Rusty Nail.

#WeAreLB #LBCC #VGOH #CollegeFB #GetUp4GameDay #JUCO

Renegades of #VGOH.

With the win, LBCC finishes 9-2, SCFA National Central Division Co-Champions and winners of the Western State Bowl. A good, strong season that could have been marred by letting the occasion get to them. Too many penalties. A porous pass defense. A kickoff team that could not cover a kick return if their lives depended on it. And a near-replication of their efforts against Saddleback in letting the game get away. The players have to be like this year's East Mississippi CC team in being professional and sportsmanlike in their approach to games. Manage a lead, finish strong, no matter who is on the other side of the hashes. This could have been a heartbreaker, but the fans got what they paid for, including myself.

OTOH, it is a shame that Bakersfield's players chose not to shake hands and trudge out of the field. On these grounds alone I do hope LBCC make it a habit of beating Bakersfield the same way Saddleback is virtually invincible against us. The Gades will head into 2017 on a three-game losing streak and a November of futility and discontent. One has to wonder that given how far Bakersfield has dropped since 2012 if Jeff Chudy is also on his way out too. If I am among the boosters at Bakersfield, I would be of the opinion that the Renegades need a new coach and staff. Just like the song in my video response, "Planet Earth kept going through changes." Bakersfield could use a change to the direction of their football program right about now. For this team, it is certainly a down year.

#VGOH #LBCC #CollegeFB #GetUp4GameDay #JUCO

Show Me Love.

So, I decided this Wednesday to watch Long Beach City College's women's volleyball team in action against El Camino College. Here's the verdict. As the old saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. Translate that to LBCC Women's Volleyball, this team did not win a conference title overnight in spite of a massive turnaround under Misty May-Treanor. All of the lossses that this team had were in five against teams ranked sixth (Cypress), seventh (Mira Costa) and eighth (El Camino) in the state. No other losses were incurred. 13 of the 18 victories by LBCC were sweeps. (18 as of this post. Worse the team can finish is 18-5.)



This is unheard of. In the past, LBCC women's volleyball was absolutely horrible to watch. We simply were not a competitive team. With a changing of the guard at El Camino next year, and with the Lady Vikings on the rise, LBCC are doing better than Long Beach State. Both teams are on pace to finish second in their respective conference, but LBCC's record (18-4) is slightly better than LBSU's (17-10) wins wise, but when you take into consideration the improvement in talent, LBCC is starting to turn the tables.



The question will have to be asked: how long will Misty May-Treanor coach the women's volleyball and beach volleyball teams? With Brian Gimmillaro soon to step down in a few years, it may not be long before we have an immediately successor. A similar case regarding Mauricio Ingrassia saw Long Beach State women's soccer win conference tournament titles and participate in national tournaments on a frequent basis. I think if LBCC win state, LBSU has to take a look at this.



Of course, there is the possibility that Misty decides to have a longevity similar to a living legend in Le Valley Pattison. But with May being a legend at the Beach, you have to wonder if LBCC are able to pull off a miracle and keep Misty May-Treanor on the books at #VGOH for at least a decade or so. In any case, this result is expected for now. But the signs are present: LBCC Women's Volleyball is finally on the rise.



That being said, this effort against ElCo is similar to the football team's efforts against Saddleback this season: the inability to manage games against proud opposition that don't know how to lose very often. Misty will need to start recruiting high school talent in the area and also in ElCo's territory while pitching the benefits of an A.A. or A.S. degree (and the benefits are real, just so you know) so that this resurging team can stop the likes of Mira Costa, Cypress and especially El Camino on a consistent basis and finally be on par with the men. I am very confident that unless LBCC does the unthinkable and wins State this year, Misty's going to be in your company for a long time so enjoy it, Vikings fans. Who knows...she might even be in the Hall of Champions years from now!?



El Camino won 27-29, 19-25, 25-18, 25-13, 15-10. Fortunately, the football team is getting El Camino's number now and their victory offset's the Lady Vikings not getting it done yet on their end.

These Aren't The Renegades Of Funk You're Facing, Long Beach...

There are times, where, I do admit, I am a bit too harsh on the athletic teams of my junior college alma mater, Long Beach City College. I generally don't admit these things until a long time after the fact. For a number of years, I did not bother going to their athletic events. Years ago, Nov. 6, 2010, to be exact, I was watching a game between LBCC's football team against the Panthers of Chaffey College at Veterans' Memorial Stadium, and in those days, Mike Reisbig (who I considered at the time to be a talentless hack milking off the legacy of his more successful brother Larry and who drove the program into the ground) was the head coach. I was verbally ripping apart the team for not defending the pass, for not generating enough offense to make up for the inept defending, and for simply not playing the game properly. I ended up getting ejected by security and even the police had to intervene.

Derek Oriee is a longtime employee of the college and is an alumnus of one of a number of men's social service clubs at the college, the Order of Tong International. At the college, I was an active member of Tong, Thane, Alpha Gamma Sigma - Kappa Chapter (an honor society), and the Associated Student Body Cabinet as their administrative assistant. After I was tossed, Derek was gracious enough to drive me all the way home because he didn't want the situation to escalate further. Recalling this event as I type this still drives me to tears because one thing I despise is teams I watched stealing my hard-earned money without giving me a victory.

