Let's take a look -

THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERNCE

Bowl Tie-Ins (3): New Mexico Bowl, Hawai'i Bowl,  Humanitarian Bowl

2007 Conference Champion: Hawai'i

Offensive POY: Colt Brennen, QB, Hawai'i

Defensive POY: Marcus Riley, LB, Fresno State

Top Stories of 2007:

- Hawai'i posts undefeated regular season, earns 2nd straight WAC birth in the BCS with a spot in the Sugar Bowl.

- Colt Brennen completed his career by setting records for Passing TDs (131), Total TDs (146), and points scored in a career (886).

2008 OUTLOOK

While most teams looked destined for sub-mediocrity, one stands alone.  The slew of unimpressive teams could mean a cluster of teams hovering around the .500 mark, while one is almost assurdly in for a disasterous fall...

CONFERENCE CHAMPION 

Fresno State Projected Record 10-2 (8-0 WAC)

Must Improve: Pass Defense - The Bulldogs may return 3 of thier 4 starters in the secondary, but none of them had more then one interception a season ago.   In fact, as a team, Fresno only had 4 interceptions last year, and keep in mind, they play in the same conference as Hawai'i and Louisiana Tech, two teams that live to toss the ball around.

Biggest Game: September 13th vs. Wisconsin:  Should the Bulldogs survive a road tilt with Rutgers in week one - and they should - they'll quickly find out if they're BCS material or not.  Its not often BCS powers make the treck int the Valley, and the atmosphere should be electric when the Badgers roll into town.  If the Bulldogs can get a win here, they'll need to avoid an upset @ Toledo the next week, before hoping to pull off one of thier own @ UCLA on Sept. 27th.

The defense may have some rebuilding to do, but the offense should be able to ride the momentum from last year's 3 game winning streak to close the year that included a win over Kansas State, and another over Georgia Tech in the  Humanitarian Bowl. Only Center Ryan Wendell is gone frm last year's squad that went 9-4 and 6-2 in the WAC.

Senior Quarterback Tom Brandstater will lead an expierenced unit into pattle, after tossing for 2,654 yards a year ago, posted the 23rd best pass efficiency rating in the country, and only tossed 5 INTs to 15 TDs, an impressive number.  Brandstater's favorite 3 targets, including first team all-WAC Tight End Bear Pascoe return, return as upperclassmen for this high-powered unit.  Pascoe tied a single-game schooll record with three TDs in a triple-OT loss to Texas A&M last year, while Marlon Moore brought in 5 TDs and 694 yards as a sophomore.

The Defenseive unit will miss the presense of WAC Defensive POY Marcus Riley at linebacker, but Sophomore Ben Jacobs should help to fill that void after posting 83 tackles in his freshman campaign.  DT Jon Monga is is a beast in the middle, posting 7 sacks and 11 tackles for loss a year ago.

On Special Teams, A.J. Jefferson is back after leading the nation with a 35.8 yards/kick return average a year ago.  Jefferson twice found the endzone last year, and could prove to be a vital X-factor for opposing teams that can ill-afford to surrendor bad field position to the Bulldog's offense. 

So, can the Bulldogs make it three BCS bids in a row for the WAC?  Not likely.  While a challenging non-conference schedule (@ Rutgers, home vs. Wisconsin, @ Toledo, @ UCLA) should have the Bulldogs battle tested and ready to roll in the WAC, the chances of them escaping those at 4-0 is highly unlikely. 

Boise State Projected Record 9-3 (6-2 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark:  Who's more important to an offense, a great back, or an expierenced Offensive Line?  The 2008 Boise State Broncos might be able to answer this question once and for-all.  Senior Ian Johnson - of post-statue of liberty play proposal fame - is back to cap off an impressive carrer on the blue turf.  Johnson leads the nation in carrer rushing yards (3,417) and both rushing and total touchdowns scored with 46.  However, the Broncos have lost 4 starting O-Lineman, including tackle Ryan Clady. 

Biggest Game: September 20th @ Oregon - If the Bronco's can pull this one off, they'll once again be America's darling heading into WAC play.

The good news?  The Broncos return one of the best offensive threats in the nation in senior running back Ian Johnson, and his led blocker Richie Brockel.  The bad news? There's still a lot of holed to fill.  Gone are Quarterback Taylor Tharp, #12 pick NFL bound tackle Ryan Clady and 3 other members of the starting offensive line. 

