Tucker Talks

Weaver, Boras, Moreno and impending free agency

2011-08-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Jered Weaver is leading a hotly-contested AL Cy Young race with inside of two months to go.

Last year he led the league in strikeouts. He is 28. He is having a career year.

In the offseason he actually lost his arbitration case. He wanted $8.8 million. He got $7.36 million instead. Somebody dropped the ball.

He will not pitch for less than $10 million for the forseeable future. He won't pitch for less than $20 million, starting next year.

How long that lasts falls on the shrewd shoulders of super-agent Scott Boras.

The Angels may have been able to negotiate a long-term deal with Weaver six months ago. Something in the range of four years and $70 million.

Now nothing under nine numbers will do.

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Scott Boras will not go quietly into the night now. Not armed with back-to-back top-5 Cy Young finishes, or repeat All Star appearances, or 400-plus K's over those two years.

He wants to get Weaver to free agency. He will drive up the dollars. A bidding war will ensue.

The Bombers need pitching. Even if Sabathia opts out he will be back. The Super Nova and Phil Hughes may be mainstays but by Thanksgiving next year Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon will be footnotes.

They missed on Cliff Lee. They don't miss often.

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They didn't whiff on Mark Teixeria and there's no hiding how much of an impetus that may be for the current impasse. A Boras client the Angels wanted to retain, owner Arte Moreno makes no qualms about his feelings for Boras.

He won't negotiate with him. He moved him from his suite behind home plate so he wouldn't have to see him on TV. He can't avoid him now. Or at least his people can't.

What he is staring down the barrel of now is Barry Zito money.

At 30, Weaver's age next offseason, Boras will certainly try to leverage the extra years for his client. This will be his one big deal.

Jered has started 28 games or more each of the last four seasons. His ERA has dropped, too.

The Yankees aren't the only team that need - or would pony up for - his arm.

The Red Sox are always in the mix, too. Beckett and Lester are great but questions linger after that. The Cubs have money. The Nationals are starting to spend with the big boys and slotting Weaver ahead of Zimmerman and Strasburg has to scare the hell out of Philly and Atlanta.

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Luck and misfortune go hand-in-hand.

The Boras pendulum swings both ways, and the Angels organization is laying in this bed by choice.

After a standout career at Long Beach State, Weaver and Boras scared 11 teams picking ahead of Anaheim in 2004. He fell into their laps. He shouldn't have been on the board but he was - buyer beware.

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So where does that leave Weaver? In a perfect place as long as his bank account is concerned. At 30 he will be smack dab in the middle of his prime.

Pitchers are a precious commodity. They are never a sure thing but organization's have no choice but to hope they stay viable.

So what does the market look like?

In my estimation the floor starts at five years and $100 million. It skyrockets from there.

Somebody will offer six years. The seventh year will be the deal breaker.

Six years and $140 million? Seven and $150? These are astronomical figures, but aces in their prime get paid, plain and simple.

The window for the Angels was open but it's closing fast. I think it's shut until next fall.

Then it's game on. Let the bidding begin.

Must win - One week In?

2010-09-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Even a modest prediction for the San Francisco 49ers before the season started was 10 wins. With five or six wins in their division alone easily attainable another five against the NFC South and AFC West didn't seem like a stretch at all.

With one game left in week two the Niners schedule - based on early returns and one awful game by the Singletary's - looks downright mean all of the sudden:

Week 1 at Seattle - Expectation: Rebuilding year for the 'Hawks with a new coach and a lot of new pieces. Loud place to play but the Niners will take care of business (and expectations) and get the win. Result: Three early chances to score TD's are blown leading to just six points and the team implodes, leaving a wake of accusations and allegations about communication and competency on the offensive side. Wow, even for the NFL the division-champs-to-be were smoke and mirrors pretty quick.

Week 2 vs. New Orleans - Expectation: Chalked this one up as four-six losses before the season. The defending champs come to town and are just too balanced for the Niners to upend. If they play well though, it could be a confidence-booster. The 'ol hang with the best, means we are close moment. Lose badly (like home loss to Atlanta in '09) and its back to the drawing board. Reality: Sandwiched between last's week debacle and next week's trip to KC (early start, short week, loud stadium, 2-0 Chiefs) and this game looks pretty important now.

Week 3 at Kansas City - Expectation: The Chiefs are not there yet. They have a few pieces and like Seattle it's loud and can be hostile when the team is going well but once again, this is a game a good team should be able to find a way to win. Reality: The Chiefs haven't proven a ton yet. They were outplayed by the Chargers a week ago and the torrential downpour mitigated those circumstances and beating the Browns isn't a huge hurdle to clear but the previously mentioned issues will be. West coast teams do not play well at 10 AM Pacific time, preparing for an opponent on a short week is hard and those communication issues will only be magnified in a raucous success-starved Arrowhead on Sunday morning.

Week 4 at Atlanta - Expectation: Loss. The Falcons crushed the 49ers last season at the Stick. Why would the boys of the bay roll into the ATL and suddenly handle Matty Ice and the Birds? Yea, I couldn't come up with a good reason either. So that means 2-2 after four weeks, waiting for the schedule to soften a bit. Reality: 0-4?? Season over, quarterback controversy, need for a new coach/offensive coordinator and a top-10 defense pissed that the other side of the ball is worthless despite the presence of at least two bona-fide playmakers (more on that in a second).

From there seven home games remain - three against hapless NFC West foes - but at 0-4 what does it matter? The Niners rally late and finish 7-9 again? Another off-season of pining about missed opportunities, 10-win seasons, playoffs and what could have been. Wait haven't we been down this road before?

Even at 1-3, Philadelphia comes to town and will be no easy task. Next up is the Raiders are a team the 'Niners should handle but no one is a pushover at this point. Another early start follows this time in Carolina - another road game that a playoff team wins - and then a "home" tilt with Denver across the Pond before the bye week. What was purported to be a 5-3 or 6-2 team heading into the break could be looking at a reversal of numbers. 2-6 or 3-5 certainly seems plausible when staring at an 0-4 hole. But they'll regroup after the bye, going 6-2, and string along that optimism all the way until next fall. Will that last gasp matter? Tonight should tell us a lot. Of course an upset of the defending champs at home, could sweep all of this under the rug. Such is life.

Additional thoughts: Mike Singletary may be an icon, a tremendous motivator and a wonderful mentor but he is meant to be the head coach of an NFL team. The jury has to still be out. While many coaches are blessed with great players, others get the most out of what they have. The Niners defense is formidable, the offense has more quality skill players than at any point in recent memory and then there's quarterback. Sure, Singletary's Papa Bear approach worked wonders with Vernon Davis but he was also supremely gifted. Can the same be said of Alex Smith? And for all of Coach Sing's football gusto how much does he know about molding QB's? For a franchise with two of the greatest gunslinger's ever the dearth of talent at the most crucial position in football since Jeff Garcia and definitely Steve Young and Joe Montana before him is a glaring problem and will continue to be.

Michael Crabtree is gifted. He has the potential to be a great receiver but he has really put himself in a precarious position as a pariah. The long holdout last season, the "diva" tag, missing the preseason, getting veteran treatment before proving anything to the point that V. Davis felt compelled to get in his face at practice then looking awfully lost when the lights came on Week 1. Not a great start. He needs to work hard, figure out what he's doing and start making a discernible difference if the 'Niners offense is going to take the leap necessary to be good week-in and week-out.

Enjoy the game.

Long hiatus over, NFL season upon us!

2010-09-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to discuss but this post will be short.

Plenty of exciting topics to touch upon, like the baseball races - Cy Young, Triple Crown, NL West, NL East, AL East.

Basketball and hockey are close to returning.

Good first week of college football, with some big match-ups in two days and of course the NFL begins tonight.

On that note allow me to make my first pick for the season.

Vikings @ Saints (-5.5)

I'll take the defending champs to cover and I'll be back by Sunday morning for a run-down of the rest of the picks.

NL Cy Young Update: Jimenez has the W's, but that's it

2010-07-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

Ubaldo Jimenez has had a fantastic season. He looked fabulous again today in shutting down St. Louis and was on a record-breaking pace until recently. But a few hiccups in late June and early July have opened the door for a slew of serious contenders.

One look at U can't hit what U can't see's numbers and the data is shocking.

15-1, 2.20 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 113 K's. Nobody's won more than 27 games in the National League in nearly 60 years. Last season's Cy Young winner won 15 games all season.

But let me say it again. Last year's Cy Young winner won only 15 games.

In an age of Sabremetrics and stat geeks simply winning games won't do it. Adam Wainwright was a bullpen meltdown away from being a 20-game winner with a bunch of other gaudy numbers and he came up short in 2009.

For Ubaldo, a 25-win season, a no-hitter, 200 K's and an ERA in the low two's may be too much for anyone else to overcome. Hell, Jimenez could wind up winning the pitching triple crown (wins, ERA and strikeouts) but there are plenty of pitchers with numbers just as impressive or better than Jimenez in other categories not including record.

Let's round out the rest of the top-10 with just a few days left until the All-Star break.

LURKING

Josh Johnson (FLA)

After eight shutout innings Wednesday night in LA, Johnson's numbers are top-to-bottom the best in baseball. He sports a tidy 1.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 123 K's against just 28 walks. His record is 9-3. He leads all NL starters in every possible metric including WAR where he tops the list at 5.0. If I had to vote right now he would be my pick.

Adam Wainwright (STL)

A brilliant 2009 behind him, nothing has changed for Wainwright in the new decade. A 2.24 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, 123 K's and 32 BB with a 12-5 record. Not a lot of drop off there or from the rest of the candidates. He's gone at least six innings in every start but one and hasn't given up more than four earned runs in an appearance.

Roy Halladay (PHI)

Like Jimenez, a few rough starts have skewed some otherwise downright numbers for ol' Roy but the sum totals are still pretty fantastic. 2.33 ERA a 1.08 WHIP and 119 K's with only 18 free passes in as many starts. Doc is just 10-7 but has seven complete games and three shutouts (both the most in the NL). The Philly bats have been uncharacteristically quiet for long stretches in the early going and Halladay's record has suffered. His 4.3 WAR is tied for second in the league with Jimenez.

Mat Latos (SDP)

Certainly the surprise of the first-half, Latos has been downright brilliant for the Padres thus far. Latos boasts a 2.45 ERA with just a 0.97 WHIP. He's struck out 99 and walked just 28. He's 10-4 for the NL-West leading Daddies. His hits allowed per nine innings pitched is the second lowest behind Jimenez.

FOUR MORE TO WATCH FOR

Yovani Gallardo (MIL)

Flithy stuff, but just landed on the DL. Should be back after the break. 2.58 ERA and 128 K's. High WHIP (1.26) because of so many walks (48). 8-4 for a Milwaukee team that is really struggling and may trade off some pieces making it even harder for Gallardo to get wins.

Clayton Kershaw (LAD)

Speaking of good stuff, this young Dodger lefty has electric pitches. He's 9-4 with 128 K's and a 2.96 ERA. Does a nice job of working out of jams - 50 BB - but makes it tough on himself by issuing so many slow trots.

Jaime Garcia (STL)

Another good young arm is the 24-year old Mexican rookie pitching for the Cardinals. His 2.17 ERA is second-best on the senior circuit. He's 8-4 and has fanned 80 hitters. Durability has been his weakness so far since Garcia has yet to throw more than seven innings in a start this season, although he has gone six or more in all but four games and has recorded a quality start each time he has done so.

Tim Lincecum (SFG)

The two-time reigning NL Cy Young winner started 2010 looking like the same pitcher that dominated the league for the past two seasons before control problems sent him into trouble. But he's regained his prowess and owns a respectable 3.26 ERA. For the third year in a row he leads the NL in strikeouts and he's 9-4. His 1.28 WHIP is inflated due to 48 BB. A strong second-half from the Freak could put Timmy right back in the middle of this conversation.

AL MVP Race

2010-07-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

July is upon us and the Midsummer Classic is just around the corner. With that in mind I thought it wasn't too early to start the AL MVP debate. While this award can certainly be won (or lost) in September when a player can swing the tide of the playoff race the groundwork for a complete resume is being laid now.

In the conversation

(AKA The 12 HR, 53 RBI guys)

10. Torii Hunter (LAA) - Despite losing bopper Kendry Morales to injury the Angels are once again in the thick of the AL West race and Hunter's calm and steady presence in the clubhouse, line-up and centerfield are a big part of that. Spiderman has won nine straight gold gloves and he leads the league in doubles (24).

9. Evan Longoria (TAM) - Longo is developing into a leader in his third season in Tampa and heads a good Rays club that is scrapping to stay with the surging Red Sox and loaded Yankees. Has a 3.2 WAR and plays a gold-glove hot corner behind the AL's best staff.

8. Adrian Beltre (BOS) - Brought to Boston to shore up the Sox infield defensively not only has Beltre put up good power numbers reminiscent of his Dodger days but he is also tied for second in the league with a whopping .349 batting average.

On the outside looking in

7. Kevin Youkilis (BOS) - Youk is a run-producing machine. He's scored a league-high 62 times and driven in 50. The first baseman leads the AL with 49 walks and his .416 OBP is second-best.

6. Paul Konerko (CHW) - Konerko is tied for the league-lead with 20 homer's and his 56 RBI's are fourth best. His White Sox are red-hot and in the middle of a heated AL central race.

5. Justin Morneau (MIN) - Has an MVP award on his mantle already, carrying a Minnesota offense that is dealing with down years from most of it's other big bats like Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel. His 5.1 WAR, .446 OBP and 1.063 OPS leads the league.

Leading the pack

4. Robinson Cano (NYY) - Leads the league with a .354 average and has been hitting for power, too (16 HR's and 54 RBI). Second in WAR (4.6) has just one error (.997 fielding percentage) and like Morneau, making up for sub-par years from A-Rod and Teixiera.

3-2. Vladimir Guerrero/Josh Hamilton (TEX)

Vlad the Impaler has always hit well in Arlington (.385 career clip, .374 in 2010) so the move to the Rangers seemed like a smart one. But coming off an injury plagued 2009 campaign that limited him to 100 games. It seemed like Guerrero, the 2004 AL MVP, was certainly on the downward arc of his brilliant career.

That assumption - and the reality then when healthy he is still a force - has been hammered home to his old mates the last couple of nights. Last night Vlad hit a go-ahead grand slam in a 4-for-4, two bomb performance and is 68 RBI tie him for the league lead. He has 18 dingers and a .339 average. The big knock against him will be that he is primarily used as a DH.

Hamilton, like Vlad, had a DL-laden 2009 season. On the heels of his unbelievable comeback and breakout 2008, he too was a question mark. But Hamilton has exploded once again. The splits are eye-popping, .343/18/58, and he currently boasts the longest hitting streak in the bigs this year (23 games). He leads the AL in total bases and has yet to ground into a double play.

1. Miguel Cabrera (DET)

After his drunken incident in the midst of the biggest series of the season and the collapse that followed, Cabrera was on thin ice. And for about .23 seconds the Tigers thought about shipping him out of town. But after getting sober and re-focusing Miggy is once again doing what he's always done, flat-out rake.

Cabrera is tied for the AL lead in homers and RBI's and sports a lofty .337 average making him a dangerous threat for the triple crown. His .628 slugging percentage is tops in the league and he's second in runs scored and total bases.

But it's his meltdown at the end of last season and his subsequent gut check that has got him here and he's really put the Tigers on his back in 2010. Barring a triple crown feat, Detroit needs to make the playoffs for Tubbs to hold off some strong competition, but if they do edge out Minnesota and Chicago then Cabrera has the inside track to his first MVP trophy later this year.

Twins-Mets musings

2010-06-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

Headed to Citi Field in a few hours for the Minnesota-New York game. Thought I'd shed some light on the two teams, the match-up and the new Mets stadium.

Without further ado...

There were rumors this week that the Mets and Mariners had mutual interest in a deal involving Cliff Lee. The Mets however were reportedly reluctant to pull the trigger on a trade if it included big league talent like Jon Niese, Ike Davis or Angel Pagan. Wait, what?

Jon Niese is a good young pitcher but he also couldn't make it through five innings against Detroit Tuesday night after being staked to a 10-0 lead.

Ike Davis is a fan favorite in the Big Apple, already inspiring a "We like Ike" Dwight D. Eisenhower-esque campaign after just a few months in the show. The hefty lefty was the Metropolitans first-round choice in 2008, drafted 18th overall out of Arizona State. He could be a middle of the line-up masher for the next 10-15 years, and is having a fine rookie season to date.

Angel Pagan is a light-hitting outfielder, with some speed. He's hitting at a .304 clip currently but has just four home runs and is very expendable.

But since when did the Mets decide to be the Yankees? Not the free-wheeling spenders but the "we want to build from within and not continue to mortgage our future types?" Oh wait, maybe a decade-and-a-half worth of huge deals that yielded little results can cause a shift in philosophy but the Mets still have money and we are still talking about Cliff Lee.

While the Mets have been playing very good ball of late, winning seemingly every time ace Johan Santana doesn't pitch, putting Lee and Santana at the top of a rotation would be exactly the formidable one-two punch that fellow NL clubs like St. Louis (Carpenter and Wainwright), San Francisco (Lincecum and Cain) and rival Philadelphia (Halladay and the aforementioned Cliff Lee) have or should have tried to keep intact.

In case you needed reminding, since apparently Mets executives do, here are Lee's numbers from last postseason with the Phillies: 5 starts, 40.1 IP, 4-0, 27 H, 6 BB, 33 K's and a 1.56 ERA.

Now there is a guy I want on the mound come October and if the Mets are serious about contending and making noise in a pitching-packed NL postseason then they should, too.

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Speaking of Santana, he got roughed up by his former mates yesterday (five earned in six innings, of a 6-0 loss), and even without his services the Twins just keep on chugging.

While the monster contract doled out to catcher Joe Mauer shows that even Minnesota is capable of opening up its wallets a bit the Twinkies are still a model of efficient, calculated success.

At 41-33, they own a game and a half lead over the red-hot White Sox (winners of 11 in a row) and the Detroit Tigers. Both teams spend more money than the Twins do ($108 million and $122 million respectively) but Minny's 2010 payroll is just under $98 million allowing them to keep some of their home grown talent in house and to be competitive consistently.

Beautiful new Target Field only increases the chances of that happening. The Twin Cities new jewel, a downtown, outdoor stadium, has been filled at 99 percent capacity so far in its inaugural season and with a good team in a fantastic place for summer it should be a good ride for the Twins again this year.

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I got my first taste of Citi Field Wednesday evening when the Tigers were in town to take on the Amazing's. It feels absolutely huge, but the spacious concourses, and fabulous concessions made it a great experience. Every one of these new ball parks is a sight to behold and this one is no slouch.

I've heard about big it was and after watching so many games at Long Beach's Blair Field and following the Giants at AT&T Park it was hard for me to imagine a diamond that played much bigger than those two but Citi really is a cavernous place.

High walls and really deep alleys make it a pitcher's haven and even with Wright and Bay expected to produce a lot of power it seems like the Mets are building around pitching and winning close, low-scoring games.

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It's only late June but both teams are locked in close division races. I mentioned the three-team battle ensuing in the AL Central but the Mets are 42-32. That puts them 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and two games clear of the two-time defending NL champion Phillies.

