Giving Thanks on The Turf

Now that I've overstuffed myself once again on another fabulous Thanksgiving, I wanted to take time to post the obligatory 'Home Turf' Thankful list.
I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and I'm sure you have your list as well. As hard as times are right now when you look at the big picture, we're all doing pretty well.
I'll start with the show, the station and you the listeners. I'm thankful first of all to have this opportunity, I thank General Manager Roger Fessler for believing in my idea to change a struggling AM station into a sports powerhouse and for allowing me to be a part of it on the air. I thank owner Rogers Brandon for backing my plan as well, I hope I make both of them happy...and some money along the way.
I'm thankful for a great group of coworkers and employees at the station as well. The ESPN Radio 1230 as well as the 'Home Turf' crew are probably the best, most eclectic, energetic and fun group of people I've ever worked with. We're fortunate to have jobs that allow us to have a lot of fun, and we manage to accomplish that every day. I've likened to place to the infamous Delta House of Animal House fame, add a few togas and we're your sequel.
I'm thankful for a job that also allows me the honor of calling the play-by-play for Cal State Bakersfield, I'm excited to be a part of this historic Division I transition and for meeting some great people along the way. I'm Thankful for the Roadrunners and their staff, what a ride it's been so far, plenty more to come.
As I previously mentioned, we all have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. The economy may have things down for all of us a little bit, things might not be as good as they used to be, but if we all take the time to look around, take in our surroundings, our family, our friends, our support structure and more, I think we'd all pretty much agree we're lucky. Things could be better...but they could also be much worse. Take time to be Thankful this holiday weekend...you can thank me when the show returns on Monday.

Runners even record with Sac State win

CSUB men's basketball improved to 2-2 Tuesday night with a 72-62 win over Sacramento State at Rabobank Arena. It was a gritty win for the Runners, having to rely heavily on their post play to counteract the post attack of Sac State who was dead set on scoring in the post. Not only did the Runners win the game, they managed to outscore the Hornets on the inside tonight as well.
When it comes to college basketball, it's key to have a team that knows how to finish a game. It was a trait that a very young inexperienced Runners team last year was unable to master, four games into this season CSUB has managed two solid finishes at home. Trailing late on Tuesday, CSUB went to the guys who've been through the battles before, Trent Blakely, Santwon Latunde and Donovan Bragg, each of whom provided a spark late to key the CSUB rally and victory.
When CSUB needed a big shot Tuesday, they got it. Providing the difference between a .500 record heading into Pepperdine Saturday and a losing one. This was a different Sac State team than the one the Runners beat by 15 last season. New coach, mostly all new players transferring from the Junior College level, and a new philosophy. It was also a new Roadrunners team, not in the same ways like Sac State, but in experience and fortitude.
Should be a good matchup Saturday with Pepperdine, a chance for CSUB to have a winning record in D-I play for the first time in their short transition history. Tuesday's win meant the first time the team has reached .500, and a post Thanksgiving win would be another huge step in this process...we'll see if the team has another gritty effort in them, they'll need it against their first West Coast Conference team of the season.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Roadrunners Shock Northridge!

Cal State Bakersfield has done it again in a home opener. A year ago it was Fresno State falling to CSUB 65-64, this time it was Cal State Northridge, the preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference, falling 67-65 at Rabobank Arena. CSUB's Donovan Bragg provided the late heroics with a three-point play with 10.2 seconds remaining to put the Runners up for good. Northridge had a late chance to tie but as tends to happen with the D-I Runners, luck was on their side in home openers as Tremaine Townsend's layup struck the bottom of the rim providing CSUB with the rebound and the win.
"Oh my God it's happened again," was the only thing I could come up with to describe the win on tonight's broadcast. It was a big one for CSUB who was blown-out by the defending Big West co-champions last season by 16 points. Tonight it was CSUB getting the last laugh and securing the signature victory. I've seen this team play three games now, all three providing an amazing amount of improvement from the previous effort. Tonight was the same story, with better results.
With 22 seconds remaining and down by a point, CSUB got a steal and called timeout. I looked across the arena from our broadcast location and saw a fan stand up, mutter something to the people he was with and pointed at the scoreboard...65-64 was up on the big board at center court, the same score the Runners beat Fresno State by a year ago. Call it a sign but I knew something magical was about to happen...and it did. Donovan Bragg scored the final three of his 17 and CSUB put another feather in their Div. 1 cap.
The win over Northridge not only marks another step in the transition, it marks an indication that the Runners can compete at and above the level of the Big West conference. As CSUB tries to enter that conference, wins like this increase their chances and put the ball in the Conference's big wigs court to make that decision, and make it quickly. Two seasons in a row the Runners have defeated the defending champions, last season it was Long Beach State twice, this year it was the Mattadors.
There will be more opportunities this season with games against Fullerton, Pacific, UC Davis and UC Irvine. The win Friday makes CSUB 10-1 all-time at Rabobank Arena in home openers, the last time they lost was to Point Loma Nazarene in 2000. That night a young up and coming broadcaster named Corey Costelloe called the action for the Crusaders on campus station KPLR AM 620...glad to be on the other side now, witnessing a historic move to the highest level of college basketball, and being a part of the magic that is home-openers for CSUB. Go Runners indeed!

