A relief for me...the Armada are eliminated

From Bleacher Report...

Blair Field, Dirtbag Country: Why I Stay Away When the Long Beach Armada Play

Ahhh, the USA. It has its share of great ballparks, from sea to shining sea. But if there was ever a baseball stadium that caught my imagination, it's Blair Field, located in Long Beach, California. If you ask me, this is the gem of all amateur baseball parks. Established in 1956, it has been the home of some thrilling high school baseball games, American Legion clashes, Connie Mack classics, training for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Rams (when they were in Los Angeles-good times), and even was used for Olympic training, perhaps as a precursor to the demonstration days of 1984 at the Chavez Ravine that is Dodger Stadium.

But I shed no tears for the Long Beach Armada falling to the Orange County Flyers in Game 5 of the Golden Baseball League South Division Series by the score of 12 runs to 2. Instead, I raise my hands in celebration for this fact alone: in about 5 months' time, Blair Field will return to its rightful owners, the Long Beach State Dirtbags.

The city's TRUE home team.

More...

Quick hits, May 25, 2008

Good ol' Belmont Shore. Rip up the NYAC apart, boys. Yeah!

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Less than three days remaining until Commencement at the Beach. I am keeping a cool and calm demeanor.

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Big Brown. Cracked hoof. Bloody hell.

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Curse those Lakers. Better check the game tape, boys; this could become a Best-of-3 in a hurry.

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So we finally show up for once in a 12-3 annihilation of Cal State Fullerton. One has to feel for UC Irvine; in spite of a ballpark that is holding its own; alas, it will not host a regional since both of us aren't going to let them. I am still a bit disgusted at not being able to defeat Irvine at the Blair, as well as our ineptitude on that road trip from hell.

If we get Illinois-Chicago in our regional, hallelujah. Redemption time! Good luck, noble Dirtbags.

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Oregon State is pathetic at baseball.

And you have the nerve to call yourselves defending national champions. What a flat-out lie. Enjoy the off-season after having your dream to defend your title crushed on our watch.
Muhuhuhuhuhuhahahahaaaah!!!

Dirtbags Two-Hit Oregon State 10-0
Pitching Staff Records Seventh Shutout
Danny Espinosa's three hits drove in four runs.

May 19, 2008

Box Score
LONG BEACH-- Danny Espinosa drove in four runs and the pitching staff combined on a two-hit shutout as No. 18-ranked Long Beach State (35-18) crushed visiting Oregon State (25-24) 10-0 on Monday evening.
Jordan Casas added three hits, as did Espinosa, who went 3-for-4 with a three-run double and an RBI triple.
Tyler Topp (2-2) and Dustin Rasco combined to retire nine in a row from the second until the fifth as LBSU took a 9-0 lead paced by eight runs in the second and third innings. Rasco went the first 1.2 innings, allowing a single hit, before Topp went the next 4.1 innings for the win, allowing a single hit in the fifth.
Anthony Carrillo (seventh) and Jason Markovitz (eighth) followed with perfect innings, before David Brown walked a batter and closed out the night. It was the team's seventh shutout of the season, one from the school-record, and fourth on a weekday.
The Dirtbags scored three times in the second to lead 3-0. A failed pickoff to first base with the bases loaded plated two, before an RBI groundout by Zach Barger made it 3-0.
A five-run third followed to make it 8-0 as LBSU sent 17 men to plate over the second and third innings.
A three-run double by Espinosa in the third then made it 6-0 as Tanner Robles (3-2) gave up the first six runs (five earned) on eight hits. Barger's sacrifice fly then made it 7-0, before an RBI single by Devin Lohman made it 8-0. An RBI triple by Espinosa made it 9-0. Brandon Godfrey had two hits and two walks, driving in the 10th run in the eighth.
Weekdays have been especially good for Dirtbag "staff nights", as LBSU pitchers have combined on two one-hitters (at San Diego State and against Harvard), a five-hitter (Fresno State) and a six-hitter (LMU).
The regular season ends this weekend with CS Fullerton on Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Regional site announcements are Sunday at 4 p.m. Pacific, while the full 64-team bracket will be announced on Memorial Day at 9:30 a.m.

Happy Birthday, Blair Field.

The pro teams all sucked yesterday, so fuck 'em this post.

I was enjoying the game yesterday at Blair Field. We won, 10-8, and Gaucho manager Bob Brontsema was tossed for dissent. Bobby Cox wannabe. Nice try. And we had some fireworks, both offensive and postgame. This was a fun night.


More on this later.

On the mystique of the izakayas in Gardena, the Bedlam, and Dagwoods

Yesterday, I went down with my big sis and her fiancee down to this izakaya in Gardena called Azuma. I ate this big combination plate of teriyaki and tempura. The decor and look of this is consistent, I would think, with those in Japan. There are a lot of izakayas down in Gardena. It is a strong testament to the Japanese-America community there. I literally went through the kitchen to get to my seat. Brilliant.