Needless to say in a long season, every game is still important. The Twins needed 163 games to edge out the Tigers last October after their disastrous finish and with an historic collapse of their own in the not so distant past the Mets need to keep grinding each day.

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I'll have much more from the game, so stay tuned at twitter.com/philomis for more Twins-Mets info. There will also be plenty of World Cup tidbits and Giants-Red Sox stuff as Lester and Lincecum duel it out by the bay.

So you're telling me there's a chance

2010-06-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

That's one of my favorite lines from a long list of classic Dumb and Dumber quotes.

Lloyd asks Mary the chances of "a guy like you and a girl like me... ending up together?"

Mary tells him they are one in a million. Lloyd is ecstatic.

That's how the U.S. men's soccer team and it's supporters feel on the eve of a monumental tilt with the Black Stars of Ghana.

The Yanks were given a gift when English goalie Robert Green flubbed Clint Dempsey's shot near halftime in their opening match in South Africa.

But then their luck turned. After making an epic comeback to even the score with Slovenia, drawing to 2-2 after being down a pair at intermission, Maurice Edu's game-winner was disallowed and the red, white and blue was on the brink of another early exit.

In Wednesday's third and final qualifying game the Americans had another goal waived off but didn't waiver and Landon Donovan's goal in extra time sent the U.S. through to the round of 16.

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What number 10's magical strike really did was give the U.S. new life. Staring elimination straight in the face the "cardiac kids" not only found the tally they so desperately needed but in doing so clinched the top spot in Group C and really found themselves excited about their "one in a million moment."

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The last Vegas-based odds I saw before the World Cup began had the Americans as 66-1 to hoist the golden ball. Overseas it was even higher, going off at 125-1. A Sam Bradford-led renaissance in St. Louis, where the hapless Rams win the Super Bowl next February is a 200-1 possibility at the moment.

There all parallels. Both the Rams and the U.S. would have to beat out 31 other foes and the mere mention of it brings both snickers and looks of disbelief.

But once again Donovan's goal changed everything.

Not only did the U.S. win their table by finishing with more goals than the Three Lions but they also won the lottery in terms of who they will face en route to the "Final Four."

Make no mistake, a run to the semi-finals would be very much like Butler or George Mason making it. But for the Americans the three teams they are now matched up against in the "Sweet Sixteen" that remain alive in South Africa are like an eight seed, a nine seed and a 13 seed.

To be in a foursome with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea while world soccer powers Argentina, Germany and England are opposite them, plus rival Mexico, well, the United States simply may NEVER have this kind of opportunity to at least make the semi-finals of the planet's biggest sporting event.

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There is no getting around the fact that the U.S. team could already be back in the States. They did not play exceptionally well and could have very easily found themselves on the outside looking in but this situation is not at all new to them.

Just last summer, on South African soil and in many of the same stadium's, the Americans looked outnumbered and uninterested for their first two games before a 3-0 triumph against Egypt and a bizarre sequence of tiebreakers saw them sent through to face reigning European champion Spain.

They made the most of that opportunity knocking off the best team in the world 2-0 before taking an identical lead against the most decorated world soccer side, Brazil, in the Confederation's Cup final.

The Brazilians brilliance shone through in the second half and the Americans came up short but it was an important lesson on focusing on the task at hand and realizing that when presented with that "chance" anything is possible.

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Tomorrow's game against Ghana is that chance multiplied by one hundred. What Donovan's goal set in motion was a chain of events that could change the course of American soccer history.

The Black Stars are a young team but a determined one. They sent the red, white and blue packing four years ago with a 2-1 win to close out group play and carry the hopes of an entire continent on their back, Five African teams made this World Cup, the first ever on the continent, and they are the only one still playing on home soil.

Uruguay has looked very good so far and La Celeste has won two World Cup titles - albeit not recently - and they use an up-tempo, attacking style that could cause problems for an unsettled American back line.

South Korea is still a relative unknown to the soccer world but has nothing to lose and so much to gain having advanced to this point already. The U.S. has surprised as an underdog but often scuffled against equal or lesser opponents.

Nothing will be guaranteed against any of these teams but when the anthems are done tomorrow evening in South Africa a "one in a million chance" will be a dream much closer, and much more plausible, for the Americans to realize.

Perfect Patriotism

2010-06-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

Patriotism feels too often forced.

Holidays, war and tragedy can do that to us.

Sports are scheduled, so to say they bring out completely spontaneous acts of national pride would be false, but they sure can bring a bar to its feet.

Such was the case Saturday morning.

At the Harp Inn, an Irish Pub in Costa Mesa, Calif., the fervor and sheer size of the crowd watching the USA/England match was stunning.

The small sign on the far wall reads "maximum occupancy: 147" but by the time the game was in full swing more than 350 raucous revelers were packed in an area half the size of a goalie box.

The action on the field was fast-paced and had it's share of twists and turns but one event just before the whistle blew stood out above all else: The American national anthem.

One of my absolute favorite You Tube videos is of the entire crowd at Rexall Place belting out "O Canada" before an Oilers-Ducks playoff game in 2006. The anthem singer quickly bows out as the crowd simply takes over in a passionate chorus. I had chills watching it the first time and goosebumps watching it again as I pasted the link into this post.

I have no connection to Canada, it's a tremendous anthem, but I feel no attachment to it.

Something magical happened that reminded me of that video yesterday morning. With the volume of the game not audible above the crowded bar, the Star Spangled Banner began to play in South Africa as the players were shown standing with their hands on their hearts.

All of the sudden, 90 percent of the bar, or all of American supporters began to sing. It started out as a swelling sound and began to be an enthusiastic yell.

People were smiling and laughing, some were crying. But I'll never forget that sound.

More than 300 soccer fans gave me the greatest sense of patriotism I've ever known and it was truly remarkable. I'm not proud of a lot of my country's past nor do I agree with a lot of what we are currently involved in but for those two minutes I was enthralled with the words and passion of the red, white and blue.

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As for the game itself the British certainly had the most quality chances but the U.S. has to feel as though they had the biggest "oh, what could have been" moment when Jozy Altidore sprung free down the left flank and his scoring attempt was deflected by the keeper off both the goalpost and crossbar before caroming away.

The Yanks were mere inches from taking a 2-1 lead and could have scored a huge upset and registered a massive three points.

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The first two things I screamed after the pandemonium finally quieted a bit and I shook myself from utter shock following the American equalizer were "that would have been bad in high school" and "what in the name of Bill Buckner just happened?"

For a U.S. side desperate for some consistent play on the world's biggest stage their goal, and Green's gaffe, were a welcome break. It doesn't matter how you score, just that you do, and considering the gift they were given by the British blunder was enough to earn a tie they will certainly take it and move on accordingly.

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In the other net, Tim Howard was unequivocally the man of the match. After not sleeping at all the night before the game and spending six-plus hours at the bar, I've read none of the press or seen any of the highlights.

This may have already been echoed by many but the U.S. could have finished that game in a three or four goal hole if not for the brilliance of one of the world's best keepers.

Add to the mix the fact that Howard took a boot to his arm and chest in the first half and the Americans certainly have a hero to ride as far as he can take them over the next few weeks.

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Getting a point had to be exactly what coach Bob Bradley and the red, white and blue were playing for. Anything more would have been gravy. But the U.S. is still in a precarious spot. They really need decisions in their next two games and ultimately a win and a draw may be necessary to get them through.

Assuming England win's out they will finish on top of the group with seven points. If Slovenia beats Algeria then the U.S. would need to also beat Algeria and at least earn a draw with Slovenia to finish with five points or one more than Slovenia would have.

Here's how that would look:

England 2-0-1 (7 pts)
USA 1-0-2 (5 pts)
Slovenia 1-1-1 (4 pts)
Algeria (0-0-3) (0 pts)

If Algeria upsets Slovenia then the same could be said for their chances and what the U.S. must do but ideally these two sides will draw and the Americans could advance even without a win if they can stay out of the loss column.

But a Slovenia win would make Friday morning's showdown a winner-take-all affair.

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I own many different hats and jersey's for my favorite teams and plenty get attention especially considering I'm a bay area native living in enemy territory in southern California but the amount of people that stopped to ask me about the game, yelled at me from their cars or simply made a comment as they passed by me in the hours that followed the match as I walked around the beach yesterday afternoon was staggering.

People wanted to know the score, talk to me about the game or most entertaining, a handful actually thought I had netted the lone American tally.

I'm not sure what that says more about the state of soccer in the lower 48. On the one side, in an official blue jersey exactly like the ones the U.S. wore and with a beard and sunglasses on I do look a lot like Clint Dempsey.

But the U.S. and England had just finished playing halfway around the world and except for cheesy TV commercials most athletes don't wear their jerseys around in public just for fun.

It made for some interesting exchanges and I was definitely thrilled with the number of passers-by that had something soccer related to say. Not an everyday occurrence by any stretch of the imagination.

Until next time.

1776 & 1950, Final Tally: USA 1, England 0

2010-06-12T03:40:00.000-07:00

It's been 16 years since the U.S. men's soccer team played a game this big.

Sure they have gone up against better opponents and even played games with more on the line but in just under nine hours their opening match of the 2010 World Cup against England will top all of them from the past decade and a half.

On July 4th, 1994 in the round of 16 the upstart Americans fought valiantly before falling 1-0 to Brazil on the Stanford Stadium pitch.

It was Independence Day and the United States was hosting the World Cup for the first (and only) time. Soccer fever was running rampant across the nation that summer and the U.S. was on the brink of something truly spectacular.

Add in the most decorated side the world has seen and you had a script that frankly seemed too far-fetched even for a feel-good sports flick.

But the Brazilians with all their flair and skill squeaked past the Yanks on their way to World Cup royalty at the Rose Bowl nearly two weeks later.

America had been captivated for almost a month.

Fascinated with the millions of fans from the world over, so fervent and enthusiastic. Mesmerized by the beautiful game being played out so eloquently right in front of their eyes and in their own back yard.

They were stunned by the news of Columbian Andres Escobar's death just days after his own goal was the difference in an American opening round win.

Sure many Red Sox fans had probably dreamt about hunting down Bill Buckner eight years before but he was still kicking.

Americans were faced with a stark reality. What they were witnessing was much more than just a game to everyone else.

By the time Brazil was victorious, baseball, the national pastime, was less than a month away from a labor strike that would see the first fall come and go without a World Series in 90 years.

But even without baseball the NFL was growing in popularity. Hockey was a major sport in the North American psyche. Michael Jordan was off playing baseball between his three-peats. None of it mattered.

If you roll all of that into one, all of that passion and excitement then you can really only truly begin to understand what soccer means on the global stage.

In 1994, Americans saw that for the first time and the confluence of events that brought that Brazil/USA match together meant it could mean something in the states too but the red, white and blue fell tantalizingly short.

The women's national team gained notoriety by winning it all and Major League Soccer has managed to stay afloat since its inception in 1993 on the eve of the World Cup.

But despite millions of kids playing soccer all over the country from pro leagues to AYSO, the sport still takes a major back seat to many other athletic endeavors in the U.S.

****

But an opening round game that pits an eager American side against Mother England provides exactly the type of dramatic recipe and anticipation that makes it once again - for the first time in 16 years - capable of reaching far beyond the white lines.

60 years ago this month the U.S. pulled off the Miracle on Grass beating the Brits 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup despite being as big as 500-1 underdogs. (To put 500-1 odds in perspective, England beating the U.S. 8-0 is going off at 500-1. Most sportsbook's simply won't go any higher than that since the risk simply outweighs the reward.)

30 years later was the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid where the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviet Union.

Earlier this year the national pride swelled when the U.S. hockey team upended the Canadian's on their home ice, but fell short in a repeat attempt with the gold medal on the line.

The stakes simply aren't that high. Both teams should advance out of group play and into the elimination stages but beating England has been something Americans have prided themselves on since they tossed tea into the Boston Harbor more than two centuries ago.

****

American soccer is one of the true places where we can still relish the underdog role. We've been to the top of the mountain in nearly every sport but we've barely begun to scale the pinnacle of football glory.

The Sons of Sam took a few sizable steps last summer. After falling flat in their first two games of the Confederation's Cup they managed to beat Egypt in their last match of the group stage and advance due to some bizzare tiebreaking procedures.

But I'll never forget the feeling of disbelief in the Venetian sportsbook during the shocker that followed as the U.S. soundly beat Spain, the number one team in the World, to advance to the finals against Brazil.

And I'll always remember the euphoria when Clint Dempsey put the Americans ahead 1-0 after 10 minutes and the hysteria when Landon Donovan netted another 17 minutes later to push the lead to two goals.

I have this distorted video that plays in my mind after Donovan's ball tickled the twine where at least sixty people crowded into a small, dark Costa Mesa pub leap to their feet in unison as if the ground had suddenly swelled from under them.

I'm convinced that I jumped at least four feet into the air. I felt like I wasn't coming down.

****

I did come down, and what a crash it was. After gliding into the locker room still two goals clear of the mighty Brazilians and faced with the ridiculous reality that yes, in fact, the U.S. could win after such a horrific start in South Africa, the whistle blew for the final forty-five and Fabiano struck fear into our hearts.

Less than a minute after the intermission it was 2-1. And the whirlwind of yellow speed and skill simply ensued from there. When the dust settled Fabiano had tallied another, Lucio had scored the winner and the South American champions had certainly been slighted on another shot that clearly crossed the U.S. goal line.

It was a stunning defeat in the sense that for an hour or so what had seemed so probable fantastically felt in great doubt. But in the end the better team won, but with that match and the brilliant defeat of the European champion Spaniards squarely in the Americans rear view mirror, a return trip to South Africa in a year definitely felt like a tremendous opportunity.

Despite some treacherous spots in CONCACAF qualifying and a series of injuries to significant players the U.S. side finally stands on the precipice of possibility.

ESPN's slogan for this tournament is: "One game changes everything." A win does little to bolster the American's chances of actually winning the World Cup, something that seems still out of reach even for the biggest of dreamer's but it could rally the country like never before and push this team closer to raising that gold statue than ever in history and that's not something to belittle.

Only eight hours until kickoff now, the excitement is reaching unprecedented levels.

Enjoy the game, it's been 16 years since they've had one of this magnitude, maybe this time they can continue the trend of upending the Brits.

It's the most patriotic thing they can do, long live the red, white and blue!

NL Cy Young Update: Jimenez no, no-hitter hangover

2010-05-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay have continued to pitch really well.

In his last three starts, Lincecum has pitched 22 and a third, given up six runs and struck out 32. He has just one win to show for it however, since the Giants bullpen has blown a lead in his last two outings.

Season stats: 4-0, 42.1 IP, 1.70 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 8 BB, 56 K's

Halladay has motored right along, too. He suffered his first loss at the hand's of Lincecum's Giants, yielding five runs on ten hits but that was sandwiched between two complete game shutout's.

Season stats: 5-1, 49 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 4 BB, 39 K's

Washington's Livan Hernandez is 4-1 with a 0.99 ERA, San Fran's Barry Zito (a 2002 AL Cy Young winner) is 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA and a trio of St. Louis guys rookie Jaime Garcia (3-1, 1.13 ERA), Brad Penny (3-1, 1.56 ERA) and Adam Wainwright (4-1, 1.96 ERA) have all been throwing really well.

But the biggest early-season challenger to the Lincecum-Halladay duel is Colorado pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.

The big righty from the Dominican no-hit the Braves on April 17th and has barely blinked since. He has given up just 11 hits and one earned run in three starts since the no-no and had a 25-inning scoreless streak snapped the other night.

He was hitting 101 mph on the radar gun and struck out 13 Padres.

Season stats: 6-0, 41.1 IP, 0.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP 16 BB, 41K's

Needless to say this is going to be a battle and when the smoke clears we may be picking between some of the best single-season pitching performances of all-time.

No one won 20 games last season in the National League and nobody since Curt Schilling in 2002 has struck out 300 batters. Both of those marks could fall. Stay tuned.

Premature Speculation: NL Cy Young

2010-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I get it. Friday was tax day. The NBA and NHL playoffs just started. The NFL Draft is still four days away. It's WAY too early to start this conversation. Guess what? I don't care.

So here it goes: The two-headed Mississippi Monster Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright is 4-0 (Wainwright pitches tonight), Ubaldo Jimenez is 3-0 and threw a no-hitter last night against a pretty good Braves team. Livan Hernandez hasn't given up a run in either of his two starts and Brad Penny, Carlos Silva and Jaime Garcia have ERA's under one after two starts.

But the NL Cy Young race should boil down to two fantastic starters that have not yet been mentioned.

Tim Lincecum is 3-0. He's pitched 20 innings, given up two runs on 13 hits, and struck out 24 batters while issuing just three walks. His ERA is 0.90 and the lead-off man has reached base just once in those 20 innings of work. Most importantly he's coming off back-to-back Cy Young awards becoming the youngest player to win two and first to do it in his two initial full seasons at the big league level.

The new challenger is Roy Halladay. He's 3-0. He's pitched 24 innings in his three starts, giving up four runs (three earned) on 21 hits, and struck out 21 batters while walking only two. His ERA is just 1.13 and unlike the rest of the challengers (Carpenter and Wainwright to a lesser extent, excluded) has done this before.

Halladay is 151-76 in his career with a 3.40 ERA. Until being traded to Philadelphia this offseason the big 6'6" 230 pound righty had pitched his entire career in the hitter-laden AL East. "Doc" is durable and strong and already has a Cy Young award to his resume from 2003.

His other advantage over the incumbent Lincecum is the offense that plays behind him. The Phillies have scored a league-high 78 runs already this season and led the NL in 2009 as well. The Giants offense has improved (scoring 68 runs) and that should help Timmy increase his win total from a meager 15 a year ago but there is no doubt Halladay can have a few bad starts and win with the line-up his team puts out on the field.

To add to the excitement the Phillies have been to the World Series each of the last two seasons - winning it in 2009 - and the Giants lead a very strong NL West early on. As Philadelphia and San Francisco battle for playoff spots it could be the pitcher that puts his team over the top that gets the hardwood in the end.

I'll keep an eye on how this one is progressing. For updates follow me on twitter - @philomis

"We update our formulas..."

2010-02-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

That's a classic Gang Starr line from their "Moment of Truth" album and it applies to the very outdated and stale dunk content we witnessed at NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas.

It was an incredible venue and the game itself was exciting and came down to the last shot but the dunk contest was just plain awful. The stars don't want to do it and as athletic as Nate Robinson is I don't want to see him anymore or see him have to try dunks 15 times just so he can pull it off.

My proposal stems from something we saw last year. Dwight Howard dunked on an 11-foot hoop in the contest and did it with ease.

Get a hoop that can be raised and do it track and field, high jump style.

Start it at 11 feet and keep raising it until only one guy can jam it. I don't know one person that wouldn't find this incredibly fascinating.

How high guy can these guys go? 12-and-a-half feet? 13? We have all seen LeBron throw it down when his head is practically even with the rim so what would his ceiling be.

Could a big man like Howard with height and reach compete with a smaller James who can jump out of the building.

