Quick hits, February 4, 2010

Tonight I went to the SHORTSTOP 15th Anniversary Celebration at Gazzella Restaurant in Downtown Long Beach. The scene was great, and I had some pasta and Cabernet Sauvignon. What was also great was the testimonial by a graduate of the program. After his speech, which was about stealing a CD at a Best Buy, he got the CD that he wanted.

To be honest with you, if I was him, I would be familiar with torrents, and grabbed the album there instead. Why go to a store for music if the thing is available online for free. This is why the technology known as bittorent is considered (at least in my view) a godsend for those living on the cheap. But then again, it became a win-win situation. He learned about the system, passed the program, got his CD, and now is committed not to get in trouble with the law again. And the Long Beach Bar Foundation continues to roll. So I'm not one to say that it was a bad idea in the end.

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As a matter of fact, it was a VERY wise decision for me to be at the dinner. Long Beach State flat-out embarrassed themselves on national TV, the women's hoops team stunk even more, and the women's water polo team are playing like hopeless chunks of rotten cheese under Gavin Arroyo. Fucking embarrassing performance by the Beach. You should be ashamed of yourselves, all three of you.

A poor FDR imitation.

Yesterday, December 6, 2008, a date which will live somewhat in infamy, the Hawaii Warriors football team failed to secure a 24-10 lead to Cincinatti, squandering it late in the fourth quarter. A day before, the Lakewood High School (CA) Lancers football team fell into doing the same thing against Long Beach Poly after having a halftime lead.

I regret to inform you that any hopes for magic were lost when it mattered most. This deviant has nothing but commiserations for Lakewood not getting players that could run over Concord De La Salle, as well as stern remarks for Greg McMackin, head coach of the Warriors, for failing to keep his players focused during the final quarter of play.

I also regret to inform you that other teams from Long Beach State (men's basketball, women's volleyball) and Australia (Melbourne Victory) also failed to deliver.

This day will live somewhat in infamy, but it will also live in the memory of the others teams Bonga follows. USC blanked UCLA, 28-7, and a couple deviations were posted as a tribute. AFC Wimbledon went back to their winning ways over Team Bath, while the Chelsea Football Club followed suit. Finally, Manny Pacquiao defeated Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, thus keeping the day balanced.

Quick hits, November 30, 2008

And as November ends with one month to go in 2008, today has been a very interesting day. It wasn't a perfect day, due to Long Beach State men's water polo continuing their role as the Jobbers to the Stars and Cal Poly ending their season on a two-game losing streak as well as the likes of Auckland City and Melbourne Victory losing its winning touch, but it did have more highs than lows.

First off, the Lakewood Lancers are where they were during the days of Luther Brown. Mission Viejo was upset by the Noble Thanes of Thadd, 28-7, on a cool November evening at the John T. Ford Stadium grounds before a standing-room only congregation. I saw the score and thought, "If it's Poly we're facing, they might as well have divine right to win it all, those lucky Jackrabbits." They faced Esperanza tonight.

Grambling State shrugged off its two-year slump of fail against Southern, winning the Bayou Classic, 29-14. Kill Jackson State, Rod Broadway. Get it done and put yourself in a position to be tops in the Sheridan Poll by season's end. Get to it.

Hawaii is going bowling...again. a 24-10 revenge win over Washington State sends them to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In a season without Colt Brennan, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen and a whole lotta other stars from last year...this had to be a good season under first-year coach Greg McMackin. If he gets WAC Coach of the Year Honors, he should.

And Saturday had shootouts galore. Throw defense out the window, it's time for some Heisman and BCS-stat padding sessions, STAT! #1 ranked Alabama shuts out Auburn, 36-0. Florida and Tim Tebow are set to pull off a season of Archie Griffin proportions with a 45-15 scalping of Florida State. In the Civil War, USC's hopes to be at the Rose Bowl for two straight matches were improved by a 65-38 demolition of Oregon State. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma made his case to be in New York clear with a 61-41 steamroll of Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Bowl (the BoBA Master is pleased with this one). Boise State and Ball State ran over Fresno and Western Michigan, 61-10 and 45-22, respectively. Where they will be bowling remains to be seen. The Georgia Bulldogs got Ramblin' Wreck'd by Georgia Tech Between The Hedges, 45-42, while Charlie Weis could be shown the door after a 38-3 defeat to the Trojans as the cauldron lit through the Coliseum air. Colt McCoy and Texas made their intentions clear with a 49-9 crushing of Texas A&M.

In volleyball, the Long Beach State 49ers took out Colorado State in four games after dropping the first set, and now will find out where they will be heading off to (or whether they will stay home) for first and second round matches.

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.

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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.

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

Great day at The Beach and other tidbits

While my local pro teams were faltering, Fulham was spared relegation, and Chelsea finished second to Manchester United despite being even on points, I was savoring some good times for the baseball and softball teams.

I knew that if we had Brooke Turnere in the circle, we were going to take the series over Pacific. Sure enough, I was right. 5-0 and 1-0 decisions, to go with 17 shutouts in a season...not bad for Michelle's beloved imouto.

The baseball team took two out of three from UC Santa Barbara. I warned Brontosaurus (a.k.a. UCSB manager Bob Brontsema) that if he didn't shut his mouth in the 3rd inning, umpire Dennis Smythe was going to send him the way of the dinosaurs.

