THE END IS HERE

Fresno State’s national title defense ends at the hands of San Diego State.

From gobulldogs.com and UC Irvine:

After defying the odds in Hawai’i to win an automatic berth to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, the Fresno State baseball team’s season ended after falling to San Diego State, 4-1.

“Another good college baseball game and we came out on the wrong end of it,” said head coach Mike Batesole. “Both teams pitched very well, both teams played outstanding defense. They got a couple home runs and you have to give them credit.”

This is the first elimination game that the Bulldogs have lost in the last two years, having won ten straight before Saturday, dating back to last year’s regional at Long Beach.

As an encore performance to Aztec’s ace Stephen Strasburg’s 15-strikeout performance in the first game of the regional Tyler Lavigne allowed one run (0 earned) on five hits in 7.2 innings on the mound. Lavigne improved his season record to 8-2 as he totaled eight strikeouts on the afternoon.

Brandon Meredith provided the offense for San Diego State with two home runs, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning. Meredith went 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored and three RBI.

Fresno State (32-30) cut the Aztecs’ lead to 2-1 in its half of the fourth inning on an RBI triple by Kenny Wise to score Brennan Gowens. Wise was one of five Fresno State baserunners left on base, as Lavigne struck out Gavin Hedstrom to end the threat.

Meredith’s second home run came in the fifth inning to spark a two-run effort. His solo shot was followed by a wild pitch that scored SDSU’s second run of the inning.

Matt Morse started on the hill for Fresno State and lasted 4.2 innings and allowed four runs (four earned) on eight hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

He gave way to senior Holden Sprague who gave up just one hit in 3.1 innings of work.

San Diego State totaled nine hits as a team as Mitch Blackburn joined Meredith with a multi-hit afternoon. Pat Colwell, Erik Castro, Cory Vaughn and Matt Parker all added one hit.

Danny Muno led Fresno State’s offense with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. The Bulldogs were held to just five hits on the day.

Addison Reed dropped his season ERA to 0.65 as he earned his 20th save of the season. Reed threw 1.1 innings and struck out two batters.

The Aztecs improve to 4-0 all-time against the Bulldogs in NCAA regional play.

THE RUN
Fresno State in elimination games since 2008:
vs. San Diego (2008 Regional) W, 5-1
vs. Arizona State (2008 Super Regional) W, 8-6
vs. Arizona State (2008 Super Regional) W, 12-9
vs. North Carolina (2008 College World Series) W, 6-1
vs. Georgia (2008 CWS Finals) W, 19-10
vs. Georgia (2008 CWS Finals) W, 6-1 (NCAA Champion)
vs. San Jose State (2009 WAC Tournament) W, 6-3
vs. Hawaii (2009 WAC Tournament) W, 10-3
vs. New Mexico State (2009 WAC Tournament) W, 9-7
vs. New Mexico State (2009 WAC Tournament) W, 5-3
vs. San Diego State (2009 Regional) L, 4-1

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CONGRATS TO THE CHAMPS!

Final scores from all 12 valley championship baseball and softball games:

BASEBALL:
Division I: Stockdale 6, Clovis West 2
Division II: Edison 11, San Joaquin Memorial 6*
Division III: Hanford 11, Madera South 7
Division IV: Washington Union 2, Selma 1
Division V: Liberty Madera-Ranchos 7, Corcoran 4
Division VI: Orange Cove 6, McFarland 5

*Edison’s first valley title in baseball in school history (85 years)

SOFTBALL:
Division I: Buchanan 5, Stockdale 3
Division II: Tulare Western 3, Golden West 2
Division III: Hanford West 2, Hanford 0
Division IV: Kerman 9, Kingsburg 8
Division V: Liberty Madera-Ranchos 5, Riverdale 3
Division VI: Laton 10, McFarland 9

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Macoron pulls Surprising Submission, Cortez floors the Competition

By James Gilliland
VSP MMA Columnist

Porterville – Eagle Mountain Casino featured The Warrior’s Cage: Fracture. The event featured numerous local fighters, many of which made their pro debuts on the card.

The main event featured Aaron Hayes (2-1) taking on Andre Baggio (pro debut)

Baggio with his hulking physique and strength couldn’t hold up to Hayes’ wrestling as they fought to a unanimous decision. Hayes would out point Baggio to take the victory.

