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mustangdaily.net Thursday, February 5, 2009

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

RECRUITS Walsh introduces first recruiting class Duke deLancellotti QB San Clemente, CA San Clemente HS

Fred Gaines

RB/DB Chowchilla, CA Chowchilla HS

Sullivan Grosz

DL Fresno, CA San Joaquin Memorial HS

Geoff Hyde C Anaheim, CA Esperanza HS

Ken Johnston QB Carmel, CA Carmel HS

Johnny Millard DB Dublin, CA Foothill HS

Vince Moraga QB/DB Oxnard, CA Pacifica HS

Brock Morris OL Redlands, CA Redlands HS

Chris Pinto

P/K Salinas, CA Salinas HS/ Monterey Peninsula College

Xavier Ramos

DB Ventura, CA St. Bonaventure HS

Bijon Samoodi RB/DB Anaheim, CA Servite HS

Michael Santini RB/LB San Jose, CA Leland HS

Amir Tadros OL/DL San Jose, CA Leland HS

Gabriel Umoh FB Inglewood, CA Morningside HS

Tim Vizzi

WR/DB Moorpark, CA Moorpark HS

Scott Silvey mustang daily

F

or college football fans, signing day is the equivalent of the NFL draft to pro fans. It is the day that could determine the success or failure of a team for several years to come.

For fans of Cal Poly football, it is a chance to see what a new coaching regime can do with just three weeks of preparation time to start rebuilding a team that lost the majority of its top-ranked offense and was young on defense.

Mustangs head coach Tim Walsh announced Wednesday the signing of 15 players to a national letter of intent, ending a whirlwind recruiting period that started the day he was hired.

“In the amount of days that we actually had to work as a staff, I thought that we handled things as professionally as we possibly could have,” Walsh said. “We jumped in and got our feet running.”

Walsh’s first recruiting class with Cal Poly is a balanced one, including three quarterbacks, five players on the offensive side of the ball, six on the defensive side and one place kicker.

He admitted though, that he was looking for a specific kind of player initially.

“The one thing that’s going to be difficult for us to recruit is defensive linemen,” he said. “So there was an emphasis to find some guys with some size who could run.”

Two players that fit Walsh’s de-

scription are Amir Tadros and Sullivan Grosz.

Hailing from San Jose, Tadros, recorded 64 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a defensive lineman for Leland High School. At 6-foot-3 and 240-pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in under five seconds.

Grosz, who signed on at Cal Poly despite a scheduled visit to UCLA, had 100 tackles and six sacks as a defensive linemen for San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno.

“Amir and Sullivan are two guys who can run and have the ability to get bigger and hopefully keep that athleticism,”Walsh added.

Walsh was just as happy with the quality of how the new personalities will fit on the team as with their football prowess.

Grosz was a team captain, academic award winner, student body vice president and homecoming king among other honors while Tadros was one of a number of recruits being looked at

by Ivy League schools.

Walsh said that he was the coaching staff was excited to get the number of quality recruits to sign with Cal Poly after their initial visit.

“One thing we’re all impressed with is the amount of visits and the amount of players that we signed is very disproportionate to where I’ve been in the past. At Army we would bring three guys in for a visit to get one to stay.”

Walsh said that 18 players officially visited Cal Poly, and of those players, 14 committed. The final player was a

junior college transfer who visited last year.

The secondary was another point of emphasis for Walsh’s staff, and two of his recruits may turnout to be the stars of the class down the road.

Bijon Samoodi was rated among the top 50 cornerbacks in the nation out of Anaheim’s Servite High School. He chose the Mustangs over Air Force.

Xavier Ramos was recruited by Pac-10 power Oregon, who in a move that has come under fire around the nation, pulled his scholarship offer after Ramos accepted it.

The Ducks loss appears to be Cal Poly’s gain as Ramos recorded 72 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles, one interception and 13 pass breakups as a senior at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura.

The offense also got some muchneeded young blood including running back Fred Gaines of Chowchilla High School in Chowchilla, Calif.

Gaines rushed for over 1,000 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry and scoring 13 touchdowns while leading his team to a 12-1 mark and a league championship.

“I really think (Gaines) is a guy that can play multiple positions in college,” Walsh said. “That’s one of the things we’re looking for. I think he’s as good inside as he is outside and has a real strong lower body.”

Quarterback Ken Johnston, who is the son of former Cal Poly signal-caller Craig Johnston will join his brother Phil (a junior linebacker) on the ros-

ter after passing for more than 5,400 yards during the final two years of his high school career in Carmel.

Walsh said that while he is happy with this year’s recruits he expects three or four more to join the roster eventually.

Walsh said the recruits chose Cal Poly for more than just the successful football program.

“The location, the academics, the athletic history, I think all those things played a positive role in the young men we were able to sign,” he added.

photo courtesy of merced sun-star

Chowchilla High School running back Fred Gaines rushed for over 1,000 yards on 8.9 yards per carry as a senior.

On the recruitment trail with Cal Poly Omar Sanchez mustang daily

W

hen the high school football season wrapped up, Michael Santini of Leland High School in San Jose got to work putting together his best football film to distribute to 15 college football programs.

It wasn’t until early January that he noticed serious calls coming in from scouts. Cal Poly was on the late train because new head football coach Tim Walsh had just been hired and had a small team of coaches to aid him in recruiting. But once he assembled most of his coaching staff they made sure to target Santini.