It really pays to listen. Poor Jake Thompson, his freshman campaign was definitely not anywhere to Brooke Turner's breakout year. Speaking of which, I wonder where the ladies will be assigned to. Hmmm...

I'm happy for Fulham. To not be relegated on the final day has to be exciting. In spite of Reading's annihilation of Derby County, a 1-0 win over Portsmouth (who will represent the FA PRemier League at the FA Cup in a few weeks, ironically) spared them the drop down. And Manchester United took home the crown and hardware with a win over Wigan Athletic.

I am getting the feeling that if Chelsea don't get their revenge on Manchester United down at the Luzhniki Stadium, it will be lehitraot, Avram Grant.

Some more great news from the Beach...

49ers Score High In The APR
APR Report Released On Tuesday By The NCAA



Rebecca Groff and 2007 49er graduate Jasmine Winfield.

May 8, 2008

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach State Department of Athletics scored extremely well this week as the NCAA released it's Academic Progress Rates (APR) data. Long Beach State did not have one team below the minimum standard score of 925. Each team's multi-year rate is used to determine it's APR score.

"We are extremely proud of our coaches and student-athletes," said 49er Director of Athletics Vic Cegles. "Our scores prove that we are doing things the right way. A huge thank you needs to go out to the staff of our Bickerstaff Academic Center for their tireless work. Our coaches understand the possible implications if their programs historically fall under the 925 score. I commend them for their attention to detail in regards to the APR. I also want to thank and congratulate our student-athletes, who are proving that it is important to compete in the classroom, as well as in the fields of competition."

The 49ers had four teams post perfect scores of 1,000 in the 2006-07 academic year. Men's cross country, men's volleyball, women's basketball and women's volleyball all attained perfect scores. All 18 sports were above the 925 minimum during the 2006-07 year. The penalties which were handed down to other schools on Tuesday are based on the team's multi-year rate (2003-04 to 2006-07), not their APR for the 2006-07 year.

The NCAA released their report on Tuesday listing numerous collegiate sports teams which would be hit with scholarship reductions and other sanctions because of their academic shortcomings. A total of 218 teams, spread among 123 NCAA Division I schools, were affected. Several schools had more than one sport which fell below the minimum standards, but more than a third of the 329 schools had at least one team penalized.

The NCAA compiles APRs for every one of the 6,272 men's and women's sports teams in Division I. The APR began being compiled during the 2003-04 academic year. This is the fourth year the APR has been at the forefront of collegiate athletics.

LONG BEACH STATE MULTI-YEAR APR SCORES (2003-04 to 2006-07) (Listed alphabetically by sport)
Baseball: 948
Men's Basketball: 935
Women's Basketball: 967
Men's Cross Country: 960
Women's Cross Country: 984
Men's Golf: 986
Women's Golf: 965
Women's Soccer: 964
Softball: 943
Women's Tennis: 974
Men's Indoor Track: 964
Women's Indoor Track: 973
Men's Outdoor Track: 958
Women's Outdoor Track: 971
Men's Volleyball: 988
Women's Volleyball: 984
Men's Water Polo: 939
Women's Water Polo: 966


EDIT: I just found out that the bastards down at Stamford Bridge choked, resigning to a paltry 1-1 draw with Bolton. Avrsm's job is REALLY is on the line now down in Moskva.

On the premise of four nervous cities, a festival of hits, and other happenings

This will be a long blog entry. One which I am stunned to post. Read below for all the details.

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My ass!

Today was the day of Kaleidoscope 2008. This is a tradition at Long Beach State. The very first time I went here was over a decade ago, when I was a seventh grader at Stephens Middle School, playing with the Pandrummonium Steel Drum Band/Ensemble. I was one of the original members of that band, by the way. But everything looked the same: banners flying, bands playing, the usual suspects setting up shop (USU Program Council, SLD, Associated Students, etc.). One booth that I stopped by was this booth for CRUNK, an energy drink pioneered by Atlanta's very own Lil' Jon. His son is an avid hockey player. (I won't go into much detail on the hockey-the Habs lost-but I may delve deeper on the original version [the FIELD version] next entry). I tried the sugar-free version. It was a run-of-the-mill, ice cold medicine-type of drink. I probably wouldn't want to buy something like that, although I was glad to investigate about the brew, which featured, among ingredients in its "proprietary" formula horny goat weed (YES, it does exist). Actually, I felt sorry for those guys in the booth. I'm not too much a fan of Lil JOn, but to market a drink that literally SUCKS has to be a humbling experience.

That was before I witnessed some history in the making. Brooke Turner, the younger sister of Michelle Turner, set a new record for strikeouts in a single season, sitting down 11, and relegating Meredith Cervenka's old record to second place, in a 2-1 victory over UC Riverside, who were very feisty to begin with. We took the series after Bridgette Pagano drove in a 2-run homer over the left field wall to make it 4-3 in the second game. If these ladies don't get a regional berth, let alone bid (Mayfair Park A Go Go), the NCAA can kiss my ass. I'll even send the Eiken Club to boob-slap the selection committee into submission, fate willing.