In a battle of undefeated fighters, Visalia’s CJ Keith (4-0) fought his way to a unanimous decision over Mauricio Mejia (4-0). This was the fight of the night pick by the promotion as both of these fighters battled the entire time.

Visalia’s Paul Estrada (4-0) defeated Porterville’s Jason Drake (4-2) by dars choke in the first round at 2:15.

Visalia’s Nick Gennoe (debut) takes unanimous decision victory over Fresno native and Team Buhawe fighter, Julio Diaz Jr. (1-0)

Madera’s Joaquin Sanchez (3-2) loses to Rafael Del Real (5-12) after Del Real says he was elbowed to the back of the head. The referee disqualifies Sanchez at 1:02 in the first round.

Chris Sanchez (debut) wins his pro debut over Chris Salazar by technical Knockout in the first round at 55 seconds.

Sergio Cortez (5-5) defeats Juan Lopez (2-4) in the first round after hitting him with a picture perfect left hook flooring Lopez at 2:58.

“I didn’t know what to expect any more, I was looking for an easy submission,” said Cortez. “I just rushed in and gave it all I got. I landed a good left hook and dropped him.”

The fight would also get knockout of the night honors as well.

Porterville’s Estevan Ceballos (0-1) wins a one-sided fight with Porterville’s Brandon Mulliniks (debut) by ground and pound.

Porterville’s David Willinton loses to Ray Cervera (debut) by technical knockout from ground and pound.

Madera’s Ruben Gil (debut) defeats Coalinga’s Damien Luna (debut) by technical knockout. After Gil grounded and pounded Luna from the mount.

Oakhurst’s Andy Macoron (7-4) left the audience stunned as he submitted Fresno’s David Rameres (3-1) using the super guard at :46 in the first round. The fight would also take submission of the night honors aside from being the only submission on the card.

In the opening bout of the evening, Juan Jimenez wins his pro debut by unanimous decision against Luke Davis (0-2).

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FROM ALL ANGLERS

ROGER’S COMMENTS: Water levels are up, and fishing is generally fairly good for all species, but the summer boat traffic has started and it is a good idea to plan your trips for either very early or very late to avoid the frustration.

Key:
1–Poor
2-Fair
3–Good
4-Excellent Fishing

San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay: 
Stripers-2

Coyote Bait and Tackle in San Jose said striper fishing in the big lake is consistent with anchovy fillets mooched at depths from 40 to 60 feet in 100 feet of water with 2 to 3 oz. of weight outside of Dinosaur Point. The Forebay has experienced great angler interest with white flukes on a 3/8th oz. jig head, Bombers in bone color, Lucky Craft Pointer 128’s in American Shad, pile worms or anchovies from the banks for fish in the 22 to 26-inch range. The lake dropped eight vertical feet to 430.80 feet in elevation due to water releases down the aqueduct and canals. Wind conditions: 800-805-4805.

Eastman Lake: 
Bass-2 Trout-1

Patrick Movey of the Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno reported a nearly non-existent trout bite despite the efforts of a few dedicated trollers near the Dam and the Pipe. On the bass front, there is a small window for top water action in the morning and evenings with grubs or Senkos working during the day. The bass are generally small. Merritt Gilbert of Valley Rod and Gun in Clovis said catfish to 5-pounds are found up the river arm with chicken livers or anchovies. Bluegill are biting red worms, and some small crappie are found in small minnows or minijigs, but most Fresno area crappie fishermen are heading out on the long ride south to Isabella. The lake is holding at a 20% of capacity and 495.38 feet in elevation.

[GOFISH] Hensley Lake: 
Bass-2 Trout-1
Patrick Movey said it is pretty much the same deal as Eastman with small bass found on 5-inch Yamamoto single-tail Blue Gill patterned grubs on a ¼ oz. jig head around the rock piles. The trout bite is non-existent. Catfish can be found up the river arm at night with chicken livers or anchovies. The bluegill and crappie report is similar to Eastman. The lake rose nearly a foot to 35% of capacity and 493.57 feet in elevation.

Delta Mendota Canal and Sloughs: 
Stripers-2
Merritt Gilbert reported white flukes or RatLTraps are working for schoolie stripers from the banks in the Aqueduct near Firebaugh, particularly in the running water. Mendota Slough is kicking out small stripers, catfish and largemouth bass. Pete Cormier of Bob’s Bait Bucket in Bakersfield said the striper bite has slowed, but catfishing has improved with sardines, anchovies or chicken livers. One angler reported 10 catfish to 15-pounds. Algae is forming every few days along the concrete until a flush of water clears the concrete.

