Tuesday, May 05, 2009

ANOTHER ‘MUST WIN WEEK’ FOR THE DESPARATE DIRTBAGS AS THE HOME BOYS TRY FOR A SEASON SWEEP OF PEPPERDINE

The next two names on the Dirtbag schedule played yesterday when Pepperdine snuck past UC Santa Barbara 8-6 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium where the Beach travels to this weekend. The contest was a continuation of an April 7 contest that was postponed due to rain and the result upped Pepperdine’s record to 25-19 while the Gauchos dropped to 23-19.

Still want to scout the Gauchos, easy enough, they play Pepp again tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Malibu. Tonight of course starts another of LBSU’s must win weeks, even Tuesday Ws are necessary when your overall record is 23-20, (with 11 games left). The same for the Waves who are in fifth place in the WCC. At least LB (10-5) is in sort of a three way tie for second in the BWC.

Meanwhile back on campus, he is the President of the 25th largest University in the nation, a noted scholar, very likely the Chancellor-in-Waiting for the California State University system, and, oh yes, the third base coach for his daughter Madison’s soft ball team. At the end of this month F. King Alexander, cap, gown, sash and mortar board, will be the prime greeter for the thousands of new graduates who will parade across the campus in regalia that is colorful, festive, and dignified. The connection, well, when the Prez fielded a hot foul ball in one of Madison’s recent games she looked over at her dad and remarked, “Gee, you did that and you don’t even have a costume on.” Maybe Madison has figured this thing out, athlete’s are just regular people in a costume-- long pants, short pants, sneakers, spikes, skirts, visors, hats and helmets.

MIND DUSTING—Back to the bases, while UC Irvine is still number one in the nation, the Eaters are having second thoughts about hosting a NCAA regional. Anteater Ballpark has only 999 fixed seats, no room for media and other delegations that go with hosting a regional, the prospect of losing money meeting the NCAA minimum and the good feeling the team had wining on the road at places like Round Rock, Texas, Lincoln, Nebraska and Wichita, Kansas…while the Dirtbags played and swept cellar-dwelling Davis the Long Beach State softball team had to battle back from a 3-0 deficit to claim the rubber game Sunday in its series against UC Riverside. The 49ers improved to 31-19 overall and 12-6 in the Big West Conference and have but one series left, at Pacific Friday and Saturday but even though Cal Poly and Fullerton are ahead of the Beach, the BWC’s excellent softball RPI should squeeze three teams into the playoffs…this weekend of course is at laid-back UCSB, followed by a home set with SLO and then moving from the microwave into a nuclear reactor with the final three at Fullerton…wrapping up, the Beach Bags may have gotten too far behind, just nine conference games and two mid weekers left to build on a modest 23-20 overall record. Good RPI yes, good conference mark we think so, bad year for the Pac 10, certainly, but even if everything goes perfectly will it be enough?... the no surprise department, LB head women's basketball coach Jody Wynn has completed her staff hiring husband Derek Wynn, Bishop Alemany High coach Jeffrey Cammon and one of USC aide Laura Freimuth as assistant coaches…Derek Wynn spent five years at USC and the same at Pepperdine…Anxious to see The Beach in a national championship and not burn all your gas money? The 42nd Annual United States Intercollegiate Archery Championships (USIAC) will be held on the athletic fields of CSULB May 14-17…it is a club sport but the hardware is real and admission is free…the two western voices on the 10 member NCAA baseball committee are Coach Pat Murphy of Arizona State and Fullerton AD Brian Quinn…The Titans have a five-game week, they host Arizona tonight and tomorrow then travel to SLO where they are expecting the biggest crowd since the Jared Weaver 2004 victory tour…the park capacity is only 1700 but on a lonely Friday at Cal State Cole Slaw they’ll sell 3000 tickets …done for their careers at LB are two seniors, Manny McElroy and Rylan Sandoval, on the “team rules” rule…the 25 man travel roster for the UCSB trip (not withstanding those $140 a night hotel rooms) will include Kip Masuda, player number 26 but permitted as a “bull pen catcher”…Kip’s applying for a medical red shirt year… The Dirtbags, who beat Pepp on April 13, scoring four times against the Waves’ bullpen in the seventh inning to win 5-4, have won nine of the last 12 sweeping UOP and UCD.

UC Santa Barbara has been struggling after opening 2009 winning nine of its first 11 games and a top 25 ranking, the Gauchos have dropped the last six…special Mom’s Day salute to one and all but especially to Jake Thompson’s mom Diane who leads the bone marrow donation program and to Christina Casas, mother of Jordan and the long suffering wife and travel partner of Jordon’s Dad Peter …they make the long drive down from Monterrey but can’t read this tonight because Christina talked her hubby onto a cruise ship that sails into Santa Barbara on Friday.—DR. DAN



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