Meanwhile, back at Blair Field, another ridiculous festival of short balls, long balls, and foul balls caught (and dropped) by salty old farts who still have it culminated in Kurt "Wide Load" Wideman dropping the ball, enabling "Sugar" Shane "The Pain" Peterson to drive in the winning run in a 14-13 victory for the Beach. Yes, football has returned to the Beach. Football scores, that is. The chicks were digging the long ball, the alums were scooping the foul balls, and I scolded a bloody idiot of a booster for failing to give a high five to me. Sit with the Tigers if you would like to be that way. I'm not obliged to even fake a smile to those cellar-dwelling punks. Actually, I thumbed my noses at a few other Tiger supporters who were clearly fairweather to the core. That's why we have seats behind home plate, so you can make up your bloody minds, you indecisive wanks.

Overall I did 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14=107 push-ups for the men soon to be in a box. As well as the others. Well, I guess CRUNK had its benefits. Somewhat.

While most of the local teams were rolling (Beach Tennis will face of against the Zots tomorrow for the crown after taking out the Gauchos 4-0), I knew that women's water polo was going to be the goats of the day. I was surprised that I was actually RIGHT. The swiss cheese porn girls from Northridge edged us, 8-7. This year has gone to hell for Cat von Schwarz, and she knows it.

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This leads me to my premise of four nervous cities.

COLUMBUS, OH and UNIVERSITY PARK, PA should be nervous, in spite of winning their respective tournaments. Pepperdine stunned BYU in five. While both of them swept Ball State and George Mason (respectively), Shawn Patchell's men had a letdown to be damned for all time: after going up 2-0 in 30-28 wins, the Waves proceeded to win Game 3 32-30, Game 4 30-27, and complete the rally 15-8. The question for these cities is this: who gets the Waves, and who gets the at-large team? I'll give you this: the team who DOES NOT get Pepperdine should be considered lucky. Somewhat.

LONG BEACH, CA and PROVO, UT should also be nervous. Both teams shared the regular season title, yet both of them fell to Pepperdine. Uh oh. The question for these cities is this: who gets to be the at-large team, and who will they face? The Cougars have more wins, and advanced farther, but the 49ers defeated the Cougars in both meetings at Wally's House.

I would see the situation to be this:

Penn State vs. Pepperdine

Ohio State vs. Long Beach State

If even Mark Pavlik's boys can't solve the Amazing Australian Alien, a.k.a. Paul Carroll, then this tournament will turn on its head in a hurry.

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Meanwhile, down at the Home Depot Center, the Galaxy were back to their winning ways, taking down Chivas USA 5-2. A brace from Alan Gordon and a hat trick from Landon Donovan sealed the Goats' fates. Also, Toronto FC continued their climb, and Chelsea fought back to set the deciding week to be next week in the Barclays Premier League down in England. And the Lakers...well, it was just the same old stuff driven down Denver's throats.

Also, in about a few hours from now, the USA women's field hockey team faces Belgium in a game that will determine Lee Bodimeade's fate. Well, it HAS to, with a berth in Beijing on the line. More on that next entry.

This Thursday flat-out SUCKED.

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What you just saw above is a microcosm [sic] of a forgettable Thursday.

Well, this was just pathetic. I am just a few hours removed from internalizing Long Beach State delivering the letdown of letdowns against Pepperdine. I just heard news that the LBCC conterparts failed miserably. Hours and hours ago, the women were drinking the Kool-Aid of false hope against Cal.

I nearly lost it when I find out that I didn't get a link to the ballot. That's just wrong: students who finish in the Fall can't vote in the Spring as their last election to participate in as an undergrad. I don't want to get the impression that the numerous messages they drop on my Facebook profile were in vain. I had to do it. I'm just glad that my write-in vote will count. Gives me closure as I press on in my ROP journey.

I am surprised that I am on pace to get enough hours for one year equivalent of clerical office work. I thought I needed to seal the deal with summer work. Looks like I get a chance to see what the folks at Sperka need. And then I move on.

At least the Habs and Lakers (and Angels?) are doing the usual, so the day wasn't a complete failure. And the USA women's field hockey team is still alive. I originally was going to change the URL of this blog if they had failed in winning the tournament [which we won't know for a while], but Pepperdine making a mockery of their record in emphatic fashion expedited the sealed fate of the Bedlam.

One who has followed the Masters' journeys this season can only hope that the NCAA (those scalliwags who I still thumb my nose at) decides to make up for screwing with the internal affairs of our men's hoops team by letting the volleyball counterparts in as an at-large. Should they give it to someone else, my damnatio memoriae on Larry Reynolds and Reggie Howard will stand, ever after centuries.

Not trying to be biblical or Erich Honecker-like, but you can tell that I deem this Thursday to be forgettable indeed.

A busy day for the Beach...and Gary and the Jets.

This was a great day for most of my guys, save for the ice hockey and men's hoops teams. I'll get to those folks in a bit. But first, let's raise a pint of brown ale to the Newcastle Jets, manager Gary Van Egmond, Joe Marsden Medal recipient Andrew Durante, Jade North, and Mark Bridge for defeating the Central Coast Mariners 1-0, and putting a literal end to Danny Vukovic's career.

From the Jets' web site.

2008 Grand Final: Jets 1 - 0 Mariners

Sunday, 24 February 2008

The Newcastle Jets are the 2008 Hyundai A-League Champions! The Jets defeated the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in front of over 36,000 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium today.

The opening period, and indeed the majority of the game, was dominated by the team from the Hunter, as their astute passing game troubled the Mariners no end.

