MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- The Ballers followed up their first-ever complete game win from Gabe Tanner Wednesday by grabbing their fourth shutout victory of the season Thursday, a 14-0 stomping of the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. Yuba-Sutter didn't manage a single hit against the Oakland pitching staff after the second inning.
The San Francisco Giants have looked unstoppable for the last six days. That continued on Thursday when Jung Hoo Lee’s walkoff single gave the Giants a 4-3 victory, their fifth straight win, and a series sweep of the Chicago Cubs Wednesday.
Suddenly, the Giants are showing life. But their percent chance of making the playoffs remains very, very low, indeed, at 1.2% as per ESPN.
The Giants remain 2 games back of the Reds in the Wildcard standings, 6 games back of the Mets (who currently hold the 3rd and final WC spot), 9 games back of the Padres (2nd WC spot), and 10 games back of the Cubs (1st WC spot).
With 28 games left to play, it may not be possible to overtake the Reds and the Mets (or the Padres or the Cubs) to secure a WC spot. If the Mets and the Reds were to win half of their remaining games (14 wins), the Reds would end up 82-80, the Mets would end up 86-76. To get to 87 wins, the Giants would need to win 21 of 28 games remaining, or a .750 winning percentage. Not impossible, just a daunting task.
And if one or both of the Reds or Mets get hot, it becomes that much harder, if not impossible. Realistically, the Giants would need to stay hot and for a team ahead of them in the standings to go cold. Very cold.
Sounds about right. If they won 4 of the next 5, they would be 9 for their last 10 with 23 games to go at 70-69.
If the Giants won 9 of their *next* 10, that would look much more positively. In that scenario, the Giants would be 75-69 with 18 to play. They'd still need to win 12 of their last 18 to get to 87 wins, which I consider a low number of wins to gain entry to the playoffs. From that point, they'd need to go 15-3 in their last 18 games to hit 87 wins.
A playoff team really needs to have at least 90 wins in a year with strong competition. The Cubs (76-58), Padres (75-59), and the Mets (72-62) all have realistic shots to win 90 by the end of the regular season. Of those three, the Mets would have the toughest job to reach 90 wins. The Mets would need to post an 18-10 record in their last 28 games, which is certainly doable.
The Reds (68-66) would have to become world beaters to run off 22 wins in 28 games (22-6, .786) and the Giants (66-68) would have to suddenly become almost truly unbeatable to even have a shot of 90 wins (24-4, .857, in their last 28 games).
Let's put it this way: if the Giants are within 4 games of the 3rd wildcard spot on Sunday, September 14, they have a chance, but not a big one.
Actually, the Giants schedule in the last 4 weeks isn't exactly a gauntlet, but it isn't a bunch of pushovers. They do have 7 games against the Dodgers (3 in SF, 4 in LA), but the other 21 games are -
Aug. 29-31 vs. Orioles
Sep. 1-3 at Rockies
Sep. 5-7 at Cardinals
Sep. 8-10 vs Diamondbacks
Sep. 12-14 vs Dodgers
Sep. 15-17 at Diamondbacks
Sep. 18-21 at Dodgers
Sep. 22-24 vs Cardinals
Sep. 26-28 vs Rockies
You gotta watch out for the D'backs: their records is nearly the same as the Giants. The Rockies are terrible this year (first team eliminated). And you gotta watch out for the Cardinals: nearly the same record as both the Giants and Rockies.
The 17th-ranked California men's soccer team fell to San Francisco in its home opener 2-1 on Thursday despite a second-half surge that included the second penalty kick of the season for Alfredo Ortiz.
The No. 3 California men's water polo team begins the 2025 season this weekend with a four-game slate at the Rare Air Challenge hosted by Air Force. The Golden Bears open the season tied for the No. 3 spot in the country, according to the Collegiate Water Polo Association Coaches Poll.
California volleyball kicks off its 2025 slate this weekend, hosting San Diego State and San Francisco at Haas Pavilion for the California Tournament. The action begins Friday evening as the Golden Bears (0-0) face the Aztecs at 6 p.m. PT, followed by a 2 p.m. match between San Diego State (0-0) and San Francisco (0-0) on Saturday and finishing Sunday with a 1 p.m. showdown between the Bears and the Dons.
California sophomore forward Liz Klompmaker has added another accolade to her growing list of honors as she has been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NHFCA) Collegiate Watchlist, the organization announced Thursday. She was already named to the Preseason All-ACC Team earlier this month. Klompmaker was one of 196 field hockey players from across the country to be named to the list.
