Dr. Dan's Diamond Dust

The Dust has a new home

2010-09-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Come read us at http://www.lbpost.com/

Its lively, very up to date, and has room for archives and comments!

Best wishes

Dr. Dan

MID SUMMER DAY AND NIGHT DUSTING: THE WHERE ARE THEY REPORT

2010-07-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Notes and quotes have been piling up in the Dust Bin so sit back, don’t complain about quantity versus quality, and enjoy, in no certain order, these updates on some of our favorite people and places.

First of the “where are theys” is CIF associate commissioner Rob Wigod who worked the Century Club dais Tuesday night with a bunch of gems…his slide show featured a lot of former CIF southern stars including of course C Club member Misty May….quip, “I guess we have added Misty and took out Tiger!”…Misty is actually one of his student’s in that sports management masters program at Concordia…”I would have thought that she would be constantly asking for favors or to miss class but she is one of the most dependable students I have”…most of his chat was about winning with ethics and the proper mix of athletics and academics…he said that athletics is just a different way to learn, a “platform” that just can’t happen in a history class…

Another drop-in icon was hall of Famer Skip Rowland who had a huge grin seeing his old student Wigod who himself had a 14 year run as a coach at Lakewood…anyhow it was a night for Wilson who had just won the state title and are on to the American Legion Western Regional, after beating defending champs San Bernardino in the State Final last night by an 11-5 score…insiders say the win is even more impressive since the Legion rules allow teams to use recent high school grads and college kids…Wilson played with all high schoolers…Regional winners will play in the World Series Aug. 13-17 in Spokane, Wash.

Present and past Dirtbags Dept….Cape Cod in the summer is the home for college wood bat baseball and the Brewster Whitecaps are enjoying Andrew Gagnon of Long Beach State who has five wins and a impressive 1.69 ERA got the start in the leagues all-star game…the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League is home for Devin Lohman where his skipper with the Mustangs is Delino DeShields, who played 13 seasons in the big leagues

Insiders say the next Karina Figueroa for the Beach ladies could be Sendy Valles a three player that can play minutes at the four with an “unbelievable scorer's mentality. She never takes any play off. When it comes to a hustle player and someone who can make an impact on both ends of the floor…”
Ex Dirtbag Jeff Baumback, beat out 30 candidates for the vacant head baseball coaching position for the Redondo High Seahawks…Jeff lived in the shadow of Jered Weaver but was a very solid pitcher.

As you know Long Beach State led the way with three former players on MLB All-Star rosters, while Arizona State was close behind with two representatives. Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay), Jered Weaver (LA Angels) and Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado) were the Dirtbags, and Dustin Pedroia (Boston) and Andre Either (Los Angeles Dodgers) lead the way for the Sun Devils.

That fund raiser for wheel chair racer Jim Knaub at Tatalum did very well, something like $20,000 for the local man with the international rep…
Newest LBSU baseball face is Jesse Zepeda, who played under Larry Lee at
Cuesta College before seven years at Cal Poly…he and the Buckley bunch are busy sifting the unsigned guys to complete their year one squad…his other stops were at Righetti High School, Fresno State (1993), Cuesta College
(1994) the University of Oklahoma (1995-96), 23rd rounder with
the Detroit Tigers then the Toronto Blue and finally the Solano Steelheads who played in the same league as the late and great Armada…

Where is Kelly Field, the popular LB SAR ticket manager…gone from LB along with a bunch of other staffers who have turned in keys since the end of last semester Kelly, a hit with the big buck boosters is now in Irvine with the Paciolan ticketing system…but the twist is that LBSU will go into the fall with new software, this from, cough, cough, the Titan ticketing system which is a product of Jump TV…

Back inside look for the basketball contest in the Wooden tourney between LB and St. Mary's game to be in front of a large crowd by the 2nd half as UCLA and BYU fans arrive for the night cap…popular Niner administrator has moved up the food chain when Arkansas named Brian Pracht as its associate athletic director for marketing earlier this week….Pracht joins the Razorbacks after a seven-year stint at Wichita State and previous stops at Long Beach State and the Southland Conference….Pracht will have oversight of marketing, promotions, ticket sales, licensing and working as the staff liaison for International Sports Properties/Razorback Sports Properties…These are very similar to Pracht's duties as senior associate athletic director for external operations at Wichita State. He also oversaw media relations and ticket sales in addition to marketing duties and worked with the Shockers' broadcast rights holder…while at WSU, marketing programs helped the Shockers sell out 47 consecutive men's basketball games in a 10,502-seat facility, helped the men's basketball team record a streak of 90 consecutive regular season home games with an attendance of 10,000 or more, increased the average attendance of baseball to more than 4,000 per game and increased the average attendance of volleyball to more than 3,000 per match…He helped direct a $4.7 million fundraising campaign for an indoor baseball practice facility, increased corporate sponsorship revenue by 90 percent since 2003 and negotiated television contracts with cable partners.

If your worry about hypocrisy of the MLB kind think about young Wes Mugarian who said his life has been pointed toward playing pro baseball but signed to play college baseball at Alabama…after the HS star signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds (fifth-round selection, No. 157 overall) in the June amateur entry draft he got a $198,000 bonus with several interesting perks…if he does go to college he gets $20,000 per semester from Cincinnati through the College Scholarship program. The Reds also agreed to fly Mugarian and his parents, John and Caroline, to Cincinnati on Sept. 10 during the Reds’ series against Pittsburgh at Great American Ballpark and later to the team’s spring training home in Goodyear, Ariz., next year.
And from the Golf Channel, Paul Goydos gave the quote of his lifetime in his self effacing way after his second place finish last month, helped by a record 59…"Most people try to 'shoot their age'.... I shot my height."…checks or cash will be welcomed by Ryan Ressa (ex-UCLA) who was named the new LB men's golf coach Served as an assistant last year for the Bruins and spent time at Duke, San Diego and Washington…

Another home town item was that Long Beach State has appointed Sei Furutani as Assistant Director of Marketing, joining Long Beach State after spending the previous two years at UCLA in the Bruins' marketing department….Furutani will be responsible for overseeing the primary marketing of the baseball, women's volleyball, women's basketball, and cross country/track and field programs. He will also manage the Junior 49er Kids Club and all efforts associated with online social mediums…Furutani also has prior experience with Long Beach State, receiving his M.A. in sport management …oh yes his dad is the longtime political figure Warren F…

The Tampa Tribune did a nice feature on Downey the town where Evan Longoria was raised, and who is now one of the most recognizable and marketable players in the game…”he has made so much money and is so famous, but he hasn't changed," longtime friend Adam Lands said. "There's not a day goes by when I don't either speak to him on the phone or share text messages.”…Longoria's father, Mike, a regular still at Blair, has worked in the Long Beach Unified School System maintenance department for 17 years. His mother, Ellie, keeps him grounded - at least that's what Mike says.
"Even now she's like, 'Why do people get so excited?'" he said. "I tell her, 'Well, he's a star.' But when I say that, it still amazes me. He's still my son. And when he comes home he's not Evan Longoria, the baseball superstar." The Trib picked up proof, You want proof? When Mike said, "OK, boys, its trash night," Evan and his two younger brothers knew the drill and lugged the cans to the curb.

Jeff McNeil, who originally signed with Cal State Northridge before the Matadors purged their old coaching staff (including former Niner pitching coach Steve Rousey), is coming to work in the wide open, pitcher-friendly, spaces of Blair…Jeff got his release from CSUN and has verbally committed to play for the 49ers. “They’re a great baseball school,” said McNeil, a first-team all-county shortstop who hit .446 with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI last year. “I definitely feel like I upgraded. They’ve made the College World Series a few times, and some great players have come out of there.” He is part of a large Dirtbag class of 21 recruits…

The don’t call it the Buckley rule but slow work by college pitching staffs came to the attention of a NCAA committee who ruled to speed up the game. Now, there will be a 20-second limit between pitches when no runners are on and a 90-second limit between innings during non-televised games. On of my readers likes the idea because it might save on the butane that heats their night time baseball seats…

Closing our theme column on where are theys is Paul Goydos, the 1988 LBSU finance major, who has over a million in PGA winnings this year for the fourth straight season… still figuring the game out is 2002 marketing major John Mallinger who had three big years 1.6.1.2 and 1.7 mill, struggling with a mere $318,000 this year.

A close friend of his had this comment on how he went from the lead at Reno to a final round of five bogeys, one of them a quad, that is a nine, on number nine…”John tried to win it on #9; IMO that was a huge mistake, as I think you plod along until the last 2-3-4 holes and then make your gambling decisions. I really think he should have tried to hook a 5 or 6 iron down the right side on #9 and if he gets up and down for par, great, if not, he is 1 back and playing well. But he brought potential disaster into play with the wood over the trees shot, and he was then done. Oh, he made a mini charge on 10 thru 12, but a hole like that 9 is just going to catch up to you, and it did for him on 14-15-16-17 and that stretch cost him well over $100K.”

Last of the links notes is our where is former LBSU women golf all Big Wester Lee Lopez who was stolen by UCLA last year. Still not forgiven by the home town folks, Lee is cuddling the second place trophy from the prestigious 89th annual L.A. City Women's Championship. The winner, oh yes, is LBSU junior Monica Villarreal…sweet revenge

My closing quote is from a school reunion date…"I don't want to brag or make anybody jealous or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school."—DR. DAN

SUMMERTIME SENTENCES--SOME SAD, SOME GLAD, SOME BORROWED, SOME BLUE ON A DUSTY DAY

2010-06-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Moving these messages into my blog but happy to send them along to the Dust Direct readers who have shared their email with me. Of course you can do that RSS feed deal on BlogSpot and they will send you new postings as they arrive, however; I ain’t smart enough to tell you how that works.

Item one is the Saturday celebration of life (which usually means of course that a dear friend has died) for Bob Seymour. They called him coach for his 30 plus years as a teacher and coach in the Long Beach--Stanford, Franklin and Rogers middle schools. The post-funeral reception will fittingly be held inside the Bob Seymour Gymnasium on the Stanford Middle School campus (5871 E. Los Arcos) around noon on Saturday. His former students, family and friends will reminisce and miss Bob but my reason has to do his performance court-side more than on the court. Bob and his late wife Joan were generous to many causes including LBSU and the Cal Heights Methodist Church where the 11 a.m. funeral will be held. They had two platinum row seats in the Pyramid and although my press pass would get me in the building I wasn’t supposed to crash those prime seats, but, the wit and wisdom of Bob was just too tempting. So after scanning the sidelines for athletics brass I would try—the word is try—to look small and sit down and get his thoughts on the proceedings, coaches, tactics and kids. An added bonus was that two seats down was the late Dr. John Kashiwabara so a seat between those two brilliant guys was pure bliss. Ultimately I would get so immersed in following the analytical offerings of Bob that I would get busted by the Gucci Row patrol and banished to another location but every time I got caught I was willing to do my time because of I really enjoyed the crime. RIP Bob.

Back to the future the web boarders, as opposed to the water boarders, report that all eight of the Dirtbag draftees including juniors Jordan Casas and Jonathan Jones has signed. Money ball you asked, the board guys say that “Jake Thompson ($555K), Devin Lohman ($363K) and Joey Terdoslavich ($125K) all signed for about "slot money" and are the only ones with their bonuses listed in Baseball America’s database because they were drafted in the first ten rounds. “ The other three likely got a portion of a pick up truck, translated less than $50,000.

Our MLB.com pal Mike McCall has a nice piece on former Dirtbag now Mariners left-hander Jason Vargas who clearly is” having his best year of his career, and he's doing it with the same even-keeled demeanor and team-first mentality that has always made him a manager's dream. He's confident, even-tempered, and positive. Those are the three things that come to mind," Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu said. "He's a very level-headed kid. Even when you see him on a golf course, he's very consistent emotionally. He's mature for his age, and his work ethic is outstanding." Mike then tells this interesting story that compliments the new Dirtbag boss, Troy Buckley. “… as a junior at Long Beach State in 2004, Vargas entered his team's dugout during a game against Miami and walked into a major chewing-out from then-pitching coach Troy Buckley.

The Dirtbags had dropped the first two games to the Hurricanes in the South Florida heat, and in the third, Vargas had allowed four runs in two innings.
He gave up a home run, hit a batter, and walked three -- a sloppy start that provoked Buckley to try a bit of dark humor. He told head coach Mike Weathers he was going to fake a tirade at Vargas and see what happened next.
He pulled it off without breaking character, even telling Vargas he was finished calling pitches. "I said, 'I'm done, I'm not doing it. It doesn't matter what I call, because you can't put it where I want you to put it,'" Buckley said. "He just looked at me. It was the first time I'd ever gotten on [him]. ... He thought I was dead serious, and the whole dugout did, too. I had to fake it well to see how he would respond, and he totally did." Vargas threw four scoreless frames after the exchange -- even adding a two-run homer -- and though LBSU wound up losing by a run, Buckley had seen exactly what he was hoping for. And he never told Vargas he was kidding. Last add, I am not a souvenir collector but I still Jason’s home ruin ball from Cal even he has a nice swap in mind.

It is really old news but I enjoyed the quip that USC football got “Death Penalty Lite” for their loss of “Institutional Control.” That was on my mind at the recent Gooch Invitational golf fund raiser where I saw Dennis Dummit who was busy winning the tourney at Big Rec on Saturday and was willing to answer my question about what advice he would give to folks connected with the current USC football scene. Dennis I should note was an all star QB for UCLA in 1970 when the Bruins smacked SC 45-20 but is active all over town. “I think that the problems won’t be evident this fall but the loss of scholarships the years after that will really have a profound impact.” The e NCAA sanctions imposed scholarship reduction in the amount of limiting the program to 75 total scholarship players and no more than 15 players signed to a new scholarship for each of the next 3 seasons. Oh yes, and the 2 year post-season ban for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Back on the Jake and shortstop U stuff---The Rays have high expectations for Thompson with executive vice president Andrew Friedman telling the St. Petersburg Times, “We feel like he’s got a chance to move through the system pretty quickly.” Thompson joins Evan Longoria (1st round, 2006) and Jason Corder (7th round, 2008) as recent Dirtbags drafted high by Tampa Bay….the D 49er noted, “Lohman, second-team All-Big West, was selected 94th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Lohman hit .404 in 2010, becoming the first Dirtbag to hit over .400 for a season since 1998. “Shortstop U” added another name to the list with Lohman getting drafted early. He joins Danny Espinosa (3rd round, 2008), Longoria, Troy Tulowitzki (1st round, 2005), Bobby Crosby (1st round, 2001) and Chris Gomez (3rd round, 1992) as other Dirtbag shortstops taken in the first two days of the draft. And Joey T said, “I enjoyed Long Beach very much and loved everything about it,” Terdoslavich said. “The coaches, my teammates, the school and the weather, I loved my experience here. I just wish it translated onto the field. I learned a lot here.” Atlanta looks like a good fit for Terdoslavich with current Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, a future Hall of Famer, approaching the end of his career. “It really is the perfect fit for me,” Terdoslavich said. “They want to keep me at third base. With Chipper Jones getting older and no third baseman in the farm system, I might be able to make it up pretty fast.”

The other Bags packing their bags were left-handed pitcher Jason Markovitz and outfielder Jonathan Jones were the last two Dirtbags selected on day two of the draft. Markovitz went to the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round and Jones was picked in the 29th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Senior Steve Tinoco was the first of three Dirtbags selected on day three. The Rays took the LBSU first baseman in the 34th round after Tinoco put together a solid senior year. He finished the 2010 season hitting .348 with 45 RBIs and ended his career as a Dirtbag with 116 RBIs, 11th most in program history. Junior Jordan Casas was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 40th round and, according to The Californian; he will forgo his final year of eligibility at Long Beach State and sign with the Indians. Senior TJ Mittelstaedt, the last Dirtbag taken, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 44th round. Mittelstaedt leaves Long Beach State as the school’s career triples leader and ranks in the top-5 in walks with 105 over his four-year career.” Last add on the upbeat, the list of iincoming arms will include Pacifica High pitcher Jordan Deitrich, a 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds power thrower who was 8-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 65 strikeouts as a senior last spring.

Our closing quote comes from Molly who has tickets near the Seattle Mariners bull pen. That is where non-star Jason Phillips works and explains why was perusing the Safeco stands just over a year ago looking over some of Seattle’s finest talent. The catcher, who spends more than half of his gameday in the bullpen finally met eyes with a business woman entertaining clients. ….”If we go extra innings, I’m gonna make a move, that’s gotta be a sign.” The game with the Oakland A’s went into extra innings. Phillips grabbed a baseball, scribbled his number on it, got the woman’s attention and tossed it to her. And for the rest of the game, he was left to wonder how she’d respond. Molly said yes to the first date and now, a year later, to the wedding date.—DR. DAN

DIRTBAGS AND EATERS STAR IN THE FINAL ACT OF 2010 WITH NO MARGIN FOR ERRORS

2010-05-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend a gentleman you probably don’t know worked 12 innings in a loss by his beloved Irvine Anteaters and I don’t use the word "gentleman" lightly. Mark Roberts is the sports voice of UCI, and this time of the year he broadcasts the games of what some call “the new sheriff in the Big West.” Unlike many in his profession he is uncommonly fair to opponents, so much so that one of his signature sayings (when analyzing an opponent) is, ”Make no mistake…” as he reminds his rabid partisans of the other team’s talent.

Back to last Saturday. Mark was the last broadcaster on America’s college baseball airwaves (it was 10:45 p.m.) announcing a 12 inning 15-12 Big West Conference baseball loss to UC Riverside. Roberts very likely was ready to sooth the tonsils with an adult beverage when a surprise party with about 150 attendees saluted his birthday (actual year undisclosed, but his hair-dresser does a great job.) That "make no mistake" line resonated with me thinking about this weekend - Long Beach can win if they make no mistakes. The team has made 67 scorebook errors and a countless number of mental errors. The pitchers have had a tendency to dig moderate-to-deep holes early on, forcing a lot of late inning prayers in the direction of the scoreboard. It happened on Tuesday in the 9-8 survival moment over Pepperdine when the Bags fell behind 5-0 after two and a half innings, then rallied behind Hoime, Jones and TJ. Mike Gillespie’s lovable marsupials from UCI lost contact with son-in-law Chad Kreuter’s hapless Trojans early and USC won that Tuesday tilt 8-1. The weekend pitching plan for the Eaters does not include injured Golden Spikes nominee Daniel Bibona and his 9-2 record …the other three guys are pretty good though, Bergman, Brock and Pettis…LB will use Drew Gagnon Friday and Thompson Sunday and “we’ll just see” on Saturday.

GRAD WEEK DUSTING—…one of the Tuesday stars was little-used Tre Dennis, who had a two-run double and scored a run before he took his walk Wednesday as an LBSU graduate…which reminds me, please decline any handshakes with President Alexander, he will have squeezed 9200 sweaty-palmed new alumni by game time…on Tuesday, Weathers had Devin Lohman swinging a bat in the Blair Field tunnel (“he’s ready to do his Kirk Gibson thing”)…Anteaters are hungry for a post-season position, but make no mistake the Niners believe that if you've got lemons - it’s time to start selling Mike’s hard lemonade…back to the Niner names in the news, but absent in recent box scores, pro scouts will select both Lohman and Thompson some time after their draft show begins on June 7th… Fullerton has already won the Big West and Irvine will get the second conference invite and be sent somewhere the Titans won’t. Possibilities are at UCLA, if the Bruins decide to ante up the dollars needed to host, but the Anteaters would probably prefer to go where nobody knows their name (or has a scouting report)…Other than sending a handful of his freshmen and sophomores to play in summer leagues, new Head Coach Troy Buckley is ready to pack this year away…off-topic word is that former ladies hoop assistant Jason Flowers will be the new head coach at Northridge…. Fox College Sports has the national title game for Long Beach State. Oh yes, vs. Drexel. Oh yes, on June 4th. The Sport—what kind of fan are you?—it is PAINTBALL!!.. Sunday marks the final game for five seniors, including three who have spent four years with the program: reliever Markovitz, hitter Tinoco (.329 career) and iron-man Mittelstaedt, 189 games as a Dirtbag, seventh-most in program history…Houston Bob made a sixty-minute visit Tuesday and then took the BP corporate jet back to some kind of oil spill in the Gulf…the other BWC cellar dweller possibility is UCSB, who travels to Pacific this weekend. Neither team will finish first, but one or both could finish, well, you know where…The puzzling part of the Beach baseball story is that all of this is happening when the Dirtbag alums are so successful in major league baseball…Cesar Ramos and Jeremy Reed recently went to the show and worth repeating, the combination of Jason Giambi and Troy Tulowitzki combined for five RBIs in Colorado’s 11-7 win Sunday at Kansas City and last night the old Bags totaled three RBIs in an 8-2 win over Arizona—DR. DAN

BEACH BRAWL AT BLAIR WITH BUTANE, BLANKETS AND STUGGLING BASEBALL TEAMS

2010-05-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

It is hard to put a handle on what’s happening with Long Beach State baseball. Is it redemption week? After all tonight’s starter Branden Pinder will be on the mound trying to rid his taste buds of Saturday’s nasty Northridge outing (knocked out in the second inning). Is it the battle of the Beaches? I mean there is a Malibu sea view at Pepperdine and with the series tied at one game a piece and both squads have identical 29 loss seasons to date. Or is it welcome back Houston Bob night in honor of the all star Dirtbag booster who has been taking his BP, as in British Petroleum, hacks down on that oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? You figure it out.

The last time Houston Bob worked on an underwater cement job he planted a mouthy Fullerton fan in a drainage ditch. Not sure that they have a fix for that deepwater drill rig but I do know that Weathers-Buckley, or is it Buckley-Weathers, need somebody to eat some innings after a number of his Tuesday children were used up on the weekend. Ironically Pinder is also set to work on Senior Sunday but the judge and jury on the return of Jake Thompson is still out, hence the front end of the weekend rotation is on hold. Normally a model baseball citizen, Jake did open his last start with a “purpose pitch” against Fullerton and broke a “team rule” but bad guys on the Mean Streets and Wall Street have done less penalty time than Thompson. For the Waves it will be lefty Aaron Gates who will get the start and both teams will be breaking out some lightly used reserves to get a snap shot of what will send them back to NCAA heaven in twenty eleven.

REST OF THE DUST—The Bags finish their season hosting UC Irvine…and right now Ditka is excited that the Beach has a 20-18 lead over the marsupials in the Black and Blue rivalry series for the 2009-2010 season…four points are on the line this weekend so the sur4fboard ain’t exactly safe…Sunday marks the final game for five seniors, including three who have spent four years with the program, Jason Markovitz has worked out of the bullpen for four years, compiling a 3.11 ERA and a 5-3 record over 68 appearances, while Tinoco has hit .329 over his career and Mittelstaedt has played in 189 games as a Dirtbag, seventh-most in program history…Pepperdine enters their final week of play with nearly an identical record as Long Beach State, sitting at 21-29. Zach Vinzej leads the team with a .313 batting average, and the team overall is only hitting .278, but is balanced somewhat by a 4.87 season ERA. Last weekend, the Waves took one out of three games from San Diego, winning on Friday behind their latest all star Matt Bywater…looking ahead next year’s turn around will depend on those returnees but also some talented recruits, Austin Boyle (El Modena High School), Jeff Yamaguchi of Lakewood, Matt Balliet of Mission Viejo, Jonathan Maciel out of Esperanza and Tony Amezcua from Bellflower…of course the MLB draft may interfere as it did last year when super prospect Jon Singleton from Millikan took the cash call…Other than sending a handful of his freshmen and sophomores to play in summer leagues (expect Drew Gagnon to go to the prestigious Cape Cod wood bat league) new Head Coach Troy Buckley is ready to pack this year away. Nothing can stop the end-of-season slide that has the Dirtbags with a losing record and quite possibly their first last place finish since Coach John Gonsalves pre-Dirtbag teams of 1986, 1987 and 1988. The other cellar dweller possibility is UCSB who travels to Pacific this weekend. Neither team will finish first but one or both could finish, well, you know where…The puzzling part of the Beach baseball story is that all of this is happening when the Dirtbag alums are so successful in major league baseball. On Sunday the combination of Jason Giambi and Troy Tulowitzki combined for five RBIs in Colorado’s 11-7 win at Kansas City. A pretty nice Niner connection and certainly pleasing to Rockies scout and LBSU Hall of Fame Coach Dave Snow—DR. DAN

BIG WEST TITLE DRAMA ALL DONE, DIRTBAGS JUST TRY TO PLAY THE GAME

2010-05-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

The seasons may have gone sour but at Long Beach State the parties are almost always sweet. This weekend the featured 49ers are the men of volleyball who are hosting the USA Men's Volleyball Teams in the Pyramid Friday for two intra-squad exhibition matches in preparation for the upcoming World League and the Pan American Cup. Juniors take the court at 5:30 p.m., the London-bound US Olympians follow at around 7:30 p.m. and then the post match social.

On Saturday the hard core 49er faithful move downtown to the Law Offices of Keesal, Young and Logan for the third-annual Black and Gold Gala which salutes the 2010 LBSU team with a 6 p.m. reception then dinner, and program. You can expect many of the national team participants to be around, old timers Tom Hoff, David Lee, Scott Touzinsky, Tyler Hildebrand, Paul Lotman, Robert Tarr, Dustin Watten and new guys Antwain Aguillard and Dean Bittner.

Last weekend the giant gala called Jewels of the Night raised thousands for needed athletic funding but up against a horrific budget deficit the times have never been more difficult. The only light in this sporting tunnel, insiders say, is that President Alexander may impose a new student fee in June (effective in 2011) with proceeds spread across the campus, not just for sports.

Back to the present, the twin cash cows of men’s basketball and baseball struggled this year both on the playing surface and in the box office. A very modest crowd count this past weekend for the Fullerton series hurt almost as much as the series sweep by the Titans. With a week off for final exams, the Dirtbags resume baseball at Northridge Friday to Sunday in their next to the last weekend of the season.

At least softball finished with a pleasant taste in their mouth sweeping UC Riverside to finish the 2010 campaign dead even at 23-23. Senior Sunday sent off six good players but the cast and crew remaining likely will be picked on top next season. Big West pitcher of the year in her freshman season Brooke Turner did win 13 games in her junior season and crafty off-speed specialist Taylor Petty picked up 10 in her sophomore campaign. Returning offense should be led by Bree Stephan (.321) and Casey Burba (.333) with Caitlin DeBaun (20 RBIs) and Nalani St. Germain (8 home runs) mixing with a great incoming recruiting class.

Track and field is finished until a couple of 49ers compete in the NCAA regionals May 27th in Austin, Texas. During last weekend’s Big West championships the Niner men finished second behind Northridge and the women were seventh. Both squads came in ahead of UC Irvine, helpful in deciding the winner of their Black and Blue Trophy rivalry. In a neck and neck point race, the winner will come down to the baseball series in two weeks.

Bonus Bag bull--all day games this weekend because the Matadors don't have lights...the Dirtbags return home for four games over the final week of the season, hosting Pepperdine for a third game with the Waves before closing out the season with the Black and Blue rivalry series against UC Irvine May 28-30...the Sunday deal will be the final game for five Long Beach State seniors, with transfers Tre Dennis and David Brown joining three four-year members of the Dirtbag program in Jason Markovitz, Steve Tinoco and TJ Mittelstaedt and the last hurrah for head coach Mike Weathers, who is retiring following that game after 18 years with the program, the last nine as the skipper for the Dirtbags...finals are over this week and it works...Brennan Metzger, Long Beach State's sophomore outfielder earned first-team Academic All-District honors, recognizing his success on the field as well as his 3.79 GPA, becoming the first Dirtbag to receive the honor since Shane Peterson in 2008. The team as a whole was also recognized by the NCAA, earning a Public Recognition award with an APR in the Top 10 percent for all of college baseball, the only team in the Big West so honored...Back to the recent times Coach in waiting Troy Buckley kept his team waiting for almost 30 minutes post-game on Sunday giving his first “State of the Dirtbag” address. It is likely injured shortstop Devin Lohman will be cleared for the CSUN weekend but fastball pitcher Jake Thompson may be suspended for throwing behind a CSUF hitter with his first pitch Saturday...he was not listed as a starter this weekend...Jake has indicated that he will sign and go pro anyhow but it would be an odd ending to a season on the sink. –DR. DAN

THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN: RELAXED DIRTBAGS READY TO SPOIL THE ELEPHANT WALK

2010-05-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

As the 49er faithful roll toward this baseball weekend with Fullerton State, everybody has a mixture of anxiety, uncertainty and optimism. The anxiety has been earned by a season of sputtering, no win streak longer than three games and perplexing losses. Last Friday and Saturday the Beach twice got late inning sand kicked in their faces before a 10-5 Mother’s Day present on Sunday. The win streak improved to two on Wednesday when the Niner youth moment (22-23) stopped the Trojans early and late with a 9-1 spanking using freshmen battery mates Nate Underwood and catcher Joel Thys…Nate for the W and Thys threw out a base stealer in the third…meanwhile the mid-weeker for Fullerton (31-14) produced a 10-7 W over woeful Pepperdine It was Tuffy’s 12th come-from-behind win of the season and their 13th in their last 14.

With the surprise retirement decision by Coach Weathers, and their post-season chances all but erased, this weekend with the Titans and in two weeks with Irvine, the Dirtbags can play spoiler at least in terms of where their neighbors are ranked and who hosts a regional. And the new secret victory plan--on Sunday Mike said it is the proper combination of your hits, their walks and their errors. Sunday ten LB hits, seven Stanford walks and an error led to the W. Ditto on Wednesday when SC gave up 4 walks, committed 4 errors and the Beach won with 11 hits. Let the games begin.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN--Away from baseball places and back to people, the Pyramid will host their 16th Annual 49er Jewels of the Night Saturday in support of the over 300 student athletes at the Beach. With hundreds of auction items, food from top local restaurants and live entertainment, your C note goes a long way…On the softball side, Kim Sowder’s Sweethearts of Swat will not get an NCAA invite but they did their own spoiler thing last weekend winning a series at Fullerton. Unlike baseball where most of the top talent takes a hike to the minor leagues in June, softball will keep the nucleus of a team that has pitching depth and promising offensive players. The Dirtbags meanwhile will likely lose junior shortstop Devin Lohman, third baseman Joey Terdoslavich, pitcher Jake Thompson and OF Jonathan Jones…softball paced last weekend by frosh Bree Stephan (5-for-11 and a home run) closes the season hosting UCR… CSUF baseball had four important series and went 4-7 against TCU, Arizona, ASU and UCI…more reasons why the F hat fans are properly jealous of their rich cousins at LBSU…corporate sponsor Tim Richmond Plastering threw a mega party last weekend where nobody got plastered but everybody attending could plaster…except those three gals from accounting…in the Principality of Park Estates Marcia and Bill Scharfen raised a ton of cash at their annual pool-side fund raiser…more LB good deeds this weekend a leukemia awareness event Saturday and salute to services Sunday…Tennis’s Jacki Alawi's named the Big West Freshman of the Year--LB has had four of the last six awardees...in that Sparks exhibition the referee was former LBSU player Tamara Inoue, a high schools and college teammate of VB all world--Tayyiba Haneef…another ex Niner, Reta Sula is the new basketball head coach at Wilson HS…schedule chatter now has LB BB men playing at Michigan State…the Dust recently got a difficult question on baseball scoring so we passed it on to our retired Virginia squire, and ex PT genius, Gordie Verrell…”how little can a starting pitcher work and still get a loss? Gordie says, “Say our ace right-hander throws his first pitch and the guy hits it into the seats. While watching the guy circle the bases our ace develops a stomach ache -- like he knows he's headed back to the bush leagues -- and, if the trainer doesn’t have any PeptoBismal 'cause the writers drank it all, he has to come out of the game, losing, 1-0. His team might end up losing 10-0 or even 10-9 -- but if his team never ties the score (to get him off the hook) it's a big ol' L and, tomorrow, it's off to Peoria.” Closing quote, over and out.—DR. DAN

STADIUM DUST--SLIGHTLY REVISED---THE NINER NEWS AIN’T TOO GOOD IN 2010--DON’T TASE ME BRO, I JUST WRITE THIS STUFF

2010-05-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

They called the finishing golf holes at Quail Hollow the green mile, a tribute to the closing challenge that PGA players face before they collect a trophy. After a struggling weekend on the Central Coast Dirtbag baseball coach Mike Weathers and his inconsistent Beach boys are coming up on a college baseball green gauntlet of their own: Stanford, Fullerton and UC Irvine.

Peeking first at this weekend, the visitors will be those silver spoon kids from Stanford. The Cardinal suffered themselves this weekend getting swept at Washington and now are playing five more games in seven days. On Monday the Cards beat Santa Clara 8-3 then tripped San Jose State on Tuesday 10-7. LB’s midweeker was Wednesday at Pepperdine, a 4-0 loss. The high water marks for LBSU against Stanford were the 1998 and 2004 regionals. The budget basement boys from Palo Verde Avenue were sent to posh Palo Alto and beat the hosts 5-1 enroute to the CWS in ’98 behind Most Outstanding Player Termell Sledge. In ‘04 the star for the homeboys was some guy named Troy Tulowitzki who sparkled when LBSU beat St. Johns in the first game, sent Stanford to the loser’s bracket in game two (7-4) and then knocked out the Cardinal 8-4 in the regional final. With a logjam trailing PAC 10 runaway leader Arizona State, the Beach could at least be a Stanford spoiler again.

If the LB baseball word of the day was struggle then the tennis word of the day was “unprecedented” as in it is really difficult to win an unprecedented seventh consecutive tourney title. The drama in the desert for the Big West Women’s tennis championship involved more shaking than James Bond’s martini maker. The villain was UCI coach Mike Edles a journeyman coach with stops at Hawaii, Boise State, Hayward, Chapman, and Bakersfield. With his ace Stephanie Hammel coming off of a recent injury Edles played her at #3 to protect his numbers 4, 5, and 6 seeded players. It worked and although Hammel lost 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday, and did not finish on Sunday, this tactic allowed Edles to push stronger players down his ladder to face less experienced opponents. It worked over the protest of UCSB in the semi finals and again in the final winning at #5 and #6 and beating LBSU for the tourney title. Next year the Beach will go into the championship with their best recruit in years Klaudia Malenovska. She was NCAA ineligible this season but will join a team that has everyone (including seven freshmen and sophomores) back for the payback.

MIXED DUST--Beyond baseball this weekend includes softball, which was swept at UCSB, trying Fullerton in Titan-land this weekend (the Saturday game on TV), and track in their BWC championships at Northridge. Last event important to the LB sporting crowd is the state budget mess. President F. King Alexander wrote the campus, “Our current financial situation is unchanged because the Governor and legislature have yet to take any action. However, the next milestone in the state's budgeting process is the Governor's May Revise Budget, which is due to be published no later than May 14.” We now learn no student athletic fee budget boost until the 2011-2012 academic year…In a season where the big bottom line is not so fine, at least the legacy line is better. Former forty-niners do match up once in a while and last week it was Brittany Hochevar and her partner beating Misty-May Treanor and her partner in an AVP volleyball event and Evan Longoria homering his Rays over Seattle starter and fellow Dirtbag alum Jason Vargas in Seattle…now these regional projections from the College Baseball Blog—at Cal State Fullerton , California, New Mexico State, Wright State; at UCLA, San Diego, UC Irvine and Illinois State …Finally the “Where Are They” winner is Senator and former Dirtbag Danny Espinosa. Espy was drafted in the third round by the Washington Nationals in 2008 and is the Harrisburg (PA) Senators starting shortstop. Espy leads his team in average, on-base and slugging percentages and is rated by Baseball America as the fifth best shortstop in the Nationals organization. He also provided our Closing Quote. When asked what he misses the most moving to Pennsylvania from Long Beach? “Mexican food”. –DR. DAN

THE NINER NEWS AIN’T TOO GOOD IN 2010--DON’T TASE ME BRO, I JUST WRITE WHAT IS

2010-05-04T21:07:00.001-07:00

They called the finishing golf holes at Quail Hollow the green mile, a tribute to the closing challenge that PGA players face before they collect a trophy. After a struggling weekend on the Central Coast Dirtbag baseball coach Mike Weathers and his inconsistent Beach boys are coming up on a college baseball green gauntlet of their own: Stanford, Fullerton and UC Irvine.

Peeking first at this weekend, the visitors will be those silver spoon kids from Stanford. The Cardinal suffered themselves this weekend getting swept at Washington and now must play five more games in seven days. First are Monday and Tuesday tests against Santa Clara and San Jose State before rolling into Blair for the Friday to Sunday session.

The high water marks for LBSU against Stanford were the 1998 and 2004 regionals. The budget basement boys from Palo Verde Avenue were sent to posh Palo Alto and beat the hosts 5-1 enroute to the CWS in ’98 behind Most Outstanding Player Termell Sledge. In ‘04 the star for the homeboys was some guy named Troy Tulowitzki who sparkled when LBSU beat St. Johns in the first game, sent Stanford to the loser’s bracket in game two (7-4) and then knocked out the Cardinal 8-4 in the regional final.

If the baseball word of the day was struggle then the tennis word of the day was unprecedented as in it is really difficult to win an unprecedented seventh consecutive tourney title. The drama in the desert for the Big West Women’s tennis championship involved more shaking than James Bond’s martini maker. The villain was UCI coach Mike Edles a journeyman coach with stops at Hawaii, Boise State, Hayward, Chapman, and Bakersfield.

With his ace Stephanie Hammel coming off of a recent injury Edles played her at #3 to protect his numbers 4, 5, and 6 seeded players. It worked and although Hammel lost 6-1, 6-1 on Saturday, and did not finish on Sunday, this tactic allowed Edles to push stronger players down his ladder to face less experienced opponents. It worked over the protest of UCSB in the semi finals and again in the final winning at #5 and #6 and beating LBSU for the tourney title. .

Next year the Beach will go into the championship with their best recruit in years Klaudia Malenovska. She was NCAA ineligible this season but will join a team that has everyone (including seven freshmen and sophomores) back for the payback.

Beyond baseball this weekend includes softball, which was swept at UCSB, trying Fullerton in Titan-land this weekend, and track in their BWC championships at Northridge.

Last event important to the LB sporting crowd is the state budget mess. President F. King Alexander wrote the campus, “Our current financial situation is unchanged because the Governor and legislature have yet to take any action. However, the next milestone in the state's budgeting process is the Governor's May Revise Budget, which is due to be published no later than May 14.” Translated, no student athletic fee increase until at least then and possibly not until early fall.

Finally the “Where Are They” winner is Senator and former Dirtbag Danny Espinosa. Espy was drafted in the third round by the Washington Nationals in 2008 and is the Harrisburg (PA) Senators starting shortstop. Espy leads his team in average, on-base and slugging percentages and is rated by Baseball America as the fifth best shortstop in the Nationals organization. He also provided our Closing Quote. When asked what he misses the most moving to Pennsylvania from Long Beach? “Mexican food”. –DR. DAN

HEAD ON A SWIVEL BEACH BOYS AND GIRLS IN REFLECTION AND ACTION

2010-04-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today’s reading of your Diamond Dust is part looking back and part looking forward.

For the looking back set your time machine to Thanksgiving Day, 1887. In Chicago a groups of pals were hanging out in the gymnasium of the Farragut Boat Club listening to the Harvard-Yale football game. Adult beverages consumed, historians say that , “a man picked up a stray boxing glove and threw it at someone, who hit it with a pole and someone shouted, "Let's play ball!"

The boxing glove was then tied in a fashion to resemble a ball, the lads chalked a small diamond on the gym floor and broke off a broom handle to serve as a bat and a smaller version of baseball was born. Fast forward to the present and 113 years later the cry “Play Ball” is in danger of being replaced by “Illegal Pitch.”

Oddly the Niner name most associated with those damning words is from one of the storied families in Southern California softball, The Turner girls. Brooke Turner, younger sister of all star Michelle Turner, entered her junior season at LBSU among the 49er career leaders in strikeouts, shutouts, wins and complete games. A prep All American, Brooke came on fast as a freshman and was the Big West pitcher of the Year. Almost similar results in her sophomore season and then this season, like the bottom dropping out of her rise ball, the T in Turner spells Trouble.

Two recent exhibits make the point and both led to Long Beach losses. Turner took the hill on March 30 against San Diego State and the Aztecs ran her from the game in the first when illegal pitches (called crow hopping or leaping) gave SDSU a 4-0 lead and then the game. Same thing last weekend when the Beach played BWC leader Cal Poly and Turner was chased in the first when more “illegals” gave SLO a 4-0 lead and the game. 113 years later softball ain’t what it used to be.