Nerves were also dominant in the first 15 minutes, with neither side wanting to slip up. The first shot in anger came from Matt Thompson in the 17th minute, after Adam D’Apuzzo whipped in a delightful cross for Thompson to volley. Unfortunately his shot sailed over the bar.

2 minutes later and striker Mark Bridge nearly opened the scoring with a stinging right-footed strike on the edge of the area. Bridge played a neat one-two with Korean, Jin-Hyung Song, and hit his shot first-time from 20 yards, but that ball went agonisingly wide.

Central Coast’s first shot came through Greg Owens in the 28th minute, but his strike went harmlessly wide.

The two sides went in 0-all at halftime, as tension mounted inside the SFS. The Jets appeared to have the better of the play, but had yet to take their chance.

Socceroo striker John Aloisi then had the opportunity to make the Jets pay in the 49th minute, but pushed his open header wide of Ante Covic’s goal. Aloisi’s strike partner, Sasho Petrovski, then tried an audacious chip from 35 yards as the Mariners began to try their luck.

3 minutes later and left-wingback, D’Apuzzo had a great chance after some excellent lead-up work by Stuart Musialik and Joel Griffiths. D’Apuzzo, however, sprayed his shot wide, but the space he was afforded was a worrying sign for the Mariners.

Then came the moment that all football fans in Northern NSW had been dreaming of; Bridge scored from a cracking strike to give the Jets a deserved lead. After a slip-up at the back, Bridge pounced and went on a solo run toward goal. After cutting inside his defender, Bridge then hit a curling shot beyond his good friend, Danny Vukovic, and into the back of the net.

The Mariners then pressed hard to gain the equalizer, but in the end were frustrated by the Jets’ miserly defence. Owens hit hopeful shot that went well wide on the 68 minutes mark. And substitute, Matt Simon, pushed his shot-on-the-turn wide of the mark moments later.

As the game was winding down drama unfolded, with Vukovic being sent from the field after a melee broke out when he came forward for a corner in the dying minutes.

The Jets would go on to secure a historic win, and clinch their first piece of silverware. The trophy was no less than the travelling faithful deserved, and the Jets players and coaching staff have bathed the region in glory for some time to come. No doubt the celebrations in the Hunter will go on for some time.

With that said, let's move on to the action locally. First off, how about those Dirtbags! They go on a win streak, taking the series from Rice 1-0 and 3-2, respectively, and Danny Boy struck again! Danny Espinosa from Santa Ana Mater Dei set one ball into liftoff yesterday, and new assistant Jon Strauss and Andy Rojo have made an impressive showing thus far. Weather permitting, the series concludes at 1:00 today. Let's see if Jake "The Snake" Thompson can keep the momentum going.

The Masters of LSV flexed it up against THE Ohio State University, winning in 4 and 3 at the St. John Areana in Columbus. Paul "The Chopman" Lotman has 32 kills-count 'em, 32 kills-in the Friday showdown, and also has 20 in the Saturday sweep. The three-pronged attack of Lotman, Dean Bittner, and Dan Alexander capitalized in 13 service errors and zero aces from the Buckeyes yesterday, too. They head home this Friday for a chance at ending a streak of futility against Northridge. And I'll be there to see it happen.

The women's basketball team will be playing in Anaheim to to wrap up the year. They edged by Northridge, 49-48. The women's water polo team blased UCSB in a goal festival, 14-11, after falling to Hawaii, 10-6. And the golf team continues its quest for improvement, finishing 13th out of a field of 21 at the John Burns Invitational. The women's tennis team ripped apart UC Riverside, 7-0.

Low points go to the ice hockey team and the men's basketball team; more so for the hockey team. I mean, how the hell do you give up a three-goal lead in the 3rd period, and let San Jose State get away in overtime? No doubt, the season has become a bust for the Beach, and any hopes of them getting the Long Beach Arena for themselves just died Friday night. Eric Raimondo, you'd better paint your house...now that you have the time!

And please. The 49er men's basketball team must have sniffed the wrong hormone if they thought they had a shot against New Mexico State. 80-48 blowout. Ouch.

Finally, how about the Los Angeles Galaxy! After being 1-0'd by eventual Pan Pacific champ Gamba Osaka, they get payback for their demise against Sydney FC late last year in a 2-1 win under new manager Ruud Gullit to secure third place.

Another busy day at The Beach

Every now and then on BigSoccer, I give updates to my fellow Los Angeles Galaxy supporters about the latest news on my guys. Here is a sample.

UPDATE FROM THE BEACH:

A busy one for the crew.

Rugby
The match against UCLA was one where, as Lee Corso says, "Speed kills." 48-25 defeat, but in terms of points, no one left empty-handed. They got the full five we got one. The Claremont Colleges pay us a visit next week.

Women's water polo
Opened the homestand against UCSB, and in a show where the men's team were essentially the audience making any noise, the Gauchos were downed, 10-6. UCLA next.

Men's volleyball
Revenge accomplished, although the men had to work in Game 4 to make it happen. The Beach wins, 30-24, 31-33, 30-22, 39-37. Next up: a twofer in Columbus to face The Ohio State University.