BERKELEY – The Cal lacrosse program has welcomed a talented and accomplished group of nine freshmen for the 2025-26 academic year that will begin their first season with the Golden Bears in 2026.
"This group hails from elite high school and club programs across the country, "Cal head coach Jennifer Wong said. "These student-athletes bring a championship pedigree, as well as the academic distinction and a competitive edge on the field that exemplifies the academic and athletic excellence that defines Cal lacrosse. With national honors, state championships and school records to their names, they are ready to make their mark at the next level."
Minnesota's new QB Drake Lindsey has an okay game going 19/35 for 2TDs and 1 INT in their 23-10 win over Buffalo. They should smash Northwestern State next week before playing @ Cal.
Jai Patel kicks the winning FG early in the 4th Q and then Rutgers uses the running game to smash the clock as they squeak out a win against [checks notes] Ohio. A win is a win, right?
NC State holds off East Carolina at home 24-17. ECU turned it over on down after a 3rd and 1 at the Wolfpack 9 yard line with less than 2 minutes to go. ECU fans once again welcome the moral victory.
Searching with the authorization to download and copy everything from the device. That should need a warrant with just cause, not just random intimidation.
Really nice the last week. Mostly sunny, around 80 with low humidity. Dew points in the 40s. Only drawback is that we are way down in rain. WaPo weather gang has declared summer is over. We’ll see.
PRO
Marshawn has hit the Snoop Dog phase of his career
https://x.com/MoneyLynch/status/1961479680000696639
Florida, man
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46103999/dolphins-olb-coach-ryan-crow-arrested-battery-charge
Millikan Masterful in Oakland's Shutout of High Wheelers (Ballers beat the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers 14-0)
https://www.oaklandballers.com/sports/bsb/2025/releases/202508295jnriv
MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- The Ballers followed up their first-ever complete game win from Gabe Tanner Wednesday by grabbing their fourth shutout victory of the season Thursday, a 14-0 stomping of the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. Yuba-Sutter didn't manage a single hit against the Oakland pitching staff after the second inning.
Red-hot Giants walk off Cubs in 9th for 4-3 win
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/san-francisco-giants-scores-standings-nl-west/100004/red-hot-giants-walk-off-cubs-in-9th-for-4-3-win
The San Francisco Giants have looked unstoppable for the last six days. That continued on Thursday when Jung Hoo Lee’s walkoff single gave the Giants a 4-3 victory, their fifth straight win, and a series sweep of the Chicago Cubs Wednesday.
Suddenly, the Giants are showing life. But their percent chance of making the playoffs remains very, very low, indeed, at 1.2% as per ESPN.
The Giants remain 2 games back of the Reds in the Wildcard standings, 6 games back of the Mets (who currently hold the 3rd and final WC spot), 9 games back of the Padres (2nd WC spot), and 10 games back of the Cubs (1st WC spot).
With 28 games left to play, it may not be possible to overtake the Reds and the Mets (or the Padres or the Cubs) to secure a WC spot. If the Mets and the Reds were to win half of their remaining games (14 wins), the Reds would end up 82-80, the Mets would end up 86-76. To get to 87 wins, the Giants would need to win 21 of 28 games remaining, or a .750 winning percentage. Not impossible, just a daunting task.
And if one or both of the Reds or Mets get hot, it becomes that much harder, if not impossible. Realistically, the Giants would need to stay hot and for a team ahead of them in the standings to go cold. Very cold.
I told my wife that if the Giants have a 9 out of 10 win streak, then I'll start having hope for the playoffs.
Sounds about right. If they won 4 of the next 5, they would be 9 for their last 10 with 23 games to go at 70-69.
If the Giants won 9 of their *next* 10, that would look much more positively. In that scenario, the Giants would be 75-69 with 18 to play. They'd still need to win 12 of their last 18 to get to 87 wins, which I consider a low number of wins to gain entry to the playoffs. From that point, they'd need to go 15-3 in their last 18 games to hit 87 wins.
A playoff team really needs to have at least 90 wins in a year with strong competition. The Cubs (76-58), Padres (75-59), and the Mets (72-62) all have realistic shots to win 90 by the end of the regular season. Of those three, the Mets would have the toughest job to reach 90 wins. The Mets would need to post an 18-10 record in their last 28 games, which is certainly doable.
The Reds (68-66) would have to become world beaters to run off 22 wins in 28 games (22-6, .786) and the Giants (66-68) would have to suddenly become almost truly unbeatable to even have a shot of 90 wins (24-4, .857, in their last 28 games).
