Mustang Daily 04-24-09

MUSTANG DAILY TOMORROW: Partly cloudy High 66˚/Low 46˚

CA L I F O R N I A P O LY T E C H N I C S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

Afrika Bambaataa makes San Luis Obispo debut.

IN ARTS, 5

North Korea plans to indict two jailed U.S. journalist.

Find out what happening this weekend in Cal Poly Athletics.

IN NEWS, 4

IN SPORTS, 8

Friday, April 24, 2009

Volume LXXIII, Number 131

www.mustangdaily.net

Sorority grants local girl’s wish Mikaela Akuna mustang daily

One little girl will embark on the trip of a lifetime thanks to more than $6,000 raised

by Cal Poly’s Chi Omega Sorority through its Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser.

Chi Omega fulfilled the wish of Julissa Esparza, an 11-year-old girl from Santa Maria, who has leukemia. Esparza will leave this

Thursday for Walt Disney World in Florida.

The sorority adopted the wish from the Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish-Foundation.

They raised the money through a Casino Night, the first charity event held by the Omicron Mu chapter. The sorority made a few small-scale fundraising attempts prior to Casino Night, but none raised enough to fulfill Esparza’s wish.

Psychology sophomore and philanthropy

courtesy photo

Cal Poly sorority Chi Omega raised money to send a Santa Maria girl fighting cancer to Walt Disney World in Florida. They raised more than $6,000 at this charity event.

chair for Chi Omega Vanessa Dowell decided they would put more preparation into this year’s event to heighten its success.

“I had so much help,” Dowell said. “Sometimes when you plan things you feel like you’re doing everything yourself and this was not the case. I had overwhelming help from everyone.”

Disney is a large supporter of the Make-AWish Foundation and donates more than $11 million each year. The corporation also helps arrange visits to sporting events, television and movie sets for gift recipients.

The Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish Foundation has been active in the area since 1985, granting wishes of children who have life threatening medical conditions. It is staffed with only five people but has more than 100 volunteers and has granted more than a thousand wishes in the last 28 years in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Presentation parties are held for every gift recipient. Esparaza’s was held at Rancho Bowl in Santa Maria last Sunday and members of Chi Omega went to the party to join the family and the Wish Granters in the celebration. There, the sorority got to meet Esparaza for the first time.

“It was a success,” said presentation-coordinator for the Tri-Counties foundation Heather Bennett. “We had a great turnout and the sorority was there to help with the presentation.” see Wish, page 2

Calif. weighs nation’s first low-carbon fuel rule Samantha Young associated press

sold in California by 10 percent by 2020. It does so using a groundbreaking approach, by counting all the emissions required to deliver

gasoline and diesel to California consumers — from drilling a new oil well or planting corn to transporting it to gas stations.

Environmentalists, public health representatives and supporters of

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Calsee Fuel, page 2 ifornia air regulators on Thursday considered adopting a first-in-the nation mandate for low-carbon fuels, telling the petroleum industry it must help combat global warming by offering cleaner-burning alternatives.

The standards being debated by the California Air Resources Board would create a new market for alternative fuels and set the stage for a national debate on the future of the country’s transportation system.

“I think we’re creating the framework for a new way of looking at automotive fuels where no longer will gasoline derived by petroleum be the only game in town,” board chairwoman Mary Nichols said.

The hearing comes as Congress is debating a national climate bill that features a low-carbon fuel standard modeled after California’s. rich pedroncelli associated press President Barack Obama also has Sarah Raridon, 20, a student at the University of California, Davis, carries a sign as she joined more supported the idea.

California’s standard calls for cut- than a dozen others in protesting the use of agrofuels during a demonstration at the air resources ting the carbon content of the fuels building as state air regulators considered new low-carbon fuel rules in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday.

Calif. voter and governor candidate turnouts uncertain Juliet Williams associated press

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California Democrats should be riding high after a surge in voter registration and the emergence of a strong cast set to audition for next year’s gubernatorial race.

But enthusiasm is being tempered by the state’s fiscal problems, which have forced the state’s majority party to take unpopular actions. Democratic lawmakers have angered the party’s traditional supporters by making deep cuts in state services and upset centrists by passing billions in tax increases.