“They just kept calling me, telling how much they loved the film,” Santini said. “And on my list, that pushes them up higher.”

After the season was over he put together a daily two-hour workout routine with his younger brother to prepare for the beginning of a college football career. But pressure to choose a program was mounting as he saw a barrage of commitments on television after Christmas.

“It’s kind of like ‘when am I go-

ing to figure this out,’” Santini said of the long process.“It gets to a point where you just want it to be over and you just want to know where you’re going.”

But he kept in mind his high school coach’s advice: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Don’t get too excited about something, keep your head on right and have thick skin because some coaches are going to tell you ‘you’re not what I’m looking for,’” his coach told him.

For new co-offensive coordinator Bryan Cook, Santini was just what he was looking for, so he made in an in-house visit.

“It was actually kind of awkward because (Cal Poly) just got set up with their coaching staff before they visited me. Normally I would ask recruiters about the school, but (Cook) probably knew as much as I did at the time,” he explained.

What Cook lacked on information about Cal Poly was made up with a visit to the campus.

“The school pretty much pitched itself,” Santini said. “It seems like a relaxed and good environment, plus the weather’s awesome.”

Walsh said that many recruits were sold on visits to the campus.

“We’re at a place like Cal Poly that can sell itself.That’s one reason why I decided to coach here, because it’s a great academic institution that gives us the opportunity to recruit the best student athletes.”

During Santini’s tour of Cal Poly, he met with the coaches, advisers and learned about the academic programs.

The visit last week made Santini come to a quick realization that he wanted to play Mustang football.

His commitment was bad news for other schools gunning for him like UC Davis which got a phone call from Santini shortly after informing them he wouldn’t be making the trip up there.

Once he committed, Walsh made a stop at his San Jose home where he was reaffirmed as a good fit to play linebacker for the defense Cal Poly wants to run.

He will be joined by his high school teammate Amir Tadros, who also committed to play on the defensive line.

It’s a procedure that repeats itself day and night, up and down the state

culminating in the Feb. 4 signing day.

During the day recruiters visit the players to scout the best fits for their teams. Those that make the cut get a night in-house visit to include the parents in the decision making.

“We want mom and dad to ask as many questions as they can,” Walsh said. “We spend (a lot of) personal time with the student athletes.”

“You work from seven in the morning to 10 o’clock at night to find the right fits for your program.

You put a lot of wear and tear and miles on the car,” Walsh said about the process.

It all took shape once football season ended for Santini, but for the coaches it’s a year round search for talent that the new coaches at Cal Poly had to squeeze into 17 days.

Walsh said the motivation to sustain long workdays is the desire to be a great coach and the biggest reward of watching his student athletes flourish.

“Good players make good coaches,” he said. “You can be the best coach in the world but without good players, you’re not going to win many games.”

mustangdaily.net Tuesday, October 7, 2008

SPORTS

sports editors:

Donovan Aird, Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

football

Mustangs can’t say bye-bye to byes yet Cal Poly embarks on its third bye week over a five-week period during its first regular season with fewer than 11 games since 1993 Donovan Aird mustang daily

Rich Ellerson’s not a mind reader. Still, the head coach of the Cal Poly football team had a pretty good idea Monday what the focus of the school’s weekly athletics news conference at Mott Gym would be.

“Yes, we have another bye,” he said, beginning a rapid-fire satire while reporters situated their microphones and recorders before asking any questions. “Yes, it’s a positive.

Yes, it’ll be fine.”

He’s had plenty of recent experience providing those

kinds of answers, and more than enough reason to anticipate inquiries of the same nature.

After all, the Mustangs, whose third-week meeting with McNeese State in Lake Charles, La. was canceled due to Hurricane Ike, are beginning their third bye week over a five-week period, leaving the program with its first regular season featuring fewer than 11 games since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision (then Division I-AA) level in 1994.

“It’s definitely a different kind of season,” Cal Poly junior defensive end Ryan Shotwell said. “To have three (byes) is really unusual.”

Mustangs senior linebacker Fred Hives II even called the trio of off dates an “unheard of ” occurrence.

“It would definitely have to be the most unusual season I’ve been a part of,”

he said. “Having three bye weeks, I’ve never seen that before.”

A typical 11-game schedule was hard enough to string together before the season even started. The causes were numerous and varied. The Mustangs play in the FCS state with the fewest FCS teams per capita — and a part of the state that is not easy to travel to. Sacramento State ducked renewing a non-conference series that spanned from 1983 to 2006 after Cal Poly soundly won its last four installments. And five consecutive seasons with at least seven wins, coupled with 10 starters returning from a 2007 offense that finished behind only national champion Appalachian State led to a handful of top-15 rankings that surely scared some would-be sparring partners off.

Consequently, Cal Poly — which contacted every FCS team in the country, athletic director Alison Cone

said — found itself looking ahead to two Football Bowl Subdivision (I-A) foes and one in transition from Division II. The same problems that existed before the season were complicated with the rest of the country already playing, making midseason efforts to fill Saturday’s open date unsuccessful.

Needing at least seven wins against fully-fledged Division I competition for playoff consideration, Cal Poly’s urgency heading into its opportunities was intensified

by McNeese State’s cancellation.