Back to Business

Back from the first basketball trip. Took a couple days to catch up and now back to blogging business...

I wanted to take a few minutes to write about the hire of Don Wakamatsu, the new Manager of the Seattle Mariners. Many might not know that the first Asian-American manager in Major League Baseball spent a little time here in Bakersfield. Albeit as an opposing manager for the High Desert Mavericks, whom he guided to a second place Cal League finish in 1998 while snatching up manager of the year honors, it's still nice to know another piece of baseball history once yelled at umpires from the dugouts at Sam Lynn.
That aside, the big story behind Wakamatsu is his heritage. Being an Asian-American and the first to manage a Major League team is not only a big deal for history's sake, but for the Mariners as well. Hiring Wakamatsu was a good compliment to the huge Asian following the team already has thanks to Ichiro Suzuki, and it caters to the enormous Japanese fan base that calls Seattle home.
I suspect that Wakamatsu's Japanese heritage, his families history which included stints in interment camps in World War II was no doubt a factor in the Seattle front office decision making. Who wouldn't want a manager that looks like and has a name like a big chunk of the population you're trying to sell tickets to. Not saying this is a bad thing, actually it's a smart thing. Which franchise doesn't want to sell more tickets?
That being said, Wakamatsu is a good fit for Seattle. His time in the minors as a player and coach allow him the patience and expertise to deal with the young talent on the Mariners roster, while his name echoes of similarities of many Seattle fans.
I hope it was that experience and ability to win ball games that prompted Mariner management to hire this particular new skipper. After all, hiring a manager that looks like a big part of the Mariner fan base is all fine and dandy, but let's face it, if he can't win ball games, he might become a part of that fan base faster than Ichiro can say "sianora!"

Another loss, but effort much better

CSUB lost for the second game in a row Sunday 70-62 to Air Force, a game that CSUB honestly should have had, despite shooting a mere 36 percent the Runners still managed to lead the game on 7 occasions. Unfortunately Air Force hit the right shots at the right times to give them the lead for good late in the second half.
On the bright side, Pat Carlson was as advertised, hitting 5 of 10 from three point range to lead the Runners with 21 points off the bench. The coaching staff had hoped he was going to provide a spark and he did, unfortunately too little production on the inside along with some easy missed shots in the paint forced CSUB to keep their game on the perimeter where the team shot just eight of 21. More production will definitely be needed Friday night as pre season Big West Conference champ favorite CS Northridge comes to town.
All in all the trip proved that the Runners are improving, even in a just a few days between games CSUB looked better, in a few weeks they'll learn to close out games like this and hit more shots to seal the "w". It's all in due time.
Team heading back Monday afternoon from Colorado. No practice is scheduled, the team will hit finals when they return. They've been studying on the road like crazy, even had a study hall tonight since the game got done so early. Once they take care of business in the classroom it's only a matter of time before they start doing so on the court.

Air Force practice

The Runners went back to work Saturday after the 3 1/2 hour drive from Laramie, Wyoming to Colorado Springs, Colorado. A two-hour practice on the campus of Air Force allowed CSUB to work on the areas that left them vulnerable in Friday's loss and focus on what they need to do to beat Air Force. It wasn't an easy day before the game practice by any means, head coach Keith Brown challenged several players and got a solid effort from his guys in practice.
The Air Force Academy campus is the cleanest facility in America, I'm sure undisciplined cadets are punished with the work, but the place is beautiful and impressive. The athletics facilities included a hockey rink, several basketball training gyms, a workout gym that looked about an acre in size, even an area for fencing. The cadets definitely have the best to work with.
Below are some photos from Saturday's practice. More to come from the campus tomorrow.



Inside the practice facility at Air Force.