The party’s annual convention this weekend in Sacramento will give the gubernatorial candidates their most high-profile platform yet to say how they would respond to the state’s ongoing fiscal crisis.

“If ever there was a year for an outsider candidate or an insider candidate who was arguing against the status quo, this is the year, just given how people feel about the performance of the lawmakers,” said Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute of California.

Adopting an outsider mantle may be tough for the three Democrats thought to the front-runners for their party’s nomination.

Their party is the majority in both houses of the Legislature, and all are well-known public figures.

One of them, Attorney General Jerry Brown, is a former governor who has been in politics for 40 years.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the only leading Democrat who has officially announced his bid, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is considered a potential candidate, have strong liberal constituencies and have been in politics for years.

The party’s senior stateswoman, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has not ruled out a run.

Party leaders say the convention’s focus will be on reinvigorating the state’s economy and creating jobs, after the state’s unemployment soared to 11.2 percent in March. U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, a former state lawmaker and congresswoman from Southern California, will open the convention with the keynote speech Friday night.

Brown is hoping to capitalize on the theme by hosting a Saturday night “recession reception” with beer, chips and salsa at the historic governor’s mansion. He’ll be competing with a flashier, hipper “Block Party for California’s Future,” featuring singer Wyclef Jean and hosted by Newsom and the College Democrats.

Beyond the parties, Democrats are expected to elect former Senate President Pro Tem John Burton as their state chairman. More contentious will be the debate over whether see Dems, page 2

3

News editor: Rachel Glas; News designer: Omar Sanchez www.mustangdaily.net

Dems continued from page 1

to support the budget-related ballot measures during the May 19 special election.

The Democratic leaders in the Legislature, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, are promoting the measures and say the state will drop into another budgetary black hole if they fail.

Many Democrats feel their leaders are trying to force a bad deal on them, said Kenneth Burt, political director for the California Federation of Teachers, one of a handful of smaller unions campaigning against the ballot measures.

One of the state’s most influential unions and biggest Democratic backers, the California Teachers Association, is part of the coalition backing propositions 1A through 1F.

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News

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Burt and other members of the Federation of Teachers will be lobbying Democrats to reject the centerpiece measure, Proposition 1A, because it would create a state spending cap.

“It’s the natural consequence of the legislative leaders cutting a secret backroom deal with the governor without consulting with the other members of their party,” Burt said.

In a twist, many conservatives also oppose Proposition 1A. If voters approve it, increases to the sales, income and vehicle taxes would continue an additional one to two years.

Two of the potential gubernatorial candidates, Brown and Villaraigosa, are supporting the full package of ballot measures and endorsed them at news conferences with Schwarzenegger.

Newsom said he reluctantly supports propositions 1A and 1B, which would repay schools more than $9 billion, but opposes the other measures.

Wish continued from page 1

“We bowled for the first hour and got to talk to the family during that time,” Dowell said. “I didn’t know until later but during the presentation her grandma started crying and it was nice to see how it really impacted people.”

With much help from the com-

Fuel continued from page 1

alternative fuels supported the rules as critical to helping California meet its goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

But some representatives of the ethanol industry, which had expected to profit from the low-carbon mandate, argued that California’s new rules would leave them out.They said regulators overstated the negative environmental effects of making cornbased ethanol.

They were especially critical of the air board’s intention to tie global deforestation and other land conversions to biofuel production in the United States.

For example, air board scientists said Brazil has converted rainforest into soybean plantations as a direct result of the growth in corn-based ethanol in the U.S. As farmers here plant more corn and fewer soybean fields, other countries must find a way to make up the difference.

The destruction of forests and grasslands elsewhere to do that would count against ethanol producers in the U.S. under the formula being considered by the Air Resources Board.

Representatives of the ethanol industry told the board it was unfair to penalize them for agricultural land changes outside the U.S. They said corn and soybean exports increased last year, along with ethanol production.

“Rainforest deforestation in Brazil

Friday, April 24, 2009 munity and student life, Chi Omega met their goal of adopting a wish.