Get four guys and just let them go. They can run dunk lines like pre-game layup lines and if one guy can't hit the level the other guys do he's out. Keep ratcheting it up. The pizzaz of the 360's and windmills would be gone but the intrigue would surely not.

Moreover this competition would create precedent. We have seen the old dunks from MJ at the free-throw line to 'Nique's aerial acrobatics but like the "hardest shot" event at the NHL's All-Star weekend, a tangible bar would be set and that number would be ingrained in your psyche.

For 16 years Al Iafrate's 105.2 mph slap shot stood as the record and every year guys went gunning for it. Using a vastly-improved carbon fiber stick Zdeno Chara bested that mark by two-tenths of a second in last year's competition and I remember how exciting it was.

Of even greater importance I think guys like James and Howard would want to try this. It wouldn't be as dangerous as trying the wilder dunks and I know LeBron would look at this and one more possible stamp of his greatness.

The Jordan-Kobe-LeBron debate will rage on but a high-dunk competition would be one measuring stick for generations of hoopers.

13 feet? Is it really possible? We have no clue, but I would sure like to find out.

The single-season spike aka "the earthquake year"

2010-02-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

If you look on a seismometer the average movement is pretty small. The meter is always moving but it goes up and down pretty calmly with not a lot of serious ambition. It just rumbles along.

But when an earthquake hits all hell breaks loose and it flails up and down like a Vegas partygoer.

In sports we are talking a spike in numbers. An increase in stats or performance that totally interrupts the career arc of a player and sends it soaring like the Himalayas.

Nowadays there is a pretty simple explanation: Steroids.

While more often than not, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is a pretty good place to start there are some other factors to consider.

As much as players love the game, it's also a business. Big money is out there for the taking and in a "contract-year" guys will be very motivated to not only be in great shape but also produce at a very high level for financial fodder at the bargaining table during the offseason.

Health plays a part as a guy who is pain-free can string together five or six solid months at a time but what happens then?

New teammates, coaches or surroundings can also contribute to a monster year. A new spouse or significant other can have an impact. See Greg Norman but not Eldrich Woods.

Regardless of the reason it is truly remarkable to try and view the peak from either side of the valley. Guys will be elite for a period of time like Sandy Koufax, but a one-year reign is breathtaking.

****

With that I give you the pride of Moose Factory, Ontario, Canada, Mr. Jonathan Cheechoo.

Placed on waivers yesterday by the Ottawa Senators, Cheech and his $3.5-million contract, will end up in the AHL if he's not claimed. In 61 games with Ottawa the former second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks had just 14 points (5 goals and 9 assists).

Just 29 years of age, the right winger blossomed in the year after the lockout, racing to a league-high 56 goals in 2005-2006. In six years, the Cheechoo Train has tickled the twine 170 times meaning nearly one-third of his total tallies came in that season.

In early December of 2005 and mired in a 10-game losing streak the Sharks traded for Boston's Joe Thornton.

Cheechoo had just one goal in all of November, but in Jumbo Joe's first game in teal, he scored twice, and San Jose reeled off six straight wins and Cheech put in 13 goals before the New Year.

In 24 games before Thornton's arrival, Cheechoo had seven goals. In the 58 games after he recorded an astounding 49, including nine game-winners.

San Jose made the playoffs after their awful start, Thornton was named the league's MVP and Cheechoo was the top goal scorer.

But that was the top of the mountain. He managed 37 goals the following season but hasn't reached the 30-goal plateau again, on either side of that magical run.

Bringing Thornton, the best passer in the world, into the fold certainly didn't hurt his epic ascension, but it also doesn't explain that despite Joe's continual achievements Cheechoo could never come close to matching that type of production.

Ottawa was hoping a change of scenery might bring him a fresh opportunity but now it appears as though his career is at a real crossroads and it's hard to imagine him ever being an elite goal scorer in the NHL ever again.

****

The first comparison to this type of season happened 10 years before in Baltimore with the Orioles Brady Anderson. In 1996 the outfielder from California slugged 50 home runs.

He hit 41 the three seasons before and 36 in the two seasons after. He hit 24 in 1999 and only went over 20 one other time.

In the history of baseball only 19 times had a player hit more than Anderson's 50.

But the steroid era was just getting underway.

In 2001, Arizona outfielder Luis Gonzalez went off for 57 round-trippers. Just like Cheechoo he had one more year in the thirties (31 bombs the year before) and never made it out of the twenties again.

In his first five full big league seasons Gonzalez hit 59 dingers. In a century of modern baseball, and ignoring the numbers of other users like McGwire and Sosa, there were five seasons of more than 57 homers in that time.

****

So the steroids count for something. New teammates can too.

Washington Redskins RB John Riggins went off for 24 TD's in 1983 at age 34. He only had double-digits rushing scores two other times and never more than 14. He had 25 his first five seasons.

The diamond-in-the-rough seasons are few and far between. They are as interesting as statistical anomalies as they are for the reasons surrounding them.

Greatness and mediocrity come and go but one historical year can be the most fascinating.

LBSU @ Kentucky tomorrow

2009-12-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Fresh off a tough OT loss at LMU last night the 'Niners square off with the undefeated Wildcats of Kentucky tomorrow at Noon in Lexington.

Much was written about the tough schedule before the season but four top-7 teams? LBSU goes to Cameron next week for their last "tune-up" before Big West play.

Not that stopping John Wall or Eric Bledsoe will be an easy task for Ware and Gilling but the real mismatch is in the paint with 6-foot, 9-inch Patrick Patterson and 6-foot, 11-inch DeMarcus Cousins.

T.J. Robinson has picked up right where he left off the second half of last season. He is a double-double machine but he and Eugene Phelps will have their hands full down low with these two all afternoon.

Much more to come from the road and the arena...

The Cleveland Conundrum

2009-12-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

The Browns got their man.

Mike Holmgren is coming to the mistake by the lake hoping to turn the downtrodden franchise around.

It won't be easy. Like all struggling teams it comes down to QB play.

Derek Anderson's Pro Bowl year earned him a large contract and Notre Dame product Brady Quinn was supposed to be the savior.

Neither has done much of anything the past few years except throw interceptions and lose games.

The details of Holmgren's deal are not yet official but early reports had it for as long as ten years and as inflated as $50 million.

The most interesting part of the equation is the future of first-year head coach Eric Mangini.

Browns owner Randy Lerner was moved by the young "Mangenius" in the offseason after he was fired by the Jets this past offseason.

After starting 1-11 Cleveland shocked Pittsburgh on a bitterly cold Thursday night a week and a half ago then ran past Kansas City and into the record books yesterday.

A two-game winning streak amidst a three win campaign is hardly something to highlight in your resume but the sentiment is that the Browns play had at least propped the door open for Mangini to have a case for another year.

But enter Holmgren, the long time Packers and Seahawks head-man who won a Super Bowl with this guy named Brett Favre running the show.

When he took the job today he brought up head coach Cam Cameron's firing in Miami when Bill Parcells assumed the same role he is taking up in Cleveland, as a football "czar" of sorts.

While not fully endorsing the move, just the mere mention of it can't bode well for Mangini.

Parcells cleaned house in South Beach upon arriving and in his first year took a one-win team the season before and made it into a playoff squad.

There is no doubt Holmgren will want his guy in there sooner rather than later and would certainly love nothing more than making that "worst to relevant" splash just like Parcells.

Lerner intimated early in the process that the coaching decision would be about winning and not about money.

But his current coach signed a four year, $15.6 million deal 11 months ago.

He would be owed almost 12 million dollars still if he gets fired.

If the Browns lose out Mangini would pocket $5.2 million per win in Cleveland.

Maybe the New York tabloids were on to something with that "Mangenius" moniker.

One more time for emphasis

2009-12-06T23:58:00.000-08:00

The BCS system makes me sick.

College football pundits say we have the best two teams playing for it all in Alabama and Texas.

We'll never know.

The NCAA corporation loves the underdogs and Cinderella's when it comes to March Madness or the College World Series. George Mason and Fresno State anyone?

But TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State get to sit this one out. Sure they get to play for third, or fourth but wasn't this the doomsday scenario?

Five undefeated teams, all worthy of a title shot, that only goes to two? Has everyone gone soft.

It's totally unacceptable. No other sport demands perfection, and then when you get it from five teams, three are told "sorry, but you didn't play in a power conference." Not sure if anyone noticed but neither the Big 12 or SEC weren't exactly chalked full of great teams this year.

Worse the BCS bowl arrangement is in place for another FOUR years.

The NCAA should be embarrassed and ashamed. They continue to screw this up and line their pockets in the process.

Decide it on the field, not in an office somewhere, that's the purpose of athletics.

*****

UPDATE (Dec 9 - 11:22 PM) -- I like how this sounds...

God save your team

2009-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

The stage is set for the ultimate opening match for the red, white and blue: a June 12th game with England.

60 years to the month of one of soccer's greatest upsets, the sides will meet again.

The USA's 1-0 upset against 500-1 odds in the 1950 World Cup ranks as one of the most surprising results the football world has ever seen.

The Yanks carried just one professional and barely belonged on the same pitch.

But they came out ahead.

In 189 days, facing far less of an uphill climb but still pitted against one of the Top-10 teams in the World, the Americans can taste victory again.

So ready the chants of "Nine-teen fif-ty" and when those get old, tales of 1776 will certainly do. Let's win another for the red, white and blue!

Just stay away Nelly

2009-12-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

Don Nelson is sick with pneumonia.

And while no one doubts the seriousness of his condition, the same cannot be said for his Warriors on the whole.

They got trounced 135-107 Tuesday night by an angry Nuggets team coming off a loss to a team that hadn't won since opening night.

They won at home the night before. They had eight guys. They still don't have their coach.

Say what you want about Golden State, you can have all your excuses.

This franchise has been propped up by them for more than 15 years.

One playoff appearance in 15 seasons, one championship since moving to the Bay Area in 1962.

And when you stink, year-after-year like the Warriors do, the culture of losing is all-encompassing.

Last week the Warriors beat the Mavericks with six players. Three played all 48 minutes. It had been more than 50 years since either of those things happened and they managed both on the same night.

They had nine guys the next night for a loss to the Spurs, just eight suited up at the Pepsi Center last night.

When there is nothing to play for guys take a little more liberty in returning. The bench doesn't seem all that bad, the training table that uncomfortable, that couch too cozy.

When you don't play defense, you'll never win consistently but if you stick around long enough you will win sometimes.

So that brings us back to Nelson.

Back with the Warriors after a successful stint from 1988-1995 that included four playoff appearances and a pair of 50-win seasons, Nelly peaked with the Warriors "We Believe" first-round shocker over Dallas in 2007.

Instead of riding off into the sunset with about the closest thing his "smallball" philosophy will ever bring him to a championship, soon-to-be-undermined Chris Mullin and the ownership team led by Chris Cohan brought him back and it's been downhill ever since.

The team won 48 games the next season and should have been a shoo-in to make the playoffs but were two games short in a stacked western conference.

Things have only unraveled since. Asked why he was still coaching 69-year old Don Nelson said last year, "cold hard cash, baby."

But there's one very other significant reason to stay court side for Nelly. In his infinite hubris he is chasing Lenny Wilkens all-time coaching wins total of 1332.

After Monday night's win Nelson is just 17 short at 1315.

That's right, despite being sidelined for the last five games, Nelly still gets credit for wins while acting coach Keith Smart roams the sidelines.

So it seems Nelly has found the perfect solution. He can get paid and win games while sitting out. Sounds like the rest of his players.

So get better coach and cheers to catching Lenny since everyone knows how much you love a cold one.

But don't hurry back, no one else is. You are still owed almost 12 million through next spring and if you can collect those dollars and those wins while home in bed I'm sure you will.

Just be sure to tell your young team when you come back to "just win, baby" and try and leave out the part about the cold hard cash.

Heisman watch

2009-11-29T21:44:00.000-08:00

One week of college football left so let's look at my Heisman ballot.

1 - Colt McCoy - QB Texas

2 - Toby Gerhart - RB Stanford

3 - Mark Ingram - RB Alabama

4 - Kellen Moore QB Boise State

5 - Tim Tebow QB Florida

It's McCoy's to lose in the Big 12 Championship. Gerhart is off after nearly 800 yards and 14 total TD's in his last four games. Ingram could slip back into the top spot if the Longhorns lose and past the idle Gerhart with a 200-yard, 3 TD performance. Tebow could enter the top-3 with a stellar outing opposite Ingram in a SEC Championship triumph. Don't see how he picks up his second trophy.

More analysis when all the numbers are in next week.

Cardinal deliver beatdown at the Coliseum

2009-11-15T23:37:00.000-08:00

I have had a permanent grin tattooed on my face since Saturday afternoon.

Fresh off a big home upset over #8 Oregon, Stanford rolled into Southern California looking for more.

It's tough living in SoCal with the one-sided dominance of the South over the North this decade. In a July post titled "The Freeway Series from Hell" about the possibility of an Angels-Dodgers World Series I highlighted this problem with one caveat: "At least Stanford 24, USC 23 happened."

On Saturday, Stanford 55, USC 21 happened.

Both were startling. Back in October of 2007 Stanford was 41-point underdogs and that win was dubbed the "Biggest. Upset. Ever."

It was a remarkable victory for a team that won just one game the year before and had been mired in one of its worst periods of ineptitude in school history.

But without Saturday's dominance that game would simply be a historical footnote - a magical fall day where the unthinkable happened - not the full-fledged revival Palo Alto is undertaking.

Stanford won three more games that year - Coach Jim Harbaugh's first on the farm.

They won five in 2008, again falling short of that elusive bowl bid (they haven't played in one since 2001.) They lost three straight after starting 5-4 including a 45-23 home loss to the Trojans.

It was an up-and-down start to 2009 that included blowing big leads on the road to Wake Forest and Arizona and three weeks ago they looked once again headed for mediocrity and facing a really difficult final stretch to try and get the six wins necessary to keep playing into December.

Now they could play in January.

****

I was reading a Scouts, Inc. ESPN Insider position-by-position breakdown before the game and there was a startling revelation. Stanford was better at each of the offensive skill positions.

Stanford had better athletes than USC?

This sure seemed at odds with the "it's hard to recruit guys that have a 4.4 (GPA) and run a 4.4 (40-second dash)" comment I always make.

But the Cardinal do, and with USC WR Damian Williams sidelined, the edge was even greater and it was evident from the opening kick-off.

After the game Carroll was asked about this exact point and he didn't shy away from drinking the Cardinal Kool-Aid.

"Doesn't USC have the better athletes? 'That's obviously not the case,' Carroll says. Are you saying Stanford has better athletes than USC? 'It sure looked like it today.'" (T.J. Simers - LA Times)

****

I've been saying for weeks that Toby Gerhart belongs in the Heisman conversation and with 401 yards and SIX touchdowns in back-to-back 50-point outbursts by the Cardinal offense he is finally getting the national recognition he deserves.

It's hard to imagine him unseating the Tebow/Ingram/McCoy trio that all plays for currently undefeated teams but he should at least garner enough support to be in New York.

Tucker Talks for the Daily 49er

2009-11-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

While I try to keep fresh material flowing here I also want to point out my weekly column with the school newspaper at Long Beach State.

It's my last semester at the Beach and it is quite a busy one but I'm trying this out with them and I think it's going pretty well so far.

I started with them in the Spring of 2008 covering Dirtbag baseball and in addition to doing that, was the beat writer for the men's basketball team last season and have written features, columns, taken photos, blogged and penned countless game stories.

We have been able to try new things and really have a strong group that's working hard and making things happen. So check out the link on the left, for new stuff through them as well.

Here's the link to today's column about the possibility of Chase Utley winning World Series MVP even if the Phillies lose.

(Props to Adam Fuller for the premise of this piece.)

Ducks trounce Trojans and what it means for Boise State

2009-10-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

On September 3rd, the Boise State Broncos held the Oregon Ducks in check en route to a 19-8 victory in the season opener.

All the headlines from that game centered around Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount's postgame punch and the rest of his antics.

But Kellen Moore and the Broncos took care of business on the blue turf and that win looked even more impressive late Saturday night.

That's because those same Ducks - playing without Blount who was suspended for the year for his actions - manhandled 5th-ranked USC 47-20 in Eugene and have the inside track to the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth.

It would take a lot to vault the one-loss Ducks into the national title game but what about undefeated BSU?

The Broncos have already proven they can win against the BCS conferences on the big stage and now they have a real quality win in 2009 to add to their resume.

They held the Ducks to a meager eight points. Saturday night against the vaunted USC defense Oregon racked up more than 600 yards. If that doesn't speak well for Boise State, then nothing will undo the rest of their schedule featuring teams like San Jose State.

How big was Oregon's win? Huge. USC hadn't lost by more than seven points since Pete Carrol's first year in 2001.

It was their worst loss in 12 years. Say what you want about the Trojans but that is pretty impressive.

Then again, we have seen them struggle against small, shifty running backs and versatile quarterback's before. It has been the recipe to overcome their stifling defense and they did nothing to debunk that notion Saturday night.

LBSU Basketball: Schedule looks even tougher

2009-10-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

The ESPN/USA Today preseason Top 25 men's college basketball poll was released today.

Kansas received 27 of the 31 first place votes and sits atop it.

Next is Michigan State. The Spartans knocked out the Jayhawks in the Sweet Sixteen before falling to UNC in the championship game.

Then it starts to read like the Long Beach State schedule.

(3) Texas, (5) Kentucky, (8) Duke, (9) West Virginia. All four are in the Top-9, and the 49ers play all of them before the ball drops for 2010. None of them come to the Pyramid only West Virginia will be on a familiar court, at the 76 Classic in the Anaheim Convention Center.

That tournament also features 10th-ranked Butler, 18th-ranked Minnesota, 24th-ranked Clemson and UCLA and Texas A&M who received votes in the Coaches Poll.

In fact, the only team other than LBSU not to receive votes from that eight team field was Portland.

Two other teams receiving votes on The Beach's schedule are Notre Dame and Utah State. The 'Niners play in South Bend the third game of the season and in the only home game out of the bunch Utah state comes to the 'Myd on December 18.

Phillies-Yanks set to go for Wednesday night

2009-10-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

How's this for a Game 1 match-up?

The last two AL Cy Young award winners in Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia.

Two teams with good starting pitching and potent line-ups.

Edge to the Yankees. They have the better bullpen and the home field advantage.

The Yanks are 36-8 at home since the All-Star break including 5-0 in the playoffs.

That kind of mark is unheard of in pro sports and especially in baseball.

The old Yankee Stadium sure had a lot of mystique but the pinstripers are getting mighty comfortable in their new digs.

Quick Pick: Yanks in 6

****

Tough loss for the Niners but there were some serious glimpses in the second half.

Alex Smith found Vernon Davis three times for touchdowns and Michael Crabtree looked ready to step right into the NFL game.

That sentence looks weird in print since Crabtree has been a Niner less than 20 days and the San Fran brass has been waiting for the Smith-Davis connection to materialize for years since both were first round selections, but as they say, better late than never right?

But more on Crabtree.

He finished with 5 catches for 56 yards and had another 25-yarder wiped away on a penalty.

He ran crisp routes, was strong on the ball and opened up some lanes for Josh Morgan.

Which brings me to this.