But the Mustangs (3-1), ranked No. 7 in both the FCS coaches and Sports Network media polls, are staying upbeat.

“Unlike the first (bye), we anticipated this one,” Ellerson said. “Unlike the last one, we didn’t necessarily want to have a bye this week.”

Even so, it could be fortuitous heading into an Oct.

18 match-up at No. 23/25 South Dakota State (3-3), also entering a bye week.

“The silver lining on this is that it allows us to prepare for the stretch and go into the stretch as well conditioned, as strong and as healthy as any team in the country,” Ellerson added.

Last year, the Mustangs fell to the Jackrabbits 48-35 — also in Brookings, S.D. — as Cory Koenig rushed for 259 yards, the second-most by an opponent in Cal Poly history.

“A year ago they beat us up,” Ellerson said. “Some of the things that were a challenge in that game were a challenge the other night.”

He was referring to Saturday’s 49-22 win over South Dakota at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, where the Mustangs allowed a 14play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, yielded see Football, page 11

Phils, Dodgers meet up in NLCS Joe Resnick associated press

LOS ANGELES — Back in the era of cookie-cutter stadiums, polyester pullovers and artificial turf, baseball had another familiar sight: Phillies vs.

Dodgers for the NL pennant.

“It seemed like every time we turned around, there were the Phillies,” former Los Angeles center fielder Rick Monday recalled.

They played in the 1977 NL championship series and the next year, too. Both times, Tom Lasorda and the Dodgers won the best-of-five matchup in four games.

Decked out in powder-blue uniforms, Philadelphia did better in the 1983 NLCS and beat the Dodgers in four.

They’re set to meet again in the NLCS, starting Thursday in Philadelphia.

“Obviously, this series brings back a lot of memories and just rekindles those games we had with them,” said former Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa, now the Dodgers’ third-base coach.

“We couldn’t beat them those two years that I played, but they were good, competitive series and we just came up short.”

Bowa will see a familiar face across the field. Former Dodgers second baseman Davey Lopes is the Phillies’ first-base coach.

associated press

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jonathan Broxton celebrates L.A.’s sweep of the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Eight players appeared in all three series between the teams, including Phillies star third baseman Mike Schmidt, pitchers Steve Carlton and Ron Reed and center fielder Garry Maddox.

Four Dodgers played in each one: shortstop Bill Russell, catcher Steve Yeager, left fielder Dusty Baker and Monday, in his 15th full season as one of the team’s broadcasters.

“To this day, Larry Bowa and I talk about some of the games we played against one another,” Monday said.

“There was such a respect that I had for Larry and some of the other Phillies, because it was the truest sense of competition on one of the biggest stages that you can play on — the postseason. Now we have a chance to reflect on it a little bit more.”

Led by Carlton, the Phillies brought plenty of pitching.Their arms were not the only thing that made an impression on Monday.

“We also knew they had a pitching staff that, if they were in street clothes, would look like an NBA team traveling through the airport,” he said.

Ron Reed, who played two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, was the see NLCS, page 11

associated press

The Boston Red Sox’s Jason Bay (left) scores the game-winning run past Los Angeles Angels catcher Mike Napoli in Boston on Monday.

Red Sox move on Jimmy Golen associated press

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox brushed aside the 100-win Angels in four games, dismissing their best-in-baseball regular season as last month’s news.

When it turns to October, no one dominates like Boston.

Moments after the Angels botched a suicide squeeze, Jason Bay slid headfirst into home plate to score on Jed Lowrie’s two-out single in the ninth inning. The defending

World Series champions beat Los Angeles 3-2 Monday night in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series and advanced to play for the AL pennant for the fourth time in six seasons.

The wild-card Red Sox, who also won it all in 2004, will have a chance at a third title in five years if they can get past the Rays in the best-of-seven AL championship series that starts Friday night at Tampa Bay. Boston is 31-16 in October see Boston, page 11

SPORTS

mustangdaily.net Friday, March 13, 2009

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

softball

Senior shortstop Melissa Pura has dominated on the field and in the classroom Alisha Axsom mustang daily

M

Pura’s legacy at Cal Poly started before she even enrolled.

Both of the senior shortstop’s parents received their degrees from the university and enjoyed the school so much that Pura decided she wanted the same experience.

Unlike many athletes, Pura chose Cal Poly because of the reputation of its business school as well as the university’s proximity to her hometown of Salinas.

“I kind of went beyond the whole softball thing,” Pura says. “I’m really into my education and I know that they have a good business school here so that was really a convincing factor too.”

Pura says it can be hard to juggle both school and athletics because of the intense daily schedule, but head coach Jenny Conelissa

don emphasizes the fact that the women are at Cal Poly for school first and softball second.

The business marketing major is also pursuing a minor in wine and viticulture, but isn’t exactly sure what she will do after she graduates. Ideally, Pura says she would love to go into sports marketing because that field combines both of her interests. Marketing for the wine and viticulture industry is also a possibility, but Pura says she’s “leaving her doors open” right now.

Another option opened up for Pura after the Akron Racers selected the softball standout in the fourth round in the National Pro Fastpitch league draft. Right now, however, Pura says she is focused on Cal Poly softball and isn’t committed to the Racers.

“It’s an honor to be drafted because that means that people across the country feel like she’s one of the top players in the country,” Condon says.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for her,” echoed teammate Cristen Lee. “It’s a compliment for her ability to play and I think whatever she choses to do, she’ll make the right decision.”

