MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Oakland, CA

Today is the calm before the next big storm, according to the National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office.

An atmospheric river of moisture flowing from the tropics to California will bring heavy rainfall and winds ranging from 20 to 60 mph, likely causing widespread flooding and landslides. Other expected impacts include:

Rain is expected to continue for at least 10 more days, increasing the threat of flooding and landslides due to the fact that the ground is already heavily saturated from December storms.

Meteorologists and public safety officials are urging people to stay home if possible on Wednesday and Thursday when the storm is at its most intense.

Over the weekend, Oakland experienced widespread flooding that blocked major roads like Webster Street, wind and rain that knocked down trees, damage that forced the Oakland Zoo to close until Jan. 17, mudslides, vehicles stranded in water, and other impacts from the last atmospheric river to cross over the state.

Several lanes of I-580 near Keller Avenue were blocked by a downed tree Saturday, and a warehouse in West Oakland collapsed from the weight of water on its roof. Sausal Creek jumped its banks, flooding Dimond Park and other areas between the hills and the Bay.

Wednesday and Thursday’s rain and wind is expected to equal or exceed the New Year’s Eve storm. On Monday, the National Weather Service called it “truly a brutal system” with the potential to cause “loss of human life.”

This is a list of the Bay Area’s most notable restaurant and bar openings, with new updates published once a week. Did we miss something great? Please, drop us a line.

January 3

CASTRO — Hoodline reports that Mr. Hen Chicken Rice & Noodles will open at 4039 18th Street in the Castro on January 4. The restaurant takes over the space most recently occupied by Rooster & Rice, which closed in late December. According to Hoodline, the newcomer comes from the owners of Hungry Hub, a pop-up Thai restaurant which has been running out of the space since March 2022. Mr. Hen will not serve Thai food, a representative tells Hoodline, just chicken and rice.

BERKELEY — The south Berkeley space at 2969 Shattuck Avenue, which was previously home to Sesame, a Tiny Bakery, has reopened as the first Berkeley outpost of rapidly expanding chain Mochinut. Look for the standard menu of mochi doughnuts, boba, and Korean corn dogs, according to East Bay Nosh.

SAN MATEO — There’s a new destination for Argentine alfajores, savory empanadas, and other baked goods as of December 18. Lolita Artisinal Bakery-Cafe opened its doors at 3790 South El Camino Real, Suite 101, joining a much-smaller existing location in the Hillsdale Shopping Center. At 1,500 square feet, this new bakery has its own production space and seating, the San Mateo Daily Journal reports.

REDWOOD CITY — State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria debuted its third location in Redwood City’s Marsh Manor shopping center in late December. Palo Alto Online reports the new outpost is most similar to the restaurant in Los Altos, offering pinball machines and a menu of pizzas, salads, wings, and appetizers.

SACRAMENTO — The northeastern Sacramento suburb of Orangevale has a new beer spot: Mode Brewing opened in December at 9110 Greenback Lane, the Bee reports. It’s from the owners of Pasta a la Mode, which is now the in-house food truck. Pair pizzas and fusion pastas like a carnitas-topped fettucini with a coffee porter, cream ale, or IPA.

As we ring in the new year, 2023 has a low bar to become the best year of the decade so far. After all, 2020-22 brought us a global pandemic, 3 more years of stadium purgatory (which is strangely similar to hell), a 102 loss season, terrible lottery luck, and more questionable trades.

Still, the potential exists for the A’s to be good sooner rather than later even if it now requires a high percentage of prospects — both drafted and dealt for — to succeed. That’s a dangerous hope given the volatility of prospects, but Oakland does have quite a few young players it believes in. Let’s hope they’re right.

An “80th percentile comp” assumes that a prospect doesn’t flame out entirely, doesn’t epically fail to their 20th percentile outcome (but enough about Franklin Barreto), doesn’t go all Josh Donaldson on the world to hit their 99th percentile ceiling, but rather makes a successful journey to reach what is a reasonable hope, if not quite an expectation, of what their skill set and profile might yield.

Because we’re looking at positive outcomes, the associated stats and player comps will appear to be a bit rosy. Obviously not all of these guys are going to reach this standard of progress, but some very well could. So it’s fun to think of who they may mimic if they reach their reasonable potential.

I invite you to weigh in with your suggested comps after reading through my best efforts. Some of them are just really harrrrd so your wisdom is appreciated...Players appear in alphabetical order...

Jordan Diaz - 1B/2B/DH

Many assume Diaz will end up as a DH sooner rather than later, but so far he has played 2B and 1B at the big league level and figures to get more looks at 1B if he shows he can play the position well enough.