The quarterback spot is wide open heading into fall camp, as four players look to seperate themselves as the next leader of the BSU offense.  Senior Bush Hamdan, sophomore Nick Lomax and redshirt freshman Kellen Moore.  Moore, who spent his freshman year on the scout team, might be the slight leader after spring camp, but nothing is settled as of yet.  None of the three men have thrown more then 16 passes in game action.

The men will get a little help impressing the coaches as Jeremy Childs returns to the line-up after missing spring practice.  As many as 7 Broncos are expected to see time at the wide-out, including Austin Pettis (45 catches, 465 yards, 6 TDs in '07), and deep-play threat Titus Young.

And expierienced defensive line should lead the WAC's strongest unit.  seniors Mike Williams, Joe Bozikovich, and Sean Bingham will start up front, along with sophomore Ryan Winterswyk.  The secondary is missing Marty Tadmand and Orlando Scandrick from the starting line-up, but Kyle Wilson returns after an All-WAC Sophomore year with hopes of making All-American status in his Junior Campaign. 

In the kicking game, the Broncos return one of the nations most dangerous weapons in Kyle Brotzman.  As a redshirt frosh last year, Brtozman went 66 of 66 on PATs, and 16 of 18 on field goals, good for 88.9%.  His two misses?  A 49 yarder against Hawai'i, and a 51 yarder to Washington.

Truth be told, the Broncos are a wild card team this year, but the lack of expierience on the offensive line is worring.  They'll post another solid year, but may lose a couple head-scratchers along the way.

Hawai'i Projected Record 6-7 (5-3 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark: The Offense - 7 starters, including all 4 starting recievers and record setting Quarterback Colt Brennen, are all gone from last year's Sugar Bowl team.

Biggest Game: October 4th @ Fresno State - Provided they get by San Jose State at home the week before, the Warriors should enter the showdown with a 16 game WAC winning streak on the line.

Many may think that because the Warriors put a defensive coordinator there may big a big change in store out on the islands.  Not so much.  Wide recievers coach Ron Lee has taken over the offense, and will look to keep it just as wide open as ever. 

Tyler Graunkie and Inoke Funaki look to be neck and neck for the starting quarterback spot, replacing the departed Colt Brennen.  Graunke, who served as Brennen's primary back-up each of the past three seasons, is earning his way back up the depth charts after an offseason suspension cost him the #1 spot.  While Hawai'i run and gun offense seems to plug in any quarterback for instant success, there may be a couple bumps in the road until this offense is a well oiled machine.

Defensively, the Warriors return thier top two tacklers in first team all-WAC linebackers Solomon Ellimian and Adam Leonard.  The pass rush should be strong once again, headed by another 1st teamer at end in David Veikune, who posted 7 sacks and a safety a season ago. 

Kicker Dan Kelly is proved he's money in the clutch, conecting on two game-winners in '07 to keep Hawai'i's BCS hopes alive.

Louisiana Tech Projected Record 7-5 (4-4 WAC)

Biggest Qustion Mark: With a grand total of 5 collegiate passes, is sophomore Ross Jenkins ready to lead the Bulldogs offense?

Biggest Game: August 30th vs. Mississippi State: A prime oppertunity to pull a season opening upset in the battle of the Bulldogs.

Ross Jenkins takes over a Louisiana Tech offense that looked more balance in 2007 then in years past.  Jenkins however, enters his sophomore campaign with 5 pass attempts under his belt, 15 less then wide reciever Michael Mosley attempted last year.  Helping him should be an expierenced group of wide-outs, including 4 upper-classmen and a sophomore -Phillip Livas- who cracked the started line-up his freshman season. 

Senior running back Patrick Jackson will enter training camp with a good shot of becoming the Bulldogs all-time leading rusher, only 1,170 yards short of the current mark.  Two  spots need to be filled on the o-line, including the vacated spot by all-WAC member Tyler Miller.

The La Tech defense made enormous strides in 2007 after posting one of the worst seasons in the counrty in '06.  In 2008, they'll be lead by 1st team all-WAC Antonio Baker at safety and 2nd teamer Quin Harris at linebacker.  The secondary is expierenced - 3 of 4 starters return - but the ground game may be a little suspect as the Bulldogs must replace 5 of thier 7 men on the first 2 levels.  If they can gel in a hurry, this is a team that could suprise some people in the upcoming season.

Nevada Projected Record 7-5 (4-4 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark: The age-old question - do you lose your spot to injury - will have to be answered in fall camp once again.  A season ago, Nick Graziano won the singal calling duties in camp, but suffered a foot injury.  In his absense, then freshman Colin Kaepernick stepped in and shined, earning WAC freshman of the year honors.  Entering fall camp, the position is officially listed as a compition. (Note- the defense is also a glaring question mark, more on that later...)