I learned something about the aura of the Bedlam today. It does not favor me over my other family members, nor vice versa. It favors itself over everyone, with everyone. Last week, I was given the epithet of family scapegoat after misplacing my wallet. This weekend, my father misplaced his car keys. As I acknowledged the Bedlam at work, I sympathized.

I don't believe anyone would want to misplace his or her car keys. No way. Well, to be safe, at least order two or three backup copies, and store them in a place that is safe, deep in your family vault. Problem solved. And if you need to buy another, since you are using one in reserve, you can. Very unfortunate for Dad.

I've never been to Dagwoods. This is a sandwich/fast food chain down in Quebec. I'm hearing those commercials about the food there while listening to the Habs. When I go to Montreal for a visit, I wil make it a priority to check it out and have a bite to eat. With some poutine, I might add. But only if they get Stanley Cup #25. And if they don't, well, I may still go...but there are no guarantees.

As of this blog post time, it's Game 6 of the series between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins, and the Bruins are leading 5-4. The next game at the Bell Centre could be the last one.

Meanwhile, down in Northridge and Santa Barbara, the Dirtbags and 49er softball clubs are back to and continuing their winning ways. 16-2 and 9-2 hurtsplosions by the Bags (where was this the past few days pre-Pepperdine 10-0 washout?) combined with 8-6 and 5-2 wins over the Gaucho softball teams made things mighty nice today for the folks.

Super Tuesday Stimulus Packages

As the deadline to file those income taxes passed, all those who filed it ahead of the deadline got the stimulus packages they were waiting for. Of course, I was treated to a few stimulus packages myself.

First off, the Dirtbags picked themselves up from the unfortunate series against Irvine, and roughhoused Pepperdine, 10-0. Earlier that day, Aldershot Town FC clinched promotion to the Football League, 16 years after being blasted off the face of the footballing world, drawing 1-1 with Exeter City. Also that day, the Lakers clinched the Western Conference #1 seed, beating the Sacramento Kings 124-101, the Avengers defeated the Blaze this week by the score of 79-62, the Angels defeated the Rangers 7-4, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals 4-2, the Los Angeles D-Fenders defeated the Colorado 14ers 102-95, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins, 1-0, to put the stranglehold on the series, as it goes back to the Bell Centre.

But what really got me feeling all chipper today was the Mighty Roos. Who are the Mighty Roos, you say? well, they are this hockey team from Australia, and they beat China, 1-0, to clinch the gold medal in their side of the world. Out there, it is winter by now, if not late autumn. And these guys are just a tournament away from qualifying for Vancouver 2010, and skating with the big boys!

Now, some of you may be thinking, wait a minute, how can Australia have a national ice hockey team, when they are known more for their summer sports? Well, ice hockey has been played in Australia for more than a century. It was in 1908 that the International Ice Hockey Federation was founded, and it was in 1908 that ice hockey was first played, in Adelaide, SA. So, the timing of the event, held down in Newcastle, NSW, couldn't have been any better.

One wonders if some disgruntled North American expatriates inject some fresh new blood into a team that is gaining a huge chuck of momentum after gaining the gold medal that eluded them before (they were second place to South Korea [yes, they DO have a hockey team there, too]). Remember Dale Begg-Smith? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. He could have given Canada another mogul gold. Instead, due to logistics that were unfavorable to the ad master, he gave Australia Winter Olympics Gold Medal Number Three. Having the Mighty Roos qualify for Vancouver 2010 can only make the presence of Winter Olympic sport in Australia that much more significant, that much more credible, and that much more validated.

Congrats Australia. The world is watching you now.

3 April
Australia Win Gold With Perfect 1-0 Win

Australia is Number 1 in Division II Group B

By Peter Lambert, Ice Hockey Correspondent

No longer is ice hockey a novelty in Australia. A magic tournament ended with a fairy-tale ending, as the Mighty Roos Australian Senior Men’s Ice Hockey team closed down the Chinese national team 1 goal to nil in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia. The Aussies were perfect through the tournament, winning each of their five games in regulation time; their last two games in shut-outs, denying their opposition a single goal. Australian goalie Matt Ezzy was awarded ‘Best Goalie of Tournament’ for his feat in winning four games from four played, and allowing only four goals by him throughout the tournament.

China started out strong but almost immediately shortened their bench to their top six players. The Aussies held off the early assault, and then scored on their first opportunity.

Melbourne’s Lliam Webster poked his own rebound through the goal pads of China’s Yu Yang, with assists going to Andrew White and tournament MVP Greg Oddy.

From that point the Chinese never seemed like they had what they needed to win. Both teams hit the posts but the Aussies also won in that phantom category; 5 to 1 in the almost-goals.

Captain Anthony Wilson hold aloft the tournament winners plate as
IIHF Official Dr Hans Dobida presents him with his gold medal.

The Australian win means many thing, but the significance of happening on the Centenary of ice hockey in Australia, and the Centenary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and on home soil made it a very special occasion for the capacity crowd. With volunteers and players included, rink management estimated an unprecedented 1200 people in the rink to witness the victory.

