TUESDAY WITH TONY GWYNN, TOMMY LASORDA, TYLER TOPP AND NOTES ON MY #6 NAPKIN
You can add MLB Hall of Famer and SDSU Coach Tony Gwynn to the baseball crowd that occasionally quote Tommy Lasorda after a tough game and a lame question, "What's my opinion of Kingman's performance!?” Expletives aside, tonight’s guest indigenous peoples, The San Diego State Aztecs (10-8), had no sooner recorked the champagne from a weekend sweep of BYU when they lost 5-3 to lowly Southern Utah last night. My consulant on things Irish, Boston John Connolly, said that maybe it was the “irish coffees” from St. Patricks Day, maybe the green jersey’s and caps, or maybe (can you say Western Illinois) stuff happens.
Tonight the sizzling Beach Boys (12-3) are hoping that they avoid their own mid-week meltdown. Up to as high as #6 in the polls, the starters will be Tyler Topp (0-1, 2.57) against an aspiring “sports journalist (source SDSU Media Guide) Jon Berger (1-2, 6.59) but lots of arms are ready in the pens. Unlike last Tuesday, the longest travel for the Dirtbags this week was from the LB library, bible study, or the training room so no “leg weary-jet lag” excuses allowed. For the record Southern Utah did all the damage necessary with five runs in the top of the third and then it was time to start the bus up the 5 and 405. Ironically on Sunday the Aztecs had one of their finest games scoring 11 times over the first three innings whipping Brigham Young, 13-6. LBSU enjoyed a similar offensive outburst with their 16-9 smackdown of USC to put the brooms in motion for the third weekend in a row. The Ross Porter of the Blair press box, Bob Keisser, crunched the numbers—Shane Peterson, he of the grand slam fame, hit .692 on the weekend with 9 RBIs, Jason Tweedy had back to back three hit outings and the team hit .376. That upped the team batting average from .232 to .261 and despite all the wind-aided offense the team ERA is still an impressive 2.41. By comparison SDSU is hitting .278 with a 5.26 ERA. Six LB starters are hitting over .300 including third baseman Taylor Krick (.351), rightfielder Jason Corder (.423) and surprising freshmen catcher John Hill, .500. “He’s a very interesting guy,” Weathers understated. Another rook of interest is freshman centerfielder Jonathan Jones, holding down a spot while Chris Nelson mends. Jones (.300) had game-winning hits in each of the last two games.
BRACKET DUST-- got to love the ESPN TV graphic post of "Cal State Santa Barbara" during the BWCT...UCSB are those mean preppies who holler "state school" at our athletic teams…I don’t know the facts but I heard that the dollar amount of the three year NCAA LB hoop sanction sinning was just $1600…and yes I guess Fullerton will make it to Omaha this year, but it is baskets playing that regional, not baseball…the hoop Titans are transfer U, all 13 players are transfers, Russell, Morgan and Alexander, West Valley College; Lima, Arizona Western; Cutley and Crenshaw, Kent State; Robinson, East Carolina, Reed, Georgetown; Green, College of Sequoias; Thomas, Penn Valley; Lassiter,San Francisco CC; and Anderson, Saddleback College…Dirtbags will salute the 1998 College World Series team prior to the Sunday, April 13 game against UC Irvine…despite the Sunday slamfest let’s see how the Beach bats in the cool of the evening tonight, however if wind makes the Dirtbag hitters feel powerful, get Mr. Connolly to bring the wind tunnel gear over from Boeing and turn it on in the bottom of the first eight innings…we won’t need it in the bottom of the ninth…now that we have moved Fullerton off our watch and harass list we are ready to add UC Irvine…they beat SC 11-3 last Tuesday and then smacked Hawaii: on the weekend, W 9-0, W 14-3, W 13-4…this weekend they will have at least one tough game at the ASU Tournament in Tempe…the Eaters play Florida International, Northern Colorado, and then host Arizona State…peeking to the weekend UCLA's bats have awakened from their early offense slumber…the Bruins averaged just 4.25 runs per game through their first eight contests but have scored more than nine runs per game over their last seven…my distant cousin, Richmond’s Billy Barber, cracked 6 home runs over 5 games, went 12-for-24, knocked in 16 runs, scored 9 times and added 3 doubles. His slugging percentage was 1.375…okay so we are not really related…my guess is that Evan Longoria will not be the starter for Tampa Bay in the opener…and the reason is monetary not talent…for arbitration reasons expect vet Joel Guzman to go until the Rays front office makes their long term deal with Evan and protect their “economic interest”…meanwhile all the guys on the field, especially manager Joe Maddon, are anxious for the best looking rook in MLB to get to the show…me too—DR. DAN