Softball
On the next exciting episode of The Sowder Gang, the 49ers and Brooke Turner were on assignment in Honolulu for a tournament. The results are as follows.
Central Florida L 3-5
Kentucky W 10-2
Hawaii L 3-5
Central Florida W 4-2
Hawaii L 1-6
These ladies don't know [yet] what consistency is. But then again, here at the Beach, we have teams that don't even have winning in their vocabulary either. Three examples...

Women's basketball
Oh egregious turpitude! As if losing to Bakersfield's men's squad a few days ago wasn't galling, the Beach chokes on the women's side, 65-62.

Men's basketball
I have to question why the NCAA is having Cal State Bakersfield go through a provisional period. Clearly they have shown me that they deserve to be in this conference. If I was Myles, I'd scrap the provisional period and put the Runners in the conference as a full member. Unfortunately, the turds down there came up with this, and so the Great Hoopspression continues. 77-71 defeat.

Women's tennis
Another singles choke, this time to Arizona State. They wrap up the trip against the Wildcats down in Tucson tommorrow.

And finally...

Track and Field
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Resting some of their top athletes for the week, the 49ers still put together a number of good marks competing on the road non-scoring dual with Riverside Community College. The invite marks the final competition for the 49ers prior to the MPSF Indoor Championships at the end of the month.

The 49ers’ had a number of good efforts from their young sprinters on the day. Freshman Brittany Yarde finished second in the 60-meter dash, and in a mid-distance 600m the Beach had a 1-2 finish from Ejiro Okoro and Denise Nunez. Nunez also grabbed a win in a 1,000m run for Long Beach State.

In the hurdles, two-sport athlete Kristen Kiefer came up with a season-high in the 60, finishing in first with a near sub-9.0 mark of 9.04. Yarde also had a solid finish in her second short-distance race, taking second.

Out on the field, Kristina Price won three different events, taking the shot put, discus and hammer throw by convincing margins, most impressively in the discus, where she won by nearly 12 meters over her nearest competition. The 49ers also picked up wins in the pole vault and long jump by Katie Crowe and Allison Sarell respectively.

For the men, freshman Kelsey Caesar put down a very fast time in the 60m dash, finishing in 7.04 seconds. In the middle distances, Alex Freitas was a dual-winner, taking both the 600m and 1000m runs for Long Beach State as well.

The 49ers had multiple winners for the men out on the field as well. David Sampson led a 49er podium sweep for the Beach in the shot put, one of two in the throwing events. Sampson also took third in the discus, an event that was won by Robert Jennings, with Ed Cornell taking second place.

Actually, I'm feeling a bit better, after getting my degree in paper today. Funny thing is, I got it 57 days after my degree was conferred. Ironically, the CSU system was founded in 1857 (thanks to some people from San Jose). I also got a sweet $50 dollar gift card from Bristol Farms. This will be a nice addition to my family's next Costco run.

Illegitimum non carborundum

So, after finding out that the game against UC Davis was rescheduled (still a bit riled about that, but out here, who give's a rat's rear end about them anyway?), I am back at my laptop, blogging. I suppose I will have to put the added wakey-wakeyness from my Rockstar Punched to use one way or another. I am sitting in front of Love Generation, the name for my personal laptop (LoveGen for short, named after the Bob Sinclar song of fame), watching the 2007 Harvard University Commencement Morning Exercises.

Ahhh, the power of RealPlayer. What is so good about this is that when it's streamed, there is a record button where you can record the stream downloaded. That's something you don't see in previous editions. Now, if you're watching something in its entirety, you can record it, save it, and watch it over and over again if you want to. Sweet.

If there was ever a band that wanted to be a scatter band, I hope they pattern themselves after the Harvard University Band. I love their cadences, and the simple, ageless melodies they play. For a band decked in blazers when blaring out the classics at the Harvard Stadium during the fall...you're all right.

I don't believe my university can top all this. Out there in Cambridge, they have Morning and Afternoon Exercises, as well as a ceremony where the local campus guy who's got religion give some final words of advice. At that Class Day, Bill Clinton spoke to the candidates. At this Commencement, guys like Bill Russell and Bill Gates were in attendance, and the latter spoke. And the way the chorus sings the commencement hymn (and alma mater?), "Fair Harvard"...it sounds like the gates of heaven have opened, and all worthy shall proceed into the promised land. Sweet.

It's great stuff like this that encourages me to forget the fact that UC Davis's basketball team sure looked like an overmatched group of rec students against the Dream Team from Barcelona, and I didn't get to see them unravel. I suppose they should stay that way when we head up there. Hmph.

Now I'm thinking...Associate in Arts at Harvard!? I can't believe that there is a community college side to this university. IT DOES EXIST. To those nine who got the AA degree there, there are community colleges that have better value...I think they're just here for all the pomp and circumstance.

Let it be known that rescheduling the times of events, and athletic events at that, after they have been printed on the calendar at the time given is criminal, a waste of ink on the grounds of blatant inaccuracy (why print it if the time is going to be wrong anyway?), and defeats the purpose of having those events printed in the first place. It's a sobering thought, for example, that I actually wished for my team to LOSE the game than win it.

Sitting on the hill with Father Time keeping watch

As 2007 draws to a close, I look back at the year that was Long Beach State Athletics. We had a very strong start to the season with our men's basketball team, and we ended up dancing for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately, the coach was not able to perform consistently, and in spite of being named Coach of the Year, it was a pyrrhic award; he was fired soon after the 49ers lost to Tennessee. Men's volleyball fell far short of expectations. For the first time in a while, Alan Knipe's boys would not be in the MPSF tournament, much to my disgust.

