THE MOSTLY GOOD NEWS DECEMBER DUST—VOLLEYS, HOOPS, BASES AND GEORGE W. BUSH
Congratulations you picked a great day to stop by the toy department of the Gazette because this month’s dose of the Dust features nothing but good news.
Good news part one is that the Big West champion lady 49er volleyball team (three time national champions) will has drawn Pepperdine Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Stanford regional. The Beach has won the previous 12 meetings against the Waves, including a 3-1 decision in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Pepperdine finished fourth in the West Coast Conference with an 8-6 mark but while the Big West got only one entrant, the Waves are one of five West Coast conference teams to get an invite. The second game will pit the host Cardinal against Albany at 7 p.m. with the winners meeting Saturday at 7 p.m.
Sticking with indoor sports we usually rely on a Misty May note to cheer us up but since she is in that delicate condition, no, not THAT delicate condition--her torn tendon, we pass the baton to AL rookie of the year Evan Longoria, who goes to work Sunday as the celebrity grand marshal of Downey’s Holiday Lane Parade. Longoria grew up in Downey and was a fairly average athlete for the West Downey Little League and St. John Bosco High. As the history books now report, he then got good at Rio Hondo College, really good at Long Beach State and simply marvelous in Tampa Bay.
More small ball good news, ex Dirtbag and Padre Paul McAnulty, a lefthanded-hitting outfielder who failed to establish himself in several stints with San Diego, has at age 27 signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox who call him a "Matt Stairs-type.” Paul’s special angel Jason McLeod, who, as a Padres scout, originally signed McAnulty in 2002 out of LBSU says he has a “swing will work for Fenway.”
Maybe one of the most exciting developments for me in November was the fact that Alan Knipe, head men's volleyball coach at Long Beach State announced the signing of four players to National Letter's of Intent.
So are these all blue chippers? Have millionaire parents? Heck I wouldn’t know a blue chip from a potato chip, (insert your own punch line.) What excites me is that in this the worst financial crisis in LBSU history we are still playing this neat, boutique, almost cult, sport. The new guys are Jack Powell (Granite H S), Ian Satterfield (Mira Costa HS), Dalton Ammerman (Chaparral HS) and McKay Smith (Dana Hills HS). All of these lads are 6-4, 6-5 and 6-6 and can jump out of the gym.
Back in the gym Donavan Morris (a season-high 30 points) and Dan Monson’s fab freshmen won their third straight as the 49ers defeated New Mexico State 82-77 Sunday. And they did it in regulation. Pepperdine tonight (Wednesday and next up a coast to coast road trip from San Francisco to Syracuse with a pit stop in Ogden, Utah.
Almost last add hoops. I was hunkered down in the recliner for the Niners impressive win at Idaho State on Big Sky TV when I kept thinking I recognized one of the striped shirts. Sure enough it was referee Kevin Cutler who played on what I feel was the best LBSU team in the last two decades, the 1990 Beach boys. That squad had Cutler, Bryon Russell, Frankie Edwards, Kenny Jarvis, Lucious Harris, Bobby Sears and Chris Tower.
Really last add hoops. In that made for ESPN Anaheim Thanksgiving Tourney next year the Beach will be part of a blue chip field featuring UCLA, Portland, Butler, Clemson, West Virginia, Minnesota and Texas A & M. Teams play three games, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. I have a hunch that the 2009 Niners will be pretty good by then.
DUSTING WITH AN EDGE—This is off topic but saluting the last something days of W, this quote: "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." George W. Bush Jan 3, 2000, US News & World Report
Errata—forget that hot rumor that Minneapolis would get one of the next round of Final Fours and give the Monson family a chance to re-visit the Mall of America. The NCAA opted for host sites in 2012-2016 at New Orleans, Atlanta, North Texas, Indianapolis and Houston.
Signed up by the Beach baseball, Bishop Gorman senior baseball shortstop/third baseman RJ Santigate …he batted .286 with 20 runs and nine RBIs in 31 games as Gorman won its third consecutive state championship. “"Long Beach showed the most interest in me, and my dad always told me to go where they want you the most," Santigate said.”They're a great team and they've had a lot of success with the players who have come out of the left side of their infield." Ah, yeah!
And now the rest of an old story. Tennis great Jimmy Connors lives among his fellow millionaires near Santa Barbara and with the basketball game between UC Santa Barbara and top-ranked North Carolina in town took his son (via marriage to former Playmate Patti McGuire) to the Thunderdome.
Stories differ but trouble broke out at Will Call when some fool was harassing Jimbo…He was still outside and wanted to wait for his son when Campus cops said move on. Outspoken Jim, known as the brat of the tennis world, fussed and was arrested. If he didn’t already have $8.6 million prize money I’d pay his fine.
As an author I was disturbed that his recent book, “The New Gold Standard: Charlie Weis and Notre Dame's Rise to Glory." Is now on sale. One unused version was listed on Amazon.com for 54 cents.
December is nervous time in the Dirtbag dugout since beginning next spring; NCAA teams will be limited to 35-player rosters that can't be revised once the season starts. Most schools had about 41 players on their extended roster.
One of the sponsors for ladies hoops on the webcasts is Long Beach Airport who reminds you that if you have the travel bug go there. Segue; off to a disappointing 1-3 start the Beach ladies have a travel bug of their own with an average 20 turn-overs per game. They hope a change of scenery will help, the Fighting Hegarty’s are at Washington State Friday and Idaho Saturday.
