Section 415

With Tony Vitello on board as the new manager and several new coaches joining the organization, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey can finally start to shift his attention toward upgrading the team’s roster. On this episode of Section 415, The Standard’s baseball reporter, John Shea, joins host Kerry Crowley to discuss Shea’s 30-minute conversation with Vitello at MLB’s general manager meetings, the Giants’ offseason priorities, and why the team might be willing to consider trading top prospect Bryce Eldridge. This episode was produced by Dakota London and edited by Sophie Bearman. Sophie Bearman is our head of audio. Our show art is by Jess Hutchison; theme music by Hannis Brown.  We’re a production of the San Francisco Standard, which you can support by becoming a member at sfstandard.com/signup. I’m your host Kerry Crowley, thank you for listening.

In February, the Bay Area will play host to Super Bowl XL. A few months later, men's World Cup games will take place at Levi's Stadium. These massive events come on the heels of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, tennis' Laver Cup, this weekend's NWSL championship, and so much more. Why is the Bay Area suddenly riding a wave of marquee sporting events? On this episode of Section 415, Zaileen Janmohamed joins Kerry Crowley and shares the answers. Janmohamed is the CEO and president of the Bay Area Host Committee, which has played a leading role in luring the biggest games in sports to the region. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at distilling months of work into a 10-minute presentation to NFL owners and working with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Pacific Standard Time is smart, surprising weekly podcast about California’s future—and why what happens here matters everywhere and to everyone. Hosted by SF Standard culture editor Emily Dreyfuss and enterprise reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell. New episodes Wednesday mornings, beginning Nov. 19.

The media landscape is shifting, and for years, it seemed as if sports talk radio was destined to be left behind. Lately, a few new innovations indicate that sports talk radio isn’t done yet. On this episode of Section 415, KNBR’s Adam Copeland joins host Kerry Crowley to talk about the state of the industry, working for the station he grew up listening to, hosting 49ers pregame shows, and what’s next for Bay Area sports fans looking for ways to tap into a never-ending conversation.

With Nick Bosa and Fred Warner out for the season, the 49ers entered the trade deadline needing help on defense. They chose not to make a big splash. Now, after Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford picked the unit apart on Sunday, Kyle Shanahan’s team is left to pick up the pieces. The playoffs are still in reach, but at 6-4, the 49ers need a lift. Can quarterback Brock Purdy provide it? After six consecutive Mac Jones starts, we might know soon. The Standard’s David Lombardi joins Section 415 host Kerry Crowley to talk about the 49ers’ biggest predicaments, and where the team goes from here.

The Golden State Warriors are a perfect 4-0 inside Chase Center, but their strong home mark doesn’t begin to tell the story of their early-season grind. With a handful of brutal performances on the road and early-season concerns regarding a rugged schedule for their stars, Steve Kerr’s team has begun to stumble. What’s wrong, and how quickly might Steph Curry and company be able to get Golden State back on track? Today on Section 415, the Standard’s Warriors reporter, Danny Emerman, checks in with host Kerry Crowley to analyze what’s next for a team in search of solutions.

Back in May, the Golden State Valkyries played their first game at Chase Center in front of 18,000 screaming fans. The introduction of a WNBA team marked the start of a new chapter in Bay Area sports history, and over the next four months, the story exceeded everyone’s expectations. The Valkyries sold out all 22 home games, won 23 regular-season matchups, and became the first expansion team in league history to make the playoffs. The person at the center of it all is WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase, who joins Section 415 host Kerry Crowley to reflect on the magnitude of the team’s achievements, and where Golden State goes from here.

It’s the busiest time of the sports calendar, and nearly every Bay Area team is making news. The 49ers, at 5-3, are navigating injuries to superstars in their quest for a playoff berth. The Warriors, at 4-2, are off to an interesting start thanks to the ascension of young wing Jonathan Kuminga. The Giants, after missing the playoffs again, made one of the boldest managerial hires in MLB history, and introduced former University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello at Oracle Park on Thursday. How do we make sense of all the news? With The San Francisco Standard’s sports columnist, Tim Kawakami, who joins Section 415 host Kerry Crowley to analyze the state of the Bay Area sports landscape. Read more about the stories discussed in today’s episode: Kawakami: There are no magic fixes left for the 49ers and they know it Kawakami: The edge and feistiness that brought Buster Posey and Tony Vitello together Kawakami: The Kuminga-Kerr relationship is honest, open, and succeeding

Pro golfer Min Woo Lee fell in love with the Golden State Warriors watching Steph Curry and Klay Thompson win titles together. Now, the Australian golfer is playing for "The Bay Golf Club," one of six teams in the TGL indoor league. Curry, Thompson, and Andre Iguodala are among the investors in The Bay Golf Club which hired former Warriors employee Eric Kwait as its team president. On this episode of Section 415, Lee and Kwait chat with host Kerry Crowley about their experience with The Bay Golf Club, what enticed them to join the TGL, and how they're looking to build genuine connections with Bay Area sports fans despite playing matches in an arena more than 3,000 miles away.