In softball, we were improving under Kim Sowder, but in spite of having a wining record, the NCAA snubbed us. Bastards. Meanwhile, we get to see UC Irvine advanced for the first time to Omaha, while suffering a season-ending loss to UCLA in the Blair Field Regional. This from a season which saw us choke against the like of those hated Zotfags and the UC Riverside Highlanders. Underachieving year, and a season with too much Sheryl Crow. There's nothing more galling than hearing overplayed garbage from one of Lance Armstrong's ex-girlfriends. Well, maybe expired David Sunflower Seeds.

Actually, both of them would be topped in the fall, as the track teams plotted through their course, and the women's tennis team got the Big West crown once again.

The women's soccer team was overhyped and overrated. Losses to Cal State Fullerton (again), and UC Irvine (WTF!!?) and Cal Poly in the tournament (which probably was predictable to start with) made this another bridesmaid year for Mauricio Ingrassia. Contract extension may need to be on hold, and talks of perhaps finding a new manager to get them to the next level may be in order. As if things weren't screwed up enough, one of the losses was to USC, who ended up winning the national title. Another reason to hate Ali Khosroshahin, and pray that he takes over the program here when Ingrassia's contract is up.

Men's water polo (oh that's right, I forgot to talk about the women. Just as futile. Nuff said.). Oh man, Here I was, hoping we would get win number 18. It never came, and it probably should never have come at all, after playing like patsies in the MPSF tourney in Berkeley. Dropping matches after matches to UC Irvine, to the bigshots from Cal, USC, UCLA, and even a stinker to UC Davis is not going to be a good sign for Gavin Arroyo. He should be in the hot seat next year.

Women's volleyball. At last, something to cheer about. A solid year, save for some ugly efforts against Cal Poly, was the story of the season. Great year for Alexis Crimes, Misha Hasalikova, and newcomer Ashley Lee. Also, the regular season's biggest was against Florida. And we also defeated first-time entrant and Mountain West champions UNLV before being had single-handedly by Asia Kaczor, the Wench from Wroclaw, and the USC Women of Troy in the second round, and a five-game thriller.

Cross-country, it was more of the same, and we even won the Santa Clara Invitational. That was the only high point of the year, sadly.

Which brings us to the current things going on...men's and women's hoops. New coach: Dan Monson. The Rainmaker. Low expectations, and a work in progress. He said before the season started, "We are a work in progress." He was right. Maybe too right.

And that brings me to the women, who are currently 2-9 as this goes to blog. I have just witnessed the type of effort we put in against a team that's not ranked, but with a decent record, against Utah. During the shootaround, I was looking at both sides, and I saw a stark, bleak comparison...and perhaps a sign of things to come. On the Utah side of the warm-ups, their shots were falling in. Most of them. Very few misses. On the other side, I saw rimmed shots, rimmed three-point attempts, even rimmed lay-ups. It's as if these poor schmucks have never played a single game of basketball in their life. I was with my buddy Paul Lwin (who got his grades, and passed all of them, while I sit, stewing in waiting for one last grade to come), and we were the only two students in Section 111, the student section. All the others were on their break, and/or were out of town for the holidays. I said to him, "We're in trouble."

As the game ended, I met a sympathetic guy wearing a Rutgers women's basketball sweater, and I said to him, "We gotta have Vic Cegles call C. Vivian Stringer." He laughed, and I shook my head as I left the Walter Pyramid.

The decision should be easier for Dr. Cegles. Mary Hegarty is on the hot seat, and when you have a team that plays like they have never even played a single game of basketball in their lives...it's never a good sign. In this day age, people around the world who know the business of sports know that losses means less people going to the games. Less people means less money flowing in. And the coaching staff are going to be a huge liability. And they know that the chances of them not getting their contracts renewed, and being fired increase with every loss.

That's the thing. In a "perfect world", wins and losses don't mean a thing. Every game is just an exhibition and recreation, and not serious competition. However, in reality, Ws and Ls mean a lot. This is a program that historically, during the 70's and 80's, were actually GOOD. Those days are long gone, but then again, Long Beach City's basketball teams aren't faring any better. In fact, the Long Beach Breakers are playing decent basketball, and they are a fledling team, and I haven't even been to ANY of their games at the Hall of Champions gym yet!

I am confident we can start the new year off right. But maybe I am asking too much this year. But then again, it will be the Year of the Rat (I was born in that year)...so you never know.

Happy new year from BoBA, and Go Beach.

On Dr. Dan Bailey

There are some people you know, and there are some people you wish you knew. Dr. Dan Bailey was a person that I wish I knew better. Today, the university held a memorial service for Dr. Dan Bailey, at which a scholarship was created in his name.

Dr. Bailey, or “Bales” as he was sometimes called, was a person who was loved, respected, and a person of many trades. He was a football player. A rugby player. A marathoner. A personal trainer. A doctor. A family man. A father. A grad-dad. A prankster. A happy-go-lucky son-of-a-gun who St. Peter had next on after one of his colleagues flew through the doors in a basketball pick-up game and locked him out. A beer drinker. A hell raiser. A man about food, and a man about town. A three-time Olympian. A Mormon, and the great-grandson of the Mormon expedition to Salt Lake City with Brigham Young.

