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Pence Returns in Giants 5-3 Win Over Nats

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San Francisco, CA – The Giants made a collective effort and put runs on the board. Something that has been struggle for the last thirteen games, San Francisco did just enough to end their losing skid with a 5-3 win over the Nationals. They put up two runs in the fourth and tied the game before sailing away in the seventh. Hunter Pence’s return was the cherry on top as his energy is contagious. 

A short outing for Jake Peavy who tossed four frames, gave up five hits, three runs, walked one and struck out seven. The two-run homer he gave up in the third was partly the reason his day ended quickly. Washington gained a 3-0 lead early and Giants manager Bruce Bochy felt putting up runs was more important than seeing his pitcher go far in the game and Peavy couldn’t agree more.

 

“Boch managing that like a playoff game with the way we needed to win was one hundred percent the right call,” Peavy said. “And that will happen every time we’re down 3-0 in a playoff game. Our offense needed every opportunity to kick the door down.”

 

Peavy gave up a leadoff single to start the game but good defense and great pitching allowed him to retire the next three batters to leave the first unscathed. By the second Peavy struck out Jason Werth but threw a wild pitch which allowed him safe at first. He then forced Ryan Zimmerman to hit into a force out and struck out two more batters without giving up a run in two innings.

 

“Bad pitch to Rendon… Felt we made a good pitch to Harper there but [umpire] Chad Fairchild didn’t think it was a good pitch, he thought it was a ball,” Peavy explained. “The way things have been going, there’s your break. Zimmerman got on it in the next inning and the pitch to Espinosa, how he that ball off the plate with so much authority and the ball wasn’t even going that way.”

 

A two-run homer by Anthony Rendon in the third changed the game. Peavy retired the first two batters he faced before giving up his first walk of the game to Bryce Harper. Rendon followed with a home run to left field making it a 2-0 game. Washington added on another run in the fourth. Zimmerman led off the frame with a single and Danny Espinosa followed with a RBI double extending the Nats lead 3-0.

 

In his first game back Pence received a standing ovation and on his first plate appearance he almost went yard. Pence double off the wall to leadoff the second. Lopez issued a free pass to Brandon Belt then walked Peavy to load the bases. But Eduardo Nunez popped out to catcher Pedro Severino to end the threat. San Francisco is 0-for-6 with RISP after two innings.

“A pretty impressive first at-bat,” said Bochy.

“Great team win,” Buster Posey said. “It’s no secret he’s our emotional, spiritual, whatever you want to go with leader and that’s definitely a big boost to have him [Pence] back.”

 

The Giants got another chance in the fourth and this time Nunez prevailed. Belt led off the frame with a walk. Joe Panik followed with a single and Lopez walked pinch-hitter Mac Williamson to load the bases again. Nunez hit a double to center field driving in both Belt and Panik making it a 3-2 game. San Francisco tied the game 3-3 when Angel Pagan grounded out to first and Williamson scored on the play.

 

Nunez went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in his first start as a Giant. He was acquired by the club on Thursday from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league LHP Adalbert Mejia. Nunez is hitting .296 with 49 home runs scored, 12 home runs and 47 RBI this season. He was leading the American League with 27 stolen bases, which was already the most by a Twin since 2012.

 

“I wasn’t familiar with the first pitcher, I’ve never faced him before,” said Nunez. “The second at-bat with bases loaded with two out I hit the sinker inside. He made a mistake and I took advantage.”

 

Pence was reinstated from the 15-day disable list today. He missed 48 games with a right hamstring strain while the Giants posted a 26-22 record in his absence. Pence was batting .298 (54-for-181) in 50 games for San Francisco prior to going on the DL. IF Ramiro Pena has been designated for assignment to make room for Pence on the active roster.

 

“I’m really grateful and really just love everything about playing for the Giants and this beautiful stadium and fans,” said Pence. “After the long road back, to be able to play and contribute and be a part of this city and the great organization we have here, it’s a special moment for me.”

 

Bottom of the seventh the Giants loaded the bases for the third time today. Another infield single from Posey, a walk to Pence and Belt hit a line drive to right field. Panik’s sacrifice fly to right field scored in Posey to make it a 4-3 game. Washington’s bullpen kept San Francisco’s momentum going, another walk loaded the bases. And reliever Blake Treinen walked pinch-hitter Trevor Brown to extend Giants lead 5-3.

 

“I didn’t have like half my bullpen,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “We were pitched out the last two or three days. We’re getting some reinforcements in here.”

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Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

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Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

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Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

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Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).
Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.comScout.comRivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

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Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

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“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.

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