Biggest Game: November 7th @ Fresno State - The Wolfpack could enter this nationally televised contest undefeated in WAC play, with a brutal home strech - Boise State and La Tech finish out the year - on the horizon.

Senior RB Luke Lippincott returns for his senior year after leading the WAC in rushing a season ago, and promises to have another productive season in 2008.  The Wolfpack booost what could be the WAC's strongest offensive line, returning 4 starters, all with great size and expierience.  The quarterback battle may extend well into, and possibly beyond fall camp, however, is this offense can find a rythm, they could be dangerous.

The defense, however, could be a different story.  Defensive Corrdinator Nigel Burton brings his 3-4 out west, but word is the Wolfpack may still play around with a 4-3 scheme as well.  Senior linebacker Joshua Mauga should be the unit's leader as he returns from a seaosn ending knee injury in '07.   Despite missing the final 5 games, Mauga still posting 82 tackles and one sack in just about half a season.  Whichever scheme they end up runnig, d-end Kevin Basped will be expected to apply consistant pressure on the quarterback, helping our a secondary that wasn't there a season ago.

 New Mexico State Projected Record 5-7 (4-4 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark: Injuries bit the Aggies in 2007, and if it happens again, it could re-expose the lack of depth that burried the team a year ago.

Biggest Game: October 11th @ Nevada - A big game if the Aggies hope to finish in the top half of the WAC.

The firepower is there for quarterback Chase Holbrook to post gaudy numbers in '08.  Seniors AJ Harris and Kenneth Buckly, will team up with highly touted Chris Williams, who returns after missing much of 2007 with a collorbone injury.  They'll be joined by a slew of talented Freshman who could present one of the WAC's strongest passing attacks.  The question mark here however, the Aggies must replace both offesnive tackles, a scary propisition for a team that hopes to sling the ball as much as possible.

First-year DC Joe Lee Dunn brings a blitz-heavy 3-3-5 package to the desert.  He'll hope the confusision caused by the scheme will mask it's lack of expience on the defensive line.  However in a blitz heavy scheme like this, they'll just need to eat space and free up a strong linebacking core between La'Auli Fonoti, Jamar Cotton and Chris Nwoko.  Devon House is good enough to allow Dunn to leave him on an island when need be, and senior safety Derrick Richardson can give help over the top.  They'll hope to improve no last year's horrible numbers.

Idaho Projected Record 3-9 (2-6 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark: In thier second year together, can the Idaho deffense get it rolling in '08?

Biggest Game: September 20th @ Utah State - A prime oppertunity to end the Vandals 13 game WAC losing streak.

Good news here for Vandals fans, the entire offense returns in for thier second stint under head coach Robb Akey.  However, the offense really wasn't the problem last year, posting at least 20 points in 7 off thier 11 outings.  The defense however, kept only three opponents below the 30 point mark, and two of them (San Jose State, Louisiana Tech) still managed 28 in wins over Idaho. 

7 starters are gone from last year's putrid defense that ranked 110th in scoring, which may be good news given the previous year's results.  Senior safety Shiloh Keo was the team MVP in in 2007, making 2nd team all WAC as a safety and punt returner. 

The offense should be strong, led by sophomore Deonte Jackson at running back.  Jackson's 97.9 yards/game average were good for second in the WAC, and 36th in the nation.  

San Jose State Projected Record 2-10 (1-7 WAC)

Biggest Quesiton Mark: The running game.  The Spartans are missing thier top 3 running backs from a season ago, and were lead in the spring game by a 3rd string quarterback - with all of 21 yards.

Biggest Game: November 8th @ Louisiana Tech - A big game going into deciding what side of the .500 mark the Spartans fall on.

Juniior Myles Eden may have the slight uppderhand for the QB job after Kyle Reed missed spring practice with an injury.  It's anything but settled however, as the position is wide open heading into fall camp. 

The defense will be centered around two seniors who made all-WAC 2nd team last season.  Defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert post 4 sacks in 07, and will man a strong D-line that returns.  In the secondary, Chris Owens returns after leading the WAC in interceptions (6) a season ago. 

Utah State Projected Record 0-12 (0-8 WAC)

Biggest Question Mark: If the Aggies struggle out of the gate, will head coach Brent Guy survive until the end of the year?

Biggest Game: August 30th @ UNLV - A loss here would be a devestating start to the season heading into contests with Oregon and Utah.