Pura began playing T-ball when she was

5 years old. T-ball turned into baseball and when she was 11, Pura’s dad suggested she try out for a softball team. Though she doesn’t remember exactly why she played baseball in the first place, Pura says she stuck with the sport because she continued to be successful and simply enjoyed playing.

“The difference to me at that time (was) just like ‘Oh cool, now I have a bunch of girlfriends on the team and it’s not just all these boys,’” Pura says. “That’s all I really cared about... just making friends.”

Volleyball was another sport in Pura’s life in junior high and high school, but trying to compete in both sports became too much and she decided to commit to softball. She says she thought she would be too short to continue volleyball in college.

“I’m happy; I’m enjoying my career,” Pura says. “I definitely miss volleyball and wonder what it would have Doubles needed to been like if I would surpass Lisa Modglin have stuck with for most all-time at that, but I’m totally Cal Poly happy. I love softball (and) I have a People picked ahead great, great career.” of Pura in the national Pura says she fastpitch draft last remains close with month her family and her parents attend every game RBI this season to due to their close lead Cal Poly proximity. Pura’s father contracted cancer when she was young and Career homeruns, completed his rabest all-time at Cal diation treatments Poly after dropping his middle child off at practice and pickMost RBI in Cal Poly ing her up afterhistory ward. Pura’s father remains an inspiration to his daughter today and his attitude seems to be reflected in hers.

“I wouldn’t even be here without them,” Pura says. “My father is a huge inspiration to

me...he’s awesome and his positiveness and everything has been really cool.”

In her fourth year on the Cal Poly softball team, Pura currently leads the Mustangs in RBI (21) and slugging percentage (.647) and holds the third highest batting average at .353.

She has already received two Big West Player of the Week awards so far this season.

“Melissa is a great athlete,” Condon says.

“She does a great job (and) she’s a good leader see Pura, page 11

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Cal Poly senior shortstop Melissa Pura, above, has helped guide the Mustangs to a 16-6 record so far this year.

women’s basketball | cal poly 74, csu northridge 65

7 6

8 5

2009 Big West Tournament

UC Irvine - 43 CSU Fullerton - 61

CSU Northridge 64

6 4

3 8

CSU Fullerton 64 Pacific 62

Cal Poly 74

6 1

CSU Fullerton (10-19) UCSB (20-19)

TBD

2 3

UC Riverside (19-10)

TBD

associated press

The going will likely get a lot tougher against the UC Riverside (19-10) in the semifinal. The Highlanders boast the conference player of the year in senior Kemie Nkele.

“We have to do a better job on (Kemie) Nkele,” Mimnaugh said. “We’re going to give Megan (Harrison) the assignment to try to lock her down. We need to make her put the ball on the floor

NEW YORK — Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon on Thursday stood by a magazine interview in which he compared former teammate Manny Ramirez to cancer and said Boston made the right decision when it traded the slugger to the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer.

Papelbon was quoted in the April issue of Esquire as saying, “He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him.”

The story was posted on the magazine’s Web site Thursday.

“So Manny was tough for us,” Papelbon added. “You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ballgame, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening.”

“Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer.

That’s what he was. Cancer. He had

see Basketball, page 11

see Ramirez, page 11

Cal Poly (20-10)

CSU Northridge 65

UC Davis 56

Mustangs cruise into semifinals Scott Silvey mustang daily

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team expected to win its quarterfinal matchup with eighthseeded Cal State Northridge yesterday at the Big West Tournament in Anaheim.

After dispatching the Matadors 74-65 yesterday afternoon, the third seed Mustangs (20-10) now begin their journey from the opposite side of the spectrum when

they take on second-seeded UC Riverside tonight “We’re definitely the underdog,” Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “Riverside’s had their way with us the first two games.”

Sophomore forward scored a game-high 16 points for Cal Poly, who shot a blistering eight-of11 from the floor in ending the Matadors season.

Cal State Northridge came out very quickly, taking a 9-2 early

Papelbon on Manny: ‘It’s like cancer’

lead. The Mustangs had lost two of three entering the game, but they got back into the game and put their bad play behind them, blowing the Matadors out in the second half, leading by as many as 18 with less than nine minutes remaining in the game.

“We’re very excited about the win,” Mimnaugh said. “We’ve been working hard all season to meet our goal of making the NCAA tournament and this was another step for us.”

mustangdaily.net Tuesday, January 13, 2009

SPORTS

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

football

Mustangs reflect on Ellerson departure Omar Sanchez mustang daily

It’s well known that some of the biggest deals of the year fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But for former Cal Poly head football coach Rich Ellerson, his deal came the Friday after Christmas.

“He took that job because it is a pinnacle job for him.”

-Payam Sadaat

former defensive coordinator

So on the day after most families huddled around the Christmas tree to open presents, the United States Military Academy at West Point selected Ellerson to command the Black Knights football program, a move many of his associates and players at Cal Poly were not surprised by.That deal meant he would trade in his Cal Poly green and gold for the Army’s green and bold.

“If you know Ellerson, you know he took that job because it is a pinnacle job for him,” said former Cal Poly football defensive coordinator and linemen coach Payam

Sadaat. “What (is) everyone else’s USC, Texas, Florida, or NFL gig, that’s his. I think that if it was a Pac-10 school, it would have been a harder decision for him. The fact that it was the United States Military Academy was a no-brainer.”