The sorority plans to make “Chi O Casino Night” its annual philanthropic event for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“All our work paid off,” Dowell said. “ It was nice to know we made a difference in her life and give her and the family something they might not otherwise get to experience.”

has been cut in half despite the fact ethanol production has been increased by a factor of four or five,” said retired Gen. Wesley Clark, co-chairman of Growth Energy, a coalition of ethanol companies.

Ethanol producers also complained about unfairness, saying the air board had failed to hold oil and gas companies accountable for similar consequences tied to their operations.

Meanwhile, a coalition of activists representing the Amazon urged the board to ban all fuel made from crops, saying trees are being cleared to make room for sugar cane, a main source of biofuel in Brazil.

Some in the petroleum industry warned that California was moving too quickly without any assurances that the alternative fuels they will be required to sell will be available for a mass market. Representatives asked the board to delay a decision until next year.

“It’s frankly unclear to us how we will comply with this regulation,” said Catherine Reheis-Boyd, chief operating officer of the Western States Petroleum Association.

Representatives for BP PLC and Chevron Corp. said their companies supported the new standards.

Transportation has long been a target of California air regulators because it accounts for 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed air regulators to develop a rule that would boost the amount of renewable fuels sold in the state.

mustang daily

Friday, April 24, 2009 www.mustangdaily.net

State Briefs FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A former criminal law student faces at least 50 years in prison after being convicted of killing one man and wounding two others in a dispute over a Sony PlayStation console.

A jury found Jonquel Brooks guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the death of 19-yearold Brant Daniels and attempted murder for shooting at Roderick Buycks Jr., Drew Pfeiff and Kodi Shiflett. Buycks and Pfeiff were wounded.

Brooks was a freshman at California State University, Fresno, in May 2007 when police say he opened fire at the men. They had apparently gone to Brooks’ apartment to look for their stolen PlayStation. At trial, Brooks said he feared they were going to attack him and acted in self-defense.

Police did not find the PlayStation at Brooks’ apartment.

News

Word on the Street

“Would you go dumpster diving and eat some of your finds? Why or why not?”

“No, I think one of my roommates would though. I don’t think it could get sanitized enough.”

-Chelsea Morrell, biomedical engineering senior

“Never. It’s just, well I just couldn’t. You don’t know what’s in there.”

-Riley Jones, civil engineering junior

•••

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook invited the 200 million people who regularly use the site to vote on its governing documents.

But it’s unclear how much of a difference it will make.

Facebook launched the vote after concerns erupted about who controls users’ personal information. The site gave its members until Thursday afternoon to choose either the current terms of use, or a revised set of documents that reflect input from users over the past 30 days.

Wire Editor: Cassandra J. Carlson

“No. It’s not sanitary. If I was really desperate I would though.”

-Alisa Henderson, business junior

3

Craigslist death renews calls for limiting sex ads John Christoffersen associated press

“Late night cravings special,” promises the Craigslist ad in the “erotic services” category. “My exotic mix makes me an intoxicating and sensual treat.”

The “treat” runs a discreet 100 “rose petals” for 15 minutes, 130 rose petals for a half-hour and 160 for an hour.

Prostitution persists on Craigslist even as attorney generals pressure the online classified service to stamp it out, experts say. Those efforts are intensifying after the killing of a Boston masseuse hired through

the site.

“It is clear that Craigslist is the new frontier,” said Mark Lagon, executive director of the Polaris Project, an anti-slavery group.

Many of the victims who come to Polaris can point to a Craigslist posting used by a trafficker to market their bodies against their will, Lagon said in an April 6 letter to the site.

“Ultimately, the ‘erotic services’ section must be shut down,” Lagon wrote, noting that a study last year found that Craigslist was the site used most frequently by johns seeking prostitutes.

The recent arrest of Boston see Craigslist, page 4

4

Craigslist continued from page 4

John Christoffersen associated press

“Late night cravings special,” promises the Craigslist ad in the “erotic services” category. “My exotic mix makes me an intoxicating and sensual treat.”