Veteran defenceman Tyler Lovering came out of retirement when he heard about the bid to host the tournament in Australia. Now he has a World Championship Gold Medal in his collection.

‘I had to work really hard to get back into the Australian team.

‘It’s been 10 years that I’ve played on this team.

‘We have a fantastic team of guys, I couldn’t be more proud.’

Team Manager Ross Noga was justifiably elated as he packed his players aboard their bus to head off and celebrate the milestone achievement.

‘100 years of ice hockey in Australia, 100 years of ice hockey of IIHF, you can’t beat this.

‘Here in Newcastle, in front of the home crowd. The crowd was fantastic with the hair colour, painted faces, the “Aussie Aussie Aussie” chants, the flags, it doesn’t get any better.’

The Australian team will break up after their celebrations on Monday, but with little chance for much rest as the Australian Ice Hockey League starts this coming weekend. All players in the Aussie squad belong to one of the eight clubs and may be back in training as soon as Tuesday.

The Australian ice hockey community is already buzzing with the challenge of competing with Division I countries. The task is a mammoth one but not one person involved will believe that it is impossible.

Quick hits, 4/12/2008

Some quick hits from today's action...

Men's volleyball
BoBA...is in heaven. Long Beach State FINALLY, FINALLY defeats Northridge, sweeping them, 3-0, at the Matadome. That's the way to find forgiveness from me. Now it's time to regroup, and get ready to host the MPSF Final Four on April 24 and 26. You know how the Montreal Canadiens are starting their 16 to 25 campaign? Well, we are preparing for a 4 to 2 Campaign. 4 straight match victories clinches our second NC. Will the Masters be up for the challenge? Find out in 12 days.

Softball
This time it was Bridgette Pagano playing the role of goat for our teams. We were up 3-0, and Cal Poly storms right back in the second game to win 4-3. Of course, Brooke Turner pulled her weight in the first one, a 3-1 decision. Can she clinch the series tomorrow? Find out at the 49er Softball Complex.

Women's tennis
And Pacific is swept 7-0 on Senior Day, and Stephanie Bengson gets Number 72. Let's see if our hoodoo against Fresno can be broken in a few days time.

Baseball
Holy smokes. UCI felled, 5-1. The Bags aren't throwing the towel just yet, which is not a bad thing. The series concludes at 2:30 at the Blair.

Another mixed weekend, more so inept than successful

The weekend did not start auspiciously well for my guys. The men's volleyball team played like the chokers they were against Northridge and Penn State last night. We were leading UC Irvine by two games, and then, in a collapse that made the Berlin Wall's fall look diminutive, we let the Anteaters rally in five. How pathetic. And I thought our chances of defending our surfboard were going to get better. At this point, we are down two games to one against UCLA. Could we get a rally going against these guys in the same fashion the Zots dealt us? One can only hope.

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But this wasn't the only team to have a weekend from hell.


Ladies and gentlemen, let us have a moment of silence for the sudden, and horrifically unexpected passing of Long Beach State's baseball mojo, which, like so many brave souls that did not leave this ugly, yet beautiful [sic] world in vain, died honorably on the fields of Northern California. The body will be cremated, and the ashes will be sent to the University of California at Berkeley. Date for the possible resurrection has yet to be strenuously determined.

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Meanwhile, the softball team keeps its mojo alive. UC Davis was swept in a doubleheader today, by the scores of 1-0 and 8-3. Brooke Turner pitched a gem of a shutout, while Bridgette Pagano held her ground in the second game.

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A funny thing happened on the way back home, after I got back from doing some palleting and shredding of old documents down at the SPJA office in Anaheim (which was refurbished very well, looking like an actual office, decked with anime volumes for the staff to watch). On the OCTA Route 50, this old guy gets into a heated argument with the bus driver, and all the passengers were wondering why this scrooge was holding us up. Finally, we took another bus heading the same way, and the old geezer was arrested.

And I thought I had issues with some of my drivers. They now pale in comparison to this one.

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As of this blog, the Galaxy choked in their season opener to the Colorado Rapids, the Bruin men's basketball team returns to the Final Four (thankfully without the likes of Florida and Ohio State), and the Angels complete their preseason tour with a rout of the San Diego Padres. I suppose in retrospect, it wasn't a bad day; after all, I was able to do something that I haven't done in a long time: take a photo of the daruma head from Anime Expo. This was something that was gnawing and gnashing at me since last year's convention. I am proud to say that I finally got this out of the way. Hallelujah. This, along with the verbal confrontation, made my day in more ways than one.

On Mini Eggs, a job well done in Gardena and a few Beach teams rising

Once per year, I like to take the Easter weekend to snack on Cadbury Mini Eggs. They are these little pieces of chocolate encased in a sugar shell. I first ate these many years back, after watching a commercial featuring those little crunchy, yet rich, fruits of the bunny. Since then, I have made it an Easter tradition to gorge on one bag of these Mini Eggs. I eat them for breakfast, with some King's Hawaiian rolls, or as a snack that won't hold you down and never give you up. At this time of the year, it is all the rage.