Tonight the sizzling Beach Boys (12-3) are hoping that they avoid their own mid-week meltdown. Up to as high as #6 in the polls, the starters will be Tyler Topp (0-1, 2.57) against an aspiring “sports journalist (source SDSU Media Guide) Jon Berger (1-2, 6.59) but lots of arms are ready in the pens. Unlike last Tuesday, the longest travel for the Dirtbags this week was from the LB library, bible study, or the training room so no “leg weary-jet lag” excuses allowed. For the record Southern Utah did all the damage necessary with five runs in the top of the third and then it was time to start the bus up the 5 and 405. Ironically on Sunday the Aztecs had one of their finest games scoring 11 times over the first three innings whipping Brigham Young, 13-6. LBSU enjoyed a similar offensive outburst with their 16-9 smackdown of USC to put the brooms in motion for the third weekend in a row. The Ross Porter of the Blair press box, Bob Keisser, crunched the numbers—Shane Peterson, he of the grand slam fame, hit .692 on the weekend with 9 RBIs, Jason Tweedy had back to back three hit outings and the team hit .376. That upped the team batting average from .232 to .261 and despite all the wind-aided offense the team ERA is still an impressive 2.41. By comparison SDSU is hitting .278 with a 5.26 ERA. Six LB starters are hitting over .300 including third baseman Taylor Krick (.351), rightfielder Jason Corder (.423) and surprising freshmen catcher John Hill, .500. “He’s a very interesting guy,” Weathers understated. Another rook of interest is freshman centerfielder Jonathan Jones, holding down a spot while Chris Nelson mends. Jones (.300) had game-winning hits in each of the last two games.
BRACKET DUST-- got to love the ESPN TV graphic post of "Cal State Santa Barbara" during the BWCT...UCSB are those mean preppies who holler "state school" at our athletic teams…I don’t know the facts but I heard that the dollar amount of the three year NCAA LB hoop sanction sinning was just $1600…and yes I guess Fullerton will make it to Omaha this year, but it is baskets playing that regional, not baseball…the hoop Titans are transfer U, all 13 players are transfers, Russell, Morgan and Alexander, West Valley College; Lima, Arizona Western; Cutley and Crenshaw, Kent State; Robinson, East Carolina, Reed, Georgetown; Green, College of Sequoias; Thomas, Penn Valley; Lassiter,San Francisco CC; and Anderson, Saddleback College…Dirtbags will salute the 1998 College World Series team prior to the Sunday, April 13 game against UC Irvine…despite the Sunday slamfest let’s see how the Beach bats in the cool of the evening tonight, however if wind makes the Dirtbag hitters feel powerful, get Mr. Connolly to bring the wind tunnel gear over from Boeing and turn it on in the bottom of the first eight innings…we won’t need it in the bottom of the ninth…now that we have moved Fullerton off our watch and harass list we are ready to add UC Irvine…they beat SC 11-3 last Tuesday and then smacked Hawaii: on the weekend, W 9-0, W 14-3, W 13-4…this weekend they will have at least one tough game at the ASU Tournament in Tempe…the Eaters play Florida International, Northern Colorado, and then host Arizona State…peeking to the weekend UCLA's bats have awakened from their early offense slumber…the Bruins averaged just 4.25 runs per game through their first eight contests but have scored more than nine runs per game over their last seven…my distant cousin, Richmond’s Billy Barber, cracked 6 home runs over 5 games, went 12-for-24, knocked in 16 runs, scored 9 times and added 3 doubles. His slugging percentage was 1.375…okay so we are not really related…my guess is that Evan Longoria will not be the starter for Tampa Bay in the opener…and the reason is monetary not talent…for arbitration reasons expect vet Joel Guzman to go until the Rays front office makes their long term deal with Evan and protect their “economic interest”…meanwhile all the guys on the field, especially manager Joe Maddon, are anxious for the best looking rook in MLB to get to the show…me too—DR. DAN
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