Noted for his lack of plate discipline, Diaz is nonetheless an impressive hitter so far given that he still only 22 and batted .326/.366/.515 at AA and AAA this season. And while Diaz may not walk a lot, he also doesn’t strikeout much, with K rates ranging from 11.8% to 15.9% in 6 stops over 5 minor league seasons.

So we’re looking for a RH batter who doesn’t BB much, doesn’t K much, hits the ball with authority, might have 15-20 HR power, and can play both 1B and 2B just not very well.

I have just the guy! He has a career BB rate of 6.2% and a career K rate of 17.7%, has a career batting average of .279 with a career high of 20 HRs, plays those exact two defensive positions and plays them both not especially well. Get ready for it...

Comp: Ty France (career .279/.347/.438)

Zack Gelof - 2B

The writing on the wall suggests that Gelof, who has played quite a bit of 3B in the minors, will settle in as the A’s 2Bman of the future. (He currently has 60 games at 3B, 62 at 2B.)

For a 2B comp we are looking for a player with a solid hit tool that combines decent power with decent speed — your prototypical “20/20 player” — with a solid BB rate that makes him an excellent all around hitter. At 2B you’re looking for solid and athletic defense that plays best at 2B.

For me, Gelof was the easiest prospect to pick an 80th percentile comp out of the air and if he reaches it I think we will all be thrilled. But I’m ok with a somewhat lofty comp because I am a Gelof believer.

Comp: Ian Kinsler (.269/.337/.440 career, 257 HR, 253 SB in 14 seasons)

Brett Harris - 3B

A “solid but not spectacular” type, Harris isn’t the kind of prospect who will move someone off the position, but his emergence as a possible 3Bman of the future could allow Gelof to slot into 2B seamlessly.

Harris has perhaps a bit of the “Mark Ellis” profile only with very good defense rather than Unicorn-elite defense. But similar to the one-horned legend, Harris is the prospect you tend to overlook as he uses fundamentals and smarts to pass more talented prospects.

And it’s not like Harris is a statistical mediocrity: He batted .304/.415/.578 at A+ Lansing in 2022, then .286/.361/.441 at AA Midland. But he is seen as more of a potential “good complementary piece” to the Gelofs and Soderstroms and Ruiz’s the A’s hope will anchor the talent base.

If it weren’t for the handedness I would have the perfect 80th percentile comp, and that’s the recently acquired Jace Peterson. So I’m going with, aptly, maybe the best third baseman you never think about, a guy who didn’t reach the big leagues until he was 26 but had 14 DRS in 2022 and has a career slash line of .264/.331/.419 over 2 seasons.

Comp: Ramon Urias (.264/.331/.419 career, 1.1 and 2.6 WAR seasons so far)

Esteury Ruiz - CF

At least the A’s hope Ruiz can stick in CF. A move to the corner outfield is possible, and Ruiz also has played twice as many games at 2B as he has at any other position.

Ruiz profiles as a legitimate speed burner whose legs, along with his contact skills, should allow him to maintain a decent batting average. On the flip side, there have been concerns voiced around his low exit velocities, which could potentially bring that average down.

Assuming he can hit around .260-.270, Ruiz should have a strong OBP as his BB rates have been good in the minors and have improved from A+ to AA to AAA. As for power and slugging, Ruiz has shown some pop more recently but profiles as having more “doubles power” with maybe double digit HR numbers but nothing to give you Mike Cameron or Chris Young vibes.

I think it’s worth noting that Ruiz’ profile suggests a decent chance he will bust, as he has had just one breakout season and is currently neither an accomplished outfielder nor is he a big power threat.

But in the same breath (albeit a different paragraph), it’s also worth noting that Ruiz’ 80th percentile could be a dynamic player whose speed alone turns him into a good CFer and who can “impact a game” by putting bat on ball and running like there’s no tomorrow.

Certainly Ruiz has a chance to become Rajai Davis, outrunning bad reads and good throws with the same legs. And we can dream about him becoming Starling Marte if his 2022 season was his new normal. But the truth will likely be in between those two.

So while I am settling on arguably too lofty a comp that could be more Ruiz’ 90th percentile outcome, let’s imagine the A’s know what they’re doing in swapping an All-Star catcher for Ruiz and Ruiz alone.

Comp: Lorenzo Cain (.283/.343/.407 career, 87 HR, 190 SB over 10 seasons)

Tyler Soderstrom - C

This was the hardest comp for me, because I just can’t find a player who combines the following:

We’re looking for a catcher who might move off the position to 1B or LF, who hits for power to all fields with a strong hit tool, but doesn’t draw a lot of walks. And he has to bat LH, as opposite hand comps seem lazy and inaccurate.