Finally Saturday is also the annual LBSU Men's Volleyball Alumni Game at 1 pm in the Pyramid. Afterwards there will be a BBQ for current players, families, alumni, boosters and folks hiding out from the ho-hum Big 12, SEC and ACC championship games. Go shopping now and keep America green. DR. DAN
Good news part one is that the Big West champion lady 49er volleyball team (three time national champions) will has drawn Pepperdine Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Stanford regional. The Beach has won the previous 12 meetings against the Waves, including a 3-1 decision in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Pepperdine finished fourth in the West Coast Conference with an 8-6 mark but while the Big West got only one entrant, the Waves are one of five West Coast conference teams to get an invite. The second game will pit the host Cardinal against Albany at 7 p.m. with the winners meeting Saturday at 7 p.m.
Sticking with indoor sports we usually rely on a Misty May note to cheer us up but since she is in that delicate condition, no, not THAT delicate condition--her torn tendon, we pass the baton to AL rookie of the year Evan Longoria, who goes to work Sunday as the celebrity grand marshal of Downey’s Holiday Lane Parade. Longoria grew up in Downey and was a fairly average athlete for the West Downey Little League and St. John Bosco High. As the history books now report, he then got good at Rio Hondo College, really good at Long Beach State and simply marvelous in Tampa Bay.
More small ball good news, ex Dirtbag and Padre Paul McAnulty, a lefthanded-hitting outfielder who failed to establish himself in several stints with San Diego, has at age 27 signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox who call him a "Matt Stairs-type.” Paul’s special angel Jason McLeod, who, as a Padres scout, originally signed McAnulty in 2002 out of LBSU says he has a “swing will work for Fenway.”
Maybe one of the most exciting developments for me in November was the fact that Alan Knipe, head men's volleyball coach at Long Beach State announced the signing of four players to National Letter's of Intent.
So are these all blue chippers? Have millionaire parents? Heck I wouldn’t know a blue chip from a potato chip, (insert your own punch line.) What excites me is that in this the worst financial crisis in LBSU history we are still playing this neat, boutique, almost cult, sport. The new guys are Jack Powell (Granite H S), Ian Satterfield (Mira Costa HS), Dalton Ammerman (Chaparral HS) and McKay Smith (Dana Hills HS). All of these lads are 6-4, 6-5 and 6-6 and can jump out of the gym.
Back in the gym Donavan Morris (a season-high 30 points) and Dan Monson’s fab freshmen won their third straight as the 49ers defeated New Mexico State 82-77 Sunday. And they did it in regulation. Pepperdine tonight (Wednesday and next up a coast to coast road trip from San Francisco to Syracuse with a pit stop in Ogden, Utah.
Almost last add hoops. I was hunkered down in the recliner for the Niners impressive win at Idaho State on Big Sky TV when I kept thinking I recognized one of the striped shirts. Sure enough it was referee Kevin Cutler who played on what I feel was the best LBSU team in the last two decades, the 1990 Beach boys. That squad had Cutler, Bryon Russell, Frankie Edwards, Kenny Jarvis, Lucious Harris, Bobby Sears and Chris Tower.
Really last add hoops. In that made for ESPN Anaheim Thanksgiving Tourney next year the Beach will be part of a blue chip field featuring UCLA, Portland, Butler, Clemson, West Virginia, Minnesota and Texas A & M. Teams play three games, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. I have a hunch that the 2009 Niners will be pretty good by then.
DUSTING WITH AN EDGE—This is off topic but saluting the last something days of W, this quote: "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." George W. Bush Jan 3, 2000, US News & World Report
Errata—forget that hot rumor that Minneapolis would get one of the next round of Final Fours and give the Monson family a chance to re-visit the Mall of America. The NCAA opted for host sites in 2012-2016 at New Orleans, Atlanta, North Texas, Indianapolis and Houston.
Signed up by the Beach baseball, Bishop Gorman senior baseball shortstop/third baseman RJ Santigate …he batted .286 with 20 runs and nine RBIs in 31 games as Gorman won its third consecutive state championship. “"Long Beach showed the most interest in me, and my dad always told me to go where they want you the most," Santigate said.”They're a great team and they've had a lot of success with the players who have come out of the left side of their infield." Ah, yeah!
And now the rest of an old story. Tennis great Jimmy Connors lives among his fellow millionaires near Santa Barbara and with the basketball game between UC Santa Barbara and top-ranked North Carolina in town took his son (via marriage to former Playmate Patti McGuire) to the Thunderdome.
Stories differ but trouble broke out at Will Call when some fool was harassing Jimbo…He was still outside and wanted to wait for his son when Campus cops said move on. Outspoken Jim, known as the brat of the tennis world, fussed and was arrested. If he didn’t already have $8.6 million prize money I’d pay his fine.
As an author I was disturbed that his recent book, “The New Gold Standard: Charlie Weis and Notre Dame's Rise to Glory." Is now on sale. One unused version was listed on Amazon.com for 54 cents.
December is nervous time in the Dirtbag dugout since beginning next spring; NCAA teams will be limited to 35-player rosters that can't be revised once the season starts. Most schools had about 41 players on their extended roster.
One of the sponsors for ladies hoops on the webcasts is Long Beach Airport who reminds you that if you have the travel bug go there. Segue; off to a disappointing 1-3 start the Beach ladies have a travel bug of their own with an average 20 turn-overs per game. They hope a change of scenery will help, the Fighting Hegarty’s are at Washington State Friday and Idaho Saturday.
Finally Saturday is also the annual LBSU Men's Volleyball Alumni Game at 1 pm in the Pyramid. Afterwards there will be a BBQ for current players, families, alumni, boosters and folks hiding out from the ho-hum Big 12, SEC and ACC championship games. Go shopping now and keep America green. DR. DAN
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