Enough of the looking back I prefer the looking forward and this weekend you can motor a pleasant two hours along the 10 Freeway to the Big West tennis championships at Indian Wells. The top seed and six time defending champs form LBSU start Friday morning against the survivor of a UCR-Fullerton play-in and then get the lowest seed left on Saturday and, if successful, go for the hardware at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Fans attend for free and when a team gets four points match over and time for brunch. See Coach Jennifer Hilt Costello’s mom Sally (who has a second home in Cathedral City) for advice and menus. This year’s team stars three freshmen who got better as the year went along and won the regular season title going away. The NCAA regionals are May 14-15.

Next up on the futures list is Dirtbag baseball who won the series over UCSB and had a miracle comeback ninth inning with 2 outs 2 strikes down win at SDSU. As the SID says, "Down two runs with two outs in the ninth, Kirk Singer extended the game with a single and Joey Terdoslavich doubled to tie the score, forcing Long Beach State's first extra-inning game of the year. Jordan Casas then started the tenth inning with a solo home run, sparking a three-run inning to lead the Dirtbags past San Diego State 11-8." LB must keep do the same this weekend at Cal Poly to keep post-season hopes alive. Last ball add, softball goes road tripping this weekend at UCSB also with must win pressure.

Last add futures is Beach men’s basketball where there are three signed, sealed and almost delivered new Niners. They are hometown hotshot Shelton Boykin, a 6-5 small forward from LB Poly, 6-9 Houston power forward Nick Shepherd, and the most intriguing of the bunch, 6-4 shooting phenon Jacob Thomas out of Columbia Heights, MN, a flash back from Coach Dan Monson’s Big Ten tour at Minnesota. Next on Dan’s wish list, a JUCO post player to add some muscle underneath.—DR. DAN

STADIUM DUST: THE DOCTOR IS TAKING DOSES OF CIPRO, KEFLEX AND REALITY FOR MY DIRTBAG WEEKEND

2010-04-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

When I first landed in Long Beach one of the old dinosaurs roaming the campus told me after an excruciating loss, “son you will find that being a 49er builds character!” That building process goes on today, 35 years later. Just when you thought it was safe to quit wearing your emotions on your sleeve, upside down on the season (16-17) and losers of the last two BWC series to UCR and UC Davis, the Dirtbags went on to the hallowed grounds of Jackie Robinson stadium and just spanked UCLA 16-4.

So at the moment there is no magic number to either make or miss the post-season. The Beach boys are in a pack behind CSUF and UCI but the Big West generally has enough street cred to get a third team in the tourney so once again we have another must win weekend. Now that’ll build character.

The Niner mound rotation will be the usual suspects--the firm of Gagnon, Thompson and Pinder facing SB’s holy trio of Mario Hollands, (among BW leaders in ERA, K's, BAA; Nick Capito (ERA went from 3.70 to 5.40 after Saturday 17-3 beat down by Fullerton); and Jesse Meaux (who leads team with five victories and most vowels). Back to Tuesday this same character building bunch who allowed four homers in one inning last weekend at Riverside, hit six on Tuesday. One of the big blasts was a huge shot by Joey T which trimmed the eucalyptus trees in left field and scattered those hawks who feed on the westside squirrels. And this against a Bruin team who were just a couple of days away from being ranked number one in the land? Go figure.

BEST OF THE GAZZ DUST--At this time of the year the sporting faithful of Long Beach State would really prefer to be scouting post-season opponents or imaging how new recruits would make future Niner dreams come true. I don’t like injecting a dose of reality but I get that uneasy feeling that historically thrifty LBSU athletics will have to make some tough budget calls sometime soon, surely before the summer is over…When I arrived on campus in 1975 I was told that good coaching, the sixty mile circle of talent around CSULB and the low cost of education could defeat both visiting opponents and in-house budgeteers. Thirty five years later I fear that formula may have run its course. The good coaching is still there but big bucks programs from across the nation are picking the ripest fruit in the SoCal vineyards and now the low cost of higher education is under siege from Sacramento and, in some cases, from the 49er student body. Last year’s student vote to give general support to the athletics department was unsuccessful…Back in 2007, the students did tax themselves for a new wellness and recreation center, and the fee of $232 a year, begins this fall. I guess that free sunshine and green grass isn’t enough…but let’s put a few bones on the budget skeleton. This year a full ride scholarship with dorms is $16,470. Except for basketball, athletics provides per scholarship funds about $9,000 per year with the balance needed to match the competition coming from team fund raising…Last add Sacto, in 2000 tuition and fees were about $1700 with academic year room and board about $10,000. In 2010 that number will be woefully short of the actual costs. One final factoid, on a side note all CSUs have these mandatory furlough days. Men’s basketball coach Dan Monson jested he would be taking those when the team made road trips to Texas, Kentucky and North Carolina….Long Beach softball, 20-20 and 4-4, plays SLO Saturday-Sunday and the Big West women’s water polo tournament is underway at the campus pool…this is Autism weekend around the land and tomorrow limited edition Troy Tulowitzki tee shirts will be given to LB’s early birds…around the BWC it is UCI at Davis, CSUN at UOP, Cal State Buck Owens at UCR and SLO at the F word...

web site stuff… Kirk Singer was inserted into the lineup at second base in the team's final game at UC Davis, and played there for all four games this week…Singer hit .471, going 8-for-17 with two doubles and a home run, his second of the season…he was a perfect 5-for-5,on Friday at UCR and then capped off the Saturday night win with a tape-measure home run…the Bags starting rotation has anchored the weekends since the start of the season…all three have averaged over six innings per start, and combined have an ERA under 4.00…UC Santa Barbara had the first weekend of Big West play off, and has played .500 baseball since then, coming into the series with Long Beach State at 3-3 in conference play...last year the Gauchos moved their games to neutral-site play at Fullerton's Goodwin Field after fires in Santa Barbara forced the series out of the Central Coast …our closing quote is from Oregon State coach Pat Casey "I'm ultimately responsible for the way we play, and the way we played wasn't indicative of a champion. That's on me." –-DR. DAN

REALITY, CIPRO, KEFLEX, AND OTHER DOSES FOR 49ER HEALTH AND WEALTH

2010-04-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

At this time of the year the sporting faithful of Long Beach State would really prefer to be scouting post-season opponents or imaging how new recruits would make future Niner dreams come true. I don’t like injecting a dose of reality but I get that uneasy feeling that historically thrifty LBSU athletics will have to make some tough budget calls sometime soon, surely before the summer is over.

When I arrived on campus in 1975 I was told that good coaching, the sixty mile circle of talent around CSULB and the low cost of education could defeat both visiting opponents and in-house budgeteers. Thirty five years later I fear that formula may have run it’s course. The good coaching is still there but big bucks programs from across the nation are picking the ripest fruit in the SoCal vineyards and now the low cost of higher education is under siege from Sacramento and, in some cases, from the 49er student body. Last year, with the economy in a tail spin, a student vote to give general support to the athletics department was unsuccessful.

Back in 2007, the student body did tax themselves for a new wellness and recreation center, and the fee of $232 a year, begins this fall. I guess that free sunshine and green grass isn’t enough for today’s students but let’s put a few bones on the athletic skeleton. This year a full ride scholarship with dorms is $16,470. Except for basketball, athletics provides per scholarship funds about $9,000 per year with the balance needed to match the competition coming from a coach’s fund raising.

Last add Sacto, in 2000 tuition and fees were about $1700 with academic year room and board about $10,000. In 2010 that number will be woefully short of the actual costs. One final factoid, on a side note all CSUs have these mandatory furlough days. Men’s basketball coach Dan Monson jested he would be taking those when the team made road trips to Texas, Kentucky and North Carolina.

SCHEDULE DUSTING--Long Beach State softball, 20-20 and 4-4, returns to their campus field this weekend when it plays host to Cal Poly with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at the same time on Sunday. Those games will be played about the same time that the Big West women’s water polo tournament is underway at the campus pool, Friday through Sunday. The event is a six team shootout and you can take in seven games for a $25 all-session pass.

Baseball is back at Blair for a Friday to Sunday visit from the UCSB lads plus a fund and friend raiser for area Autism programs. On Saturday limited edition Troy Tulowitzki tee shirts will be given to LB’s early birds.

The last laps for Long Beach men’s volleyball are in the books along with a 2010 record of 12-17. Interim head coach Andy Read: “the staff will decompress a little and take stock of what we did right and what we did wrong, There were a lot of tight games but there were matches where if we won that game one instead of losing 30-28, we would have come out fine.”

Our closing quote is from a prominent baseball coach who, when his team was struggling, fell on the sword himself. "I'm ultimately responsible for the way we play, and the way we played wasn't indicative of a champion. That's on me." In their losing streak his team squandered numerous opportunities to win games by not executing fundamentals. And the guy who finger-pointed himself, Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey. –-DR. DAN

LIONS AND NINERS ARE AT THEIR LEVEL BEST TRYING TO KICK START A STREAK AND BONUS STUFF

2010-04-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

As we launch another sporting week where the City of Long Beach celebrates really fast left and sometimes U turns, your home town University seems to make one step forward and then one step back. Tonight’s college baseball game features a pair of NCAA 500 teams, (not exactly Fortune 500 this season) LBSU at 14-14 and LMU at 15-15.

Baseball, carrying a resume and RPI that could have had post-season written on it, lost two of three at woeful UC Davis. A step backward but still lots of innings to be played. Men’s volleyball, on the bubble to qualify for the MPSF post season, dropped heart breakers to UC Irvine and UCLA. Softball won a double header on Saturday but took that step back on Sunday losing in extras. Tennis, with a lineup still shuffled due to injury, beat CSUN but fell to St. Mary’s. As noted above, baseball and softball are mired in the middle of the Big West pack. Conference wise, both Mike Weather’s Dirtbags and Kim Sowder’s Sweethearts of Swat go into the weekend in a three way tie for fourth. Tonight the Niners will lead off with newcomer Nate Underwood (1-4, 4.20) vs. Lion Xavier Esquivel (0-1, 5.52). Underwood is the latest of the prospects arrived at Blair via Troy Buckley’s NorCal pitching pipeline. An excellent student and versatile baseball player, Nate prepped at San Jose’s Valley Christian and made all conference as a utility player and six honor rolls as a student.

BEACH BINGO DUST—Tonight is sort of a revenge thing as the Bags snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on March 16…this weekend puts the Beach back on the long, and Sig-Alerted slow road to Riverside for a three-game set against the hit happy Highlanders… 6 p.m. starts on Friday and Saturday. And 2 p.m. on Sunday…the bright spot last weekend was the Pitcher of the Week work by Brandon Pinder, the third Dirtbag honored this season, he allowed only three hits and no runs in his first career complete game, also the first shutout of the year, Pinder faced only three batters over the minimum and retired the last 15 batters without allowing a hit…Beck Family Special, the Saturday night USC-LBSU volleyball showdown will serve up some extras starting at 5:30 when the 1990 NCAA runner-up team reunion in the Ukleja Hall of Honor and post game the boosters, and the alums still functioning by that time, will enjoy a season’s end after party

More family facts, expect Jason Gill’s folks to be back at Blair tonight, they were wildly popular when son Chris was a Dirtbag and then their approval rating fell when Jason became a Titan and now a Lion…After UCI finally picked a new basketball coach last week I am sure that some of the marsupial maniacs, well they are Anteaters, scratched their head over the background of Russ Turner. His resume begins at little known Hampden-Sydney College where Russ was a two-time All-American (1991 & 1992), set the school's career scoring record of 2,272 points and made Phi Beta Kappa. On a personal note, H-S is a big name in my family because my late father Tim Barber was a graduate and an uncle or two were professors. I welcomed the new coach with the suggestion that he had my support in all but two games a year…my Fullerton crack of the week—yes they made it back into the top 25 (#22) but their 12 losses are the most of any team in the poll. Irvine dropped out but now has their yard named, Cicerone Field, for the former chancellor who steered big bucks to athletics. Memo to FKA: Think Legacy…tomorrow is the NCAA national signing day but insiders don’t expect the Beach coaches to offer their list to the media until it is all confirmed…in the football mad South where I spend some time the occasion is celebrated like the opening of a free food tent at Dollywood…numbers of note: team hitting is up to .296 with the leaders’ Lohman (.393), Singer (.385), Tinoco (.371), Metzger (.343) and Joey T (.336)…most important number is 3-3…with no post-season BWC tourney the Bags now sit at 3-3 and need to win the rest of the series to play ball in June

So what’s in your GPS this weekend? Well is the first of two home volleyball matches against teams you love to play, hard to beat Pepperdine followed on Saturday night by easier to beat USC. Meanwhile on Friday and Saturday, like the senior citizens in those track-side condos, a bevy of Beach athletes head out of town. Baseball has that three game set at UC Riverside and softball busses to Davis for three games Saturday and Sunday.

Fortunately women’s tennis has locked up the regular season championship and has only non-conference work left, at Pepperdine Friday then home to their posh digs Saturday to play LMU. Last add travelers, women’s golf, the 2009 BWC champion swings up to the San Luis Obispo Country Club Sunday and Monday for the 2010 Conference Championship.

EAR PLUIGGED DUST— Considering the bonus circulation of our Grand Prix edition of the Gazette, we offer a word of warning for first timers. Persons sensitive to excessive alliteration usually should refrain from reading Diamond Dust, but we hope you make it a happy habit.

Last add, the Big West wet set will gather next weekend, April 23 - April 25 at the Long Beach State pool for the 2010 women’s water polo championship. Tucked almost secretly in the middle of the campus, the pool should be hopping with fans and friends and lots of Speedos as all six teams in the BWC make the tourney. No easy parking but action on top of and under the water.—DR. DAN

CLIPBOARDS AND COACHES AND LIFE WITH THE HARDLY HAPPY WEB WIZARDS

2010-04-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

Forty Niner Fans, especially the inter-net based and biased, like to change coaches like a kid with breakfast cereals. Today we take a short survey of the LBSU skippers and offer our unscientific mid-term report.

If you start with the best current season record you begin with the determined and talented women’s tennis leader Jennifer Hilt Costello. Last weekend her team clinched their third straight Big West regular-season championship with road wins at Cal Poly and Santa Barbara and improved to 7-0 in Big West play. Jenny was bloodied but unbowed in her fight for NCAA eligibility of an extremely talented freshman. Insiders say Klaudia Malenovska can beat anybody on the Niner courts, coaches, players and maybe even generous benefactor Terry Rhodes. The net queens will be home on Sunday against St. Mary’s. BTW, the team won the LBSU GPA award with a 3.51 in the fall and 3.31 in the spring. Smart swingers.

Next up is Andy Read, the interim head coach of men’s volleyball. Andy was drafted to hold down the store while Alan Knipe is globe-trotting with USA volleyball. As a career assistant, Andy is more like a Robin to Batman, a Poncho to the Cisco Kid, or Jimmy Olson to Superman but he gets a high grade for involving his whole roster and winning eight of matches in the really tough MPSF.

Kim Sowder of women’s softball is a legacy, a connect to the Niner College World Series teams and a trainee for years under successful Pete Manarino. In the highly competitive recruiting wars for softball, all the BCS schools are pouring big money into the sport, Kim gets her share and has a break even season going now last year The 49ers finished the campaign with a 40-17 record and were ranked 22nd, and Sowder was tabbed the co-Big West Coach of the Year.

Mike Weathers is one of those coaches that needs to ignore the net, where the fickle fans second guess every steal, swing, and pitch. Over the weekend Mike got win number 301 and the Dirtbags won their fifth series of the year. He and his team are at UC Davis for the weekend tied for third in the Big West pennant chase. One of the sub plots in the UOP series was the presence, in different dugouts, of two of Mike’s former assistants, (and possible successors) Don Barbara in his orange Tiger stripes and Troy Buckley in the Niner black and gold. Mr. Offense and Mr. Defense, gotta believe if you had a full load of scholarships that these two guys could deliver the hardware.

On the inside, the basketball franchise has great coaches with recruiting whizzes Dan Monson and Jody Wynn, both of whom got byes in the recent conference tournament. President Alexander and AD Vic Cegles both love their hoops and shower the programs with whatever they can. As sports psych guy Don Peters likes to remind us, it is now all about getting to the next level.

Finally what can you say about the lion of LBSU, Brian Gimmillaro. With 25 seasons, BG joined still another Hall of Fame, the AVCA, to add to his three National Championships, eight Final Fours, 13 NCAA Regionals and 23 NCAA Tournaments. The only cloud on the horizon is the recent fascination with his sport by the big bucks BCS football factories. Recruiting is tough but when the athlete comes to the Beach the training is superb.

Now that covers the big seven of the LBSU coaches. Left are the five track teams, two water polos, two golfs and one soccer rounding out the sporting buffet of the Beach. These coaches have lowered expectations but unlike the Big Seven they get less second guessing and coach critiquing.

Name Drop—A former Rand McNally exec, Nancy Yoho, is President of the CSULB Alumni association, and a geography grad back when a lot of the new countries weren’t even on her maps. She took in the Saturday baseball game and noted that more than 34,000 grads are members of the Association at the friendly lifetime fee of just $49.—DR. DAN

NO FEAR AND NO LOATHING AS UPDATE--DIRTBAGS (0-1) STILL RELISH BWC RACE

2010-04-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Pacific skipper Ed Sprague--Stockton bred, Stanford raised and MLB famous--pondered the beginning week of the Big West season and offered this observation. “We still have to go out and do it because nobody is going to fear us and nobody is going to be surprised by us." I say ditto for the roller-coaster riding Dirtbags, come Monday nobody will fear and nobody will be surprised. Update- with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Andrew Gagnon, on the bench but still sort of fresh from a mere 112 pitches (UOP’s Pointer threw 123 in his 8), could only sit and watch as the Tigers wriggled off their leash getting to reliever David Brown and win the game 2-1. Now back to the Dust already in progress.

We say all this because one of the great spring pairings is youth and baseball. Last weekend the short memories of the LBSU youth were served and on Sunday the Niners (11-12, 0-1) moved from a lowly RIP epitaph to an almost glossy RPI. Given up for dead after melting down in losses to Hawaii and Oregon State on Wednesday and Friday, the Beach won twice on Saturday afternoon and emerged with a lofty RPI of #31 based on key victories and a terrific strength of schedule. It was LBSU’s fourth series win in five tries this season, vics over Arizona, UNLV, Wichita State and OSU. Ironically Pacific (17-7, 1-0) are winners of all five of their weekend series. The Tigers are an interesting mix of good hitting (.346) and opportunistic defense. With a combined ten double plays in their San Jose finale, the Tiger D was spectacular combining with SJSU to tie a 21 year old NCAA record. Pacific hitters are organized by legendary and original Dirtbag Don Barbara who took the team from offensively toothless free swingers on top of the Big West. The Tigers combined to hit .a best ever .322 in 2009 and are already at .346 this season but a fat team ERA of 5.01 puts some interesting salsa on the chips. The pitching plan continues with UOP lefty David Rouse (5-0, 4.07) vs. Jake Thompson (3-0, 3.69) and either Hummel or Carnevale for the Tigers versus LB’s improving Branden Pinder (2-3, 4.15).

HIDDEN EGG DUST--The rotation of Gagnon, Thompson and Pinder have eight of the team’s 11 wins but the offense (.286), fielding (.967) and base running (23 of 45 stolen) has been erratic…Where are theys, you can’t call him Mr. Misty May but now you can call him Matt Treanor, Texas Ranger. Making more moves than Misty on Dancing with the Stars, Matt has gone from Florida to Detroit to Milwaukee and now to catching-poor Texas…we are not sure if he will go pro or go Dirtbag but Jake Stassi out of Yuba City is a fantastic left-hander, 9-1 with 93 strikeouts in 2009…but his older brother Max took pro over college…turnstile tales…La Tech Minnesota drew 30.056 fans to the new Target Field in Minneapolis…at Oregon State, LB picked up 28 hits and 15 runs in their two wins…LB marketers have scheduled special upcoming games for various good causes: Autism Awareness Weekend April 23-25, 500 free Troy Tulowitzki tee-shirts on April 24, Breast Cancer Awareness weekend May 7-9 and Leukemia Awareness day on May 15…perspective on Andrew Gagnon’s Friday night loss…it was a nine-run fifth that gave Oregon State the cushion in that 16-4 beat down…that came after an hour plus rain delay when OSU led just 3-1… the Tigers are riding a five-game win streak and Coach Sprague is two wins shy of 150 and, he hopes, has solved team discipline issues that hurt them in recent years…the Bags have beaten UOP 14 straight dating to 2005 and 32 of 33 games going back to 2000…it may be game time before the Beach knows if shortstop Devin Lohman has recovered sufficiently from his groin pull…Mark Singer is a good sub and the Weatherman is shuffling Juan Avila, Jonathan Jones, Tre Dennis, and T.J. Mittelstaedt in a lineup anchored by Steve Tinoco (.381 with 16 RBIs) and Joey Terdoslavich (.310 and 21 RBIs)…still puzzled by a rash of illegal pitch calls, softball also opens their conference schedule this weekend playing the Lady Tigers of Pacific on campus in a Friday double header with a single 2 p.m. game on Saturday…the rest of the baseball BWC this weekend features Cal Poly at Riverside; Davis at Fullerton; Irvine at Northridge; and UCSB at Sac State—DR. DAN

NO FEAR AND NO LOATHING AS THE DIRTBAGS (0-0) RELISH THE BIG WEST RACE

2010-04-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Pacific skipper Ed Sprague--Stockton bred, Stanford raised and MLB famous--pondered the beginning week of the Big West season and offered this observation. “We still have to go out and do it because nobody is going to fear us and nobody is going to be surprised by us." I say ditto for the roller-coaster riding Dirtbags, come Monday nobody will fear and nobody will be surprised.

We say all this because one of the great spring pairings is youth and baseball. Last weekend the short memories of the LBSU youth were served and on Sunday the Niners (11-11, 0-0) moved from a lowly RIP epitaph to an almost glossy RPI. Given up for dead after melting down in losses to Hawaii and Oregon State on Wednesday and Friday, the Beach won twice on Saturday afternoon and emerged with a lofty RPI of #31 based on key victories and a terrific strength of schedule. It was LBSU’s fourth series win in five tries this season, vics over Arizona, UNLV, Wichita State and OSU. Ironically Pacific (16-7, 0-0) are winners of all five of their weekend series. The Tigers are an interesting mix of good hitting (.346) and opportunistic defense. With a combined ten double plays in their San Jose finale, the Tiger D was spectacular combining with SJSU to tie a 21 year old NCAA record. Pacific hitters are organized by legendary and original Dirtbag Don Barbara who took the team from offensively toothless free swingers on top of the Big West. The Tigers combined to hit .a best ever .322 in 2009 and are already at .346 this season but a fat team ERA of 5.01 puts some interesting salsa on the chips. The pitching plan is UOP’s Marcus Pointer (5-0, 3.92) vs. Andrew Gagnon (3-3, 3.13); lefty David Rouse (5-0, 4.07) vs. Jake Thompson (3-0, 3.69) and either Hummel or Carnevale for the Tigers versus improving Branden Pinder (2-3, 4.15).

HIDDEN EGG DUST--The rotation of Gagnon, Thompson and Pinder have eight of the team’s 11 wins but the offense (.286), fielding (.967) and base running (23 of 45 stolen) has been erratic…Where are theys, you can’t call him Mr. Misty May but now you can call him Matt Treanor, Texas Ranger. Making more moves than Misty on Dancing with the Stars, Matt has gone from Florida to Detroit to Milwaukee and now to catching-poor Texas…we are not sure if he will go pro or go Dirtbag but Jake Stassi out of Yuba City is a fantastic left-hander who went Jake went 9-1 on the mound with 93 strikeouts in 2009…but his older brother Max went pro ball instead of college…turnstile tales…La Tech Minnesota drew 30.056 fans to the new Target Field in Minneapolis…national crowd counts have LBSU as the 41st best home draw with an average of 1,208 for their first dozen dates…at Oregon State, LB picked up 28 hits and 15 runs in their two wins…LB marketers have scheduled special upcoming games for various good causes: Autism Awareness Weekend April 23-25, 500 free Troy Tulowitzki tee-shirts on April 24, Breast Cancer Awareness weekend May 7-9 and Leukemia Awareness day on May 15…perspective on Andrew Gagnon’s Friday night loss…it was a nine-run fifth that gave Oregon State the cushion in that 16-4 beat down…that came after an hour plus rain delay when OSU led just 3-1… the Tigers are riding a four-game win streak and Coach Sprague is three wins shy of 150 and, he hopes, has solved team discipline issues that hurt them in recent years…the Bags have beaten UOP 14 straight dating to 2005 and 32 of 33 games going back to 2000…it may be game time before the Beach knows if shortstop Devin Lohman has recovered sufficiently from his groin pull…Mark Singer is a good sub and the Weatherman is shuffling Juan Avila, Jonathan Jones, Tre Dennis, and T.J. Mittelstaedt in a lineup anchored by Steve Tinoco (.381 with 16 RBIs) and Joey Terdoslavich (.310 and 21 RBIs)…still puzzled by a rash of illegal pitch calls, softball also opens their conference schedule this weekend playing the Lady Tigers of Pacific on campus in a Friday double header with a single 2 p.m. game on Saturday…the rest of the baseball BWC this weekend features Cal Poly at Riverside; Davis at Fullerton; Irvine at Northridge; and UCSB at Sac State—DR. DAN

BEACH BOYS TRY TO UNWRAP THE BOWS BEFORE BATTLING THE BEAVERS

2010-03-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

LBSU baseball (9-9) bussed back to town with another series win and a slight boost to their RPI Sunday night, did laundry and studied the campus map to rediscover their classrooms. But look fast because after tonight’s contest with 11-9 Hawaii, the gang goes on the road again. This weekend is a major challenge in the form of #9 Oregon State, 14-3 this season and back-to-back College World Series champions in 2006, and 2007. The new-look Niners have an improving offense (team batting average of .278), now getting significant run scoring support from slugger Joey Terdoslavich (17 RBIs and a batting average up from .120 to .294), and a .467 on base percentage from the human bruise, Brennan Metzger, (11 hit by pitches this season). Oh yes there is now some solid starting pitching (all three starters went at least seven in Vegas) but if we don’t start laying on kind words about Hawaii we might make the Bows mad.

Hawai‘i is playing five games in six days including three at Fullerton and Monday with San Diego…UH swept Air Force with, in their words, an “offensive explosion, batting .380 as a team, highlighted by a 20-hit game on Monday.” Hawaii is led by Kolten Wong at .361…Hawaii also beat Oregon State who took a series from Tennessee who…OSU has a 2.73 team ERA and a genuine ace, Tanner Robles, 1.72 ERA and 34 Ks in 31 innings.

DUST PARTICLES—Starters tonight are Nate Underwood for the home boys checking in a 0-1, 3.38 ERA vs. Zach Gallagher, 0-1, 6.75….the mid weekers have been miserable for the Bags, losses to UCLA 10-1, USC 10-5 and LMU 6-4…the lone win was a come from behind 4-3 W over SDSU…If you are a student athlete aiming for a sporting life at Long Beach State your reasons might be several. You never liked brown and gold but love black and gold. Mom and or Dad might have strolled Seventh and Bellflower sometime in the sixties. They would really like you to get a scholarship, even a partial would be swell, check, playing time, check and facilities, fine but perhaps a bit quaint and quirky, half check…All that aside, there is nothing finer than to be a Niner on a road trip. The opposition circles a contest with any California school, especially one with a national rep like Long Beach State...This weekend softball, who swept Illinois Chicago yesterday, travels to UCLA while men’s volleyball has home matches Thursday and Saturday with Pacific and Stanford…tennis got ranked #36 and then tumbled to Ohio State yesterday 6-1…women’s water polo hosts powerful Stanford Sunday noon and men’s golf is road tripping to a tourney in Bulls Bay, South Carolina….remembering the Shockers (losers to ORU 7-1 yesterday) more cold hard facts, “the two baseball games between Wichita State and Washington State have been canceled due to snow and will not be rescheduled.”… So you would like to sign the offspring between Jason Flowers, x-LB basketball coach and UCLA player and his wife, Olympic softballer Tairia? Okay, then get ready for a little boy with great bloodlines. Jason is at UCR these days and the Mrs. Is assisting Kim Sowder with Beach softball…last add love and marriage…you can’t call him Mr. Misty May but now you can call him Matt Treanor, Texas Ranger…making more moves than Misty on Dancing with the Stars, Matt has gone from Florida to Detroit to Milwaukee and now to catching poor Texas...baseball RPIs: 25 – Fullerton; 37 - Riverside; 51 - Long Beach; 62 – Irvine; 65 – Northridge; 121 - Santa Barbara; 136 – Pacific; 145 – Davis and 178 - Cal Poly.

Our closing quote is about Dirtbag Baseball from Evan Longoria’s fiery Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. Evan invited Joe to visit Blair Field and speak to the team in the offseason. Encouraging his millionaire third baseman to make a nice gift, Joe jokingly said "I went into their clubhouse and this thing is an absolute dirtbag clubhouse. Rubber floor. This 1993 big screen TV elevated up into the wall. I asked them what's up with Longoria and Tulowitzki and the Weaver. C'mon, let's go! Let's pick this place up.” Okay Rays stay tuned, Mssrs. W. Brady and V. Cegles will contact you soon.—DR. DAN

FASHION AND FOOD AND FAMILY IN THE FORTY-NINER NATION

2010-03-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Conventional wisdom says that the sporting appetite of the home-based 49er fandom should be a measured sampling of the basic athletic groups, you know, games of basketball, tennis, volleyball, softball, baseball, etc. Last week the Niners offered extra portions of all of that stuff and wouldn’t you know this weekend the faithful will starve for local action.

Baseball is feeling a bit chipper after winning a series over Wichita State but travels to the land of chips, Las Vegas, for a three game set with the UNLV Rebels. Softball, successful hosts for their own tourney, visits San Diego again. Men’s volleyball struggles with paradise on a trip to Hawaii and women’s’ water polo goes out to non-paradise, also known as Riverside. The lone local contest is Friday’s 2 p.m. tennis match between the red hot Niners and Nebraska.

By now the basketballs have been returned to the cages and coaches Monson and Wynn have to recruit without their teams bracketed in any of those office pools. Such is life in the Big West. Both sides made serious improvement over the past year. The men have young guns Casper Ware, TJ Robinson and Larry Anderson and the women have, well … 6, 7 or 8 scholarships to lure tall people.

The coming of age for baseball has been the re-discovery of the pitching game; all three starters had bright moments beating the Shockers twice, and the slugging of Joey Terdoslavich who raised his batting average from last on the team at .140 to fifth at .275. The Dirtbags reappear briefly on Wednesday for a non-conference visit with Hawaii at Blair then off to Oregon State for a series the following weekend.

DUST ON MY PARKING PASS- The Big West brass has a new place and a new plan for their post season hoop tourney next year. It will be the Honda Center, lots of parking and no trade show competition. The format will also change, no longer will a team get a two game bye as UCSB did, each of the eight entrants will have to play three times in three days. That might have made a difference in the final results after the Niner men had inspired wins over Cal Poly and Pacific then wobbled at the end of the Gaucho game.

All the TV faces of the 49ers looked good and the fans and band, including cow bells, were perfect. On the court Coach Monson had the Smith Brothers—bearded boys Andrew Fleming and Arturas Lazdauskas and in time outs two his four kids, son McGuire (9) in a snappy suit and, daughter, Mollie (7), with a bright gold whirly skirt. Everybody had some tears when it was over but what a great moment for all concerned.

Wrapping up that NCAA stuff, the tournament selection chair is UCLA AD Dan Guerrero who cut his teeth in athletic admin at UC Irvine. However Dan G couldn’t play any favors for his old Anteaters who released Coach Pat Douglass. Ironically Pat was the man who would be king of the Beach before being passed over in favor of Wayne Morgan. Not a great recruiting class, both are now out of work and ready to share the porch swing at the old coaches home.

And what about the much discussed former 49er coach Seth Greenberg? Now of Va Tech, Seth missed yet another NCAA invite over the weekend and has one eye on his NIT bid and the other on a job opening at St. Johns. St. John's is prepared to give its next coach $1.5 million a year while the Hokies paid a mere $850,000 this season.—DR. DAN

MY INITIAL IMPRESSION WAS SHOCKING BUT UPON FURTHER REVIEW LET’S PLAY THREE

2010-03-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

If playing big boys from the PAC 10--USC, UCLA and Arizona, and nasty neighbors like Pepperdine and San Diego State wasn’t enough, the 49ers (5-6) now have to welcome the 9-1, 21st ranked Wichita State for their first games outside of Kansas. The Shocker log has some familiar initials on their schedule but look closely. Two teams from Florida made their way to WSU but they were North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast. Gene Stephenson also scheduled USA, that would not be the Olympic team but the University of South Alabama. WSU had a pair of contests with ND but not the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame but the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota. And CA, well not Cal but Central Arkansas.

All of that is seen by Stephenson as the necessary tune-up for clubs like his that are planted amid the corn and soy fields of middle America. In his post game video Wednesday the Shocker skipper used platitudes like “formidable opponent…annual foe…great rivalry etc.” to describe the Dirtbags. Wichita State swept LB last season. Cody Lassley has been the star so far, hitting .643 but the team batting average is a whopping .352. The Niner pitching rotation has been tweaked with Gagnon going Friday; Thompson slipping to Saturday and on Sunday possibly Pinder, but the skipper is still mulling that one over. The WSU rotation is expected to be righty Tim Kelly 1-0, 3.0; righty Jordan Cooper 2-0, 1.93 and lefty Charlie Lowell, 2-0 3.72. Shocks had 13 strikeouts in the 14-2 Tuesday romp over Central Arkansas but on Wednesday, under cloudy and moist Kansas skies, WSU pitchers were generous with ten walks and a mere six Ks. WS still locked up an 8-2 get away day win and Central A left town at 4-8 but with their bank balance beefed up.

OOC DUSTING--Back to the homeboys, that was a critical 9th inning spin move pickoff at second base Tuesday night on what Weathers called a “daylight” play. “When the shortstop (Lohman) and pitcher (Brown) see some daylight between the runner and the base they make the play. I am just glad that despite all the things going on those guys didn’t think that much and just reacted like good baseball players.” Mike also some nice words for freshmen Nate Underwood, the lanky San Jose area pitcher who Buck and the Beach swiped from under the nose of Cal. The Bears felt Nate was locked up but this honor roll student had all the choices and took LB…interesting press box chatter with SDSU radio guys who took emails from listeners and then giggled when a young Aztec fan googled the word Dirtbag and came up with that unflattering definition…the announcer laughed forgetting perhaps that the Aztec mascot Monty Montezuma was seen as politically incorrect by the indigenous people of that region…”where are theys” how about Abe Alvarez who won 23 games in the 2002-2003 seasons…this season he is on the bench as a student assistant coach for the Dirtbags…at age 22, the crooked cap kid became the youngest member of the 2004 Red Sox to receive a World Series Championship ring…good news LB’s RPI is now 103 but facing the Shockers, ranked #21, will move that number upwards…bad news in the end none of that matters unless you finish five or so games above .500…possible news flash, insiders say that the big man may retire after this year, Elvis Joe may become video Joe next year…he doesn’t give his age but Niner marketing wizards figure they could retire the guitar and sombrero and still use the “greatest act in college baseball” on that spiffy video board…and cut performance costs by eliminating that requisite hot dog…the other big Joe, Joey Terdoslavich, caught a break when Tony Gwynn looked at the message board and saw his .148 average and ,with first base open, let him pinch-hit in the eighth inning…whoops Tony, Joey got the GW RBI and is beginning to get his offensive feel going again…enjoy Joe T this season because I suspect he will sign and go during the upcoming MLB draft…his late inning heroics prevented a lot of second guessing about failed double steals and runners getting picked at first and third…the rest of the Big West is staying busy… Cal State Northridge at LMU; UC Irvine at Sac State; Northern Illinois at Santa Barbara; Notre Dame at Pacific, Southern Utah at UC Davis, CSUF (shut out losers last night) at SDSU and Houston at Cal Poly...last add rumor control...expect some of the 49er faithful to be missing tonight due to a basketball contest at the ACC, not the Atlantic Coast Conference, where Miami has upset both Wake Forest and Va Tech, but the Anahiem Convention Center...semi final vs. Pacific with a 9 p.m. tip on ESPN U...watch the Bags and set your VCRs—DR. DAN

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS SAN DIEGO TONY AS NINERS TRY TO REMEMBER WINNING

2010-03-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

For the many years that the San Diego State Aztecs have brought their baseball team to Blair Field the game in the stands has often been as intriguing as the game on the field. That would be the “where’s Tony Gwynn” game. You should know that tonight, as in the past, Hall of Famer and LB Poly alum Tony is, er ah low key. He is a full sized man who will be wrapped in warm-ups and team jackets and a cap and more outside garments than the guys in Hurt Locker. His former volunteer assistant Anthony Johnson, with a similar stocky profile, was often selected by 49er fandom as Gwynn when he trotted out to the first base coaching box. Anthony still helps out but just for home games but you win a prize for being the first in your row to find Tony.

Now to the game, oh yes, Steven Moranda, a two-year junior college all-league selection at Fresno City comes in at 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA gets the start for SDSU and unless Mike Weathers really did have open auditions this afternoon it will be Eddie Magallon the freshman from Paramount for the first mound worker for the Beach. Troy Watson from Sac City is next in line and then it is staff TBA... The Niners come in a 4-6, yes, same as Fullerton, with a team batting average .260 and ERA of a un-Buckley-like 4.25. The Aztecs are 5-6 aga9nst a more modest schedule hitting at .270 with a 3.90 ERA.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN--Uncle Ben Goldberg of the Beach Club sports bar had a crowd of Dirtbags including wining pitcher Andrew Gagnon (“I pitch better when I breathe”) and family in his establishment Saturday evening. Gagnon is now the staff ace while the Beach offense struggles to find some consistency. Skipper Mike Weathers is blunt. “We simply can not defend our house and…we haven’t been on the road yet.”…This weekend visitors for the RPI-conscious Cal Staters is perennial top 20 power Wichita State. The Shockers will make their first trip out of Kansas this season as part of a five game road trip. It all starts at Blair Friday to Sunday and then WSU plays two in Tucson against improving Arizona…Back at home Niner softball is sleeping in their own beds after opening the season in road tourneys. They are hosting their annual Long Beach Invitational at nearby Mayfair Park with a invite list that includes Purdue, Notre Dame, Buffalo, Idaho State and San Diego. A mound feature is the recovering Brooke Turner who earned BWC Pitcher of the Week by throwing gas in a 1-0 setback to Pac-10 foe Oregon and was dominant leading The Beach to a 6-2 victory over Buffalo…want another view of the Washington series? Let’s drop in on the Huskies campus newspaper, the Daily News... “Washington 11, Long Beach State 9…For most of this game, it was not as close as it looks. LBSU led 6-0 after three innings and 9-4 after five, but the Huskies had a seven-run seventh inning to gain the permanent lead. And it wasn’t even that the Huskies displayed any power that inning. They just took advantage of two critical 49er mistakes ¬— an error and a passed ball — and had a barrage of singles, doubles and walks.” Ouch…

"Where are theys"... it was a Redwood City contingent at Blair on Sunday that would be Mr. and Mrs. Mark Knupfer and shortstop son of years gone by (1995-96) Jason. Still in playing shape and with funny stories about his fellow ex-Bag Jason Hodges, Knups is now in the insurance business in NorCal and has indeed provided grandchildren to his parents…other Tuesday BW tilts, UC Riverside at UCLA, Northern Illinois at Cal Poly, and USD at Irvine…After months of math, the numbers finally lined up for the 49er basketball teams who will begin their quest to reach the NCAA Tournament Thursday at the Anaheim Convention Center next door to Disneyland…the ladies team are really Cinderella’s moving into a top four seed after missing out in 2009…the men playing brilliant some times and inconsistent other times, will be in the hunt…at least the calendar is kind to the 49er faithful...drive and park once and get Jody Wynn’s women playing at 2:30 and Dan Monson’s men at 6:00 p.m., opponents TBA. Just win on Thursday and stay warm tonight—DR.DAN

HOW TO LIE WITH STATISTICS AND OTHER EARLY SEASON 49ER FACTS AND FIGURES

2010-03-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

Baseball fans, more than most other folks, are obsessed with stats. The seasons are long, the players are many and the trigonometry of trends, tendencies and talent will intersect in whatever way you want. This weekend the numbers are all about the student athletes from Washington (4-4) and Long Beach (3-4) who still have high hopes for restoring past glory.