Two “almost comps,” because they hit LH, have big time power, and moved off of catcher as big leaguers, are Kyle Schwarber and Daniel Vogelbach. Trouble is, both those guys take a lot of walks (Vogelbach’s 15.7% career rate is pretty elite and I’m disappointed the A’s didn’t nab him last off-season when he signed for 2 years and $2.3M). If it weren’t for that I would go with Vogelbach as a decent overall comp even though the body types are not at all similar.

Most of the comps I find amongst catchers with meh BB rates are just poor overall hitters, not guys who hit well but aren’t as patient as you would like. Or they bat RH.

Rich Gedman? That’s going back a ways (Gedman retired in 1992) and Gedman was a solid catcher who was never going to be moved off the position.

Comp: There isn’t one. He’s one of a kind!

OK, your turn. How did I do? Can you do better? (Please!) Oh, and Happy New Year. Hopefully it won’t, for the fourth year in a row, be the Year of the Total Bull.

More From Athletics Nation

Harbour View's midfielder and former national youth player Trayvone Reid is scheduled to leave the island this month to ply his trade for the Oakland Roots in the United Soccer League (USL) in the United States.

Clyde Jureidini, the Harbour View general manager, told the Jamaica Observer the move gives the former Kingston College Manning Cup standout the chance to further develop.

"It is good for him because we have always looked for opportunities for players to further their football career locally and internationally," said Jureidini.

"Now that he has gotten this opportunity is another step forward within his career and we are happy for the opportunity that he has organised for himself and hopes that it goes well and he continues his development in an upward curve to the international level," he said.

"He is a good player and he is clearly an outstanding player, his individual talent is obvious, his dribbling skills, his ball artistry, his creativity, and goalscoring is excellent," Jureidini stated.

"He has shown his talent from his younger days at Tivoli Gardens, and we are happy we had from last season and the start of this one to help him along that trek and to help him to transition to this part of progress.

The 22-year-old Reid helped Harbour View to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) title last season while on loan at the club from Tivoli Gardens. However, he signed a permanent deal with the East Kingston-based club at the start of this campaign.

Jureidini underscored that Reid's move overseas is a huge loss for the club, but he wishes him all the best in the future.

"Yes, it is a huge loss, but it is part of the game because you look forward to some of these losses and you hope, work, and pray that the next set of players come through and fill that void or make a step up and so one door opens another door closes," he said.

"The real truth is that Trayvon would have been viewed by football scouts in the last two to three years. He has gotten this opportunity and I hope that he will take it and make the most of it and continue his climb upward in his football career," Jureidini said.

— Robert Bailey

Jackknife Accident Backs Up Traffic For Hours

A big rig jackknife accident in Oakland on December 30 blocked all of the northbound lanes along I-880, which left drivers just sitting for hours. The accident happened around 2:00 a.m., and the big rig flipped from the jackknife, also striking another vehicle. The collision backed up traffic as far as the Oakland Coliseum for hours.

A meteorologist with KTVU, Roberta Gonzales, was headed to work at the time, and the accident occurred in front of her. She was reporting live at the accident scene as rain continued to pour down at around 6:30 a.m. where she had already been stuck in traffic for around four hours. She reported that the big rig was in the fast lane and attempting to move over but a vehicle was there, and the semi hit it, totaling the car. She estimated her vehicle was moving around 62 mph, and the big rig flew past her on the rain-slicked roads.

The meteorologist reported that when the big rig experienced jackknifing and overturned, big pieces of metal flew toward her own vehicle and nearly led to another accident. She exited her vehicle and ran to the driver of the big rig, describing him as confused and dazed with a bloody knee. Emergency crews arrived to extricate the driver from his rig. The northbound lanes reopened around 7:00 a.m.

A big rig jackknife accident is caused by various factors and one of the most dangerous trucking accidents on the roadway. Commonly, these types of crashes occur when the driver applies brakes too quickly or too forcefully, causing the trailer to swing out and the truck to fold in on itself, which can lead to serious injuries and fatalities. Other causes may include:

When you’ve been injured in an accident caused by a big rig, you may be able to recover compensation for your medical costs, lost wages and your pain and suffering. Our law firm has successfully handled many accidents involving big rigs.

I’m Ed Smith, and I am a Hayward truck accident lawyer. Big commercial vehicle accidents often cause serious trauma to those nearby. Free, friendly advice from one of our accident attorneys on whether you might be able to file a claim if you were injured by a big rig is available when you call us. If you would like to find out whether you have a case, have your questions answered and discover how you can recover compensation, please contact us at (510) 631-0200 or (800) 404-5400. You can also fill out a contact form online.

Check out below how our accident injury lawyers helped other clients receive compensation for their injuries:

As a result of our commitment to our clients, we are proud to be members of the following organizations:

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