Senior Sean Setzer takes a slight lead into fall camp to take over the four-man battle for the starting signal caller spot.  Reliable target Rob Myers returns for his senior season, after leading all tight ends with 15.2 yards/reception a season ago.   Derrick Crumbee looked strong is spring ball after moving over from the linebacker core.  Expect the Aggies to Platoon thier ground attack between Crumbee, Derrvin Speight, and Curtis Marsh.

The top eight tacklera all return for the Aggies, along with Juco transfers at D-line in Casey Davis and Magnum Mauga.  Devon Hall (DL - LB) and Roy Hurst (S - CB) are both changing postions to better fill out the line-up that must improve from last season, when they gave up 400 yards 8 times.

Ms. Maso is one of the guest artists in our memoir workshop for next week.  Check out this site for more information on her http://www.barcelonareview.com/rev/20.htm

For more information contact:

Jacqueline Doumanian
CSU Summer Arts
Community Relations
559-278-0503 office
559-285-2134 cell 
jdoumanian@csufresno.edu
www.csusummerarts.org

2.USC - Always a great team and with a fresh new Quarterback looks to compete for the national title and the Pac-10 title.

3.Ohio State - 2 National title games 0 wins sad but this team will look to compete in january and win the Big Ten Trophy.

4.Georgia - My pick as the Sec Favorite is ranked at 4 after beating an undefeated Hawaii team.

5.Missouri - The new era of missouri football has Begun and i see them winning the Big 12.

6.Florida - Their rising quarterback and a chance to upset georgia this season for their chance at a sec title.

7.Oklahoma - Loosing to West Virginia that had no head coach at the time puts them lower than most polls and they will compete in the big 12.

8.West Virginia - First year head coach Bill Stewart and a Heisman hopeful quarterback will help this team out this year.

9.Texas - Texas will have to win big against Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 to make an impact next season.

10.Texas Tech - Great offence and great determination will boost this team into a BCS or even the national title if they can get over the Longhorn hump.

11.Clemson - The Tigers will look to improve from last season as they look to get it going again this year.

12.BYU - the Non-BCS favorite will be looking for an undefeated season with tough non-conference games against UCLA, and Washington but watch out for Utah on the final game.

13.Auburn - Can the tigers do it this year and win the SEC to go to the BCS national title game, or will they go home?

14.Arizona State - The Sun Devils should look to compete with USC in the Pac-10 for the and with their quarterback healed after a thumb Operation

15.Tennesse - The Vols look to come back after a few injuries are healed should make an Impact in the Sec.

16.Kansas - The Jayhawks will look to improve as a program next season with a new Junior College Runningback takes the scene.

17.Illinois - The illini look to capitalise on a great year last season and a loss to USC at the Rose Bowl hurt but, what can you say as they came up from no where.

18.Virginia Tech - A young team looking to get it done and maybe this is Virginia Techs year to Shine.

19.Oregon - The Ducks only a few games shy last year of the BSC national title will look to upset USC and Arizona State in a competitive PAC-10 Conference.

20.Fresno State - Favored by many to win the WAC and go Undefeated some say they can break through and play for the National Title.

Others that Just Missed:Penn State,Wisconsin,Pittsburg,Boise State,TCU,Eastern Carolina,UCLA,Michigan,Michigan state,South Florida, and Central Michigan.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Indiana Basketball?

By: Marc Halbig, 1995 IU graduate

One day, life will seem brighter for Indiana University basketball. In the meantime, we (I am an IU graduate) still await our sentence from the NCAA for Kelvin Sampson’s phone call addiction and now we have the new “failure to monitor” charge against the university. The final decision that was weeks away from being delivered now seems months away. The wild speculation has started anew.

Does IU deserve to be punished? You bet. Will IU be punished? Guaranteed. How bad will the punishment be? That is the question. To gain perspective, I researched five different NCAA cases against NCAA member basketball programs. Then we can make an educated guess as to... [Read More]

I've just been extremely busy, with school in the morning and work the rest of the day. It's tough, but I'm surviving.

I'm currently reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. It's a bit slow (I've read only about 40 pages), but I'm sure that it will get better.

A few things on my mind:

1. CHURCH

I'm quite displeased with my church. I don't feel like I'm being refreshed or spiritually fed. My pastor's sermons consist of loquacious, corny jokes and a little exploration of a Bible verse. I don't feel intellectually or spiritually stimulated. I want to learn about how I can apply God's Word into my life especially since today the Bible is viewed as outdated. I want to be inspired to live for God everyday!

Of course, the responsibility for this falls not only on the church but also on myself. However, I do think it quite pointless to attend a church which does not foster my growth in Christ.