That was six years ago. Viking football under Mike Reisbig, especially in 2012 was a disgrace. We did not have the players, the talent, the pipelines, and so on and so forth. We were losing games to Cerritos College on a routine basis. We were bad. We sucked. When I found out that Reisbig was let go in 2012 (he got a reprive for making a bowl game the following year, a bowl game we didn't deserve), I considered that to be one of the biggest victories in program history. You see, whenever a team just doesn't know how to play the game properly or even coach the game properly, when a team stains the good name of its college and its city, the athletic department can rebound by getting rid of the coach and its staff.

At a program as successful as Long Beach City, we have expectations. I'm being extremely straight-up with you. I don't earn six figures at my work so if I spend money on a team sporting event, the expectation is that my investment pays off with a win to the team I support. As a result of the Vikings not getting their act together, I stayed away until things changed.

So this guy by the name of Brett Peabody comes in.  Suddenly, the only real opponent that continues to have our number on a constant basis is Saddleback. The Gauchos are going to always be good. Nothing anyone out here can do about that, Mark McElroy will always get his players, that's out of our control. What we can control, on the other hand, is turning the tide on Cerritos. Last year, we finally got our act together against these Falcons and got back the Crosstown Cup, which my Tong brothers made.

Now, the Vikings's loss to Saddleback was avoidable. Not being able to manage games hurts, especially with all of college football catching up to Oregon's spread attack and uptempo style. Carries over to the junior college level. Again, the Vikings failed to manage the game late, and the Gauchos's long streak agains the Vikings continued. The one that really hurt was against Mt. San Antonio, or Mt. SAC. 34-3. That effort was reminiscent of the last time I watched these guys against Chaffey years ago. Even though the Vikings won the next four games, their overall record was inferior to Riverside, whose only loss, ironically, came against Long Beach.

So now, Long Beach is back in a bowl game, but not in the playoffs. They will be hosting the Western State Bowl this Saturday and I am planning to be there to do some filming. I had watched Avalon, they won. I had watched St. Anthony, they won. I had watched Azusa Pacific, they won too. I am so far 3-for-3 this year.

That said, this game between Long Beach and the Renegades of Bakersfield College is going to be the last football game I see live unless Woodrow Wilson Classical High School advances on Friday and hosts a CIF Southern Section Division Semifinal. Wilson are on the road against Saugus High. Logic suggests that, based on their performance against Pomona, it's straightforward. Even if St. Anthony beats Dos Pueblos of Goleta, I don't believe in seeing a team I already made a Quik film out of. Also, this is the last game of the season for both teams.

Bakersfield are 6-4 and are on a two-game losing streak. They were demolished by Riverside on the road 45-7, lost a 30-27 overtime heartbreaker away to Moorpark, were blown out of the water by Ventura 49-21 and ended the regular season with a 14-10 defeat at home to Canyons, who the Vikings demolished at home, 41-14. Long Beach defeated Moorpark 43-29 and also this year, I mentioned Chaffey and this year, LBCC routed them, 48-14. On the grounds of this hotstreak, I am compelled to see this team again.

In the past, when I started doing sportswriting, I started out covering junior college football. It was after the site I work for went defunct that I switched to writing about soccer, which I continue to do so today. The main reason why I chose to watch Long Beach City College this weekend instead of St. Anthony is because of watching, in its entirety, Last Chance U. Now if you don't know what that is, it's the story of East Mississippi Community College, which was transformed under Buddy Stephens as a refuge for disgraced NCAA Division I FBS players who got into trouble at their four-year school and ended up playing in Scooba, Miss. to get out of Scooba, Miss. and get back in the major college grind. The series is on Netflix but you can get it for free on Ten Yard Tracker (just make sure to seed after you're done).

Seeing the stories of these disgraced athletes who lost their way and needed salvation in terms of their future and finally being successful despite adversity did a few things to me. 1. EMCC is now my sentimental favorite in terms of quality and newfound notoriety thanks to Netflix's reach. 2. Last Chance U got me to rethink and reassess my attitude towards the quality of football at my own junior college, LBCC. LBCC has won five national championships, a mark that will most likely stay untouched due to the league we play in and the fact that we are not under the NJCAA auspices. EMCC has three and they have all been in this decade alone. If the pollsters are nice, they will have a shot at No. 4.

But back to point No. 2. I have to actually applaud the players on this Long Beach team. Our quality is back, our swagger is back, our form is back. Under Peabody, the Vikings were 4-6 in 2013, 9-2 in 2014, 10-2 in 2015 and 8-2 this season. If you count the numbers right, that is 31-10, going on 32-10. Three straight winning seasons.