Most of all, he was proud to bleed the Long Beach State Black and Gold. He was a 49er to the core. A number of speakers talked about the memories they had with Doc Bailey. I thought, I never really knew who he was. But the lives he touched, the legacy he left, the trails he blazed…and over a 36-year run, too. By the time he was born, he already well over a decade into his job. That in itself shows the impact Dr. Dan Bailey had on the Beach.

Now he is in every 49er that remembers him. And he never really left. His spirit will always be alive at this university. We’ll see you soon, Dr. Dan Bailey…someday.

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?

ERROR

Must be at most 200 characters

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.

Conspiracy?

We hear all these stories about tsunamis, hurricanes, nor’easters and the like. We hear how they have destroyed homes, ruined lives, and sent millions of dollars to aid them, adding to that quasar of creditor impotency we call debt. But perhaps we learned our lesson when we faced the October wildfires here in Southern California when it came to preparing for it.

There are reports that it wasn’t as bad as one thought when it came to finding aid, and so on. People were evacuated, though a few stubborn fools dared defend their homes against the inevitable. Naturally, these fires are supposed to be a good thing, because they destroy vegetation that is old and dying, it aerates the soil, and allows for fresh vegetation to grow out of the ashes. Our interference with the process culminated in your stories of people’s homes being burned into cinders, families who have lost everything, all this despair and what have you.

When I was at the soccer game between UC Riverside and Long Beach State, I felt some really strong winds. Then it hit me: those Santa Ana bad boys were doing their thing. Uh oh. The next morning, I saw a thing, red, orange haze stain my house, and it was unusually warm. Double uh oh. The wildfires, which started on a day where the Los Angeles Galaxy were eliminated by the Chicago Fire (more fuel for the conspiracy theorists out there, wink wink), were going on, and only a rainstorm could help the futile, vain, hopeless [sic] efforts of people who try to stop the fire but cannot, even when fueled by energy drinks of every color, shape and size.

I can’t wait for basketball season to begin. By the time Dan Monson begins his coaching stint at the Beach, the air quality should be back to normal again.

Moore of the same. And the city waits...

So, the Lakewood Lancers choked again against Poly, 13-6. I’m not going to buy into any talk from Poly saying that this was a bad game for them. A win is a win. Whether or not Compton will have to m.o. to beat the Jackrabbits remains to be seen. The Tarbabes won’t face the stiffs from Atlantic and PCH until November 2.

Meanwhile, I am seeing police cars roll right past me. It’s Friday night, and they are laying a crackdown on the offenders. Babylon in action. The 49er hockey team opened the season defeating Arizona State 3-2, and the women’s volleyball team swept Riverside, but our women’s soccer team was not ready for USC, getting shut out 3-0. If our ladies can beat the Galaxy, then USC’s Women of Troy will make the game look like a farce by halftime.

Finally, Melbourne Victory…actually got a victory, defeating the Queensland Roar, 2-0. I guess tuning in to SEN 1116 for the first time in a while has its benefits. Meanwhile, Greg Ryan lost his mind by tampering with the lineup, and the WNT dropped a 4-0 decision to Brazil. That won’t be the only thing he will lose. I guarantee you. And it’s easy as putting the pieces together. (Hint: Hope Solo will be vindicated for spilling out the cold truth.)

What a way to wake up, eh?

There are athletic sites, and there are athletic sites that deserve major lulz. Exposed!

So I came back from Smorgasport on campus, and a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Oklahoma at George Allen Field, and when I got back to my laptop (it was downloading some torrents while I was away), I saw the score: Lakewood 40, Mayfair 3.

Now, at first, I wasn’t so sure if Lakewood was going to be able to be focused, after the ignominious start to the year. But I can deduce three reasons why Lakewood wanted this game:

1. They are 0-2. Well, they were 0-2. But I had a gut feeling that if this was how they would play, they might go winless. I do not remember a season in which my high school’s football team actually suffered a winless season. Those guys didn’t want to see that, either.
2. The game against Tesoro was a tail of two halves. We were up 21-10 at the break, and as the guys took the field for the second half, I warned, “Hey, 21-10 is not a good-enough lead. You gotta add to it, because that can be made up in a hurry.” It pays to listen. Apparently, they didn’t, and the Titans won, 24-21. I could imagine Coach Thadd MacNeal not being the least bit happy with the performance, and I could also imagine him yelling it to their faces. (I shouldn’t go into detail with the bus ride that followed, but to keep it short: you can’t tell me that there aren’t any nappy-headed ho’s who operated the coaches on Long Beach Transit. That means someone close to you lied, straight up. They must be fish-slapped, immediately. In the groin.)
3. Mayfair wrested the Milk Bucket away from them last year. That had to leave a bad taste in Lakewood’s mouths, and they wanted that back.

Apparently, Mayfair coach Mike Fitch wasn’t ready for what his Monsoons were going to be up against. They were facing an angry, frustrated, hell-bent Lancer football team looking for answers, and someone to smack the devil down on. MaxPreps predicted that Mayfair would defend their trophy.

This is clear proof why statistics should be burned at the stake when it comes to these rivalry games, because they are meaningless.

Let’s see if this blowout over the Monsoons will get them ready for a shot at evening their records against La Palma Kennedy.