I'm still thinking about this.

2. REDA

To not get into a long story, an ex-coworker of mine owes me and my mom $700, and she fled to Arizona without paying me.

I still fret about whether or not she'll pay. I'm planning on going to a legal counsel place here in town and ask for advice.

Today, though, I heard that she didn't get the job she was hoping for in Arizona. It just goes to show God doesn't bless people who are wayward.

3. COLLEGE

I'm transferring to Fresno State this Fall, and right now I am one credit short of making my 60 transferable units. If anyone's reading this out there, please pray for me that the Cooperative Education department of Merced College lets me sign up for a work-credit program even though the summer semester's already half done. (Thanks.)

Also, I haven't gotten my financial aid for the school year 07-08 because I didn't have all the necessary paperwork. I'm getting the last of the delinquent paperwork, so I'm praying I get that money before the summer semester ends.

4. JOB

I applied to a Marriott in Fresno, and I'm hoping that they'll hire me. I'm stressing a bit because when the manager called me, my phone was acting up and not working, so I missed a lot of calls. I'm thinking of calling him back tomorrow morning, and I hope everything turns out well.

Well, there you go. Amidst this, the truth of which I can remind myself is: To God be the glory! Every decision I make in life and every breath and step I take should aim to glorify Him. Ultimately, this is my goal. :)

Total Miles: 47.2

Well a quick update for those of you scoping this out. I had to come to work twice this week with a car, as I had some new computer parts come in, and alas, they couldn't all fit into my backpack. So three out of five days were spent on the bike. It's roughly 3 miles going the absolute shortest way, and this week I've taken 3 different paths. It's worked out well, and ironically enough I can get to work in roughly the same time as driving. Who knew?!

There has been a lot of smoke here recently because of the surrounding fires, so I'm hoping it clears up enough to do a long ride tomorrow. I'm thinking another store run, and maybe a trek up the hill next to the roadhouse.

I have definitely seen a difference in my weight and energy, and need to get into more of a rhythm sleep wise, and continue to resist bad food. I did have one meal that my wife did not approve of, but it was SOOOO good. However, Sonic, you will no longer see my business. Sorry ::shrug:: On a good note I did resist both wine, beer AND cookies last night! We got together with some friends and they brought over cookie dough and beer. There will be a time for those things, but not now. :) So Sara, I am putting in an order for cookies after Lighthouse ok? It will be a feast for all of us!

On another note, Fresno State baseball won the national championship, and I'm pretty sure our town is going to go ballistic. It's a great feeling, and we finally have something to be truly proud of. Hopefully that pride and success can carry into football as well.

Thanks for the comments so far, it's great to see the support my friends and family give. I know it's only been just under two weeks, but your support is much needed, and it's great to see people creeping around on my site. :) Look for a weigh-in on Sunday, and hopefully a great ride tomorrow ::crosses fingers::

Cheers.

In 1997, the University of Iowa needed a baseball coach to replace the retiring Duane Banks. The finalists were Hawkeyes assistant coach Scott Broghamer, Arizona State assistant coach Doug Scheiber, and Cal State Northridge head coach Mike Batesole.

"In the final evaluation I selected a person who exemplifies the values, professional qualities and personal characteristics we were seeking," then-U of I athletic director Bob Bowlsby said in a prepared statement.

Batesole, 33 at the time, had a two-year record of 94-38 at Northridge when the school disbanded its baseball program because of budget cuts and gender-equity issues. The Matadors had been one win from a College World Series berth in 1996.

Broghamer resigned in 2003 after a six-year record of 123-183. Jack Dahm was hired from Creighton to replace him and is the coach today. Iowa hasn't had anything resembling a sniff of a CWS appearance under Dahm or his predecessor.

And Batesole? Well, he stayed at Northridge and won more than he lost even though the team was forced to compete as an independent from 1997 to 2000 after the program was axed. The program was reinstated in 2001. In 2002, Batesole was the Big West Conference's Coach of the Year, then left to take the head coaching job at Fresno State, where he just finished his sixth season.

Wednesday, the Fresno State Bulldogs capped a highly unlikely and totally extraordinary run to the NCAA championship.

Could Batesole have done likewise at Iowa, or even come close? Who knows? But watching his gutsy team play on TV over the last week, you knew it had a coach with the right stuff.

Hawkeye baseball, meanwhile, has been a non-story for a long, long time.

Bowlsby is now Stanford's athletic director. Stanford reached this year's CWS. But Bowlsby didn't have to hire the coach there. Mark Marquess has over 1,300 wins in 32 years as the Cardinal's coach.