And that leads us back to poor Mike Reisbig. On the list of coaches, Mike is listed as an assistant coach on the offensive line...and the academics coordinator. Basically he is doing the same job Brittany Wagner is doing at EMCC. Cue the redemption card. And the lesson to be learned is this: if I can't hack it as a head coach but still possess valuable knowledge about the local high school landscape and drawing the area talent here— in this case, bringing the ones not making the grade but can still play to LBCC—sometimes I am miles better off serving as an assistant. (No, I am not referring to Les Miles, seriously. He's bad. He sucks.)

With a 31-10 mark under Brett, yeah, if I'm Mike, I settle into this role permanently cause life is good if you support Viking football and I don't want to rock the boat. (Boat, not Vote. As a voter who has jumped ship to the Libertarians following Election Day, I am gleefully looking forward to Donald Trump ass-slapping the cruel mistress that is American politics. Getcha popcorn hour ready.) Hotter than hell, sweeter than sex, we are the Beach, send us the check, cha-ching, cha-ching.

So, I am looking forward to what should be a 9-2 season and a 32-10 mark for Brett Peabody heading into next year. The last time we faced Bakersfield was back in 2015 and...it was at home. They were routed, 38 to 7. This is the first meeting for both teams in exactly 14 months. I probably will do what I did the last time and simply film warmups, snaps, crowd shots, maybe my trip to the campus... I mean, this game isn't even nationally televised, and it's only campus TV showing this and this game might be archived on YouTube and that's it. So I cannot imagine the police bothering me. I won't say anything; I'll just film, take photos, same approach as the other games.

But I wouldn't go past these guys stuffing up against Bakersfield. It's happened before. A long time ago. Back when this team was bad. The last time the Renegades beat the Vikings was in 2004 and the year prior was the last time Bakersfield won in Long Beach. Since then, we have returned the favor under Peabody, winning at Bakersfield 31-19 in 2014 and routing them last year at home. The last thing I need...is these rubes stealing my money like they did six years ago. I never forgive, I never forget, so now I'll head back without any regrets.

To close this entry, somehow, Bakersfield College comes to mind...when I play this song. Sports.

On Spring Sing 2010, tortellini and red wine

DSCN1932, originally uploaded by bedlamonbalticavenue.

I decided on Friday that I was going to head down to Long Beach City College's Liberal Arts Campus for Spring Sing 2010. And the catch was this: no need for me to go ahead and use the bus to get there. I decided I will use both feet to get over there.




Not a difficult set of streets to get there: Santa Fe, Willow, Clark. I crossed a bridge, climbed a hill, descended down a freeway overpass, and walked on stilts on my way to the venue. I did make one stopover to Name Your Game to repair my red Tong sweater. All right, it was two if you count rehydration at Subway in Signal Hill.




Normally, I do not walking this long of a path because I am not used to it. But when I had my first physical in a long-ass time, and I saw my results, I thought, "Oh my fucking god, I need to get out and drop some pounds or something!" Now I am eating footlong Veggie Delights washed down with light lemonade and green tea, with a bag of Baked Lays on the side. Totally unlike me.




You know something? Curse whoever came up with the faggotry of a disorder called prediabetes. It's an American epidemic that should never have been conceived or named. Because of that word, I am officially scared as F.U.C.K. (without the "my" in "Amy"). So out of fear, I'm walking long distances now. The hope is that this doesn't become few and far between due to the work load I need to do these next few weeks.




But back to the Spring Sing. So this was my first time at the event since "Olevision '05." I came up with that name, by the way, for all of you wondering. And the logo for that was a blatant spoof of the ABC ident. This year, it was "Poetry In Motion." Cheesy theme, but if that's what they came up with, then, well...that's what we'll have to settle for. It's quite better than "Another Waste Of Time." Or "Another Waste of Your Hard-Earned Financial Aid." Or "We Need Scholarships, we're Fucking Desperate, and we have a College Promise to Fucking Uphold!"




That's what Spring Sing was all about. All the proceeds from the variety show and the art fair and concessions went to upholding the scholarships promised by the College.




Little more background on this: the Men of Aztlan were the defending champions, but they were going to face some tough competition this year. When I was a student, the likes of Junior Exchange hogged up all the Sweepstakes trophies. I still regret having to see the 2003 side win Sweepstakes, while my team from the Order of Tong International settled for Men's Division.




Thankfully, those fuckers are inactive. I hope they stay that way. However, we did redeem ourselves a few years later (and this was after I graduated) with a rendition of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."




But before I went over to the Auditorium for the performance, I took some shots of the backgrounds that would be used. As a matter of fact, if you take a look at my flickr profile (bedlamonbalticavenue) you shall see an extensive gallery of all the action, and bonus coverage.




After some background shots, I went over and looked for the Foundation building. I knew that the place had moved, but to where? I meant to find out.




On the way to the Foundation building, I passed by good old Building E, the College Center. I asked one of the attendants, and she said "Either Building T or O." Before I left, I saw a few of performers from my club. And these were some new, energetic faces.




Putting on my hat, I smiled and left. Suddenly, they found out that I was a Tong alum, but they weren't sure. So they went to find me.




I introduced myself to the current members. "Jo-Ryan Salazar, class of 2005, Tong Pledge 151. So, you guys are getting ready for Spring Sing huh?"

