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Giants Minor League Affiliate Update

2012-05-16T12:30:07Z

The Giants’ minor league teams have been doing well lately, with two of the affiliates in first place in their divisions and only one team, Augusta, under .500 for the year. Fresno in particular is playing exceptionally, with a record of 25-13. Eric Hacker put up seven innings of 1-run ball on Sunday to lead the Grizzlies to a 7-1 victory over Omaha, but on Monday the bullpen blew a late lead resulting in an 8-5 loss. This spoiled Andrew Kown’s terrific start, as he gave up two runs in seven strong innings, recording four strikeouts.

The Grizzlies’ hitters are also doing well, with Justin Christian having recorded four consecutive multi-hit games and sporting a .378 batting average. He has a nine game hitting streak overall. The Grizzlies will travel to Round Rock from May 17-20. They are in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Southern Division.

Richmond had the day off on Monday, but won on Sunday 5-4 despite a shaky start from Justin Fitzgerald. IF Daniel Mayora is in the midst of a 9-game hitting streak. Richmond is 19-18, in fourth place in their division, and will wrap up a series with Harrisburg at home on May 17^th.

San Jose lost to Modesto 5-3 on Monday night despite outhitting Modesto 15-5. They are still in first place in their division by two games despite the loss with a record of 24-14. San Jose pitching is dominating the California league, with the staff leading the league in ERA, shutouts, and home runs allowed. They will wrap up the Modesto series tonight and then travel to Visalia from the 17^th to the 19^th.

Augusta won 1-0 over Rome despite hitting into four double plays in the game, on the back of Shawn Payne’s solid start. Payne went five scoreless, scattering five hits and striking out one. Augusta is 17-18 sitting in fourth place in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division. They close out the Rome series tonight and travel to Savannah for a four game set starting Thursday.

Kings' Isaiah Thomas Only Finishes Seventh In Rookie Of The Year Voting

2012-05-15T18:35:30Z

The NBA announced that the Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving was named Rookie of the Year for the 2011-2012 season and for good reason. It was a runaway vote and he was three first-place votes away from being unanimous. The voters at least got that part right.

What they got wrong was where the Sacramento Kings' Isaiah Thomas landed in the voting. Thomas received six second-place votes and 10 third-place votes to finish seventh overall.

People were watching a different season.

Yes, Golden State's Klay Thompson ended the season strong and New York's Iman Shumpert was a major cog on a playoff team. But Thomas won Western Conference rookie of the month twice, stole the limelight from a higher draft pick in Jimmer Fredette and became a leader on a young, mercurial team after being a late second-round pick - as in the very last pick.

Thomas deserved to finish in the top five in the voting. His demeanor and poise gave the Kings a much needed emotional adjustment, once again giving them a little hope that their uber-talented, but erratic bunch can finally reach their potential and start to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Maybe this slight will add further fuel to the fire.

Matt Leinart Explains Why He is a Perfect Fit in Oakland

2012-05-15T15:20:43Z

The Oakland Raiders raided the Houston Texans this off season. First, they took offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp and brought him back to Oakland. Not long after, they added Houston's assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Then came the players, first with offensive guard Mike Brisiel and much more recently with back up quarterback Matt Leinart. According to Leinart, who discussed his move to the Raiders with 95.7 The Game on The Drive with Tierny and Davis, said it made sense because of the Houston factor.

Leinart stated that he feels like he will be able to help fellow quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Terrelly Pryor learn the west coast offense that Gregg Knapp will install in Oakland. Having played in the offense in Houston, Leinart can spend his off season workouts building chemistry with his new team mates and helping the Raiders other quarterbacks learn the new offense. That is a huge plus as normally, new players on a team must spend a large amount of time learning the scheme before getting to that level.

In addition, Leinart noted that he has already met and thrown with a number of Raiders receivers. Leinart stated that he has worked out with Carson Palmer in the off season for a number of years, and that prior to signing with the Raiders, he worked out with Palmer and a few of Oakland's young receivers during the early off season. And of course, there is also the Palmer factor. Leinart discussed how it felt good to be back with a guy that he has looked up to as a mentor ever since his early days in college at USC.

Overall, any Raider fan had to like what they heard from their new back up QB. He sounds excited to be playing for the Raiders, and more importantly, he sounds like he has the drive to continue improving on his game while he backs up the incumbant starter in Carson Palmer.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim Graduates From Cal, 16 Years Later

2012-05-14T22:09:03Z

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was one of those classic one-and-done kids, someone who seemed destined to hit the NBA as soon as he possibly could. After a spectacular freshman season that saw him win Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, it seemed inevitable that the forward would explore his options outside of returning to Cal for another season.

Abdur-Rahim didn't have an easy time deciding whether to leave or not following a successful debut his freshman season. As this Sacramento Bee article touches on, Abdur-Rahim changed his mind twice on his decision, flip-flopping between staying or going.

Abdur-Rahim finally decided to turn pro, and was drafted third overall in the 1996 NBA Draft (a draft that included Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash). Abdur-Rahim enjoyed a successful and healthy pro career that ended

He didn't forget what he still had to do back in Berkeley. 16 years later, he completed what he still left unfinished with Cal: His degree. Which he earned today.

Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Named 3rd Best in AFC West, But Is It Who You are Thinking?

2012-05-14T21:10:44Z

The Oakland Raiders have struggled for years to find consistent threats at the wide receiver position. Ever since the departures of Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, the Raiders have not been able to find a legitimate combo of starting receivers. From the disappointments in Ronald Curry and Jerry Porter to the disaster that was Randy Moss, the Raiders have been weak at wide receiver for a while. But with the problems at quarterback, the wide receiver problems were greatly overlooked.

Now, the Raiders boast a group of young and very talented receivers. Anyone who is a Raider fan will tell you that there are stars in the making in the Raiders wide receiver corps. Now, they are not the only ones to think so. ESPN blogger Bill Williamson ranked the top WRs in the AFC west. Four Raiders receivers made the list and one of them is ranked third, but it is probably not who you are thinking.

For most who follow the Raiders, Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford are thought of as the top two receivers on the Raiders. Last season, however, one receiver stepped up to the plate to become a clear number one in Oakland. That receiver was Darrius Heyward-Bey. Much to the shock of those in the Raider Nation, Heyward-Bey had a very impressive 2011 season in Oakland. DHB finished out his third year in the NFL with 64 catches for 975 yards and 4 touchdowns. As a result of his breakout season, Williamson listed him as the third best WR in the AFC West behind Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs and Malcolm Floyd of the San Diego Chargers.

Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore and Louis Murphy also made the list of the 15 best WRs in the AFC West. Moore was placed at number 6, Ford was named number 9 and Murphy, number 13.

DeMarcus Cousins, Jeremy Lin Named To US Select Team

2012-05-14T19:46:34Z

DeMarcus Cousins will get the chance to play with his old Kentucky running mate John Wall yet again as they help make sure the US men's national team is as ready for the Olympics as possible. How will they do that? As part of the US Select team.

Cousins, the young Sacramento Kings star, will join the likes of Wall, rookie of the year Kyrie Irving and the New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin on the Select team that will scrimmage the men's national team in practice, according to CSN Bay Area's Matt Steinmetz.

Cousins improved his numbers across the board this season with averages of 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his second season in the league. He could be the biggest guy on the court during scrimmages with Dwight Howard no longer available for the men's national team due to an injury.

Lin's journey from obscurity continues as he'll battle against the likes of Chris Paul and Deron Williams during scrimmages when he could barely find time on the floor for the Golden State Warriors last season. What a difference a year makes.

Check out Sactown Royalty for more on Cousins and the Kings.

Warriors' Klay Thompson To Be Named To USA Select Team

2012-05-14T17:25:23Z

Looks like the end of Warriors' guard Klay Thompson's rookie season caught the eye of more than just fans of the Warriors as Thompson will be named to the USA Select Team, according to CSN Bay Area's Matt Steinmetz.

The official announcement hasn't been made but Thompson's inclusion shouldn't be much of a surprise after how he finished the season following the Monta Ellis trade to Milwaukee.

Thompson scored in double figures in 31 of the final 32 games of the season, averaging 20 points per game in his last five. He finished the season averaging 12.5 points with .443/.414/.868 shooting splits. At his size, the Warriors look like they have the two-guard to put alongside Stephen Curry for the foreseeable future.

But now Thompson will join a team that will include Washington's John Wall, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving and New York's Jeremy Lin to battle the U.S. Olympic team as they prepare for the Olympics in London.

"I heard, and I don't think it's been officially announced yet, but I heard he's been invited to the Team USA Select team to practice against the Olympic team in Vegas," Klay's father, Mychal Thompson said. "So, he's going to have a busy couple of months here, and that's good for him."

For more on Thompson and the Warriors, check out Golden State of Mind.

Carson Palmer Declares Winner in the Trade for His Services

2012-05-14T16:01:29Z

The Oakland Raiders made one of the biggest mid season trades in recent history last season when they acquired starting quarterback Carson Palmer. After losing their starting QB Jason Campbell to a broken collar bone, the Raiders looked desperate for an answer that did not go by the name Kyle Boller. As a result, they traded a first round pick and a conditional first round pick to get a guy who had not seen the field yet that season.

Almost immediately, the trade created intense passion one way or the other. Either the trade was a coup for the Raiders and was one of the best trades a team could make. Or, it was a horrendous overreaction to a mid season injury that set the Raiders back years due to giving up important draft picks. Almost no one toed the line and declared that both sides were winners in the trade. No one, that is, until now.

Carson Palmer decided to comment on the trade this morning when he appeared on the Dan Patrick show. Palmer stated that there was nothing to patch up between himself and his former team, the Cincinnatti Bengals. He went on to say that it was over and they should both move on, which should be easy to do because according to Palmer, both teams will look back on the trade and realize that it was the best thing for both franchises.

The Raiders finally get the franchise quarterback they have been searching high and low for since the retirement of Rich Gannon. The Bengals got to end the controversy that surrounded the franchise with Palmer refusing to come back to the team and received more than fair compensation for him.

In Palmer's eyes, both teams were winners in the trade that brought him to Oakland. This season should be a good way of telling whether or not Palmer's analysis is correct.