Originally a candidate for the Mustangs head coaching position, Saadat later chose to join Ellerson’s former coaching staff at West Point, along with four other Mustang assistant coaches when he was not chosen for the position.

For many on the team, Ellerson’s departure to Army became a matter of time once word got out that it was considering hiring Ellerson to replace Stan Brock at West Point.

“Once I heard that Army was

“He still cared about us even though he’s going to another place.

He wanted us to know before it leaked.”

-Mike Anderson

“Regardless of who comes in, we’re going to stay strong as a group.”

-James Chen

junior defensive tackle

interviewing him and knowing his background with Army, I knew he was going to leave,” said senior linebacker Carlton Gillespie.

The decision also seemed obvious to many because of Ellerson’s family ties to the academy.

Ellerson’s father and two brothers were commissioned officers at West Point, and his brother John was captain of the 1962 football team.

Ellerson was officially hired by Army on Dec. 26 to turn around the struggling team of cadets who have gone without a winning season since 1996.

A week prior, many players received a phone call from Ellerson informing them about his departure, a gesture that went a long way for some on the team.“That showed

junior wide reciever

see Ellerson, page 11

associated press file photo

Army athletic director Kevin Anderson, left, and new Army head football coach Rich Ellerson, pose after a news conference on Dec. 30.

Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice elected to Hall of Fame Mike Fitzpatrick associated press

NEW YORK— Rickey Henderson dashed into the Hall of Fame on his first try, Jim Rice made it with a final swing.

It’s hard to imagine their induction speeches will have much in common, either.

“I’m going to leave all the stories to Rickey,” Rice said, confirming that his remarks in Cooperstown this summer are likely to match his personality. “Believe me, it’s going to be short and quick. I don’t think you need to go there and talk for 15 or 20 minutes when you can get right to the point.”

That never stopped Henderson — but neither did opposing pitchers or catchers during his 25-year career.

The undisputed standard for leadoff hitters, Henderson received 94.8 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in balloting announced Monday, well above the 75 percent needed.

Rice, among the game’s most feared sluggers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, got 76.4 percent in his 15th and final year on the ballot after falling just shy with 72.2 percent last year.

“The only thing I can say is I’m glad it’s over with,” the Boston outfielder said. “I’m in there and they can’t take it away.”

Henderson, baseball’s career leader in runs scored and stolen bases, became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only

associated press file photo

Oakland A’s outfielder Rickey Henderson holds up third base after breaking the career steals record in 1991. the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975).

The pair will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They’ll be joined by former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously last month by the Veterans Committee.

“I feel great about it. It’s been a long time coming,” Henderson said.

“I was nervous, waiting.”

Henderson spoke on a conference call before boarding a flight to New York. He was rushing right along, even on this day.

Only fitting.

Next up, his highly anticipated induction speech. Known for his confounding comments, Henderson has a penchant for referring to himself in the third person — at any point during an amusing stream of sometimes

indecipherable chatter.

“It’s really just an honor to me.

I’m really just spaced out,” he said. “I haven’t really thought about what I’m going to say.”

Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots and Rice was selected on 412, just above the 405 needed.

Rice received only 29.8 percent of the vote in 1995, when he appeared on the ballot for the first time. He initially topped 50 percent in 2000 and

reached 64.8 percent in 2006 — the highest percentage for a player who wasn’t elected in a later year was 63.4

by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

Some thought Rice’s prickly personality and curt relationship with reporters during his playing career helped keep him out of the Hall all those years.

“I don’t think I was difficult to deal with for writers. I think the writers were difficult to me,” he said. “I wasn’t going to badmouth my teammates. When you start talking about my teammates or what goes on outside baseball, I couldn’t do that.

“I don’t know why it took me so long. I don’t even want to think about it,” he added. “I’m just happy I’m in and that’s what I’m going to cherish.”

What did he learn all these years?

“Be patient and wait until the last out,” Rice said. “I guess everything was just timing, because my numbers have not changed over the last 14 years.”

Andre Dawson fell 44 votes short with 67 percent. He was followed

by Bert Blyleven (62.7 percent), Lee Smith (44.5), Jack Morris (44.0), Tommy John (31.7) and Tim Raines (22.6). John appeared on the ballot for the final time.

Mark McGwire, stigmatized by accusations he used performanceenhancing drugs, received 118 votes (21.9 percent) in his third year of eligibility, down from the 128 votes he got in each of his first two tries. see Henderson, page 11

SPORTS

mustangdaily.net Monday, April 6, 2009

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

WEEKEND men’s basketball

softball | cal poly 6, Ucsb 5 (11)

Joe Callero announced as new head coach

Cal Poly completes sweep of UCSB

Scott Silvey mustang daily

The last time the Cal Poly men’s basketball team saw Joe Callero in Mott Gym was when he was coaching Seattle University to a 60-59 victory over

courtesy photo

Joe Callero, seen above, signed a five-year contract to turn around the Cal Poly men’s basketball team on Friday.

the Mustangs last December.

On Friday they saw the former Redhawks coach in a completely different light when he was introduced as their new head coach on Friday after he signed a five-year contract, worth $180,000 annually.