They nodded. "We're just waiting for the wolf costume to come in," one of them said. This year, it was about the Three Little Pigs.

"All right. Now, I want you to keep this in mind. Aztlan are the defending champions. You got no pressure. NO PRESSURE. Leave everything out on the floor, and let the chips fall where they may. Even if you don't win anything, the important thing to take is that you performed with no pressure on you. All the weight is on them. Got it?"

"Thanks, Jo-Ryan!" they all said.

"Good luck!" And so I saw them off. Tong would go on to win the Men's Division at the end of the night. That's what happens when they listen to an alum that's been there and won that. It's an "I Told You So" moment.




The new South Quad Building, also known as Building T, is home to a number of administrative offices. Whether or not it was home to the foundation remained to be seen.




So I asked one of the attendants, "Where's the Foundation building?"

"Building O, on Conant," she said. At that point, my heart sunk.

"You're kidding me."

"I don't know if it will be a walk you can handle..."

"No problem. I'll be fine." And I dragged myself down Clark as if I was walking on stilts.




"Oh god, why? Why do I have to walk a little bit longer for my dinner!?" I screamed to the heavens with a sniffle. "Is this was you planned for me, sir? If so, then let me collapse on these stones!" Okay, maybe I didn't say it that way, but I was quite bummed that I had to walk a little bit longer to Building O, located next to Rosie the Riveter Park, Veterans Stadium's parking lot and the Central Plant.




"Is this where the dinner is?" I asked one of the caterers, bringing in a pot of tortellini.

"You're in the right spot," she said.

"Hallelujah! I am still alive, and I am in Building O!" I was exuberant, but starved. It was a simple dinner on tap: tortellini, salad and bread, with light beverages, Heineken and wine.




"Hello, I am here for the..." I couldn't finish what I was saying because I was slumping on the side of the wall of the second floor.

"Oh my goodness," said Nancy yoho of the LBCC Alumni Association. "How did you get here?"

"I walked all the way from my house without public transportation to here."

"Oh my gosh."

"And this was a day after I walked all the way to my house without public transportation to Long Beach State."

"Oh dear God. well, just sit tight and rest for a bit; dinner will be ready in a bit." For a few fleeting moments, I wondered if I really overdid it.




In between helpings of pasta, salad and sourdough slabs washed down with sips of Cabernet Sauvignon, I took stock at some photos of Spring Sing teams past. And I even took shots of previous editions of the Saga yearbook, which used to be published by the College years back. In the heyday of the college, clubs like Mahabharate, Ramayana, Hammurabi and the Order of Tyr were in existence. Thor also was a club that saw its heyday during those times and only recently made a comeback.




I would love to see all those clubs return: Car Amies, Entre Nous, Amigos...heck, I would love to see those louts from JX return as well, as much as I still despise each and every one of their asses. Every one of those clubs combined with those existing now...hoo hoo, we're talking one of the biggest student life conglomerates one will see at a JC!




I realized that I had to pay by cash for my beverages. I told my old friend Dr. virginia Baxter, "I already made a $5.00 donation to you guys, so now I can get some water and wine."

"How were you able to do that?" she asked.

I pointed to the computer behind me.

"You little devil!"




With my batteries recharged and my resolve renewed, it was back to the auditorium. I met some old fellas from my days gone by at the College: Mitchell and Jorge Cardenas, Mike Arango and my big brother from Tong, Hector Garcia. They were stunned when I told them how I got there, but I explained why. At the same time, they were quite pleased that I finished one of my two master's degrees. I told them, "Pass it on."




It was nice to see the ASB Representative of Arts and the Associated Student Body Cabinet (so they returned to that name, huh?) take part in the show.




The first act, an interpretation of Madeleine by the Ladies of Athena, was unimpressive. They all looked chubby. When I was a student, Athena's girls were lean and hot. Not anymore. Times have changed. Next.




The Goddesses of Venus chose to do "I Rise" by Maya Angelou. I don't think the narrator was compellinmg enough. It was clear from where I was sitting (and, mind you, this was WAAYYYY in the back) that she was reading the lines from a paper. Athena and Venus...out. Next.




The Creative Arts department at LBCC put on a solid rendition of "Stomp Your Feet." Obviously they were not going to be judged because it would be unfair. These were some true performers singing and dancing. wonderful stuff. A little Aaron Copeland.




The American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA), who would win the Co-Ed Division, delivered a rousing rendition of the Battle of the Sexes. Some nice dance moves from the sistahs and real rapping by the mistahs kept things in order. Beautiful stuff.




At last, one of the real heavy hitters of the show arrived. I have a slight affinity for the Lovely Ladies of AKNA. I had some friends who were members. Or course, though, I have respect for TNT. They are the oldest continuously-operating women's social service club (the female version of Tong, in a way). AKNA did a great rendition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Not only did they have solid choreography, but they had a great balance of acting, and even added a slow-motion celebratory sequence, which segued into the club's strongest value: sisterhood.




It was proper, it was done right, and it was fun to watch.