I am elated after knowing my scores on the GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections. I got a 450 on the Verbal and a 610 on the Quantitative. Both scores meet or exceed the expectations set by the program that I am applying for, the Graduate Program in Sport Management. They needed at least a 450 on both sections. What makes this really special is that I didn't have any training on this exam, save for a practice exam and a little GRE review book that I took from Kaplan. When I saw my score, I pumped my fist. The cameras saw me, but they knew that I achieved my target score.

Also, I was relieved to see my baseball, softball, and men's volleyball teams get some big victories this weekend. This is the type of consistency and performance I will be expecting from them the rest of this year.

Okay, who wrote our university’s women’s soccer media guide? Fess up.

Today, in a effort to kill some time before attacking my assignments (I will go ahead and do some MGMT 425 work after I post this blog), I went over to George Allen Field to see our ladies face the Baylor Bears. Finally, our ladies are able to actually win at home IN REGULATION. Hallelujah. We defeated those grues from Waco by the score of 3-0. Only one save needed for Liz Ramos, 12 for the Baylor keeper. That was how one-sided this match was.

Next up: a trip to Norman to face not the Sooners, but a couple of teams in Middle Tennessee State and North Texas, the latter who we have faced a couple of times. Note: some revenge is in order; in our last meeting with the Mean Green (in 1999, an ignominious season to forget), we lost to them 1-0.

Before the game, though, I bought the media guide for our team, and it was not until page 15 (the media guide, $5.00 [I had to sell some bottles the day before to muster enough to buy it, as well as a Rockstar, Trident, and this Sunday’s Press-Telegram) that I saw some errors in the guide. (As if Evan Longoria returning to play women’s soccer for Long Beach State was bad enough…good God…) For example, in Rachel Whiteaker’s section, it says “…at the Long Beach State,” and “…at the Central Florida”. It was the same for Mariko Stirckland’s section. Here’s an idea, guys: drop the “THE” in the statement.

Some more errors:

Page 22: in the record, they spell Sahar Haghdan’s last name wrong. (Haghan? Haghand? Who are they? I don’t remember anyone with that last name on our team; what’s up?)

Page 25: Poor Dr. F. King Alexander, they cut off his section early, and didn’t complete everything. How to fix it? Simple: resize the text to something smaller!

Page 29: Misspelled Brianna Truelove’s last name in the Academic All-Stars section. (Who is Turelove? That’s a questionable last name, along the lines of Texas Tech kicker Keith Toogood.)

This is why we have proofreading and editing tools, guys. Apparently, whoever wrote this forgot to use it. No offense, but these errors can make a negative impression on the professionalism of people up top. It’s the truth. If I was Dr. Deborah Gaut, I would give the person who wrote this a D, if not an F, for making the mechanics errors all that apparent.

A side note: Murray State defeated Lambuth yesterday, 48-13. You can breathe a sigh of relief now, Dr. Alexander.

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.

To My Friend Dario, I Drink To Thee.

Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 today, while Danica finished 8th. Somehow, Vitalic (a.k.a Pascal Arbez-Nicolas) is a fan of the driver, thanks to his hit "My Friend Dario" from the album OK Cowboy. I hereby request an Indy 500 mix of this song. The 2007 version, that is. It can be done. Someone just has to do it.

Of course, it won't be me, since I'm occupied with the Long Beach State basketball video. Speaking of the Beach, the baseball team rose back from the dead to take the conference series from Fullerton. At the same time, they will be hosting a Regional at Blair Field. Can't wait to see who they will face.

And the Angels and Dodgers won. It has to be a great day for the local baseball teams. And Wilson also marches on, while Lakewood fails volleyball. Lakewood Mayfair, that is.

I should point out that the reason Lakewood is a Sports Town is due to its three high schools. Lakewood, Mayfair, and Artesia. Yes, that Artesia that won the state crown in men's basketball. Artesia High is not located in the city of Artesia. They are located in Lakewood. This was the same Artesia team that put a rare dent in a disappointing season for the Lancers. The connotation is only proper. I call this the Triangle of Champions.

Well that sucked.

In Affectionate Remembrance

of

LONG BEACH STATE BASEBALL

WHICH DIED AT BLAIR FIELD

On 20^th MAY, 2007

Deeply lamented by a large circle of alumni and boosters,

Elvis Joe Ballsinger a.k.a. “The Huckster,”

Dr. Dan Barber, The class of 2007,

Their parents, and one Super Fan.

R.I.P.

N.B. The body will be cremated and the ashes

Taken to the University of California,

Riverside.

“…And we’ll see you at the Shield.”

What an eventful day in sports. I’ll save the local team for later, although, I can’t have anything nice to say about one of them.

First off, how about Pacific and Cal State Fullerton in softball! They knocked off a few team in the tournament, and Fullerton even edged poor Virginia Tech to eliminate them. Unfortunately, UC Santa Barbara was eliminated by LMU, which, I suppose, justifies their victory over my ladies earlier.

Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea. Jose Mourinho may have saved his job, and the G’s might see him in the World Series of Football. They defeated Manchester United, 1-0, winning the FA Cup. Those two teams will be in action next year in the Community Shield contest.

The Angels are on fire. They are demolishing the Dodgers at Angel Stadium in the Freeway Series. Of course, Seattle is having no problems with San Diego, so the Mariners are keeping pace.

For the 29th straight year, there will be no Triple Crown winner, and fro the 29th straight year, the Breeders’ Cup Classic will determine Horse of The Year. (Unless I’m mistaken…) Robby Alvarado and Curlin edged Street Sense to win the Preakness. At least Street Sense didn’t founder, which is perhaps a bigger victory.

How about those Senators…Ottawa is heading to the Stanley Cup Finals, with Daniel Alfredsson launching the winning goal, as they defeated Buffalo, 3-2, to win 4 games to 1. Enjoy that President’s Trophy…Buffalo…it’s the only silverware you will have.

Kevin Harvick wins the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Tomorrow is the Indy 500. The former is boring. The latter…well, this can’t be boring. Honestly. Cornell escapes Albany in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals, and one of the Great Danes snaps his stick in frustration. That’s sport for you.

While Toronto FC is humbled by DC United on a penalty kick, the Vancouver Whitecaps are rolling along in USL Division 1, defeating the California Victory, 3-1. Oddly enough, those Caps will be facing the Rochester Raging Rhinos tomorrow. Two victories in as many days? Oh boy…I hope Bob Lilly rested his big guys for tomorrow.

Belmont Shore defeated the Dallas Harlequins, 20-10, in Super League rugby action, and face Golden Gate next. Good luck, guys...

Finally, those Dirtbags choke once again. UC Riverside played a very good game. Maybe even too good. It makes me wonder if this is actually a college team, and not professional posers. A 2-1 victory puts them ahead of the Beach, and they win the series. Will there be any hope now for Mike Weathers’ crew? Stay tuned…

Advice well taken

I listened to a recent edition of Dave’s Soccer Podcast on ESPN 710, and was thrilled to have one of my messages read online to the world. While I was a bit bummed that Mr. Denholm was strongly against the idea of making a great source of PR with it (Logos, advertising, etc., etc.), I realized he’s a humble guy, and doesn’t need too much exposure. After all, this is it’s first year on the air, so it can’t be made too much of a deal yet.

I was very pleased, though, when Mr. Denholm agreed of bring more high profile guests to the show. Well, Dave, it’s really a no-brainer. See, in order to have a good podcast become a great one that will see the download rates rise, you gotta have some famous faces have a chat. You gotta have former MLS player currently playing in Europe and vice versa, as well as in Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and having some head coaches of team touring the U.S. wouldn’t hurt. You can get their thoughts on the state of football here in the States, and what they can learn from what we do. Jose Mourinho (who Chelsea side will be touring later), Abel Xavier (newly acquired Portuguese international from Middleborough) and David Beckham should be made guests. From these interviews you can segue to the recaps, and even have the guests chime in, just to get more water-cooler talks flowing like rivers.

And this will be critical to the success of the podcast, because with quality come some awesome windfall. This has the potential to set the standard when it comes to covering soccer podcast-style in the U.S., and the list of guests that can be on here...potential, potential, potential.

With that said, god bless you Dave Denholm, and good luck. Make a success of it.

Speaking of success…what is going on with Toronto FC!? Last time I checked, Danny Dichio, the son of Italian immigrants from Hammersmith, London, turned down a contract to play for Brighton and Hove Albion, and scored the first goal in Toronto FC history, sending the seat cushion Frisbees onto the FieldTurf pitch. Along with Edson Buddle, Kevin Goldthwaite and Maurice Edu, the TFC stomps Chicago Firer 3-1. And now, after the club management gave the fans a warning, they listened, and watched Andy Welsh via Ronnie O’Brien score the only goal in the midwekk match with Houston Dynamo, winning 1-0 in the pouringrain. This is the defending MLS Cup Champs, and they lost to an expansion team. The parity of play could not be any more apparent. This will not bode well for current bottom –feeders DC United, a team built on success. They visit the now-unfriendly confined of BMO Field Saturday.

Ryan Kobane of the Union, the guy who interviewed me for this week’s edition of the Union (the last of the semester and year), is Red Wings fan. I’m an Anaheim Ducks fan. Maybe I should have had second thoughts. Aw, just thinking about it is making me sick.

Finally, the Dirtbags have a chance to make a case for the conference title, and host a Regional, as they host UC Riverside. I hope they sweep. Just because. It will take a little steam off the final regular season series with Fullerton (thought I hope they sweep them too at Goodwin). Make it a habit of winning when it matters most, Mike Weathers. You have not excuse not to kick the habit.
Also, the Lakewood Lancer baseball and softball teams go on their postseason journeys. I hope Spud’s boys get to Dodger Stadium. I haven’t been to Chavez Ravine since an exhibition against the Angels years ago. I yearn to go back there to watch 5 games for the price of 8 dollars (or is it 9)? But they have to make to the final first. And just for good measure, I hope they face Wilson. You heard it here first.