How many games did it take Crabtree to out-produce the Raiders Darius Heyward-Bey who went three picks higher in the draft?

Just one.

Crabtree has five catches, Heyward-Bey has four in seven games.

Dodger demons extend further in Philly

2009-10-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

With the Phillies ousting the Dodgers from the NLCS for the second consecutive year, it seems obvious LA has some glaring holes in their starting rotation.

Just last week I called their rotation laughable when I correctly picked Philadelphia to make quick-work of the blue crew in 5 games.

The cautionary tale for LA extends past Citizens Bank Park and the Phillies though.

Look no further than the city limits to the city of brotherly love's beloved Eagles.

****

The Dodgers have a great young nucleus of talent, mostly on offense, but need a frontline starting pitcher if they don't want to be their league's runner-up year after year like the Eagles of the 2000's.

It takes a ton of talent to get that far so often but no one wants to be a footmark to history time and time again.

The Eagles four championship game and one super bowl appearance this past decade:

2009-8 (NFC Champ Game) L ARI 32-25

2005-4 (Super Bowl XXXIX) L NWE 24-21

2004-3 (NFC Champ Game) L CAR 13-3

2003-2 (NFC Champ Game) L TAM 27-10

2002-1 (NFC Champ Game) L STL 29-24

The Joe Torre led Dodgers are only 0-2 in the precursor to the Fall Classic but if they want to make the jump to the World Series and win one - lest they be the Eagles of MLB for the next ten years - they still have a ways to go.

A few things...

2009-10-23T04:11:00.000-07:00

Nailed the Phillies in 5 pick.

Angels in 6 won't be happening but they could still take it in 7. One out of two exact games and the winner aint bad.

MNF prediction: Eagles 31, Redskins 13. Tuesday morning: The bye week pink slip for Mr. Zorn.

Working on a column about the rash of bad officiating from the baseball playoffs to college football. Instant replay, full time football officials, and where we go from here. Should be done in the next day or two, basically when I can find time to actually write it. That will be up on daily49er.com. Check the "Daily 49er - Tucker Talks link on the left for that.

More on the Eagles with a comparison to a baseball team in a new blog post that should be up in the next few days.

That is all for now.

To be or not to be an NFL head coach

2009-10-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of bad NFL teams and there are a lot of bad NFL head coaches.

The biggest problem for the guy running the show is whether or not he should be doing so.

There is a wide gap between successful coach or coordinator and first-rate head coach.

The coordinator can focus on one side of the ball, work with a smaller group of players and duck accountability if other facets of the game struggle.

The head coach? He has a lot more on his plate and is ultimately responsible for everything.

****

The Mike Nolan era in San Francisco was atrocious. The 49ers went 18-37 in his 3+ seasons at the helm and lacked consistency and a winning attitude.

Nolan took a job this offseason as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos and they are 5-0 with the top defense in the league after being the third worst unit in the NFL a year ago.

Rod Marinelli became the first head coach to suffer an 0-16 season as the man in charge for the Detroit Lions last year.

Now he is the defensive line coach in Chicago and the Bears are a top-10 team against the run. He is also assistant head coach and his team is 3-1.

Mike Martz was a tremendous offensive coordinator in St. Louis. Behind his offensive schemes the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999. He took over as head coach following that season and got the Rams back to the big game two years later where they were upset by the Patriots.

The problem with Martz was that he still wanted to devote all his attention to the offense and the defense and special teams paid the price.

These are a few examples but there are many more. Cam Cameron, Norv Turner and Wade Phillips come to mind as other recent examples.

The difference between being a specialized coach that can focus on one aspect and thrive there and being the guy who has to pull all the strings for the whole organization is a big gap.

****

All of this comes to mind when the subject of Jim Zorn comes up. The much-maligned Washington Redskins shot-caller made a huge leap to get where he is now.

And while his team, especially on offense, has really struggled, it is the huge divide in his coaching pedigree and track record that is responsible for a large part of the criticism.

Zorn was an offensive coordinator at the college level and a QB coach with the Seahawks. He has has never been a head coach at any level.

There is so much more to manage especially at the NFL level so as Zorn struggles and a city loses his patience, former players stop hunting to shoot YouTube videos and player's call for a decision one way or the other Zorn's lack of experience is a glaring issue.

If the Redskins fall to the Chiefs today the Z man may be out of a job, but for everyone including Zorn himself, it may be a blessing.

Like so many men before him, some head coaches are better off with lesser jobs in new cities where they can focus on a more specific task and thrive in that department.

LCS Predictions

2009-10-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Philly in 5

Angels in 6

Too much Philly offense against a laughable LA rotation. Split at Dodger Stadium then three wins at the Bank. Back to the World Series looking to repeat.

Three man rotation will wear down for the Yanks and the Halos have their number. No holes for LAA and they can play anywhere. Solid pitching and situational hitting will send the Angels through.

Hey Rush, get a clue

2009-10-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

"Limbaugh says he believes he has been made an example by a players' union seeking leverage in talks over a new collective bargaining agreement. And he says he believes what happened to him was an illustration of 'Obama's America on full display.'"

Full Limbaugh story here.

Let me address this issue swiftly and without equivocation.

Obama's America is no different from anyone else's America in this regard. You have free speech and you are entitled to use it to pop off on your radio show.

But what have you done with that forum is prove you are a racist.

A majority of the NFL players are African-American and are rightfully disgusted by your views. If they don't want to play for you and the NFL owners who get to vote on such matters respect their opinions and are educated enough to form their own, despite their race, then it makes perfect sense no one would want Limbaugh associated with the league.

It has nothing to do with politics, Obama, favoritism or conservatism. It's not simply because Rush is divisive. It has everything to do with character and it's painfully obvious to everyone but Limbaugh himself that he falls way short in this category.

Better luck next time.

Sizing up the NFC after 4 weeks

2009-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

At first glance the NFC playoff picture looks pretty clear. Then again there are three months left until the postseason begins so let's take a look at where this thing is headed.

NFC East

This division almost always gets two teams in and 2009-2010 seems no different.

The Giants are cruising right along at 4-0 although Eli Manning's injury is a huge concern. We knew they could run the ball and play defense but Smith and Manningham have emerged as tremendous threats in the passing game to fill the void left by Plaxico Burress.

The Eagles are 2-1 and despite early season injury issues of their own look like the second best team in this foursome. The defense is still strong and the offense is loaded with weapons.

The drama in Dallas seems to be a round-the-clock thing and at 2-2 the Cowboys seem destined for mediocrity again in the form of 8-9 wins. This team is just way too inconsistent.

The Redskins are also 2-2 but that includes close wins over the lowly Rams and Bucs and a loss to the Lions. Washington gets Carolina and Kansas City the next two weeks, completing what may be the easiest five-game stretch in league history (opponents are 1-18 on the year, with that one win being that loss to the Lions). It's all downhill after that.

NFC North

The Brett Favre led Minnesota Vikings are 4-0. The cagey veteran has burned opposing defenses intent on shutting down Adrian Peterson and the combination of that defense and the deafening noise of the Metrodome makes them a scary team in the playoffs if they get a low seed.

The Chicago Bears are 3-1 despite the loss of LB Brian Urlacher. Jay Cutler has settled down after a rough debut and there are some speedsters on offense and special teams that are game-changers. Looks like a 10-win team.

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of holes on that offensive line and it's hard to imagine them winning consistently if Aaron Rodgers has to run for his life on every snap. They are far from out of it at 2-2 but nine wins really seems like the ceiling for this squad.

The Detroit Lions finally found their way into the win column in week three. They can move the ball on offense and are definitely playing better but they are at least another year away from being relevant again.

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints sit atop the division at 4-0. Drew Brees and the offense can score 30 on anybody and the defense has been a very pleasant surprise. This team looks really dangerous and complete.

The Atlanta Falcons are just 2-1 after a bye week. They have a lot of weapons on offense and found their way into the postseason last year. The jury is still out on this year's team after a suspect performance last time out in New England.

The Carolina Panthers simply haven't recovered after their shocking loss to Arizona in last year's playoffs. They are 0-3 and despite plenty of talented players it's hard to imagine Jake Delhomme righting the ship or the Panthers eclipsing seven wins.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-4 and there's not a lot to like about them this year. Cadillac Williams is not a one-man wrecking crew and the QB situation is always a mess. Tough second-half schedule for the Bucs who won't win more than three-four games.

NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers are 3-1 and could easily be 4-0. The schedule gets tougher after the bye and they need a more consistent running attack to offset their paltry offense but the defense has quickly established themselves as one of the best in the league and this team should win 10 games.

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-2 after winning the NFC last season. The offense still has plenty of big-play potential but so far the redbirds just seem out of sync. Arizona could still get to 10 wins based on an advantageous schedule.

Expectations for a bounce-back season were high in Seattle but an injury to Matt Hasselback has put the Seahawks at 1-3. This team still has an excellent home-field advantage but it may be too little too late if they don't get it going soon. Marking them down for six victories.

The St. Louis Rams haven't won in their last 15 games and have been shut out twice already. At 0-4 the question of their first win might be more of an "if" then a "when." Injuries haven't helped, but Steven Jackson can't do it on his own.

****

Where they stand

1a. New York Giants (4-0)

1b. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)

1c. New Orleans Saints (4-0)

4. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)

5. Chicago Bears (3-1)

6a. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

6b. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

On the outside looking in

Green Bay Packers (2-2)

Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Washington Redskins (2-2)

Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Not gonna happen

Seattle Seahawks (1-3)

Detroit Lions (1-3)

Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)

St. Louis Rams (0-4)

****

How they'll finish

1. New Orleans (13-3)

2. New York (12-4)

3. Minnesota (12-4)

4. San Francisco (10-6)

5. Philadelphia (10-6)

6. Chicago (10-6)

The Double A Jays

2009-09-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

Quick, name the only duo in major league baseball with 35 homers and 100 RBI's.

Waiting, stalling, anyone?

I'm gonna guess these two didn't even cross your mind.

For the answer we have to go north of the border to Toronto for second baseman Aaron Hill and designated hitter/left fielder Adam Lind.

Has even the biggest baseball fan noticed what these two have done?

Hill has mashed 36 HR's and driven in 105 runs, while Lind has homered 35 times to go along with 115 RBI's.

Holliday and Pujols, Braun and Fielder, Werth and Howard, Berkman and Lee, Teixeria and A-Rod, Bay and Ortiz, Pena and Longoria. None of these duos have yet accomplished what Hill and Lind have so far in 2009.

The Blue Jays are overshadowed by the Yankees, Red Sox and even the Rays after their magical run to the 2008 AL Pennant.

The story of their season was GM J.P. Riccardi's unwillingness to pull the trigger on a deal to ship his ace Roy Halladay out of town for a bevy of prospects.

They haven't been to the playoffs since divisional realignment in the wake of the 1994 strike.

They haven't seen the postseason since back-to-back world series titles or played meaningful baseball since Joe Carter bounded around the bases after a game 6 World Series walk-off in 1993.

It's been 15 long winters in Canada and after three straight winning seasons the Jays wont get over 80 wins in 2009. They play in the toughest division in baseball. The one that almost always gets two teams into the playoffs but that features the game's biggest spenders.

The future may not exactly be rosy for the Blue Jays but it is bright in at least two regards with these young stars slugging their way to the top of the statistical leaderboard.

Reynolds' first to epic 40-200 plateau

2009-09-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long absence - all of my blogging attention has been thrust at "going deep with the giants" as the g-men fade in and out of the nl wild card chase - but I ended my last post here on the topic of home-run-hitting-strikeout-masters with this thought: "Can you imagine? Three 40 HR-200 K guys? Oh what a world it would be."

Well, Carlos Pena hit 39 homers struck out 163 times and then broke two fingers last week in the Bronx. He is out for the year.

Ryan Howard is sitting on 38 bombs has fanned 168 times. With just 18 games to go, Howard still has plenty of work to do.

But Mark Reynolds, the master of miss, the king of swing, reached the previously unfathomable height this afternoon at Petco Park in San Diego.

After clubbing the game winning two-run homer in the top of the ninth last night, the Diamondbacks third baseman followed with the kind of matinee performance today we have come to expect from the guy who literally defines the "feast or famine" cliche.

With an 0-for-5, four strikeout day Reynolds whiffed for the 200th time in the ninth to become the first player in major league history in the 40-200 club.

After all, there have only been two, 200 strikeout seasons ever and both belong to him and in as many seasons.

With only five more K's, he can pass his 2008 record of 204 by Friday and for such a young player the sky really is the limit. 225 is possible this year and even 250 before his career his over.

Honorable mention goes to Adam Dunn whose 37 homers and 162 K's means there are four sluggers in 2009 that qualify for the 35-160 club.

Keep swinging for the fences fellas!

Y2K's

2009-08-04T03:39:00.001-07:00

With the millennium approaching late in the 20th century the fear was that computers would not be able to register the change into the 2000's and they would crash, causing mass chaos.

People stocked up on canned food and water. They braced for disaster.

While the ball dropped and the date ticked over in the upper corner like any other, that quirky numbers issue has affected one critical part of American life - baseball.

Check the box scores and scroll over to the "K" column. Where there used to be more zero's and one's there are now a lot more two's and three's.

While this nearly expired decade brought us everything from 9/11 to the Octomom what it really brought on the hardball front was a whole lot more swings and misses.

Of the 24 highest single-season strikeout totals in Major League history an astounding 17 have happened in the 2000's. The top-6 have happened since I finished high school in 2004 and three of the top four strikeout totals of all-time were so majestically produced just last year.

The highest pre-1960 total came in at 294th on the list thanks to Jim Lemon's 138 in 1956.

To make matters worse only four of the top 80 single season strikeout totals were recorded by pitchers since the departure of the 90's and all of those campaigns were turned in by Randy Johnson with the last coming in 2004.

So it's not like the Y2K bug mutated and turned the league's starting pitchers into a cache of Nolan Ryan clones - the hitters are simply missing the mark at an alarming and historically atrocious rate.

Doesn't anyone choke up anymore? (Chicks dig the longball and the walk back to the dugout)

Even more puzzling than the high strikeout totals is that the players making these gaudy numbers are also at the top of the home run leader board.

As I told my dad, talk about feast or famine.

Ryan Howard who has 820 K's in 674 games, fanned 181 times in 2006 on his way to the MVP award.

When you hit 58 homers and drive in 149 runs the ring-ups are second fiddle to the writers.

In 2007 and 2008 he got rung up a record (he set it and then tied it) 199 times. But he also hit 47 dingers in '07 and 48 the following season when he finished 2nd in MVP voting.

Howard's record didn't stand for long. Like the steroid-induced home run chases of the late 90's and early 2000's guys were out to prove they could be top dog.

So Arizona's Mark Reynolds boldly went where no man had gone before - into the 200's. Blowing right past Ryan Howard's cowardly 199, Reynolds finished the season with a flourish of see ya-ness and into previously uncharted territory.

While the young third baseman slugged 28 homers in his record breaKing campaign, 2009 has brought even bigger things.

Through tonight's game - a two-homer, two-strikeout effort on his birthday - Reynolds has been on an even better pace. He's like a marathoner at the 15-mile mark in under an hour, the potential is staggering just like the implosion could be.

His two Citi Field bombs put him second in the league in home runs with 32 but his two strikeouts give him 145 in 103 games or well above his pace from last year (and 193rd all time four days into August.)

If he stays on track he could reach rare Joe Dimaggio type air. Records are made to be broken, but Disco Demolition Night was a bad idea.

At this rate he would hit 214 strikeouts and that could be as untouchable as the triples record. Highest single season mark? 36. Highest in the last 80 years? 23.

They have fences on stadiums nowadays and they are rather close. You can't just run anymore.

But you sure can strike out. So while Reynolds broke the 200-K barrier with the determination of Roger Bannister others won't want to be left in the dust.

The Challengers (It don't mean a thing, if you don't take that swing)

While the battle between Reynolds and Howard is beginning to play out like Chestnut and Kobayashi, let's not forget other prolific power hitters and swings and missers.

Jack Cust's 197 strikeouts in 2008 were an American League record and he complimented all those long walks with 33 slow trots. He has led the AL each of the last two seasons in the vaunted three strikes and your out list and has amassed another 118 so far in 09.

When it comes to all or nothing hackers no one quite fits the bill like Washington's Adam Dunn. In each of his last seven full seasons he has whiffed at least 164 times. Equally impressive is a six year 40+ homer streak.

He looks strong on both fronts again (119 and 27) but may be pressing a bit down the stretch if the pressure mounts and he is right on the cusp.

But two guys really stand out in 2009.

Carlos Pena (136 K's, 26 HR's) and the recently-eclipsed challenger Howard (128 K's, 26 HR's) are desperately swinging to stay in the race. Reynolds has set a blistering pace but if they can at least stay within striking distance history would look back on 2009 with a big smile.

Can you imagine? Three 40 HR-200 K guys?

Oh what a world it would be.

The Freeway Series from Hell

2009-07-24T03:57:00.000-07:00

I am a Bay Area sports fan living in Southern California.

This spring the 8th-seeded Ducks bounced my beloved President's Trophy winning-Sharks from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round.

The Lakers are NBA champions. The Warriors only make headlines in the Las Vegas summer league.

The ghosts of Russ Ortiz and Dusty Baker remind me - just as Angels fan do - that the 2002 World Series really did get away from the Giants, meaning they have still never won a championship by the Bay after so much success in New York more than a half a century ago.

Now the Dodgers are the best team in baseball and the Angels are once again in first place.

Which brings to mind the doomsday scenario - an all-Los Angeles Fall Classic come late October and early November (thanks Bud for pushing the season back another week, I'm sure you would love to see this thing on the West Coast after the fiasco in Philly last year).

There is plenty of baseball left to be played and tons of good teams out there to spoil it. The Yankees and Phillies come to mind with their hot play of late - but oh what a nightmare it could be.

Six weeks ago I thought the Dodgers would be a divisional series flameout. After Chad Billingsley it looked like there was no clear number two guy on the hill and starting pitching plays an integral part in playoff success.

Since then young Clayton Kershaw has been untouchable and the ever-itchy Dodgers may add another starter before the trade deadline or in August via waivers.

Their offense remained strong with Manny out and his presence in that line-up makes every other player more dangerous.

The Angels faced a rash of injuries early, and just when it seemed like they were getting healthy, managed to lose their two biggest bats. Neither situation has held them down long and they are threatening to once again run away with the AL west.

Torii Hunter has had an MVP-caliber season, Bobby Abreu's power numbers are gone but his average and speed is not. The starting pitching has been spotty but the track records of John Lackey and Ervin Santana are strong and when the team falls behind they always mount a comeback.

An Angels-Dodgers series would make Orange County practically unlivable for me and that's saying something after the Ducks debacle, Lakers parade and Giants dry spell.

Somebody better stop this or my black explorer will be like OJ's white bronco come Halloween. There will be a police chase down the 405 as I try and get away from World Series territory with a flaming bag of rally monkey's and Tommy Lasorda tied up in the back seat.

At least "Stanford 24, USC 23" happened.

Calvin Borel couldn't do it but what about Albert Pujols?

2009-06-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

In the midst of another loss at Busch Stadium Tuesday night, Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols drilled two more home runs into the seats off 303-game winner Randy Johnson.