I do feel that the Men of Thor were shortchanged at this event. They put on a tribute to the Beatles, with complete instruments, outfits and wigs to go with their choreography. The problem here was the instruments proved to be, in my view, against the spirit of a Sweepstakes-winning Spring Sing performance. But Thor should have earned more love from the judges. They really got shafted here.




The Pacific Islanders Club did some nice haka and hula dancing to go with some contemporary island grooves. The audience was feeling the love, hooting and hollering. I joined in just for the heck of it.




I met my old ASB Cabinet friend, Shirley, at the show. She did a nice rendition of "Piggy Sue," a little tale of a farmer and her little swine friend on the farm. Also, Kenji Miyazawa of the International Club serenaded the audiences with a Japanese love song while a DJ from KLBC paid tribute to Patsy Cline with "Crazy."




TNT's take on "Alice In Wonderland" was great to see. But while the dancing was there, I don't think the acting was. And some of the choreography was off. It was not balanced enough to be Sweepstakes-worthy. Nonetheless, they did well enough to win the Women's Division, as well as win the award for most tickets sold.




I liked the Three Little Pigs skit. I don't know if it was the fact that Derek Oriee directed the whole show, or if my advice to themn actually worked. One of the members of that cast actually ended up winning the Drama King Award. Simply put, it exceeded my expectations.




AZtlan's version was "The Cat In the Hat." Actually, it was a tribute to Dr. Seuss. Now, I have my guesses as to why they didn't defend their title, even though I felt they put on a good show.

1. This was done in another form last year by TNT.

2. The judges wanted someone else to take the honors.

3. Possible outside influence from other clubs, and the fact that the spirit heard in the other organizations may have contributed. (I was cheering for my guys, but whether or not that played a factor I will neither confirm nor deny).




And the final act was a poem talking about the issues concerning students at LBCC, and it was a call to action. It put everything in full circle while adhering to the theme.




I had to sacrifice watching Long Beach State edge UC Riverside at the Myd, but I'm glad I returned to something that I myself was a part of. I played the role of the reporter during Tong's Spiderman skit in '03. Amazing how everything just comes full circle.




Maybe I need to make walking all the way up to the college without using the bus every first Friday of March a habit after all.

Quick hits, November 22

Why is it that people are infuriated when I am yawning? One of the people in my class told me, as I was yawning to stretch during break said, "You have to shut up already." I said, "I'm just yawning, what's your fucking problem?" I was ready to counter any first punch coming my way. He chickened out, and I told him after class, "You need to calm the fuck down. Seriously. Making a mountain out a molehill will not warrant any sympathy from me."

And then this Hispanic undergrad comed over, as I was looking at the USA Women's U-20 team beat Argentina 3-0, and I got into a little confrontation with him. I waited for the bloody idiot to throw the first punch. I referred the guy to security to have him settle the situation. I am not afraid of my life being taken away-as a student, I want to make my skin as thick as possible, but at the same time, threatening students by force is not going to help you, even if you are taking a test. This guy should have just said, "If you don't quiet down, I'll have to refer you to the Dean." I have a counter-offer: I refer you to security, and have him report this threat of violence to the Dean. That will make it easier for both of us. Take it or leave it.

===

A mixed bag of wins and losses awaited the teams I followed today. Aside from the U-20 women heading to the playoff stages in Chile while the men prepare for a date with their old friends from Mexico, the Lakewood High School Lancer varsity football team broke a four-year hoodoo of not winning a postseason game with a 35-34 win over the Servite Friars last night in double overtime. Whoever snags Dion Bailey has all the makings of a star on their roster. When it comes down to it, batting balls like that will really make you look good. This defensive back has seven picks this year, and should be All-Moore League first team on defense. He earned his stripes last night.

The Harvard Crimson finished 9-1 with a 10-0 win over the Yale Bulldogs at the Harvard Stadium earlier today. They share the trophy with the Brown Bears, who took the hapless Columbia Lions to the woodshed.

At least Tim Murphy knows who he has to outdo on the recruiting trail this offseason. If the Ivies wanted to be in the postseason, Harvard would be invited.

I was happy with Melbourne Victory, Aldershot Town and AFC Wimbledon getting back on the winning track with 2-1 (over Central Coast Mariners), 1-0 (over Chester), and 3-1 (over Worcester City - FA Trophy First Round Proper) victories, respectively. I was especially pleased that the Dons found a way to win on the road again. And Long Beach State's men's water polo team did something right for once: a 7-4 win over UC Irvine to wrap up the regular season. Where have those wins been, Gavin Arroya? Huh?

What I was dissatisfied with were the results from Cal Poly, FC United of Manchester and especially AFC Liverpool. The Mustangs' kicker Andrew Gardner couldn't make conversions out of a wet paper bag. He gave Wisconsin a 36-35 gift of a victory. Choker.  A 1-0 loss to Worksop Town could mean that the promotion run for FC United ends this season, while AFC Liverpool are reeling off three straight defeats (including Vodkat League One losses to Irlam and Padiham). Gracious.

