Bay Area Buzz 5/16: Impact of Torres’ Hit, Warriors Face Do-or-Die
By Eric He
May 14, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) makes a save off San Jose Sharks left wing Raffi Torres (13) in the second period of game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Hit on Kings’ Jarrett Stoll by Sharks’ Raffi Torre Could Alter Playoff Series
"San Jose winger Raffi Torres’ jarring hit of Kings center Jarret Stoll on Tuesday triggered a sizable ripple effect that could alter the tone and course of the teams’ Western Conference semifinal playoff series. The ripples could spread far enough for the Kings to lose a valued penalty killer for a while and for the NHL to severely punish Torres, a multiple repeat offender under the league’s often murky code of justice."
"Torres was suspended Wednesday pending an in-person hearing scheduled Thursday in New York with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Stoll, whose 23 hits in seven playoff games rank third on a team whose success is built on physicality, appeared to suffer a head injury on the open-ice hit. He didn’t return for the third period of the Kings’ series-opening 2-0 victory, not coincidentally the period in which the Kings scrambled the most.– Helene Elliot, LA Times"
Game 6 is Golden State Warriors’ First Do-or-Die
"Backs to the wall. Do or die. Must-win game. Pull out any of the clichés of a team facing elimination from the playoffs and the possibility of the season’s sudden end and they are all applicable to the Warriors on Thursday night at Oracle Arena.It’s the first time this Golden State team has been in that position in the postseason, so the goals in Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs are self-evident to many of the players.– Marcus Thompson, Bay Area News Group"
Jeremy Affeldt Returns $500,000 to San Francisco Giants After Noting Clerical Error in Contract
"Affeldt got three opinions saying the contract was ironclad and he could keep the extra $500,000, from the Players Association, agent Michael Moye and even Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans.Affeldt recalled Moye telling him, “You know what? As your agent I’ve got to tell you that legally you can keep it. As a man who represents integrity, I’m saying you should give it back.”And that’s what Affeldt said he did, redoing the contract with the $500,000 excised.“I talked to Bobby the next day and said, ‘I can’t take that money,’ ” Affeldt said. ” ‘I won’t sleep well at night knowing I took that money because every time I open my paycheck I’ll know it’s not right.’ ”– Henry Shulman, San Francisco Chronicle"