It was all the offense the Redbirds could muster, and all they have managed in two games against the visiting Giants, but Pujols doesn't miss too many pitches.

In a line-up that is painfully lacking any punch number 5 is threatening to do something the senior circuit hasn't seen since Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific.

Since 1900 the NL has had just four triple crown seasons (by three different players).

Rogers Hornsby (STL) 1922 .401-42 HR-152 RBI and 1925 .403-39 HR-143 RBI

Chuck Klein (PHI) 1933 .368-28 HR-120 RBI

Joe Medwick (STL) 1937 .374-31 HR-154 RBI

(Baseball-Reference.com)

Through 79 games Pujols leads the NL with 30 homers (six more than Adrian Gonzalez) and 77 RBI's (three more than Prince Fielder and 17 more than the third place man Ryan Howard).

He trails the NL batting leader David Wright by 13 points (.345 to .332) and is currently tied for fifth in that category.

Pujols, a career .334 hitter, finished second in the NL in hitting in 2008 after slugging his way to a .357 clip.

He has one batting title to his name already when his .359 was tops in 2003 and since he has hit under .330 just once in a season.

He has failed to win the NL home run crown but the steroid era is largely to blame for that. Pujols has never smacked 50 homers in a season but with 30 already before July 1st that barrier should be reachable.

With his homers tonight he became the first player in baseball history to start his career with 9-straight 30-homer seasons, so there is no doubt A-Pu can stroke the long ball.

From 2003-2006 he was in the top-5 in dingers in the NL each year including his high water mark of 49 in 2006. Most importantly he seems to have found his longball groove and has a sizable lead in that area.

He has never led the NL in RBI's but has finished in the top-5 in every season but one (2007). He was second in 2002 and 2006, third in 2004 and 2005 and fourth in 2003 and 2008.

So the potential to win that category is there but that may also be his biggest downfall.

Pujols doesn't need his teammates to help him hit or smack home runs but he does need them to be on base if he wants to have the most RBI's.

The Cardinals just dealt for utility infielder Mark DeRosa. It will be up to him and a cast of other guys like Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan to start producing then the rest will be up to Albert.

Tomorrow is just July 1, so there is a lot of baseball left to play but with another torrid start and a definite power surge Pujols has set the stage for what could be a historic summer in America's heartland.

U.S. win over Spain a fabulous result, not "Miracle 2"

2009-06-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

The hockey team from the Soviet Union was big, bad and seemed impossible to beat.

So too did the Spanish side seem insurmountable in the days leading up to Wednesday's semifinal match in the 2009 Confederations Cup.

Both had illustrious track records and long streaks of supremacy, but the similarities fail to extend much further.

For the U.S. men's soccer team to steal a 2-0 win from the best team in the world after looking overmatched and lost just a week before it was a stunning victory and one of the top five biggest moments in the history of the sport in our country.

It was not, however close to the magnitude of the 4-3 win from the U.S. Olympic hockey team in Lake Placid almost three decades before.

First, that was the Olympics while this tournament is second fiddle to next summer's World Cup.

Second, those were amateurs toppling the mighty Soviet machine while the soccer team we are throwing out there is nearly complete with all of our best professional talent minus a few missing in action due to injury.

And most importantly the social, cultural, political and historical impact of that game was enormous considering the backdrop of the Cold War.

Most Americans only knew the U.S. beat Spain when they saw it on Sportscenter that evening.

The ramifications were far less, the patriotism attached to it of a far less shriller tone.

The win was significant and another Sunday morning would really put the soccer world on notice.

But it will be on the grandest stage in South Africa a year from now when the U.S. returns for the World Cup that their biggest opportunity to seize glory will emerge.

For now their shocking turnaround has at the very least thrust them into the spotlight for a short while.

Brazil represents a stern test for the U.S. squad but win or lose they have made important steps in the right direction.

A strong performance against the Samba can catapult the red, white and blue into important tune-up games in the Gold Cup and in Concacaf qualifying that will set them up for World Cup play.

The "miracle on grass" as it has been dubbed was a remarkable effort and one that shouldn't be soon forgotten but in an age of "what has google showed me lately?" let's not forget what that win in 1980 meant for this country and hope that someday, as this soccer team vows to reach the world's elite, they can in someway rival it.

For now we'll take Wednesday's win as a day when a team that really wanted it showed they could take it and hope the valiant Americans have more of that in store for the next 12 months.

Big win for USA soccer, the goal differential system is fine

2009-06-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

First off, great win today for the U.S. men's soccer team.

I know Egypt was missing key players, and emotionally spent after upsetting the reigning world champion Azzuri.

But the U.S. got the performance it needed and most importantly help from Brazil (3-0 win over Italy) that makes the win truly mean something.

By advancing in the group, the struggling national team gets two more games on foreign soil against quality opponents. That's the real victory.

Assuming a loss to the best team in the world, Spain on Wednesday, the red, white and blue should get South Africa (the host country) in a third-place game.

For a squad desperately trying to find an identity with less than a year to go before returning to the motherland for the World Cup these games are invaluable to their improvement.

They may get blown out by Spain but these games give coach Bob Bradley more opportunities to scout his players and figure out his eventual Cup roster.

****

Many of the talking heads blasted the system that allows the U.S. to go through over Italy despite losing to them.

But in a three-way tie where each team is 1-2 there has to be another tiebreaker.

Don't these same critical pundits remember the Big 12 tiebreaker this past college football season?

Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas all finished with 7-1 in the Big 12 South. Each was 1-1 against the other two.

Since there was no clear way to determine who should be awarded divisional champion and a chance to play in the Big 12 championship game the conference had made the next tiebreaker the teams BCS rank.

The Big 12 was killed for pandering to the BCS by making their voting system the next determining factor - and having a game that featured Missouri and Oklahoma - two teams that Texas had both beat.

So in an equal situation - a three-way tie - where each team has lost once and won once against the said opposition - FIFA goes to goal differential.

What else would you do? At least they let it be decided on the field and not by some herky-jerky combination of computer calculations and biased voters.

Let's think these things through before we blast the people who have done just that.

Coming to you live in HD, it's hockey!

2009-06-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

The NHL season is done, and congrats to the Penguins on winning the Cup, they sure looked dead in February.

But the NHL has one big thing going for it as we move forward and I think the ratings from the Stanley Cup finals reflect that.

Game 7, the best drama in all of sports, was the highest rated hockey game in thirty-six years.

There's a few reasons for that other than the point I'm about to make.

You had people tuning in to see Sidney Crosby. Sid the Kid is not even the best player on his own team but the young superstar has been hyped up so much that he is as must-see as anyone not named Ovechkin can be in this league.

Tack on the rematch factor, the history of these two teams and of course the intrigue of a Game 7 and you have a ratings bonanza.

But there's one other big thing at work here and that's the HD effect.

There is no better live sport than hockey. Being in a cold, raucous arena where the hits are hard, the skaters are fast and the intensity is just awesome.

Never before could that be captured on TV and as my buddy Chad pointed out the puck is black, and much smaller than the focus of attention in other sports like basketball and football.

After the lock-out, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman took more money but far less exposure when he signed with Versus to broadcast his suddenly-floundering league.

It was an awful decision and the NHL has paid dearly for it. But HD can change all of that.

Finally, the TV can capture a lot of what going to the arena is all about and the action unfolding on the ice becomes that much clearer.

No more squinting for the puck, waiting for the red light to tell you if a goal was scored or comet-style graphic that FOX employed some years back that gave the puck an illuminated tail to try and help the viewer to know where it was.

With more cameras in the arena and an ever crisper picture, hockey should re-slot itself as the fourth biggest sport in the American landscape and could once again push the NBA for third.

While everything looks better in HD, the difference it makes when it comes to hockey, is much more significant and could make up the gap between fringe spectacle and mainstream mainstay.

Arena attendance is good. Fans love to pack the rink to see the games. With hockey in HD they can pack the living rooms too and be treated to a show almost as good.

Where has all the power gone?

2009-05-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

The has-beens a.k.a. the former users

Here is David Ortiz's stat line from yesterday: 0-7, 3 K's, 12 LOB

For the season? A .208 average and ZERO homers.

I sat six rows behind home plate at Angel stadium Wednesday night for the Angels/Red Sox game and despite having no rooting interest I screamed things like "JUICE" and "when are you getting your 50 games?" and "infield power" at Ortiz all night.

Here is a guy that averaged 47 homers over a three year stretch and now he can't even hit one and its mid-May. He may never test positive, lord knows he is off the stuff now but for every mysterious injury there is a syringe and for every magical big papi moment there is to me at least a little extra something that fueled it.

Maybe I'm just cynical at this point but I don't trust anyone and when I see how far this guy has fallen the reasons just seem obvious.

But he's not the only one, let's look at few others...

How about Andruw Jones or Brian Giles or Derrek Lee? Guys that were roided out of their minds and now just hit doubles. Guys with precipitous spikes in their average numbers who get injured and can no longer hit for power.

As a fan of the game they make me sick. I'd like to just see them thrown out. It's not like we don't know what you did. Every time you come to the box as a shadow of your former self you remind us of how you cheated the game.

Injuries, age, and decline in skills - these things happen but not to this extreme.

But let's look at the numbers for the proof since the tests haven't showed it:

D. Lee - 2005 - .335, 120 Runs, 199 hits, 50 doubles, 46 HR's, 107 RBI's

Career year? Sure, but look closer. He plays only 50 games the next year. Steroids dramatically increase the chance for injury. His career average is .281 and he has had one other season over .300 and never hit higher than 32 home runs in a season.

B. Giles - 1999-2002 - 149 HR's, 436 RBI's .605 SLG %

Giles has been in the league since 1995 and has just 286 career homers. The year after that 4-year binge ended he had just 20 bombs. In the last 4+ years he has 55 homers TOTAL. Say all you want about Petco Park, I have looked at the home/away splits, Giles has just lost all his power and he's not banging them out of opposing teams parks either.

This year he may be even worse than Papi (although older at 38). He his hitting .169 with six extra base hits in 130 at-bats (1 HR) and he's slugging .231.

Andruw Jones - 2005-2006 - 92 HR's, 257 RBI's.

Just 26 homers the next year. Puts on a ton of weight, his average plummets and he signs a big contract in L.A. Hits 3 homers in 209 AB's and slugs .249 before injury forces him to miss the rest of the season.

Couple of others to consider with awful starts to 2009....

Bobby Abreu - 2009 - Six extra base hits in 121 AB's (No Home Runs).

Remarkably durable but just 51 homers in the last 3+ seasons. Never hit less than 20 in seven seasons from 1999-2005. Only 43 in more than 1400 AB's as a lefty hitting in old Yankee Stadium.

Magglio Ordonez - 2009 - Four extra base hits in 121 AB's (2 HR), slugging .306.

Great start to his career misses 210 games in 2004-2005. Has a monster 2007 (.363, 28 HR's, 138 RBI's).

While the ex-steroid users try to hang on to their tattered careers this is not a new phenomenon. Many ex-players have huge spikes as well. Let's look at a couple of years past for some examples.

In 2001 two guys stand out. First is Bret Boone (.331, 37 HR, 141 RBI) His 162 game average (.266, 23 HR, 93 RBI) and those averages include that year and another big one in 2003. Or Luis Gonzales who hit 57 home runs that year and drove in 142. His 162 game averages were 22 HR and 90 RBI. The only other time he even got to the 30-HR plateau was the year before when he hit 31.

How about 1996 when Brady Anderson hit 50 homers and drove in 110. His 162 game averages? 19 and 67. That was also the year Ken Caminiti won the NL MVP. He later admitted taking steroids.

The list could go on and on, but for baseball's sake I hope the list of current players with stat lines that resemble Richter Scale-esque spikes continues to get smaller until the playing field is much more balanced and the sanctity of the game can be restored.

Giants pitching coming around

2009-04-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

The strength of the Giants team before the season was no doubt their starting rotation.

But Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Barry Zito were hit hard in their first two outings.

Matt Cain has always been immensely talented but always lacked the run support he so desperately needed to get some wins and some breathing room on the mound.

Cain is quickly 2-0 and the whole rotation has been lights out since they returned home from an awful Southern California trip.

Starters Jonathan Sanchez, Lincecum and Johnson surrendered no runs in 21 2/3 innings and two Giants wins against Arizona this weekend (The Giants managed just four runs, and all three games were 2-0). Add in Cain's two runs last night against San Diego and seven scoreless frames from Zito this afternoon and that's two earned runs in 34 2/3 innings (0.58 ERA) on the homestand.

Zito-Sandoval Battery

Bruce Bochy gave catcher Bengie Molina the day off today, even though the Giants are off tomorrow something we grew accustomed to seeing with Bonds to be able to give the guy two full days off.

But I don't think it was a coincidence that Pablo Sandoval, a very skilled young backstop, was behind the dish with Zito on the hill.

Consider these numbers: 3-0, 3.21 ERA in five starts.

Those were Zito's 2008 numbers with Pablo calling pitches for him and after a 0-2 start with a 10.00 ERA, all the lefty did today was throw seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits, striking out five and most importantly walking none.

That's six starts - three wins and no losses and 2.70 ERA. In a Giants uniform with someone else behind the plate he is 18-32 with an ERA just under 5.

So why not run this pair out every fifth day? Molina is not exactly young and sprightly and playing 135-140 games is plenty.

Sandoval is adjusting to life at third base but is so valuable because he can catch and with phenom Buster Posey waiting in the wings, Sandoval will be the perfect guy to spell the young catcher at the big league level.

Posey can run and his athleticism will be an asset that needs to be protected to the tune of 120-130 games max with the mask so cultivating Sandoval for this role now seems like a smart idea.

Then there's Zito to consider. The 30-year old has been by all accounts a $126-million bust. But if he can hammer the strike zone and effectively mix his fastball, curve and change like he did today with Sandoval back there what's not to like about that?

0-0 in the eighth, how bout those bats boys?

UNC - Making Barack Obama and I look good

2009-04-09T08:44:00.001-07:00

Well UNC was the best team in the nation since April of 2008 and they sure proved it the last few weeks.

In an era where parity is lauded and guys leave early all the time winning every tournament game by 12 points or more and really never being tested is quite a feat.

Pretty good tournament overall. I'd love to see a few more smaller schools in the fray and we really haven't had the deep run from a cinderella the past two March's but in the big schools we get the best basketball and I'm o.k. with that.

It really is the best time of the year for sports. Baseball is under way - just this week for MLB, late February for the college guys, and the NBA and NHL playoffs are just around the corner.

While I miss football there is a much broader array of good stuff going on now than at any time during the fall.

Look for some NHL playoff material very soon - President's Trophy coming to San Jose in a matter of hours.

Final Four

2009-03-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Three out of four ain't bad right?

I took UConn and UNC despite injury concerns - Dyson being out and Lawson being hobbled - but both advanced.

I nailed my upset pick in Villanova and totally missed on Wake Forest.

In retrospect I had Michigan State and Louisville in the Sweet 16 but had them both getting bounced before the match-up that actually happened today.

My bracket seemed busted at the beginning but I took my lumps early and held on for a pretty solid outcome.

Still sticking with UNC and UConn in the finals, though Nova has looked great to this point.

March Madness is here

2009-03-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

On the eve of the NCAA Tourney I thought I would throw some picks your way. I just rushed through a Yahoo! bracket and while I hastily threw the thing together I'm willing to put my final four picks out there although they are subject to change.

Semifinal 1

Wake Forest v Connecticut

Semfinal 2

Villanova v North Carolina

Final

UConn v UNC

Both have injuries to guards... Dyson is out for the Huskies and Lawson's status is uncertain for UNC. Might cause me to change my mind but it's Tuesday right?

Pacific ends the 'Niners NCAA hopes

2009-03-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Long Beach State fell to Pacific late Friday night in Anaheim 65-60, ending their bid to win the Big West and earn a spot in next week's NCAA Tournament.

It was a bitter departure for a team that exceeded all the expectations of outsiders but within its own confines struggled with consistency and ultimately fell short.

It's easy to say and hard to swallow but the best really is yet to come for LBSU under Dan Monson and with the three T-L-C starters returning there won't be a lot of holes to fill.

They desperately need a big man. A guy that can rebound and block shots. That can clog up the middle and keep other teams from penetrating and finishing. He doesn't need to be a scoring machine, just a threat.

Time will tell if 7'2" Mike Vantrimpont can be that guy but that is the kind of player they need to put them over the top.

All in all it was a big leap in year two.

The jump from six wins to fifteen, from doormat to formidable happened quickly and the next step should be just as swift and just as sweet.

Good luck in the future boys and go Beach!

LBSU to take on Pacific Friday night

2009-03-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

Despite two opening round upsets the top seeds held on Thursday and Long Beach will play Pacific while UCSB will battle Northridge. Both games will be live on ESPNU.

Results - Big West Quarterfinals

(3) Pacific 67, (8) UC Davis 60

(4) UCSB 73, (7) CSUF 64

Friday's Schedule

(4) UCSB vs. (1) Cal State Northridge - 5:30 p.m.

(3) Pacific vs. (2) Long Beach State - 8 p.m. (approximately)

It's game time

See you in Anaheim!

Big West Tourney Preview/Update

2009-03-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

First Round, Last night's scores

(Anaheim Convention Center)

(8) UC Davis 59, (5) UC Irvine 58

(7) CSUF 59, (6) UC Riverside 46

Tonight's games

(8) UC Davis vs. (3) Pacific - 6 p.m.

(7) CSUF vs. (4) UCSB - 8:30 p.m.

Tomorrow's games

Davis/CSUF/UCSB vs. CSUN - 5:30 p.m.

CSUF/UCSB/UOP vs. LBSU - 8 p.m.

Full Rundown of Remaining Teams

Anderson highlights All-Big West Selections

2009-03-09T10:33:00.001-07:00

In the shocker of the day Larry Anderson was named first team all Big West and Freshman of the Year.

Donovan Morris, Steph Gilling and T.J. Robinson got honorable mention.

Anderson, Robinson and Ware were all named to the All-Freshman team.

TLC gets it done

and....

Full list of selections here

The Beach took yesterday and today off from practice. They will meet in the morning and try to regroup after the stunning loss at UCSB.

Three days of practice - especially with Morris around - are critical to getting back on track.

UCSB wins at the buzzer

2009-03-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Oh so close to number one
LBSU beats Cal Poly, loses at buzzer to UCSB

With Cal State Northridge's loss at Pacific Saturday Long Beach was 6.8 seconds from a share of the conference title and the number one seed in the Big West tournament.

But UCSB's James Nunnally hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Gauchos the 76-75 win and leave LBSU (15-14, 10-6 Big West) as the number two seed.

Despite the tie a LBSU win would have created atop the Big West standings, because of their two wins against the number three seed Pacific, they would have won the second tiebreaker and been awarded the number one seed over Northridge.

Stephan Gilling led all scorers with 23 points (going 6-of-11 from 3-point range) while Donovan Morris had 17 and T.J. Robinson scored 16, making all seven of his field goal attempts.

Nine of LBSU's last ten conference games were decided by six points or less.

They have alternated wins and losses for their last 11 games - a trend they would like to break this weekend - as they need two wins to clinch the Big West and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Long Beach plays in the semi-finals of the Big West tournament Friday night at the Anaheim Convention Center. The game will tip-off thirty minutes after the end of the first game which starts at 5:30 p.m.