When Buster Posey began the process of searching for Bob Melvin’s replacement, The Standard’s John Shea wrote that fans should expect the team to pursue a leader who brings different qualities and strengths to the table than Bob Melvin. Well, Posey did more than that. He hired University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello in a nearly unprecedented move that rocked the baseball industry. In this episode of Section 415, Shea joins host Kerry Crowley to discuss a bold new era of Giants baseball and how Vitello will adjust to life in the majors.

Aaron Miles, an Antioch native who spent parts of nine seasons in the majors, was inspired to pursue a career in baseball during his childhood when he watched legends such as Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart at the Coliseum. These days, he's trying to create memories for kids across the East Bay as manager of the Oakland Ballers, an independent league team that played its first game in 2024. Miles joined Section 415 and discussed how the Ballers have engaged the Oakland community, how the team recruited so many local players, and what the next steps in the evolution of the young franchise look like.

Liam Plunkett won a Cricket World Cup with England in 2019 and has spent the last three years working to grow the sport in the United States, including as a player with the San Francisco Unicorns of Major League Cricket. With cricket set to return to the Olympics in Los Angeles for the 2028 games, Plunkett joined Section 415 with Kerry Crowley to discuss how he’s helping develop the infrastructure to support the sport’s expansion in the U.S. This episode was hosted by Kerry Crowley and produced by Dakota London. Sophie Bearman is the Standard’s head of audio. Theme music by Hannis Brown and series art by Jess Hutchison. Support The San Francisco Standard. Become a member at www.sfstandard.com/signup

With one week remaining until the start of the NBA season, the opening night matchup between the Warriors and Lakers has already lost a bit of its luster. LeBron James will miss the matchup with sciatica, leaving the spotlight to Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. It’s fair to wonder how many more times Curry, 37, and James, 40, will share the floor together, and it’s just as fair to start thinking about what the Warriors will look like whenever Curry enters the next chapter of his career. For now, the Warriors’ star and the franchise’s top decision-makers still believe he’s capable of anchoring a title contender. In this episode of Section 415, The Standard’s Danny Emerman analyzes what to expect from Curry in Year 17 with the Warriors, how the Jonathan Kuminga negotiations finally reached a resolution, and how Golden State’s offseason acquisitions can help the team build off of the progress made following the trade for Jimmy Butler. This episode was hosted by Kerry Crowley and produced by Matt Collette. Sophie Bearman is the Standard’s head of audio. Theme music by Hannis Brown and series art by Jess Hutchison. Support The San Francisco Standard. Become a member at ⁠https://sfstandard.com/signup

Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Ricky Pearsall have all missed time due to injuries, but the 49ers’ offense has still delivered clutch performances to key the team’s 4-1 start. Can Mac Jones keep thriving? Will Christian McCaffrey finally find running lanes? And who will step up to lead a depleted receiver corps? The Standard’s David Lombardi joins Section 415 to analyze the 49ers’ 4-1 start and where they go from here.  This episode was hosted by Kerry Crowley, produced by Dakota London, and edited by Matt Collette. Sophie Bearman is the Standard’s head of audio. Theme music by Hannis Brown and series art by Jess Hutchison. Support The San Francisco Standard. Become a member at https://sfstandard.com/signup

The Giants’ president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, is searching for a new manager and working to end the team’s playoff drought that hit four seasons this year. Posey discusses what he learned during his first 12 months on the job, how he juggles his day-to-day responsibilities, and the balance between acquiring outside talent and building a roster with talent from the Giants’ farm system.  This episode was hosted by Kerry Crowley, produced by Dakota London, and edited by Sophie Bearman. Sophie Bearman is the Standard’s head of audio. Theme music by Hannis Brown and series art by Jess Hutchison. Support the San Francisco Standard. Become a member at https://sfstandard.com/signup

Go behind the scenes, on the road, and inside the locker rooms with the Bay Area’s biggest teams—the 49ers, Giants, Warriors, and Valkyries. Hosted by SF Standard sports editor Kerry Crowley, "Section 415" delivers sharp reporting, fresh insights, and the kind of local coverage fans won’t get anywhere else. The first episode drops October 7. Follow now to stay connected.