The visiting Huskies, under new field boss Lindsay Meggs, are in the midst of a stretch of eight straight road games after a two-game split at Oregon Tuesday and Wednesday. The Ducks won the first game 6-2, and the Dawgs countered with a 5-3 victory on Wednesday. Last season Washington, who wearied of the leadership of Ken Knutson, head coach from 1993 through 2009, pulled the skipper switch. . Knudson concluded his UW career with the most coaching wins in UW baseball history, and 15th-most in Pac-10 history, a career overall record of 584-399-2. In came Meggs, just 46 years of age, who has been busy building the Indiana State baseball team, a conference partner of next weekend’s visitors, Wichita State. In 2009, Meggs beat out Gene Stephenson as the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Yea. His pitching selections are Forrest Snow, a junior righty who does a bit of everything, a scoreless inning in relief Tue. at Oregon ... worked a scoreless 9th inning for the win Feb. 26 vs. Fresno State ... also threw 0.2 scoreless IP Feb. 27 vs. Bulldogs and started Feb. 21 vs. Missouri (4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, with Saturday’s selection sophomore lefty Brandon Rohde who worked 0.1 IP in relief (no runs) Wed. at Oregon, picking up first college win ... first college start Feb. 27 vs. Fresno State (no decision: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K). the Sunday punch will be Andrew Kittredge, a soph righty who their media guy says “Suffered the loss despite good outing Feb. 28 vs. Fresno State (8.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) ... started and picked up the win opening day vs. New Mexico State (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)

The Niner trio is the usual Friday to Sunday lineup of Thompson, Gagnon and Pinder but two other guys have caught the coaches eyes. They are freshman Nate Underwood who struck out five in four innings during his first collegiate start against the wood bat swinging Japanese travelers and Eddie Magallon who strung together some good innings as the “Tuesday” starter. Steve Tinoco has been the offensive inspiration (13-for-18, improving his season average to .500 and leading the team in hits and RBI) but Miami transfer Joey Terdoslavich has doubled and homered in his last two games.

SCATTERED DUST--The Huskies began the year in Tucson playing three games in a tournament, picking up wins over New Mexico State and Gonzaga. The Huskies followed with a Friday night victory over the Bulldogs at home against Fresno State, but have since lost three of their last four games. Caleb Brown leads the regulars with a .452 average in the early part of the year, having started all eight games and leading the team with 14 hits. Pierce Rankin leads the Huskies in RBI with 10 and has one of the team's three home runs this season. Recap of the USC game was all about the “five big flies.”… and when you note that the Trojans had runners on, and the Dirtbags didn't you understood why Coach Weathers said that "Blair Field looked pretty small tonight,”...Long Beach State returned to Blair Field Wednesday but the mental and physical mistakes from Tuesday were unpacked along with the wood bats. It was close for a while then the Bags got the yips and the white suited Japanese kids, their Rising Sun flag fluttering in the evening breeze…The Big West, 34–31 vs. OOC, has been less than spectacular thus far and the line up this weekend won’t exactly impress the pollsters: In mostly afternoon games it will be Cal Poly vs. Utah Valley; Fullerton at Arizona; Connecticut at Northridge; Seattle at Pacific; St.Mary's at UC Irvine; UC Davis at Sacramento State; Santa Barbara at Stanford and Riverside vs. Florida International…last stat, 2609 Oregon fans, without butane, still made a nice racket in their new yard last weekend and seem to be the Cinderella of the Northwest this season.—DR. DAN

STADIUM DUST: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW AND WOOD BATS AND CHOPSTICKS FOR ME AND YOU

2010-03-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the win-hungry Trojans of USC and the success- shorted Dirtbags of Long Beach State headed off for diamond work. USC was playing twice at home and one just up the freeway at Dodger Stadium while the Beach boarded the big grey dog for a ride into the desert and a three game Tucson test at Arizona. Results—well the bus leaguers from the Beach won twice over the Wildcats with a third game rained out. The Boys of Troy lost all three outings, 6-4 to Oklahoma State, 10-1 to Vanderbilt and 6-1 to their Westwood cousins UCLA... Tonight somebody’s going to put on the happy face again.

No video evidence of the Niners twin killings of the Cats but lots of video, and repeated incessantly on Prime Ticket, of how the UCLA Bruins beat SC 6-1 and knocked out ace Kevin Couture in the second inning after taking a line drive off his throwing hand. Good news for the Cardinal and Gold is Kevin suffered only a minor sprain and either he or Jodan Hershiser, a man mountain at 6-8-245 (son of…) will get the start. Meanwhile LB has their Sunday starter Brandon Pinder rested and ready but Chad’s lads are a little tired in the bull pen and have New Mexico in this weekend.

The curiosity for the Beach boosters will be the hitting, dismal out of the shoot a 1-3 and chipper now at 3-3. The resurgent offense was lead by senior first baseman Steve Tinoco who picked the Big West Co-Player of the Week slugging 8-for-10 with five RBI and three walks when UA dared to face him. His double was the game-winner against the Wildcats on Friday, capping a ninth-inning comeback in an 8-7 win. His prize was the first such honor for the Bag offense since 2008. Meanwhile down south both of the Big West bad guys, Fullerton and Irvine struggled. Fullerton went 1-2 for the second straight weekend (both at home), losing a home series to TCU for the second straight season and UCI losing 3 of 4 in a tourney down South.

BEST OF THE DUST-- the Dirtbags are in a nine game home stand if you include the exhibition with Waseda University of Japan tomorrow. After that almost shocking two game sweep of Arizona (8-7 and 10-3) , this weekend brings more of PAC 10 play against visiting Washington Friday through Sunday and then a Tuesday visit from San Diego State… a huge turnout for the funeral of CSULB Admissions and Records whiz Sharon Clark included a tip of his cap from the Snowman, “That woman was the original Dirtbag in her office and at the ball park…when I took the job in 1989 we came in practically empty and had to build a whole team…and we must have sent her a hundred transcripts to look at”…both she and my dear friend Dr. John Kashiwabara sat midway on the right side and surely the good guys leave us too soon…For both box office and booster pride LB needs a big turnout in the stands and on the court when Dan Monson’s team hosts Riverside Friday night. Four thousand free tee shirts for the last, and most important, basketball game of the year...international notes…insiders say that if women’s coach Jody Wynn is able to land a very promising British basketball talent who visited the campus last weekend, an assist should go to Ms. Hannah Grady, the academic and athletic all star, who is bigger than life on her banner at the tennis center, and a couple of current team members who shared a cup of something with the talented prospect…The mad scientist that is interim men’s volleyball coach Andy Read came up with this magic last weekend…he starting Bruin Beaters for the Beach consisted of Conor Eaton setting, Kirk Francis at libero, Dean Bittner at opposite, Dan Alexander and Antwain Aguillard in the middles and Jimmy Baughman and Tommy Pesotlesi on the outsides. Coach Read picked his spots with the “double-sub” move, sometimes inserting Srdjan Nadazdin for Conor and Mike Klipsch for Dean for three rotations and sometimes utilizing only Serge for blocking purposes…the wizard keeps working…tomorrow’s visitors from Waseda University have a history that exceeds even USC…the Japanese collegians started playing in 1901 and are on another exhibition tour along with other members of the Tokyo Big Six University League…their primary rival is the Meiji University club but another Japanese college team in that league, Rikkyo, two hit the Troys in a 9-0 loss last Wednesday and the visitors used wood bats.—DR. DAN

NEW MATH, OLD FRIENDS, TOURNEY TALK, ANDY THE WIZARD AND NOTES ON MY YOU KNOW WHAT

2010-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Vic Cegles is the Athletics Director of Long Beach State and this is the time in the LBSU sports schedule that just staying connected to his Niner sporting nation is a major challenge. Attached to his right arm is one of those high end electronics that reads email, chases scores, and does more texting than a teenager.

This week he has entries all over the athletic landscape but most of his attention is on the prize cash cow in his herd, men’s basketball. For both box office and booster pride he needs a big turnout in the stands and on the court when Dan Monson’s team hosts UC Riverside Friday night. Four thousand free tee shirts for the last, and most important, basketball game of the year. UCSB, who lost to LBSU by 20 earlier this year, will still clinch the Big West tournament top seed with Pacific and Fullerton likely finish second and third.

Now to the homeboys from the Beach. Fourth gets you one fewer game and slightly fresher players for the trophy dash. I expect Cal Poly to knock Irvine out of the tourney this weekend and tie LB at 8-8 for fourth. Then the tie-breakers would kick into effect since the Mustangs and the 49ers both split with UCSB and both were swept by UOP. The next tie-breaker is the record against the teams below, Davis and Northridge. The Niners swept both opponents and the Mustangs split with both. Win Friday night and earn that extra day off.

The BWC little dance party starts next Wednesday with the bottom four men’s and women’s teams playing a knock-out round. The LBSU women flirted with the top four but now are likely a first round combatant after not holding home court against lowly Pacific Saturday night and having to travel to top ranked Riverside this weekend.

All of this math before March madness has brought mixed reviews on the post season prospects for both teams. One fan loves the “new season” in a tourney and if each player has a personal best the Beach men would fulfill that media day projection of winning the lone NCAA automatic bid. Others, color them more cynical, quipped that unless the Beach got a bye to the second half of the championship game the season would be over soon. Film at 11.

ACTUAL DIAMOND DUST--The Dirtbags are in a nine game home stand if you include games earlier this week against USC and the exhibition with Waseda University of Japan. After an almost shocking two game sweep of Arizona (8-7 and 10-3) , this weekend brings more of PAC 10 play against visiting Washington Friday through Sunday and then a Tuesday visit from San Diego State.

Mr. Cegles was on the scene on a rainy Saturday for the dedication of the Hannah Grady tennis court and, somewhere in between showers, followed the progress of softball, water polo, golf and men’s volleyball. Some complained that she isn’t a tour prospect Grady, a mighty mite from Coventry, England who earned BWC Player of the year all four years, deserved the recognition for being a true tennis pioneer for the U.

Last add, merry olde England. Insiders say that if women’s coach Jody Wynn is able to land a very promising British basketball talent who visited the campus last weekend, an assist should go to Ms. Grady, the academic and athletic all star, and a couple of current team members who shared a cup of something with the talented prospect.

The mad scientist that is interim men’s volleyball coach Andy Read came up with this magic last weekend…he starting Bruin Beaters for the Beach consisted of Conor Eaton setting, Kirk Francis at libero, Dean Bittner at opposite, Dan Alexander and Antwain Aguillard in the middles and Jimmy Baughman and Tommy Pesotlesi on the outsides. Coach Read picked his spots with the “double-sub” move, sometimes inserting Srdjan Nadazdin for Conor and Mike Klipsch for Dean for three rotations and sometimes utilizing only Serge for blocking purposes…the wizard keeps working…

This from outside sources ...The nicknames are already flying and Eastern Washington University hasn't even begun installing its new artificial turf. The Slaughterhouse. The Blood Rug. The Bordello Bowl..

Athletic director Bill Chaves was seeking attention last month and sure got it when he announced that the turf would be red. “The uniqueness of the red field was able to generate an amazing amount of publicity. “ It also has generated donations. Michael Roos, an Eastern Washington alumnus who is a lineman for the NFL's Tennessee Titans, kicked the drive off with a $500,000 donation. ESPN broadcaster Colin Cowherd, also an EWU graduate, threw in $50,000. Note to EWU fans...red does fade, see the seats at the LBCC football stadium

Sharon Clark funeral and a tip of his cap from the Snowman, “That woman was the original Dirtbag in her office and at the ball park…that first year 1989 when we came in we had to build a whole team and we must have sent her a hundred transcripts to look at” It was both a sad and glad occasion…which reminds me that so many places I go these days I miss seeing my dear friend Dr. John Kashiwabara. The good guys leave us too soon.

Closing with ladies hoops. The coach is pulling her hair and the star has that bad foot again but I still may vote Figgy and Wynn as Big West POY and COY this season.

Blast from the past on good guard. via the all time Pyramid team...Crystal McCutcheon was one of the most successful women's basketball players in recent memory for the 9th-winningest program in the NCAA. She was tabbed as the 2006 Big West Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year after leading Long Beach State to a share of the regular season title. McCutcheon also earned first-team All-Big West Conference honors as a senior and second-team recognition as a junior.

She was one of 21 players in program history to surpass the 1,000-point barrier, accumulating 1,140 career points in her three years at The Beach. She averaged 13.6 points per game, while shooting a school-record 39.8 percent from beyond the arc...bring her back or at least sign her children--DR. DAN

BEACH BASEBALL AND BINGO AT BLAIR WHILE SEARCHING FOR SOME OFFENSE

2010-02-23T02:11:00.001-08:00

On the left side of the diamond tonight are the 23rd ranked UCLA Bruins who scored 40 runs in three easy weekend wins. On the right side is the 2010 Dirtbag baseball machine, a model that the skipper Mike Weathers suspects has a clutch built by Toyota and may be recalled at any time. “We simply aren’t getting the clutch hits” the skipper mumbled, finding the Niner offensive mileage underwhelming. In the first three games, 25 Dirtbags were left on base, over half of them in scoring position, just three earned runs and, as has been pointed out by others, a once-feared running game that is upside down (one stolen base and three caught stealing.)

The good news, in large part, the defense has been okay. Tonight Buck rolls out promising pitcher Eddie Magallon, the pride of Paramount High, the lad who picked up 25 wins games in his four seasons on South Downey Avenue. Arguably the best of the newcomers Eddie had a sparkling 8-1 record and 1.21 ERA in his junior year and 7-3, 2.10 ERA last spring. I’ve got clothes that weigh more than he does. The opponents offense posted a .398 team batting average, while the pitching staff logged a 3.00 ERA, totaling 42 strikeouts and five walks in 27.0 innings. UCLA outscored the opposition, 40-10, and registered at least 10 runs or more in each contest although the competition was fairly lightweight. The Bruins will start senior right-hander Garett Claypool who owned the Beach last season totaling 15 strikeouts in 10 innings. Entering his sixth season as UCLA's head baseball coach, John Savage has established the Bruins as a top national competitor. UCLA has finished third in the Pac-10 Conference each of the last four seasons under Savage's guidance.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN—Maybe you can officially call Troy Buckley coach in waiting but insiders say the new title is a bureaucratic maneuver to up Bucks pay and, if and when, make his move to head coach easy, sort of like Pete Manarino to Kim Sowder, George Allen to Willie Brown, Joe Harrington to Seth Greenberg and of course Dave Snow to Mike Weathers...last year Andy Rojo was the #1 assistant and in charge of
but now TB has what he needs too…now how does a two game losing streak feel? well the up-Titan skipper Dave Serrano is now on a three game suspension for spilling or at least bumping into umpire Larry Randall….the OC papers said Serrano appeared to make belly-to-belly contact with Randall, who stumbled as he turned away and fell to the ground in short right-center, and then maybe more contact after the ejection

As much as the Long Beach tennis set enjoys their new digs with banners fluttering, sensational scoreboard and a sparkling new sound system, the program will have their eyes on Indianapolis Thursday with the hopeful resolution of the eligibility question about their best player, Slovakian slugger Klaudia Malenovska. Klaudia played a bit in a country neighboring her native Slovakia for a small time women’s club team and accepted a few hundred dollars to take care of travel expenses…a Saturday feature is the pre-match dedication of Court One in the name of all-world netter Hannah Grady…Surprise of the college baseball season has been the fast start by Oregon who took three decades off loved their CA stops, comfortable wins over the big names from Fullerton and Long Beach State plus a laugher LMU on Monday…next four games in Hawaii …49er fans who chafe a bit about being in a mid major conference like the Big West can at least dine with the silver spoon set in baseball this year with 17 games against PAC 10 opponents…next year the Niners will have 21 games against the PAC 10...hoop head scratching…last year women’s basketball was so buried in the Big West basement they missed an invite to the conference tournament…a few seniors depart and four returnees leave the program and what happens? The Jody Wynn’s (8-5) are on the verge of finishing in the top four and earning a first round bye…The men, (isn’t it darkest before the dawn) slumped out of town last weekend after an on court lashing by first place Pacific (74-52) and a coaches locker-room lashing (1:35)…Daddy Dan however found the cure back at his alma mater, the U of Idaho…his Beach kids, 8 point underdogs, won by 11..UCI volleys LB in the Mid tomorrow and Davis and Pacific are the Beach hoop foes this weekend, women hosting Thursday and Saturday and the men visiting on those same dates.—DR. DAN

NEW LANDLORD, SAME BIG YARD, LOTS OF OLD FACES: IT MUST BE TIME FOR BASEBALL

2010-02-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

Sometime after 6 p.m. Friday Mike Weathers, head coach and now landlord of Long Beach State baseball will stroll to his Blair Field home plate to meet with the umpires and Pepperdine skipper Steve Rodriguez. The usual business is going over ground rules, locating fair and foul territory and of course, putting on your game face. Thirty minutes later Mike will focus on what’s going on inside the chalk lines, not the expected profit center outside the stands in the food and beverage lines.

In these chaotic financial times the toy department of a University has to be creative and the powers at budget-crunched LBSU opted to take over the contract for running the venerable 54 year old off-campus baseball stadium from dugouts to drinking and dining.

As a Lynwood kid Weathers was six years old in 1956 when the stadium (wisely named for a sports writer) opened with a graceful design featuring excellent, and even shady, viewing, pitcher friendly wide open spaces and room for upwards to 3,238 seated fans. Nervous parents, strolling scouts and cheap skates beyond the outfield wall often push the crowd count even higher.

This opening weekend will feature a first pitch from major league alum Troy Tulowitzki and then contests against three familiar faces, Pepperdine, 31-23 last season, baseball newcomer Oregon, 14-42 under old pal George Horton Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and then a Sunday afternoon jaunt behind the Orange Curtain to Fullerton, 47-16.
The homeboys have work to do after a 25-29 effort in 2009 but the Dirtbags do return 15 lettermen and seven starters from last year's team and 80% of the team's offensive production. And, perhaps most important, defensive help in the form of pitching guru Troy Buckley who’s back after a coaching stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both the Beach and the Waves defeated their respective alumni in scrimmages but the temperature now goes up for both sides. Newcomers will be featured, the Waves offering up a talented left-handed pitcher Jordan Luvisi and LBSU a promising right-handed slugging transfer from Miami, Joey Terdoslavich. Let the games begin.
PICK UP DUST—Mixed messages out of the LBSU basketball world, but both sides of the gender divide still have legit hopes for making the top four and that first round Big West tournament bye. The Niner women are pumped after their first season sweep over UCSB since 1990-91. Jody Wynn’s secret weapon is a revival of the old Jerry Tarkanian “mosquito defense” which forced the defending champ Gauchos into 22 turnovers.

Dan Monson’s bunch have balance (three players in double figures Saturday night) and now head to Moscow, Idaho for a Saturday contest with the Vandals, tough road visits to Davis and Stockton and a lot of scoreboard watching along the way. Tennis upset San Diego State last weekend, visits Riverside this Friday and hosts UC Irvine Saturday at 11 a.m. Men’s volleyball is at home to play Cal Baptist tonight (Thursday) and Kim Sowder’s softball team, 2-2 last weekend in Las Vegas, goes back to Glitter Gulch this weekend for five games including tests with Georgia Tech and Oklahoma.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Diamond Dust already in progress. Weekend pitching rotation is just a guess but it is likely that the Beach will turn to Jake Thompson and Andrew Gagnon. The most depth is in the outfield where returnees TJ Mittelstaedt, Jordan Casas, and Jonathan Jones sparkle but veterans throughout the infield should put the Dirtbag express back on track. Where are they now…one of the better LBSU broadcast voices will be calling the action for New Mexico, where our pal Wayne Smith is now employed…calling Lobo home games in football and men’s basketball will be Scott Galetti who did baseball for Long Beach State and the High Desert Mavericks, the single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners…more Bag info, Jake Thompson enters his third season in the rotation while Gagnon comes into his second, and both will be relied to repeat the innings they tallied last season while anchoring the rotation…The date was Sept 24, 1989 vs. Fresno State and Long Beach lost starting quarterback Paul Oates late in the first half with a knee injury. Freshman Bill Grudza came on in the second half and led Long Beach with 48 yards rushing and today, as Bill Brady, he is the new head of athletic development for LBSU…trying to guess a Saturday starter for Oregon you might try senior righty Justin LaTempa a “hard thrower with a fastball that gets into the mid 90’s when healthy, which has been an issue. He has had an interesting journey thru college, starting out in 2006 pitching at Irvine before transferring to Golden West College, undergoing arm surgery and ending up at Oregon. He has a chance to be drafted in the first 10 rounds with a good SR season…the rest of the Ducks are not so good, last year they put up these numbers, Batting Average – .227 (NCAA ranking – 287 out of 288); Runs Per Game – 2.8 (288); Home Runs – 16 (280); Stolen Bases – 60 (132) but old #8 wit the pencil behind his ear does like small ball like HBP’s – 45 and Sac Bunts – 49 (26)…D 49er writer Daniel Ramirez has Buck on the Niner starters Thompson and Gagnon… “Those two guys have as good of stuff as anybody in the country, but what they haven’t learned how to do yet is perform and win,” Buckley said. “That’s a step that they’re going to have to take and that they’re going to have to understand mentally, emotionally, mechanically, but they’re going to have to go out and experience [winning].” Thompson had a 5.61 ERA behind a 4-7 record and 42 strikeouts a year ago. Similarly, his teammate Gagnon went 3-7 with 44 strikeouts and a 6.32 ERA…Weathers said that sophomore Branden Pinder likely will throw on Sunday, rounding out the weekend starters…best athlete on campus these days is lady hooper Kristina Figueroa who last weekend averaged 25.0 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. She shot 50.0 percent from the field and posted an even more impressive 66.7 percent clip from beyond the arc…on Saturday at Millikan’s Baseball Opening Day, critically ill Dallas Humphreys (via Jake Thompson’s mom Diane) will have a Match the Marrow event registering bone marrow donors, and Long Beach Memorial will have a blood bank as well. All blood donated to Memorial will help the Humphreys family offset their care cost at the hospital. Show up any time between 9am and 3pm…see you at the yard—DR. DAN

SIGNS AND SIGNING AND SOME DEEP SIGHS WHILE WAITING FOR THE PING OF ALLOY

2010-02-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

A lot of college baseball marketeers like to suggest that their game is where you can see tomorrow’s stars today. True. Parking and concessions are cheaper. True. Alums, even those fond basketball memories, have developed a fondness for diamond action. True. So what’s missing in this equation? Oh, something about winning championships, or at least post season invitations.

The answer to that question, at least at LBSU, may reside in the nagging suspicion by the 49er baseball faithful that the Beach is better at building draft choices than adding to the school’s trophy room.

All everything Angel Jered Weaver opened Saturday’s alumni contest with a perfect first inning. The MLB talent hunters have mined the Niner infield for years, picking up Evan Longoria, Bobby Crosby, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Gomez and Jason Giambi with Danny Espinosa and Adam Heether leading another pack of good ones coming through the ranks.

Another case in point are the Phillies who have ex-Niner Greg Dobbs parked behind all-star Ryan Howard at first base, pitcher Andrew Carpenter in the mix for making the opening day roster and last summer the Phil’s out bid the ‘Bags for perhaps the best pure first-base prospect in their system, Millikan High’s Jonathan Singleton. Translated, no NCAA success for a really long time but lots of lads in the line-scores.

Last season the Beach posted a somewhat dismal 25-29 season after years of not only making the post-season party but serving as a regional host. Finished counting the cash from their lead-off dinner and golf tournament, the 2010 Dirtbags are back in practice awaiting that new national start date of February 19th. For the locals it will be sort of a round robin, LB starts by hosting Pepperdine and Oregon then goes to Fullerton. Oregon, reborn under old Titan coach George Horton, who also plays Pepp and CSUF in what you could call “friendlies,” but everybody keeps score.

Where are theys—at Abilene Christian ex-Niner Aaron Lambrix, a sophomore is in the pitching mix…at Blair Field, former Miami Hurricane Joey Terdoslavich hit a solo home run to highlight a 10-4 new guys beat the old guys exhibition game. Best of the newcomers, and one that got away from Fullerton, was freshman reliever Eddie Magallon.

Going outside, Beach Tennis (2-1) returns from a pair of 6-1 victories last weekend at Maryland and George Washington and anxious for their home opener against Fullerton (0-2) in a Big West match at 2 p.m. on Friday. Arguably the gold standard for LBSU sports, Jenny Hilt-Costello’s 2010 team appears a favorite for a seventh consecutive BWC title and their seventh straight NCAA invite. Good players? True. Titles? True. Happy alums and admins? True.

Closing Dust—This is a huge week for Beach men’s basketball starting with a national TV ESPN game against Fullerton in the Pyramid tonight (Thursday) and a FOX regional game Saturday against Northridge. At stake, staying on track for a top four finish and a first round bye in the Big West tournament. The lady Niners have the same high hoop hopes and play at CSUF and CSUN.

Last add conference tourneys. This March will be the 20th anniversary of LMU's run in the NCAA Tournament. After the on court death of Hank Gathers, the Lions went on to upset both Michigan and Alabama in the NCAA first round at the Long Beach Convention Center.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN—A potential nightmare for announcers comes up on February 20th when the Niner hoop heroes head to Idaho where their head coach Dan Monson's played and his dad, Don Monson, coached. So which Monson man are they talking about…it is that “Bracket Buster” game between mid majors and the Vandals will return the trip in two years…after a nice run last year the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Committee has picked Hawaii was selected as one of four regional sites for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, alongside Regionals at the University of Florida, the University of Minnesota and the University of Kentucky...this will be the first time Hawaii has hosted an NCAA Regional since 2006…maybe football is coming back to the Beach, hummm, still not likely but a former LBSU footballer Bill Brady will leave his post as UNLV’s Associate Athletic Director for Development to replace the talented David Benedict who took that job at Virginia Commonwealth…the Brady bunch include wife Diana and three boys: Cooper, Spencer and Turner….before UNLV he was an admin at TCU…national baseball expert Aaron Fitt has some radical ideas “I actually think I've got Conference USA over the Big 12 and Pac-10, and believe it or not I like the Big West more than the Pac-10, and maybe more than the Big 12…Long Beach should be the third team in the Big West. Terdoslavich and Jake Thompson are the two main guys to watch for the draft -- could see both going as high as the top three or maybe even top two rounds.”…newest Grasshopper (Florida Marlin affiliate) is hitting coach Kevin Randel who Dirtbagged a few years ago…he spent the 2009 season as a player for the Jacksonville the Suns who won the 2009 Double A Championship. Randel spent the 2003 and part of 2004 seasons as a Greensboro Bat…the 2010 Bags return seven starters from 2009 and two starting pitchers in Andrew Gagnon and Jake Thompson…Friday in the ‘Mid are the services for Dr. John Kashiwabara but many baseball fans in the crowd will also mourn the recent passing of a great OC based writer Larry Bortstein, super fans Rick “Coach” Chapman and John Connolly among others…last number, 56 schools submitted votes to override the legislation for making the college baseball season 14 weeks with the week added to the beginning of the schedule…and it all starts on the 19th… Closing Quote: For those tempted by side bets at your Super Bowl party (not just the chip and green dip) these words from Auburn coaching legend Shug Jordan, “Always remember Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David.”…finish the wings and hit the light on your way out.-DR. DAN

2010 THE DUST ODDYSSEY--UP, UP AND AWAY, HERE TO THERE AND BACK

2010-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

There is a running joke amongst the 49er faithful that on a given day if there was a campus helicopter some of the hard core would literally go to every game the Beach kids played in. Today (Thursday) might be a good time to get the rotors in motion.

The ultimate fan begins with brunch in Santa Barbara before the men’s volleyball Niners start their regular season at 11 a.m. taking on Cal Baptist in the opener of the Elephant Bar Tournament. Normally we would suggest you stick around for the rest of this season opening party (eight matches on day one) but you need to be in the Pyramid by 1 p.m. when the Big West’s co-number one, well 1-0 in conference, Lady Niners hoop entry faces Fullerton, also 1-0 and 5-8.

Hungry, don’t even think of visiting the ‘Mid snack bar, you have to save room for your Rose Bowl BCS tailgate with those countrified-gourmets from Alabama and Texas. The kickoff is 5 p.m. but trust me the game will be decided in the first 45 minutes well before you hop your flight from Pasadena to your more spacious men’s basketball seat in historic Titan Gym. The first missed free throw is set for 7:06 p.m.

Considered by Beach administrators to be the bell and cash cow for LB athletics, men’s basketball agreed by prior arrangement to lose in a gentlemanly fashion to the basketball blue bloods from Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas etc. after their checks cleared. Wins over UCLA, Wisconsin Green Bay, and Utah State were great but Dan Monson’s super sophs have lost in overtime twice, before Christmas to LMU and after New Year’s to Riverside. Enough already.

On the ladies side, first year head coach Jody Wynn has apparently finished her spring cleaning and with three returning regulars sent packing, her club had an impressive heart transplant and, although they will be under-sized the rest of the season, LBSU won’t be intimidated in the Big West title chase.
On Saturday, you can park the chopper because the home folks will be treated to an unusual “Black and Blue” double header in the Pyramid. The ladies feature “Pack the House Day” tipping off at 2 .p.m. followed by the men at 4:30 p.m. That Black and Blue reference is a sporting salute to the team colors of LB and UC Irvine, who annually play for a surfboard ride and a free banquet. Through the fall the B&B score was tied 6-6 but the contest goes until the end of baseball season.

FINALLY SOME DIAMOND DUST—Rich Hill, the scholarly baseball coach at U San Diego presents the dollar dilemma he faces. “…Overall depth is the biggest challenge for this program. You’re dealing with a 35-man roster and school cost is approaching $50,000 a year. We use the USC model (give) the big money to a few (read 7) guys…” I guess that means you hope the walk-ons are happy and nobody gets injured.
Elsewhere on the playing field, UCSB Athletics will rent the loquacious Tommy Lasorda on February 5th to kick off a capital campaign for their baseball facilities: up the seating to 1,000, install lights, refurbished the press box, add new field box seats, up-grade (from a card table) the merchandise area, and add permanent restrooms and concessions.

BONUS BLOG-ONLY DUST--The NCAA picked Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess to replace ASU’s Pat Murphy on the Division I Baseball Committee…Valparaiso’s Mark LaBarbera is taking over for former committee member, Cal State Fullerton’s Brian Quinn, so Kendall Rogers opines that there won’t be a West Coast representative in the room when the Division I Baseball Committee meets the weekend before the NCAA postseason field is announced on Selection Monday because Mark will be playing Arizona State in a three-game home series that weekend.

Others on that key committee are Louisiana-Monroe athletics director Bobby Staub, East Carolina assistant athletics director Gary Overton, Big 12 Deputy Commissioner Tim Weiser, Minnesota coach John Anderson, Bucknell athletics director John Hardt, Bethune-Cookman athletics director Lynn Thompson, Valparaiso athletics director Mark LaBarbera, Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander and St. John’s athletics director Chris Monasch….Marquess, 62, recently finished his 33rd season at Stanford…Urban Meyer did change his mind about quitting - running the old Brett Favre Reverse Play!...Former San Diego State ace Stephen Strasburg donated $141,000 to the Aztecs' baseball program, to upgrade the surface of Tony Gwynn Stadium, with new synthetic turf replacing the grass skirting from dugouts to baselines… the No. 1 pick overall in the June amateur draft, agreed to a record-setting contract worth $15.1 million over four years with the Washington Nationals…down on the farm the folks at Serrano High are high on volleyball standout Caitlin Ledoux who was named all-Big West Conference after her sophomore season as an outside hitter at Long Beach State

Closing Quote--Finally, in the spirit of New Year peace, I’m protecting the author of our closing quote, who pointedly said, “This isn't about a whiny, entitled player kicking and screaming to get his way, or a whiny entitled Little League dad kicking and screaming to protect his little boopie from the mean man.” Okay. It’s a New Year folks, kiss up to Sandra Bullock and everybody make nice. DR. DAN

A TIGER-LESS PLAYBOOK FOR THE BEACH BOYS AND GIRLS

2009-12-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

This late in the fall, coaches like to switch things up to keep their team sharp. Of course, Diamond Dust follows suit opening with a closing quote. It comes from a Mr. Buffett, Warren not Jimmy. “You don’t know who is swimming naked until the tide goes out.”

That seems to be a fitting sentiment, as we have a good-news flavored report on the Life’s a Beach crowd at LBSU. So far we like the look of things, but the tide is still coming in.

Last weekend, I was in my old stomping grounds at the University of Miami to take in a gritty women’s basketball road victory. LBSU and posse, (I counted seven fans wearing the company colors) won 68-64 over Rice in the Hurricane Thanksgiving tourney. LB head coach Jody Wynn put it in perspective, “It was a very important win; Rice is a big team, from a great conference, well coached and we just needed it.” The small but quick Niners, (3-3) are back home tonight (Thursday) to challenge Jody’s alma mater and most recent employer, Southern Cal (3-3) at 7 p.m. in their mini Pac 10 tour. Oregon is visited on Sunday.

Back on campus, Dan Monson’s not so maniacal 49ers, returned to class this week before climbing their next mountain, the U of Texas in Austin. At least the team is still smiling after they schooled UCLA in a 79-68 win in the 76 Classic. The win, arguably the most impressive since the 49ers beat Texas A&M 83-76 in December 2000, broke an 11-game losing streak to the Bruins.

Staying inside, and back in their 23rd consecutive NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament, Brian Gimillaro Niners (22-8) drew eighth-seeded UCLA (23-8) at Pauley Pavilion tomorrow (Friday. Georgia Tech (21-9) plays Baylor (22-9) in the "JV" match, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Both the Bruins and the Beach are better since their Sept. 19 meeting, when Naomi Washington and the LB Sweethearts of Spike swept UCLA 25-19, 25-16, 25-14.

Great Stats — Ex-Dirtbag Danny Espinosa scored 90 runs for the Potomac Nationals, tops in the Carolina League, and among the leaders in fielding percentage, homers, walks, on-base percentage and extra-base hits. Espy also had remembrances on his new and very rich teammate, Stephen Strasburg, who went from a pudgy reliever buried in the Aztec bullpen to the highest-paid draft pick in baseball history. "He really worked hard to get where he is." Amen bro.

Scattered Dust — The winningest Trojan team in America, checking in at 9-3, is Troy (Ala.) University, which lost only to Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas. The USC version, 8-3, has Arizona coming this weekend and then it’s bowling for both Trojan teams.

Great Dinner Deal — On Dec. 14, the Beach women’s volleyball team, back-to-back Big West champions, has a stimulus package for their fans with an open-to-all free banquet, passing on the chance to make it a VIP fundraiser. The evening begins with a multi-media program in the Pyramid and then some pasta bending at Spaghettini Italian Grill. RSVP to (562) 985-8739.

Great Dividend — Dirtbag pitching legend Troy Buckley picked up a 2011 early signee, Ryan Strufing, whose recruiting trip included sitting next to Buck during a scrimmage.

Ryan told his hometown paper he’s never met someone with “such a high baseball IQ. He’s the smartest baseball coach I’ve ever met,” Strufing said. “Some people have it and some don’t.” Strufing, the proverbial crafty lefty, was 5-2 with 67 strikeouts in 34 innings for Niwot, Colo. last season.

Real Closing Quote — From volleyball’s Tracy Lee, who saved a rally with her face — literally — as the 49ers won a pivotal point over UC Irvine. “I dropped my hands because I did not want to do anything to lose any points. So, I blocked it with my face,” the whimsical Ms. Lee said. “I told the coaches I’m going to practice that and just block with my face now.” DR. DAN

THIRTY DAYS HATH...AND OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS FOR NOVEMBER

2009-11-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

November at Long Beach State is like one of those mile long all you can eat buffets, so many choices that you are limited only by the number of plates you can balance on your arm whilst you stagger back to your seat. That means our monthly report will have to be another edition of the wildly popular Notes on My Napkin.

Still in the hunt for another Big West championship, women’s volleyball is in the top tier of the conference surprisingly led by upstart UC Davis. The Aggies however head to our big town this weekend, playing at Fullerton Friday and in the Pyramid Saturday. The Niners start the weekend hosting Pacific on Friday and with help from others could be on top (or darn close) by Sunday night. Santa Barbara also has a tough road, playing next at Pacific, Davis and Cal Poly. Keep your money in the mattress.

Women’s soccer however will be on the BWC sidelines for the first time since 2004 after CSUN (10-9-0, 6-2-0 BWC) beat the Beach booters 1-0. LB finished the 2009 campaign with a 5-11-3 overall record and a 1-6-1 mark in Big West action. The cup-is-half-full club points out that many of the ‘09 Niners are newcomers but in August management had tagged this as a reload - not rebuild year.

Basketball however is full of optimism and even some glowing pre-season predictions. The men are picked to win the conference and that elusive NCAA automatic bid and the women, so woeful last season they weren’t even invited to the conference tournament, was tabbed to finish fifth. Both clubs will fine tune their teams this weekend, make nice with the athletic trainers, and try and get their best five, six or seven on the court next weekend. Then men start on Saturday the 14th at 4 p.m. with a lot of homecoming pre-game partying and the ladies will defy that Friday the 13th stuff (we retired professors call it paraskevidekatriaphobia) playing Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m.

HELTER SKELTER DUST—Your trusty and rusty correspondent is still in my Southern retreat but at least there is some diamond action, the Florida Winter Baseball League. Players for the FWBL are drawn from all eight professional independent summer leagues including our own Golden Baseball League. I will search out any Dirtbags/Armadas once the rosters settle down.

Next note is that the Omaha sports commission, running the business side of the new College World Series in downtown Omaha, is seeking some serious revenues from potential tenants, including a $10,000 per game fee for their home town college, Creighton University. That won’t happen to LBSU since it seems that the deal for our U to take over Blair field is up and ready to go. I just hope that the deal doesn’t make Mike Weathers hair turn grey. Oh yeah.

This has nothing to do with the baseball Titans but the Fullerton engineering students recently had a ''pumpkin launch." The result was, in front of 3000 spectators, the flying vegetable crashing through the scoreboard at White Elephant Downs, the football turned soccer stadium at CSUF. The LBSU engineers do balloon drops and ride in concrete canoes.

Finally, the D-Dust complaint department received a note that we had no closing quote last month, so let’s do three this month.

1. “What do you call a single men’s basketball coach---homeless.” Fortunately our local hero Dan Monson is very married to a wonderful wife, Darci and has four children, baseball named boys McGuire and Maddox with alliterative daughters, Mollie and McKenna. Not exactly homeless but the still single, Larry Reynolds, now the hoop boss at California State University, Stanislaus. The pride of metropolitan Turlock, Reynolds Warriors are pre-season picked to finish 11th in 12 team CCAA conference.

. 2. From an Association cynic and Clipper season ticket holder, “If you want to have your pal draw your ticket to win the NBA player lottery, do what we do, cover your eyes and pick the frozen logo.”

3. And this last add from a disgruntled coach. “We couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn door from inside of the barn.” DR. DAN

STILL NEED YOUR DOSE OF DIAMOND DUST? SIGN IN AND LET THE NURSE GIVE YOU OUR BEST SHOT

2009-09-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Back at you to sprinkle a little Autumn Dust on your sporting plate, this time coming to you from deep in the heart of the south where football lives and the Top Ten is just a bulls-eye on your back. Matter of fact, the topsy-turvy gridiron deals happen everywhere, in the north, west and east, not just the south.

Enough of the oblate spheroid chatter, for most of 49er-ville it is the time of year for tracking the ladies of volleyball, tennis and soccer, the gentlemen of water polo, secret practices for basketball teams and the scoreboard on fundraising to keep all of the above in uniform.

Soccer 2009 has become an enigma of sorts with some impressive wins and puzzling defeats. Last week the Niners (4-5) lost at LMU 1-0, but are still perfect (0-0) in the Big West since they open the conference season today (Thursday) hosting Pacific in the Big West opener at 3 p.m.

Volleyball (8-3, 1-0) is still basking in the shutout beat down of the UCLA Bruins two weeks ago which was followed with a workmanlike conference opening 3-0 win over Fullerton in historic Titan Gym. Next up are Friday and Saturday night visits from UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Buy tickets and bring friends-- it is a great way to stimulate the LBSU athletic economy and become a neighborhood hero.

Same book, different chapter. I am guilty of teasing Niner women’s basketball coach Jody Wynn about 6-4 volleyball all-American Naomi Washington coming out for basketball (ala Danielle Scott a number of years ago. This could happen January 2nd when the Big West hoop season begins. Calling my own bluff I asked Naomi if she would consider joining the basketball team this Spring. “I will be playing for money overseas and I think I have had enough of school for a while.” Imagine that, pro volleyball cash over another semester at the Beach! Washington’s siblings both played college hoops, her sister at Oklahoma and her brother at Texas Tech.

My memories of the late Long Beach State football player Darryl Wright are many but perhaps the fondest are Dirtbag road trips with the big offensive lineman. Darryl was tasked with finding a fine, yet inexpensive, gourmet dining stop for our post-game. Driving around one weekend night I saw a fancy restaurant with a big (and almost empty parking lot.) “We don’t go there” Darryl would admonish, “you got to find a place with a line outside the door.” I was hungry, as usual, but DW was right as usual. His memorial celebration will be October 9 between 2 and 5 p.m. at Tantalum.