Also, while Long Beach City College's men's water polo team could lift a finger to Grossmont (17-11 win for third place at Merced College), the women were unimpressive against rival Cerritos, 11-6. Average, if not below-average, outing for the Viking water polo sides, with the weight being on the women's letdown against the Falcons. Chelsea (0-0 draw with Newcastle) and Accrington (1-1 draw with Chesterfield) should have fared better, too.

On to seeing how the Rainmakers's crew did against Weber, as well as Hawaii taking on Idaho at the Aloha Stadium, then.

"Is that all you can do!? TWELVE pushups? That's it? Man, get the hell outta here!"

In lieu of risking getting caught in friendly fire between some Bloods and Crips (and others) in the lovefest (as well as a lack of itinerary), I eschewed the historic first meeting between Lakewood High and Verbum Dei High at Centennial High in Compton to watch the Long Beach City College football team take on West L.A. College at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Little did I know that I got more than I bargained for.

To be honest, I had to sit out watching Viking football games last season because I was disgusted with losing my press credentials (leading to the self-imposed shutdown of my blog covering them and the other teams in the now-defunct Mission Football Conference). I didn't attend a single game. The only game I even went to at any level was the Lancers taking on the Tesoro Titans, and I wasn't quite pleased with the 2nd half effort from them.

It was good thing I didn;'t come, because they had a crappy final season for Jerry Jaso, who stepped down. In his place was a man named Mike Reisbig, the brother of Larry Reisbig, the LBCC Men's Athletic Director. He was an assistant for 16 seasons. He now had his chance to prove himself. After paying $8.00 for admission and media guide ($6.00 + $2.00), I took my seat behind the 50-yard line. In the background, the Oilers were doing some pregame ritual that was comparable (or maybe not) to Long Beach Poly. I just thought, "They have the bark, but we got the bite. And we're gonna keep chomping till the clock reads 0:00."

The first half was all my guys as they climbed to a 21-0 halftime lead. The first touchdown I did 7, the second 14, and so on. All of the first-half push-ups were in the wheelchair-accessible section where I had lots of space to do it correctly.

Interestingly, it was in front of the West L.A. supporters. Buy the time I completed 21, some irresponsible African-American mother of an at-risk youth just waiting to pay the price for being affiliated with the wrong people tried to break my back. Luckily, she failed, and I shoved her off. Now, she's trying to be a CSC Event Staffer, but she didn't do a good job at it (first off, she isn't donning her Event Staff garb, and she would have been best not to be in my way. Some mother she grew up to be in. Puts my dealings with my mom in perspective, when I think about it. My mom's issues arean't as bad as this woman's issues.) As I shoved her off, I got into a scuffle, with the brat rabbit-punching me. He said, "You hit my mom!" I said, "She deserved it. If she wasn't on my back, I wouldn't have defended myself! And is that your best punch, you son-of-a-bitch? My dad can hit harder than you. Weak! Pathetic! You're wasting your time here! I don't fear you lot, and I never will, scum!" Truth.

After discussions regarding the altercation (and the lack of security thereof) with an old friend from the Long Beach Union Weekly (now a writer for the Long Beach Post), as well as another old friend, Dr. John Fylpaa, and cooler heads from the West L.A. parents, I proceeded to do more pushups in the 2nd half. In total, I did 147.

I was shaking my head at the West L.A. kids trying to do pushups the way I did them. Note that they didn't score until 3 quarters and four seconds into the game (and a personal foul by one of my guys made that touchdown a gift). When they tried to do 7, I was not pleased. When you do a pushup, your back, legs, and head have to be straight. You push your weight at an agle. You don't bend your body like an asymptote, and risk straining your back. I had to school these kids in how it should be done. When they hit 14, they did a little bit better, but they only did 7. When they reached 21, the best they could do individually was 12. I said to they guy who did 12, "That's it? You scored 21 points, not 12. Get back here and do nine more!" He didn't, I said, "I can see why you attend West L.A., and not LBCC. Here, such half-assing will not cut the mustard." During my Tong days, failing to finish my pushups was something I couldn't do. The quality was what I was looking for, but the quality wasn't. And when we got the last touchdown, a fumble recovery by David Sausau after Lawrence Alai punished Oiler QB Ryan Rosenvall, I did 42, and I yelled across the bleachers, "NOw THAT'S how you do a push-up, West LA! Quality and quantity! Let's see if you can impress me on your next score."

Sure enough, they had a consolation touchdown, and I said, "All right kids, 28 pushups. Go!"
None of them went down.
"I said GO!"
Still none of them went down.
Now I was a little peeved, "Oh come on. Not a single one of you bother to try to do even one push-up. Of 28. Now we all know why you attend West Los Angeles College, and not LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE! Because out here, even if we are losing, we'd still do those push-ups, as a morale boost at least. And all y'all gave up. Quitters. After this game is over, get the hell outta our stadium. For all your feistyness, you need to get in shape."


Only at Long Beach City College (and perhaps elsewhere) can you see an alum on the home side outdo youthful visitors on the visiting side in terms of push-ups. Personally, that's the first time it happened. I think I got some payback. And I was gonna applaud them for trying just one. I'm not even in shape, and I can still do 147.