LBSU holds off Cal Poly

2009-03-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

The Beach held off a spirited attempt by the Mustangs and won 63-60 Thursday night to claim at least a top two finish in the Big West after winning just three games in the conference last season.

For a team that won six games in 2007-2008 and went just 1-15 on the road, the 'Niners ran their record to 15-13 and captured their sixth road win of the season.

The win guarantees them a spot in the semifinals of next week's Big West tourney leaving them just two wins away from the big dance.

Donovan Morris had 17 off the bench, making clutch plays down the stretch, while T.J. Robinson added 13 and Larry Anderson and Stephan Gilling had 10.

The re-emergence of Morris gives the team a veteran presence and leadership that has been lacking despite the tremendous play of the freshman.

LBSU overcame a rough night shooting the ball in beating a team that had nothing to play for.

At 3-11 in the Big West coming in Poly was already eliminated from postseason contention.

What's particularly interesting is the way the match-ups could fall in Anaheim. If seeds hold LBSU would get Pacific in the semi-finals (a team they beat twice) and avoid Riverside (a team they lost to twice) until the finals if the Highlanders upset Northridge.

Box Score

Big West Standings

CSUN (11-4)

LBSU (10-5)

Pac (9-6)

UCR (7-8)

UCSB (7-8)

CSUF (7-8)

UCI (7-8)

UCD (7-9)

Poly (3-12)

Beach heads North to finish Big West schedule

2009-03-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

@ Cal Poly tonight, UCSB Saturday....

Long Beach (14-13, 9-5) started Big West play the same way they will finish it - by taking on Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.

When LBSU last took on Cal Poly (7-19, 3-11) it was their most lopsided Big West win as they knocked off the Mustangs 70-57 to run their conference record to 2-0.

The 'Niners overcame a sluggish start with some hot outside shooting from Greg Plater and Stephan Gilling. The two combined for 29 points making 9-of-16 from 3-point range.

Senior guard Chaz Thomas had 17 points in the loss for Cal Poly.

The Mustangs have lost six of their last seven in conference play and are yet to win a Big West game at home this season going 0-6 so far.

Back on January 2nd, The Beach kicked off conference play with a 76-64 win over UCSB (13-14, 6-8) at the Pyramid.

Casper Ware had 21 points - 15 of which came in the second half - while Donovan Morris scored 16 and Brian Freeman had a double-double adding 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Chris Devine was one of just two Gauchos in double figures scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds while James Powell had 10.

UCSB has been hot of late winning five of their last six games.

The freshman big-men are carrying the load for The Beach in a big way of late. Over the last six games Larry Anderson is averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while T.J. Robinson is getting 17.3 points and pulling down 8.5 rebounds.

LBSU currently sits one game behind Cal State Northridge (10-4 Big West) and one half-game ahead of Pacific (9-6) in the standings.

With a win this weekend they can clinch at least a number two seed in next week's conference tournament at the convention center in Anaheim.

Magic number down to one

2009-03-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last weekend of regular season play for LBSU as they take on Cal Poly and UCSB.

That brought to mind the scenarios for securing a top-2 seed in the Big West

Here's the breakdown

Big West Tournament starts a week from tomorrow at the Convention Center in Anaheim. The Beach won't play until at least Thursday.

Northridge dominates the Beach

2009-02-28T17:20:00.001-08:00

LBSU (14-13, 9-5) went to the Matadome looking to take control of the Big West.

Instead that distinction belongs to Cal State Northridge (14-12, 10-4).

The Matadors controlled the game right from the start as The Beach's lack of defense haunted them for the second time in three games resulting in a 95-74 CSUN victory.

Northridge made more than 62 percent of their shots and just like at the Pyramid controlled the paint outscoring LBSU inside 44-26 and outrebounding the 'Niners 36-28.

Six Matadors scored in double figures.

T.J. Robinson had 19 points and eight rebounds while Larry Anderson chipped in 16.

Stephan Gilling scored 12 and Donovan Morris had his best game in February by putting in 11.

The Beach finishes the Big West regular season next weekend on the road at Cal Poly Thursday night and at Santa Barbara on Saturday night.

LBSU holds off late UCI rally for win

2009-02-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

Long Beach got a big win in their home finale by knocking off Irvine 75-74 and running their conference mark to 9-4 tying them atop the Big West standings with their next opponent Cal State Northridge.

Steph Gilling was hot from beyond the arc making seven three's and leading the 'Niners charge from a six point second half deficit.

When I began to ask Coach Monson a question about Gilling's night saying "Steph's such a rhythm shooter" he interrupted and said "nice he was in a good rhythm today" with a big laugh.

Point is, like other Beach marksmen such as Plater, sometimes they have it and sometimes they don't.

Gilling is a great pure shooter and his efforts tonight were tremendous and carried LBSU to the win.

Solid contributions out of the LBC's T-L-C (TJ, Larry and Casper) as they combined for 38 points in the victory.

The Northridge game is on Prime Ticket Saturday afternoon at 3:05 p.m.

The winner all but ensures themself a Top-2 seed.

Beach hosts UCI tonight, at Northridge Saturday afternoon

2009-02-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

In the midst of a tight race for the Big West regular season crown LBSU plays their final home game of the season tonight against the Anteaters of UC Irvine.

After Northridge's win over UCSB last night they hold a one half game lead at 9-4. It's too bad I missed that one. 49 turnovers and 47 fouls, yikes. LBSU is 8-4.

In other Big West action last night Long Beach got a big boost when Pacific beat UC Davis. Although Pacific is now 8-6 in conference - or just a game behind The Beach - LBSU holds the tiebreakers over the Tigers since they beat them twice.

Davis on the other hand, who beat Long Beach at the Pyramid last month, falls to 7-7 or two games out with just four to go.

Fullerton also sits at 7-7. The most dangerous team lurking behind The Beach is UC Riverside. At 6-6 the Highlanders are two games back but beat the 'Niners twice so they would hold any tiebreaker if it came to that.

With a win tonight, Saturday's game against Northridge would once again be for first place. A 10-4 record would guarantee LBSU a top-3 finish in the regular season - but a top-2 finish is necessary for a bye into the semifinals for next month's conference tournament.

Bombs away! Green Bay lights up the Pyramid

2009-02-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

Green Bay brought the cheese to Long Beach.

Unhappy about being sent halfway across the country in the middle of Horizon league play the Phoenix warmed up like the February SoCal temperatures and couldn't miss en route to 52 first half points effectively burying the 'Niners and their RPI-hopes.

The loss does nothing to hinder The Beach's goals of winning the Big West and getting a berth in March Madness come three Sundays from tomorrow but it does mean they may be staring down a 16 seed and at last check no 16 has ever won a game in the tournament.

Hate to be a downer, but I'm just saying.

Phoenix take BracketBusters game 86-75

LBSU hosts UCI Thursday night. They have a game-and-a-half lead over third place Pacific and UC Davis in the battle for two byes in the Big West tourney. So, three wins in their last four conference games would ensure a first or second place finish.

Update (1:35 A.M.) : In case you didn't believe me the latest version of ESPN's Bracketology is out and LBSU is a 16 seed facing Oklahoma and Player of the Year candidate Blake Griffin (Yikes).

Beach returns the favor, back atop Big West standings

2009-02-19T01:08:00.000-08:00

On a wild night over at Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and the Monson Maniacs got sweet revenge for January 29th's bittersweet ending.

After falling by 1 point to the Titans at the Pyramid LBSU stole a 75-74 win back from CSUF and coupled with Irvine's thumping of a wounded Cal State Northridge team LBSU at 8-4 in the muddled mediocrity that is the Big West is in the driver's seat.

With four games to go The Beach controls their own destiny.

Win out and they are the number 1 seed in Anaheim. More importantly if they can win even three of four they would secure the number 2 seed which also guarantess a free pass to Friday's semi-finals.

Full game story from exciting win over Fullerton right here

A-Rod, Elgin, and the Stat of the Week!

2009-02-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

I dont want to comment on steroids in baseball except to say this, Bud Selig is a moron.

Selig came out and said A-Rod "shamed the game."

Really? And whose fault is that Bud?

You sat idly by for the Sosa/McGwire home run chase, the Bonds' years and for Roger Clemens and now you want to call out someone else.

This is about money and Bud has got plenty of it.

Federal tax records said Selig made $18 million in 2007.

He got fat and happy off of the Steroids Era and let it all unfold in the name of resurrecting the game following the strike-shortened '94 season.

Labor disputes are bad for any business, but cheating the game is worse.

Selig is the worst cheater of all.

Of all the guys that took something he never made a push to stop any of them until the clamoring to clean up the game was so bad he had no other choice but to protect his personal cash cow.

It sucks that guys like Bonds and A-Rod, first ballot HOF's already, took these things and made more money but so did Bud.

*****

Torii Hunter was on Mason and Ireland the other day talking about the whole situation and I was shocked at a) his complete lack of perspective on the subject and b) Mason and Ireland's ability to let him skate and then even defend his comments when he got off the air.

First he said it was good that A-Rod wasn't "lying about what he did" and was speaking out about it and "nipping it in the bud."

Really? Ask Katie Couric about his lies.

Nipping it in the bud? Four Sports Illustrated sources called him out on it. He "came clean" six years later. That sounds real honest and straightforward to me.

Then he said that "we all had skeletons in our closets" and something to the affect that he should be left alone.

We all may have skeletons, but all of us except for A-Roid, aren't making $30 mil a year to play baseball for the Yankees.

To say we are all the same is absurd.

*****

While I'm on the subject of people not thinking too clearly enter stage right Mr. Elgin Baylor! 22 seasons of awful Clipper basketball and now he is going to sue Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

I have never met either character in question but how bad was Sterling that Baylor stayed on two-plus decades. It wasn't like Baylor was tied up in the basement unless of course we are talking about the cellar of the Pacific Division.

Baylor wants to sue Sterling alleging racial and age discrimination. Sterling should turn around and sue Baylor for all of the losses and incompetence. Might as well throw Mike Dunleavy in there too.

*****

Time for a new segment I'm aptly calling the stat of the week. I know, I really went out on a limb here but I think you'll like it.

Stat of the Week

Entering Saturday's slate of games: (Riverside at Northridge, Cal Poly at UCSB, Fullerton and Davis and Irvine at Pacific) Big West teams are 29-19-1 on the road ATS (26-23 SU).

(Update - 10:31 P.M. Poly, Fullerton and Irvine cover with Fullerton winning and Riverside losing on both accounts. This brings the totals to a whopping 32-20-1 ATS and 27-26 straight up).

Loss to Riverside, Bracketology

2009-02-12T10:09:00.001-08:00

Long Beach lost to UCR last night in double OT despite what the AP says.

Still playing without Morris, the 'Niners came up short in the 909 and lost first place in the Big West in the process.

The freshman continue to carry the heavy load and this bodes will for next year since only one senior is starting (Freeman) and none are really seeing significant time.

Ware, Robinson and Anderson are sure fire starters next year. Gilling will be a Senior and he will start at the two although he really needs to be more consistent. Phelps seems like a great 6th man off the bench. What the team really needs is size. Fleming and Vantrimpont are possibilites but this team really needs a big man to establish themselves as a legitimate threat.

In ESPN's Bracketology this week Joe Lunardi has Long Beach a 14 seed and matched-up against the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks. Granted, this is a leap of faith since The Beach was in first place at the time it came out (Monday). Next week's will undoubtedly have Northridge slotted in instead but that kind of marquee first-round match-up, however daunting, would certainly be fun.

A win, a loss, another Big West POTW, and BracketBusters

2009-02-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

Busy week for Beach B-Ball

The 'Niners dropped another home game Thursday night before rebounding for a 2 OT win against Pacific to secure first-place for the time being at 7-3.

Freshman T.J. Robinson was rewarded for his huge week (48 points and 22 rebounds) with a Big West player of the week nod.

Finally, Long Beach will host Green Bay at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Feb. 21st on ESPNU crushing my day-night double-header hopes of Dirtbag/Trojan baseball in the afternoon and 49ers/Phoenix hoops in the evening but you can't win 'em all.

LBSU plays at Riverside Wednesday night.

Links!

2009-02-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

I promised links and here they are!

LB State and Wisc-Green Bay BracketBusters

UC Davis/Pacific Weekend Preview

Huge two game set for The Beach. At stake is a possible 8-2 Big West mark before a brutal stretch to end the season. The top two teams in the regular season standings get a pair of bye's and thus are off until Friday come tourney week. A spot in the semis also means only having to win two games to go dancing.

LBSU splits weekend, BracketBusters announced

2009-02-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Long Beach dropped a heartbreaker Thursday night at the Pyramid before rebounding (literally) Saturday night for a big road win.

The loss to Fullerton hurt but the win in Irvine was critical for The Beach and keeps them in first.

Morris missed the Irvine game with a nagging foot injury and stomach flu but said today he was definitely going to be in the line-up Thursday.

This week may determine that final spot in the standings.

With home games against Pacific and Davis, two teams the 'Niners already dropped in their own gyms, a pair of wins would put them at 8-2 before they finish up with five of six away from Big Blue.

Fullerton steals a win at the Pyramid

Beach men get back on track

Full BracketBuster's story will be online soon but LBSU will play Wisc-Green Bay Saturday February 21st. Time and ESPN platform announcement come Monday.

(Green Bay beat 11th-ranked Butler last night)

Weekend preview coming tomorrow!

Niners fall to Highlanders, take on Fullerton tonight

2009-01-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

All good things must come to an end.

For The Beach, that meant a loss last Saturday to UC Riverside.

With it went their undefeated conference record.

They were thoroughly dominated on the glass again and this time it cost them.

Tonight they host Cal State Fullerton and the potent backcourt of Josh Akognon and Jacques Streeter. It should be a tremendous matchup and the 'Myd should be rocking.

Saturday night they travel to the campus of UCI to take on the Anteaters in search of a 3-0 start on the road in Big West play.

For a more detailed preview of those two match-ups and information on former Beach coach Tex Winter who will be honored tonight, click this link!

Check daily49er.com/sports tonight for a full recap and box score on the game.

Niners win again, now 5-0 in Big West play

2009-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

LBSU is all alone atop the Big West standings with a perfect 5-0 mark. No one else is better than 3-2.

They have four of the next five at home before the heavy road portion of their schedule takes over and they might be in full scale "hold onto your hats" mode as they try and maintain the lead and grab the regular season title.

There is still 11 games to go but you got to love the position they are in especially if they can run it to 9-1 or 10-0 before finishing up with five of six on the road.

The only game away from the Pyramid is a short trip down the 405 to UCI where the Anteaters aren't exactly lighting the world on fire.

Otherwise the Beach gets Riverside, Fullerton, Pacific and Davis all at home.

All are winnable games.

Here is the link to the Northridge game story and what a game it was. Up-and-down, back and forth. Great battle between the (supposed) top dog and the squad trying to take that mantle.

Riverside on Saturday night, stay tuned.

Long Beach downs Pacific, 3-0 in Big West Play

2009-01-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's early.

Very early in fact.

But as of this moment Long Beach St. sits all alone atop the Big West men's basketball standings.

But after winning three Big West conference games all last season this year's squad matched that total in less than a week.

I have said since the beginning that this team needed to win on the road to have a chance. They were 1-16 away from the Pyramid last year and just 1-6 to start the season until last night.

Coach Monson spoke about holding serve at home after beating Santa Barbara but even an undefeated home slate - very tough to accomplish, even for the best teams - gets you a .500 mark come time to lace em up in Anaheim.

To compete for the regular season title, or at the very least the ever important first round tourney bye you have to win games on the road and that is exactly what The Beach did.

Pacific went into the Matadome a week ago and took care of a very good Northridge team. For LBSU to turn around and beat them in their own gym is a huge statement especially when you consider this.

Cal State Northridge, the preseason pick to win the conference, will be without senior guard Deon Tresvant for the remainder of the season after he and a fellow teammate allegedly stole more than $6000 dollars worth of merchandise from a Porter Ranch Best Buy with the help of Jeff Braswell, head coach Bobby Braswell's son.

Tresvant, a Long Beach native, was leading the Matadors in scoring. Losing him is a big blow to their chances.

I voted in that preseason poll. I like nearly everyone else in Irvine had Northridge first. Unlike, nearly everyone else I had LBSU second.

Call me a homer but I had a hunch this team would be better.

Donovan Morris was not going to sneak up on anyone but he doesn't have to. With the addition of transfer Stephan Gilling and the contributions of four solid freshman this team is leaps and bounds ahead of last year's squad both in the win column and in confidence.

Gilling's shot comes and goes but his defense hasn't. Casper Ware has taken his lumps like all Freshman will but his dedication - spurned on by his father - is inspiring and he takes the bad games to heart and works harder to improve.

Larry Anderson can stretch the defense and run the floor while T.J. Robinson has shouldered the rebounding load and done the dirty work inside. Eugene Phelps has been the odd man out at times but should get more playing time down the stretch and be a starter in the near future.

Morris has struggled with his consistency despite three Big West player-of-the-week nods. The team has found a way to win anyway. He knows he doesn't always have to be the man anymore and most importantly other teams are realizing it.

When he is on there isn't a better player in the league and I fully expect him to raise his level of play once again as the team battles down the stretch in February and March.

It's not even late January, the season is only halfway over. The Beach is still a meager 8-7.

But those tough non-conference games may finally be paying dividends.

Say what you want about the Big West but BYU, Wisconsin, Syracuse, Temple or Oregon aren't the names on the other teams jerseys anymore. Long Beach is in their element and seems ready to thrive.

The best this team has to offer is still in front of them.

They have put it together in spurts to this point but have the look of a group that may finally be figuring it out.

Another good opponent awaits them away from the friendly confines of their Big Blue Long Beach home.

Win or lose UC Davis will be a good test tomorrow night.

Regardless of the outcome this team has a lot of good basketball in front of them so jump on the bandwagon early.

It's going to be a fun ride.

The Ed Hochuli Bowl

2008-12-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

As ESPN refuses to let anyone in earshot of a TV forget, its Capital One Bowl Week!

And while nothing gets me more excited than the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl there are two dandies in San Di-ago this week.

First you have the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl featuring BCS snub and 9th-ranked Boise State against 11th-ranked TCU. Money talks and there is no disputing that but its a shame that the BCS darling Broncos and Ian Johnson who shocked the Sooners in 2006 are playing this early.

Considering the fifth BCS game is Cincinnati (ranked 12th) and Virginia Tech (ranked 21st) based on giving berths to conferences that have no good teams this game is a de-facto fifth place game as long as I'm concerned.

Then comes Sunday. While the Broncos-Chargers tussle interests me very little, two side stories do. First you have the hangover from the Ed Hochuli call. The uber-referee who inexplicably blew a play dead while Jay Cutler fumbled making it un-reviewable and giving the Broncos a chance to win all the way back in week 2.

But more on that in a second.

Chris Berman said on Sportscenter last night that the play was pretty much excused now because the Chargers (7-8) have a chance to win the division this week if they beat the Broncos (8-7) based on the tiebreaker.