Sophomore guard Shawn Lewis didn’t remember much about Seattle’s style of playwhen they visited last year, but after meeting with Callero prior to Friday’s press conference, he was excited for the opportunity to play under him.

“I’m sold,” Lewis said. “I had my doubts before. I didn’t really know what kind of coach he was going to be. He sold us on a lot of things that we talked about.”

Lewis wasn’t the only one with doubts. Cal Poly athletic director Alison Cone explained that while the decision was difficult and Callero came in under the radar, he was never low on the potential list to her.

“I think there are doubters with any decision that you make,” Cone said. “People had their favorites. Joe’s name was kept especially quiet because he see Basketball, page 11

nick camacho mustang daily

Cal Poly sophomore pitcher Anna Cahn takes a swing during the Mustangs’ 12-5 win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Chris Jagger mustang daily

Cal Poly battled through a tedious 11-inning outing against conference rival UC Santa Barbara, escaping with a win and a series sweep for the weekend.

The Mustangs (25-9, 4-2 Big West Conference) edged out the Gauchos 6-5 in a three and a half hour nail-biter. After

track and field

easily defeating the Gauchos 12-5 and then 6-0 during a doubleheader on Saturday, the Mustangs needed to work a lot harder to earn their sweeping Sunday victory. Considering the Gauchos swept Cal Poly last season, this series also serves as revenge.

“We always have battles with Santa Barbara,” said Mussee Softball, page 11

baseball

no. 16 cal poly 11, csun 3 mustang daily staff report

matt fountain mustang daily

After being swept last weekend to open Big West Conference play, the Mustangs (21-7, 3-3) broke out some brooms of their own after they beat Cal State Northridge on Sunday afternoon at Baggett Stadium.

All nine Cal Poly starters collected at least one hit and freshman second baseman Matt Jensen homered and drove in four runs for the Mustangs.

Freshman right-hander Mason Radeke (2-1) struck out five and walked three, allowing nine hits and allowing three runs, one of which was unearned in seven innings of work.

Cal State Northridge starter Ryan McCarney (0-2) took the loss for the Matadors

Cal Poly sophomore Jarred Houston sprints during the Cal Poly Invitational on Saturday. Former Mustang and Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton easily won the discus in a return to her alma mater.

see Baseball, page 11

Cal Poly excites at Invitational

As money grows, ‘studentathletes’ still outside Jim Litke associated press

DETROIT — You can’t spell commercialization without NCAA. Once that seemed like a coincidence. Increasingly it seems to be the reason the NCAA exists — to provide cover for member schools while they chase every last sponsorship dollar.

Although those schools haven’t resorted to temporary tattoos, just about everything else that was once taboo — ads from casinos, corporate logos slapped on college arenas and courts, video games in which the players aren’t named but the resemblance is unmistakable — is now routine.

Even the paper cups used at concession stands inside Ford Field during the Final Four, which were unmarked except for a small NCAA logo until last year, now advertise the official water of the NCAA. It’s important to be clear upfront that while the organization can punish member schools for all kinds of cheating, it can’t do a thing about the profligate spending that has athletic departments auctioning off pieces of their teams like body parts to the highest bidder.

And it’s about to get worse.

No more than a handful of the 330 Division I sports programs made money in recent years. According to the NCAA’s latest figures from 2005-06, the average basketball team took in $480,000 and spent $1.3 million, with the deficit being made up in most cases by the university’s general fund.

With new accounting standards in place that require including expenses such as new stadiums and facilities upgrades, the real losses could total several times that.

“For a long time,” NCAA president Myles Brand said Thursday, “it was believed that you could make money doing this. Right now, as everyone knows, if you’re going to support the entire program, not just the two revenue sports (football and basketball), it’s highly likely you’re going to lose money.”

Brand, who made his name in college sports by firing Bob Knight at Indiana, was among the leaders of a movement a dozen years ago to shift control of the NCAA from athletic directors to university presidents. The theory was that peer-group pressure would put an end to the “financial arms race” of escalating coaches salaries and bigger stadiums that forced schools deeper and deeper into the red just to stay competitive.

So how’s that theory working out for you? see NCAA, page 11

SPORTS

mustangdaily.net Thursday, January 15, 2009

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

women’s basketball

Central Coast rivals clash again Any Cal Poly student that has any inkling about what this rivalry is about gets pretty motivated.

—Faith Mimnaugh Cal Poly head coach

Scott Silvey mustang daily

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team and UC Santa Barbara have been in a number of wars over the last few years.

The Mustangs (9-6, 2-2 Big West Conference) and Gauchos

BIG WEST STA N D I N G S TEAM UC Santa Barbara UC Riverside Pacific UC Davis Cal State Fullerton Cal Poly Cal State Northridge UC Irvine Long Beach State

(9-6, 4-0) will get reacquainted on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Thunderdome.

Let the battle recommence.

“Any Cal Poly student that has any inkling about what this rivalry is about gets pretty motivated,” Mustangs head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “We bleed green and hopefully you’ll see a lot of green blood.”

The teams met three times last season including in the Big West Tournament Semifinal, in which UC Santa Barbara ended the Mustangs season, handing them a 7757 defeat.

The Gauchos won all three meetings last year.

“We have nothing to lose,” said senior guard Lisa McBride. “No one ever expects us to win that game and we always know that we can do it. We go in and give everything we have.”