Junior Forward Trent Blakely

Pat Carlson tossing one up from downtown.

Justin Dennis from the outside.


Alex Johnson's 3-pt attempt.

In Colorado and Pics are up

As promised, we're now in Colorado Springs to get ready for tomorrow's game against Air Force and I was finally able to post pictures from the Wyoming stay. Most of them are from Thursday's practice and a couple from today. Enjoy more to come from Colorado.


The Welcome sign at the Arena Auditorium in Laramie.




Chepe Lara at practice

Cory Brown with the jump hook


Assistant Coach Bryan Dignan


Donovan Bragg with the jumper.


Sophomore Guard Alex Johnson sneaks in a quick nap.



The Best part about Wyoming, Leaving!

Loss to Wyoming, still positives to be drawn

Despite appearing ready for their first matchup of 2008-2009, the CSUB men's basketball team struggled against a more experienced and longer Wyoming squad losing 84-58. It wasn't the effort that doomed CSUB but the matchup, more athletic, longer players were too versatile for the Runners to handle. Mtn West officiating didn't help, especially in the first half when the Runners led by 6 before giving up a 13-point run led by 9 pts at the free throw line. Afam Muojeke was a troublesome match for the Runners tonight who scored all 13 of those points for the Cowboys in that stretch.
On a positive note, the Runners never gave up. Bright spots came from the play of Brian Emanuel, who in the first half limited Cowboys leading scorer Brandon Ewing to 2 points. Emanuel left the game in the second half after trying to save a ball out of bounds and crashed hard into a scoreboard light located on the wall near the Runners bench. Fortunately, despite breaking all the lamps inside, the sign didn't shatter and Emanuel was dealing with only a sore back. Hopefully he's ready to go Sunday.
The other positive is that CSUB doesn't have to wait a week to bounce back, they get their chance Sunday against Air Force, a team that matches up better with CSUB's strengths. Air Force won tonight over Northern Colorado, a D2 team that took them to the limit. Hopefully a 1-1 split on the trip is in the future for the Runners.
We'll leave tomorrow from Laramie and drive to Colorado Springs to get ready for Air Force Sunday. Hopefully the Runners 2-16 performance from 3-pt range was just a fluke. Air Force will give up looks from the outside with their style of play. Had the Runners hit half their open looks Friday night it would have been another story. But, chalk this one up to nerves, first time playing together or whatever and move on. CSUB will win a lot of games this season, just need to pull it all together, and I think that's coming sooner than later. Will update from the road Saturday. Hopefully post all the pics as well.

Game Day

Apparently they didn't feed the buffalo enough that's in charge of turning the wheel that controls the internet in Laramie, Wyoming. Still no luck on the photos, will try again when we arrive in Colorado Springs tomorrow.
It's game day for the Runners, a team meal this morning, a good shoot around at 10:30 along with another film session make up their day. Everyone seems focused and confident for tonight's showdown with Wyoming.
Cowboys head coach Heath Scroyer apparently hasn't looked at the Runners roster this season or seen any film, he was quoted in the Laramie Boomerang this morning saying "CSUB is a small fast team without much of a post presence." Guess he didn't see the roster with the 6-8 280 Chepe Lara, 6-6 262 Santwon Latunde or the 5 others players over 200 lbs on CSUB's roster. Maybe he was remembering what the Runners had last season, if he's doing that, the Cowboys could be in trouble. This team has a completely different look than last season.
Runners are prepared and confident, lots of film study going into this one, lots of practice as well. Meetings have been productive as well with everyone on the same page. Head coach Keith Brown said it best in yesterday's film session, "We can't go out there and make these guys out to be heroes." Really trying to hammer home the fact that they have a chance with the experience the Runners bring into the game.
More updates after tip off. Check out the game on our sister station KERN Newstalk 1410 or listen to the streaming audio at www.kernradio.com

Practicing for Wyoming

Having some trouble uploading pictures from today's practice. Will get them up as soon as possible. Honestly it was the best practice I have witnessed on travel day. Previously those practices are tough because of the travel grind, sometimes guys aren't as fresh as they could be, but today they were pumped up, into practice and on the same page. Some of the highlights included strong rebounding and putbacks by Ryan Brown, Donald Lee and Santwon Latunde. Guard play was strong as well from Donovan Bragg, Alex Johnson and Jonny Machado. Cory Brown and Chepe Lara looked strong as well in the post. The guys look ready to take on Wyoming tomorrow night.