Sometimes you inherit a great coach. Sometimes you have to hire one yourself. The latter is quite a bit harder.

As a marching band alumnus, I was invited to play in a rally to celebrate a victory I had absolutely no part in or knowledge of until I got an e-mail late Tuesday night.  I'm more than happy to come to this rally: I have school spirit.

I'm still not used to having school spirit.

When I was in high school, school spirit was a silly thing. Though our losing football team wasn't much to speak of, we had a genuinely talented wrestling squad. Our school put on rallies to celebrate those accomplishments.

I still didn't care. I wasn't in the wrestling squad.

I went to exactly one rally during high school, and that was the first of my freshman year. Fellow freshmen, screaming at the top of their lungs, stood around me in the stadium. I sat throughout the entire rally, reading my a copy of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Monster Manual. I thought to myself:

I could do this in the school library.

So I did, for every rally between autumn of my freshman year and graduation of my senior year. I grew to appreciate rallies. Not because I liked them, but because I liked the school library.

I was proud of one thing in high school: our band program. Our marching band was the division champion in 2003 --- for the 60-members-and-under division --- and the concert bands regularly did very well. When I got to college, I decided to stick around the music department.

Marching band there got me interested in our college football team --- this team tends to be middling with thrilling shots of greatness --- and a few seasons later, I was hooked. This wasn't school spirit so much as loving the marching band for being incredible, and without using amplification.

I was also a fan of the band trip per diem.

I contracted school spirit only since I left the band, and, more recently, the school. My school spirit is derivative of nostalgia, and my nostalgia is integral to school spirit. It works mathematically. Nostalgia requires active interest; it takes effort toward some cause; most importantly, it requires spending some time away from that cause. School spirit works the same way.

My high school threw rallies and sort of expected us to be excited about something other than skipping class for a day. That's the wrong way about it. How can we reasonably expect students to have school spirit without getting first getting them actively involved?

I'm off to play last chair second trombone at a rally, to celebrate the accomplishments of athletes I hadn't heard much about until last Monday and hadn't followed much since then. That's alumni involvement, and all schools need that, too --- active alumni have school spirit.

Schools need to foster school spirit, and most schools know it. High school administrations also realize that they must give their students something to have school spirit about.

Rallies don't count. Schools forget this.

-JB

The stock market's down.

Gas prices are up.

The Braves are down. Even though we won yesterday... and there was much rejoicing....

yay

Seems like a good time to throw in the towel huh? I've read a lot of posts lately about the Braves becoming sellers. Bloggers are out there saying we should start trading away, start from scratch and basically rebuild.

Well excuse me for sounding like Mr. Rosy Goggles but I just don't see it that way yet. Not that we haven't taken our share of lumps this year and this team has been a bit of an underachiever. I just think we still have a decent shot at pulling it together.

The biggest thing it comes down to is performance. I know our starting rotation looks 3/5 different than it should but look at what our "fill-in's" have done.

Jorge Campillo- 3-2, 2.54 ERA, 53 K's/12 BB's, in 8 GS, allowing 16 ER's in 49 innings.

Charlie Morton's first 3 big league starts- 1-1 (with one game he should've had the "W" and another that easily could have made him 3-0) is 4.24 ERA, 11K/6 BB's.

Jo Jo Reyes- Not really a star 5th starter but he's had 4 starts where he went +5 IP and gave up 2 ER's or less and hasn't allowed more than 4 ER since May 23rd.

Gonzo is back.

Glavine will be back.

Diaz is slotted to return and if Kotsay gets healthy and Chipper stays that way, we can give those bench guys their bench jobs back.

And really it's Frenchy and Tex who have been the large holes in the lineup. The latter is starting to catch fire a little bit hitting .330 with 4 HR's 7 RBI's since Seattle came to town. And Frenchy.... he's disappointing us all right now but I just have this feeling that he will snap out of it at some point.

I know it's been easy to hate this Braves team lately but when you have to resort to filling your entire lineup with the bench on a daily basis, you have to expect them to perform like bench players. After all that's why they're riding the pine to begin with.

All this Braves blogger is saying is we've still got talent and we're only 4.5 games out. And although the trade deadlines and free agency are causing the winds to blow and the hot stoves to heat up... I don't think it's time to count this team out just yet.

You never know. Stranger things have happened. What are the odds that the lowest seeded, unranked team, with 31 regular season losses would go on to win a National Championship?

By the way Fresno State, thank you for beating UGA.

This is probably the only time I'll ever say this but....