While I am a strong believer in things never unfolding the exact same way, uh, Boomer are you kidding me?

If that call goes the other way like it should have the Chargers would be 8-7 and the Broncos 7-8. In other words, the Chargers would have already clinched the division via the second tiebreaker.

After head-to-head which would be 1-1 - if the Chargers laid down this week and rested their players for the playoffs - the second divisional tiebreaker is winning percentage within the division. San Diego is 4-1 (would be 5-0) while Denver is 3-2 (would be 2-3).

So in no way is Hochuli vindicated yet. Does San Diego still have a chance to take care of business and win the division on Sunday? Sure, but they shouldn't have to.

So we are left with the Ed Hochuli Bowl. But here is where the sponsors need to step in. Every other bowl has some absurd 10-word corporate moniker preceding its title so why not this one?

GNC is the first logical choice in honor of Hochuli's governator-esque physique but it seems too succinct. So does HGH.

My front-runner to this point would be BALCO. Despite the San Francisco steroid studio's dubious past I think it would be very fitting. Something says Bud Selig might not agree.

Imagine Al Michaels saying, "Live from San Diego its the Chargers and the Broncos in the Bay Area Labratory Co-Operative Ed Hochuli Bowl! Will the Broncos get one call? Stay tuned to find out! Its Sunday Night Football on NBC!"

If they can bump Leno to 10 pm they can't be above this right?

Road trip yields two more losses for LBSU

2008-12-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

Some early season Pyramid-induced momentum did not follow the 49ers to San Francisco, Ogden or Syracuse.

While LBSU is a perfect 3-0 at home the 'Niners fell to just 1-5 on the road with losses to Weber State and Syracuse.

While a loss to the 13th-ranked 'Cuse 2700 miles from The Beach after a 9 a.m. Pacific tip-off is nothing to be ashamed of, the trend of leaving opposing buildings on the wrong side of the score sheet is.

If this team wants to contend in the Big West they are absolutely going to have to win away from home.

While maybe the four-game winning streak got the year-two-leap-under-coach-Monson hysteria whipped up a bit too quickly this team is good and can play much better.

Full details on the rematch against Weber State

LBSU hangs with Orange early, gets left in the dust late

Montana State comes to town Saturday then on Monday Christmas comes early to The Beach.

Not the jolly fat guy with the beard or that white stuff seen on top of the mountains but Dionte Christmas and the Temple Owls.

Christmas dropped 35 on Bruce Pearl and the 8th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers en route to a 88-72 beatdown.

How's that for some holiday spirit?

Prior to Saturday afternoon I thought Temple, who was just 4-3 at the time and had lost by 16 at home to Miami (OH) would provide little more than a marquee name on the schedule but Scrooge and co. look a little more daunting now.

It's off to play Ernie Kent and the Oregon Ducks before New Year's and Big West conference play greets Long Beach promptly in 2009 with a Jan 2 battle against UCSB.

Win streak comes to end at hands of the Dons

2008-12-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

LBSU's four game win streak is no more. Then again, the 2007-2008 squad only won six games all season, so progress is relative.

Most importantly Long Beach's three losses have been by a combined 20 points, a far cry from the blowouts endured last year. Being competitive in every game is a huge step forward.

The key to being in the Big West race come late February will be the 'Niners play on the road. After going 1-16 away from the Pyramid in Dan Monson's first year, this year's team fell to 1-3 with the loss to USF.

Playing BYU and Wisconsin in their own buildings and scaring the hell out of them means a lot but not unless it pays dividends (i.e. wins) on the road in the Big West.

Simply holding serve at the Pyramid wont be enough to get it done.

USF 78, LBSU 74 (Double OT) December 6th

LBSU gets two more wins, runs streak to 4

2008-12-04T00:06:00.000-08:00

The 'Niners take down New Mexico State and Pepperdine at the Pyramid, head to San Francisco to take on the Dons.

Weber State and Syracuse next week before returning home for Montana State and Temple before Christmas.

Tons of links, got the NMSU game story. News and notes, including recruiting, the 76 Classic and Donovan Morris' Big West Player of the Week award. That comes with the Pepperdine preview. Also got the recently completed recap for that one.

Look for a quick game story about the USF game on Sunday and a preview of next week's games Wednesday afternoon. Go Beach!

LBSU 81, Pepperdine 68

News and Notes, Pepperdine Preview

LBSU 82, New Mexico State 77

Sharks off to record start

2008-12-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

Through 25 games this NHL season the San Jose Sharks have won a staggering 21 games. With a 13-0-1 mark at home they have notched a point in their last 23 regular season games at The Tank.

After having one of the best teams in the league since the lockout but falling short - three straight 2nd round exits - in the playoffs, this team is the best of them all.

With more scoring from the likes of Devin Setoguchi, Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski to go with the already dangerous Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo the Sharks lead the league in scoring.

But that's not all.

GM Doug Wilson also brought in two of the best defenseman in the league in Dan Boyle and Rob Blake. Behind them is one of the top-3 goalies in the world in Evgeni Nabokov.

Now that is one hell of a team.

Then again its December. Hockey matters most in May and June for this team.

I dont care how hot it is when summer hits the playoff beards better still be in full affect.

Best 25 game starts in NHL History

Year Team Pts Record Result

2008-09 Sharks 43 20-3-1 ?
1943-44 Canadiens 43 20-2-3 Won Stanley Cup
2006-07 Sabres 42 20-3-2 Lost in conference finals
2005-06 Senators 42 21-4-0 Lost in second round
2001-02 Red Wings 42 20-3-2 Won Stanley Cup
1979-80 Flyers 42 18-1-6 Lost in Cup final
1929-30 Bruins 42 21-4-0 Won Stanley Cup
1984-85 Oilers 41 19-3-3 Won Stanley Cup

DMo goes off, LBSU gets the W

2008-11-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

There is nothing new to say about Donovan Morris so I'll let the stats speak for themselves.

14 points, 3-for-3 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line.

And those were just the five minute double OT stats.

LBSU runs their record to 2-2

The road win ties their road win total from last year and the W brings them within four of tying last year's 6-victory campaign.

It appears early on the progression in year 2 of the Dan Monson era is steady.

Picked to finish near the bottom of the Big West this season, the 'Niners should challenge for the top of the standings.

Most importantly they have begun to found ways to win. Last year's squad found every way possible to lose.

The 2008-2009 team seems to want to win, and that's exactly what they have started doing.

49ers strike gold in last 10 minutes

2008-11-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

LBSU got their first victory in the 2008-2009 season by upending the Weber State Wildcats despite trailing by 21 with 11 minutes to go.

The 'Niners are in Idaho to take on Idaho St tomorrow night and return to face New Mexico State Sunday afternoon.

Preview of those two match-ups

LBSU loses it late to Wisconsin, Big West teams getting screwed on the road

2008-11-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

Long Beach dropped a second close game Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison.

They play their first home game at The Walter Pyramid Saturday night and its homecoming, should be an exciting one to watch.

On to other issues...

Its absurd that Big West teams are forced to travel to play big schools and have to face that conference's officials. It's bad enough for Long Beach to have to fly to Utah and Wisconsin to get a marquee game but to have to play against the zebras on top of the other team's players and fans is too much.

LBSU had twice as many fouls called against them on Sunday and Northridge has it even worse tonight against Stanford.

In 31 minutes thus far in Palo Alto, Northridge has been whistled for 29 fouls. Each guy only gets 5!

Can they really be that aggressive? Think I am biased to the Big West?

You want bias? I was born and raised in Palo Alto and root for Stanford more than any college team in that country but this is ridiculous!

By contrast Stanford has 13 fouls. Its one thing for a perimeter-laden team like Long Beach not to garner a bunch of whistles in their favor all the time if they continue to launch the long ball and not force contact inside but that's not Northridge's M.O.

Hows 38 free throws to 10? Seem fair?

Didn't think so.

They need to have these games officiated by neutral parties like the bowl games are. To expect these teams to have any chance in a hostile environment that is also being manipulated is unfair. The Big West is better this year and its premier teams have already been plagued by shoddy and unbalanced officiating that undermines the game's integrity.

Update: Stanford 103, CS Northridge 85
Or in another way: Stanford 47, CS Northridge 12 (FTA's)

At BW Media Day Bobby Braswell, head coach at Northridge seemed upset when asked about all the non-conference road games. "Nobody will play us at home," he said. Looks like home-court advantage really is an advantage thus far for the power conferences when they host Big West schools. What a shame.

Long Beach falls in Provo

2008-11-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

'Niners play well early but fall late

All-American BYU forward Lee Cummard was just as good as advertised.

This past off-season he turned down the NBA to return to Utah for his senior season much to the delight of everyone but the black and gold.

Behind his career-high 36 points on 13-of-15 shooting and 10 rebounds BYU (1-0) erased a seven-point halftime deficit to down the 49ers 75-65, in both team's 2008-2009 season opener.

LBSU (0-1) was led by senior forward Cornel Williams who also registered a double-double on 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Guards Donovan Morris (13 points) and Stephan Gilling (12 points) also scored in double figures for the Beach. Both Williams and Gilling knocked down three 3-pointers.

But the story of the night was Cummard. "He's a complete player," LBSU Coach Dan Monson said. "He literally led BYU by himself. They had a lot of guys not play well but he had a great game."

Jonathan Tavernari added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Cougars. The Cummard-Tavernari duo combined for 55 of the 75 Cougar points.

The rest of the team shot just 5-of-23 from the field.

A slow start to the 2nd half by LBSU let BYU back in the affair after the Beach headed into the break with a 38-31 lead. The 'Niners shot just 10-for-29 in the 2nd half and managed only 27 points.

"We put ourselves in a position to win but just weren't experienced enough to get it done," Monson said. "They are a more experienced team and I think that showed down the stretch."

For a 6-25 team a year ago this was a huge step in the right direction despite the loss. BYU embarassed the 'Niners at the Walter Pyramid last November in a 74-34 romp.

That game was never in doubt. This one wasn't decided until about the 2-minute mark of the 2nd half.

Two big areas of concern headed into this game for Long Beach were rebounding and free throw shooting.

Those categories remain an issue. LBSU was outrebounded 43-35 and shot just 50 percent (7-for-14) from the line.

For a team that struggled both on the road (1-17) and in close games (2-11 in games decided by six points or less) last year these are areas still in need of improvement.

Freshman Casper Ware started at point guard scoring seven points and dishing out three assists. He also had five turnover's.

"Tonight was a difficult game for (Ware) which is good," Monson said. "That's why we're starting him that's why we're sticking with him because he needs to learn. That's why we are playing in these games, for all our freshman. They need to understand that every possesion is vital."

Eugene Phelps added eight points and three rebounds off the bench.

The win runs BYU's home winning streak to 48 games. That is the longest such streak in the nation.

The 22,000 seat Marriott Center was less than half-full despite a paid attendance of 15,753.

The 'Niners travel to Madison, Wisc., for a Sunday game against the University of Wisconsin. That game is a 1 p.m. Pacific tip-off and will air on the Big Ten Network, DirecTV channel 610.

'Niners kick off season Friday night in Utah

2008-11-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

LBSU Men's basketball kicks off its season this weekend with games at BYU and Wisconsin. The team is coming off a tough season but is a much more talented squad in 2008-09. Check the blog frequently for updates on their progress this season including photos, game stories, links and much more.

Here's the first few links...

For more on their first two opponents

Season Preview for LBSU and the Big West

First Look at the team at open scrimmage

The BCS is B.S.

2008-11-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

But you knew that already.

Somebody always gets screwed. Left out of the title game or the crazy computer rankings leave them out altogether.

It's been bad in the past but this year could be the apocalypse.

Let's consider some scenarios and breakdown what's wrong.

Of the three big undefeated teams (Alabama, TT, PSU) all could lose.

Alabama and Texas Tech will lose.

Tech has to beat Oklahoma St, win at Oklahoma and defeat Missouri (maybe Kansas) in the Big 12 champ game to run the table. Sorry, not going to happen.

Alabama has to win at LSU and beat Florida in the SEC champ game. Florida is the better team, LSU is tough at home. They are going down before bowl season comes.

That leaves Penn State. Now although the Nittany Lions schedule is a joke, Michgan State could give them problems but they get them in Happy Valley. Win or lose we are stuck with a big problem.

We will have a Big 12 champ with at least one loss but coming out of the best conference in college football and the toughest in recent memory. Behind them there will be three or four really good teams that may all belong in the Top 10.

If Oklahoma wins out do they get in? Texas loses on the last play of the game at Texas Tech after knocking off OU, Missouri and OK state in consecutive weeks. OK State's only loss to this point was by four points at Texas. All four play in the same Big 12 division and no more than two will make the BCS.

There could be a one loss Florida team emerging from a very good SEC conference that features three other Top 15 schools. Alabama could be 12-1 having won at LSU and Georgia.

USC could have just one loss but touts a defense that has allowed more than 10 points just once so far this season (27 in a loss at Oregon State) and has give up just 10 points in their last four games combined.

Boise State is undefeated in the WAC and the Moutain West boasts a trio of teams Utah (9-0), TCU (9-1) and BYU (8-1) that should all not be overlooked. Even Ball State is 8-0 right now and leading the MAC.

The consensus among pro-playoff advocates is a 8 team system. I disagree.

Unless you are willing to do away with automatic bids for weak conferences like the ACC - Honestly, whoever comes out of that mess would be like the 7th best team in the Big 12 or force the Pac-10/Big 10 to play title games - There has to be more than 8 spots.

Having 2 at-large bids with these stacked conferences is absurd.

My suggestion is a 12 team playoff like the NFL does with the top-4 teams getting a bye. Have the Pac-10 and Big Ten do title games and give those winners and the winners of the Big 12 and SEC byes. Then there are 8 spots left.

If you want to give auto bids to the ACC and Big East that's fine but they don't get to host a game unless their seed warrants it. Most importantly that leaves 6 more spots for your cinderella types like Boise State and your really good non-conference winners like say Texas and Florida that might be in a fifth place game under the current BCS umbrella but should no doubt get a crack at the National Championship.

If Fresno State and George Mason have a chance in college baseball and basketball it can't be too much to ask for 12 teams including the likes of TCU or Ball State to get that opportunity in football.

First and second round matchups would be home games for the lower seed. The final four would be at regional sites like the basketball is.

Based on that formula and the current BCS Standings a 12-team playoff would look like this:

Byes

(1) Alabama

(2) Texas Tech

(3) Penn State

(4) USC

First Round games

(5) Texas vs (12) West Virginia

(6) Florida vs (11) North Carolina

(7) Oklahoma vs (10) Boise State

(8) Utah vs (9) Oklahoma State

If everybody wins who is supposed to Utah goes to Alabama, Oklahoma to Texas Tech, Florida to Penn State and Texas to USC.

The four winners advance to the semi-finals.

The wild card weekend so to speak is the week/weekend prior to Christmas. The Elite Eight takes place Christmas week/weekend. The Final Four with the two big semi-final games take place back-to-back on New Years and the championship game occurs the following week like the BCS champ does currently.

Not only does this system decide the best team, afford more home games to the schools, but it also ensures a better quality product/game since the layover between the final regular season games and the first round would be about three weeks maximum.

The Big 12 gets four teams in but that reflects the strength of that conference so far this season. Next year it could be three Big 10 or SEC teams but it leaves the door open for some flexibility and most importantly room for the most competitive, deserving teams.

World Series Breakdown

2008-10-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

The case for Philadelphia....

The Philadelphia Phillies caught and passed the New York Mets for the second year in a row en route to the NL East crown. This time around they are making the most of their playoff appearance.

With the hopes of an entire championship-starved city on their shoulders, the Phillies look to bring a title home to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time in a quarter century. Here's how they will make that dream a reality.

Cole Hamels - The NLCS MVP has been unhittable this postseason. With a 3-0 record and 1.23 ERA in the playoffs, he has clearly been the Phillies ace.

He has 22 strikeouts in as many innings and is the one guy who can win this series almost single-handedly. The San Diego native will start Game 1 and could make two more starts if the series goes the full seven games.

While the rest of the rotation behind him and Brett Myers are unreliable if Hamels can keep the Rays at bay with his breathtaking change-up he could set-up the Phillies to only need one win when he is not on the bump.

The big bats - The powerful lineup that propelled the Phillies all season has yet to really break out. A World Series

championship could be theirs if they finally do.

Behind Long Beach Poly and UCLA grad Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell loom. The trio belted 114 homers during the regular season but has just four - three from Burrell and one from Utley - through the first two rounds.

Howard, the 2006 NL MVP and leading candidate for the award again after a torrid September, is streaky. If he can get hot again, the Rays will be in trouble.

At the top of the lineup, the reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino set the table for the sluggers behind them. If both speedsters can get on and wreak havoc on the basepaths, the Phillies can put up a ton of runs - especially at home in Citizens Bank Park.

The bullpen - One thing you need to win in October, or even early November, is a great bullpen. Closer Brad Lidge is perfect 46-for-46 in converting save opportunities this season.

Long Beach native Ryan Madson has given up just one run in nine innings of work and the Phillies haven't blown a lead after eight innings all year, with a record of 86-0 headed to the final frame on top. With Madson's emergence they are lights out after seven innings.

On the other side of the field Tampa's David Price has only been in the big leagues a month and Grant Balfour has a shaky psyche. The Rays lack a proven closer and that should be a big key.

If Hamels and Myers can get the ball to Madson and Lidge with a lead the duo can shut the door and get Philadelphia a win. That will be the recipe for success.

Prediction: Phillies in 7

Tracy McDannald's take

The case for Tampa Bay...

Tampa Bay Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria was still in disbelief after defeating the Boston Red Sox to advance to the World Series.

“I’m sure nobody picked us to go to the World Series,” the former Long Beach State Dirtbag said after Sunday’s 3-1 win in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. “For me to be in this situation, I really can’t believe it.”

He’s right — nobody picked them to play in the Fall Classic at the beginning of the season. The team started the season as an 80-to-1 longshot to win the World Series, and the franchise hadn’t made the playoffs in its previous 10 years of existence.

But, I’m giving them a shot to win it all.

Youth trumps experience - Everyone can stop saying that the Rays are too inexperienced to perform in the postseason.

How about this for experience? Manager Joe Maddon was on the coaching staff when the team formerly known as the Anaheim Angels won the World Series in 2002.

Maddon has done an excellent job guiding the young, talented Rays to the AL East title, AL pennant, and now, a shot at the big prize.

Longoria and center fielder B.J. Upton — 23 and 24 years old, respectively — have powered the offense in the middle of the lineup, combining to hit 13 home runs in the postseason.

There’s also that unknown fireballer who emerged from the bullpen in Game 7 …

Price is right for Tampa Bay - David Price was thrust into the national spotlight Sunday night and responded well.

The former No. 1 overall draft pick was called up in September and appeared in just five regular season games. But, Price struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning and preserve the 3-1 lead.

The rookie left-hander continued to baffle Boston in the ninth, fanning Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek before inducing the series-ending grounder to eliminate the defending champions.

With questions swirling about Tampa Bay’s arms in the bullpen — particularly the closer role — Maddon should think back to an electric Francisco Rodriguez mowing through lineups in the Angels’ 2002 run.