Pep Band - Check.
Cheer Team - Check.
Better Football Team - Check.

I should thank my visiting team for having the old "Super Fan" side of me rear its down-and-dirty head again. I got fired up. Also I should thank Pechange for giving me some coffee. Man, I was starved to get my java. I need that. I really, really needed that.

One of the parents from West L.A. said, "You did well in standing your ground. Good job."
"Thanks, Lee." That was his name. "You know, I'll be honest. I didn't come here to fight anybody. I came here to watch a game, and do push-ups for every point we scored. That's it."

Nothing else.

===

Meanwhile, Verbum Dei was shut out by the Lancers, 34-0. It wasn't a good day for most of my teams, thought. LOng Beach State women's volleyball isn't cutting the mustard. While the defeated UC Davis today, they lost to Pacific in a sweep. Thw Angels are in danger of coming into the postseason on a losing note, effectively preventing me from coming to their rally on Monday. The Sparks also dropped a stinker to San Antonio on a buzzer-beater, while my Hawaii Warriors are clearly in a rebuilding phase, losing to San Jose State 20-17. AFc Wimbledon let a FA Cup win slip away against Bedford Town in the 89th minute, forcing a replay. And while AFC Liverpool defeated AFC Blackpool 6-3, it will take time for me to forgive them for failing in grandiose fashion to Waterloo Dock 6-1. The men's water polo team coached by Gavin Arroyo isn't doing themselves favors either, choking against Loyola Marymount in a rally failing short.

Man, what is it with rallies going awry in my neck of the Beach? In the words of Torri Hunter, "Ohhhh man!"

Cheers though to the Mauricio's bridesmaids defeating Arizona, the USD Toreros running down Drake, and even to Duke University making some wise decisions in miving the student section behind the home players, and changing their mascot to a slimmer, menacing and more photogenic character with marketing opportunities abound.

And yes, the Dodgers and Mets winning was good, because the drama can be saved for tomorrow.

===

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The combined length of all the labels must be at most 200 characters.

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Doesn't it suck to have limits like this? I think so.

It was mostly a good day...

Well, I should concur that this was a good day, for the most part. A few letdowns here and there, but nothing too bad. Here is a recap of my favorite teams' recent endeavors.

SOCCER AND HOOPS TEAMS CHOKED, BUT THE REST ARE ALL RIGHT: Not a good start for Bob Nash's Bows at the Stan Sheriff Center. When you can't even get the work done against San Diego and Illinois...well, it's not a good sign. And Pinzoom Tenzing of Lahore, India, learned something after the sccer team's loss to Colorado: get better players. And schedule the Beach next year.

However, the weekend wasn't a complete failure for Hawaii. The football team capped off a succesfull road campaign thanks to Dan "The Iceman" Kelly. If the game-winning field goal against the Nevada Wolf Pack to get the 28-26 win at Mackay Stadium doesn't warrant a WAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor at the minimum, the people who make the decisions didn't see the game. Meanwhile, down in Las Cruces, Dave Shoji's Rainbow Wahine cap off a successful WAC Tournament run, going the distance to whitewash New Mexico State, 28-30, 30-20, 24-30, 30-23, and 15-11.

AND JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY MORE WORSE FOR THE TOREROS, IT DOES: San Diego loses to UC Davis...again, 49-46. Way to close your season on the wrong note, you Alcala Park pricks!

THE WAIT ENDS FOR ONE, CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER: And the Rainmaker, Dan Monson, comes through. Long Beach State defeated Idaho State in men's basketball, 66-61, in overtime. And the College of Business Administration, with only three players, show that quantity is no match for quality, defending their Chick-Fil-A free shootout championship, scorching University College and Extension Services, 11-5. Meanwhile, the women continue their wait to break their hoodoo, after an uninspiring performance against LMU.

WATER POLO FUTILITY: Long Beach City College had a weekend from hell at the COA water polo championships in Fresno. The women will play for third place, after dropping a 12-10 decision to American River, while the men, simply...choked.

MELBOURNE, SAY IT AIN'T SO!: Oh Ernie, your days are getting numbered. Melbourne Victory lost to the Queensland Roar, 1-0. Ugh.

BUT AT LEAST THE ROOS ARE FIGHTING BACK: I still played a little Men at Work. Australia exacted revenge over Iraq after dropping their recent meeting at the Asian Cup, 2-0, while a friendly against Nigeria, gave the Soccceroos a 1-0 win.

MORE BASHING OF AFRICA: And the United States are getting themselves a nice win streak in friendlies. Put this in your Janjaweed, haters: Steve Cherundolo gave Bob Bradley's boys a 1-0 win over Bafana Bafana.

COMING DOWN THE ROAD: Forget Wellington Phoenix, the hottest football team in New Zealand is Auckland City. The boys from Kiwitea Street dismissed Otago United, 2-0, and continue their undefeated run in their league. New Zealand, in international competition, defeated Vanuatu, 2-1, and continue to put themselves in position to have a crack at Asia to qualify for South Africa 2010. Wish they faced off against Uruguay instead. Ah well. And Aldershot Town continued their pace to get to the Football League 2nd Division. Go the Shots... Hooah!

