THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE TITANS, AND THE TROJANS
The original and real Doctor Dan in my family was my dad’s uncle Dan, who along with his brothers Timothy (my granddad) and Maxfield (my middle name) practiced medicine back in West Virginia. My point is don’t take my medical advice vary seriously but there are two kinds of cholesterol, the good and the bad.
Same for today’s sporting malady—frustration, the good and the bad. The good frustration was evident in a full dose last Saturday, remarkably helping the Long Beach men’s basketball team get well, or at least well on their way to sneaking in the Big West Tournament next month.
Figuring that the CSUF Titan’s love to run and were leading the conference in scoring with every starter averaging double figures why not slow the game down and, er, ah, frustrate Fullerton?
After all the Titan’s had being running wild in winning their last five, three on the road, so why not change the music, and try a little “Sweet Georgia Brown”, the theme for that famous Harlem Globetrotter clock burning “weave”. Outcome, frustrated Fullerton is held to 63 points, 38.9% shooting and perhaps the LBSU hoop program has found some medicine to get themselves off of life-support and into the post season party.
Next entry in the frustration file has to be the Dirtbag baseball bunch. Twice last weekend the Beach boys got within a run of USC and twice it was too little too late. Mind you the Weatherman (Mike the coach) got to see a lot of players but until the trainer’s turn his power supply back on, returning sluggers Troy Tulowitzki and Sean Boatright, the pressure will be on pitching and defense.
On the other diamond the other field boss Pete Manarino is off to a good start but is still awaiting eligibility clearance of slugger Oli Keohohou. His team is a nifty 7-3 on the season but privately the skipper reveals that with the BYU transfer his team might be 10-0.
Back inside, the much discussed Mary Hegarty-Aisha Hollans moment of frustration came when the 49ers watched CS Northridge use an 18-7 run to get back in a game and win 66-63. A different result and the Beach gals would be in first place heading for a showdown with Santa Barbara for an outright title. Lack of defense by player Hollans frustrated Coach Hegarty but the final chapter is yet to be written and if the lesson was learned then this Niner basketball team might be the first in a decade to make the big dance. The men last went in 1995 and the women last partied in 1992 and that’s too long for any kind of frustration.
FINISHING DUST—The bright side of the baseball story is that coaches have already looked at 16 hitters and 11 pitchers, something that frankly the club wished they had done earlier last year. The dark side, an average of 10 Dirtbags per game left on the base bags. Another PAC 10 team is up next when Cal comes in for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday series.
The basketeers meanwhile are down to their final six contests, with Irvine and Davis next up, the men here and the women there. Likely Larry’s lads are in the BWC tourney with one more win, that being over Cal Poly, although also beating Irvine would seal the deal. The ladies are looking to get a top seed with a bye to the semis.
No word from Cal Tech on a Richter scale reading from that home plate collision Sunday afternoon between 5-9, 158 pound outfield mouse Steve Velazco and USC’s 6-2, 220 pound catcher Jeff Clement. Clement blocked the plate, denied a game-tying tally but Velazco popped up with a smile.
Our closing quote is from Seattle Times columnist Dwight Perry, on the UCLA basketball team's “poor attendance at Pauley Pavilion or as Bruin fans refer to the sight of all those empty seats: Pauley unsaturated.''—DR. DAN
Same for today’s sporting malady—frustration, the good and the bad. The good frustration was evident in a full dose last Saturday, remarkably helping the Long Beach men’s basketball team get well, or at least well on their way to sneaking in the Big West Tournament next month.
Figuring that the CSUF Titan’s love to run and were leading the conference in scoring with every starter averaging double figures why not slow the game down and, er, ah, frustrate Fullerton?
After all the Titan’s had being running wild in winning their last five, three on the road, so why not change the music, and try a little “Sweet Georgia Brown”, the theme for that famous Harlem Globetrotter clock burning “weave”. Outcome, frustrated Fullerton is held to 63 points, 38.9% shooting and perhaps the LBSU hoop program has found some medicine to get themselves off of life-support and into the post season party.
Next entry in the frustration file has to be the Dirtbag baseball bunch. Twice last weekend the Beach boys got within a run of USC and twice it was too little too late. Mind you the Weatherman (Mike the coach) got to see a lot of players but until the trainer’s turn his power supply back on, returning sluggers Troy Tulowitzki and Sean Boatright, the pressure will be on pitching and defense.
On the other diamond the other field boss Pete Manarino is off to a good start but is still awaiting eligibility clearance of slugger Oli Keohohou. His team is a nifty 7-3 on the season but privately the skipper reveals that with the BYU transfer his team might be 10-0.
Back inside, the much discussed Mary Hegarty-Aisha Hollans moment of frustration came when the 49ers watched CS Northridge use an 18-7 run to get back in a game and win 66-63. A different result and the Beach gals would be in first place heading for a showdown with Santa Barbara for an outright title. Lack of defense by player Hollans frustrated Coach Hegarty but the final chapter is yet to be written and if the lesson was learned then this Niner basketball team might be the first in a decade to make the big dance. The men last went in 1995 and the women last partied in 1992 and that’s too long for any kind of frustration.
FINISHING DUST—The bright side of the baseball story is that coaches have already looked at 16 hitters and 11 pitchers, something that frankly the club wished they had done earlier last year. The dark side, an average of 10 Dirtbags per game left on the base bags. Another PAC 10 team is up next when Cal comes in for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday series.
The basketeers meanwhile are down to their final six contests, with Irvine and Davis next up, the men here and the women there. Likely Larry’s lads are in the BWC tourney with one more win, that being over Cal Poly, although also beating Irvine would seal the deal. The ladies are looking to get a top seed with a bye to the semis.
No word from Cal Tech on a Richter scale reading from that home plate collision Sunday afternoon between 5-9, 158 pound outfield mouse Steve Velazco and USC’s 6-2, 220 pound catcher Jeff Clement. Clement blocked the plate, denied a game-tying tally but Velazco popped up with a smile.
Our closing quote is from Seattle Times columnist Dwight Perry, on the UCLA basketball team's “poor attendance at Pauley Pavilion or as Bruin fans refer to the sight of all those empty seats: Pauley unsaturated.''—DR. DAN
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