Spector must die.

For a famous music producer, writer, et al to murder a famous actress born in my city, that cannot be forgiven. The Phil Spector murder trial is going on. I say that once he is proven guilty, I think the prosecutors should seek the death penalty. To martyr a person from this sacred city of mine called Long Beach is one of the worst sins an old geezer can commit.

I wonder about our softball team. If they should sweep UC Santa Barbara, will they be chosen as an at-large selection for the Regionals? I leave it to the committee to decide.

Our local baseball teams are on fire. Start with the Dirtbags. Yesterday, they polished off the Dizeks of Tony Gwynn State University, 6-3. Next up is the Gauchos, and I don't like the home team's chances in this series. Note that when I refer to "home team" in the previous sentence, I do not mean my home team.
And what about those Lancers. They are going to share the Moore League title with Wilson very soon. It's just a matter of winning the rest of the games leading into playoffs.

So Nicholas Sarkozy is going to be the next head Frenchie in charge. Good luck, Nico. May La Marseillaise be on your head.

Can our track team hold off an Irvine advance in the late Black and Blue push? And how will the tennis team fare at Fresneck? Stay tuned...

One final note: The Galaxy are returning to the US Open Cup proper. They dispatched of Red Bull New York 3-1 in extra time. Cobi could have done without the red card, but it's a good thing Landon Donovan, Kyle Martino, and Santino Quaranta were picking up the pieces. Juan Pablo Angel will come to no Christian end when we face then next time in MLS play. That guy was lucky enough to deny Steve "Crow-man" Cronin a clean sheet. Should have started him all game.

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The Lancers even the score

“One, two, three…GARY D!”

So says the Long Beach Wilson High School baseball team as they took to the field at Blair Field in Long Beach, California against the rival Lakewood Lancers. They were battle-tested, winning a 7-6 nailbiter. Gary D, was, in this case, Gary DeVercelly. DeVercelly was a standout Wilson alumnus who died due to an alcohol-related binge haze gone wrong at Rider University.

For those of you who don’t know, Rider University is a school in the northeast of the country, and plays in the Metro Atlantic Ahtlwetic Conference. In other words, it’s a small school. But when news reached the players that Gary used to play with when he was with the Bruins, it hurt real hard.

For Long Beach Wilson, the most prep-looking of the schools in the Moore League, and the area for all that mattered, losing someone like Gary DeVercelly was like losing a member of their family. The Wilson banner flew at half-mast for a while. From that point on, the players wore black armbands, honoring their fallen comrade.

As a Lakewood alumnus, I felt some sort of sympathy for those folks. I never like to see people go like that. When they have so much to live for, and a lethal overdose of aqua vitae took all their hopes and dreams-and their life away, living can be a cruel thing.

I tried getting a bid to a couple off frats at Long Beach State. Neither gave me a bid. And while I rued the day they did that to me, I look back at it, and it was probably one of the best things that happened to me. If I was intoxicated, and died while pledging, my family would have been shaken to the foundation and some, I can tell you that much.

With all that out of the way, I am hopeful that Lakewood will have the breaks that will even the score with the high-flying Bruins. Lakewood is ranked 9th in the nation by Baseball America, while Wilson is ranked 4th. It’s very possible these two could meet in the CIF-SS Division I championship at Angel Stadium.

I love Dire Straits. My favorite songs include “Walk Of Life”, “Tunnel Of Love,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Money For Nothing,” and, of course, “Sultans of Swing.”

I am a connoisseur of good musical hooks. When a good riff is made, combined with a suitable melody that drives the song, it can make a song memorable. In my view, a Billboard-charting song has its foundation on the hooks, from the rhythm, to the melody, to the lyrics themselves. And when it’s done right, it tops the charts.

Some hooks are done so well, that they can be remembered for many years. Take, for example Republica’s “Ready To Go.” This song combined good rhythm sampling, with guitars, and some simple, but proper lyrics. The hooks that drive the verses, refrain, chorus and bridge make a song that was composed in the mid-90’s relevant to today. This song became a jock jam. In otherwords, it was a song made for sports, and is played during important matched for teams. I can imagine that a collage of clips featuring the team in question can be easily choreographed to this music, and played before the pre-match introductions.

But let’s get back to the match between the Lancers and the Bruins. I knew that this was going to be a preview for the playoffs that would follow later in the season.

The Bruins start off with a few base hits, and jump off to an early 1-0 lead. The Lakewood supporters, who are on the third base side of the field and up to that point were frustrated with the hits given up, finally have something to cheer about with an out caught stealing, followed by a ground out. This game was going to be a long one.

A high school game goes seven innings in regulations, but there are times that the innings get longer, and leaner. Walks, combined with inept pitching, equal some utter futility.