Let's put it this way: if the Giants are within 4 games of the 3rd wildcard spot on Sunday, September 14, they have a chance, but not a big one.
Actually, the Giants schedule in the last 4 weeks isn't exactly a gauntlet, but it isn't a bunch of pushovers. They do have 7 games against the Dodgers (3 in SF, 4 in LA), but the other 21 games are -
Aug. 29-31 vs. Orioles
Sep. 1-3 at Rockies
Sep. 5-7 at Cardinals
Sep. 8-10 vs Diamondbacks
Sep. 12-14 vs Dodgers
Sep. 15-17 at Diamondbacks
Sep. 18-21 at Dodgers
Sep. 22-24 vs Cardinals
Sep. 26-28 vs Rockies
You gotta watch out for the D'backs: their records is nearly the same as the Giants. The Rockies are terrible this year (first team eliminated). And you gotta watch out for the Cardinals: nearly the same record as both the Giants and Rockies.
Dodgers and A's have days of rest.
CAL
Oink, oink mofos.
https://x.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1961435893232697560
Bro, who's got an SUV, a Costco membership, and lives kind of near Richmond?
https://x.com/tsedg/status/1961253455529447608
I was going to go get a case and check in a bag and bring it to BC. Probably not driving by there until tomorrow.
Which reminds me, I gotta buy my airplane ticket.
Bought. See you in Beantown, DBDers.
I was just there and can't wait to go back for the game. Got 3 or 4 different Go Bears in the airport and my aislemate.
You don't need a Costco membership to buy alcohol at a Costco in California as per cheapism.com https://www.cheapism.com/shop-at-costco-without-membership/#:~:text=Buy%20Alcohol%20(in%20Certain%20States,York%2C%20Texas%2C%20and%20Vermont. ,
yahoo.com https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/states-where-buy-alcohol-costco-192538497.html,
cnet.com https://www.cnet.com/home/5-costco-hacks-for-shopping-without-a-membership/
and kiplinger.com https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/spending/t050-s001-things-you-can-get-at-costco-without-a-membership/index.html
[WSOC] Cal Draws With Utah Valley 1-1
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/womens-soccer-cal-draws-with-utah-valley-1-1.aspx
OREM, Utah– The California women's soccer team picked up its second tie of the season Thursday night drawing on the road with Utah Valley 1-1.
[MSOC] No. 17 Cal Falls To USF In Home Opener
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/mens-soccer-no-17-cal-falls-to-usf-in-home-opener.aspx
The 17th-ranked California men's soccer team fell to San Francisco in its home opener 2-1 on Thursday despite a second-half surge that included the second penalty kick of the season for Alfredo Ortiz.
[MPOLO] No. 3 Cal Opens 2025 Campaign At Rare Air Challenge
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/mens-water-polo-no-3-cal-opens-2025-campaign-at-rare-air-challenge.aspx
The No. 3 California men's water polo team begins the 2025 season this weekend with a four-game slate at the Rare Air Challenge hosted by Air Force. The Golden Bears open the season tied for the No. 3 spot in the country, according to the Collegiate Water Polo Association Coaches Poll.
[VB] Bears To Host San Diego State, San Francisco At California Tournament
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/volleyball-bears-to-host-san-diego-state-san-francisco-at-california-tournament.aspx
California volleyball kicks off its 2025 slate this weekend, hosting San Diego State and San Francisco at Haas Pavilion for the California Tournament. The action begins Friday evening as the Golden Bears (0-0) face the Aztecs at 6 p.m. PT, followed by a 2 p.m. match between San Diego State (0-0) and San Francisco (0-0) on Saturday and finishing Sunday with a 1 p.m. showdown between the Bears and the Dons.
[FH] Klompmaker Named To NFHCA Collegiate Watchlist
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/field-hockey-klompmaker-named-to-nfhca-collegiate-watchlist.aspx
California sophomore forward Liz Klompmaker has added another accolade to her growing list of honors as she has been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NHFCA) Collegiate Watchlist, the organization announced Thursday. She was already named to the Preseason All-ACC Team earlier this month. Klompmaker was one of 196 field hockey players from across the country to be named to the list.
[LAX] Lacrosse Welcomes 9 New Players For 2026 Season
https://calbears.com/news/2025/8/28/lacrosse-welcomes-9-new-players-for-2026-season.aspx
BERKELEY – The Cal lacrosse program has welcomed a talented and accomplished group of nine freshmen for the 2025-26 academic year that will begin their first season with the Golden Bears in 2026.