The “treat” runs a discreet 100 “rose petals” for 15 minutes, 130 rose petals for a half-hour and 160 for an hour.

Prostitution persists on Craigslist even as attorney generals pressure the online classified service to stamp it out, experts say. Those efforts are intensifying after the

mustang daily www.mustangdaily.net

killing of a Boston masseuse hired through the site.

“It is clear that Craigslist is the new frontier,” said Mark Lagon, executive director of the Polaris Project, an anti-slavery group.

Many of the victims who come to Polaris can point to a Craigslist posting used by a trafficker to market their bodies against their will, Lagon said in an April 6 letter to the site.

“Ultimately, the ‘erotic services’ section must be shut down,” Lagon wrote, noting that a study last year found that Craigslist was the site used most frequently by johns seeking prostitutes.

The recent arrest of Boston University medical student Philip

News

Friday, April 24, 2009

N. Korea will indict 2 U.S. journalists

lee jin-man associated press South Korean protesters hold pictures during a rally against North Korea in Seoul, South Korea April 2, 2009.

North Korea said it has formally decided to indict two U.S. journalists arrested on its border with China more than a month ago.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, journalists working for former Vice President Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV, were arrested after they allegedly crossed the border from China on March 17 while reporting

on North Korean refugees.

North Korean media did not immediately detail charges under the indictments, but the North said last month that the female reporters would be put on trial on charges of illegal entry and unspecified “hostile acts.”

Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch Friday that the North concluded an investigation and formally decided to indict them “based on criminal data confirmed.”

If convicted of espionage, the women could face at least five years in prison under North Korean law. U.S. Embassy officials in Seoul were not immediately available for comment.Their prolonged detention comes amid tensions on the Korean peninsula after the North fired a rocket on April 5, and then kicked out all international monitors from its nuclear facilities, vowed to restart them and quit disarmament talks.

Separately, the North has also been holding a South Korean worker at a joint industrial complex for weeks for allegedly denouncing Pyongyang’s political system.

-Associated Press

mustang daily

arts & Entertainment

Afrika Bambaataa makes SLO debut Bridget Veltri mustang daily

Afrika Bambaataa influenced the creation of hip-hop culture with his classic track “Planet Rock” in 1982. Now the pioneer will come to San Luis Obispo to help cultivate Cal Poly’s cultural awareness.

The Cal Poly chapters of HipHop Congress and Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity are bringing the legendary performer to play a show at Downtown Brewing Co. on Sunday night.

Bambaataa, also known as the Amen Ra of universal hip-hop and the father of electro funk, is often referred to as the “grandfather,” or “godfather” of hip-hop.

Graphic communications major and Hip Hop Congress member Rachel Cherny credited Bambaataa as being one of the founders of hip-hop and having a significant influence on the development of the genre and today’s artists. He is recognized for co-opting the street gang the Black Spades into the Universal Zulu Nation.

“One of the cool things about him is that a lot of modern hiphop songs have sampled Bambaataa’s work,” Cherney said.

Business junior and Alpha Epsilon Pi president Jordan Leib also acknowledged Bambaataa’s influence on the music industry.

“He is a huge name and I am really excited for this opportunity,” Leib said. “I have known about him for a long time and he has influenced so many artists and I hear him in so many other songs.”

Bambaataa is originally from the South Bronx in New York and was actively involved with gangs there before traveling to Africa and getting involved with the music industry.

“His story is that he used to be in gangs in New York and after his trip to Africa, his mindset changed and he came back and began to promote peace and love through music,” Leib said.

Hip-hop has evolved in various directions since Bambaataa laid the foundation for it.

“I think that hip-hop has gone in a lot of different directions and that Bambaataa embodies the true spirit of what hip-hop is supposed to be,” Cherny said.

courtesy photo

Hip-Hop Congress is a national social action network composed of chapters that operate through schools, communities and artists.

“We work for positive social change through hip-hop music,” Cherny explained.

This is Bambaataa’s first time performing in San Luis Obispo, and Cherny is hoping that he will bring a little bit of the original essence of hip-hop to town with him.