I’m not going to place any future mobile I have in my jacket pockets. They tend to slide out when the pockets are not restrained by closed zippers. I’ll have to leave my next one at home. Hopefully, when my mom calls, she found out that someone has my phone. This has to be the worst feeling, having to lose it on the bus thanks to poor jacket design.

At the end of the night, to keep a long story short, Lakewood held off a rally by Wilson, and won thanks to some key baserunning in the bottom of the fourth to even the score, and possibly have a share of the Moore crown, defeating Wilson 5-4.

It was a good day.

I love Ice Cube. I like his for a number of his songs he wrote with N.W.A., specifically the surreal "Straight Outta Compton," as well as Bop Gun, featuring Parliament Funkadelic legend George Clinton. I still love his dreads. But one song that sticks out today is that song, "It Was A Good Day." One of the lines of the song has "The Lakers Beat The Supersonics." And truth be told, that's what the Lakers did today, and, in the process, ending days of frustration with a clinched playoff berth, snapping a losing streak on the side.

But that wasn't the only good thing that happened. It was the other good outcomes that has April 15, 2007 as one of my better days of the year to have experienced.

1. I predicted Sebastien Bourdais to win the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and lo and behold, he did so, fending off challenge from a certain Aussie named Will Power. Lampoon that, Grunion buffs, Fancy Lash, Father MacKenzie and you ilk.
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2. I predicted that there would be no hope for Cal State Northridge's baseball team, and the Dirtbags swept them, winning 7-2. In addition, those grumpy Staff Pro old farts left me alone. Wise move, you able-bodied Leisure World pensioners. Oddly enough, I went on a bus full of senior citizens when heading off to pick up lunch at the In-N-Out in Marina Pacifica.

3. I went to the softball game against Fullerton. It was the rubber match. Some Bobby Sox kids told me to be quiet, but I told them, "Kids, you're here to have fun. Make some noise and enjoy the game." One even asked me, "Do you go to all the events." I said, "Kid, I've been to over 70 so far in all sports, save cross-country and golf, this season, and I'm not done yet." Bridgette Pagano was able to atone for her demise yesterday, and the 49ers took the series, winning 5-1. And I was able to pick up my lunch without missing the bus. And I got a sweet game program and media guide.

4. The Dodgers won on Jackie Robinson day, 9-3. And the Angels were spared further humiliation from Boston thanks to snow. Odd that in the middle of April, there is still snow in the Northeast. That thing may not be over when June comes up there if it holds up!

5. FC Dallas gets theirs, after making Joe Cannon look like a rec league keeper, via a 3-0 drubbing by Red Bull New York and Bruce Arena.

6. The Anaheim Ducks get a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, putting them on the ropes for Super Tuesday at the XCel Energy Center in the Twin Cities.

7. Michael Ballack sent Chelsea to the promised land in the FA Cup semifinal, giving the Blues a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in extra time. The stage is set for a world-famous football clash in a world-famous stadium. Manchester United vs. Chelsea. The 2007 FA Cup Final presented by E.ON at Wembley Stadium. May 19, 2007. Will you be there?

(Hint: I won't.)

It's funny to know that those two could be meeting again at Athens in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final if Chelsea downs Liverpool and Man United disposes of AC Milan. Never mind that these two are in a race for the Premiership Crown. That Man United (owned by Malcolm Glazer, managed by Sir Alex Ferguson) vs. Chelsea (owned by Chukotka head honcho Roman Abromovich, managed by Jose Mourinho) for ya.

8. The Matildas rolled over Chinese Taipei, 10-0. It's clear that the matches against the Chollima concubines from North Korea will determine who in their group will be heading off to Athens.

You don’t have to be rich to make a mean-ass burger!

No. Seriously. Just ask a humble guy by the name of Tommy Koulax. It was decades ago that he decided to make a commitment to make the finest burgers and hot dogs and fries in the Los Angeles area. His idea became a reality with The Original Tommy’s hamburger and hot dog chain. Before the baseball game with Oral Roberts on Thursday, I decided to make my annual ritual to the Tommy’s in Long Beach to savor a Tommyburger, which was laced with their special chili. I do this once per year, in the middle of my university’s baseball season, preferably in the first week of April, when the cherry blossoms flow down.

I should have taken a photo of the sketch of Mr. Koulax. This guy knew how to run a fast food chain. No franchising. Word-of-mouth advertising. Not spreading too far in the hopes of finding stability and not close part of the chain. He had savvy. And a famous slogan to go with it: “If You Don’t See The Shack…Take It Back!”

In a city where competing chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, and (my home base) Carl’s Jr. (only because they have one on campus) lock heads with other chains to find the right customers, there are some local chains that don’t believe in trying to spread worldwide. The Original Tommy’s is an example of this. It’s akin to the City of Lakewood government: Times Change. Values Don’t.