NAME DROP DUST—Fall colors are changing. For 23 seasons before stepping down longtime LB assistant coach Debbie Green was wearing the Black and Gold. This weekend she will sit on the Gaucho bench as a volunteer assistant mentoring her daughter Dana Vargas, all with the blessing of LB coach Brian Gimmillaro. “I can’t think of [anything] better. ... We’ve talked about it for years.”

Only two of the expected 18 Dirtbag newcomers, Matt Wallach, the son of former Fullerton Titan and Dodger Tim Wallach, and Millikan senior Jon Singleton decided to pass on college in favor of pro ball. The incoming LB group has nine pitchers and, coincidentally, nine pure freshmen. Best of the pitchers is San Jose native Nate Underwood but for the wide open spaces of Blair Field, Coaches Mike Weathers, Troy Buckley and Andy Rojo have a lot of speed but must find some reliable offense because as of press time you still can’t steal first base.—DR. DAN

DEAD LANGUAGES, ROAD TRIPS, DIRTBAG NEWS AND OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES

2009-09-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to September, derived from the Latin for “should of”. Now we are not talking about the trivial or mundane “should of’s” like selling houses or buying Bernie Madoff. No time for that stuff because the long awaited sports year at LBSU finally launched and for the 49er faithful, high hopes began to slide into cold reality.

When they lifted the 2009 LBSU curtain the opening acts featured women’s volleyball who lured #15 San Diego and #2 Texas into the Pyramid and women’s soccer who had watch the #5 ranked UCLA unload their bus at George Allen Field.

Last Friday’s volleyball contest pitted teams of little people that try to win with quickness and cunning instead of slams from skyscrapers. The score sheet said USD won 3-1 but LB “should of” prevailed in games one and four. Didn’t happen.
The next night the giant people from Texas led by 6-4 Destinee Hooker, an NCAA two sport all American (high jump and volleyball) were out played by the Beach queens of quick in games one and two. Games three, four and five were battles but the Niners (0-2) got away from their full swings and went down playing more taps than the Marine Band. You kind of think that the team “should of”…

Their coach Brian Gimmillaro told his young team, “We had a chance to do something they'd never forget," after the match, and he was right.

The LBSU women’s soccer team (1-1-0) succumbed to the steady offense of No. 5 UCLA. Trailing just one nil at the intermission, the Beach booters melted in front of their 1000 fans when the Bruins added three second half goals to set up a 4-0 victory. The crowd of 975 worked hard for the home girls but the Bruins out shot the 49ers, 19-7.

Long Beach soccer embarks on a Midwest road trip this weekend as it heads to Kansas Friday and No. 11 Missouri Sunday. On campus volleyball will be a heavy favorite in home contests on the weekend facing Maryland Baltimore County and Indiana State (coached by ex Niner Traci Dahl) on Friday and Northeastern on Saturday.

NAME DROP DUST--Paul Goydos got the air time, a good slot in the upcoming FedEx tourney and another wad ($202,000) of prize money last weekend but ended up ninth at the Barclays PGA stop after Sunday blues. His long range targets are Champions Tour events and moving up in the World Golf Ranking, especially those small/invitation only fields.

Good news for baseball is that the Buck Stops Here. That would be Coach Troy Buckley who was missing while the Dirtbags suffered last season (25-29, 5.18 ERA). On road trips I took with the team in his seven seasons, especially to Northern California, Buck always had to run a gauntlet of pitchers, parents and scouts back to the bus. Five of Buck’s boys have MLB paper, Jered Weaver, Jason Vargas, Abe Alvarez, Jared Hughes and Andrew Carpenter.

Tampa Bay skipper Joe Maddon has sent his new wife, Jaye, to find, purchase and decorate his new Long Beach ocean area four-bedroom home listed in seven figures. I hope that Evan Longoria gets a little piece of that deal.

Recent LB hoop star Donovan Morris (14.8 points in 25 games during an injury-riddled senior season) signed a nine-month contract to play professional basketball in Hungary, the first Niner in a while to get a pro paycheck. Dan Monson’s new bunch however looks good enough to not need a passport to play for pay.

Good news above but the recent knock on Mr. Goydos is the danger in becoming a great 54 hole player. One of the web wags I read said, “He can't keep saving his high round for Sunday.”

Fresno Grizzlies outfielder and ex Dirtbag John Bowker was named to this year's All-Pacific Coast League team, an annual recognition of the league's best players at each position. Bowker, the left-handed slugger, was leading the PCL with a .340 average and an on-base percentage of .449 entering Monday. He also had 21 home runs with a team-high 83 RBIs. In June alone, Bowker amassed a franchise record with 12 home runs in a month.

Another old ‘Bag,Robert Perry was signed June 27 by the ThunderBolts and has since wreaked havoc on the Frontier League. Through Saturday, the native of Sunnyvale product was hitting .386 for the year and .590 over the past 10 games. He had four home runs and 34 RBI.

And this complaint could be heard around the CSULB campus this week as at was down south…U of Tennessee student leader Gionni Carr said, “They’re treating us like we’re ATMs not the future of this nation.”

Despite the return of Buck, Weathers vows to keep second-year assistant Andy Rojo as recruiting coordinator, except when recruiting pitchers. “There’s no question that Troy going to MLB for a couple years is going to help us on the recruiting trail,” Weathers said. “Throw that in there with the arms we’ve had in the big leagues that Troy coached and we’re an easy program to be interested in.”

RISKY BUSINESS DUST—Big West brethren UCI and Fullerton join the Low Budget State University picture (LBSU) with plans to drop athletic programs. UCI picked men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's rowing, and sailing. Fullerton picked wrestling and gymnastics but last minute booster fundraising may give some teams a one-season stay of execution.

That leads to our closing quote on fund raising. "This isn't a long-term solution," said Brian Pajer, who is a paid coach of UCI’s Aquazots Swim Club. "But it keeps us in the water until we can figure out what to do with the future."—DR. DAN

NO FIREWORKS IN THIS DUST---JUST A LOT OF MAMA HOO HOO

2009-07-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

If you are stocking the SUV for that July 4th party, don’t worry I’ll bring the napkins. Of course all my napkins come with Notes particularly when I have to report on a month’s worth of people and places. Overlook the mustard and relish, this is your July Edition of Notes on My Napkin complete with a sound track that screams, “In the Hole.”

True to our college baseball roots, we regularly spend hours (usually after midnight) tracking a dozen Dirtbags toiling on summer league teams around the country. Better yet, nowadays each team also has a team page with pictures and numbers plus most have live audio and video.

The ’09 Summer Niners are Jordan Casas, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox; Jonathan Jones, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Devin Lohman, Orleans Firebirds, ; Josh Corrales, Peninsula Oilers; Joey Terdoslavich, Chatham Anglers, and Jake Thompson, Chatham Anglers, all in the Cape Cod League.

The others are playing in Alaska, Hawaii and points in between: Tre Dennis , North Shore Navigators; Ryan Donohue, Waikiki Surfers, Andrew Gagnon, Rochester Honkers,; Jason Markovitz, North Shore Navigators; TJ Mittelstaedt, Newport Gulls; and Kirk Singer, North Coast Knights. (Last add, talented catcher Kellen Hoime is rehabbing at home in Sacto, when he is not handing out State IOUs to innocent citizens.)

Summer teams compete for fans with some nifty promotions. In Rochester next year’s LB ace, Drew Gagnon, is a Honkers' starting pitcher and William Hung of American Idol fame does singing and dancing between innings, including, not a pitcher's favorite, "She Bangs!"

Back to our favorite summer indoor sport, balancing the shrinking athletic budget, it appears that salary savings is on page one of the LBSU playbook. Women’s golf coach Sue Ewart, Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2005 stepped down as women's golf coach last week but apparently been lured back as a part time special assistant assuming head men’s coach Bill Poutre agrees to expanding his duties to include the ladies side.

The ladies young golf star Lee Lopez, 2009 Big West freshman of the year, has transferred to UCLA. She made that move despite the fact that her appeal to avoid sitting out for one year was denied. Expect Lee to be back on the course in 2010 but wearing Bruin blue.

Another item on the LBSU AD’s to do list is selecting a new 49er strength and conditioning coach to replace Erick Burkhardt. The short list is said to have assistants from UCLA and USC, the head guy at UT San Antonio and an assistant from Temple.

CLOSING NOTES AND QUOTES—The most recently crowned NCAA baseball champions from LSU had some of their toughest games in Omaha over the years with Long Beach State. In 1993 the Tigers got coach Skip Bertman’s second CWS title when the Tigers turned in a heroic effort in a 6-5 win over Long Beach State in a heart-breaking last at bat. LB had beaten the Tigers 10-8 the day before and then saw a 5-3 lead melt in the ninth inning of Omaha sun.

Even on your best weekend in the Virginia Country Club gin games, you would have a hard time winning the $528,000 that Paul Goydos collected for finishing second in Connecticut last weekend. A super month (three quarters of a mill) for a home town hero! He is getting real close to a British Open invite as well.

Our closing quote is from a web friend worried about the big crowds and Niner basketball. He reminded me of what former LB football coach Dave Curry said to calm his nervous Niners before a game at Anaheim Stadium. “Relax, there will be 50,000 seats watching you play.'”

Off in August, back to you in September.—DR. DAN

DUSTING UP, GASSING UP, AND GETTING READY FOR THE OFF SEASON

2009-06-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Just like all but 16 college baseball teams I wish I still had games the rest of this month. But, well you know the “but”, this will be the last of the weekly Diamond Dust columns in the Gazette until we hear the ping of Dirtbag aluminum next February. After today I will write the first Thursday of each month (except August) and thank each of you for picking me off your driveway this spring.

With that scheduling reminder, it is time to wrap up the sporting season for the Beach. While it is hardly a coveted trophy, LBSU, thanks to championships in four women sports, did win the 2009 Big West Conference Commissioner's Cup followed in order by Cal Poly, Irvine; Santa Barbara; Davis; Riverside; Pacific; Northridge and last, and clearly overall the least, CS Fullerton. The Titans are great in baseball but athletically a one trick pony.

The 49er sporting family will be challenged to keep the above hardware next year. Women’s volleyball has massive losses, via defection, (freshman Cat Highmark), via graduation (Quincy Verdun, Iris Murray, and setter Nicole Vargas) and via retirement, Nicole’s mom, Debbie Green. Debbie’s loss represents 22 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, eight Final Fours and three national championships. Tennis and soccer also had titles last year but have enough returnees and recruits to keep the beat alive but golf, absent senior Kay Hoey and transferring Lee Lopez, is buried in the bunker.

Wrapping up baseball, it may be time to find that toy toilet that Dave Snow had to “flush” away bad at bats, etc. This time the plumbing will have to send a bunch of Dirtbag disappointments to the sea--a losing record, only two all conference picks, and that scholarship shrinking budget crisis. Summer leagues will help, there are interesting recruits, but as Robert Frost once said, “we have miles to go before we sleep” or make the post season.

Back in town, Blair field will soon get their summer renters, the Long Beach Armada. The local pros finished their Canadian visit where they drew some big crowds, 2,176 fans at Victoria’s Royal Athletic Park. Meanwhile, off the field, the city and the university are still trying to craft an operating agreement and after concessions, beer and bathrooms--one hot stove league topic is --bringing in the fences. That note raises the question, how big is Blair?

The answer is 348 down the lines? Well one of my insiders (VLL Inc.)mapped the lines of two the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium (318 LF, 314 RF) and the $800 million Met’s Citi Field (335 LF, 330 RF) and each would fit inside of our old blue. Concessions and bathrooms, well that is another issue with the edge to the Big Apple unless you like paying $18 bucks for a 49er frozen pizza.

On that note let me excuse myself and start cracking a tasty Florida Lobster and giving this keyboard a rest. Do keep up on your favorites and wish the CSULB coaches wisdom and patience on how to do more with less. See you back in this space in July and hit the light on your way out.—DR. DAN

ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS WE PRINT: FROM THE COLD WAR TO THE HOT STOVE

2009-05-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

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For some reason this year Hollywood has found fascination with cold war movies where a super power tries to lure a defector into their camp, helping their own cause and hurting their rival. That sporting version of that historical genre was re-opened this week when the most decorated freshmen golfer in LBSU history, Lee Lopez, asked for a scholarship release to transfer to UCLA.

Lee was the secret ingredient in the 49ers recipe to win the 2009 BWC title by one stroke and the team leader that weekend was Lopez who tied for second place with a 228, well ahead of LB’s senior All-American Kay Hoey. That outcome climaxed a fabulous freshmen year which featured a slew of top ten tourney finishes, second at the SDSU tourney, 10th at Fresno, eighth at Pepperdine and third at UCI. And now, who knows, stay tuned. Insiders say that LBSU will not grant her a release and allow Lopez immediate eligibility in Westwood.

The raiding of nuggets from the 49er treasury has a history. Ivan Verbercht, an emerging mid-major front court basketball talent was smuggled down to USC in 1984 to be a practice player. In 1998 the Beach lost softball all-star Nina Lindenberg to Fresno State where she was a three time All American and National Team member. In 2005, a great volleyball player named Ali Daley bailed for UCLA. How does this happen? A loophole. Scholarship documents are basically year to year to protect the school in case a student-athlete ignores the student part and has bad grades or, er, ah, major deportment issues.

Switching to good news, like two weeks ago at the Players, it was another walk not spoiled by LBSU alum John Mallinger who banked $234,000 and a hunk of FedEx points playing golf at the Byron Nelson last weekend. His story is quite impressive from a skinny hundred pounder at Escondido High to a final Sunday regular on the PGA tour. His first coach was his high school athletic director Steve Bridges, followed at Long Beach State by Bob Livingstone. The rest of his education came via hard work on five different minor tours, from the Canadian to Hooters.

At LBSU John was the team captain in 2000 where Coach Livingstone applauded Mallinger for being the best at understanding how to juggle golf and school. Both men are proud that in his senior year he never missed a class and Livy told the Daily 49er, back then, "He is the leader, he leads by example." Update: John is in town this week according to the talented insider named Bob Livingstone who reported that John “just cracked the top 100 in the OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking at #96) and is all excited about coming out this week to play in one of our gin games at El Dorado GC this week. He’s also going to the wedding of one of his best friends, Steve Mena (a current 49er).”

Switching to walks, hits and things baseball, we wrote of the hopes for 2010 Dirtbag roster last week and despite the 25-29 record (which ended swept into the gloom of Fullerton Sunday night) the cash box totaled over 7,000 tickets sold. For years the teams played each other six games a season, three here and three there. Update, starting next season CSUF and LBSU will return to the old formula and play two three games series with only one series counting in the Big West trophy dash. As is increasingly obvious, LBSU is really an encoded acronym for Long Budget State University and getting three games in front of a full house with a high RPI opponent for a half tank of bus fuel is a choice that the budget bosses at both places could not resist. Beats traveling to South Carolina any time.

More diamond chat, at least two Dirtbags, pitcher Jake Thompson and shortstop Devon Lohman, will head to the prestigious wood bat bunch in the Cape Cod League and others will likely head to Alaska, Wisconsin and the Midwest circuits, or one of the So Cal leagues. Then of course some guys will rehab at home, Kellen Hoime, or summer school. Only pitchers Adam Wilk (second team) and Charlie Ruiz (honorable mention) made any of the All Big West selections. Better news on the overall LBSU front, the Beach won the annual BWC Commissioner's Cup as follows: 1. Long Beach State, 2. Cal Poly, 3. UC Irvine; 4. UC Santa Barbara; 5. UC Davis; 6. UC Riverside; 7. Pacific; 8. CS Northridge and last, and clearly overall the least, 9. CS Fullerton.

Runner-up closing quote from a Miami web boarder (not water boarder) when he was quizzed by Purdue fans who wanted to ask their Miami Hurricane counterparts what the Boilermakers would be getting with recently transferred Robert Marve. “Outside of the drinking, the bar-fighting, the rampant egotism, the desire to want to be handed the QB job with no competition, the poor academics, the rule breaking, the lack of leadership, and the lying, you've got a physically gifted QB.”

Now our winning closing quote this from favorite son John Mallinger. Asked what he likes about being on the big tour, “I'd probably say all the perks. Every week we get some type of deal in our locker. We got BlackBerries, Wii systems…You don’t have to go to the course anymore, you can just play in your living room. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay too well.”—DR. DAN

MATH, HISTORY, AND CRYSTAL BALLING WITH THE 2010 DIRTBAGS

2009-05-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Jordan Casas along with the rest of the 300 plus 49er student athletes played student this week with final exams. Casas and his Dirtbag team mates have one more appointment left, a Friday until Sunday series at Cal State Fullerton in a rivalry that is often both surprising and serious. With no conference tourney in the Big West, the Beach boys are mathematically eliminated from the post season but Jordan has studied his Dirtbag-Titan history.

In the ashes of Sunday’s loss to Cal Poly, Jordan pointed out that in the past two seasons Long Beach won their season ending series with the foe that lives behind the Orange Curtain. The Titans look a cinch to make the tourney and even host the first round. Having their super regional at home, well, the Dirtbags could be the spoiler in that scenario and it’s a business the team and coaches want to undertake before they put up the “Wait until Next Year” banner.

When they do unfold that 2010 game plan, the cupboard could look as full as it has in years, especially if the MLB draft doesn’t scoop up every junior in sight with their miniscule mid to late round bonuses. Casas leads the talented sophomores which includes hitters Devin Lohman, John Hill and Jonathan Jones, catcher Kellen Hoime and pitcher Jake Thompson. The fire tested freshmen are led by Derek Legg and Andrew Gagnon and there is a U of Miami transfer Joey Terdoslavich who will be a sophomore in eligibility. Until last weekend we would have ended our list right there but when defensive specialist Kirk Singer was penciled into the line-up, because of the rash of injuries, had an eight RBI weekend and pumped his batting average up a hundred points plus.

The great unknown of course is what the juniors do. The Friday night pitching ace is junior lefty Adam Wilk who has flourished this season after his first two years in the pen (the bull pen not the place where USC athletes reside). Wilk, 7-3, 2.77 ERA along with Charlie Ruiz is now very draftable. Ruiz has 11 saves but has seemed more mortal of late. Hitters on the “go or stay” junior bubble are Steve Tinoco (.348), Taylor Krick (.321) and TJ Mittelstaedt (.318.). Mix in some new recruits and the glitter may return to the black and gold.

DUSTING UP--After softball valiantly battled in the Westwood Regional, everybody else, except for a scattering of track and field folks, have turned in their uniforms .With no pro draft, Kim Sowder’s softballers have a ton of talent returning on the mound, Brooke Turner and Taylor Petty, but have Big West hitter of the year Jennifer Griffin moving on as well as sluggers Danielle Linke and Jonae Perez.

If you think that the Titan-Dirtbag game needs a national stage, well ESPN-U agrees. It’s on the telly Friday night at 7 p.m., but unless you have kettle corn and funnel cakes in your living room you might need to fight the freeway and go on down. CSUF will also be auctioning items for the Jon Wilhite Fund. Jon was a former Titan pitcher who was seriously injured in the accident that killed Angel pitcher Nick Adenhart. Autographed items by former Titans and 49ers Major League baseball players include collectables from Kurt Suzuki, Bobby Crosby, Jason Giambi, and Mark Kotsay. Last add, the CSULB alumni will party like it was 1989 in the parking lot pre-game on Saturday, reserve at 562-985-1606.

Our closing quote is from LBSU links legend Paul Goydos, who took a one-shot lead to Sunday’s 16th hole in the Texas Open then missed career win No. 3 with back-to-back bogeys. He did win $353,800 but fell apart on the 70th hole. "Unfortunately we play 72," I do like the consolation prizes in the PGA.--DR. DAN

MUSTANG MOMENTS, LAST CALL FOR BASEBALL AT BLAIR, AND PROMOS A’PLENTY

2009-05-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Another weekend and the 49er faithful (faith both shaken and stirred) will limp into Blair searching for parking and playing for pride. On the road again to Fullerton next weekend, this is the last set of home games and the school has emptied its special events list. Tonight of course is possibly the last Friday night home work by junior lefty Adam Wilk who has flourished this season after his first two years in the pen (bull pen not the place where USC athletes reside).

Wilk (along with Charlie Ruiz now very draftable) is 7-2, 2.68 ERA and 4-1, 2.03 in conference. Saturday begins with a Salute to the Services and two post game parties, the massive Jewels of the Night in the Pyramid and the popular, semi-private affair at Bill and Marcia Scharfen’s home. I’ve been to both but as much as I like Bill’s restored classic cars, us Medicare recipients limit ourselves. There is more ball on Sunday, the "Be The Match" project for Bone Marrow donations and the last game senior salute, a Kodak moment for catcher Kip Masuda and pitchers David Born, Anthony Carrillo, Dustin Rasco, and Tyler Topp.

Those details out of the way we should mention the Niner opponent, the Cal Ply Mustangs, are in a log jam for third place in the Big West along with LBSU, UCSB and Riverside. The ‘Stangs (33-16, 11-7, RPI 48) have lost six of their last nine games after improving their season record to 30-10 in late April. For SLO to survive they will need to finish strong this weekend with their old foe the 49ers (24-24, 10-8) and next weekend when they host Riverside. Accomplish that mission--get a ticket to the NCAA dance. Stumble, and the post-season dream is filed under wait until next year. The same is true for the team formerly known as the Dirtbags who may just be relegated to playing spoiler (although my poker pals always say that if you have a chip and a chair). Midweek for SLO and LB was grim, on Tuesday Pepperdine jumped out 5-0 lead and beat Poly 8-4 while Long Beach’s MASH unit got spanked 15-2 by UCLA. Although iffy this weekend, six key Niners have been on the DL of late, Jones, Casas, Metzger, Tinoco, Masuda and Young.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN--Admission Saturday is free for servicemen and servicewomen (vets, fire folk and cops too) plus one free guest…the Bags partner with the Soldiers' Angels charity to send care packages overseas. Fans are asked to bring new, unopened items and write messages to the troops…Cal Poly had national rankings of No. 18 by Baseball America and No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball, their best record since moving to Division I 15 years ago and their best chance to make D-1 post season….like LBSU last year, the Stangs won two of three games opening weekend against then-No. 3 Rice and topped Fullerton 7-4 last Sunday…Long Beach had a nightmare on Nutwood last weekend getting swept by Santa Barbara in the fire-moved series…the Beach went 38-21 a year ago, finished tied for first in the BWC at 16-8 and hosted an NCAA regional…49ers have eight Big West titles, made 19 regionals and the College World Series four times (1989, 1991, 1993 and 1998)….LB is hitting .293 as a team but the 49er pitching staff has a 4.99 ERA with opponents hitting .297 against it with 59 errors in 48 games for a .967 fielding percentage…good historical notes, the 49ers own a 78-41 advantage, including wins in 16 of the last 18 meetings including a sweeping SLO in Baggett Stadium a year ago, 7-3, 6-2 and 3-2…The Mustangs own a .326 team batting average and Adam Buschini leads the Big West with a .409 average and a .678 slugging percentage. …Kip Masuda has asked for a fifth season via a medical redshirt…Dirtbag Baseball is legend for “little things” and 2009 LB has great numbers in stolen bases, 110 (record 123; Jordan Casas, 21) and sacrifices, 51, which ranks among the nation's best… In softball the Big West extended its multi-bid streak to 25years as three teams’ made the NCAA Tournament. Cal Poly (playing Nevada) Cal State Fullerton (playing LSU) and Long Beach State who drew UCLA in it’s first game Friday…know about the campus ban on selling beer?...they solved that problem at Cal Poly by just not selling beer, if you buy a $450 top level seat you become a member of SLO's Athletic Club: Crew Coast, and they pour for free

Last writing, super fan John Connolly’s family has set the dates for his services: Monday, May 18 a ‘Celebration of John' at Acapulco Inn, Noon - 3pm, (5283 E 2nd St) and next Friday, May 22 a Funeral Mass at St. Anthony's Church, 10am, (600 Olive Ave, Long Beach)…keep an eye on the umps for us John—DR. DAN

EVEN SOFTBALL IS HARD WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR POST-SEASON PRIZES

2009-05-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

I had a preliminary title of this week’s Diamond Dust of “Where Are They Going?” By Sunday afternoon, except for softball, the headline had morphed into “Wait until Next Year”.

On Friday the post season hopes of tennis and golf had been packed away with the strings and spikes. Both teams won their way into the NCAA regionals but failed to advance. On Saturday, in what seemed like a break, UCSB had to move their Dirtbag series from their home field, usually full of rowdy students and funky promotions (“Beat the Beach” towels, free food, flowers, etc.) to Fullerton’s the empty and fire-free campus. Sadly the trip to Titan-land ended with that usually foul flavor of most every trip to Fullerton.

Free admission, free parking and no hecklers, the two mid level Big West teams played on against a background of a hundred or so parents and friends. The Gauchos scored first in all three games, beating a hard-luck Adam Wilk 3-0 in the first game, running away 14-4 in game two and jumping out with a quick three on Sunday before falling behind 8-4 then cracking the LB pen for seven in the eighth effectively dashing the post-season dreams of the Dirtbags.
Want your sunny side up? Then salute Kim Sowder and softball, who may have been the last team selected for their umpteenth NCAA tourney. Loaded with youngsters, the Beach begins the road to Oklahoma City at Pacific-10 Champion UCLA (41-9) Friday at 3:30 p.m. LBSU (34-19) finished third in the Big West Conference with a 15-6 record but did beat UCLA 2-1 on March 8. The other regional entrants are Fresno State, who LB mercy-ruled 8-0, and UNLV coached by ex Niner skipper Pete Manarino.

Back to baseball, theories abound as to what happened. Some say that team played about to the level of talent left after the 2008 massive MLB roster raid. Others say that the late season separation of two seniors, Manny McElroy and Ryland Sandoval, disturbed the tender psyche of the Beach boys. Then there are the usual issues of schedule, parity and injuries.

Three Niners were knocked out of the UCSB series. Jordan Casas got a spike caught on Saturday and re-injured an ankle, Brandon Metzger was banged on his elbow and Jonathan Jones took a baseball in the face Sunday. Casas may miss a number of games, which might include the next two Big West weekends, Cal Poly coming to Blair Friday and back at Fullerton to close the season.

May Sadness—The smiling Irish face of super fan John Connolly left us on Sunday after a short but difficult bout with leukemia. There will be a gathering upcoming to remember but not to bury John as we all need him.

Next to the games themselves, the drama at Blair seems to be as much about beer as ball. Yes the City and the University are working on an operating agreement for CSULB to run the stadium year round but, forgetting the finances, most fans want to know if the foam will still be poured. They solved that problem at Cal Poly by just not selling beer. If you spend $450 a year for a top level of seat you become a member of SLO's Athletic Club: Crew Coast, and get it for free.

Wanna party closer to home, then the annual Jewels of the Night auction, dinner and dance is this Saturday night in the Mid and Wednesday the Black and Gold gala fund raiser for men’s volleyball is in the ocean view law offices of Keesal, Young & Logan.

I Want to Host and Now I Don’t Dept. UC Irvine, hopeful of a baseball national title to bookend their volleyball crown, has changed its mind and will submit a bid to be a NCAA host site for baseball. Other West bidders are San Diego State, Arizona State and Fullerton. Paperwork due by May 15, sites announced May 24, assuming the bids get read. LBSU had a “staple gate” moment some years back when the NCAA claimed that the Niner application was never reviewed because it was inadvertently connected to another proposal. See you between ball games and buffets.—DR. DAN

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

2009-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

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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YOUNG DIRTBAGS DEAD EVEN IN THE BIG WEST HOME STRETCH AS HUNGRY AGGIES ARRIVE

2009-05-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

When the Dirtbag baseball team (now 20-20) made the trip to Stockton a week after the Tigers mauled Fullerton for two of three, the homeboys bus ride north was, well, sort of nervous. The ride home was almost giddy after the season’s best offensive effort, 34 runs, three wins and moving above .500 in conference, (7-5). With the team batting average up to .297 and deadly on the base paths (88 steals compared to opponents 29) the future is right in front of the 49ers, fourth in a conference that sent four to post season the last two seasons.

With all due respect to our UC Davis visitors, they are the BWC last- place team (1-11, 7-32) and even though Davis made the NCAA’s last season, I worry for the Aggies particularly Saturday night when there will be 1,000 swinging and swaying likenesses of Evan Longoria all around the yard. As the stat geeks will tell you quickly, Evan went 3-5 last night with 4 RBIs and a home run. The Saturday night occasion is a marketing promo bobblehead doll giveaway so don’t be late. (I hope to put mine on one side of my Misty May with Bob Maxson on the flank.)

Back to the future it’s another TGIF-AW, (Thank Goodness it’s Friday with Adam Wilk) the big lefty is 6-1, 2.42 and will be playing his ace status against UCD’s Dane Quist, (2-3, 6.65). Jake Thompson (3-5, 4.64) is against Scott Lyman (0-1, 6.91) on Saturday and Drew Gagnon (3-5, 5.50) is working the bump for the Beach Sunday against Scott Chew (1-5, 4.38).

NAME DROP DUST--Beach softball, won their series with Fullerton and Kim Sowder and her kids play at UCR this weekend…Cal Poly is the run-away leader but the Niners are one game behind Fullerton in third... the BWC’s excellent softball RPI should squeeze three teams into the playoffs…tennis and golf, who have won their respective Big West titles, use their invites next weekend as the coaches try to fine tune their lineups and avoid the dreaded injury bug…tennis plays SEC toughie LSU (13-10) and golf plays in the 21 team West regional at Tempe…good golf by fresh-faced freshman Lee Lopez and senior and a half Kay Hoey and who knows …golfers who need a pre-party Saturday keep that wallet in your plaid pants because some of the kids hanging out in front of Smooth's are the banqueting members of the men’s and women’s golf teams…

In BWC baseball UC Irvine is ranked nationally from first to sixth, and historic power Fullerton (who could knock out UCSB this weekend) outscored Davis 22-1 last weekend …the real scrap is the fight for third place between the Beach and Cal Poly who comes to Blair the next to the last weekend of the season just before the Bags play their final three on Nutwood…where will they be---after 10 years at Long Beach State, marketing boss Tim Dickson will be leaving to accept a position in the athletic department of his Alma Mater, The University of the Pacific…title and salary upgrade…he will be External Affairs/Major Gifts Director…mid-week misery for both UCD and LB.. Joe Kohan hit a walk-off single to right field to cap a two-run ninth-inning rally and lift Nevada to a 3-2 victory over Davis Tuesday and a Tuesday night UCLA grand slam in the first inning proved too much for the Dirtbags to overcome, falling 7-5…Derek Legg was two-for-four but Johnny Wholestaff struggled from the mound…

Around the league this weekend CSUN at UCI, UOP at UCR, USF at SLO, and UCSB at CSUF…on the BWC stat leader board, bull pen aces, Born, Ruiz and Carrillo make the league top ten list as does fast as the wind base stealer Jordan Casas…nobody else...now ask me who goes post-season, well the US tax code is 3.7 million words , 17,000 pages and I would need all that and more to make a prediction…health is one issue and roster changes are another…the F word is in a fight to host and the D Bags, after last season, say they would prefer to travel, anywhere, but not host…ex Bag Danny Espinosa ranks among Carolina League leaders in nearly every offensive category, including OBP (2nd, .494), doubles (t-2nd, 8), stolen bases (t-2nd, 7), walks (4th, 14), OPS (5th, 1.019) and batting average (6th, .339)...the 21-year-old has reached base safely via hit, walk or HBP in 18 of 19 games this season…that is a classic Dirtbag stat line

Classic Dirtbags part two, super fan John Connolly is on the DL for a while at LB Memorial…John recently retired from Boeing as the master airplane maker in the Western World and almanac on all things Boston, food, drink and baseball…at the AI they are running his tab and keeping his bar stool shined…best wishes Boston John—DR. DAN

NUMBERS ARE UP FOR THE BEACH KIDS, REGIONAL LOCALES SET, AND THE AMAZING RACES CONTINUE

2009-04-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

When the Dirtbag baseball team made the trip to Stockton a week after the Tigers mauled Fullerton for two of three, the homeboys bus ride north was, well, sort of nervous. The cure, the season’s best offensive effort, 34 runs, three wins and moving above .500 in conference, (7-5). With the team batting average up to .299 and deadly on the base paths (87 steals compared to opponents 28), the ride home was almost giddy as the team reflected on the fact that the Niners are now fourth in a conference that sent four to post season the last two years.

More good news, after Tuesday night in Westwood, next up the BWC last place UC Davis Aggies (1-11) come into Blair this weekend. Even though Davis made the NCAA’s last season, I worry for Davis particularly on Saturday when there will be 1,000 swinging and swaying likenesses of Evan Longoria all around the yard. The occasion is a marketing promo bobblehead doll giveaway. I hope to put mine on one side of my Misty May with Bob Maxson on the other side. Game times are 6:30 Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday but you won’t be ahead if you’re behind on Saturday.

Meanwhile the other diamond nine at the Beach, softball, won their series with Fullerton and with three game sets at UC Riverside and Pacific left, Kim Sowder and her kids still have legitimate post season hopes. Cal Poly is a run away leader but the Niners are one game behind Fullerton in third. Win those next two series make up some more ground and the league’s good RPI should squeeze three teams into the playoffs.

Last of the playoff info, tennis and golf have won their respective Big West championships and have regional invites for next weekend as the coaches try to fine tune their lineups and avoid the dreaded injury bug. Tennis goes inter-sectional with a match in Palo Alto versus LSU who whomped the home girls 6-1 last year. LSU has a deceptive record of 13-10 but return five aces from last year’s team. Golf plays in a actual team format in Tempe, 15th seed, but with two major talents, fresh faced freshman Lee Lopez and senior and a half Kay Hoey they have a chance to advance.

MIXED GRILL--I know that the downtown marketing folks have a promotion called Putt Putt on Pine but keep that wallet in your plaid pants this weekend because some of the kids hanging out in front of Smooth's Saturday afternoon are members of the men’s and women’s golf teams at LBSU.

In BWC baseball UC Irvine is ranked nationally from first to sixth, and historic power Fullerton outscored Davis 22-1 up there. The real scrap is on in the fight for third place between the Beach and Cal Poly who comes to Long Beach the next to the last weekend of the season just before Long Beach plays their final three at Fullerton. Could get warm.

The CSUF/LB rivalry on the men’s side is historically heated but now it has spilled over to the ladies side. Last Saturday in their two losses to the Beach, CSUF head softball coach Michelle Gromacki threw some equipment and was tossed herself for arguing what she thought was an uncalled balk.

Where will they be---after 10 years at Long Beach State Marketing boss Tim Dickson will be leaving to accept a position in the athletic department of his Alma Mater, The University of the Pacific…title and salary upgrade also—he will be External Affairs/Major Gifts Director.

After plugging tennis camps and the Jewels of the night I have made new friends so men’s volleyball has asked that you mark your calendar for their Black and Gold Gala set for Wednesday, May 20, 2009 inside the swank ocean view law firm offices of Keesal, Young, and Logan in downtown Long Beach. The $150 a head gives you food and drink better than Bernie Madoff is getting, even before he moves into the grey bar hotel. The boosters will be honoring the 2009 men's volleyball team and Wall of Honor inductees (Scott Touzinsky ('04), David Lee ('04), Miles Pabst ('73), and Darrell Auxier ('73). Oh yes, it is also a bon voyage to Coach Alan Knipe who will now world travel as the USA Men's Head Coach for the next three years.--DR. DAN

FUN, GAMES AND FINANCE: LIFE WITH LONG BEACH STATE BLOOMS IN APRIL

2009-04-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

There is something about the month of April that is a strange cocktail of the joy of sport and the realities of money. After all April 15th is the government’s red letter day, unless your investments are actually in the black. Fund raisers and fund drives abound yet the drive for gold medals, trophies and the like is frequently obscured by the stats of matches, games, and tournaments. And this April for Long Beach State, the prospects of preparing to pay the quickly rising scholarship bills for their 300 student athletes is once again shaken and stirred by post season expectations.

Last weekend the amazing women’s tennis team picked up their Big West gold, the men’s volleyball team qualified for the MPSF tourney and the diamond sports of baseball and softball kept their hopes alive, softball sweeping UCSB on national TV and baseball winning a series against Northridge. Celebration first and cost accounting when we get around to it. Perhaps that mean’s the month of May.
In April however it is about fun and games. This weekend the Dirtbags (17-18, 4-5) are in bucolic Stockton somewhat puzzled by the normally toothless Tigers weekend series win over Fullerton. Light hitting LB did win their series over pitching-smart CSUN but clearly has a lot of work to do.

Softball has a nice overall record (27-17) and a shot at first place Fullerton this weekend on the campus diamond but those three one run losses to Cal Poly are hard to forget. A strong finish, bolstered by that nice TV showing, should set up at least a NCAA at-large berth.

In men’s volleyball Coach Alan Knipe isn’t ready to talk about his new post guiding the USA to a medal in the 2012 London Olympics. The jut-jawed Irishman will have nothing to do with future thinking; he is very much in the present with his talented but occasionally inconsistent 49er team who earned a quarter-final berth in the MPSF tourney Saturday at second ranked Pepperdine. Alan’s quotable colleague Andy Read is optimistic. “All the adversity the guys have stared down throughout the season has hardened our spirit and resolve. The team has sharpened its game in the crucible of fire” Send me in coach.

Enough of sports. It is time for low, medium or high finance. Tennis is one under-budgeted outfit that has to raise a lot of their own dollars or Euros, (if you check the passports.) If you have a dream of being a millionaire tennis dad like Richard Williams, sign up your children for the Beach Youth Tennis Camp, a series of one week sessions ($145) June 22--August 14. Not only will this investment in your 401 K kids allow the progeny to learn from Jenny Hilt-Costello and other college level coaches, but also from 49ers all-time great Hannah Grady. Hannah and her team whipped arch-rival UC Irvine last weekend to win their sixth straight Big West championship.

Camp sessions run from 9 until noon on the brand new LBSU courts and instruction meshes with afternoon session of the classic 49er camp. Enrollment (call 562-985-4336) is $145 for each week with a family discount available. Next up for Hannah and the Beach gals is their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament beginning May 8.

More on the star watch, the questions I get the most these days are from down in the dumps boosters who measure the program only by MLB draft choices. Well that lineage won’t end this spring. Junior pitcher Adam Wilk was just named the Big West Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 13-20 as announced by the conference office Monday. Adam is not only settled in as a solid starter but for the pro talent scouts he has a big bonus, a lefty. Last Friday he had another impressive performance in the Dirtbags 1-0 shutout win over Northridge with eight scoreless innings. Fanning six, giving up just four hits and retiring the last 12 batters he faced.

Last number note, the 2009 LBSU Annual Fund Drive is underway with an added sense or urgency in light of the state’s overall fiscal crisis, increased costs for room, board, tuition and fees, and the student body’s reluctance to tax themselves more for athletic scholarships. A salesman or woman will call but in the mean time --enjoy the fun and games.—DR. DAN

FROM THE BACK OF THE PACK: MATS AND BAGS REV UP FOR A BWC TROPHY DASH

2009-04-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Steve Rousey has been a fan favorite in 49er-ville for fifteen years. It started back in 1993 when he tutored the pitchers for Coach Dave Snow. Those teams claimed two Big West titles, made three regional appearances and the College World Series semis behind NCAA Pitcher of the Year Daniel Choi and a staff that was first nationally in saves (21) and second in strikeouts (528.) Choi dropped off the map (at least the North American version) for life back home in Korea but Rousey soldiered on to Northridge under Mike Batesole who, after two years left the job for him and went to some place called Fresno State.

Steve was popular in his LBSU days and it is not unreasonable to suggest, that coming into Blair with a woeful record of 131-239 has added to the warm fuzzies from 49er fans. So this weekend will his red and black just relax and enjoy the distant roar of the Grand Prix engines? Not so fast my friend. LBSU is among six teams with but four losses in conference and everybody else has more than that. The early leader is the CWS-hungry marsupials from UC Irvine, 8-1 but in that all important loss column think what another Niner seven game win steak would do. CSUN has a series win over UCSB and took a Friday game from Fullerton. The Beach pitching rotation got tweaked again. Tonight is reliable Adam Wilk (4-1, 3.02) up against Ryan Juarez (4-2, 5.48), Saturday CSUN starts Justen Gorski (1-2, 3.05) to test LB rookie Andrew Gagnon (2-4, 4.97) and on Sunday CSUN has Billy Ott (1-2, 7.07) against Jake Thompson (2-5, 5.74). Last weekend Jake was sick (a bunch of meds and a trip to the ER.). On Tuesday CSUN used six pitchers who allowed only seven hits in a win over lowly CS Bakersfield (8-24) by a score of 3-1. Meanwhile at the U with a View (Pepperdine) 21-14, Weathers and staff used six of their own, gave up 11 hits but got a 5-4 W. The key ingredient was perfect defense that broke the Waves and ended LB’s five game losing streak. The kind of medicine the Dirtbag machine needs for the stretch drive.