That mentality is a key to Cal Poly’s reversal of fortune at the Thunderdome. The Mustangs went 23 years without a win in Santa Barbara, a streak that was ended in 2006.

Cal Poly has since won two

1.15.09

BIG WEST 4-0 1.000 3-1 .750 2-1 .667 2-1 .667 2-1 .667 2-2 .500 0-2 .000 0-3 .000 0-4 .000

OVERALL 9-6 .600 7-9 .478 8-7 .533 6-8 .429 5-8 .385 9-6 .600 3-12 .200 3-13 .188 3-13 .188

March Madness: Vegas Style

Jim Litke associated press

nick camacho mustang daily file photo

Cal Poly sophomore forward Kristina Santiago, right, looks for a shot.

Santiago leads the Big West Conference in field goal percentage. of the last three meetings at the Thunderdome, their lone defeat coming in overtime last year.

Still, Mimnaugh said that the team is more focused on the overall outcome of the conference as opposed to the outcome of this game.

“Certainly for us it’s a lot less about a statement and more about getting back into the (conference) race,” Mimnaugh explained.

“We’re right in the middle of the pack and we want to be at the top and get some byes in the tournament.”

The Mustangs have a long week to prepare for UC Santa Barbara, playing only one game this week, a fact that Mimnaugh said can be a positive or a negative.

“The players might tell you it’s a bad thing, Mimnaugh said. “But we’ll have more opportunities to work through their personnel.

We’ll be practicing very hard this week in preparation for the top team in the conference.”

McBride sees some similarities between the two teams, which

could contribute to the close games between them.

“We both are very aggressive teams,” McBride said. “We battle to the end, it’s never over when we play each other. No matter who’s up or who’s down, we can be down by 10 but we’re still going to work our butts off to beat them.”

Mimnaugh said that rebounding would be the key element to another Cal Poly upset bid.

“When we’ve had success there in the past, it’s been because of our offensive production on the glass and so that’s an area of emphasis as we’re preparing this week,” Mimnaugh said.

The Mustangs may be aided on glass by the absence of two of UC Santa Barbara’s most valuable post players in senior centers Jenna Green and Kat Suderman.

Suderman, a San Luis Obispo native who played her high school basketball at Mission Prep, has been hampered by injuries this see Clash, page 11

wrestling | Cal state fullerton 28, cal poly 9

Mustangs grounded by Fuller ton josh ayers mustang daily

Cal Poly junior Chase Pami, center, grapples with Cal State Fullerton freshman Steven DeLaFuente. Pami won the match 10-4 to improve his overall record to 15-6. Fullerton won the dual 28-9. For a full recap of the Mustangs final home dual of the year go online to www.mustangdaily.net.

Everyone has bills, but that only begins to explain why Bob Knight agreed to ride shotgun for Billy Packer on what figures to be a string of cheesy NCAA tournament specials being taped at a sports book on the Las Vegas Strip.

“Why Vegas,” Packer explained during a stopover Monday in Sin City, “is because Bob and I, and a lot of people, want to really experience what this is really like because we do think, next to being center court, this is the place to be.”

Sure. Because nothing says “March Madness” like scantily clad cocktail waitresses, a heaving buffet, a wall of wide-screen TVs and lots and lots of gambling.

Ooops. Forget that last part.

Packer promised G-A-M-B-L-IN-G will not be mentioned during any of the five s h o w s that are planned.

But odds are all those people you’ll see wandering aimlessly in the background at the Wynn Las Vegas Race & Sports Book wearing dazed expressions did not come just to soak up the ambiance.

Still, there’s little to be gained being sanctimonious at this late date. College basketball has been rocked by point-shaving scandals at a handful of schools in the last half-century, but that’s ancient news to kids who consume fantasy sports as ferociously as the real thing.

They’ve grown up with poker on TV, casinos on riverboats, racetracks or OTB parlors in most big cities, betting pools at the office, and scratch cards and lottery machines at every gas station and convenience store in the state. And like it or not, that just happens to be the demographic every sports network and advertiser would kill for.

The NCAA tournament makes for compelling watching because every one of the 63 games are contested like Game 7 of the World Series. Nearly every one ends with a handful of players punching the air and screaming with joy, while another handful, shirt tails pulled out and tears streaming down their faces, trudges off toward the exits.

But it’s not drama, or even all the alumni with a dog in this fight or that one, that puts the NCAA see Vegas, page 11

SPORTS

mustangdaily.net Friday, October 3, 2008

sports editors:

Donovan Aird, Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

cross country

Oregon trip special for Mustangs Donovan Aird mustang daily

There’s running in most places in the country, and then there’s running in Eugene, Ore. The Nike “swoosh” debuted on running shoes there in 1972. The legacy of Steve Prefontaine, revered when he ran for Oregon then, lives on through major motion pictures.Thousands pack the stands and chant at Hayward Field for the Olympic Trials.

And starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, the Cal Poly cross country team will take it all in at the Bill Dellinger Invitational at Springfield Country Club.

“Distance running at the college level and beyond is synonymous with Eugene throughout history, with Steve Prefontaine and the legacy that goes on there,” Mustangs head coach Mark Conover said. “(Cal Poly’s runners) look forward to going up there and competing where it’s a community that really respects and enjoys and embraces its distance running and track and field.”

It will be the seventh time running there for Mustangs senior Troy Swier, but he said he expects it to be “just as fun as the first” race.