As I watched the game, I was not disappointed. Oral Roberts just disposed of Wichita State, a team who we lost two out of three to. Dr. Dan, a local supporter of the Dirtbags, as well as the author of the Diamond Dust blog and baseball insert, called for Mike Weathers’ crew to go back to the fundamentals. In spite of giving up an error, the Beach was able to play a solid game through Andrew Liebl, an ace from Livermore up in the Bay Area, and the Bags won 4-0. I think it was a good move not to risk Bryan Shaw choking like he did in the third game against Fullerton. By doing so, he avoided getting his closer risking some more scathing remarks, should he do it two home games in a row. In the pros, I think he would called down, and reassigned.

Speaking of which, the minors got going. While the Los Angeles Angels dropped their first match of the year to those loathsome scum from that cesspool of the Bay known as Oakland, their Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees, edged the Las Vegas 51s, 4-3. Ironically, the Angels lost by that same score.

One more thing: the 51s are affiliated with the Dodgers, and they are not starting in the right auspices. Still early, though. And I will bet you that Matsuzaka-mania will die quicker than it started. Maybe not now, but somewhere later this season.

St. Patrick, meet Lady Milfeulle Sakuraba-Meyers.

St. Patrick’s Day, for the most part, was a bit of a huge pill to swallow. It started ominously-our university’s rugby team lost-again-this time to UC Santa Barbara by the sound of 46-7. Also, our baseball team saw their last seven batters go through a futility spell in an 8-7 loss to Wichita State, forcing a rubber match on Sunday.

So, as I ate lunch at the Carl’s Jr. on PCH and Ximeno to get energy for the volleyball match against Penn State, I thought; could this weekend become any worse for me?

The answer: Yes, but with a reprieve, and a big one at that. While Cal Baptist could not replicate its sweep of Penn State the other night against IPFW (who we defeated in a 3-2 barnburner), our volleyball team took on a Nittany Lions side that was angry that they got humiliated by an NAIA team (albeit the best in the NAIA), and I knew that this was going to go the distance-again.

Thank god for Dan Alexander of Arcadia. The redshirt freshman, along with diaper dandies Tommy “Cretino” Pestolesi and Dean “Dino” Bittner of Lakewood, pounded the lazy lobs from Penn State with authority, as if he were slam-dunking his opponents into submission.

Unlike our basketball team against Tennessee on Friday, our volleyball team actually showed some defense to go with the offensive kills, aces, and blocks off the touch. We went the distance, and won the fifth game 15-13. All the while, visions of King Leonidas of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae were on my mind.

As I went over to take a look-see at the Jack Rose Relays at the track of the same name, a few reporters from Cerritos College stopped me for a quick interview for their project. It had to do with race relations. I said that it was a good thing we have diversity on campus because it raises our profile for tolerating people of different persuasions. They asked me a question about the beating, and I said, “This was a backwards step for our university. I feel that justice was not served, and it was a huge step backward. But, in life, as a society, we have to learn to move backwards in order to move forwards. Everybody on campus has talked about this situation, and there will come a time when both sides reconcile about this situation, and put it behind them for good. Going backwards to go forwards: this is, I think one of the interesting, if not one of the best things about life.”

My alma mater, Lakewood High School in Lakewood, CA, is known for having a consistent baseball team. They are one of the best in the state, if not the nation. In their recent game on St. Patty’s Day, they defeated their opponent 16-1. In an outcome like this, the mercy rule came into effect. Oddly enough, I don’t know who they faced, but it didn’t seem like one of the strongest teams in the league. Either that or it was one of the pansies in the Moore League.

They are currently 9-1, ranked first in the Southern Section Division I. And they are the defending champions, having edged the Agoura Chargers in a nailbiter at Angel Stadium many moons ago. If we win the title again, I would issue a challenge to the winner of this year’s summer Koshien to face them in a friendly series down the road. While the timing may be a bit off, in a perfect world, this would be possible, and it would be Japan’s best team against one of California’s best teams.

I don’t know how we would do against them, but I think we would put them in their place. The laurels of victory will shine on Lakewood if they get the job done like they did last year. I’m going to make it a habit to come to at least one of their games later in April.

Speaking of which, I remember when I first went to the state championships in Anaheim last year. I’m talking five baseball games, all championship games…for the ridiculous bargain of $8.00. I was able to sit at the very front, behind home plate, watching teams like Quartz Hill, Palos Verdes, St. Francis, and my Lancers, among the participants, fight to the end. I remember when they were giving the trophy to St. Francis, and I saw on of the Franciscan monks watch the event, I said “Get Friar Tuck off the stage!” A St. Francis fan said, “Patience Lakewood. You’ll get yours.”

Well, I just had to laugh.

And wouldn’t you know it: in the last sign of proof that I went through St. Patrick’s Day, I picked up a dollar bill off the sidewalk. Not sure who would drop this, but I think this is going to make printing my codes for my Oracle and Visual Basic assignments easier.

I finally found who the Lancers beat the next day. Woodland Hills Taft. One of their aces, Omar Jimenez, struck out eight batters in the Redondo Tournament.