Price can dart the outside corner with a 97 mph fastball or jelly-leg batters with an 88 mph slider, and hitters can’t hit what they can’t see. As the least experienced member of the Rays, Price surely hasn’t been seen by any of the Philadelphia Phillies’ hitters.

Depth in the starting rotation - Cole Hamels and Brett Myers have delivered for Philadelphia, combining to win five of the team’s seven postseason games to reach the World Series.

There really isn’t much beyond the Phillies’ No. 1 and 2 starters, however.

In two postseason starts, 45-year-old Jamie Moyer is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in just 5 1/3 innings. It’s a struggle for him just to hit 88 mph on the radar gun with his fastball, and the Tampa Bay lineup is more than capable of turning the game into a home run derby.

In Game 4 of the ALCS against Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, the Rays scored five runs on six hits — three homers — in just 2 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will throw four quality starters: ALCS MVP Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, Scott Kazmir and James Shields.

Prediction: Rays in six

(Cole Hamels and Evan Longoria, Photos Courtesy of MLB.com)

Champion of the past

2008-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

The story of Jack Johnson

Long before there were “Banana Pancakes” or you were humming the tune to “Upside Down” the name Jack Johnson was synonymous with one thing, boxing.

One hundred years ago he was the heavyweight champion of the world and the baddest dude around. But there was a problem, Johnson was black.

In a time still filled with racial oppression Johnson’s color and even worse his brash personality and blatant disregard for a manner in which he was supposed to conduct himself clashed with white authorities.

A century later efforts are underway to right an egregious wrong.

A bi-partisan effort includes two bills, one in the House and another led by Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain is in the Senate. Both are awaiting approval.

In a letter to the President McCain wrote "Johnson’s conviction was motivated by nothing more than the color of his skin. As such, it injured not only Mr. Johnson but also our nation as a whole."

If the bills go through the dream of a posthumous presidential pardon for Jack Johnson, a great American champion could finally be realized.

While Governor in Texas Bush tabbed Johnson’s birthday as Jack Johnson Day in the state for five consecutive years.

Legendary American filmmaker Ken Burns produced a documentary entitled “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson” that aired on PBS back in January.

This movie has only furthered the effort to clear Johnson’s name.

Johnson was a larger-than-life American pop icon in the early 1900s.

Born in 1878 to former slaves in Galveston, Texas Johnson’s meteoric rise and fall from failed Reconstruction America to heavyweight champion of the world does not have a happy ending.

In 1913 Johnson was convicted of taking a woman across interstate lines as a violation of the Mann Act.

Officially the White Slave Traffic Act the obscure and controversial measure was passed to combat prostitution at the turn of the 19th century.

The Progressive Era bill was being so broadly interpreted for anything other than spousal relations that any interstate travel, especially for “undesirables” could mean prosecution.

After authorities were unsuccessful in nabbing Johnson on two occasions they accused him a third time despite the consensual nature of his relationship.

These first two occasions, marriages to white women, sparked anger amongst a Jim Crow era America.

Under law, once married, the women the authorities sought to testify against Johnson were no longer permitted to do so.

After sentencing Johnson posted bail and fled overseas to Europe.

He tried to continue fighting while living in Paris but the marquee fights eluded him. The war was going on and Johnson was not the celebrity he was back in the states.

A convoluted title fight took place in Havana, Cuba in 1915 where Johnson lost a 26-round fight. Johnson’s loss meant the return of the title belt to a white man.

It would take 22 years for an African-American to have a chance to capture the title of heavyweight champion of the world again.

Jack Johnson returned to the United States in 1920 and served his sentence.

Once out of prison he tried to resume his boxing career but he was never the same man, or the same fighter upon release.

He spent the rest of his days trying to live off his fading celebrity status. From exhibitions to entrepreneurship he continued on.

Johnson was killed in an automobile accident in 1946.

Intelligent but flashy, charismatic and proud. Johnson was a victim of circumstance, torn-down by the times.

Amendments have been made to the Mann Act in recent years most notably in 1978 and 1986 but the bill has never been repealed.

Notable stars like Black rock-n-roller Chuck Berry, actor Charlie Chaplain and architect Frank Lloyd Wright were all prosecuted under its auspicious umbrella.

Florida vs Arkansas

2008-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Arkansas this past weekend to catch the Florida Gators take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. For a complete rundown of the trip and to see a photo slideshow here's the link. New post coming soon!

Gambling and fantasy, making the NFL what it is

2008-09-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

NFL football is far and away the most popular sport in America right now, but it's less about the players and the game itself then it is the gambling and fantasy aspects that go with it.

Case in point, the injury to New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. With one of its big stars sidelined the NFL barely skips a beat. New stars are born, new fantasy football greats emerge and the Patriots give less points in Las Vegas.

In the NFL stars are not only marketed differently but they just plain don't mean as much. In a sport where players were helmets on the field and the average career is shorter than a presidential race, it really is "the name on the front of the jersey that matters."

This issue of being recognizable can't be ignored. NBA stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are not only easier to market but their faces are more familiar due to their non-intrusive apparel. Even baseball players just wear hats. Hidden inside that helmet is not a star but the key to hitting that "over" bet or getting enough points to beat out your old college buddy in your fantasy league that week.

None of this is to say that there are no true NFL fans, who root hard for their team win or lose and don't play fantasy football or bet on the games each week. It's just that they are in the minority.

"Americans like to wager," John McCain said with a sheepish grin and a laugh earlier this week to ESPN cameras. The answer was in response to his failed legislation to ban gambling on college sports. For all the wagering American sports fans do on college sports or professional ones like baseball and basketball, NFL football is king.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Nevada sportsbooks took in more than $92 million in bets for last year's Super Bowl alone - a figure that doesn't even include all the money wagered online.

With pro football, though, there is more than just betting on the Super Bowl. Every week millions of eager Americans pour over the lines hoping to find that right combination to hit it big. The anticipation and betting action builds all week until Sunday finally arrives.

I can sum it up best with this story. Late last Sunday night I got two expletive-laced text messages from friends that in essence said, "Why didn't the Steelers kick that field goal?" Up four points with 30 seconds to go, the Pittsburgh Steelers had elected to go for it on fourth down in Cleveland territory due to the windy conditions instead of attempting a tough field goal try.

Considering the situation, it was a logical move. For the people who bet money on the Steelers, this was not a sufficient argument. See, according to the sportsbooks Pittsburgh needed to cover a 6.5 point spread - win by seven points - if you chose them. A field goal would have filled this void.

Instead, Pittsburgh won by four. It was a nice, hard-fought road win on a brutal night in Ohio. For those, including two of my friends who had laid money on them to win by seven or more this reasoning meant a lighter wallet.

In other words in an arena where even a half of a point can mean the difference between winning and losing, the way football games are watched even when the outcome is set, means a whole different standard of rules.

In addition to the gambling the other vice is fantasy football. This is where the NFL really distances itself from the college game. Because of the roster turnover in college football, fantasy is not nearly as feasible as it is for the pro game.

Fantasy football started as an archaic exercise for diehards in small underground circles. With the internet it has exploded as a full-fledged phenomenon and everyone is in at least one league.

Most major sports sites like yahoo! offer the game for free, but most people ante up an entry fee that goes to the top couple finishers. Like the gambling and the TV contracts that make football what it is, fantasy football is a business too.

It also hinders business. Chicago-based employment consultant, Challenger, Gray & Christmas concluded in a recent study that fantasy players are costing employers as much as $1.1 billion per week during the NFL season.

In other words in floundering economic times, plenty of time from 9-5 Monday through Friday is spent scouring the waiver wire, reading up on injuries and talking trash to next week's opponent - all from guys who won't get within one hundred yards of the field on Sunday.

While most American sports are played at least a few times a week, football is not. It is that limited exposure, the once-a-week format that makes it so special.

While the NFL rules Sundays across living rooms and local watering holes from coast-to-coast, it is the betting and fantasy football that keeps the nation on edge from Tuesday morning until just before kickoff.

From that last-minute parlay to the decision of who to start at running back, the intrigue of the NFL for most fans goes way beyond the white lines. While ultimately the action on the field dictates the way we react to the extra curricular, the way we watch pro football, shaped by these endeavors, is unlike any other experience.

Top-10 fall baseball story lines

2008-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Top-10 Story Lines as MLB heads towards the Postseason

10. Yankee Stadium hosts its final baseball game in September (this Sunday). The Yankees failure to clinch a 14th consecutive berth means no playoffs for the most famous postseason venue in all of sports, 100 world series games in all.

9. Next year's free agents. Will Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez or Pat Burrell to name a few have that Carlos Beltran-esque post-season that takes them from the 100 to the 200 million dollar range?

8. Do more fans show up at the Trop when postseason play begins? I'm sure they do, but why now? The Rays have been playing well since May and are a young, exciting team. They are 19-1 when playing in front of more than 30,000 fans this year in St. Pete. Now that bodes well for October.

7. Does the American League take home the trophy home again? Despite blips to the AL's dominance in South Beach, St. Louis and the desert the senior circuit is once again inferior to the AL and won't have home field either thanks to another defeat in the midsummer classic.

6. The wild cards. Wild card teams have wreaked havoc on the playoffs this decade especially in a short best-of-5 divisional series format. Could either Tampa Bay or Boston in the AL and anyone from the New York/Philadelphia/Milwaukee/Houston logjam emerge as the final entry and find its way into late October hardball? I say yes.

5. The Dodgers. With the star power of Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez the team has been hot since August and looks destined for the divisional round. Can they make it out? Does Torre really deserve the credit if they win 84 games and get bounced in the first round? Should be a very interesting offseason no matter how they finish for Ned Coletti, Frank McCourt and the blue crew.

4. The races. Will the Mets collapse again? What will the Mets look like next spring if they do? Can the Rays hold off the Red Sox? Does the NL West winner get more than 85 wins? Can the Twins make it back to the playoffs? Who gets the best record in the AL and secures that home field?

3. The hardware. Who will take home the awards from the regular season? Ryan Howard has hit 45 home runs for the 3rd year in a row and despite his paltry .250 average and 200 strikeouts his impact has been remarkable over the last 6 weeks. If the Indians finish around .500 doesnt Cliff Lee deserve MVP consideration? If A-Rod can win it for the last place Rangers then what about Lee? Cleveland loses 100 games without him.

2. The NL Central. The Brewers fired their manager and the Astros have been in a post-Ike tailspin. The Brew-Crew hasn't been to the playoffs in my lifetime and the Astros were on fire until a hurricane tore up Houston and their home series against the Cubs. There are much more important things than baseball but it looks as though the storm is taking its toll on the team as well.

1. The Cubbies. It's been a century since the North-siders captured baseball's biggest crown by beating Ty Cobb and the Tigers in the 1908 fall classic. The "lovable losers" are in ownership flux but have been one of the game's biggest spenders the last few offseasons and are knocking on the doorstep. The scene in Chicago following a Cubs championship could make a European soccer celebration look tame by comparison.

Going Back

2008-09-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

"Get up baby! Get up!"

....

It did get up. Up and out of Busch Stadium and into the record books.

Ten years ago Mark McGwire smashed Roger Maris' home run total of 61 with a low rising liner that could have been shot out of one of those t-shirt guns.

....

It was a hectic summer. In a flash I left my entire childhood behind. Thrown into boxes while I was away at summer camp, when I did return I came home to a house I barely recognized and a life that would never be the same.

It took two weeks to drive to St. Louis. On the way we stopped in Utah and Oklahoma City. Arriving in St. Louis was like running into a wall. Not only was this place a far cry from the crowded bustle of Northern California but the August humidity was nothing short of suffocating.

Big Mac changed all of that. Major League Baseball was still pulling itself out of the shambles of the 1994 strike-shortened season that cost the game and its fans the annual Fall Classic.

Once McGwire and Sammy Sosa started lacing baseballs into bleachers all over the National League the whole sports world stood up and noticed.

As a lifelong baseball aficionado, despite my tender age of 11, this was the perfect storm and St. Louis was the eye. At one point in August with McGwire's assault on the record book a near formality my dad and I carefully mapped out the date in which number 62 would find the Busch Stadium cheap seats.

Going to games in the interim was just surreal. The energy in the ballpark, the buzz that began to rise as soon as McGwire ascended the dugout steps, was unlike any sound I have ever witnessed. The anticipation, the eagerness to explode with the crack of the bat could not possibly be measured.

Then there was the flashbulbs. If Hollywood made a movie about this event there are no manner of special effects that could possibly emulate the feeling that every person in the stadium must be holding four cameras at once and clicking them in mass confusion.

....

We missed the record breaker by a week. Sitting down the left field line on the night of September 15th we watched number 63 clear the fence and cascade into a sea of outstrectched arms that seemed to resemble a rock concert.

I will never forget the flight of that ball from my perch in left as it bounced into the crowd and after much jubilation a collective sigh was felt the whole metro-area over. The drought was done.

McGwire had been pressing. He had gone a week without homering and Sosa showed no signs of letting up. The magic snowballed from there with McGwire pounding 70 total moonshots and Sosa a remarkable 66.

Baseball was back. It seems almost sacrilegious now to consider all the allegations around that era. We were duped. But that can never change how it made you feel.

Every homer that year seemed to be hit further than the next. Like two guys repeatedly trading baskets, neither Sosa or McGwire wanted to be outdone by the other and even McGwire who had been standoffish at best for much of his career embraced the spotlight, celebrated with Sosa and genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself.

....

Baseball needed saving. We knew that and so did Selig. We will never know how much ignorance and naivety played a role compared to simply turning a blind eye but America needs baseball and we got it back with all the passion, glory and enjoyment the game has brought for more than a century.

I have never thought baseball could top the summer of 1941. On the brink of the greatest world conflict mankind has ever known Joltin' Joe Dimaggio hit in 56 straight games and Ted Williams became the last man to hit over .400 when he finished this season with a .406 clip.

1961 brought us the Mantle/Maris assault on Ruth's record. Hallowed and historic, the drama ended with a new home run king and the asterisk that accompanied the new benchmark of 61. Roger Maris overcame remarkable odds to beat out his Yankee teammate and the ghost of the Bambino.

Yet those two tremendous summers were far ahead of my time. As a bystander to that history only in a book I had a front row seat to the events of 1998.

Tainted as they may seem to some now, with the innocence of an 11-year old they were as magical then as they are still, ingrained in my memory for a lifetime.

Somewhere between those white lines and the smell of spring grass everything just makes sense and that summer brought that spirit back for generations to come.

The case for CC

2008-09-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

School has started as September has descended upon us.

This can only mean one thing.

The baseball races are heating up.

Teams are battling for a playoff spot, with most of the usual suspects still in contention.
(At least if you swapped the Rays with the Yankees.)

It's also a great time to start thinking about the individual awards.

Of course these things are usually won or lost in the last month as a great September can spell doom or catapult a relative unknown into the thick of the race but its still fun to consider the contenders with four weeks to go.

The MVP is the award that hinges most on a playoff appearance. Player of the year is never too difficult to figure out but the most valuable player is a whole different animal.

With that in mind lets focus on the Cy Young. In the American League the debate is just about closed. Pitching in the minors at this time last season Cleveland's Cliff Lee is going to run away with this award barring a disastrous September. A 20-2 record and a league leading 2.32 era will do that for you.

His 20 wins represent a staggering 30 percent of Cleveland's total of 67 and he is having one of the most dominant seasons of recent memory that evoke recollections of Clemens, Carlton, Gibson and Koufax.

Roy Halladay and Francisco Rodriguez deserve some consideration after Lee but even 12 complete games or 65 saves for those two respectively will not be enough to unseat the tremendous turnaround of Lee.

The National League race is full of intrigue. Much like the American League there are three main candidates. The first is Arizona's Brandon Webb.

Webb could have been the first big leaguer to reach the 20-win plateau in 2008 but scuffled mightily in his last two outings. His 19 wins are still three more than anyone else and armed with his trademark sinker already has the hardware to prove his mettle on a mantle somewhere.

The Giants Tim Lincecum has been spectacular in his first full major league campaign. His 2.60 era is the lowest on the senior circuit and his 216 strikeouts are the most of anyone in baseball. He has been about the only bright spot for a dismal San Francisco team but his win total, 15, is not yet Cy Young worthy territory.

The most unique candidate for any baseball award this season is the case for recently acquired Brewers big man CC Sabathia. In 11 starts since being traded from Cleveland mid-season CC has been practically unhittable.

The Brewers, in the middle of a pennant race have won 10 of those games as Sabathia has compiled a perfect 9-0 mark. His downright stingy 1.43 era is only dwarfed by his 6 complete games, which are two more than any other NL starter has amassed over the whole season.

If CC continues to dominate, like 13-0 or 12-1 with 8 complete games and a 1.50 era, coupled with a playoff berth for the once moribund Milwaukee franchise he will have to be seriously considered for the NL Cy Young as the catalyst for their success.

Pro football in LA

2008-08-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Football season is almost here.

With it brings a question that hangs over the Southland like the marine layer or afternoon smog.

Why doesn't Los Angeles have a pro football team? If you ask me, they already do.

There is just one major difference. They play on Saturdays.

I give you the Southern California Trojans. Consider the following factors.

They play their home games in a stadium that used to house the local NFL franchise. Famous for hosting the Olympics twice, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum has also hosted the Super Bowl and World Series. Not your run-of-the-mill college football venue, it also holds the record for the largest crowd to ever watch an NFL game.

Their coach, Pete Carroll, came to the Trojans from the NFL's New England Patriots. He brought notoriety and fanfare back to a floundering program and, more impressively, a ton of success. He has built a powerhouse and recruiting to the sunshine and palm trees of Southern California can't hurt.

They frequently send players to the NFL Draft, including three Heisman trophy winners in four years between 2002-05 and could probably play with a handful of the NFL's worst teams.

They play in the second biggest market in the country and are covered accordingly. Like Fernando Mania, Gretzky fever, the Showtime Lakers and the arrival of David Beckham, the USC Trojans are football in L.A. despite what UCLA or Rick Neuheisel may say.

The players are treated like stars. From the press to the paparazzi, these guys are the toast of the town. They own Hollywood in the fall before the Lakers or Bruins really get going and after the Dodgers have faded again. They are celebrities in their own right, think Nick Lachey sleeping on the floor of Matt Leinart's dorm room.

They have guys that are professionals. If you count the perks heaped upon some of the players by agents-to-be and university boosters, from the well-publicized, like Reggie Bush, and more commonly unpublicized, these guys get the royal treatment.

Lastly, there are the demographics to consider. So many of Southern California's residents are not locally born. In other words, a trip to the corner tavern on a Sunday afternoon in the fall yields a collage of colors made up of jerseys from around the country. From the classic black and yellow Steelers gear to the silver and black of the Raiders, there is no lack of NFL support around.

In other words, the NFL doesn't need a team in Los Angeles to keep its product relevant here.

On Sunday, many locals root for the San Diego Chargers or even for the individual players that comprise their fantasy football teams.

Yet on crisp, fall Saturday afternoons, the red and gold Trojan horse lines chests and flies on flags waiving brazenly from Newport Beach to Ojai, sweeping the whole region in a football frenzy.

While the NFL logo departed with the Raiders and the Rams, the Trojans have brought back the professional pigskin to the hearts and minds of Southern California.