The LBSU Inquisition

Wiktionary defines inquisition as:

2. an investigation or inquiry into the truth of some matter
3. an inquest
4. a questioning

The NCAA launched an inquisition of their own today. Long Beach State athletic director Vic Cegles, university president Dr. F. King Alexander, and a company of other big shots were in Indianapolis to answer a list of questions regarding the eligibility of the graduating seniors on the men’s basketball team last year.

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

LONG BEACH - Long Beach State administrators, including president Dr. F. King Alexander and athletic director Vic Cegles, are scheduled to be in Indianapolis Friday morning for a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions concerning allegations of NCAA rules violations by members of the school's former men's basketball coaching staff.

According to multiple sources, the NCAA's Enforcement Office gave the school a list of seven allegations of violations - the majority of which are alleged to have transpired in the summer of 2005 and concern academic issues surrounding members of a large group of community college transfers who enrolled at Long Beach State two years ago.

Those players are Sterling Byrd, Mark Dawson, Jazz Henderson, Kejuan Johnson, Aaron Nixon and Dominique Ricks.

Byrd, Dawson, Johnson, Nixon and Ricks played two seasons for then-coach Larry Reynolds' 49ers and were major components of last season's team that went 24-8 and made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. Henderson left the program after the 2005-06 season and attended Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, this past school year but didn't play intercollegiate basketball there.

Reynolds and his full-time staff members - Reggie Howard, Scott Waterman and John Masi (Masi wasn't a part of the program in the period covered by the allegations) - were not retained after the season.

School administrators launched a co-investigation with the NCAA last October after the organization's enforcement office requested interviews with players and coaches about possible rules violations. They already have given their written response to the allegations.

"We've spent a lot of time on this," Cegles said. "Obviously, the president and I will not tolerate any coach or program violating NCAA rules.

"We told the NCAA we would do whatever we could do to help them in this investigation, so we provided them with as much information as we possibly could, and with what they asked for in terms of records and our knowledge of what happened."

Cegles and Alexander were not employed by the school during the period covered in the investigation.

The Long Beach administrators expected to represent the school at the hearing at an Indianapolis hotel will be Alexander, Cegles, new coach Dan Monson, vice president for student affairs Doug Robinson, associate AD for compliance MaryAnn Tripodi and former faculty athletic representative Dixie Grimmett. They will have their opportunity to respond to the charges, orally, and respond to questions that members of the Committee on Infractions may have for them.

Also expected to be in the hearing are representatives of the NCAA's enforcement staff, which conducted the investigation on the NCAA's end and turned over its findings to the Committee on Infractions.

Steve Morgan, an attorney for the Overland, Kan., law firm of Bond, Shoeneck and King that specializes in representing universities and athletes with eligibility or other NCAA issues, was hired by LBSU almost immediately after the school was informed that the NCAA was launching its inquiry.

He spearheaded the school's portion of the investigation, including interviewing athletes, coaches and others involved. He also will sit with Long Beach administrators in the hearing Friday.

Reynolds and members of his staff at the time who are alleged to have violated (to varying degrees) NCAA rules are Brent Bargen (the head coach at Chadron State in Nebraska for the past year), Howard (who was suspended from his coaching duties by the school on Feb. 1 during the course of its investigation) and Waterman. They are expected to attend the hearing.

They also will be given the opportunity to respond, individually, to allegations and ask or answer questions of infractions by committee members. They are permitted to bring legal counsel.

When contacted by the Press-Telegram, Reynolds, Howard and Waterman declined to discuss either the allegations or any other details concerning the matter.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Bargen hadn't responded to Press-Telegram voice mail and e-mail messages.

After a typical hearing of this sort, the Committee on Infractions members - most of which are administrators at NCAA member institutions and/or are attorneys - will begin their deliberations, usually individually, with discussion usually coming in conference calls. No fewer than five can hear a case and the number usually is in the seven to 10 range.

They will then make their findings, determine what penalties are merited, if any, and assign one of the members to write an infractions report, which will then be OK'd by the individual members before it is forwarded to the institution and then released to the public.

The usual time frame from hearing to public release of findings and sanctions, if any, is six to eight weeks.

It is believed that in its written response to the charges, the LBSU administration offered a set of "self-imposed sanctions."

Some of those might include:

Reduce the number of coaches the basketball staff could have on the road from three to two during the NCAA's evaluation period. The most recent evaluation period was July and the school complied.

Reduce the scholarship limitation from 13 to 12 for consecutive academic years.

Reduce the number of expenses-paid-by-school recruiting visits from a maximum-allowed 12 to nine during an academic year.

Not recruit community college prospects for an academic year.

Neither Alexander nor Cegles would comment on any possible "preemptive" self-sanctions they may have offered the Committee on Infractions.

Ouch.

Hey la, hey la, my laptop's back... <3

Yesterday, I got my laptop, a VAIO VGN-N130G, back. It was going through some repairs by Sony, and the hard drive had to be replaced, and a few keys that were loose were put back into position. Naturally, I upgraded it back from XP to Vista. This time, though, I upgraded it to Vista Business, as this is the primary use for this laptop. In the future, I will give it another stab at Ultimate, just not in the near future.

So now I am blogging from this laptop. I just want to share a year in photos. This year was a successful year for Long Beach State athletics, and I would like to give you a taste of what we do at the Beach.

A Year In Review