Millerton Lake /San Joaquin River:
Bass-3 Stripers-2 Shad-2
Millerton continues to hold the best bass bite in the area with good numbers of 1.5 to 2-pound fish on drop shotting, dart-heading shad or crawdad-patterned plastics from the banks to 15 feet in depth. There is a top water bite in the morning and evenings. 20 to 30 fish days are possible with the majority in the 12/13-inch range. American shad in the 13 to 15-inch range are in the river arm, and they can be landed on white Roostertails or crappie jigs. Striper fishing up the river arm has slowed down, with the schools of shad spreading back out into the main lake. Anglers are picking up some 6 to 9 pound fish in the main lake coves on minnows. Catch and release encouraged. The lake has risen nearly a half-foot to 98% of capacity and 575.86 feet in elevation despite water releases. The area below Friant Dam on the San Joaquin continues to be planted on a weekly basis, including the current week. The flows down the San Joaquin remain fishable, and experienced anglers are locating fish in the higher water conditions.

Pine Flat Reservoir: 
Bass-2 Trout-2 King salmon-1
Most bass anglers are giving up and targeting other bodies of water. A few bass can be taken on shad-colored plastics or Green Weenie/redflake plastics. Merritt Gilbert said the trout bite has gotten tough with no significant concentration of fish in the lake. Trout anglers are heading to the high country waters in response to the slow down. No king salmon reported, and the DFG will not be planting king salmon in the lake this year. The lake is at 71% of capacity and 897.76 feet in elevation. The lower Kings below the Dam continues to receive weekly trout plants, including this week. The river levels have risen with water releases from the lake, making fishing conditions more difficult, but experienced anglers are able to work limits with Power Bait, night crawlers, salmon eggs or lures.

HIGH SIERRA
 
Bass Lake: 
Bass-2 Trout-2 Kokanee-2
Todd Wittwer of Kokanee.net Guide Service said heavy boat traffic over the weekend slowed down the bite for trout and kokanee with most areas of the lake unable to be worked during the day. Of concern is that only two large kokanee were landed during the current week. There are fish holding near the bottom, and Wittwer is going to jig in an attempt to find out the species of these fish and whether there will be kokanee to fish for this year. The two kokanee were taken either on the Pink Splatter Rocky Mountain Tackle dodger in front of a pink UV Radical Glow Tube or a blue Radical Glow Tube behind a blue Hyperglo Blade. The lack of kokanee may relate to predation from spotted bass in the lake similar to Bullard’s Bar in northern California. Merritt Gilbert reported a good bass bite with spots in the 2 to 3-pound range handing around the docks on plastics or jigs, but most bass anglers will not be visiting the lake due to the motor charge during the summer months. The lake is holding at 75% of capacity.

Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake: 
Kokanee-3 Trout-3  
Captain Jack Yandell reported slow kokanee fishing with only a few fish found at depths from 35 to 60 feet in the middle of the lake and off of the Point. The fish are scattered. The water has come up with pine cones, pine needles and logs on the surface of the lake. Trout fishing is still good, but there are numerous 6 to 8-inch rainbows hitting lures and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Paul Kalpakoff of Central Sierra Outfitters took Art Carlson and Dr. Fred Farm of Fresno to Huntington for three mixed limits of trout to 16-inchs and kokanee to 14-inches on UV purple tiger Shasta Tackle Humdinger three feet behind a 4-inch Shasta Tackle UV Sling Blade on a leadcore line with another leadcore sporting PPK red sparkle Tomahawk spinners behind a similar blade. Kalpakoff had two lines on downriggers with Shasta Tackle UVE Humdingers in fishscale and similar lures for consistent action. They caught and released over 25 fish. Dick Gomez of Young’s Tackle has been sending most anglers up to Huntington for the outstanding action. Merritt Gilbert said the kokanee grade has been excellent at Huntington with one confirmed report of a 19-inch fish. Shaver has risen to 92% of capacity with Huntington rising to 96% of capacity. The majority of the high country creeks are scheduled for trout plants this week.