Made it to Laramie

Team just got into Laramie Wy, about an hour ago. Guys have decided to take some naps before an evening film session and practice. I think a nap sounds great too. Been a long day of travel for all of us. I will post photos from practice this evening and give you a sense of just how much they love their Wyoming Cowboys or "pokes" as they're referred to here in Laramie a bit later as well. Enjoy the show with Vance Palm filling in today, I'll check in towards the end.

Arrived in Denver

Well we all made it to Denver, the first leg of the trip to Laramie to start the season. I'm updating now from our bus that's taking us the two hours north to Laramie, Wyoming.
They'll be a practice later this evening and I promise to post photos for you then. You'll get a kick out of the "arena auditorium" its a nice arena that's very "home friendly" and they remind you of that.
Just an FYI, a listener asked who was going to do my show in my absence. Vance Palm of the Bakersfield Jam will host today and I will host friday from my hotel in Laramie. Gotta love technology. More updates to come...

The Journey Begins...

T Minus 12 hours from departure...Yes assistant coach Brian Dignan and I apparently drew the short straws on the first basketball trip of the season so we'll be departing out of Los Angeles at 6am, so do the math thats a 2:30am departure via Bakersfield. No big deal, we flew out of LAX so many times last season we started getting mail there.

Just went through the most interesting equipment check of the season. Engineer Jake and I were testing out the new mixer the station purchased for lighter travel when it started to smoke. Apparently the promotions staff didn't know you can't put C batteries in backwards, it tends to cause a meltdown. Tragedy averted, we were able to rescue the mixer before any serious damage was done. It's not the first time equipment used for CSUB has had smoking issues. Three seasons ago a stat monitor located in front of me at Rabobank Arena caught fire during the pre game show, since I was on the air I was limited to panicked gestures to Sports Information staff who promptly unplugged the now deceased piece of equipment.
Equipment issues aside I still have a lot of packing/organizing to do prior to departure tomorrow morning. Unfortunately the first trip of the season always catches you off guard, once it's out of the way things are right where they're supposed to be but the first trip always has me searching for items I need for the journey. Add in my recent house purchase and move and well it could be a long night.
Otherwise excited to start the season. Long trip covering two states in four days. First at Wyoming on Friday night and then at Air Force on Sunday afternoon. More details to come as we officially get underway tomorrow. The plan will be early flights out of Bakersfield for the team, they'll meet up with us in Denver where we'll Charter bus our way north to Laramie, Wyo. More updates to come...

More Changes Needed in Chase

I'm all for NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup format. I was in attendance in 2003 when Matt Kenseth won his only race of the year at Las Vegas before winning the then Winston Cup. Despite being Mr Consistency all season, Kenseth's title run was marked with an asterisk by the NASCAR elite who realized they quickly needed a fix to keep NASCAR competitive in the fall months when NFL football consumed the televisions of the American public.
So the Chase format was born, and has since been reborn on a couple of occasions, including the expansion this season from 1o to 12 drivers. But since the Chase was adopted in 2004, only Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart have been able to win a Cup, with Jimmie Johnson now poised to win his 3rd straight. Now I don't want to penalize domination, matter of fact I applaud it. NASCAR adopted this "playoff" system and now just like any other sport, some teams are coming to play when the postseason rolls around, and Johnson's #48 team is such a group. But I think changes are once again needed.
The Chase started with plenty of drama when Kyle Busch who dominated all season was eliminated from contention early with several poor finishes, but one man's misfortune was another's jackpot. Enter Jimmie Johnson who won again on Sunday and needs to finish only 36th or better next week in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to join Cale Yarborough (1976-78) as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win three straight titles.
36th or better huh? Bakersfield's Casey Mears occupied that spot Sunday at Phoenix and only completed 278 of the 313 laps before an accident ended his day. If another accident or series of misfortunes ends the days of 7 drivers early this weekend at Miami, Johnson could throw the #48 in reverse and win his third straight Cup.
10 races in the Chase are simply too many. Give me five or six, cut down the cookie-cutter mile-and-a-half ovals and throw in the Talladega's, the Bristol's, Phoenix' and any other track that requires keen setups and a driving ability. I also want the Chase reduced to 10 drivers once again, even 5 would make things more interesting. NASCAR is worried that if the stars that sell the most at the souvenir stand don't make the Chase, then folks won't watch. Well, all those drivers made it this year and I still don't see America turning off the NFL for racing action. With fewer drivers and fewer tracks, the competition will be fiercer, allowing some drivers to make mistakes without the risk of losing ground, and placing a bigger incentive on Chase wins and strong finishes. It also won't allow even the most dominating driver the cushion to have the Cup wrapped up before "Championship Weekend," at Homestead-Miami.
The economy is turning the gold mine that was once NASCAR into a gravel pit. Fewer sponsors and fewer dollars demand a scale back. But done correctly a scale-back can be a move forward, and maybe even provide that valuable dent in the TV audience dedicated to football on Sundays.