“I’m stoked,” he said. “I can’t wait. It’s the only place in the country people call ‘Tracktown, USA.’ Everyone loves racing here.”

The Mustangs, whose men are ranked 23rd in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, won’t be the only team there with high expectations.

Oregon is ranked first on both the men’s and women’s sides. Others ranked in the men’s three-loop, 8,000-meter race include No. 5 Alabama, No. 7 Portland and No. 17 UTEP. The women’s two-loop, 6,000-meter race also features No. 11 Arkansas, No. 17 Colorado State and No. 23 BYU. “It’ll be a really good opportunity to gauge where we’re at,” Conover said.

Last year, the Cal Poly men entered the

NCAA Championships ranked 22nd but finished 11th. Just two runners graduated from that group.

One of those lost was two-time All-American Phillip Reid.

A key in replacing him could be junior Daniel Gonia.

Last spring with San Diego Mesa College, Gonia ran the 10K in 31 minutes, 2.61 seconds and the 5K in 14:56.38 to claim both California Community College titles. He was named the Big West Conference Male Cross Country Runner of the Week after winning the UC Santa Barbara Lagoon Open on Aug. 30 with an 8K course record of 24:23 — four seconds ahead of Reid.

“He’s made a big jump over where he was,” Conover said. “Fortunately for Cal Poly, he’s a very solid student and he wanted to study engineering, which I think might have helped the cause here for him to kind of lean toward Cal Poly, but he also had seen our results. He told me that when he was in high school he always dreamed of coming to Cal Poly.”

The Cal Poly women may be led

by junior Bridie McCarey, who finished 18th among 278 entrants at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday.

Most of the Mustangs spent September away from actual competition, though.

“I decided it’d be better for them this year to use all of September to get a big chunk of training in,” Conover said.

This year’s squad has a resemblance to last

year’s, Conover added.

“I do see similarities,” he said.“Daniel should certainly have a lot of confidence and just adds to that depth that we have employed the last few years, so it’s a very similar kind of makeup.”

Swier agreed that the Mustangs could exceed others’ expectations again.

“We’re going to surprise some people, I think,” he said.

mustang daily file photo by bryan beilke

Evan Anderson (296), Jeff Lease (298) and Joe Gatel (297) — all back this season — helped Cal Poly take the Big West Conference title Oct. 27, 2007.

women’s soccer Fantasy Football Friday

Cal Poly shooting to jump-start offense

commentary

mustang daily staff report

Cardinals defense rests Mat Adams o n f a n t a s y fo o t b a l l

Analogous to Ronnie Brown two weeks ago, Brett Favre had the fantasy game of his career and a large percent of the fantasy-owner population missed out. Fantasy football can be unpredictable and aggravating. I hope the following advice helps ease the frustration and help fill some holes.

Pickups and Plays of the Week: Bobby Engram — If he is still available in your league, it’s time to jump.

Engram, who will be playing his first game coming back from injury, is going to step into the starting role and become Matt Hasselbeck’s No. 1 receiver. Last season he posted 1,147 yards and had 6 TD receptions.

The Cal Poly women’s soccer team hit its stride in October last season, winning six straight at one point. Although the streak led to a Big West Conference Tournament championship game appearance, it was there that Cal State Fullerton

brought the Mustangs’ run to an end — 4-3 on penalty kicks.

How fitting, then, that the Titans will host Cal Poly at 7 tonight in Titan Stadium for each team’s Big West opener.

Cal Poly head coach Alex Crozier, though, said the memory hasn’t come up.

associated press

Brett Favre scored major fantasy points Sunday, throwing six touchdowns in the New York Jets’ 56-35 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Robert Meachem and Lance Moore — Both players benefited from larger roles last week due to the injuries of Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey. Moore was the most-targeted, catching seven passes for 101 yards and 2 TDs, while Meachem became the big-play man, catching bombs of 52 and 47 yards from Drew Brees. Both players look to profit from increased looks again this week against Minnesota.

Trent Edwards — No, he is not Brett Favre, but it’s hard not to advise playing a QB going against Arizona after last week’s defensive persee Fantasy, page 11

nick camacho mustang daily

Cal Poly’s Tiffany Gummow is blocked by Utah State’s Chandra Salmon during the Mustangs’ 1-0 win Sept. 26 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

“Last year is last year,” he said.

“We haven’t even talked about that.”

He might have reason.

The Mustangs, whose youthful turnover is highlighted by 11 freshmen, have won five of their last eight entering conference play, in sharp contrast to last season’s 1-8-1 overall beginning.

Cal Poly (5-6), however, followed a 1-0 win over Utah State on Sept. 26 with a 1-0 loss to Utah on Sunday.

“We don’t have the numbers, but I think we’re generating a pretty good attack,” Crozier said of Cal Poly’s offense. “Our attacking rhythm wasn’t great this weekend, but once we keep possession of the ball and pick and choose our moments, the goals are going to come.”

The Titans (5-5-1), who’ve been ranked as high as No. 21 in the NSCAA/adidas poll, rely on a balanced attack that features a trio of players with at least three goals.

Cal Poly, which visits UC Riverside at 1 p.m. Sunday, has allowed one or no goals eight times.

“I think we’re pretty solid defensively,” Crozier said. “Everyone’s on the same page.”