LEFT TURN DUST—The next three weekends are not exactly high octane foes, Northridge 15-20, Pacific 13-18 and UC Davis 6-25…series wins if not a sweep or two seem mandatory…two special events coming up, tomorrow will be a 20-year reunion celebration for the 1989 Dirtbag team, and Sunday's game is Dirtbags Breast Cancer Awareness day…for the TIVO/VCR crowd you can tape the Sweethearts of Swat when softball hosts a double header tomorrow and baseball Tuesday at SDSU…more speed, The D Bags run a lot but the best I the BWS is CSUN’s Jeff Pruitt 19 stolen bases in 20 attempts...Long Beach State is 11th in the nation in stolen bases with 73, and is 11th in the country in sacrifice bunts with 38…the LB stolen base record is 123 (1980)…impressive also is that of the top three hitters, Steve Tinoco (.343), Brian Metzger (.340) and Jonathan Jones (.330) Tinoco and Jones have perfect fielding percentages…ironically former Long Beach State pitcher Jered Weaver was supposed to help fellow teammate Nick Adenhart move in with him last Sunday...if you go by a Wells Fargo branch you can join me in a small donation to Benefit Fund for ex-Titan Jon Wilhite, it is account #3980643658…from the chat rooms, Maxpreps selected the best ever baseball player from each state and Alaskan Chad Bentz (LBSU 2000-01) made the list…Chad was the second pitcher, after Jim Abbott, to play in the Majors after being born without one of his hands…those coin collecting Niner athletes in the stands turned in an impressive $2,109 most of it headed to the Miller Children’s hospital…expect concession prices to drop this summer since the Armada got a judgment in their favor from a lawsuit versus Jose Canseco for an amount of $258,750…collecting, hummm…Closing Quote from the City of Long Beach Director of Golf Bob Livingstone who’s favorite definition of the sport is “An ineffectual endeavor attempting to get an insignificant pellet into an obscure hole with entirely inadequate weapons.” DR. DAN

LITTLE KIDS IN THE MID, BIG KIDS OUTSIDE AND OTHER NOTES AT NAPTIME

2009-04-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Wandering out of the second level of the Pyramid Saturday night I noticed that the name plates for the women’s basketball staff were gone but in the big office on the corner Jody Wynn, surrounded by Sesame Street pink plastic storage buckets, two kids and one husband was in, working, and hardly nameless.

Jody had a nice view of her new court and did occasionally look up to see the work of four departing volleyball 49ers, Dustin Watten, Luke Shea, Daniel Fabry and oh, yes, Coach Alan Knipe who soon departs for duties with the US national team. Back to those storage containers, inside was a mixture of coaching notes and day care playthings. Wynn earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science from USC in 1996 and a master's in education from Pepperdine four years later. She then married a fellow Wave assistant. Derek Wynn, and gave birth to daughters, Jada and Kaeli. The little girls seemed at home and will become frequent visitors to Mom’s (and likely Dad’s) new work place.

With the door open and the Coach smiling I decided to sneak in a question or two. “A lot of fans realize that you have no unused scholarships right now but on the web there is talk of rebuilding through bounce backs, transfers, particularly those from California that might even be able to pay their own way while sitting out the required one year. It that in your plans?” LBSU gave her a five year contract but Wynn isn’t the patient type and went to work earlier this week looking over the 7, 8, or 9 seniors who will be “competing from scratch” for playing time this fall. On paper that could be good news for the home team or bad news, if you remember that last year the team was a miserable 8-21 and missed the BWC tourney.

Translated, expect a shorter returning roster before the summer is over, news of some hot juniors to early sign and a few select transfers to announce. When the word of the new look Niners get out, the faithful hope that Jody, husband and kids will have to share her time with emails and phone calls that will make the once storied program go all atwitter again.

LOOKING BACKWARD DUST—Outside of volleyball, last weekend was dismal, especially on the diamonds. Both hard and soft were swept on the road but get a fresh start this weekend back at home. CSUN comes to Blair for a three game baseball series and on Saturday ESPN U will bring their cameras to campus for the softball visit from Santa Barbara.

Next on the national front, No. 1 Texas A&M dropped out of the baseball rankings after losing a weekend series to Kansas State, which was one of four teams to move into the rankings this week. Is this the dreaded parity sweeping through college baseball, three of the newcomers are unfamiliar faces in the rankings. Kansas State and Gonzaga are ranked in the top 25 for the first time ever, while Kansas makes its first appearance since 2006 and our beloved D-Bags are still MIA.

Finally, overwhelmed by all the notes and numbers, I finally trashed that stuff and asked a player parent what happened. From a Dirtbag mom, “Two many five out innings.” Short and simple. Footnote--1988 was the last losing season, 14-45, and 2006 was the year LB finished second in the Big West, (29-27) and missed post-season.

Back to chasing the ball that doesn’t move when you swing, LB native John Merrick through a 66 on the Augusta Master’s course and pocketed $242,813 with a lot of his home course members from Virginia Country club looking on. That is just slightly more than the size of their locker room gin games. Finishing sixth he makes next year’s field as well and will be joined by Niner alum and 1998 champ Mark O’Meara.

Looking for that tennis note, well it is a timely break in action for the Beach who saw there new French star get tripped up walking to the courts at Pepperdine. Healing well we hear and the black and gold will again be heavy favorites at Indian Wells for their umpteenth BWC tourney title.

Last add, there will be some Hard Rain at the Pyramid next month when the 15th version of he DeDe Rossi inspired Jewels of the Night opens its doors for an evening of auction, appetizers, friend and fund raising. The good news is that unlike year on in 1994 the big blue roof has been water-proofed and celebrants will stay dry unless your table has some rowdy celebrants. Now retired, Ms Rossi will hopefully be on had to check out this year’s band and the work of another DD, that being event chair Bruce “Double D” McRae one of the big shots at UPS and a rumored city council candidate. Auction items, food and band info at the event’s web site, www.jewelsofthenight.com. May 16, mark the date.—DR. DAN

BEACH BOYS HOPE THE MID WEEK MAGIC HOLDS AS TONY’S RED AND BLACK ATTACK COMES IN

2009-04-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Notes on my napkin while hiding the Easter eggs at the senior center and getting ready for what Long Beach State has to call “The Week That Is”. I mean how often do you try and snap a one game losing streak by beating a home town Hall of Famer and then travel to the new diamond darlings of college baseball? That dear readers is mission for Mike Weathers and company and it starts this evening with Tony Gwynn’s red hot SDSU Aztecs, 22-11 and finally inside the top 20.

Hiding by the way is our word of the week, and reminds us of this crazy Big West trophy dash, which has six, seven or eight teams still in the hunt and Fullerton ain’t in first! Oh yes, if you think that the BWC standings will give you the answer, well, think again. Last weekend the Dirtbags (having just re-earned their nickname) beat pitching-rich UC Riverside two of three while UC Irvine, #5 in the polls and next weekend’s foe, went into F-town won the first two and went extras for game three before the Titans avoided an Anteater with a broom. Close at the top and actually close top to bottom. Eight teams already have at least two wins so no clues about where that NCAA immunity idol is hidden. For the lineups tonight there is some addition and subtraction. For the Niners add Steve Tinoco who will try that ailing hamstring but catcher Kellen Hoime and second baseman Derek Legg will get the night off. SDSU meanwhile gives the pro scouts the night off saving their potential top MLB pick Steven Strasburg (6-0) for his regular Friday night conference duties. The Niner staff night will start with either Manny McElroy or Jason Markovitz followed by a parade of familiar lefty/righty guys depending on who Tony sends up, maybe himself.

ALL THE DUST THAT FITS--On the softball side the Lady Niners (24-14, 5-1) are out in front of the pack but travel to their chief rival, Cal Poly SLO this weekend. In tennis the Beach ladies swept through their regular season a perfect 8-0 and now have non-conference matches at Pepperdine and LMU prior to the Big West Tournament, beginning on April 17 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. For men’s volleyball we turn the reportage over to acerbic assistant coach Andy Read. “We did drop eight straight league matches (five of them going five games) so if you were there you gotta admit you got your money’s worth!”…The Beach has three more matches to play, the first two at home Friday Night against UCSB and CSUN on Saturday then finish the regular season at UCSD. The MPSF tourney begins in two weeks but right now there are three teams fighting for two playoff spots: UCLA 8-10, LBSU 8-11, and UCSD 7-12. Stay tuned, the outcome is well, hidden…The hard core recruiting fanatics around the LBC are still shaking their head about a legacy that got away, that would be the Ricky Wise, son of 49er great Francois Wise. Ricky was pretty much the go to guy at Irvine last season and an all Big West second teamer. So if the LB family felt deserted on that kid imagine Fullerton who’s think that former major leaguer Tim Wallach was the greatest Titan of all time. Well his kid, Orange Coast pitcher/first baseman Brett Wallach has signed with Long Beach. Like his dad, Brett is an iron man, hitting .391 with a team-leading 31 RBIs, a 4-1 pitching record with a 2.95 ERA and 63 strikeouts. ..Closing note, is our popular Fullerton slam…ESPN had to bring in extra lights for Titan Field to get that yard up to TV broadcast standards last weekend…Blair Field of course also flunked the TV light test but I figured that it is an excuse to use the shadows to hide concession prices….where are they, Brian Shaw will start at the Diamondbacks Visalia Rawhide on at Lake Elsinore on Thursday...Shaw was a 2008 second-round selection and the right-hander has a mid-90s fastball...last outing for SDSU was upsetting, UC Davis came back for a 6-5 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium Sunday…sort of like that 4-3 UCR upset of LB… the Aztecs were led by Erik Castro, who went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Cory Vaughn added two RBIs to account for the team's run production….SDSU also has Beach transfer Brandon Decker playing well (.315)…midweeker for UCI is at UCLA, sort of a Dan Guerrero classic since those schools are two spots on his tax return…have a joyful Easter Sunday and a equally pleasant IRS Wednesday—DR. DAN

BIG FLYS AND BUS RIDES: THE BEACH BREAKS OUT OF MARCH SADNESS FOR APRIL GLADNESS

2009-04-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

For the sporting citizens of Long Beach State it is officially Spring Break. Parking is not a mess but the budget still is. The diamond teams have gotten their groove back but volleyball and water polo and tennis haven’t. The white puffs of smoke expected to come out of the Pyramid when big decisions are ready to be handed down weren’t visible just yet. Being a 49er fan does build character.

Starting with the good news, the Dirtbag baseball team, working on a run of six games in eight days has their suspended manager Mike Weathers back on the job and against UNLV the team first rediscovered their patented picket fence offense, solid defense, and team speed. Softball got two of three from pitching rich UC Davis but faces hitting rich Northridge this weekend. Baseball then put on disguises and went on the road for single games at Santa Clara and Cal. In front of car loads of family and friends, the NorCal kids were especially smoking hot, Lohman, Jones, Metzger, Hoime, Casas, Sandoval, etc. On Tuesday TJ Mittelstaedt hit two home runs to lead the 49ers to a 14-4 spanking of Santa Clara and even got a W out of Jason Markovitz in his first start of the year and then crushed Cal 19-7 forcing Bear catcher Dylan Tonneson to say, "This was just a brutal game…every aspect of the game was brutal. It's embarrassing." The Dirtbag bus back was, er, ah, celebratory. Laundry on Thursday then LB will host UCR for three Friday through Sunday, get Monday off to rediscover their classes, and has San Diego State in town on Tuesday night.

Now switching from the locker room to the board room, AD Vic Cegles and President F. King Alexander are still sweating the state budget and likely will (or if they are not deadline friendly) have made some decision on implementing some customized portion of the Beach Legacy Referendum plan. Translated, impose an increase in student fees not withstanding the result of the advisory vote from the students. The increase in tuition, housing and scholarship costs plus some crumbling infra-structure has to be addressed.

While the women’s basketball coaching search (down to eight we are told) goes on, one of the favorite stats that all ADs truly love is salary savings. Former coach Mary Hegarty collects her checks until summer but all the assistants in the lady hoop budget line are now off the payroll and that saves over $16,000 a month.
Back to the present, LBSU women's soccer coach Mauricio Ingrassia hasn’t gotten his dream stadium but he has signed another large and class, nine freshmen and one transfer. A couple of the newcomers to watch are Alexandra Balcer, from Arizona, and Shannon Bullock sister of current Niner, Lindsay Bullock, and no relation to the shy starlet Miss Sandra Bullock.

Last Add. Just finished my service on the College Baseball Hall of Fame committee (seven categories by era) and not too many of my choices got in. I did not vote for Rafi Palmeiro's or his college coach, Ron Polk although I admired Coach Polk for being an outspoken critic of the NCAA. My choice of Branch Rickey (Pre 1947) got in but Dick Groat (47-63), Mark McGuire (78-87), Travis Lee (88-98) and Coach Wally Kincaid will have to wait another year.
Not sure how good or bad UNLV was, but the sweep of the Rebels was aided by a ton of errors forced by using the Beach’s outstanding team speed. This season LB has 54 stolen bases and their opponents just 22. Riverside has good arms but bad bats; they lost two of three to Fullerton, scored only five runs and allowed 23. Tennis stumbled to 15th ranked Fresno State but is still unbeaten in the Big West.

Our closing quote will appeal to fans that are furious about concession prices at Blair field. Fullerton of course plays on campus and hence no beer, not even the $10 big gulp cup that is charged at LB home games. On their recent trip to Arizona State, also a dry venue, this advice appeared on the CSUF web board. “For any of Titans (they needed a drink yesterday losing 3-1) coming out to see the games, you should be aware that no alcohol is served in Packard Stadium. They check bags but not cargo pockets.” Hum, I lost a ham sandwich once in my cargo pocket. DR. DAN

IRONY, CONSPIRACY, THE SEARCH FOR ISLANDS OF IDENTITY AND OH YES-- BASEBALL

2009-03-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

Our word of the weekend is irony. It is at least ironic that for the season when the best Blair Field scoreboard ever is up and flashing, the home team dare not look at it. Forget the out of town scores, the 2009 Niners have to focus on what’s on the other side of the diamond, not across town, across county or across country. Translated: un-ranked UNLV (13-10) continues its road swing after losing two mid-weekers to Oklahoma State 8-2 and 15-1. Throw in a home loss to Air Force and you have two proud but struggling ball clubs. Both the Rebels and LBSU are on three game slides with the Beach on the same down swing, losing Saturday and Sunday at Wichita State and Tuesday at San Diego.

So let’s map out some islands of identity in a sea of anonymity. Translated find your own silver linings. Although only 7-12, LBSU is hitting .288 as a team, paced by Steve Tinoco, who is hitting .385 (20-52) with four home runs and 10 RBI followed by TJ Mittelstaedt (.291) who has played four positions, hit in eight spots in the lineup, and is a guy that the media relations folks an on-base machine, reaching at a .458 rate and leading the team in RBI, walks and triples. Next up on the contribution list is sophomore shortstop Devin Lohman, who has played in, started all 18 of the team's games, and had a nine-game hitting streak. The pitching has been up and down, sort of like that wicked splitter that closer Charlie Ruiz throws in the direction of home plate. Normally at this part of the Dust we would report that Coach Mike Weathers, is 270-164 in his seventh year with the Dirtbags, 549-444-2 overall in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach, but as you should know he ain’t in the dugout tonight, wasn’t there on Tuesday and will miss tomorrow finishing a three game suspension for violating the new NCAA spewing rule.

Maybe Mike will be text messaging his old rival Curious George Horton who has been suspended for three games himself following his ejection from Sunday’s loss to Washington for arguing a call at first base on a double play. His umpire’s report indicated that Horton’s hat touched the umpire during the incident. Physical contact with umpires carries an automatic three-game suspension.
NAME DROP DUST--Now since we are in our new once a weekend Dusting, here are the expected starting pitchers beginning with tonight’s talented lefties, Jeff Urlaub (3-1, 4.34 ERA) and Adam Wilk (2-1, 3.34 ERA). Saturday, Tanner Peters (3-1, 2.90 ERA) goes for the Hustling Rebels against Jake Thompson (0-4, 7.39 ERA) who has fallen off the bike recently but gets back up and tries again…On Sunday UNLV starts Andrew Beresford (1-1, 5.05 ERA) against Andrew Gagnon (1-2, 5.92 ERA)…The Rebels have fattened their resume with four game series against lightweights Butler and Maine. .. Drew Buerlein leads the offense, hitting .442, one of four Rebs that are hitting over .400 to start the year…The all-time series between Long Beach State and UNLV is dead even, both teams have won 28 games…Now to my version of the spewing heard round the college baseball world. I was in the right field box seats. Lohman was taken out on a wide, hard, and somewhat spike high slide to second base. My pal Craig Kimber, (who once held the record for most base hits in a LBSU game-5 vs. Pepperdine on 2/27/73) had wandered over to the LF picnic area. When Weathers sprinted over there to visit with the third base umpire Joe Maiden, Craig listened in. “Mike never said one of the magic words; he just kept asking the ump if he would take a look at second base.” Apparently though, Mike neither fully swallowed that call, nor his St. Patrick’s Day Green Beer/Gatorade and the moisture may or may not have escaped the skippers lips…insiders say that the next controversial play Mike will send out new special assistant Amy Winehouse…conspiracy theorist say that this is a season on the jinx…on Tuesday Tre Dennis, leading off as the DH, was hit by a curveball on the first pitch, turned to trot but was instructed to stay in the batter’s box for “failing to make an attempt to evade the pitch”…now the final word from our Southern Gentleman pal Gordie Verrell reporting from his plantation in Newport News, VA, “I'm not too sure but I think down here in good ol' Dixie we have a drink called Mountain Spew…and how does a guy called Weatherman get docked for "spewing"?—DR. DAN

Magnifique and Words Fairly Foreign to the Forty-Niners

2009-03-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was one of those times when I exchanged a press row seat for my electric chair, that being the one in front of my TV/computer, handy for rapidly surfing back and forth around the LB sporting landscape. Not as comfortable as my recliner, but very convenient for raiding the refrigerator while tracking athletic contests in Arizona (softball), Utah (volleyball) and Kansas (baseball).

Regrettably the Niners went 1-2 in baseball falling to traditional power Wichita State, got swept in softball by sixth ranked Arizona State, and lost two to BYU. The good news is that things should get easier this week, baseball is at home for a series with UNLV, softball is at home for three with UC Davis, tennis hosts Dartmouth and volleyball will at least play close to home at USC and Pepperdine. And I can save on that Edison bill.

Now to a new feature of the Dust when the box score news is a bit depressing. We call it “Mining for Web Gems”. First of all we now interrupt the "who’s going coach the women’s basketball team announcement watch party" for a basketball men’s basketball non-conference schedule update. Names being kicked around include three from the Thanksgiving weekend at the 76 Classic in Anaheim (UCLA, Minnesota, Butler, Clemson, West Virginia, Minnesota, Texas A&M and/or Portland), on the road at Arizona State and Texas, a return game owed Wisconsin Green Bay and likely a stop to or fro with a Midwest power like Illinois, Notre Dame, Indiana, etc. At home insiders expect an out of conference visit from the U of Denver.

Where are they—Back when Beach baseball made those Omaha trips, the skipper in those days Dave Snow wasn’t great about remembering names so he coined nick names for almost everybody, “Possum” was the equipment guy from Japan Yusuke Nakajima, I was Boog Powell and the bat boy, one Daniel Carson Benedetti, was called, well he was called, “Boy”.

Danny dreamed of becoming a real Dirtbag with a full-sized uniform but it never happened. His parents, John and Cindy Benedetti, never gave up on his college dream. The encouraged him to try the JC route, which he did at Irvine Valley where he was picked as captain, batted a team-best .345 in conference games. Next up was a genuine D-1` scholarship to Big East entry St. Johns and so the black and gold turned to Red Storm Red.

An All-BIG EAST second team selection as a catcher last year, Danny had 41 starts, batted .342 with 14 doubles, 19 RBI, and he threw out 19-of-37 base stealers. This year his team is unbeaten in conference and this Boy is hitting .313 after Sunday’s 2-3, 2 RBI performance.

Finally as you know tennis is a gentile sport and the 49ers have a wonderful collection of foreign players who know that curtsy and kisses stuff. Post reporter JJ Fidler says one such player is freshman Anais Dallara out of Valbonne, France. Flash back to her first match and Dallara picks up the story. “In France we kiss on the cheek to say hello. You don’t do that here. But I didn’t know. I was so embarrassed.” No worries, to date Anais has kissed off her opponents. She has a 13-3 mark in singles and 10-1 in doubles teamed with fellow freshmen, Manhattan Beach’s Rachel Manasse. Magnifique!—DR. DAN

LMU COMES IN AS MIKE’S MIDWEEK MAGICIANS TRY TO EARN THEIR DIRTBAGS BACK

2009-03-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

For many years Mondays around Long Beach baseball would be spent checking on the three, four or five national polls. And fearing Tuesdays. This year, regrettably the opposite is true, no polling places but instead of mid week miniseries that seems to be the time to shine for the Beach Boys. Back on Wednesday February 25th the Niners shook off the losing of two of three to USC and walloped LMU 9-6 jumping out eight zip after six. On Tuesday March 10 our jet lagged lads welcomed top 15 U San Diego and pasted them 17-3. Not that Weathers and company wouldn’t prefer winning weekend series, but you take what you get.

The Lions of course remember that windy February afternoon but have other issues. Like a disturbing nine game losing streak no thanks to Hawaii, Riverside and UCSB. At least the Niners pick up a W now and then, for example the last two Sundays have been good, wins over South Carolina and the other day a 6-5 come from behind sweep-avoiding win over Washington State. Still working with some fragile newcomers, the victory was important and maybe occasioned by the tough love message from Mike Weathers in which he at least verbally stripped the club of their coveted Dirtbag status. The final margin was made possible by a Rylan Sandoval's run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth inning and nifty closing by Charlie “What Do You Think of that Splitter” Ruiz. Even the other dugout grudgingly gave LB a compliment. "We had a golden opportunity and let it get away from us," WSU Head Coach Donnie Marbut said. "Give credit to Long Beach State, but we had a chance to sweep a fine club on the road and did not get it done." The skipper in the other dugout tonight comes in a little warm. When Hawai'i had added three insurance runs in the eighth ex-Titan and Lion Head Coach Jason Gill was ejected for “arguing” a play at the plate.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN—Busy LB training room…freshman standout Derek Legg is suffering from an oblique and groin injury and Jordan Casas' ankle ailment will cancel both guys tonight…if we see Senior catcher Kip Masuda it will be his first duty since returning from a hamstring injury…we do expect promising Jeff Lease to start for the Niners…This just in from Wolf Blitzer on election desk…student athletes are still playing ball of some sort and many of the 49er faithful and some admins are still floating doomsday scenarios…update--there is no apocalypse at Seventh and Bellflower…odd side effect, the some important student athletes who got the bad news on Friday from BLR did not adjust well in their competitions…they had worked very hard for the BLR passage…TJ Mittelstaedt got his stroke going with a triple made out of pure hustle… “I was just trying to be more aggressive than normal knowing that they’d want to get ahead in the count,” Mittelstaedt said about his last at-bat. He was 2-for-3 in the game with two RBIs and started at second base for the first time since his sophomore year in high school…Ruiz put out the Cougar fire in the 8th but Dustin Rasco entered the game and pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his first save of the season…overall Sunday was a strong day for the Big West, Cal Poly 11, California 4; Cal State Fullerton 4, Rhode Island 3; Pacific 10, Houston 2; UC Irvine 5, Tulane 4; UC Riverside 15, Columbia 5; and UC Santa Barbara 25, St. Mary's 11…when UCR 14-3 got in the polls this week the wags said “With the consistency and nice wins the Highlanders have put together so far this season, it only was a matter of time before they were ranked” that makes up to five teams fighting for the two maybe three post season spots, CSUF, UCI, UCSB, SLO and …now UCR…crowded huh...next up Wichita State who beat Pepperdine two of three and hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a DH today with a single tomorrow...for the youngsters in the 25 man Dirtbag travel party, the weather might not be nice (37 to 56 with rain on the weekend) but the underground batting cages, erector set stadium and outdoor BBQ areas are impressive.—and welcome my green beer drinking Century Club St. Patrick’s dance team tonight--DR. DAN

THE WEEK THAT SHOULDN'T BEEN AND OTHER ATHLETIC ABSTRACTIONS

2009-03-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

After a more than memorable week that was, athletically Long Beach State might just deserve a pause to reflect and relax. The basketball teams are going through their exit interviews and making plans for off-season conditioning.

In the case of Coach Mary Hegarty, she herself will go through her own exit interview while her former boss, athletics director Vic Cegles, tries to manage the free advice that landed on his overflowing voice and email machines.

The folks lighting up his office electronics are split between those hoping for a return to glory with a new women’s basketball coach and those who see the end of the world, or worse, because the students did not pass that athletic fee referendum.

“We are going to be fine, there is a lot of interest” Cegles said using AD-speak that is purposely designed rein in the speculation that CSULB, renamed these days as Cal State University Low Budget, is having its darkest days since opening in 1949.

So with the LB sneakers and those long basketball shorts packed away, what else is going on to give the faithful a break. Well, baseball for example is on the road this weekend at a fairly average Missouri Valley Conference entry, Wichita State, back where Dorothy lives. The Beach lads had a 2-2 week, winning their mid week contest over USD and the Sunday game against Washington State, but lost twice to the water logged Cougars keeping skipper Mike Weathers puzzled.

Softball fared better winning four of five and now head east, well as far east as Tempe, Ariz., to take on defending national champion and sixth-ranked Arizona State. The three-game series gets underway on Friday with first pitch set for 7 p.m. (PT) and a doubleheader Saturday. Finally men’s volleyball, winners of their own tourney last weekend, goes up the mountain to Provo for a two night date with BYU. Peaking at the right time, the Niners knocked off third ranked Penn State Saturday.

Tennis remains at home with a pair of out of conference matches, Friday against Louisville and Saturday hosting Denver. Still unbeaten in Big West play, the home girls were staggered a bit when upstart Nevada took the net queens down last week.

Back to baseball, as usual clean Gene Stephenson of The Shockers has under scheduled his team again, lots of Arkansas Pine Bluff and North Dakota State etc. For the youngsters in the 25 man Dirtbag travel party, the weather might not be nice (37 to 56 with rain on the weekend) but the underground batting cages, erector set stadium and out door BBQ areas are impressive.

NAME DROP DUSTING—Sunday’s hitting hero was TJ Mittelstaedt, two-for-three with a double and triple and scoring the game-winning run. On the pitching side of the Niner stat sheet newcomer Charlie Ruiz went from despair to delight on the weekend. He actually struck out four in the ninth on Saturday (three wild pitches and a passed ball) and lost but his wicked splitter was caged on Sunday and he got the win.

The real March Sadness in the loss of the fee referendum but I have confidence that President Alexander will use some sort of line-item veto to pick some projects and facilities. It is clearly the direst financial landscape since the campus opened in 1949 but I for one do not buy into the doomsday scenarios.

Last add, my NCAA dark horse is my father’s alma mater, West Virginia University, and the inspiration for our closing quote. “Being a Mountaineer isn't something the athletes have to do, it's something they get to do”. –DR. DAN

STREAKING DIRTBAGS FIGHTING TO GET EVEN WITH A DOUBLE DOSE OF WSU

2009-03-12T23:32:00.000-07:00

Weekends are made for WSU this month, tonight the first of three with the Pac Ten’s Washington State University baseball team (3-8) and next weekend at a fairly average Wichita State University ball club back where Dorothy lives.

Washington State has lost nine of the previous 12 meetings with the 49ers going back to 1988 when the Cougars won 15-3 and 6-5 in a Fresno tourney in the last of the John Gonsales era which featured the notable Cougar, John Olerud who pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts in 1995. My favorite Coog was Lasorda’s nemesis Tom Niendenfuer who survived the Palouse to make the show. In 1996, the 49ers swept four games, including a three-game series at home (6-2, 19-0, and 9-8) as well as a game by a 6-2 count in Seattle and another sweep .by the Beach in 2003.

For next weekend’s WSU as usual clean Gene Stephenson of The Shockers of the other WSU, as in Wichita State U. has under-scheduled his team again, lots of Arkansas Pine Bluff and North Dakota State etc . But they are back home for a three-game series this weekend against No. 11 Pepperdine and then will work on the Dirtbags. But no more looking ahead, we have got to keep this hit streak going. In their last two games, the Dirtbags have hit .400 and scored 27 runs on 34 hits,--eight doubles and even five home runs. That’s a lusty slugging number of .694, against a previously undefeated South Carolina squad and Tuesday’s tasty 17-3 romp over U San Diego. Washington State was swept on the road at Arkansas , rebounded for a 2-2 split against Oklahoma at home. The Cougars are led offensively by Patrick Claussen and Shea Vucinich. Claussen leads the team with a .436 batting average, while Vucinich has 13 hits with 3 doubles and two home runs.

DOT, DOT DUST---next the Cougars stay warm and dry this next week play9ing at nationally-ranked Pepperdine then head back to the NW for a three-game series against South Dakota State….the mound plan, usually less than 100 pitches, is: LH-Matt Way-WSU (0-2, 2.00 ERA) RH-Jake Thompson-LBSU (0-2, 4.58 ERA) tonight, Saturday with RH-Jared Prince-WSU (0-1, 3.71 ERA) LH-Adam Wilk-LBSU (1-1, 3.94 ERA) and Sunday RH-Chad Arnold-WSU (0-1, 6.55 ERA) RH-Andrew Gagnon-LBSU (1-1, 4.70 ERA)…In 2009, Washington State seeks its fourth-straight winning season, something the Cougars have not accomplished since 1994 when a 35-26 record capped a run of 37-consecutive campaigns with a mark above .500….Looking backward it was Rice sophomore right fielder Chad Mozingo who went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored and No. 20 San Diego got torched again, this time only allowing nine runs…it was game one of a four-game weekend series in Houston…in our Adam Zunino special his old team Nevada beat Oregon 6-5 for coach Gary Powers 800th win…looking forward-- Jason Gill is now the skipper at LMU and may be nervous especially if his boss Bill Husak stops on his way home…Bill still lives here from when he was a top LBSU Asst. AD years ago…missing in action visiting the white coats is super Niner fan Art Johnson…come back soon…

On campus the 25th ranked women’s’ tennis team is home for a week or so and yesterday they improved to perfect 6-0 in the Big West with a 6-1 win over UC Santa Barbara…the only cloud on the horizon is a tough match with Pacific up there next month…the Tigers haven’t scheduled as tough as the Beach but they are still perfect in conference….back to bases, Tuesday’s romp had more crooked numbers than Bernie Madoff’s check book….17 runs on 17 hits ..Steve Tinoco was the star Sunday at SC and junior transfer Tre Dennis had the shine Tuesday 3-for-4 and reaching base six times…Tinoco stayed hot on Tuesday as well, sparking four and six run rallies in the second and third, a seven consecutive hits at-bat streak…finally, the Niner Nation has sent troops all over the landscape this evening, with volleyball in Mid and hoops playing UOP at the Big West barn dance down in Anaheim,--DR. DAN

BIRTHDATES ARE THE SAME BUT UNTIL THEY CROSS THE CHALK LOTS OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LB AND USD

2009-03-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Even though both schools were founded in 1949, in this mid-major sporting landscape there is not much to compare a small, elite, religious school like the University of San Diego (pop. 7,200) and CSULB, or LBSU (or heavens forbid, Dirtbag U) and their 37,891 students. However tonight when the lads step, skip or scuffle over chalk you will see programs more similar in a baseball sense then they are different.

For the record both teams used early seven run outbursts to avoid a broom job. USD (7-6) got a huge crooked seven-run lead early and beat San Diego State 10-7 Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium and the Bags (3-7), jumped out 7 zip and beat South Carolina 10-7 deep in the heart of Dixie.

Admittedly the Beach may still be too green to make a big run this year but a series of little runs would be nifty. The Toreros dropped from 16th to 23rd have a ton of talent and seemed ready to make another post season run and jet lagged or not LB has to be ready for this one and then again for the weekend visit from Washington State.(1-8 with their mid week exhibition against British Columbia weathered out).

Getting philosophical, intercollegiate athletics--or debate, or drama, or dance—all represent the intellectual value of cultural enrichment and socialization, etc. Until Sunday night I was clinging to that concept because of serial disappointments with the two game losing streaks for baseball, volleyball and softball teams, a first place buzzer beater loss in men’s basketball and just another beat-down for women’s basketball. Sunday however buoyed my spirits with Dirtbag baseball long balling their way to a win on the road over previously unbeaten South Carolina, softball small balling their way over seldom-beaten UCLA, tennis keeping their Big West record perfect and the recognition that a bye to the semi-finals of the conference tourney is truly something to celebrate.

In baseball the weekend featured a lot of grits and biscuits, more doubles than a twins’ convention and more homers than refs at a Big West basketball road game. Reading the chat rooms made me realize that if being a pessimist was an Olympic sport there would be a lot of gold medalists in Niner-ville. In the stands tonight will be a bunch of other Niners (ready to vote yes on Beach Legacy tomorrow and Thursday) softball’s Sweethearts of Swat. Sunday (again) it was Sophomore Brooke Turner tossing a gritty two-hitter to lead LBSU to a 2-1 victory over No. 3 UCLA (23-3). She was followed by her freshman “trainee”, Taylor Petty (10 Ks), who snuffed Syracuse, 4-1, in the nightcap. Oh yes, and when parents run the snack bar it is always worth the wait in line. The Beach is now 15-9 and off to the National Invitational Softball Tournament in San Jose this weekend.

The big deal for the Dirtbags on Sunday was a breakout game by outfielder Steve Tinoco. Enjoying the southern hospitality, Stevie T went five-for-five with three home runs in support of talented freshman Andrew Gagnon who collected his first win of the year, striking out seven in five innings of work with closing arguments from Charlie Ruiz and the lad the Long Beach Post likes to call, Dustin “The Dirty Little” Rasco. LB got the early lead in every game against the Gamecocks who can swing very well. Please note, that isn’t a crack on their “bandbox” ball park but it won’t remind anyone of the wide open spaces of Blair Field.

Last adding--Almost 21,000 for the three game set at the other USC. I guess having well known opponent like LBSU is good for the cash box. Weather by the way, not the manager of the same name, was clear and sunny all weekend and former LBSU SID Steve Janisch, now in the restaurant business in Ft. Lauderdale, came up to see the team…LB hoops is on ESPN U this weekend and later they will broadcast the Long Beach at Fullerton baseball game on May 22…last ball note, kudos to the Slash, Shane Peterson, who is now a two-time Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year…he was drafted in the second round by St. Louis and heads to camp this week or last week, parents are always so shy with details… a final note about a super kid named Miranda who shares her snacks with me…she is a huge Espy fan and has a signed card coming soon…her favorite sport, AYSO soccer?—DR DAN

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS AND WE AREN'T JUST TALKING ABOUT 49ER COACHES

2009-03-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes writing a sports column is fast and fun. This week it’s more like trying to crack the Russian missile codes and the Cold War is over. Nevertheless, the numbers are up and we ask that you pick up your abacus and follow along the winding road of LBSU athletics.

The first topic is the men’s side of Big West basketball. Last Thursday, the 49er faithful saluted their own seniors, who beat UCI. Saturday, the 49er team saluted the Northridge seniors with a dismal 21-point loss that kicked our homeboys back into second place with two contests left.

Tonight (Thursday), the Niners are at cellar dweller Cal Poly and Saturday, LB visits their chippy nemesis, UC Santa Barbara. Now here is where the new math kicks in. If CSUN loses at Pacific and with UC Riverside already a loser to UC Irvine, the Beach boys would earn the top seed in the Big West tourney and a minimum of an NIT bid. Win the BWC tourney, then the big dance and big payday from the NCAA.

The beach hoop ladies also will make the party, but will have to play up to four games, starting Wednesday afternoon, March 11, while the lads get to chill in the hotel until Friday night March 13 and (likely) have to play only two games. Got it? This will be on the mid-term.

The rest of the Beach sports scene is scattered about the land. Baseball, 2-5, still staggered by miscues and missed opportunities, is off to the University of South Carolina’s new $25 million, 6,400 chair-backed ball park back east. Tennis winners of five in a row are off to Irvine today (Thursday) to face their traditional title threat, UCI. The Beach net set was sweating the visit from nationally ranked St. Mary’s, but beat them soundly 5-2 on Saturday. So now the frowns are all about the Anteaters’ sometimes sneaky seedings and the upcoming student fee referendum. A sport like tennis needs that infusion of new bucks and both issues featuring lots of drama and more of that “new math.”

That would also apply to #6 ranked men’s volleyball, which is in the midst of a four-match homestand, (3-2 losers to USC Wednesday) with MPSF power Pepperdine coming in Friday night. Top eight MPSF teams make the post-season. Last add, all the less than major sports also face upward spiraling costs for travel, tuition, room, board and books. Student voting is on-line next week.

Finally, Kim Sowder’s sweethearts of swat softball team unloaded on their guests at their weekend tourney, winning all five games and scoring 32 runs and yielding a mere seven. This weekend they have five more games, all at Mayfair, starting Friday and concluding with third-ranked UCLA Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Misty Dust

It has been far too long to dust without a Misty May-Treanor mention, so here we go. Our MM now has her eyes on a house in Michigan, where her husband Matt is catching up with the Detroit Tigers. Matt is a journeyman in that trade, 900 minor league games before he came up to the bigs to stay in June of 2004. Matt who turned 33 this week, is the son and grandson of firefighters and romanced Misty during rehab.

Misty, 31 this year, is still thinking family matters, especially since her Beach gold medal partner Keri Walsh is pregnant. MM is on the new Gatorade G commercial, did that “ESPN the Weekend” at Walt Disney World, appeared on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the “Wizards of Waverly Place” and received a “Happy Thanksgiving” text message from Tiger Woods. Film at 11.--DR. DAN

GO SEE CAL, GO SEE CAL, GO SEE CAL—BUT ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOMETEAM

2009-02-27T23:50:00.000-08:00

When storied college baseball programs like Long Beach State and Cal hook up, the fandom often wishes for the opponent to roll out a lightly used starter. On Wednesday, this weekend’s guest Golden Bears upped their record to 3-2 on the strong arm of freshman right-hander Matt Flemer in his first collegiate outing. Long Beach, meanwhile, evened its season mark at 2-2 when Adam Wilk, no starts at all last season, pitched seven strong giving up just two hits as the Niners survived LMU 9-6.

With those lads already burned for the weekend, this is expected to be another weekend of Blair ball: lots of fly outs in the wide open spaces, stealing a base here and there, errors looming large and hitters muttering on the way back to their bench. The rotations are typically tentative in the early season, but expect Jake Thompson, lefty newcomer Jeff Lease and impressive freshman Andrew Gagnon working the Friday to Sunday starting shift. Da Bears will likely go with Kevin Miller (7.2 ERA), and strike out artists Blake Smith (7 Ks in his last outing) and Brian Diemer (8 Ks). Pitching and defense has always been a Beach trademark, so the team took some inspiration from the lively bats at LMU. TJ Mittelstaedt was 3 for 3 for the 49ers and Jonathan Jones drove in three runs with two doubles. The Bags opened an 8-0 lead and needed it when the Lions scored one in the seventh and five in the eighth.

Mid-weekers of course are strange, just ask the blue bloods at UCLA and USC. Riverside, who beat Cal twice up there, smacked the Bruins 11-1 while Pepperdine took advantage of five Trojans errors and the Waves opened a 7-0 lead after two innings en route to an 8-1 victory at Dedeaux Field.
Looking backward, I guess I know the reason why I left my palatial estate in sunny Florida, put aside my surfboard, and returned to Long Beach. I like basketball, volleyball, softball, and tennis but I love college baseball. The players are good and hoping to be great. The prices are right, the coaches are risk takers, and the fans don’t sit on their hands. Last weekend Long Beach and Southern Cal coaches sent a lot of question marks out on the diamond, eleven newcomers for each side. Mike Weathers would have had an even dozen, but starting pitcher Sandra Bullock went on the DL (Disappeared List). When the weekend came to an end the Beach boys finally hit a high note and got the Sunday win to avoid a sweep, a dark moment that LB put on SC last season.
Both teams had good starting pitching, but having only three weeks to get everybody ready, the relief corps raised more questions than the amount of Obama’s bailout or the breed of the new first puppy. On Saturday with the game scoreless following an impressive Jake Thompson start, Weathers sent in his 6-6 senior Manny McElroy. After Manny walked his first batter, SC Coach Kreuter went to his dugout to pinch hit for his 6-6 struggling slugger Mac Sullivan. Noting that big Manny was missing the plate, Kreuter sent out his own “Eddie Gaedel”, 5-7 freshman Shane Boras. Famous father in über-agent Scott Boras, Shane does not have much of a strike zone. He walked, Dustin Rasco inheriting the two-on-nobody-out mess, then gave up a couple of hits and one inning later game over – four-zip. Full house at Blair and inside this Trojan Horse wasn’t a movie star but a gimmick kid on scholarship because of Daddy’s fame and fortune (part of the latter courtesy of former Dirtbag Jered Weaver)…Last add famous places, next weekend the Bags travel to South Carolina to open their brand new $25 million dollar stadium with it’s 6400 chair backs…oh, and those perches are filled with good old boys who know your mama’s name.