One Week and Counting!

We're one week away people from the start of the 2008-2009 CSUB Basketball season. I'm sorry but this is the most exciting time of year for me. I get to travel and see the country, see the highest level of college basketball and get paid for it all. It's really a nice gig.
The season opens next Friday 11/14 at the University of Wyoming and at Air Force on Sunday the 16th. It will be the Runners second trip to Wyoming, a long journey that consists of flights to Denver and a long bus trip through the Great Plains to Laramie, Wyoming at over a mile high of elevation, tough place to breath let alone play basketball.
Ready to get started though, expecting a strong year out of this club. Got a chance to meet them all Wednesday night at the Tip-Off Dinner. Great event, over $36,000 raised for exhausted eligibility scholarships, meaning the program is taking extra care to make sure the players finish their degrees after finishing their eligibility on the court. Some schools haven't made that a priority and continue to suffer the consequences from the NCAA. Cal State Bakersfield may be new to Division I but they're not dumb, deciding to stay off the bad side of the NCAA and its authorities.
Hope you will support this team this season. Get tickets to every game and enjoy the product for what it is, Division I college basketball right here in Bakersfield. Four teams that you probably circled in your brackets last year during the tournament will be here right in front of your eyes, and let me tell you, I think we have a chance to upset some of them.
I'll continue the countdown and keep you posted on the latest. The blog will also become a travel log of sorts on our journey's this season. Can't wait to bring you the real CSUB Basketball experience.

History Made!

History was made Tuesday, November 4th...no Barack Obama's election didn't have anything to do with it. No Tuesday ESPN Radio 1230 listeners learned first, that Cal State Bakersfield has inked a deal to play UCLA in men's basketball next season at Pauley Pavillion. The date for the matchup has been set for Friday November 2oth, a game that is expected to be televised regionally and with the Bruins, who knows, nationally?
It will mark the first meeting between the two schools in men's basketball, CSUB will be into their third and final season of NCAA Division I transition while UCLA by then may very well be coming off their 4th NCAA Final Four appearance and maybe even a National Title.
While the UCLA game is big for CSUB in terms of status, by then Pac 10 foes will be nothing new to the Runner. Remember CSUB faced Oregon State last season and will see the Beavers again this season in Corvallis, they will also face Stanford in February in Palo Alto. UCLA is no doubt one of the premiere programs in college basketball, but I don't think the Bruins will have much of an intimidation advantage over CSUB, by then the Bruins will be just another opponent on a tougher schedule in their quest towards Division I status. Remember a good chunk of CSUB's team will be juniors then, with two seasons of experience playing together. This may be the first measuring stick of a program who develops their players all four years against the program that loses a good chunk of their players to the NBA early.
While I can't wait for that date at Pauley next season, I'm just as much looking forward to next week, seeing the Runners in action against Wyoming and Air Force. Should be a productive trip and a great start to 2008-2009.

BCS Reaction November Edition

Sorry, but I can't get on board nor can I let the latest version of the BCS rankings go unnoticed. As you heard on the show today, myself along with callers are wondering why USC slipped two spots in the latest standings after blowing out a hapless Washington team. Last week the Trojans looked terrible against Arizona, and they didn't move up or down, but this week they win and they lose ground in the National Title chase...what the ^%$#
I understand Florida won a big game over Georgia, but let's be honest, the Bulldogs have been overrated since being crowned preseason #1. The biggest accomplishment they have all season is deciding to wear black uniforms at home, a move that led to another Bulldog ass kicking. Florida also lost to Mississippi, who in my book is no better that the Oregon State Beavers who beat USC and will probably win eight games this season, more than Ole Miss for sure.
I know it may never happen in this lifetime, but the game of college football is ready for a playoff system. I think the California Community College model works best, playoffs for the top eight teams with the first rounds being Bowl games, that way the sponsors get their run as bowl contributors and the fans get what we want, a true #1 without relying on computers and polls, biases and old grudges.
I'm ready for college football to give me more excitement than the Superbowl...hence the key word "bowl." It can happen, we can all be happy.