Notre Dame and Boston College, where is your God now? Ohohohohohohoooh...

And Nebraska too, I might add. And Arizona State. The Fighting Irish were leveled by Navy, 46-44, The Cornhuskers played their best game of the season, a 72-36 drubbing to Kansas. And Boston College's angels lost their wings, falling gracelessly to Florida State, 27-17. And the Sun Devils were ambushed by some Ducks from Eugene.

Meanwhile, my favorite teams were doing decently. My high school football team destroyed Wilson's homecoming, 41-0. My women's soccer team defeated Cal Poly 3-1 after playing some more uninspiring faggotry against those hated Zots. The men's water polo team actually got a win in a while against Pepperdine. The women's volleyball team disposed of Fullerton, Bakersfield, and Northridge in successive sweeps. And the men's ice hockey team took care of Arizona State's DII side in a 5-2 win on Friday. I have yet to see results from my rugby team, and the result today in ice hockey. Also, some more games are in order, with a soccer match against the Gauchos and a water polo matinee against Pomona-Pitzer.

And also, what the hell is with this message I'm seeing when I'm labeling my posts?

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Up it to 1,000, you oppressors running Blogger! 200 is for grade school blogging n00bs.

The Warrior football team was off this week. And I can't believe my eyes: Long Beach City actually had a victory today in football defeating those patsies from Golden West. Stuff-all.

LBCC: 80 years old

As I watch young freshmen and old undergrads pay for their courses across from me at the Valhalla, now a makeshift cashier’s office to pay for registration, I can’t help but be sentimental about 80 years at Long Beach City College. I had graduated from LBCC for a couple of years now, and I would like to use this blog to reflect on the history of the humble junior college at the corner of Carson Street and Clark Avenue.

From Wikipedia…

Founded in 1927, Long Beach City College was initially housed at Wilson Classical High School in southeast Long Beach. An earthquake in 1933 resulted in classes being held at Recreation Park until 1935, when the college moved into its Liberal Arts Campus in Lakewood Village at Carson Street and Clark Avenue.

During and after World War II, the college increased so rapidly that a new campus had to be established. This was realized in 1949 with the establishment of the Pacific Coast Campus, occupied on the former site of Hamilton Junior High School. As Long Beach City College grew in the 1970s, state law separated the college from the Long Beach Unified School District. In that decade and the 1980s, Proposition 13 signaled retrenchment for the college, with many popular classes and services folding.

Also during the 1980s, the arrival of refugees from Southeast Asia resulted in the need for extensive courses in the ESL program. This program became the largest at the college due to a later wave of amnesty applicants.

1987 saw the college acquire neighboring Veterans Memorial Stadium from the City of Long Beach. In recent years, the college has upgraded the stadium playing surface, its swimming pool facility, as well as established wireless internet and e-mail services in 2005.

Bond Measure E has seen the construction of a Child Development Center at the PCC, and construction for new buildings on both campuses are underway, including a new South Quad Complex Building on the former LAC golf mall, a new Industrial Technology Building at the PCC, and a new East Campus for the Culinary Arts Program.

Things have changed since then. Now the college is celebrating its 80^th anniversary. And I am typing this as the new guys finish paying for their classes.

Nothing has changed. Well, some.

On the Hall of Champions

In my days at Long Beach City College, I remember serving guests during a couple of dinners for the Hall of Champions. As a member of Thane and ASB Cabinet, I had the privilege of serving these guests. I had to be dressed in a suit and tie for this one, and I would serve these plates, pour some wine, and what not. It was the form of service your upscale fine dining establishments were made of.

Mind you, the floor was hardwood, and this was a gym that the guests were dining in. It was like a high-school gym in a way. But the reason the gymnasium, which was the home of Long Beach City’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, was called the Hall of Champions Gym was because there was a Hall of Champions, which celebrated the accomplishments of its many athletes who went on to bigger and brighter things in their respective sports, as well as in life.

As I was off duty, I would nibble at a dessert or two or and hors d’oeuvre (an acquired taste for some), before watching the event unfold. One time I was so tired and exhausted, and hungry, that they gave me some leftovers that the guests couldn’t stomach. Energized with a shot of water, I got back on my feet and watched the rest of the event, before feasting on some pizza afterwards.

So many great stars have been enshrined in the Hall of Champions. This year’s class is not different in terms of feathers in its caps. John Gonsalves was already enshrined in the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame, and had his jersey retired, and he was given a place in the Hall. Tom Clark, an accomplished cross-country and track star, is currently on the LBCC Board of Trustees. And Myisha Delaney helped the Vikings win their first state title in women’s soccer, and lead them to National Championship honors as a assistant under then-head coach Mauricio Ingrassia.

Looking back on my days at Long Beach City, I would do anything to experience it again. And to participate at the Hall of Champions dinner is something I will remember for the rest of my life.