“At Cal Poly we struggle a lot because of the way the school and community are,” she said. “We are trying to change the stereotype we feel that a lot of people have about hip-hop, trying to show the positive side, the way it used to be.”

Tickets for the show are available for $20 presale at Boo Boo Records and $22 at the door.

Proceeds from the show will be split between Cal Poly’s Hip Hop Congress chapter and Alpha Epsilon Pi. “Any profit we make from the show will go towards sending our members to our national conference in Seattle at the end of July,” Cherny said.

In addition to Bambaataa, Cal Poly student Ryan Benedicto or DJ Blindside and Los Angeles band Me and Heath will be performing.

Bamabaataa was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

mustang daily The voice of Cal Poly since 1916 Graphic Arts Building, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Editor in chief: Marlize van Romburgh Managing Editor: Giana Magnoli

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editors & staff editor in chief Marlize van Romburgh managing editor Giana Magnoli news editor Rachel Glas news designer Omar Sanchez wire editor Cassie Carlson sports editor Scott Silvey sports designer Kate Nickerson online editor Lauren Rabaino arts editor Emilie Egger arts designer Milena Krayzbukh copy editors Alex Kacik, Jennifer Titcomb, Breehan Yohe-Mellor, Megan Hassler,Tim Miller head photographer Kristen Hays photographers Nick Camacho, Patrick Fina, Megan Keating, Matt Fountain layout manager Andrew SantosJohnson advertising coordinator Jessica Lutey business managers Sarah Carbonel, Ian Toner, Brittany Kelley advertising managers Gaby Horta, Ashley Singer, Charlotte Lilley ad designers Daryl Daley, Justin Rodriguez, Andrew Santos-Johnson, Mai-Chi Vu, Jason Cope, John Dixon, Sara Hamling advertising representatives Megan Dilley, Jessica Schroeder, Kacy Shin, Jenny Staskus, Colin Princi, Brittni Kiick, Kristin Coplan, Adam Plachta, Erika Powers, Drew Toney faculty adviser Teresa Allen general manager Paul Bittick

write a letter Mustang Daily reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, profanities and length. Letters, commentaries and cartoons do not represent the views of the Mustang Daily. Please limit length to 250 words. Letters should include the writer’s full name, phone number, major and class standing. Letters must come from a Cal Poly e-mail account. Do not send letters as an attachment. Please send the text in the body of the e-mail.

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Log out. Facebook is lowering your GPA Last week while I was out with friends, one started talking about a disgusting but funny bumper sticker she saw. She proceeded to explain it in full detail until another friend spoke up: “Who would ever put that on their car?” he asked, failing to realize she was talking about a virtual bumper sticker. Facebook’s bumper sticker application had altered the definition in her mind. And according to a study done by Ohio State University, that’s not the only aspect of life it has affected.

Researchers recently announced results that found Facebook users spent less time studying and had lower GPAs than students who weren’t logged on.

For their sample subjects they picked 219 Ohio State students; 102 undergraduate and 117 graduate students. According to the study, those people on Facebook reported having GPAs ranging from 3.0 to 3.5 whereas non-users reported GPAs of 3.5 to 4.0.

When asked about how many hours a week they study, the Facebook users averaged one to five hours whereas non-users averaged 11 to 15 hours, the study indicated.

I’ve been on Facebook since the fall of my freshman year. I admit it can be distracting and I would prefer to be scrolling through photo albums than finishing math problems, but I don’t think it could possibly have the affect on grades as this study concludes.

Or so I thought when I began writing.

Then I monitored myself. While I studied for a test, wrote an article, researched for a project and read a textbook, somehow I was mysteriously back on the site. I was writing on a friend’s wall, commenting on spring break pictures and changing my status. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even noticed the amount of time I had wasted or how my homework wasn’t going to do itself.

I had originally planned to write from the angle of refuting the researcher’s claims based on their small sample size. I mean, how could they draw a meaningful conclusion when they only surveyed 219 students? And who knows, maybe these Ohio students don’t have

anything better to do than waste time sitting on their computers.

But then it hit me. All of a sudden, Freud’s theory of denial came rushing back into my head. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions for denial is: A psychological defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with a reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality.