"Go Bulldogs!"

Next up: Braves vs Blue Jays- Jurrjens vs. McGowan Friday, 7:00pm EDT

Time for some retribuition for 1992.

The offensive hero was outfielder Steve Detwiler who hit two home runs for Fresno yesterday and drove in all six runs.  But significantly, it was Detwiler who helped bring Fresno back from the brink in Game 2 of the final series.  Georgia, the No. 8 national seed, had won the first game and had a 5-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings in the second game.  The                                for the rest click here

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With all of that lined up, Fresno shouldn't have won. They shouldn't have even been there. As a matter of fact, if this was the BCS, they wouldn't have had the chance. They most likely, wouldn't have even gotten a BCS game. If there was ever a case against the BCS, it is the way that baseball runs their championship (and basketball for that matter). All the little guys are asking for is a chance. They might not win often, but every now and then, they just might shock you. Not too many people in the world cared about Fresno St. before this championship (hell, not too many people cared about the city of Fresno), but for one week people cared. For one week they weren't the little guy. They don't want to be known as Cinderella, and they won't. From now on, they will be known as champions.

Fresno State leaves the CWS as national champions after beating Georgia 6-1 on last night.

Fresno scored 62 runs during the CWS tying an NCAA record
Also Fresno State was the lowest seed ever to win an NCAA sports championship.

Congrats Fresno State!

-I foresee a couple fishing trips in my future. I believe I will be heading out to either Islamorada or Boynton Beach Monday morning.

-If all goes well, I will have a mess of snapper and grouper, or I will have some dolphin, wahoo, and kingfish.

-Fresno State became the first regional 4 seed to win the CWS ever. That is about the same as a 16 seed in the NCAA basketball tourney winning the championship. They are a true Cinderella story; they almost missed the tournament completely and made great comebacks in the regional, super regional, and CWS.

-Fresno St also hit the cover off the ball. They may have set a record for most homeruns in the CWS.

-Two nights ago, my mom and dad joined Marcela and me for fresh dolphin tacos. Marcela and I drove out to Robert is Here and another local fruit stand to get some fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, cilantro, tomatos, and avocados for the tacos and some mangos to go on the side. We had a blast.

-I don't what the deal is, but those jals were some of the hottest I have ever had. I actually had to ask Marcela to remove the seeds and membrane for the salsa to cool it down a little.

-My mom and dad made banana icecream that night, too. It was great! We had quite a bit leftover but it's all gone now.

-We played the Wii for a while after dinner and had a great time. My mom beat my dad in one of the shooting games, but my dad's pretty good.

-I will be at church alone Sunday. Music should be fun, but I will miss Marcela.

-Something is going on with my internet connection at home. I thing that it is either my DSL modem or my wireless router. The connection just resets every 10 minutes or so.

-The interruptions are not noticeable unless I am playing my Wii online. It boots me out of the game. Just before I kill somebody on Medal of Honor 2.

-Blog traffic has been spiking and dropping just about every other day. It looks like a stock ticker with peaks and valleys. Based on the web search traffic, I assume it is going to take off very soon.

-This blog started at the request of Travis who has been pushing the blogging concept as long as he has been down here in Homestead (from what I can remember).

-I can't wait to attend the Life Pointe Web 2.0 Seminar this Sunday afternoon. I'm going to call and reserve my spot this morning if there is anything available. I think Chris is going to be there and hopefully Bill, too.

-Maybe we can get Chris to start twittering, too.

Fresno State did. Click here for the details.

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In case you didn't know, the University of Georgia used to have a different school song...way back when (1908 to be exact).  It was called "Red and Black March" and was written by R. E. Haughey.

Click here to find out more about it.  Click here for an uber-large version of the cover art.

I caught the Fresno Fever early on; I feel like I know their entire roster now. Justin Wilson pitched lights out, and OF Steve Detwiler took care of all their offense. However, my favorite player is still their 3B Tommy Mendonca who made crazy defensive plays throughout the month of June.

Fresno State coach Mike Batesole did a hell of a job... piecing this thing together from start to finish. Congrats!

Fresno State entered the College World Series finals as the lowest seeded team to ever make it to an NCAA tournament final.  Ever.

And then they won it.

The lost game one late in a shocker, and were trailing in game two 5-0 before turning the series around.  They came back to win game two and then went on to thump Georgia 6-1 in game three.

So my congrats go out to them.  They came out of nowhere and did what no one has ever done before.