CLOSING QUOTE: That Eddie Gaedel reference was to a 1951 publicity stunt by maverick St. Louis Browns owner and showman, Bill Veeck, in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Under strict orders not to attempt to move the toy bat off his shoulder, Gaedel still hinted he might be tempted to swing at a pitch. Veeck then promised “to bring a rifle to the game and shoot him if he tried.” Detroit catcher Bob Swift, on his knees and laughing, offered his pitcher Bob Cain this piece of strategy: "Keep it low." See, how can you beat baseball? -- DR. DAN

PS- just back from a chilly four hour plus come from ahead loss to Cal so time out on all those compliments to the grand old game.....

NEW LOOK DIRTBAGS HOPE THAT THE HOME COOKING SERVES UP A WINNING RECIPE

2009-02-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

Think of nine letters, two words and opening the season. Long Beach (nine letters) is the two words and finally today, the home opener. For the first time in years, 49er fans begin the season without seeing their team in the NCAA’s top 40 and, despite last year’s co-championship, picked to finish fourth in the Big West.

“It is really different for us this year, with so many really good players leaving,” the recently contract-extended Mike Weathers told the overflow crowd at the Long Beach State Leadoff dinner last Thursday. Last Saturday his 2009 edition intra-squaded to a 6-6 tie on the scoreboard and a 2-2 tie in execution--hitting and running well but catching and throwing poorly.

Last night it took a while but the Beach prospects began to brighten. Stuck in a 5-0hole, Taylor Krick finally muscled the Beach onto the scoreboard with a three run homer in the eighth and the latest of the Beach closers, Dustin Rasco, fanned the side. In the ninth however multi-talented Robert Stock, 2-3 as the starting catcher, had a 1-2-3 inning and somewhere downtown Trojan Coach Chad Kreuter exhaled. His team has missed the postseason altogether five of the past six years and the Cardinal and Gold alums are not noted for their patience.

Coming in each of the teams had an expected star, Trojan junior shortstop Grant Green (.390, 9 HR last year) and Niner sophomore pre-season All American Jonathan Jones (.343, 6-8 stolen bases). Green had an 0-4 Friday with three Ks while Jones got on base three times, one base hit and two walks. SC manufactured their scores in the 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th but fanned 13 times. USC starter Brian Boxberger whiffed 11 in his six innings.

SPRING DUSTING—At the Leadoff dinner the filets, and the fillies and the 49er players got the wit and wisdom of a T-Squared hero from the recent past, Troy Tulowitzki. His message (longer than the Gettysburg address but shorter than my tax return) covered topics from T- Ball (“I loved it because you never struck out”) to memories of playing day and night and even under the family Christmas tree, ( “I think I might have taken out an ornament”). In college, after practice, there was some homemade midnight baseball games played against the wall behind Von’s across from his Atherton street apartment. “A homer was when you put the whiffle ball in a shopping cart….after finishing second in the 2007 Rookie of the Year race, Tulo had that sophomore slump but this spring Colorado coaches plan to hit him in the two hole and are confident he can turn the franchise back on…as is the case early in every season, a good many of the 17 Niner pitchers on the roster will take the hill of thrills sometime this weekend and today the home boys are hopeful that young Mr. Thompson, a perfectly proportioned 6’3” 220lber with some giddy-up who got off to a fast start last season against Rice, going six innings and giving up only two hits. His opposite number will be SC’s Kevin Couture (6-2, 4.27 in `08 plus their cast of bull penners. Jake finished 2-5, 4.95 in `08 but with all those draftees gone he’ll have to become the Dirtbag ace very quickly….meanwhile the rest of the Big West came out mostly on the short end--California 8, UC Riverside 7, Pepperdine 4, Cal State Northridge 3, Baylor 2, Pacific 1 (10); UCLA 13, UC Davis 1; Rice 10, Cal Poly 7; Cal State Fullerton 7, TCU 6 and UC Irvine 5, Hawaii 1,…one of the soon to be revealed differences this year is playing up to five games a week with a mere 11.7 scholarships and a cap of just 35 players, all of whom have to get at least 25% of a full scholarship….next season, the maximum number of players who can receive aid drops to 27….Niners have 17 letter winners back from a team that finished 38-21 and shared the Big West Conference regular season title but still only close encounters of the Omaha kind.

While the Niner fandom was upset about being picked fourth in the BWC pre-season poll, USC was picked to finish seventh in the Pac-10 …and our closing Oscar note, the Beach’s number one actress, Sandra Bullock, will throw out the first pitch…not counting an unlimited supply of those great Cisco Burgers that her beau Jesse James (cable star of Monster Garage) grills up when not making motorcycles, in 2007 Forbes Magazine estimated Ms Bullock had earnings for the year of $10 million…now that is another pretty figure—DR. DAN

BUTANE, BLANKETS AND BANQUETS: WARMING UP FOR DIRTBAG BASEBALL 2009

2009-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

Think of nine letters, two words and opening the season. Long Beach, nine letters, is the two words and Saturday night is the home opener. And for the first time in years, fans of Dirtbag baseball begin the season without seeing their team in the NCAA’s top 40 and, despite last year’s co-championship, is picked to finish fourth in the Big West.

“It is really different for us this year, with so many really good players leaving,” the recently contract-extended Mike Weathers told the overflow crowd at the Long Beach State Leadoff dinner. That was on Thursday. On Saturday his 2009 edition intra-squaded to a 6-6 tie on the scoreboard and a 2-2 tie in execution--hitting and running well but catching and throwing poorly.

This Saturday’s baseball game is part two of a LBSU double-header, a Bracket Buster basketball contest with mid-major power Wisconsin Green Bay at 2:30 p.m. in the Pyramid and then the dash to Blair for a 5 p.m. first pitch in baseball. Blankets and butane recommended.

Two of the baseball stars are Trojan junior shortstop Grant Green (.390, 9 HR) and Niner sophomore pre-season All American Jonathan Jones (.343, 6-8 stolen bases). As it was for Danny Espinosa last year, draft-eligible college kids like Green have to really concentrate to play the game in front of them and not the scouts, agents, fans and friends around the yard.

There is also some pressure on the head coaches, especially USC’s Chad Kreuter. The Trojans have missed the postseason five of the past six years while Weathers, a regular regional host, has had a number of close encounters of the Omaha kind but the last actual CWS visit was eleven years ago. Fortunately Mom’s, Dads, Aunts, Uncles and “Annies” (translated girl friends) just want to see junior in a uni and somewhere on the field. Let the Games Begin.

SPRING DUSTING--The filets, and the fillies and the 49er players also got the wit and wisdom of a T-Squared hero from the recent past, Troy Tulowitzki. His message (longer than the Gettysburg address but shorter than my tax return) ranged from T- Ball (“I loved it because you never struck out”) to memories of playing day and night and even under the family Christmas tree, ( “I think I might have taken an ornament out”). In college after practice there was some homemade midnight baseball games played against the wall behind Von’s across from his Atherton street apartment. “A homer was when you put the whiffle ball in a shopping cart.
After finishing second in the 2007 Rookie of the Year race, Tulo had that sophomore slump but this spring Colorado coaches plan to hit him in the two hole and are confident he can turn the franchise back on.

Back to Beach ball, the actual season opener of course is Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Dedeaux Field. Lots of audio to choose from and the Trojans will be happy to sell you the Friday and Sunday games via live video on Trojan TV All-Access.

Calendar Girls--Softball is back in San Diego this weekend playing games against Colorado, Boise State and U San Diego, tennis is at home on Friday to open BWC play with Northridge and visiting Fullerton on Saturday, and women’s hoops, on a rare two game win streak, hosts UC Riverside Friday night.

Last Add Dirtbags. As is the case early in every season, a good many of the 17 Niner pitchers on the roster will take the hill of thrills sometime this weekend but expect the big guns to be Jake Thompson, Adam Wilk, Manny McElroy and freshman Andrew Gagnon. The Niner trademark infield figures to shine with sophomore Devin Lohman moving to shortstop from second giving that spot to freshmen Derek Legg.—DR. DAN

ALL ABOUT THE ROBINSONS, BENJAMINS, CALENDAR GIRLS AND BOYS AND POST SEASON DREAMING

2009-02-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

In the glory days of TV there was a super hero in a sweater named Fred Rogers who ruled his neighborhood of young kids. Saturday Night Live comic Eddie Murphy updated the idea with his skit, “Mister Robinson's Neighborhood” and now Long Beach State basketball is hoping that their superb freshman, T.J. Robinson, will lead his young pals back to the glory days of 49er hoops.

Faced with filling in for ailing Big West MVP candidate Donavan Morris, T.J. led four Long Beach State players in double figures with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds and the surprising Beach boys beat UC Irvine 67-63 Saturday night and still sit in first place half way around the track. More youth movement, freshman Larry Anderson scored 11 points and the team got 10 points and three assists from freshman Casper Ware.

Fast forward to the future, Dan Monson had a full house of his Maniacs hopping last Thursday but still fell a point short of Fullerton. This Thursday LB opens a two game home stand playing UC Davis and Pacific in a battle for the regular season crown or at least one of those tournament byes that go to the top two finishers. With or without Morris the neighborhood under the blue pointed roof ought to be rocking.

Speaking of rocks, and acorns and other sticks and stones, don’t expect to see any of them when Beach tennis opens its home season in the brand new Rhodes tennis center Friday at 2 p.m. vs. Florida International. For the last umpteen years the overhanging trees and busy road next door made the courts a real adventure for visitors and the home team.

There are still some final touches to be made but Jenny Hilt-Costello and her net queens finally can be proud of their home. New scoreboard, sound system, seating, lights and fresh off of a 6-1 rout of #49 NC State and ready to build on their total of six Big West titles and six NCAA appearances.

CALANDER GIRLS AND BOYS—the Beach week starts on Thursday when the Pyramid features men’s basketball and women’s water polo hosts UCLA. Men’s volleyball, track and women’s basketball are on the road. Beach softball is in the desert for a five game tourney beginning Friday morning. On Saturday tennis makes the short run to CSUF for a match with the hapless Titans, usually a result so quick you can park in the 30 minute free zones.

Play Misty for me—the talented Miss M says she is planning on returning to the pro beach tour and maybe one more session of “Dancing with the Stars.” With the NCAA ready to add "sand" volleyball to their sports menu, some folks hope Misty would coach that the two woman game at LBSU but insiders say that’s not likely.

For more drama, check out the student fee referendum coming up next week. The measure would raises fees from the current $43 per semester to $138 starting in fall 2010. Athletics would get a $1.6 million boost and there is a built-in increase for inflation. Voting is exclusively on line.

Last add money stuff. Men’s and women’s golf on Monday will be conducting a golf marathon aiming to play 100 Bixby Ranch holes in one long day. Former track star Wayne Stickney-Smith, the godfather of the last big student money raiser Beach Pride, is the guy to sign up with. Call 562-985-4662.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN AND SOME DIAMOND MINING--One of my Dust posse asked me about the 2009 Dirtbags. I don't know what to expect from this team. They still have Jonathan Jones, but I want to see what their lineup looks like. It could be a long season or it could turn out to be a surprising one. Too many unknowns right now to get a real feel. (Governor Palin taught me how to dance around these tough questions)…the BWC decided to kick some sand in the face of the Beach Bags, picking them fourth after their 2008 co-championship...11 players from that team went in the MLB draft, a record haul for the Dirtbags, but adding fuel to the fire that LBSU trains more pros than they get wins in the post-season...see for yourself by going to Alumni Weekend starting with the Leadoff Dinner Thursday night featuring Troy Tulowitzki, the 8th annual alumni golf tournament tees off on Friday and it is all capped with the alumni game and intra-squad scrimmage at Blair Field on Saturday starting at 11 am….the real season starts off on February 20, with the Dirtbag home opener coming the next day, February 21 at 2 p.m. against USC.
Now the queens of the diamond are Kim Sowder’s surging 49er softballers…they get busy Friday morning facing SEC power Georgia during this weekend's Cathedral City Classic…the Beach offense is still fuzzy but the pitching is so strong you can almost agree to wait on the hitters to step up…the aces are soph Brooke Turner (27-6, 0.80 ERA, 237 strikeouts), junior Bridgette Pagano (a two-time all-conference pick who was 13-11 last season with a 2.39 ERA and 87 Ks) plus super freshman Taylor Petty, the three-time L.A. City Section Player of the Year at San Pedro High…

Now we dare not presume a home win (LB is 3-0 in conference on the road) but a couple of Ws this week would virtually guarantee a postseason tournament appearance in one of the four, count ‘em, four Division I postseason college basketball tournaments…the CollegeInsider.com Tournament will feature a 16-team field chosen from among the teams that don't make the NCAA Tournament or National Invitation Tournament. Then there is the Gazelle Group's College Basketball Invitational, or CBI, which debuted last year. Tulsa won the inaugural CBI title although even folks in Oklahoma don’t remember…in summary, 129 college basketball teams will participate in some postseason this year…get your face paint ready.

Finally our closing quote from a heckler at a recent LBSU basketball game. In a rather calm voice, a Monson Maniac told one of the UCR players: "Your tattoos are not well-done!"—DR. DAN

A DOUBLE BUCKET OF DUST: BCS, REGULAR BS, HOOPSTERS, DIAMOND GUYS, TICKET PRICES AND A LADY REF

2008-12-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

Our first Notes on My Napkin for the New Year covers a wide range of topics, including that most controversial monogram, BCS.

I know that many of the faithful are still upset about college football’s BCS, but let me help you with the long awaited announcement of my own BCS, the Barber Championship Series.

This is not that complicated 64 team deal, the intriguing 24 team mess, the plus one set up. Nope, like an aging Las Vegas hotel we just blow up the current BCS and play the existing bowl games. Period. Fini. Let the alums, the media and the web wags duke it out for the mythical National Championship. The current BCS bucks could be used to sweeten the pot for all the present bowl games and add one game for any two winless teams (maybe the Washington Huskies and the Detroit Lions) so that one of them gets to start the New Year with a nice taste in their mouth.

And while we are on the topic of that oblate spheroid, news from San Diego worries many about the major investment that Long Beach State’s big sisters, the SDSU Aztecs, are putting in football. By way of history SDSU President Stephen Weber had a football budget of $4.3 million in 1999, $7.5 million in 2006 and using an imposed raise in student fees this year has added another $4.5 million to fire old Coach Chuck Long and lure Ball State’s winner Brady Hoke to the Mesa. The numbers, well the team went 2-10 this season and next year will depend on a couple of other number Title Nine (the gender equity law in California) and Chapter 11, and you know what that adds up to.

NAME DROP DUSTING—Two of the leading ladies around LBSU aren’t going to be around any more. Veteran Athletics front office smile Pat West has retired as has 49er setting coach and volleyball assistant Debbie Green Vargas. The joint won’t the same without them.

The early college baseball polls are out the Dirtbags are MIA and the only player on the hot prospect list is sophomore outfielder Jonathan Jones. JJ batted .338 in 2008 but despite his youth may have to lead the team after the loss of most of the infield and the top half of the pitching order, 11 in all going in the MLB draft. Three good relievers return, Adam Wilk, Jason Markovitz and Dustin Rasco but some bodies will have to step up as starters.

Maybe this rebuild by the Beach explains why rivals Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine are joining forces with the Niners in The Big 3 of the West High School Showcase January 17-19. The kids (ages 15-19) will work out in front of Head Coaches Mike Weathers from LBSU, Dave Serrano from CSUF, and Mike Gillespie, UCI, rotating from Fullerton's Goodwin Field, to Irvine's Anteater ballpark to Long Beach's Blair Field.

Back to the here and now, the not so friendly circuit called the Big West basketball season gets underway for both the Niner men and women. The opponents this weekend are UCSB and Cal Poly, with the men hosting those squads Friday and Sunday and the women on the road. The ladies (3-7) have taken their lumps in the out of conference sessions but the men (5-7) have given the 49er faithful glimmers of hope with a four game win streak and a victory over traditional national power Temple.

Where Are They Dept. Beach hoop legend Joan Bonvicini, one of only 18 head coaches in Division I women’s basketball history to win 600 games, is still out of coaching but has joined the staff at Sport Tours International setting up basketball tournaments and foreign trips.

Her glory days began in 1979 and before she left for Arizona her teams went 325-71. Bonvicini led the 49’ers to the NCAA Final Four in both 1987 and 1988 to go along with six Elite Eight and nine Sweet 16 appearances. Now there is a chorus of Auld Lang Sine I wouldn’t mind hearing again.

Modest complaint department, the media at the Emerald Bowl wanted an interview with Cal’s impressive little man, Jahvid Best, but he was a no-show. Bear’s coach Jeff Tedford wanted only seniors to attend the ONE AND ONLY mandated media session. As one of my Miami beat writers said, “This is fine ... if you're a high school coach.” (Tedford aside, I still love my Bear guy Steve Holton.)

Continuing on the topic of sports that involve a lot of jumping and passing, the Long Beach State men's volleyball team plays a couple of exhibition matches against the team from the University of Alberta Friday afternoon at 4 in the Gold Mine and Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. Pre-season picked as high as Number Three, the 49ers open the regular season during the Jan. 9-10 Elephant Bar Invitational at UC Santa Barbara.

Web wise guys are very excited about the opening weekend since the higher you finish in regular season the fewer games you play in the BWC tourney. With 4 promising freshman and Donavan Morris everything from here on out is winnable, and yes, losable. Dan Monson is a fine coach but “he's a coach, not a Miracle worker.” Yes but he talks to Mother Teresa every Sunday.

Miracles of course cost money which brings me to this note. It was nearly five years ago that the Oregon Ducks broke the bank to bring 25 recruits to Eugene for official visits. The orgy of private jets and lobster feasts the weekend of Jan. 9-11, 2004, cost the program nearly $150,000. Miami’s tab was a little less, they have an airport and the lobsters are caught locally.

The early BWC baseball handicap has Fullerton, Long Beach, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara with Davis lurking. The other guys are people you need to get two of three from on the road and sweep at home.

Trivia time he is not Mickey Mantle but he also once wore No. 7. He now wears No. 33765-183. He is Michael Vick, presently residing in Leavenworth, Kan., with plans to relocate to the National Football League next year when his current lease is up. Hopefully the Juice has TV in his Nevada cell.

Using numbers for a better purpose is West Virginia baseball coach Greg Van Zant. His team has to start the season on the road, unfair, particularly when RPI’s are used to pick post season participants. His solution is to replace winning percentage in the RPI with "adjusted winning percentage." Simply put, a win on a neutral field would still count as 1.0 win, but road wins would count as 1.25 wins, and home wins would count as 0.833 wins. That way, if two equally matched teams played 20 games at one team's home site, and the home team won 12 of the games while the visitor won eight, both teams would wind up with identical adjusted winning percentages. Washington State is the only cold weather team coming to Blair this spring.

One other hot stove league chat is the request that MLB scouting directors' want college players to wear numbers on their jerseys during batting practice and infield drills. Okay with me but I am still waiting for MLB to send some of their TV dollars to the cash-strapped college teams they use as a free farm system.

Last month we broke the good news story of former LB player Kevin Cutler who now is a wildly successful college basketball referee worked a 49er men’s game. I knew it was a good note because shortly after I went with it four or five other local medias picked that idea up. Okay start the clock and see how long it takes to pick up on the ladies division of that note.

This month we reveal that former LB women’s hoop assistant (1997-1999) Brenda Pantoja showed up with whistle at the Nebraska-LBSU women’s game December 12. Pantoja, who played at the U of Arizona was a top-notch guard from Bell Gardens High School who met Joan Bonvicini when JB was the Long Beach State coach. Pantoja knew she wanted to play for her when Bonvicini took the UA job in 1991. She owns the UA assist mark but a knee injury sent her to coaching and then refereeing. Film at 11.

From our friends at the ticket site Razorgator.com, the top 5 most expensive high-end tickets are BCS Championship ($4,472), Capital One ($839), Chick-fil-A ($838), Rose ($728) and Sugar ($655), with the Orange sixth at $625. The top 5 cheapest low-end tickets are Music City ($9), Texas ($23), Orange ($23), Independence ($34) and Sun ($35). Give me four on the aisle.

Last add ticketing without the CHP. Lacking our usual dose of controversy let’s talk about the Super Box Shuffle for baseball season ticket holders. As I see it Blair Field has 3,000 seats and these days, except for the every other year CSUF series, actual attendance is between 1,000 and 2,000. There are 25 home games. SAR decided it was time to virtually double the price of these prime seats. They did a similar “seat license-donation” process for men’s basketball.

I am sure that some box holders are already higher level "qualifying" donors so the effect would seem to be to push the more pure baseball-only fan out of the super boxes into the bleachers, etc. This season there is only one home game with USC and none with UCLA. Hardly a time to crank up the pressure on existing customers. By way of comparison, UCLA charges $7. per game and CSUF (chair backs season-) $5.90 per game) versus the proposed $16 plus per seat in this new LBSU plan. (Current price without "donation" would still be $11. per game). Disclaimer, I crash some of those super box seats while gathering the "news". IMHO, this idea needs more thought.

I’ve got to quit now because this is getting so long it will take you until the Fourth of July to finish it. Happy New Year from the Dust staff: Plaxico, Bernie Madoff, and all my other Facebook BFFs.—DR. DAN

THE MOSTLY GOOD NEWS DECEMBER DUST—VOLLEYS, HOOPS, BASES AND GEORGE W. BUSH

2008-12-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

MY MAID GETS THE MONTH OFF BUT IT’S STILL TIME FOR SOME OVERDUE DUSTING

2008-11-04T11:56:00.001-08:00

During this once-a-month Dusting schedule we spend a lot of time reading emails and messages from the 49er fandom. The scores, seasons and stars all sort of blur together but what does stand out is the desire by the faithful to “bathe in reflected glory.”

That would explain why a baseball series in chilly Philly would draw so much interest from the left coast. The feature fellow in this matter is Evan Longoria, the presumptive AL rookie of the year, a franchise player who – just six days after being called up to the big leagues in April – signed a six-year, $17.5 million contract that includes three option years that could add $30 million to the deal.

Now that is a ton of money but not exactly “Manny Being Money," as the New York Post headlined about the guy from Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers rented offense was good but Longo’s body of work, AL All-Star who hit .272 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs in his first season was better. And unlike Mr. Ramirez, his team got to the Series. You all look good in that reflecting pool.

Next up on the glory meter are senior shooters Donovan Morris and Karina Figueroa. Both were selected for the 2008-09 Preseason All-Big West Basketball Team. The difference is that Morris will play all season (he averaged 21.2 last year) while serious leg injuries will delay the start for Karina and many folks fear, will end her career. TBD, will Karina’s absence (she did not play in the exhibition loss to previously winless Love and Basketball) have a domino effect on Coach Hegarty (69-78) who is in the final season of her five year deal?

Men’s hoops also was cuffed around in a closed scrimmage by San Diego so better you make up your own mind. You can help the athletics department by purchasing an inexpensive Family Plan for the upcoming seasons, $100 for four season tickets and some less expensive ($35) five game specials if your portfolio is hemorrhaging and you are afraid to miss a single episode of Survivor, Lost or 30 Rock.

Back to the present, both women’s soccer and volleyball are well positioned for their post season glory. Soccer kept Coach Mauricio Ingrassia was sweating out a cool night in Santa Barbara before tying the chippy Gauchos in the last minute of regulation and then winning in the second overtime. Cal Poly went more easily, 3-2.
Those wins earned the Beach booters (13-4-3 overall) the George Allen Field top seed in the BWC tourney semi-finals starting Thursday at 2 p.m. vs 4 seed Pacific.

For the Queens of Kill, Coach Brian Gimmillaro has his team on the road this weekend against his old rivals UCSB and Cal Poly. LB is resting on top of the Big West and closing in on the 20-win plateau. The volleys have no post season tourney but finish the job and likely host a first round NCAA party. Their last five games include Irvine, Riverside and Colorado State at home.

NAME DROP DUST--If I have calculated Dan Monson’s contract correctly, and quality of his recruits, the Niner men’s hoop skipper could be right on target for a return with his new team to his old home in Minnesota when the Gophers host the 2014 Final Four.

The Pyramid basketball court now features a more difficult three point shot when the NCAA moved the arc from 19.9 to 20.9. Two many cheap home runs at the old measure. “The old line was so short,” Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino said. “I’m 55 and I could go out there and shoot 45 percent if nobody played defense on me.”

Speaking out on the national stage recently was one of the talented PA voices that work baseball and other sports at the Beach, insurance guy Josh Banker, on Wheel of Fortune. He won just under $24,000.

Back to Evan, the Rays gave him $3 million to sign two years ago and there is a qualified rumor that he and Troy Tulowitzki may have a little hitting clinic at Blair before Spring Training begins. The Rays player payroll is 29th-highest among the 30 major-league teams so a little can go a long Ray.

Where are theys…Tamara Inoue, who played three seasons for the 49ers after transferring from California Berkeley, begins her first season as an assistant coach for the Santa Clara women's basketball team. She played and coached for six years Australia.

More new coach chat John Hawks joins men’s volleyball after working with USA Teams the past two summers on staff with Alan Knipe and Andy Read and Cal Poly Pomona announced the hiring of ex Dirtbag assistant Scott Lemone who knows the CCAA well, having played at Chico State.

Last of the “wheres”, old Dirtbag coach Troy Buckley, the pitching guru for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is busy in the Arizona Fall League including trying to coach up RHP Jared Hughes, the 6-foot-7 pitcher, was a fourth-rounder in 2006 out of Long Beach State, where he was a teammate of Evan you know who. Hughes was 5-11 with a 4.68 ERA (ninth-best in the system) this season at Lynchburg and Altoona, fanning 72 while walking 66 in 143 innings.

House ads. The 49er Athletic Club has redrawn the fund raising landscape and announced that the first annual 49er Athletic Club Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, November 20 at El Dorado Park in Long Beach. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the tournament will feature two separate competitions and a full day of golf action. The day begins with the Pre-Tournament Horse Race Golf Competition, where twosomes will play alternate shots in an elimination-style competition prior to the regular event.

The induction ceremony for the 2008 Hall of Fame class has moved to Carpenter Center, dropped the dinner deal, but will still honor a great class November 19. The seven inductees include the late and truly great Dan Bailey (Athletics), Don Baird (Men's Track & Field), Jade Carvalho (Field Hockey), James Cotton (Men's Basketball),Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Women's Volleyball/Track & Field), John Kahler (Football), and Pete Manarino (Coach/Softball).

Now a bunch of closing quotes while I draw your reflected glory bath. “Too bad Johnnie Cochran wasn't alive to see OJ being led off to jail the other day. He probably would have just shrugged and told the Juice ‘No need to shed tears; I gotcha 13 extra years.'" Semi final quote, “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.” And finally commentator George Will, who must hate booth reviews and not-so-instant replay as much as I do. “Football combines two of the worst things in America, violence punctuated by committee meetings.”—DR. DAN

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR AND OTHER WORDS OF ALMOST WISDOM

2008-09-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

One of the ironies of college athletics is that players, coaches and fans struggle mightily for recognition which, when obtained, is used against them. Case in point: Last week as Pacific (1-8 coming into their volleyball contest with Long Beach) painted the bull’s-eye on Brian Gimmillaro’s Beach girls.

The Tiger marketers upped the ante with freebees that lured in the often laconic UOP students, brought in Tiger alum Jennifer Joines, a four-time All-American and Olympic silver medalist, and then retired her No. 6 jersey. The result, the home girls swept the 22nd ranked Niners in front of almost 2,000 and oddly sit tied for first in the Big West while Gimmillaro’s kids are in fifth.

Meanwhile back in the blue building with the pointed roof, LBSU coaches are back to the drawing boards trying to tweak a line-up that in a word, okay two words, is not tall. NCAA banners in the rafters yes, great alums, you bet, nice facility, perfect for WVB, but in 2008 somewhat vertically challenged.

Last add taking shots, when Pacific retired that number six jersey they must have forgot that their freshmen setter, Arielle Goldberg, was sitting on the bench with that very same digit on her uniform. And on their chat board a young lady named Casey gloated about beating the “Dirtbags” saying she “couldn't resist the jab even though I know that that moniker typically only applies to LBSU baseball.” Better quit while you are ahead Casey, your baseball team was 14-41 last year.

One more shot from the WVB road trip. Smelling blood from the Thursday sinking at Stockton, UC Davis asked their “Aggie Pack” to come out in full force for the volley match with the Big West standard bearers, LBSU. They did as 2,102 fans watched their women's volleyball team take Long Beach State to five sets at the Davis Pavilion.

In the campus paper their coach gushed, "That was so special," head coach Jamie Holmes said. "That meant a lot to me as a coach, and I know it meant the world to them as players.… It kind of brought tears to my eyes, actually." Like Pacific, the UCD admins weren’t shy about bribing their students, the Aggie Pack events come complete with free T-shirts, tube socks and blue and gold beads.

Back to baseball, one of the featured student athlete speakers at the Donor dinner last week was Dirtbag relief pitcher Adam Wilk. He seemed a bit nervous prompting retired golf coach and fellow donor Bob Livingstone to quip, “Cut the kid some slack, he is used to looking down at the catcher and getting signs!”

Another diamond note is about the new five year contract for Mike Weathers, likely awarded in large part by his success with the new coaching standard, the Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. More and more the APR is being used to hire, fire and pay coaches. Mississippi State recently restructured the contracts of its football, men's basketball and baseball coaches with language that says if the NCAA bans a team from the postseason because of low APR numbers, there is a clause in each contract that allows Mississippi State to fire the coach. On the plus side, some schools offer bonuses that can reach six figures if teams receive “acceptable” scores.

NAME DROP DUST—I sat at UCI a couple of years ago with a seldom played USC quarterback who was watching his Anteater brother star on the diamond. That would be New England’s NFL surprise Matt Cassel who made his “show” a lot sooner than his brother Justin who has gotten as high as AA. Sister Amanda is a student at LBSU.
Just as in 2007, the Beach baseball program has a real shot at another Rookie of the Year with Evan Longoria. Troy Tulowitzki just missed last season. Tulo will be the keynote speaker at the Leadoff Dinner in February and the team will salute the 20th anniversary of their first CWS team early in the season.

Next LB infield star heading to the bigs, try Shane Peterson who drove in a pair of runs as the Batavia Muckdogs (St. Louis affiliate) beat the Jamestown Jammers, 9-3, to capture the New York-Penn League title. "It was pretty much the most gratifying experience I've ever had," said Peterson. "I know it's only short-season and 80 games, but it felt like it was what we worked for as a team.”

Upcoming stuff is the news that the 49er soccer team has finished making their out of state house calls and begins conference play Friday, hosting UC Davis at George Allen Field. All in all the Beach booters did well despite losing a 1-0 deal Sunday at Arizona State (they shut out Arizona on Friday.) It was the 49ers' third 1-0 loss of the season but LBSU played the Devils even; taking nine shots to ASU’s eight.

Our closing quote today comes from an anonymous Congressman. “I'm declaring myself conductor of this meeting as I have the bribe sheet." We now return you to your regularly-scheduled program of economy watching, Christmas shopping and dancing with Misty May.—DR. DAN

DRIVER TRAINING FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES AT FORTY-NINER-VILLE

2008-09-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

Notes on my napkin while navigating the road closure signs on the CSULB campus. Everywhere you look at 49erville there is something under construction: places, people and things.

On the Palo Verde side is the brand-spanking new Rhodes Tennis Complex with the Hendricks Family Scoreboard and sometime soon, we hope, the Dr. Dan Sound System. The gifting levels of the above vary widely but hopefully the experience in the facility will approach the level of the competitors who will use it.

Across the construction fence from the courts will rise the $70 million Student Recreation and Wellness Center with ground breaking this winter and kids flying around in a healthy manner by fall 2010. The plans include a specialized fast-track construction method but the project has to await the completion of the next parking structure on the campus corner near Atherton since the new building will eat up surface parking spaces.

There is also a lot of hammering around the swimming pool but the grand design of new soccer and track facilities and improvements to softball is still hush-hush.

Now from the places “under construction” to the people - namely the volleyball, soccer and basketball teams. We start with the volley ladies who added some Special C to their program, freshmen Cat Highmark and Caitlan Ledoux who are a huge part of a youth movement that led the Niners last weekend to a perfect 3-0 in the LBSU tournament. A bonus for the Beach faithful was a visit, including silver medal, by Tayyiba Haneef-Park voted the best female volleyball player in the world, who posed for pictures then went home for her favorite meal, Dad’s pasta.

The Niner coach, Brian Gimmillaro, is having to really earn his cookies this year, he has more speed and defense but less offense. The Beach is on the road the next two weekends with a tour of Florida this weekend (Florida State, Florida A&M and Florida) and then to Boston the following weekend for a spelling bee with Harvard, Dartmouth and American.

Soccer returned from paradise, i.e. Hawaii, after roaring back to upset the host Wahine 4-3 and settling for a 0-0 overtime tie with 23rd ranked Denver. LB faces Harvard on campus Friday at 4:30 and then Sunday afternoon plays UNLV. Their skipper, Mauricio Ingrassia, has shuffled goalies rotating seniors Liz Ramos and Breanna Breedlove but finding playing time for frosh superstars Lindsay Bullock and Shawna Gordon.

Going inside it is eerily quiet on the ladies hoop front but almost wild in anticipation of year two of the Dan Monson era. Over the weekend LBSU scoring leader Donavan Morris (21.2 ppg last year on a team that won six games) actually had me convinced that he welcomes another talented gunner, Stephan Gilling, the red shirt shooter from Colorado State, and super preps Eugene Phelps and Casper Ware. “It’s finally going to be fun”, Morris said.

ROUND-UP DUST—Gathered these gems from here and there. “You know it’s a strange baseball season when Madonna has become a part of it”…unrelated, former Dirtbag Chuck Lopez got married at Blair last weekend….the worst two words in sports these days are “luxury box.”…my old West Virginia home town, Parkersburg, was the #2 sports town in the USA sayeth ESPN.

President Alexander and I are down for a NCAA-compliant friendly bet this weekend, I have my alma mater Miami and he has his old employer, Florida. You see King’s parents both worked on the UF campus in Gainesville and as a lad “I sold Cokes for seven years in their football stadium.” Fast forward on the sports and money beat, I predict that one day Alexander will become president of the NCAA and (since the current NCAA chief, Myles Brand, earned $935,000 in 2006-07)it wouldn’t be a pay cut from either his days in Gator concessions or Brotman Hall.

Two more hoop highlights are 6'7" incoming studs Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson. Now remembering Mr. Morris and all Freshmen team member Greg Plater with some productivity from the post the good old days may be the good new days.

Remembering the really old days, here is a Don Dyer grid iron moment. LB AD ViC Cegles jetted back east last Saturday for the football opener of his son’s Towson State Tigers who played at the Naval Academy. Navy won the game but son Casey Cegles caught six passes for 98 yards. This weekend is the Tigers' home opener when they play Morgan State at Johnny Unitas Stadium and debut a new 47-foot wide Daktronics HD video board. Hey Vic, I wonder if they have one that bleeds black and gold?

Speaking of LB colors, recently departed SID boss Steve Janisch (likely still driving through Texas as you read this) is enroute to Florida after an over flow crowd at Legend’s saluted his talent and leadership. Steve’s service to LBSU actually began in the brown and gold era and included hand holding of such coaching luminaries as George Allen, Joan Bonvicini and Brian Gimmillaro not to mention the usually irascible local and out of town press corp.

Where are theys—former track coach and fitness guru George Mehale, an all American distance runner in his college days at UTEP, stopped by the Long Beach Century Club with a couple of his L.B.C.C. Cross-country athletes, Doug Curran from Wilson and Leroy Zion from Poly. His take on the Olympic marathoners is that that the Africans are so far ahead of the rest of the world due to their "training"...beginning when they start walking to school - three miles each way - both uphill”.

Last add people and places. Women’s hoop Coach Mary Hegarty has completed her staff, naming Michelle Erickson, JV coach at Mater Dei High as the team's Director of Operations joining Jackie Zink, an intern at Stanford, as new members of the Niner coaching staff for the 2008-09 season.

Closing quote in the Olympic spirit. The Miami Herald’s Michelle Kaufman reports, “Spain’s tennis star Rafael Nadal, Chinese hero Yao Ming, German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki and Argentine soccer hero Lionel Messi, turned down posh hotel digs to slum it with kayakers and archers in the Athletes Village. They shared apartments, ate in the dining hall, took buses to venues and passed free time in the Internet café and game room.” That’s better than all the fussing and fighting.—DR. DAN

NEED FRESH MUD? TAKE ALL THIS DUST, ADD YOUR FAVORITE LIQUID, AND STIR

2008-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

One of my faithful readers once reminded me that Dust is Mud with the Juice squeezed out. Now that you have the secret formula memorized, this issue is comes with one simple instruction--add water (or your favorite adult beverage) and enjoy.

First the numbers game: Andrew Liebel, a Scott Boras client, went to work August 1 for the Toronto farm team in the NY-Penn league banking a $340,000 bonus. No word yet on another of the Boras boys, unsigned not-quite-yet-ex-Bag Danny Espinosa.

For Niner ladies volleyball the number is two, as picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Beach will miss four-time All-American Alexis Crimes but return 1st-team All-Big West outside hitter Quincy Verdin, reliable setter Nicole Vargas, All-Freshman team opposite hitter Ashley Lee and a handful of promising freshmen. Cal Poly, last season's champs, was picked first.
Beijing bound, of course, are lots of male and female fan favorites from LBSU. The men’s team will employ Tom Hoff (1995-96), David Lee and Scott Touzinsky (2001-04). The USA team won the FIVB World League title before a crowd of 5,700 in Rio de Janeiro and collected $1 million for the tournament victory. They begin their Olympic odyssey on Sunday.

For the ladies there are inside and outside stars. On top of most of the local TIVO lists is the beach volleyball venue where Misty May-Treanor and partner Kerri Walsh seek to continue unbeaten in this millennium. After China insiders say both ladies hope to hang gold in nurseries. Happily married, Misty and Kerri want to baby-up and then explore all their options. Misty’s option may well be back at Long Beach as successor to LB alum and 24 year assistant extraordinaire Debbie Green Vargas who has hinted about this being her final year. Daughter Nicole graduates LB in the spring but her sister Dana, a sophomore at UCSB, wouldn’t mind having a mom in the stands (instead of on the other bench) cheering her final two seasons.
For the indoor USA VB ladies, the Niners have sent two powerful players, Danielle Scott-Arruds and Tayyiba Haneef-Park, but the American’s road to a medal is really difficult.

Back on campus, the mid-summer shock is the impending departure of sports information director Steve Janisch. A smooth and steady face of the University for almost 25 years and, as Steve said himself, “that’s a lot of nights, weekends and 50-to-60 hour weeks.” Hard to replace but LBSU is a good job and expect a stellar line-up of outside applicants from some of the great NCAA programs around the West plus some award winning sports writers being down-sized by the newspaper crisis.

Still waiting for a diamond note? Okay here’s a bit: looks like the PAC-10 will soon have a post-season tourney. Kendall Rogers of Rivals.com expects a dual hosting model, like Arizona/Arizona State, Oregon/Oregon State, California/Stanford, USC/UCLA. If they go that route the Big West may be forced to follow.
Finances of course demand some corporate sponsorship, but every one is beating that same dog. At LBSU the cash cow 49er Camps had a deep cut in enrollees just as tuition, fees, and housing are going up. We weren’t always this broke but sometimes you are the bug and sometimes you are the windshield.

Now a nice story about the amazing Evan Longoria who is making the world forget Eva Longoria. Evan’s aunt Julie brought her nephew and his cap collection to her classroom. "I brought in the whole collection: Bosco, Rio Hondo, Long Beach State Dirtbags, Chatham A's, Hudson Valley Renegades, Visalia Oaks, Montgomery Biscuits, Durham Bulls and Tampa Bay," she said. "When they saw all the hats, I think they understood how hard Evan had to keep working."