So the reality is, I’ve been ignoring the existence of my Facebook problem. I haven’t acknowledged the fact that the site has taken up valuable study time that could have helped me ace a test or be better prepared throughout the quarter. It’s funny that Facebook isn’t on my ‘to-do’ list, yet sometimes it’s one of the only things that gets done.

And I’m not alone. Look at the Kennedy Library’s computer lab, student laptops and iPhones and see how many people are sucked in, glued to the screen. In extreme cases, students are even getting their fix in the classroom appearing to be a good student typing their notes when really they are instant messaging about how much fun last weekend was.

What results might we have if we just spent a little less time on Facebook and a little more time studying? The hours add up quickly and now I’ve begun to regret all the time I’ve spent sending virtual gifts, uploading numerous photo albums and having meaningless chats.

I challenge all of you Facebook users to actually monitor your time on Facebook — it might surprise you.

Jennifer Titcomb is a journalism and graphic communications junior and a Mustang Daily reporter and copy editor.

margaret scott newsart

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The Mustang Daily is a “designated public forum.” Student editors have full authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

The Mustang Daily is a free newspaper; however, the removal of more than one copy of the paper per day is subject to a cost of 50 cents per issue.

13

Wow. It’s hard to believe that such a culturally diverse town would do something like this. Maybe the university could focus their efforts on something worthwhile — like theft or underage drinking. It begs the question: In a supposed “green-minded” community, why are alternative forms of transportation being outlawed?

— Jeremiah Response to “Cal Poly is too harsh on skateboarders” You say the U.S. Constitution protects us from this tyranny yet it hasn’t.

The majority are voting themselves other peoples’ property/ money. Obama campaigned on taking from those “fortunate” (as if luck had everything to do with their success) and giving it to people that didn’t earn it.

Democracy is doomed to fail once people realize they can vote themselves others property and unfortunately they have realized that.

— Fred Response to “Dictatorships or democracies: all governments rule by force” No redistribution of property occurred — much less is in the works, legislatively. You sound like you’ve been watching too much Hannity.

The Obama administration hasn’t introduced sweeping socialist tax hikes on the rich either (myth No.1 ). In fact, no family (making $250,000 or more) will pay higher tax rates than they paid in the 1990s (and we know how much the rich suffered in the ’90s).

Another fact: dividend rates would be 39 percent lower than what President Bush proposed in his 2001 tax cut.

For you to believe that we live in a pure meritocracy (which you obviously do) means that you buy into another myth (myth No. 2).

Your views are obviously based on myths which you bought into only because of your existing instincts and inclinations due to your station in life. There’s no point in saying anything else.

— Audrey Response to a comment on the column“Dictatorships or democracies: all governments rule by force” Finally! It’s good to see that California is realizing that we do, in fact, have a Second Amendment.

Here’s to the assault weapons ban being lifted. Huzzah!

— William Response to “Nice things to say about ‘Nothing Nice to Say’”

printed by

University Graphic Systems ugs.calpoly.edu

ugs@calpoly.edu

April 24, 2009 Volume LXXII, No. 131 ©2009 Mustang Daily “I’m going to kick this crossword’s ass.”

The decibel level of my music not only awakens Cthulhu, it makes him scream for mercy before shriveling and dying in defeat.

Well done, Jon, well done.

— Audrey Response to “Nice things to say about ‘Nothing Nice to Say’”

games Announcements

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Help Wanted

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Pop Culture Shock Therapy by Doug Bratton

Help Wanted

JOURNALISM MAJORS AND WRITERS - contribute to a new website catering to college students. Job requires writing a series of articles that offer a student’s perspective on academic programs, nightlife, activities, & events that make up student life.

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Housing

2 rooms available 4 rent in Morro Bay home 500 each +deposit call 805-215-3653

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Rooms for Rent 2 rooms available 4 rent in Santa Maria. $500 each + dep, all utilities included. Call/ text Freddie @ (805)268-0942 for more info.

For Sale 4 bed 2 bath $599,000 Open House 4/18 & 4/19 10am2pm 547 Ellen Way SLO. Don’t miss this great rental opportunity!