"This group hails from elite high school and club programs across the country, "Cal head coach Jennifer Wong said. "These student-athletes bring a championship pedigree, as well as the academic distinction and a competitive edge on the field that exemplifies the academic and athletic excellence that defines Cal lacrosse. With national honors, state championships and school records to their names, they are ready to make their mark at the next level."
ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE
Miami MLB may be out for a bit
https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/u-miami-linebacker-charged-in-fatal-largo-crash/
Saturday:
Cal @ Oregon State (-1.5) at 10:30pm Eastern / 7:30 pm Pacific on ESPN
Syracuse and Tennessee (-13.5) @ Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta @ noon/9 am ABC
Duquesne @ Pitt (no spread) at noon/9 am ACC Network
Fordham @ BC (-36.5) at 2 pm / 11 am on ESPN+
#8 Alabama (-13.5) @ FSU at 3:30 pm / 12:30 pm on ABC
Coast Carolina @ UVA (-11.5) at 6 pm / 3pm on ACC
#9 LSU @ #4 Clemson (-4.5) at 7:30 pm / 4:30 pm on ABC
Tonight:
Kennesaw State @ Wake Forest (-18.5) at 7 pm Eastern / 4 pm Pacific on ACC Network
GA Tech (4-.5, ha! suck it Coach Prime) @ Colorado @ 8 pm / 5 pm on ESPN
Minnesota's new QB Drake Lindsey has an okay game going 19/35 for 2TDs and 1 INT in their 23-10 win over Buffalo. They should smash Northwestern State next week before playing @ Cal.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401752793/buffalo-minnesota
Instant Sickos classic as Wyoming struggles to beat Akron 10-0. Ben Finley went 16/38 for 139 and 1 INT.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup/_/gameId/401762789
At QB for Akron: former Cal QB Ben Finley. He went 16/38 for 139 yards and 1 INT.
San Diego State obliterates Stony Brook 42-0 as the Aztek [sic] defense limited the Seawolves to 95 total offensive yards.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup/_/gameId/401760357
Jai Patel kicks the winning FG early in the 4th Q and then Rutgers uses the running game to smash the clock as they squeak out a win against [checks notes] Ohio. A win is a win, right?
https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401752794
Duke and Elon were tied at half despite being 34.5 point favorites, but Blue Devils pour it on in the second half and win 45-17.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401754517/elon-duke
NC State holds off East Carolina at home 24-17. ECU turned it over on down after a 3rd and 1 at the Wolfpack 9 yard line with less than 2 minutes to go. ECU fans once again welcome the moral victory.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay/_/gameId/401754373
#25 Boise State is not very good without Jeanty. Their QB could only complete very short passes and they got smoked 34-7 @ U South Florida
https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401762522
DEAR
POLITICS
Abrego Garcia asks for gag order on Bondi and Noem due to personal attacks against him. This is basic law. We have no decorum anymore.
Man who "assaulted" federal goons with a sandwich charged with misdemeanor after felony charges were rejected by Grand Jury.
Prosecutors file criminal charge against veteran who burned US flag outside White House.
Customs & Border Patrols are increasingly searching US citizen's phones when returning to the US
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/us-canada-device-searches-1.7619944
Searching with the authorization to download and copy everything from the device. That should need a warrant with just cause, not just random intimidation.
The shitty military parades will continue until morale improves
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-disappointed-army-parade-bday-222927127.html
Trump revokes Secret Service protection for Kamala Harris
Pretty normal for the losing nominee to lose this, right?
But she was VP, so how long do VPs get Secret Service protection? It looks like she was supposed to get it until next summer but donny ended it early.
Oh, not sure what the precedent is on that.
WEATHER
As I type around 3:30 my condo with all windows open is 72 and outside its 72 with mostly cloudy skies, cumulous. Central west side of Puget Sound.
Saranac Lake
went for a 4 mi trail run. it rained the entire time. had to slow down a bit because i forgot to put on my contacts thinking it wouldnt be so rainy.
temps were in mid 60s so it was fine.
still nice. pleasant trail. nice scenic pond at the end.
Sun-Wed Boston was relatively cool. Low 80s and not very humid. Here it will be a high of 79 so still unseasonably cool for August.
Really nice the last week. Mostly sunny, around 80 with low humidity. Dew points in the 40s. Only drawback is that we are way down in rain. WaPo weather gang has declared summer is over. We’ll see.
JUNE: 100 degrees, 90% humidity with zero rain. Even battle-tested landscaping starts dying.
JULY: all rain, then intermittent warm and blazing hot - but lots and lots of rain
August: haha, it's like autumn. Where are the trick or treaters?
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LIFE
DBD AV CLUB