Next up two more salutes. The first is to USA Baseball’s 24-0 overall on the 2008 summer with a riveting and well-reported world tour. The second salute goes to former floor-burner and 49er favorite Grant Stone. Stone recently was written up in his Jenks, Oklahoma home town paper. The locals there still remember December 1995 when Grant helped Jenks defeat the Kobe Bryant-led Lower Merion, Pennsylvania big out of state tourney. Stone defended Kobe, scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the last high school game Bryant ever lost. Oh yes, Kobe was held to a mere 31.–DR. DAN

Budget envy-dept. Long-time Bakersfield residents Tom and Barbara Hardt have given $1 million to CSU Bakersfield's just beginning baseball program. The money will be half of a two million buck on-campus baseball training and playing facility.

It is more good golly Miss Molly for UC Irvine. Molly Goodenbour's from Chico State has replaced Molly Tuter in women’s hoops. At Chico for Molly G. it was a short but lively tenure. Seven Wildcats from her first season left the team, with that popular reasoning of improving “team dynamics”. Heard that before.

Where Are They Dept. Former D-Bag Tito Cruz will try his hand a skippering. Out of pro baseball with a pulled hamstring, Tito was back at his high school alma mater Hoover High “just trying to stay in shape,” when he and the Hoover brass looked at each other and bingo the former Tornadoes baseball standout was named their new head coach. Tito was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 34th round of the 2006 Draft.

Part Two W.A. T. Web board legend and LBSU alum Beach Attack (Dennis Wallace) writes he has moved from Houston to El Paso for work reasons where he will “check in on UTEP football and basketball this fall and even get up to Las Cruces once in a while to see NM ST play.” Maybe even get a family report from Syracuse where the Beach basketball boys play in December. He son just started a masters program (Public Administration/Affairs). Heard that before too.

Closing Prayers. Speaking of my favorite folk, bureaucrats, the NCAA believes that, in some cases, fields are not being lined properly before play begins. In particular, the batter's box is occasionally too close to home plate and the coaching box is too close to the foul line or home plate. (Translated: players step out too long to get signals). The NCAA plans to outline the proper procedures to follow when lining fields to ensure “compliance.” Umps will judge field markings before starting play. Oh, yes and speed up the game! Heard that before, three. See you in September.—DR. DAN

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT DUSTING OF NOTES, QUOTES, RUMORS AND RED, WHITE AND BLUE INFORMATIONS

2008-07-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

One of the blessings of summer in California is that it is cooler than say, Florida. Also our off-season-one-Dust-per-month schedule promises no long philosophical treatises - just a napkin full of notes. So go ahead, put these hot links on your grill and enjoy the fireworks.

First up, let’s unload the raisin truck from Fresno. Finally some FSU good news on the sports pages, as opposed to the bad news from the courthouse. In the same week that the baseball team treated the Red Wave to a national title their former women's basketball coach reached a $9 million settlement deal on a discrimination lawsuit. Similar circumstances had Fresno paying their former volleyball coach $4.52 million and $3.5 million to a former athletic administrator.

Fresno’s improbable baseball journey began in our LB regional and reminded me of the hypochondriac who told St. Peter “I told you I wasn’t feeling well.” I said at that the Bulldogs looked like a pretty tough four seed. That leads us to our opening quote, this from Fresno’s NCAA Coach of the year Mike Batesole on why folks overlooked FSU. "We were talking about Omaha in March when we should've been talking about March in March. But I knew this was a good baseball team when we beat Long Beach State in Long Beach.”

Speaking of LB and baseball, there are still three sessions of the Dirtbag kid’s camp open: Session II - July 7-11; Session III - July 21-25; and Session IV - August 4-8 plus a High School Showcase July 14-16, all on the Long Beach State Campus Field. Sign ups still open.

Remember “The Hat” that LB alum Paul Goydos made famous at the PGA Player’s Championship? Well it is going up on the wall at Legends in a shadow box with a sign that says “THE HAT”. Very selective about his tourney stops, Goydos scorched the Buick Invitational last weekend, 11 under par but alas on a course where the winner shot 19 under. Paul did stuff another 35 grand in his golf bag but his finest quality may be the glowing infomercial he delivers on the values of his alma mater, for athletes and just regular folks. Very refreshing.

On the home front more than a dozen returning Niners are scattered around the country for summer ball from the prestigious Cape Cod League to Alaska, Northwoods, Texas and West Coast Collegiate Leagues. At the Cape is prized lefthander Adam Wilk, Danny Espinosa’s heir apparent at shortstop, Devin Lohman, and Sunday starter Jake Thompson. Last add locals, when the tough minded agent Scott Boras finally makes the deal with Toronto for Andrew Liebel insiders expect him to head up to the short season Auburn (NY) Doubledays where Cal hitting star David Cooper is on the roster and hitting .339.

Now to the always in motion coaching carousel. First there is former Dirtbag, some say the original hitting star, Don Barbara, who comes to Pacific after three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Sacramento State. Don served as the Hornets' hitting coach, infield coach, third base coach and recruiting coordinator and before that was for seven years a coach at LBSU where he ran the offense from third base and, as a player (Division I Hitter of the Year in 1990 after batting .474) made the 49er Hall of Fame. Gone from UOP is another former LB assistant, Steve Pearse, who spent five years in Stockton, but as a former Fresno State player and assistant no doubt will surface again soon.

Next on the shift list is women’s basketball aide Jason Flowers who will take the same post at UC Riverside. The open question is whether his wife, Olympic softball star Tairia Flowers, who now works with the Niner softballers, will be back in the black and gold. She previously worked at UCR.

Last in this list is Rick Vanderhook, who assisted at Cal State Fullerton for 21 seasons, has ended his year off taking a deal to be an assistant baseball coach at UCLA. Should add a little salsa to the mix when the Bruins play the Nutwood Nine next year.

Good guy and recently retired golf coach Bob Livingstone is working with Del and Marty Walker's son Jimmy and his wife Darlene, in the creation of the Del Walker Intercollegiate Endowment. Contact Bob at (boblivy@gmail.com ) or by phone at 562-225-5547. Bob also passed on the news that Mr. Goydos, a playoff runner-up to Spain's Sergio Garcia at THE PLAYERS Championship, posted rounds of 65-66 to finish at 13-under par and gain medalist honors at Dearborn Country Club and entry into the British Open, golf's longest running major championship. After celebrating his 16th year on the PGA TOUR the British was "my number one goal for the year," he said. "If nothing else happened this year, I wanted to play in the British Open. A lot of other good things have happened on top of that, but this really has been my number one goal."

Closing the napkin we are pleased to report on the news that 49er athletes scored extremely well in the NCAA Academic Progress Rates (APR) data. Every LBSU team met or exceeded the standard score of 925 and four teams post perfect scores of 1,000 in the 2006-07 academic year: men's cross country, men's volleyball, women's basketball and women's volleyball.

That was the top of the charts! The bottom? Well, a bunch of big timers will lose scholarships: in football: Orange Bowl champion Kansas, Washington State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Akron, UAB, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Hawaii, Idaho, UNLV, New Mexico State, North Texas, Temple and Toledo. In basketball Colorado, Kansas State, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Carolina, USC and Tennessee were among the 53 Division I programs cited. Worst of the CSU’s is San Jose State (punishments for baseball, football, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's soccer, and women's basketball teams)

Finally back to baseball where next season there will be two new West Coast baseball programs, one at CSU Bakersfield, a BWC wannabe, and Oregon under Fullerton escapee George Horton. Which leads us to our closing quote, “A baseball is round, but it comes in a square box.” See you again in August—DR. DAN

FROM THE FUTURE TO THE PAST AND WEB SURFING IN BETWEEN…

2008-06-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Pilots 3, Seals 2—Jones and Brown….

With one swing of Clayton Shaw's bat, the San Francisco Seals became the first team outside the Alaska Baseball League to win this season as the Anchorage Glacier Pilots lost 3-2 in extra innings at Mulcahy Stadium on Saturday.
The third baseman knocked in the game-winning run in the top of the 12th inning to keep the Pilots from mounting their third rally in as many days.
Trailing by one in the bottom of the ninth inning, Pilots outfielder Jonathan Jones doubled to score Matt Harughty from second base and keep the home team alive.
Jones, a Long Beach State freshman who went 4 for 6 with two doubles and an RBI in his Pilots debut, had a chance to drive in the go-ahead run in the 11th after Nano Jacobsen singled to left field. But Jones popped out to the shortstop to end the inning.

The Pilots gave up two runs in the first off starter Travis Kelly and the bullpen held the Seals scoreless until Shaw's single to center in the 12th.
Local pitchers Conor Spink and Zac Beltz combined for two scoreless innings of relief. David Brown of Long Beach State took the loss.
Bryan Haar went 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the second inning and Joe Scott finished with two hits for the Pilots.

PAC TEN WOES—

The Pacific-10 Conference: After touting itself as the nation's premier college baseball conference, the Pac-10 choked in postseason play. California was 0-2 in the Long Beach State regional. UCLA won its first two games at the Cal State Fullerton regional, before dropping two in a row to the host team. Arizona won the Ann Arbor regional and then beat No. 1-ranked Miami in the first game of the super regional in Florida. But Miami won the next two games and eliminated the underachieving Wildcats. Arizona State, the No. 3 national seed, won its regional in Tempe and beat Fresno State in the first round of the super regional at home. But Arizona State folded and lost two in a row. Stanford is the Pac-10's only representative in Omaha. The Atlantic Coast Conference placed three teams -- Miami, North Carolina and Florida State -- and delivered a large slice of humble pie to Pac-10 fans.

BUCK’S NEW TEAM HAS STANDARDS!!

The younger players will encounter rigid policies.
The Pirates have implemented a program requiring players to perform five hours of unpaid community service per half season. The Pirates will document the service time each player accumulates. The previous front office encouraged community service but didn’t publicly reveal any formal requirements. The program could increase the number of public appearances Spikes make this summer.
The previous front office stressed discipline during the start of its tenure. But policy enforcement slid and Coonelly was alarmed after hearing stories of players using communication devices in the bullpen and the lax attitudes teams took when aligning themselves during the national anthem and “God Bless America.”
Stark said discipline matters will be handled “swiftly and sternly,” and the Pirates released pitcher prospect Olivo Astacio earlier this year for violating an organizational policy.

Stark said he’s pleased with the overall progress the system has made since he arrived in November. But he might never be satisfied until the systematic approaches produce a sustainable winner in Pittsburgh. That will take more than one year’s worth of visits to Medlar Field. “We have a long ways to go,” Stark said. “There are obviously a number of things we can improve upon and we haven’t fixed one thing until we start winning in Pittsburgh.”

OUR PALS FROM WICHITA STATE

WSU coach Gene Stephenson shaved nine games off Augie Garrido's lead as college baseball's winningest coach. Texas went 39-22, giving Garrido a 1,668-777-8 record. He is 15 games up on Stephenson, who is 1,653-550-3. And next season The Shockers open in a tournament in Fort Myers, Fla., hosted by Florida Gulf Coast. Temple and Central Michigan complete the field. WSU plays at TCU and gets Pepperdine and Long Beach State at home for weekend series. BYU visits Eck Stadium for a two-game, midweek set. Looks like Gene may catch Augie in 2010!

LAST ADD FROM LSU-LBSU and 1993--the “That Close” year…

1993 is where LSU's legendary late heroics began thanks to Todd Walker. After beating Long Beach State 7-1 and then getting a grand slam from Walker for a 13-8 win over Texas A&M , the Tigers blew an 8-6 lead to Long Beach State and fell 10-8. Two days later, LSU rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to eliminate Long Beach State 6-5. Armando Rios doubled in two runs for a 5-5 tie. With two on and one out, Long Beach State elected to pitch to the hot Walker, who delivered a game-winning single for the victory.

FAREWELL, GOODBYE, SEE YOU LATER AND OTHER ASSORTED WIT AND WISDOM

2008-06-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

Unless you win the College World Series, the final out of a college baseball season is always the toughest. Fans and friends, players and parents, alums and students that tailgated, traveled, hugged and hung-over together now just seem to dissolve and disappear.

That scenario began to happen late Sunday afternoon at Blair Field when the ending was written on the 2008 Long Beach State Dirtbag baseball season, a passion play in three parts. Part one was the rousing opening scene at 17 wins and just three losses. Part two, the mid season funk and part three, a flourish at the end with Big West hardware headed to the 49er trophy room.

While at times it is easier to explain the Russian missile codes than the NCAA selection criteria, Long Beach did earn the right to stay in their home sweet home. Not only that, the Beach boys got the top seed in a talented field of teams ranging from the sophisticated University of California, the rough and ready Bulldogs of CSU system sister Fresno State and the small, private and silver spoon folks from the University of San Diego.

After the visitors unpacked their bats and hats they all expressed appreciation for Blair Field and the arrangements that CSULB had made for their stay in LB. That was especially true for the pitchers who by and large love the wide open spaces that yielded a mere two homers all weekend. The bunting fluttered in the breezes, a tent city provided hospitality to the visiting brass, and the media even had their own chow hall.

Enough of the artistic and hospitality success stories, the home boys and their supporters, were trying again to get out of their own regional. Despite the tee shirts and signs that said the road to Omaha Begins in Long Beach a number of folks suggested that in the future the 49ers might be better off playing on the road, the route they took to their previous four College World Series trips in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1998. Case in point, Irvine took the road all the way to Omaha last year and, having just won the regional on the home field of the University of Nebraska, might do it again this year.

So what about the Niners next year--reload or rebuild? At the moment it looks a lot like rebuild. Gone will be the entire infield including the exceptionally talented Shane Peterson and Danny Espinosa. Both of the “Cal” guys, Berkeley transfers Travis Howell and Jason Corder are seniors and the heart of the pitching staff, Liebel, Worley, and Shaw have either gone pro, cap and gown or both. There are some promising recruits and underclassmen but Mike Weathers and staff are hopeful that Brett Lorin and Nick Vincent, both draft eligible, stick around to anchor the 2009 Dirtbag pitching corps and that matter along with the rest of the roster unfolding over the summer.

Which brings us to our annual shift in the Diamond Dust writing schedule. From now until late January this column will appear in the Grunion Gazette on the first Thursday of each month, catching you up on the athletically significant or just plain interesting people at Long Beach State. For my blog (http://drdansdiamonddust.blogspot.com/) we write whenever the mood strikes but the Florida based email list is a bit schizophrenic so you might want to use that RSS feed feature that notifies you when something new has been posted. Of course my email is the same and I love your tips and tidbits, factual or otherwise! Last add, don’t tell Arnold and his tax men but I plan to hang out in LB over the summer except for some secret side trips…but I will get my six months and one day in FLA somewhere along the line! Be good to yourself and each other--DR DAN

A DUST IN TWO PARTS--NO QUIT NINERS CAGE THE BEARS 9-2 AND THEN...

2008-06-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

First round Friday is followed by Survival Saturday. Survival Sunday and Championship Monday so that would put your at home but still hopeful Dirtbags going after the highest ranked team in the Long Beach Regional, the #7 University of San Diego Toreros. It took LBSU’s slumbering bats (all three of them) an extra day to wake up, but when TPX 33, 33 and 34 emerged from their snoozing they were clearly hungry. Embarrassed by a lackluster loss to Fresno Friday night, the real Dirtbags finally showed up and raked the Cal Bears for 13 hits in a 9-2 loser's bracket must-win contest. The prize, another shot at USD who beat the Beach twice in the mid week earlier this year but have already burned their pitching aces Brian Matusz and Josh Romanski.

In the other dugout the pitching deck isn’t exactly stacked for the scrappy 49ers but they have a nice mixture of fresh starters and quality relievers left for the rest of this four game grind to Championship Monday. For the Beach the Sunday selection is talented and soon to be drafted Vance Worley who USD did not see in their 5-3 and 4-2 regular season wins but did see when LB won a three game fall ball exhibition occasioned by the change in NCAA allowed practices. Worley was rated the 121st best prospect coming out this season by Baseball America and might have been higher except for some nagging elbow issues. His career high in Ks was 11 at Hawaii but for the home folks his finest hour was that complete game dousing of Fullerton last weekend, 8 hits, 3 ERs, 6 Ks and one walk.

Last night the mound star was an “I was getting tired” Brett Lorin, in only his second weekend start, upped his record to 5-3, and 2-0 on the weekends. The only damage done was a fourth inning two-run homer by Cal right fielder Blake Smith but by that time the Beach was leading 5-0. Quote the Weatherman, ““Like anything else it’s all about pitching. When you get to this level you have to have good pitching. I thought Brett (Lorin) set the tone and matched up very well against Cal. He gave us five strong innings and our bullpen did a very good job.” Quote Lorin who once was Mr. Monday (and there aren’t many Monday games), “I felt good out there today even though I got a little tired in the fifth. My curveball was a lot better today than it has been. I was pounding the zone on both sides and everything was working today. I just got more opportunities as the season went along. My stuff got better and I’ve been a lot more comfortable and confident.” Beyond the offense this contest also depended on yet another brilliant closing act authored by Wilk, Vincent and Roberts who gave the Bears no honey. The Long Beach pound machine was paced by a former Bear catcher Travis Howell who was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI with help from a two-run single by Jason Tweedy and the glove and stick of Danny Espinosa. “"We hit their mistakes," Espinosa said.”We struck out too much yesterday and today we did a lot better." Four 49ers had multiple hits Jones, Espinosa, Corder and Howell but the Beach still left 13 on base. Defensively the Bags did shuffle some spots, notably Jones going to left after an unsettling Friday lost to Fresno. “The deal with Jonathan was more that I was upset with the way he played centerfield Friday night. In pre-game, we saw that his arm was pretty good from left field and he proved that in the first inning. We might have found a left fielder from here on out.” Guess so skipper because for the second game in a row Cal (33-21-2 and about now on flights back to the Bay area) had an early run snuffed at the plate by great outfield throws.

Meanwhile the surprise of this party is the regionally fourth-seeded Bulldogs (39-27) who moved one victory away from winning the regional thanks to the CG pitching of Clayton Allison who allowed but five hits for the victory over the second seeded Toreros who still have lefty starter Ricardo Pecina who beat the Beach earlier this year ready for the Niners…maybe seeing his old team helped but Howell's three-hit game was his first since March and first RBI since late April…"I did some things to simplify things at the plate, visualized some success"….last add teasing the Titans…did I remember to say that Fullerton has now lost three of their last four?....they play Virginia in a loser’s bracket game today at 4 p.m. with UCLA, a program that is often ridiculed and mocked on the Titan web boards, in the catbird seat awaiting an opponent as is UCI at Lincoln…Pepperdine is in the winners spot at Stanford and awaiting the Davis-Stanford result…ain’t it fun—ELVIS JOE

THE POST-MORTEN POST SCRIPT…USD 5, LBSU 1….unless your win the CWS the final out of a season is always the toughest--fans and friends and players and parents that have tailgated-traveled-hugged and hung-over together now just seem to dissolve and disappear…gone will be the infield , the Cal guys Travis Howell and Jason Corder plus the heart of the pitching staff, Liebel, Worley, Shaw….hopefully Lorin and Vincent stick around and anchor the 2009 Dirtbags…2008 was a play in three parts, the rousing opening scene at 17-3, the mid season funk and a flourish at the end with Big West hardware on the mantle piece…stay in touch with each other and see you in February—DR. DAN

EYES ONLY ETC...“WE ARE NOT DONE YET”: SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND HIGH HOPES FROM A FLAT FRIDAY

2008-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the early edition of your NCAA Long Beach Regional tournament and featuring an unexpected afternoon elimination game between Cal and Cal State. I know that the reference to the home boys as “Cal State” will spike the blood pressure of the hard core, but the general consensus is that there wasn’t much dirtbag in the Dirtbags last night. A virtual unknown guy in this pitching rich regional, lefty Justin Wilson, mixed his stuff in a somewhat out of control fashion, fanned 11 locals in seven innings, and unranked FSU upset the 11th-ranked 49ers 7-3.

Hardly in the same national limelight of hurlers like Matusz, Liebel, Romanski, and Ross, Wilson was the perfect poison for LBSU fanning the first six LB hitters and nine of the first eleven. Swinging early and guessing badly, the Beach never took advantage of his control issues--one wild pitch, two hit batters and three base on balls.

Post game Mike Weathers didn’t like much of anything except Wilson who played for the other side. ““Well, the name of the game was Justin Wilson. He pretty much dominated us and that puts a little unease in the hitters minds…I thought we were pretty undisciplined during that time…We talked about quality of at bats all of the time and we had three quality at bats on my score sheet all night, so we really didn’t do anything all night. The way we’ve been playing down the stretch to get to this point, this is disappointing”. Actually despite the plate impatience their was hope at 3-2 and even 4-2 if, as Liebel would say, “if we could avoid a big inning…” but alas three runs in the top of the eighth upped the Dog lead to five runs and that was it except to change the alarm clocks from a 6 p.m. winner bracket contest to this win or wind it up afternoon sizzler on Seventh. Liebel ended the press conference with that steely glare and the prediction, “We are not done yet.” Now for the Dirtbag’s match-up with the #20-ranked California baseball team. All world USD guy Brian Matusz, a millionaire in waiting on Thursday, snuffed the Bears on just three hits enroute to a 5-0 shutout by a team, No. 7-ranked University of San Diego, who should have been hosting their own show but, well after last year’s two and BBQ in SD are frankly happier taking their act on the road. "It was a tough ballgame," said Cal coach David Esquer, whose Bears are in their first regional since 2001. "That was as good of a pitching performance against us as we have seen this season. We knew it was going to be a game of inches with such good pitching on both teams. We just gave them a little too much and they took advantage of the opportunity. You have to have great defense in this ball park and we did early but…”
In late March the Bears swept the 49ers up there, 6-1, 10-6, and 4-3.

You would think that Cal will go to one of their weekend regulars, righty Alex Rollin (5.40), or reflecting on the Beach woes with the Fresno lefty, Craig Bennigson (6.79). Weathers, looking for four more games, will start Brett Lorin in the must win game and then have Worley, Thompson and Johnny Wholestaff IF the occasion allows…Paul Goydos, in a third base box, had more visitors than Mayor Foster…Gene Rotundo of Legends, hauling food to tent city, will take ownership June 9th of that auctioned PGA worn Dirtbag cap that Goydos showed the world during his sensational Players Championship…off this week, his 2008 earnings are $1,355,467…Larry Randall, the veteran Big West Ump, gave a thumbs up on the status of his fellow Blue brother Reuben Chivara who was knocked unconscious by a foul tip in the Fullerton series…”he’s got a sore head but he will be fine.”

While LBSU AD Vic Cegles was not happy to see his 49ers lose to the Fresno FSU, he was likely happier that his alma mater Bucknell spanked the other FSU, Florida State, 7-0 last night in Tally town…in the BWC action a couple of close but big cigars for Irvine and Davis and the expected 11-0 ho-hummer by Fullerton over the lowly low-riders of Rider…Closer Eric Pettis got out of a bases-loaded jam in the 9th as UC Irvine held off Oral Roberts, 9-7, at the Nebraska Regional. For Davis senior right-hander Eddie Gamboa pitched a four-hit complete game, and Evan Hudson lined a two-run double to highlight a four-run seventh inning to lift UC Davis to a 4-2 upset of top-seeded and No.15-ranked Stanford….the Aggies get a win in their first-ever NCAA D-I playoff game and improve to 35-22 overall and face Pepperdine today….we close with a quote from Coach Weathers who was asked about big names falling on NCAA Day One--Texas, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Florida State…”well, I guess we are on that list now"—DR. DAN

EYES ONLY, UNDERGROUND, UNAUTHORIZED KICKING UP SOME LB REGIONAL DUST

2008-05-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

We will begin this private, eyes-only missive by dissecting the Dogs, Fresno State, not your next door neighbor’s little yelper. I do this despite a warning from my ESPN pal Michael Strahan who reminded me that “The last time you had a uniform on was when you were five and your mom took you trick or treating.” Yes but now I am a journalist—(remember how quickly I desert the bleachers and boxes when it is too cold or too sunny). Okay? Comprende? Now let’s proceed in the AARP banned really small type!

Here is what the smart guys at Baseball America had to say, “Fresno State opened the year ranked No. 18 but stumbled to an 8-12 start before recovering to win the WAC's regular season and conference tournament for the third straight year. Fresno's chances took a major hit when ace righthander Tanner Scheppers (8-2, 2.93 with 109 strikeouts in 71 innings)—a potential top-10 overall pick in the draft—went down in mid-May with shoulder pain, ending his season. But the Bulldogs still have a nice collection of experienced, quality arms, led by lefthanders Justin Wilson (6-4, 4.29) and righty Clayton Allison (2-5, 4.17), plus a stalwart closer in Brandon Burke (4-5, 3.26 with 10 saves). The lineup has some power, led by senior outfielder Steve Susdorft (.347 with 10 homers and 75 RBIs), first baseman Alan Ahmady (.389 with 12 homers and 79 RBIs) and third baseman Tommy Mendonca (.273 with 14 homers). One major concern: Danny Muno (21 errors, .903 fielding percentage) is a defensive liability at shortstop, and this regional should place a premium on execution.” Quote end quote.

Next is my own stroll through the FSU post season guide. First, the schedule. Rough start noted above including beat downs early by Davis and SLO, first nine games go three wins and six losses. Better in April until they drop the last four in the month (Nevada and USF) and then can’t solve NMSU. May is much better but the competition is MCC level, sort of like MGB, a light beverage heavy on San Jose and Sac State. Today’s Dog pitcher has been better of late, a 3.20 ERA over the last four starts (25.1 innings). Offensively, Susdorf and Ahmady are RBI giants with 67 and 74 to rank nationally and Danny Muno is 45th the USA in bases on balls. In the stands should be some FSU fans with nine area kids playing but the Red Wave of old is still holding back the passion of yesteryear. Asked about Fresno State's future hopes of hosting an NCAA Tournament themselves, "That is our master plan. We want to earn the respect that will get us back there. We won our third straight conference tournament and have never done that before. We have talked about putting ourselves in a place to host a regional again." This weekend he claims to not be worried. "This is a big weekend with all four of us having seen each other. We have seen Long Beach State twice, Cal three times and San Diego in regional action the past few years. One through four, this regional is probably the toughest regional this year." Oh yes, Susdorf on LB’s hitters, asked about having seen their opponents during the season, "It's nice to see all their hitters and to know what pitches to throw them." Okay.

Batesole, you will recall, got CSUN to the BWC title in his last season…and in 1996 the Mats actually were a game away from the CWS…Justin Wilson has a so-so walk to strikeout ration, 50 walks and a mere 72 Ks in his 92.1 innings…he did have 11 Ks against La Tech in raisin country but relieved in a tourney game against Nevada and allowed six hits in two innings…the team bats at a .301 clip, pitches to a 4.54 team ERA and fields at .971…oh yes, both Peterson (first team, 3.85 GPA in Finance, Real Estate and Law) and Susdorf (second team) have won academic All-American status so if a spelling bee breaks out we could settle matters that way…Susdorf’s advice to the young Dogs in his dugout, “slow it down...,” …that dugout will be on the third base line…top seed gets to pick their side and the Niners will stay in their normal place…Peterson ranks amongst the Big West top-10 in nine different offensive categories, first in batting (.399) and on-base percentage (.510), second in slugging (.601) and rated by Baseball America as the 75th-best prospect in the June Amateur Draft which is next Thursday…a key to this weekend however may well be the re-emergence of Niner senior slugger Brandon Godfrey who batted .553 last week (8-for-15) in leading the Dirtbags over the over-rated F hats… he earned his third career Big West Player of the Week honor, and first since two in 2007.

The Weathers report from the press conference was upbeat. “When we were 17-3, I did tell the guys that there were some things that were not right, but it’s hard to get that across when you're winning. Obviously when you're losing 10 of 11, everyone is more attentive...that was a place this program had never been before. I tried to be patient with it and lean on the experience coming back. There were very high expectations for this team and no excuses for that streak. I think the biggest thing was for me to step in and tell them things were not right and to be real about the situation." Regarding the progress of Jonathan Jones, "He's really been one of our saving graces when we lost our regular center fielder, senior Chris Nelson to a knee injury. Freshmen like J.J. (Jonathan Jones) always want a chance to show what they can do and he certainly showed. He's hit in 34 of 40 games his freshman year and he's really solidified us in center field. He's done a great job not only in center but with the added pressure of being our leadoff man."

And finally the remarkable Andrew Liebel, who Mike said was starting Friday because FSU can really hit and, “I still have Illinois-Chicago (4-1 loss in the game one of last year’s Regional) in the back of my mind.” Back to Liebel and his view of how he helped the team during the losing streak. "My role wasn't really to change anything that I was doing. I just had to go out there and make Friday more important than it already is and put the team back in a position to get back on track." And Andrew, is this start different from others? "It is what it is...it’s a baseball game and I'm going to go out there and compete like I have all year. It’s no bigger than any other game." Finally about the MLB draft, "My position is what it is and I'm not going to worry about it. I haven't put too much thought into it and what's important is this Regional. What's most exciting for me right now is the start tomorrow.” And this squib from Gary Klein in the LA Times on Danny Espinosa and that shortstop U stuff…”Espinosa is batting .311 and playing solid, sometimes spectacular defense for the 49ers, who won a share of the Big West Conference title and are top-seeded in a four-team NCAA Regional that begins today at Blair Field…at 6feet and 190 pounds, Espinosa is not as rangy as Crosby or Tulowitzki, both of whom stand 6-3. But he shares a common mentality. "They all love to catch the ball, I mean with a burning desire," Long Beach State Coach Mike Weathers said. "Some guys, you watch them in workouts and it's no big deal to them to miss balls hit during drills or batting practice. But Bobby, Troy and Danny are all the same -- they get really upset. They don't want to miss anything."

Finally, a couple of shots at Fullerton, especially the conspiracy theorists like Fullerton’s Don In Section K…the LSU press wondered if the Tigers needed to beat Ole Miss to get the 7 national seed…. “They had done enough to get a national seed,” NCAA chair Larry Templeton said Wednesday during the SEC Spring Meeting…the NCAA determines regional host sites and national seeds before Sunday play and so perhaps LB didn’t get the boost it should have for beating FU on Sunday, and the Titans were not dropped a notch for losing…and how easy is the Titan Regional?…you know UCLA, and maybe have heard of Rider but UVA, terrible offense…The lone power threats in the lineup are juniors Jeremy Farrell (.320 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs) and David Adams (.282 with six homers and 50 RBIs)…the Cavs rank 240th in the nation with 25 homers…finally if he hadn’t once been a Titan or the guy that clobbered us at Cal, I would likely like David Cooper, especially when his press conference included his thoughts on the decision to transfer to California from Cal State Fullerton, "It's been exactly what I wanted it to be. It's more of a university feel as opposed to Fullerton, which is more of a commuter school. I like the camaraderie of the school and it’s been exactly what I wanted.”…let the games continue and remember "the ability to reach for the stars is not available to all individuals and teams. Consult local rules and regulations and restrictions."--SIDD FINCH

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GOOD BYE TO THE TITANS—AND NOW ON WITH THE SHOW

2008-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

From Sunday afternoon to Monday morning the Long Beach State baseball team moved from the intersection of Euphoria Avenue to Reality Road. The euphoria of course was the eighth inning announcement of the news that the Niners earned the assignment as an NCAA regional host next weekend in the wide open spaces of their home park, Blair Field. The reality, likely the toughest field in the nation with teams ranked 6 (San Diego), 17 (Cal) and Fresno State, three time WAC champions who went 4-0 last weekend.

The Dirtbag invite was especially pleasurable since it came about the same time that the home boys were snatching the Big West automatic bid and conference co-championship with a 12-3 spanking of Cal State Fullerton. Now back to our reality check already in progress.

As you will recall the Long Beach season had a bi-modal distribution, high in the beginning with a 17-3 start, low in the middle losing nine of ten, and high when it counted at the end, winning 10 of their last 12. The winner of this bracket will face off with national third-seed Arizona State's bracket, which features Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Stony Brook.

DUST STORMING—The Long Beach show should draw well with its all-California flavor, especially for fans of great pitching. LB skipper Mike Weathers knows three of the incoming aces very well since he had them on his Team USA roster this past summer, Cal's RHP Tyson Ross (7-3, 4.40) and San Diego's lefthanders Brian Matusz (11-2, 1.88) and Josh Romanksi (9-0, 3.76). The mound mystery is will Weathers leave his own ace in the deck and save Clemens Semifinalist Andrew Liebel (8-3, 1.81) or use him against Fresno’s Tanner Scheppers (8-2, 2.93).

The weekend that was did buffo box office, over 2500 per game; but, as usual, lots of unexpected drama. On Friday it rained, yes in May, and Fullerton was feeling pretty chipper with a 4-1 win after the 107 minute delay. On Saturday the amateur umpires, sitting with their foam and friends in the stands, argued an eighth inning ball/strike call with a sober ump about 18 inches away. The Beach rally continued, final score was 8-6 but baseball debates never end.

That set up the Sunday title showdown noted above. Every 49er hit the ball and the Titans (just 37-19) certainly did not look like a number five national seed. On Monday, with their AD Brian Quinn on the NCAA tournament committee, they got arguably the squeezably softest regional in the country with unranks from Virginia, UCLA and Rider.

Back to the upcoming Blair affair. A large part of the reason the NCAA gave the Niners the nod is that the Park and Rec staff offer a perfect set up for fans, media and teams. Phil Hester and the Blair posse are well rehearsed in taking care of locals and out-of-towners with wide open spaces in the stands and on the ball field.

We close with random notes on the NCAA stuff…ESPN U dictated game times for the Fullerton Regional and expect the Titan fans and foes to have to stay up late: Friday, May 30 - 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ; Saturday, May 31 - 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, June 1 - 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, June 2 - 8 p.m. (if necessary)…the toughest regionals look like Miami and Long Beach and the easiest are Fullerton Coastal Carolina, ASU and Texas A&M…ESPN U is also the reason why the NCAA toughened up the Miami regional with Mizzou and Ole Miss…UC Davis is the last team in the field, evidence of which is that UCD is the only #4 at-large in the 64 but they beat Stanford twice in mid-weekers so the Cards may have to pitch throw their Friday guy on Friday…but will LB do the same?...my sources said that the Bruins caught the UC Bears at a good and or bad time depending on your point of view…CAL had just come off of a ten day break and looked rusty…on the course, while that missed shot at the PGA Players cost Paul Goydos a lifetime exemption, he did finished tied for 10th yesterday and pocketed $140,300…. Boyd Nation figures that the LB show should be a dandy….LB, Cal and San Diego all rate in Boyds top 8 Nationally, which some figure is a better measure than the RPI…Cal doesn’t look forward to facing Matusz but say it is better in the afternoon…web poster USDGUY says that the Beach shouldn’t get too comfortable because “San Diego's #2 starter (Romanski) is 9-0 on the year.....I don't think pitching is a worry for USD. They have one of the best pitching staff's in the NATION...plus we took both of our games vs. LBSU this year”…okay SD I promise to fret later but right now I have raisins and the Red Wave on my mind.—DR. DAN

LBSU COMEBACK KIDS INSTANT MESSAGE THE NCAA, WIN 8-6, SET UP A SUNDAY SHOWDOWN

2008-05-25T01:52:00.000-07:00

If you are an NCAA party planner and were scouting for locations to invite the baseball families of four of your promising participants I trust that some time early this morning the name of Blair Field as a venue and Long Beach State as a host was written in bold letters on your white board. The 49ers (36-19, 15-8 Big West) are a good team and despite trailing 3-1, 5-3, and 6-5 had the character, courage and talent to beat Fullerton 8-6 Saturday night. The stadium, ranked at various times as one of the top college baseball venues in the land, looked great and served the 2657 very nicely. The city is excited, the set up for media and teams is well rehearsed, and out-of-towners can always find the way to LA.

Now for our game story. Due to space constraints we move ahead in our coverage to the bottom of the eighth when super sub T.J. Mittelstaedt worked a bases loaded walk from the Titan closer Adam Jorgenson to tie the game and set the stage for Jonathan Jones’s wipe-the-blood-off-this ball chopper just over the head of Titan third baseman Joel Weeks. Two of JJ’s teammates scampered home and then the still fresh 49er pen took over and slammed the door on the kids in Cal Trans Orange. Dirtbag Bryan Shaw picked up his eighth save, LB leveled the series at a game apiece and Mike Weathers finally exhaled. “Coach what’s going on with the NCAA committee?” “They know what they need to know. Next question.” “How did you all do it?” “Well Brett Lorin was very good for us; he kept us in there (4.1 with 1 ER). Tweedy and TJ worked pretty hard to get walks. I like our pen, and I will like them again Sunday. We have Topp and Roberts rested and ready and we are keeping Vance Worley (6-3, 4.55) starting on Sundays (he won a week ago at SLO). Both sides have known for a week that they are in the tourney but due to the tie breaker rule the winner of today’s game receives the automatic NCAA berth and 12 months of cross-county bragging rights.

THE LAST DUST—and we thank the almost 40,000 readers of the Stadium Dust this season and growing gang that hit the blog or read the Gazette…Shaw's final two outs featured sliders sent in from the bench…”I knew I had to stay out of the middle, to work the black” he said post game…Jared Clark (3-5) struck out with runners on the corners before Brian Wilson grounded out …the Titan collapse was a team effort, errors early kept the Bags in the game until the eighth when reliever Jason Dovel put two runners on and Jorgenson walked two of the next three…Nick Vincent (4-0) finished off the eighth and got the W...LBSU tied the game in the sixth with an explosive RBI triple by Danny Espinosa, the 13th in his career…Regional sites will be announced about 4 p.m. today and likely will have Arizona State, Fullerton, Stanford and hopefully …ESPN shows the whole field Monday morning at 9:30...fans and friends will try to raise $250,000 to endow a scholarship in the name pf former coach John McConnell…John was the organizer for a recently completed $125,000 scholarship fund in the name of another ex coach, Bob Weusthoff…in game entertainment included bat boy battles between kids racing in from their respective dugouts…three birthdays in the house, two seven year olds and one 36 year old…that would be a star on the Niners 1993 CWS team Gabe Gonsalves…the CSUF starter is Titan freshman Corey Arbiso (11-2, 4.15)…Saturday’s sun shine was actually ordered early by boosters Bill and Marcia Scharfen who threw a pre-game BBQ and fund raiser on the pool deck of their Park Estates home…speaking of funds, that PGA-worn Paul Goydos Dirtbag baseball cap went for $4000 at the Jewels of the Night auction Saturday…in the rest of the Big West it was Oregon State 8, Pacific 6; UC Davis 7, Cal State Northridge 2; UC Irvine 14, UC Santa Barbara 7; and UC Riverside 7, Cal Poly 2…for the Pac Tens the OSU Beavers upped their record to 27-24.but will it be enough?...the rest of the PAC Tens featured UCLA whipping CAL 7-0 (2-0), Arizona 7, ASU 4 (2-0); Stanford 8, Washington 5 and Washington State 4, USC 2…we close with a note on our first pitch celeb today, back in the 60’s the locals called Niner Rod Gaspar the Rocket for his exceptional foot speed which he used in a major league career highlighted by the Mets 1969 World Series championship…now the rest of the story, long after he hung up his spikes Gaspar won a number of regional handball titles…see you somewhere next weekend, hopefully right here.—DR. DAN

BASEBALL GAMES IN THE BOARD ROOM AND BLAIR FIELD AS THE BEACH BOYS KEEP HOSTING HOPES ALIVE

2008-05-24T13:31:00.001-07:00

Well the sun came up this morning but the Weatherman, neither Mike of the Dirtbags or the Meteorologist of the Doppler, offer any climate guarantees for this evenings round two of Long Beach-Fullerton college baseball. For the home boys they know that they can play better than Friday and like their competitor to host another SoCal regional, UC Irvine, the evening offers another opportunity to impress Lynn Thompson, Brian Quinn, Michael Cross, Bobby Staub, John D’Argenio, Larry Templeton, David Heeke, Tim Weiser, John Anderson, and Pat Murphy. Who are those guys? Well for this season they are the lords of post season and the folks that more than the Federal Reserve will affect the fortunes of 49er fans who are determined to see their team play somebody somewhere next weekend, credit cards be damned.

If you had told me yesterday before they unfurled the big flag that it would rain in May and that the Dirtbag middle infielders would make two errors in two innings you would now be driving my classic tank-full 1997 Avalon and marrying my Swedish nanny. Both things (rain and whoops) happened and the only silver lining is that our Blair Field event drew 2500 plus and Irvine’s Bren Annex event drew 400 plus. “They won the Friday night game with their No. 4 starter," UCI coach Mike Gillespie said. "...they smell blood in the water.” Unranked UCSB defeated #14 UCI 6-2 and now are tied with LB for second the Big West. UC Irvine is in a fifth place tie with UC Davis and, as Letterman says, “I wouldn’t give their troubles to a monkey on a rock”. The official crowd count was 472 vs. 2532 at Blair and both places had weather worries and Lakers on TV.