Wishon/Courtright: 
Trout-3
Chuck Crane of Wishon Village RV Park reported a great trout bite at both lakes since the trout plant early last week. Wishon has been producing limits for trollers pulling Needlefish or Speedy Shiners in red or copper or blade/crawler combinations at 15 feet in depth for rainbows to 18-inches. The majority of the fish have been from 11 to 13-inches, but there are plenty of 15 to 18-inch fish in the lake. Wishon is nearly full, and launching is easy. Shore fishermen are scoring with night crawlers under a bubble on a 3-foot leader or Power Bait in yellow or orange. Courtright opened on Friday with heavy angling interest. Needlefish or Speedy Shiners in brass/red or copper/red, as well as Rapalas are working for trollers. Shore anglers are picking up limits of rainbows with orange or rainbow Power Bait. The docks are in the water with a bit of snow around the shoreline. Dennis Beard at Dinkey Creek Inn confirmed the hot bite at both lakes, and he reported ideal stream conditions in the area with the flows dropping in half in the past 10 days. The fish have dispersed in a variety of pools, and salmon eggs, meal worms or night crawlers are working, in addition to black Panther Martins or Roostertails with the hatch of black ants in the area. The DFG trout plants will focus on high country creeks this week.

Edison/FlorenceMammoth Pool:
Trout-3
No fresh reports out of Edison since Kaiser Pass opened last week, but Patrick Movey reported a very good trout bite at Florence from the banks with floating Rapalas in F5 or F7 in gold/black or silver/black patterns. The streams below the Dam are open to fishing with the streams feeding the lake opening June 1st. Edison has risen to 42%, Florence has risen to 87% with Mammoth Pool at 99%. Call: 259-4000 

Fishing at the mouth of the Salinas River and Mulligan Hill has been very good with top water lures for fish to 15-pounds. There are numerous stripers in the area, most likely due to the schools of bait. Bayside Marine in Santa Cruz reported good rockfishing at South Rock for olive and black rockfish with a few lings on Diamond jigs. Patient anglers are picking up a few halibut on dead bait in 20 to 50 feet of water along local beaches. CF22> Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951, Bayside Marine (831) 475-2173, usafishing.com 

Delta/Stockton: 
Bass- 3 Stripers-3 Sturgeon-3
The stripers are on their way back down the river system into the bays, and the fish are keying on bait in order to bulk up after the spawn. Alan Cover, Jim and Andy Aldersen of Modesto landed caught and released16 legal stripers from 7 to 10-pounds on fresh shad on the San Joaquin River at the mouth of Three Mile Slough on the outgoing tide during the week. Trolling slowed down with the large tides, but Mark Wilson of Mark Wilson’s Sport Fishing found a decent bite from the bottom of the tide through the incoming with the fish scattering on the outgo. He has been working shallow-running Yozuris in the upper Delta and sloughs, but he located a nice pod of fish at 14 to 16 feet during the week. He worked these fish with the new prototype P-Line Predator for hookups on every
pass. They have been modifying this lure for over a year. and it is anticipated to be available in tackle shops in August. B and S Bait at McAvoy’s in Pittsburg said the wind has been keeping most anglers off of the water in the past week, but there continues to be a good sturgeon bite near the Duck Club in the Little Cut, the back of the Big Cut near Garnet Point and in Montezuma Slough near the
Cable Crossing. Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing confirmed the good sturgeon bite with few anglers targeting the fish. He has been scoring with the Capt. Kev’s Stingem Sturgeon leaders with an Anise scent on the FishTickle at depths to 30 feet on both the incoming and the outgoing tides. The results from the Department of Fish and Game’s last week of striper tagging are concerning with only 2336 legal fish taken in the eight weeks, about ½ the normal amount tagged over the past several years. Randy Pringle, the Fishing Instructor, located schools of stripers on the San Joaquin River chasing bait early in the morning and caught and released fish to 10-pounds on the 7-inch OB Minnow in bluegill pattern. He said the top water bite has been good on the incoming tide with Furbet the Frog and the Pure Poison with a 3-inch Double Diamond trailer. They are locating two to three fish over 6-pounds on each trip with several in the 3-pound range. It is possible to land up to 30 fish per day. In the middle of the large outgoing tide, Pringle has been switching to the Persuader white spinnerbaits with white blades or IMA Shaker in blue gill patterns. There are blue gill all over the shallows trying to get to the bass fry.

Call: Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388; Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Kevin Yost, Lucky Strike Fishing (707) 301-8050, Mark Wilson Sport Fishing (916) 682-1630, Fin Addict Sport Fishing (209) 367-4665.

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MY BLUE HEAVEN

Act like you’ve been there before.