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Girls & Sports by Justin Borus and Andrew Feinstein

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Call 805-756-1143 or visit www.mustangdaily.net/ classifieds

mustangdaily.net Friday, April 24, 2009

SPORTS

sports editor:

Scott Silvey mustangdailysports@gmail.com

MUSTANG DAILY

NFL draft’s big winner: Atlanta Falcons again Jim Litke associated press

the board in the late second round or early third.

The Mustangs have had 20 players selected in the first 10 rounds of the NFL draft going back as early as 1954.

Oakland, St. Louis, Tennessee and Dallas are the teams showing the most interest in Barden, according to reports.

baseball

nick camacho mustang daily

Ramses Barden is a possible first day draft selection. If he is picked Saturday he would be the highest selected player in school history.

football Former Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden is expected to be drafted somewhere in the first three rounds of the National Football League draft held in New York this weekend.

Barden, a two-time Associated Press All-American First Team selection, leaves Cal Poly as its alltime leader in catches (206), yards (4,203) and touchdowns (50).

He finished fourth in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award, presented by The Sports Network to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Barden caught at least one touchdown catch in each of Cal Poly’s 11 games this year, tying the NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception held by Randy Moss. He also holds the NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (20) and most career games with a touchdown catch (32). His 50 career scores place him 13th on the all-time list.

Last year was the first year the Mustangs didn’t have a player selected in the draft since 2005.

Linebacker Jordan Beck was taken in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons and defensive end Chris Gocong by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round in 2006.

Defensive back Courtney Brown was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round in 2007.

Gocong, who was converted to linebacker by the Eagles, is the highest draft selection for Cal Poly as the 71st selection, but many experts say that Barden will come off

The No. 12 Cal Poly baseball team will visit UC Santa Barbara in a crucial Big West Conference road series starting at 2 p.m. on Friday.

The Mustangs (27-9, 8-4) and UC Santa Barbara (22-12, 5-4) are old rivals on the diamond having met 195 times previous to this series with the Gauchos owning a 107-88 advantage in the series.

Cal Poly is coming off a sweep of UC Davis last weekend, outscoring the Aggies 35-22 in the three-game set. They have won 10 of 12 and continue to climb in the national polls.

A big reason for the team’s hot start to the season has been its offense. Currently seven Mustangs are batting over .350 and Kyle Smith hitting .348.

Cal Poly trails UC Irvine by three games in the Big West. The Anteaters (28-10, 11-1) are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation according to the Baseballamerica. com Top 25 poll. The top two teams in the conference will be virtually assured of a spot in the NCAA regionals. The Mustangs have never qualified for the postseason at the Division I level.

softball The No. 22 Cal Poly softball team, winners of 10 straight games, will complete a six-game roadtrip at UC Davis this weekend.

The Mustangs (31-9, 10-2 Big West Conference) own a share of the conference lead with Cal State Fullerton. They are an undefeated 16-0 at home this season and have won a program-record 18-straight at Bob Janssen Field dating back to last year.

Cal Poly has outscored its opponents 93-28 in the 16 home victories this season winning by an average margin of 4.06 runs per game.

Even with the lopsided numbers at home, Cal Poly has played one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

The Mustangs have played 13 games against teams that have been ranked or received votes in the USA Today/ NFCA Top 25 Poll on the date of the game.

NCAA TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

TEAM

RECORD

Florida UCLA Washington Arizona State Stanford Alabama Arizona Georgia Michigan Missouri Northwestern North Carolina Oklahoma Ohio State California Tennessee Louisville Florida State LSU DePaul UMass Cal Poly Louisiana-Lafayette Iowa Texas

46-3 32-8 33-7 36-9 37-6 38-8 36-9 33-8 32-9 40-5 27-9 42-7 34-11 35-6 29-5 35-11-1 40-5 35-13 27-13-1 31-9 27-6 31-9 31-10 35-11 34-14

mustang daily corrections The Mustang Daily staff takes pride in publishing a daily newspaper for the Cal Poly campus and the neighboring community. We appreciate your readership and are thankful for your careful reading. Please send your correction suggestions to mustangdaily@gmail.com.

nick camacho mustang daily

Cal Poly senior outfielder Ryan Lee, seen above, is on a 26-game hitting streak, the longest in school history.

