on our new practice facility on South Campus. The Lurie's gift has given this project momentum and its importance cannot be understated. We are forever grateful to Connie and Bob for their support of our student-athletes and the long-term success of Spartan Baseball."
Give to the Baseball Practice Field Project
Help the Spartans equal the Lurie's $400,000 matching gift by making a donation to the baseball practice field project. Contact Rob Clark (408-924-1175) in the Spartan Athletics Fund or click
HERE
to make a donation online. Learn more about the Spartan Athletics Fund by visiting
https://sjsuspartans.com/feature/saf
.
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Santos Rivera rode his first lifetime winner in the 3rd race on 7-10-20 at the Alameda County Fair (Pleasanton Racing) aboard Thunder Boat. Owned by Cinema Thoroughbreds and Rick Taylor; trained by Leobardo Rivera. The 5 1/2 furlong race went in 1:05.21 with a purse of $10,000.
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Match Recap: Earthquakes 0, Sounders FC 0
Quakes earn point against defending MLS Cup champions
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SAN JOSE, Calif. - In their first match of the MLS is Back Tournament, the San Jose Earthquakes earned a point in a scoreless draw against the reigning MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders FC on Friday evening at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. The match, which counts towards the regular-season standings, was the Quakes' first since March 7.
Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega made six saves to earn his first shutout of the season. San Jose finished with 16 shots, nine corner kicks and more
than 62% possession.
The Quakes were supported by fans back in San Jose with two viewing parties at Earthquakes Stadium and more than 70 vehicles in attendance. B-roll and photos of the viewing parties are available here.
San Jose now prepares for their second group stage match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC next Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT, presented by CEFCU. The match will be broadcast live on TUDN, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
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In the last seasons of the Oakland Raiders in Oakland,
Ultimate Sports Guide
photographer Ed Jay collected images and stories of some of the Raiders most passionate and beloved fans. To view and read their stories, click on
this link
and revisit your all-time favorites. Above,
Candy Padilla.
Photo by Ed Jay.
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Who Am I?
Oakland A's outfielder
Ramon Laureano
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Dominican Ramon Laureano played college baseball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 16th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics on November 20, 2017 in exchange for pitcher Brandon Bailey. On August 3, 2018 Laureano made his major league debut and his first major league hit was a walk-off single to break a scoreless tie in the 13th inning against the Detroit Tigers. Since the RBI became a stat in 1920, Laureano is the first Athletic to hit a walk-off RBI hit as their first major league hit. In 2019 Laureano batted .288/.340/.521 with 24 home runs and 67 RBIs.
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The 2019 Fall/Winter edition of the
Ultimate Sports Guide
, a San Francisco Bay Area sports reference publication published twice a year for avid Bay Area and Northern California sports fans, is in the house. The
Ultimate Sports Guide
is distributed free of charge or may be ordered via subscription. Each seasonal edition provides professional and collegiate team coverage through commentary, photo essays and player profiles. To order, visit
www.ultimatesportsguide.net
or send $5 to:
Ultimate Sports Guide
,
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Back Issues
not to be missed!
Offering superb photography and
entertaining chronicles
*
Click
here
for 2019 editions.
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WEEKLY SPORTS CALENDAR
Monday, July 13 through Sunday, July 19, 2020
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All games for major and minor league sports, including collegiate and high school teams,
have been cancelled
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Enjoy the
Under the ultra-skilled leadership of Cal graduate Ricky Liu, a team of talented Cal students assembled the elegant
Ultimate Sports Guide
website for your readers. Ricky's team included Natalie Leung, Yafei Liang and Kasey Woo. Visit
www.ultimatesportsguide.net
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Need a website designed or tuned up?
We can help!
Write: sportstoday@ultimatesportsguide.net
or call (510) 845-2035
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Join Us As A Sponsor!
Economical and rewarding.
Write: sportstoday@ultimatesportsguide.net
or call (510) 845-2035
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The vast majority of student-athletes dreaming of athletic stardom won't make it to the pros. Yet, the discipline and skills they've developed while balancing a sport and academics make them ideally s
uited for satisfying careers elsewhere. In
20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes Who Won't Go Pro
,
the authors draw on personal experience, interviews, expert opinion, and industry data to provide a game plan for student-athletes through key transitions at each stage of their careers, from high school through college and beyond. Modeled on Stephen Covey's
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
, this book provides a much-needed strategy for achieving career success. Readable and concise, it will be a valuable tool for students, parents, and sports administrators. To order,
click here.
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5980 Stoneridge Drive, Ste. 122
Pleasanton, CA 94588-2723
CalBRE License #:01770629
Agent 510.512.2145
Office 925.847.8900
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Ultimate Sports Guide
P.O. Box 4515
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-2035
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The
Ultimate Sports Guide
is very appreciative to the ongoing contributions made by former staff photographer Kenny Karst, now retired. Mr. Karst continues to contribute through helpful ideas and his archives.
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