And what a game it was.  Down 5-0 entering the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs (of Fresno State) outscored the Bulldogs (of Georgia) 19-5 the rest of the way.  I've seen this team play in person and they can really hit the ball.  In fact, it makes me feel even better knowing that ASU was able to hold them to only 12 runs a few weeks back in the super regional.

Obviously a Fresno State victory would be a hell of a story.  They were a number 4 seed in their original region and have since won eight games against five teams ranked in the top 20.  I read somewhere that this is the equivalent of a #15 or 16 seed going to the final game in the men's basketball tournament, but I think it's a bit of a stretch.  Besides, no comparisons are necessary, they're simply an amazing team on a great run right now.

In fact, I'm so excited by the College World Series that we (read: Fetch) will be live blogging it this evening in all of it's glorious wonder.  The live blog will be replacing our regularly scheduled "Under the Lights" post so everyone head over there instead.  We'll leave the light on for you.

The postseason magic had to end eventually. It did Tuesday night. North Carolina lost for the first time in the NCAA Tournament this year, losing to Fresno State 5-3 in the College World Series and falling to the loser's bracket. Carolina will face LSU Thursday night, a team the Tar Heels beat to open CWS play Sunday.

North Carolina got all of its runs in the fourth inning on RBIs by Tim Fedroff, Kyle Seager and Chad Flack. The Heels managed to knock out 11 hits, but other than the fourth, the Bulldogs held the Heels scoreless. Jason Breckley got the win in relief, working just a third of an inning. Brandon Burke recorded the save for Fresno State, which used five pitchers during the game.

"Fresno State certainly outplayed us, out executed us," said Carolina coach Mike Fox. "I like the way they played. For a depleted pitching staff, they did well. Hats off to Fresno State. We'll regroup and try again Thursday. I wouldn't describe them (Fresno State) as playing with nothing to lose. Everybody is equal once you get here. They did what they needed to do to win. The score could've been worse. Credit our guys for keeping it close."

Fresno State is the first No. 4 regional seed to make it to the CWS and will earn a spot in the championship series with one more win.

The Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the second on Ryan Overland's homer and again in the fourth when Steve Susdorf took one deep. Fresno State then took a 4-3 lead on Alan Ahmady's two-run single in the fifth with the bases loaded. The Bulldogs scored once more when Erik Wetzel knocked in a run in the eighth.

"No one really expected this going in; none of us have ever been here before," said Burke. "You've got to think pitch-to-pitch and game-to-game. Some of these teams like Rice and North Carolina have been here the last couple of years and may have taken us lightly, but we just go out there and play hard every game."

Fox said Carolina would go with Matt Harvey on the mound against LSU Thursday night. The Tar Heels beat LSU 8-4 Sunday night in the first game for both teams in the CWS. LSU beat Rice in an elimination game Tuesday afternoon. Fresno State will play the winner of the UNC-LSU game on Friday. If the Bulldogs don't win Friday, the same two teams will play again Saturday for a berth in the best-of-three championship series.

"Once you get in the loser's bracket it's tough," said Carolina's Chad Flack. "You just take it one game at a time, one inning at a time."

In game 2, Fresno State stayed the hottest team in the nation, defeating #2 seed North Carolina 5-3.  With this win, the Bulldogs proved that they are possibly not only the hottest team in the tournament, but maybe even the best.  The CWS will resume tomorrow with 2 losers bracket games.  Stanford takes on Miami for the right to play Georgia and LSU gets a rematch with North Carolina to see who gets to match up with Fresno State.

If you haven't watched a College Baseball World Series you're missing out. The CWS has everything that people complain MLB doesn't. Its unpredictable, fast paced, and mistake prone. All this adds to great sports TV.  Given that these are kids not pros and most are not even on scholarship creates a frenzy of excitement that not many sports match. Yesterday (June 6) marked the beginning of the Super Regionals. These are the schools competing for a berth to the CWS held each year in Omaha NE. Its a best of three (3) series where every at bat can make a difference. Most games are high scoring close affairs with many errors and come down to the final pitch. You never know what is gonna happen next. Pitchers don't throw as hard and batters use aluminum instead of wood. The pitcher could hang a breaking ball that the batter takes over the fence to win the game. Or center fielder may drop a routine fly to allow a run. Or the second baseman may just miss a tag. Either way anything may happen and most times this decides the final outcome. This is what amateur sports is all about. Unpredictability. Give the CWS a chance and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I just wish the games were closer to me. One year I've gotta make it to Omaha to see it live.

From left to right in photo:  Clay Ipsen, Gabe Trevino, Me, the chinless wonder James McCoy, and Jimmy Thompson.