NEXT TO THE LAST DUST--Tonight the win window opens a bit wider for the Niners who won’t look out and see Jeff Kaplan…Saturday’s have been decent for the Dirtbags and almost tragic for the Titans…the Nutwood Nine is convinced that the second game of a weekend is a vacation from the timely hitting and defense they flash on Fridays. The Titans will offer Daniel Renken (5-5, 3.82) to go against LB freshman Jake Thompson (2-4, 4.48) who missed last weekend after taking an up-the-box blast to his leg the week before…Sunday the Bags will select from the reigning BWC Pitcher of the Week, Brett Lorin (4-3, 2.54) or Vance Worley (6-3, 4.55)…Kaplan now has wins over Clemens’ semifinalists Gorgen, Strasburg and Liebel…he gave up one earned last night while Liebel yielded two before the hour thirty seven rain delay…the Beach did score once when play resumed and had chances in the 7th … Liebel now 8-3, had retired eight in row prior to Fellhauer's single in the fourth…Tyler Topp pitched the 49ers final three scoreless innings….at UCI Gorgen took the loss allowing three runs in seven innings…the out of town scoreboard gets a lot of attention in this get in, get packing, or go home bubbly weekend…the Big East had already said goodbye to top seed St. Johns and now both Louisville and Cincinnati want an at-large and those folks in the first graph gets a lot of text messaging…off topic, the Tampa Bay Rays have a second Long Beach connection…Evan Longoria and an area Little League coach William King who is better known as one-third of the famous funk/soul band The Commodores…the group kicked off the Rays Summer Concert Series tonight….. King's son, Ryan (walk-up song Commodore classic, “Brick House”) played some shortstop for Long Beach… …now don’t tell Vic Cegles this but in the house last night was Henry Tran, the big time Titan donor who met with CSUF AD Brian Quinn to discuss the possibility of bringing football back to the 10,000 seat White Elephant Downs (aka Titan Stadium)...Tran and his posse got excited when Georgia State University announced plans to play again in 2010…Curious about George?...here is Mr. Horton’s schedule for the Ducks first season in 2009: St. Mary’s, Fresno, Washington, Santa Clara, Nevada, NY Tech, Portland, Hawaii, Sac State, Irvine and the usual PAC 10 brothers…elsewhere around the Big West Northridge had Davis on the ropes but shortstop Jason Dabbs allowed two unearned runs to score, and UCD won 4-3. The win improves the Aggies to 33-21 overall and 12-10 in conference and as the only football playing school in the league would be a cinch to get in when the NCAA selectors add their extra points for grid-ironing…the forgotten defending BWC champs from UC Riverside beat Cal Poly 4-1 and those crazed Beavers from Oregon State took out their anger on hapless Pacific 15-2 to keep their invite hopes alive. back to the bases, did you know that baseball is the second biggest money-making sport for NCAA championships (hoops #1) yet it is also the least-funded sport, given just 11.7 scholarships and the worst coach-to-player ratio…who says, the just retiring Ron Polk who offered our closing quote, "The NCAA has used college baseball as its whipping boy because they know we're not going to stand up and fight back. If this happened in football or basketball there'd be a huge fight."—DR. DAN

BIG FLAGS, BEER, BASEBALL AND OH YES--DIRTBAGS GO AFTER CSUF AND THE BWC TITLE

2008-05-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

For fans of the Big West it is a clash of the titans. Both teams have won eight of their last nine and #6 Fullerton (36-17, 15-6 Big West) is one game up on #18 Long Beach (35-18, 14-7 Big West). If only it was that simple. For the foam-fueled fandom at Blair tonight while the temperatures may be cool, the conversation in the concourses is usually hot. So many notes, so little time so buckle up while we empty the in-box with another session of Dr. Dan’s Notes on My Napkin.

It is almost eerie that a college baseball season that began for the Beach on a surprisingly high note, morphed in mid season to a gang that couldn’t hit, field, or pitch straight, is now on the top step of another potential Big West Championship with all the rights and privileges. The Dirtbags (RPI now down to 28) got to this hopeful place with an impressive couple of weeks bookended by 10-0 shut outs over San Diego State and Oregon State. In between there was a sweep at Cal Poly and suddenly the Niner resume is pretty enough that they seem a cinch for another NCAA invite and a win tonight might just be enough to host a regional next weekend. The NCAA selection committee, who will have their work done before Saturday’s game, announces 16 regional hosts on Sunday. The conference tourneys are too crazy to calculate but the Nutwood Nine are already doing the math on becoming a top eight national seed and the right to host two regional rounds, hopefully playing the sisters of the poor (like they did last year) for a CWS trip…insert my Petty Sexton Annual CSUF Slam here…“Titans just have to host, can you imagine the fussing and fighting in the mobile home parks deciding who gets to use the hot pink Miss Kitty luggage?”, DMB, 2001…the Dirtbag numbers got up as the season wound down despite injuries to pitcher Jake Thompson (leg), outfielder Jonathan Jones (back) and slugger Jason Corder (finger) all three are off the DL this weekend…while Jones was MIA Mike Weathers found a shining sub “When he went out we found our ‘Wally Pipp’ out there in Jordan Casas, so what do I do now?”…play four outfielders, you know the Blair lights are a little dim, so it will be our secret…Casas had three hits and his .357 average is second behind Shane Peterson’s amazing .401 while the unknown soldiers of the pitching staff, Tyler Topp, Dustin Rasco, Anthony Carrillo, Brett Lorin, Jason Markovitz and David Brown back up aces Liebel, Worley and Thompson.

In the paralysis through analysis dept. neither team has what the CSTV crew likes to call, “the ability to set more tables than Martha Stewart” but both coaches love to sac…the 2008 Titans have 69 sacs on the year, second in the conference and fourth in the nation…the Niners have 65 sacs not including the 59 HBPs which is another kind of sacrificing…two legends on the diamond tonight living and dead…Century Club President Bill Baca (living) throwing out one of the first pitches and handing over the full scholarship the club donates each year…and as web whiz Ditka reminds us even in death, super fan Ski Demski will be there...Ski’s 95 by 130-foot American super-flag gets a pre-game salute….LB and the F hats have won 17 of the last 19 Big West titles and this annual regular season finale has decided seven of the last 10 loop crowns…give the catching edge to the Beach who are #2 in the BWC blocking pitches and first in fewest stolen bases allowed…interesting because the Titans are accomplished stealers...Titan Coach Dave Serrano "It's always a great atmosphere at the end of the season and it benefits both teams to play in that kind of environment going into the postseason”...visitors who love that short Goodwin field porch must adjust to big Blair…it’s 330 down their lines and 348 at Blair…Bob K has calculated that LB had a 7-4 Pac Ten record…reminder to the Titan broadcast booth that name is pronounced LEE-bull... Andrew is a semifinalist for the Clemens Award and is on that list of 50 names for the Golden Spikes award Jered Weaver won in 2004 (and every other POY except the Johnny Bench)…the new hit men for the Nutwood nine is JUCO Erik Komatsu (.367) and D-Bag Shane Peterson checks in at .401…their Friday guy is Jeff Kaplan but Cory Arbiso has owned Sunday’s winning ten in a row...his glove work straightened out, Espy hit .341 with 19 RBI’s in BWC games...LB is 21-6 at home this season… talented OC writer Randy Youngman built one of those Dodger/Angels all star teams and had Buzzie Bavasi as general manager of both sides...working on my LB/CSUF notes and I guess the Titans and the Dirtbags will have Ken Ravizza as the sports psycher for both teams and Matt Brown as the photog since both fellas work both places capturing broken batters and broken bats—DR. DAN

ANIMAL KINGDOM—BEAVERS AND ELEPHANTS AND HIGH HOPES FOR THE HOME STRETCH

2008-05-19T11:54:00.001-07:00

It is almost eerie that a college baseball season that began for the Beach on a surprising high note, detoured in mid season to a gang that couldn’t hit, field, or pitch straight, is now on the top step of another potential Big West Championship with all the rights and privileges.

Oh yes, I am well aware that on the other side of Blair this weekend are the elephant boys of Cal State Fullerton but the Big West numbers don’t lie not to mention Oregon State tonight. CSUF is one game ahead of the Niners at 15-6. No matter what happens this evening, win two of three over the dark side and the Titans and LBSU will at least share the Big West title with the Niners earning the automatic bid. Also at stake, besides those cross-county bragging rights, is the opportunity for one or both teams to host NCAA regionals. OSU (25-23, 11-13 and eighth in the Pac-10 standings) was swept at USC and comes in tonight fighting like a crazed Beaver for the right to play on and defend their NCAA titles.

The Dirtbags (34-18, 14-7) got to this hopeful place with an impressive four win road week, a one hit 10-0 shutout at San Diego State and a sweep at Cal Poly. The folks behind them, UCSB and UC Irvine, won’t likely gain much ground since they play each other. The fun and games take place at Blair (a fine location for a regional is you ask) with contests Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. LB insiders feel hopeful for the post season since the conference will likely get three or four teams in and hanging around the top two should do the job. The NCAA selection committee, who frankly will have almost all their work done before Saturday’s game, announces 16 regional hosts on Sunday with the full NCAA Baseball Tournament selection show Monday morning. Regional play takes place from May 30 – June 2 with Super Regionals the next weekend.

NOTES ON MY NAPKIN—You can pencil in Fullerton as a regional host because they bid high and have a great RPI. “National seed” high? Well the ACC and SEC will have a bunch of seed-eligible teams but last weekend was rough on Nebraska, Texas A&M and Georgia so those early conference tourney games will be critical. Pepperdine finished second place in the West Coast Conference and will travel to San Diego for the WCC championship but both will get in…as for the Niner play of late, last Tuesday the Bags put up a string of pearls (translated nine shutout innings) at SDSU followed by the sweep of SLO who previously had wins over Alabama, Fullerton , UCI and Cal. A major LBSU factor has been the return of great pitching. The Mustangs hit just .204 in the Long Beach series while the Niners shook off the absence of pitcher Jake Thompson, outfielder Jonathan Jones and slugger Jason Corder with subs shining through…back to your dam Beavers, USA TODAY wrote “when Pat Casey took Oregon State to the College World Series in 2005 for the first time in 53 years, athletics director Bob De Carolis doubled the coach's salary. When the Beavers won their first baseball national championship in 2006, De Carolis doubled Casey's salary again. When Oregon State made it back-to-back titles in 2007, De Carolis was in a pickle. “We were tapped out at that point in terms of another major raise," De Carolis says. "So I gave Pat my office."…that PGA-worn Paul Goydos Dirtbag baseball cap went for $4000 at the Jewels of the Night auction Saturday but fresh new ones will be on sale along with all remaining 2008 merchandise at the Beach and Dugout stores this weekend. Insiders say Goydos will wear a similar lid but adding a sponsor patch from UPS when he plays, drum roll please, in the FedEx tournament…Last add from our out of town scoreboard. Beach softball won their opener but tired down the stretch and lost in the Iowa City Regional. Bright side, pitchers Turner and Pagano return and are joined by blue chip hurler recruit Taylor Petty of San Pedro. In the BWC Track & Field Championships at CSUN the men won first place and the women third. It was the men’s second title in three years. Katelyn Ciarelli of Long Beach won her second women's discus title in three years…Now for advice to nervous Niners who sweat out fun and games, our closing quote comes from Eleanor Roosevelt. “Many people suffer more in anticipation than they do under the actual blows of misfortune.” See you at the yard, anticipating as usual.—DR. DAN

SOFTBALL PUNCHES POST SEASON TICKET; BAGS KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE AND THANKS A MILLION PAUL GOYDOS

2008-05-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

For years one of the biggest events in our town was the annual Iowa picnic, in fact many old timers used to call this town Iowa by Sea. Now the Beach, at least Beach Softball, is headed to Iowa as the number 14 national seed in the NCAA’s Iowa City Regional. LBSU earned their lofty seeding, and avoided traditional trips to UCLA or Fresno, by racking up an impressive 39-15 record and the Big West championship.

Former coach Pete Manarino called this year’s invite “the best draw ever”. He should know having taken five of his teams to the College World Series in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. And his star shortstop from 1989 to 1992, the current Beach head coach Kim Sowder. "I'm very excited to get the number one (regional) seed," Sowder told the celebrants Sunday night at Legends, "I think that we've earned it with the schedule we've played along with the success that our team has had this season."

Creighton (49-15) is the Niners first game opponent. The Bluejays went into the semifinal game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and had their ace, two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year Tara Oltman working but could not pitch around three infield errors and lost to Drake. The 49ers had the top strength of schedule in the nation entering conference play with wins over national-seeds Texas A&M, Northwestern and #1 national seed Florida. The host Iowa Hawkeyes will play Missouri in the second game Friday. The winner of the Iowa City Regional will face the winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional in the Super-Regionals the following weekend for the right to go to the ladies CWS in Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile their diamond buddies known as Dirtbag baseball (30-18, 11-7 in the BWC) won three of four last week and are now on their final road trip of the season working this weekend to keep their post season dreams alive at Cal Poly Friday through Sunday. The all righty pitching staff remains a puzzle. Senior Andrew LIebel (7-2, 1.69 ERA) is lights out with back to back gems, veteran Vance Worley is struggling, and Coach Weathers himself went out to visit rookie Jake Thompson who does Sundays. “I told him to be his own man, really to be his own pitching coach.” That’s a tough assignment, SLO as a team is hitting .303 and loaded with left handed bats.

All of this out of town travel complicates life on Saturday night. Between cell phone updates and game tracking on the internet most of the 49er royal family will be in the Pyramid for the 14th Annual Jewels of the Night festivities that begin with a Silent Auction at 5:00 PM followed by the most diverse feasting you will ever see, entertainment by the Stone Soul Band and then the wildly popular live auction items. Funds are all for the good cause of scholarships and support for 49er athletes.

Our closing note is a salute to Paul Goydos, LB lid in front of America all weekend in his battle for the PGA Players championship. He lost in sudden death to Sergio Garcia but his modest persona won the hearts of the nation. Oh yes there was the consolation cash of $1.026 million. Goydos is a different kind of pro golfer, he doesn't have a club contract because he likes what he plays and his closet is a selection of brands from high schools where he subbed, Poly, Jordan, Wilson and of course his alma mater, Long Beach State. He studied finance and somewhere along the line, modesty. "Sergio played better than everybody else, look at the stats," the gracious Goydos said. "I'm glad that's rewarded."—DR. DAN

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES—NOT AS PRETTY BUT THE BAGS, 10-8 WINNERS AND 30-17, LOVE THE VIEW

2008-05-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is the renowned historical novel by Charles Dickens with a plot that centered on the years leading up to the French Revolution. On a night when the fireworks began a bit early, Blair Field was the setting for a tale of two very different baseball games. Friday was a taut 2:12, 3-0 suffocation of the Dirtbags enemy of the week, UC Santa Barbara, with the combatants combining for ten hits. Fast forward to last night and the Gauchos and the Dirtbags slugged each other around for 18 runs on 27 hits, ran through 12 pitchers and one manager. That would be UCSB’s veteran skipper Bob Brontsema who got his fuse lit in the third on an out call at the plate, and exploded in the fourth, with a no out call at the plate.

We shall attempt to explain with the help of the winning pitcher, set up guy David Roberts and his coach Mike Weathers. “We knew we took a blow early (two SB runs in the first) but this team is beginning to fight back,” Roberts offered. The Weatherman’s version, “I felt good when both teams had to go to the pens in the fourth because I knew we had a better set of guys.” Brontsema’s exclusion prevented his post game interview but likely his opinions made him turn red about the blues. It appeared to many in the stands that an out call on Gaucho Patrick Rose heading home could have gone either way and really opened up the contest. Instead UCSB settled for one run and a 3-0 lead. The Beach struck for an answering single run in their third but the Gauchos, who came into the weekend with 30 wins and a three way tie for third in the Big West, got two more in the fourth to up their advantage to 5-1 thanks to a triple by unheralded Brian Gump. The brawl at Blair however was just underway with that disputed check swing call that kept Tweedy’s at-bat alive. Brontsema view of the 2-2 pitch did not agree with the men in blue and he was ejected by home plate umpire Dennis Smythe. Tweedy then doubled as part of a four run outburst that tied the game at 5-5. So what to do next, ell LB got cranking again. The Dirtbags broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single up the middle from Tweedy and consecutive infield singles with the bases loaded plated two more Beach runs. At the end of five, Long Beach held an 8-5 advantage. UCSB fought back in the top of the sixth, with three scores to re-tie the affair at 8-8 and the kids in the 2074 crowd getting anxious about the fireworks show. Good news for the homeboys however was that LB scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning when with Jones on first, Shane Peterson doubled to right field to put Long Beach up one, 9-8. Then with two-out Danny Espinosa laced an RBI single into left field to lengthen the Dirtbag lead to two, 10-8. Putting another Shane Peterson pitching experiment behind them (he got nobody out for the second game this week) Roberts got rid of his five batters and Nick Vincent his six to pick up the save and mess up the Big West standings. Fullerton lost to Cal Poly 11-4 and UC Riverside fell to UC Davis 6-5 thus moving the Beach up to a tie for second with UC Riverside. All three teams, including Fullerton, have six conference losses. There will be a test later.

END DUST—With just a week of bull pens Peterson was ineffective from the mound but drove in the go-ahead run in a two-run seventh inning as…the Niners have now hit the 30 win plateau (30-17, 11-6 Big West) and won another series… Worley did not get out of the and is a puzzle considering he began the year 3-0…the mound matchup today features another UCSB lefty, Chuck Huggins (7-2, 4.04) going up against improving LB youngster Jake Thompson (2-4, 4.20).one SB mom got an early start on her special day when two uniforms escorted her out…all I heard was a minor rag on Espy as “program”…heard worse and will again…for the record the other Big West scores were UC Davis 6, UC Riverside 5; Pacific 10, UC Irvine 9 (10); CSUN 5, USC 4; and Cal Poly 11, Cal State Fullerton 4…meanwhile tonight at 7-ish at Legends the Big West Champion women’s softball team will await the ESPN-U telecast of their NCAA field and where everybody will play…LB bid to host but…Ashley Weber's second-inning RBI triple was the difference in a great pitching battle between Brooke Turner and Alyce Jorgensen to end the regular season as the 49ers prevailed 1-0….Turner outdueled Joregensen and the Long Beach State's freshman star extended her own shutout record with her 17th of the year…she is 26-4 on the year and feeling better thanks to an injection that cooled off a hot nerve in her back…striking out seven batters, Turner benefitted from error-free defense behind her, scattering four hits on the way to the win. Prior to the game, the 49ers also paid tribute to the team's four departing seniors, Jessica Beaver, Brooke LeSage, Franciska Morlet and Lacy Tyler---last add looking good, LB alum Paul Goydos took the lead Saturday at the PGA Player’s championship wearing the inter-locking LB baseball hat for all the world to see…and a happy Mother’s Day to all here, around and up there—DR. DAN

THE BEACH COUNTS ON CORDER AND LIEBEL IN A MUST WIN SHUTDOWN OF SANTA BARBARA

2008-05-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

The ever changing Dirtbag baseball experience has some constants and last night the remarkable Andrew Liebel (the family doesn’t like Damian Devil, Count Dirtbagula or similar monsters of the night who eat opposing batters) was constant again. And quick. And a friend to fans and infielders. A mere 2 hours and twelve minutes after he began, Liebel had put the 30-win and very game Gauchos down 3-0 and helped the Beach boys up their record to 29-17 and now all alone in third place in the Big West standings… A week ago, Liebel worked a crisp 2:35 at Davis while Jason Corder belted his 12th homer of the season. Corder hit his 13th last night--a crusher that hungover golfers at Big Rec’s number 14 likely found this morning. Granted the hit parade was only slightly longer than Tuesday’s three-hit vic over Fresno, five knocks including the Big Fly from the 6-2, 205 Cal transfer; but Liebel won a first-class pitcher's duel with Santa Barbara starter Mike Ford who also allowed only five hits. The difference was two fold, a lot of glove love from the Dirtbag double pay guys (three twin killings) and the one bad pitch Ford gave up to Corder in the third. UCSB fell to 30-18 overall, 9-7 BW and is joined in a fourth place tie with Davis and UCI.

The scoring summary is short and sweet, at least for the homeboys who feel a sense of urgency in these final days of the 2008 campaign. The Dirtbags jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first when Jonathan Jones, nearly decapitated Ford with a single through the box. Tinoco blew a bunt but Corder's infield grounder advanced Jones to second setting up cleanup hitter Shane Peterson for his 44th RBI when he singled opposite field. In the third with two outs, Tinoco singled and unlike the timid USC coach Mike Gillespie SB skipper, Bob Brontsema of the Gauchos pitched to Corder and he sent the Rawlings orb deep into the night. Corder's shot broke a tie with Gaucho left fielder Mike Zuanich for the Big West lead. The rest of the night belonged to Liebel and the defense. ”Andrew works so fast,” Weathers would comment post-game ”that our defense really gets into a rhythm.” In the fourth, Liebel got his three outs on just four pitches but the web gems on defense (three double plays, a 5-4-3, and two 6-4-3s) combined with the amazing arm of Travis Howell (he has nailed 17 of 34 would be stealers) to break the Gaucho heart.

BIG BANG DUST--Liebel faced only three batters over the minimum and recorded his second consecutive complete game shutout…write that down pro scouts…SB’s Mario Hollands (6-2, 2.97) battles Dirtbag Vance Worley (5-3, 4.40) a bit up and down of late…his first win was over Wichita State but he pitched well against Rice…effective at USC then a CG 10-3 win over UCLA, problems at Cal and UCR, another CG in a 5-1 vic over UCI but troubled in 3.2 at UOP and effective until the seventh at Davis …Liebel threw 73 pitches over the first five but only 36 over the final four innings…”we had him down for about 15 more pitches, but I was glad to see him finish.” Weathers noted…the game time did not please any of the blue and greys and the guys in white shirts…the white shirts, the concessionaires, that hope fireworks and Mother’s Day will up the sales totals…more Corder time, he is the eighth LBSU player to hit 20 or more home runs in his career…the tin man, Steve Tinoco, had two of the Dirtbags five hits…Ford (5-4) went all eight innings for the Gauchos, striking out eight… LB, 18-5 at home this season, travel to SDSU (not Frat Row we hope) Tuesday for a six p.m. first pitch and then head up the Central Coast to Cal Poly next weekend…new on the golf front is an Eastern guy, William Poutre, formerly the top guy at the University of Hartford…he was selected as the America East Conference Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007…his 2007 recruit class included the No. 51 and No. 115 recruits in the Golfweek World Junior Rankings….the tennis team threw out the first pitch last night, but the No. 37-ranked Niners lost to No. 28-ranked Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at UCLA….on the campus diamond Long Beach earned its 18th trip to the NCAA Regionals Friday with a 5-0 win over Pacific in game two of a DH…despite healing from a groin pull, Brooke Turner added to her win record…she and team mates will TV huddle with ESPNU Sunday at 7 p.m. for their destination...around the rest of the Large West the favorites all advanced, Fullerton played tag with SLO but ended up on top 6-4, Irvine dumped Pacific 9-1, and Riverside came back to beat UC Davis 7-6—DR. DAN.

BEACH WEEKEND: KILLER 'Ts", BIG WEST BESTING AND SURVIVING MVBs

2008-04-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature, Father Weathers and the Big West Schedule Maker all got on the same page by the end of April and for Long Beach baseball the result was that the amazing Dirtbag Dream Machine is back on the road to the post season.

For a while it looked like the Beach boys had blown an engine, flattened four tires, and couldn’t find enough change in the sofa to fill up the gas tank. Mother’s effort was to turn up the heat home and away which in part was responsible for melting eight of their last ten opponents including sweep weekends over Northridge and Pacific. Father Weathers played tough love and Russian Roulette with his batting order and his bats and despite some more injuries, it worked out. Corder went down, Corder went up. Rylan was on the bench, then in the interview circle after a four hit effort. It is true that the winning came over the bottom dwellers of the conference so we’ll credit the schedule maker for giving the homeboys a breather when they needed it.

So this weekend they should get back at least one competitor from the disabled list, Brandon Godfrey, but in his absence sub Rylan Sandoval has jumped into the .300 club hitting .319 overall and .450 in conference games. The Killer Ts have also produced when it matters, with BWC numbers like .346 for TJ Mittelstaedt, .348 for Steve Tinoco and .448 for Jason Tweedy. “Gosh I got to wonder,” Weathers sighed, “how much more we would have won if Tweedy hadn’t been out 18 games with that hand injury?”

With no mid-week game to tire the youngsters, LB takes the bus and three bats up to Davis for a weekend with the formerly first place Aggies. “I limited them to two bats to keep things simple (the 33 TPX is hitting .376) but we added one more” Weathers quipped. Lots of ball to play but for the moment the Niners are still tied for first in the loss column. The beauty contest of the polls and RPI will play into the NCAA selection process but where you finish in your own league is very important.

HOT SPOT DUST—They ran a great MPSF tournament, and played one good game, but the third-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team woke up Sunday still praying for the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Volleyball Championships coveted at-large bid. They got it and start tonight (Thursday) at 8 p.m. in the Bren Event Center on the campus of UC Irvine. The Niners (23-6) rematch with red hot Pepperdine, just 16-10, but featuring a healthy wonder from down under, 6-7 Australian Olympian Paul Carroll. The other semifinal will pit No. 1 seed Penn State (28-1) against No. 4 seed Ohio State (20-7).

Two other hot spots on the Beach docket are women’s tennis and softball. Breezing through three mercy ruled 4-0 wins at ritzy Indian Wells, senior tennis star Stephanie Bengson got a visit from mum and dad, tied the school-record for combined wins and helped her team to earn another automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. LBSU also reached the NCAAs in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Last of the good news gang is women’s softball (38-12) who broke records and upped their lead in the Big West to three games. Jessica Beaver became the all-time career leader in RBI (112) and pitcher Brooke Turner threw her 15th shutout of the season as Kim Sowder’s club swept Riverside. These Sweethearts of Swat play their final regular season series on the road this weekend at old rival Fullerton and then hope to host a NCAA Regional.

Now direct and unedited from Baseball America your weekend wrap-up-- “25. LONG BEACH STATE Last Week: 3-1. Overall: 26-15, 8-4 in Big West. (10-9 vs. Top 25). Weekend Series: 7-3. The Dirtbags got two walk-off wins to sweep their second straight series against one of the Big West's bottom-feeders. They trail first-place Cal State Fullerton by just 1.5 games. Sr. 2B Jason Tweedy (3-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) led a 10-hit attack Friday in support of Sr. RHP Andrew Liebel (7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). Tweedy was one of four Dirtbags to record three-hit games in Saturday's slugfest, and he singled and scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the ninth. Jr. 3B Rylan Sandoval (4-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI) led a 16-hit barrage Sunday, and So. DH T.J. Mittelstaedt singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th.” So #25 in BA with more 25’s in Rivals and ESPN, Collegiate Baseball in at #29 and NCBWA likely in the low twenties.

Last add- hoop happiness. Dan Monson stopped by baseball with four kids in tow, including baseball named youngsters Maddox and McGuire, and was glowing about plucking a pair of coveted Connecticut prep school scorers for next year. T.J. Robinson (6-7, 210, St. Thomas More) signed first and then lured Larry Anderson, 6-6, 215, via Jordan High and Winchendon Prep to pass on Xavier and come to the Beach. "We feel these two really add athleticism and qualities to our basketball program that we were lacking this year," said Monson. Amen Brother.—DR DAN

ON NFL DRAFT DAY BASEBALL AT BLAIR, 14-13 DIRTBAGS, AND NO EXTRA POINT WAS BLOCKED

2008-04-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

On an April afternoon hot enough to melt your sneakers, Mike Weathers wasn’t all that disappointed that for his 49er baseball team the shoe was finally on the other foot. “We have had a lot of games where our pitchers had to carry our hitters but today the shoe was on the other foot.” Make that feets, or even feats, because when you realize that the Pacific Tigers came to the yard in a hitting mood and put up crooked numbers in the second, fourth, fifth and ninth innings just surviving 14-13 deserved a sigh of relief.

It took all of seven Dirtbag pitchers to get the Beach over the hump against a no-quit Tiger team that came off the mat with eight unanswered runs in the middle innings to lead 10-6 after just five. At that point both UOP and LB traded knockout punches for the rest of the four hour drama and in the end the 49ers upped their season report card to 25-15 overall, 7-4 in the Big West and tied for first in the loss column.

What was left of the dehydrated Dirtbag fans thought that it was over when the Niners exploded for five runs in the bottom of the eighth highlighted by a Jason Corder three-run homer over the boards in straight away center. That made the score 12-10 and even his Cal transfer pal Travis Howell got into the extra base action. Although he labored stretching a stand up double into three bases, once he got his breath the big catcher did earn an RBI for driving in Rylan Sandoval who had doubled and stole third on another one of those suspicious Tiger arms. Three run lead, at home, no problem. Houston Bob we do have a problem. Down 13-10 entering the top of the ninth inning, the Tigers faced the task of collecting three runs against previously unhitables Nick Vincent and Bryan Shaw. Nick had allowed just two runs on the season with opponent's batting a miserable .115. But these are the hungry and no-quit Tigers. Leading hitter Adam Ching, Mike Walker and Nick Longmire all singled off Vincent who was pulled for Shaw who was clobbered on his first pitch for a game-tying double along the chalk rightside. Exhale, in the ninth the Beach parlayed a Tweedy single, a Tinoco sac and a blast through second by Peterson that was ruled an error. Final, 14-13, and no folks, we didn’t block the extra point.

SUNDAY MY DUST WILL COME—Brian Martin finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, for the Tigers...Corder who leads the BWC in slugging got HR number 10 in the third to go with his bang in the eighth…SID reports that he is the first Dirtbag since Evan Longoria in 2006 to hit double digits, and just the second player since 2002 to reach 10…his 18 career home runs is ninth all-time…now for those who like to worry, the signature win for the Tigers this season came back on March 21 when Pacific scored nine runs in the fifth inning to shock then No. 17 Stanford 10-6 at Sunken Diamond…the heroes that day were relief pitcher Larry Holscher who earned the win, junior Cole Akins who picked up the save and J.B. Brown who drove in three…more SID stuff…a farm report on former Dirtbags…Mike Gallo has a 2.16 ERA in relief at Double-A New Hampshire... Jeremy Reed, .323 for Triple-A Tacoma with a four-hit day Thursday... Neil Jamison, 1.93 ERA for Double-A San Antonio.... Steve Hammond is 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA for Double-A Huntsville... Jared Hughes 1-3 record and 3.48 ERA in four starts for Single-A Carolina... Cesar Ramos is 2-2 overall, 4.26 ERA on the Padre farm... Carlos Muniz has not allowed a run in five appearances in Triple-A New Orleans…you can track the big leaguers yourself…soft sided news…Brooke Turner struck out 11 Highlanders in game one to hold on for a 2-1 victory, and Bridgette Pagano smacked a two-run homer to help put Long Beach State softball ahead for good in a 4-3 win in the second game against UC Riverside. Turner's 11 K's gave her 198 on the season, setting the Beach single-season record….Turner has posted double-digit strikeouts for the seventh time this season...Now my Saturday iPhone Out of Town BWC scoreboard: UC Irvine 11, New Mexico 6; Northridge 14, Riverside 5; UC Davis 3, Fullerton 2; and UCSB 8, Cal Poly 4… Corder on his key homer in the eighth, "I was looking for something up in the zone, and frankly I was very surprised he came over the plate.”… In a spacious yard that amaze visitors the media guide will remind you that the wide open spaces develop good characters….the career home run leader is Jeff Liefer (30) and the single season champ was Jaeme Leal (24)…Jason Giambi flashed his HR power after he got big, I mean got to the big leagues…five current MLB Bags--Crosby, Tulo, Bowker, McAnulty and Longoria all led the team in big flys in their best years...give the critters some cash and play the SPCA 50/50 today—DR. DAN

BEACH BOYS PARTY, TWIST THE TIGERS TALE AND JOIN THE JAM FOR SECOND IN THE BIG WEST

2008-04-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Days are here again, or at least they were on Friday night when all the usual Dirtbag suspects gathered at Blair for a 10-3 win over Pacific, a 21st birthday celebration, and all the Big West party guests getting tight. We explain. The wire to wire win upped the LB record to 24-15, 6-4 in the Big West, tied for second with UCSB, UC Davis and UC Riverside, all one game behind Fullerton in the loss column. The defeat dropped the Tigers to 8-29, 2-11with their seventh consecutive loss. The birthday celebrant was Danny Espinosa who turned 21 and went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two walks. Other stars include starter and winner Andrew Liebel (5-2, 2.20 and six Ks), the T boys, Steve Tinoco, 2-3 with two runs scored, Jason Tweedy, 3-4 and three RBIs and TJ Mittelstaedt, 2-4 and two RBIs. That offense allowed Weathers to work his picket fence offense with scores in each of the first four frames.

“We did a pretty good job,” the skipper would say post-game, “but their walks (ten on the night) helped us. Six of our runs came from guys who walked.” Obviously the leading LB hitter, Shane Peterson (.372), was someone that former Toronto and Stanford star Ed Sprague wanted to be careful with. Petey got two of the free passes but still hit his sixth homer, a three-run shot in the fourth that sent UOP starter Tyler Waldron to the showers. The same Beach partiers go to work again today featuring red hot Vance Worley (5-2, 3.44) against UOP’s Mark McCain (1-3, 3.81). Missing again will be Brandon Godfrey who hurt his shoulder in practice on Wednesday causing Weathers to comment, “we won’t have him the rest of the weekend and I doubt he will be ready for Tuesday.” At that comment the press corps, me, Mark the broadcaster and Bob from the big city paper, did a triple take before Weathers remembered this next week has no mid week game. “Gee “the skipper said sheepishly, “I would have been here by myself at 3 on Tuesday and wondered where everybody was.”

SCATTERED DUST—Top-seeded Long Beach took the first step toward defending its position as three-time defending BWC tennis champion with a 4-0 victory against No. 8 UC Riverside Friday morning and took on UC Santa Barbara this morning…No. 2 seed UC Irvine faces CSUN in the other semi… for his16th-straight start Liebel pitched into the seventh…ironically that streak started at Pacific April 27 of last season…before that he was went 9-3 in 54 career relief appearances….Father Know’s Best…Shane Peterson’s pop Brad, in shorts during freezing temps, kept a promise to his kid by wearing long sleeves and long pants Friday night…we have to keep an eye on Brad since his passion in life is batting practice which is no longer the practice for the Beach…”I still go early and watch the other team take batting”…and yes the Bags are still rotating the two 33 and 34 TPX bats…keeps things simple is the word from the clubhouse…since the R boys, Roberts and Rasco, worked scoreless eight and nine expect closers Bryan Shaw (0.52) and Nick Vincent (0.96) to be on the board at least by Sunday…catcher Travis Howell flashed the good D again when he threw out two would-be base stealers….he has nailed 14 of 25…an added attraction for the Saturday, May 10 game against UCSB will be a post game fireworks show , sponsored by the City of Long Beach, there for the start time has moved to 6 p.m….Pacific's leading hitter, shortstop Adam Ching, went 0-2 and his averaged dropped to .299 leaving the Tiger starters without a .300 hitter…a volleyball salute to a fan with the screen name of “qwerty”…Thursday night the Pepperdine students decided to take over the end bleachers and when the LB students decided to go down there and mute their taunts (with taunts of their own) game management kicked the locals back to mid court…none of these seats were reserved so qwerty, with his Dirtbag baseball tee on, stood like that unknown rebel in Tiananmen Square through all 32 service errors…tomorrow the NCAA will give the Niners another chance as an at large since they won the regular season and finished 23-6…or they won’t, taking both Pepperdine and BYU…as web wit Go Beach says, “You live by the serve, you die by the service error.”…our last add is our reminder for the Joe Jost's bartender reunion after today’s game... Ken Buck is donating all proceeds to LBSU athletics…so slide on down to 2803 E. Anaheim St. for a special, pickled egg and a schooner…all sorts of celebs from ageless Keith Cordes to aging Dan Smith, Doug Shea and countless other guys who drank and spilled more than they sold—DR. DAN

NAME DROPPING AND MANNING UP: TALES FROM DIRTBAGS AND TIGERS ON A MUST WIN WEEKEND

2008-04-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

It is spring and on many college campuses back in my day a little streaking was a favorite with the kids. Then again, I suppose, it depends on what kind of streak you are on. For tonight’s guests from bucolic Stockton, the University of the Pacific baseball Tigers, color them unhappy streakers. The striped ones come in having lost six in a row and frankly are tired of opposing ranked teams like Cal, Fullerton and Long Beach.

Assembled in the other dugout, (assuming the plumbing works this weekend—if not on folding chairs out front) is a team that has seen the dark side of streaking up close and personal. On March 25 the Beach lost a 7-5 game to Pepperdine, the front end of a never to be repeated ten game road trip. Five more losses followed before an Andrew Liebel win at UCR, then another streak of four more beat downs. Unlike the contestants in that UFC deal, college teams can’t just “tap out” and go home. You play on. Fueled by some chicken soup for their Dirtbag soul (and no batting practice) last weekend LB pounded Northridge. They clearly need more of the same this weekend because the rest of the schedule has the three teams ahead of the Niners in the Big West, Davis, UCSB, and of course Fullerton. Toss in Cal Poly and mid week tests with Fresno, SDSU and the 2007 NCAA champs Oregon State, you gotta believe that every W is precious. End of sermon, now back to your regularly scheduled baseball game.

END DUST—In case you want to win a bar bet with one of those Joe Jost’s alumni mixologists coming in tomorrow (including old FBI guy Keith Cordes), ask them the last time UOP beat LB at Blair…it was a cool ten years ago in 1998, the last year the Niners made Omaha…back then the Tigers won 5-1 on a get-away Sunday in what would be a 43 win LBSU season which ended up in Rosenblatt with the elimination of Florida State and Miami…ASU ended the dream…in their last four contests UOP pitchers have been hit hard three times, 14, 15, and 11 runs allowed, then played CSUF tight in a 2-1 loss last Sunday…now some gems from the Pacific players blog done by Tiger BWC scholar athlete Brett Manning….”we couldn't get the hits we needed in key situations down the stretch…but the parents had another great BBQ after Sunday's game”…then before their fund raising golf tourney, “the weather was sunny, but a little chilly with the wind blowing. Bobby Wheeler had the big shot of the day getting a hole in one and a good chunk of change in his pocket for it”…then this note about playing at SLO, “our weekend was spent at gorgeous Shell Beach taking on Cal Poly…we stayed at The Cliffs Resort, right on the beach with breakfast every morning looking out over the ocean and the beach about 100 yards from our hotel. We went down in the mornings and explored the tide pools just below our hotel. We caught some crabs, saw a bunch of starfish and an eel” …now aren’t those kids a better read than BAs and ERAs?...required basketball note, Tricia Cullop, a popular LB women’s hoop assistant some years ago, continues to climb the coaching ladder and was just named head coach at Toledo…Joan Bonvicini, is a finalist along with Cori Close for the UCSB job and, if she gets it, expect Millikan’s star senior to switch from Arizona to Goleta…the volley lads wait until Sunday for a mercy vote after serving up a mess last night to Pepp

Now baseball and nothing else…UOP had no mid weeper but the Niners did losing to ninth-ranked San Diego…tomorrow is the Salute to the Services Day and Sunday the Salute to Animals Day…free admission tomorrow to any public safety worker or the military…in the BWC loss column the Niners are just one behind Fullerton (9-3), UC Santa Barbara (6-3) and UC Davis (6-3)…UCSB is at Cal Poly and Fullerton will host Davis…tonight’s mound match-up is Tyler Waldron (2-4, 4.74) challenging Andrew Liebel (4-2, 2.04) and hopefully his offense…LBSU's team ERA is 3.11, Pacific's 6.51 but the LB stats are eye-popping the third-best ERA in the nation and the fewest walks allowed per nine innings in the land…Liebel is 28th nationally in ERA and 23rd in strikeouts per nine innings (8.14)…in just BWC games resurgent Brandon Godfrey is hitting .379, Steve Tinoco, .364, Danny Espinosa, .343, and Peterson, the BWC POW leads the club in overall average (.373) and RBIs (39)…Jason Corder has nine home runs, a .325 average and 36 RBIs…our closing number is still pitching, LBSU is 18-1 when leading after six innings so score early and often—DR. DAN