• An article in yesterday’s edition of the Mustang Daily incorrectly reported that the Rec Center pool contains 600 gallons of water. It actually contains 600,000 gallons. We apologize for the mistake.

The NFL draft hasn’t even begun, but we already know who won.

That would be Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff for the second year in a row.

While the hype this weekend will be trained on who gets the glamour-boy quarterbacks — Matthew Stafford of Georgia, Mark Sanchez of Southern California and Josh Freeman of Kansas State — Dimitroff has already been there and done that.

A year after he took a big gamble on quarterback Matt Ryan with the third pick overall, Dimitroff proved how savvy he really is.

This time around, he not only saved some money, but probably locked up another winning season, another playoff appearance and maybe even another NFL executive of the year award.

All because of what he did on Thursday.

“Every team in this league dreams of having Tony Gonzalez run out of the tunnel for them,” Dimitroff said after trading a 2010 second-round pick to Kansas City for the perennial All-Pro tight end.

Every GM in the league also dreams of having a free pass heading into the weekend. But Dimitroff has already filled the Falcons’ most pressing offensive need, freeing him to find a quality lineman or linebacker at a good price.That’s a much easier order to fill with the No. 24 pick. And as a few of his rivals are about to be reminded, there’s no bigger gamble than trying to find a franchise quarterback at the top of the draft.

They’re all prohibitively expensive, and most who go to a team with too many other needs wind up failing. They’re an even-bigger risk when they’re underclassmen, like the top three QB prospects on the board. And even if you minimize all the other risk factors, recent research by analyst George Sarkisian found that only one of every three first-round QBs, on average, ever lead a team to a conference championship game or Super Bowl.

Dimitroff knew that before he drafted Ryan, then handed him the richest rookie contract ever. While Ryan adapted to the pro game faster than a rookie should, in hindsight, Dimitroff ’s bet wasn’t as risky as it seemed. Ryan was a four-year starter at Boston College, and the Falcons had a serviceable offensive line to protect him, a strong ground game built around emerging running back Michael Turner, and an aging, but still solid, defense to take off some of the pressure.

Though Dimitroff couldn’t have known the pieces would fall in place so fast, you can bet he had a good idea.

He’s the son of NFL player, scout and coach Tom Dimitroff, and spent plenty of time scouting in Canada and other football backwaters before falling in with the Bill Belichick mob in New England.

There, he was tutored by thenPatriots player personnel director

associated press

Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons yesterday to join secondyear quarterback Matt Ryan.

Scott Pioli.

Everyone else in the NFL treats the draft like a chess game. But Belichick’s disciples know building a team is more like three-dimensional chess. Based on past success, they rarely draft early and almost never look for the one player who can single-handedly turn a team around.

Taking Ryan was a gamble, to be sure. But Dimitroff had been on the job for four months at the time and something bold needed to happen if the Falcons were going escape Michael Vick’s disgraced shadow anytime soon. Besides, he liked that bet enough to double down by trading for Gonzalez. The teams that prepare harder for Ryan, now that he’s a known commodity, will still have to account for his newest asset.

Gonzalez, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection who holds career marks for yards, catches and touchdowns at the position, also happens to be one of the best locker room guys in the league. That, too, places Dimitroff squarely in the Belichick mold, since teams turn over a third of their rosters, on average each season, and “character” guys are hard to come by.

The Falcons will need that, too, after losing a handful of defensive starters to free agency during the offseason. So look for the Falcons to grab defensive tackle Peria Jerry of Mississippi or linebacker Brian Cushing of USC, with the first pick.

Whomever Dimitroff selects, chances are he’ll get a useful part.

While choosing Ryan earned him kudos, he also found two starters and two specialists in the first three rounds. Not only does Dimitroff think like Belichick, he’s beginning to sound like him, too.

“As long as it’s not a drastic dropoff,” he said about his draft-day plans, “you seriously have to consider the need position.”

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press.