That’s what is commonly said about athletes who perform exaggerated celebrations after routine accomplishments. Don’t pose and preen after a scoring a touchdown, hitting a home run or burying a 3-point shot. It’s a part of your job – you’ve done it previously, you expect to do it and you’ll do it again. No big whoop.

But what if you’ve really never been there before? What then?

As an “esteemed member of the media” I’ve seen my share of press boxes and done my share of interviews, but today was different. I was covering the Dodgers.

I don’t want to give you the impression that I couldn’t keep my objective wits about me. On the outside, I was the picture of professionalism. Sure, I made the typical rookie mistakes like not knowing where to find the media parking lot, the credentialing table, the press box or my spot in it. But at least I looked like I belonged.

On the inside, I was as happy as Adam Lambert in a mascara factory. Walking down the halls lined looking at old black and white photos with greats like Robinson, Reese, Koufax and Drysdale would be awesome for any baseball fan, but even better if you’re part of the Blue Crew during your down time.

If you’ve done this dozens of times, seeing Vin Scully, dressed in a Dodger blue-tinged blazer, standing in the doorway to the press box doesn’t make you want to run over and tell him that he has the greatest job in the world and how much you’d love to have it (but only after he’s done with it, of course).

If you’ve done this dozens of times, you don’t have the urge to tell Fernando Valenzuela that your first memories of watching baseball revolve around Fernandomania and that crazy rookie season of 1981.

If you’ve done this dozens of times, seeing Nancy Bea and Mike Brito doesn’t secretly make you happy inside. The Dodger Dogs don’t smell quite as good and the cookies aren’t quite as chocolaty.

Covering your team for the first time is truly a labor of love. It showed a bit when I stumbled over my first question during a short interview with Orlando Hudson. After all, the O-Dog had become an immediate fan favorite in Los Angeles (that’s what happens when you hit for the cycle in your home debut).

Once the game started and I was in front of my computer, I began to feel more at home. Though it would have been nice to see the Dodgers win (they’re 0-2 when I’ve been in the stadium this year, by the way. I might not be allowed back).

They say it’s never as good as your first time, but it’s also never as awkward.

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BACKS TO THE WALL… AGAIN

Fresno State begins its’ national title defense with a loss to #1 UC Irvine.

From gobulldogs.com:

“That was a heck of a college baseball game.”

That quote from Bulldog head baseball coach Mike Batesole said it all.

The Dogs dropped a hard-fought 4-2 game to No. 1 UC Irvine in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Anteater Ball Park on the UCI campus.

An electric atmosphere for the Irvine Regional was present for two sellout games Friday in a regional that featured two teams ranked in the Top 10 of the nation, the NCAA player of the year, and the defending national champion Fresno State Bulldogs.

“That’s what you expect in an NCAA tournament game,” Batesole added. “You saw excellent pitching and great defense all over the field. It was just a heck of a game.”

It was the first time UC Irvine has hosted an NCAA tournament regional and was the second straight year the Dogs competed in a regional ranked as the nation’s most difficult.

Batesole, the reigning National Coach of the Year, called on a freshman Derek Benny as the starting pitcher. Benny came into the game with a 4-3 record and a 5.03 ERA. Benny was coming off an impressive WAC Tournament appearance, in which he threw a complete game against WAC regular season champion San Jose State in a 6-3 Bulldog win. He was named to the WAC All-Tournament team.

The Anteaters, ranked No. 1 in all of the major polls, had their top pitcher, All-American Daniel Bibona, who came into the game with a record of 11-1 and a 2.65 ERA. Bibona was the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Bibona was perfect through the first three innings, not allowing a base runner in scoreless game.

That ended in the top of the fourth inning when Fresno State’s freshman Dusty Robinson got the first hit of the game with a towering home run over the scoreboard in left field off a Bibona fastball to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

It was his 15th homerun of the season, and just the 27th homerun hit at Anteater Ball Park this season. Robinson was a first-team All-WAC selection as an outfielder.

The Anteaters answered in the bottom of the fourth inning with four runs, two coming on a two-out 2-run double by Jordan Fox.

The Dogs had two hit in the top of the fifth inning, the second leading to their second run.

Sophomore Jake Johnson drilled an RBI double to left center field that brought home Brennan Gowens. Gowens opened the inning with a single to center field. UC Irvine led 4-2.

Johnson added his second double of the game and fifth of the season in the seventh inning but was left stranded on second base.

Freshman Josh Poytress replaced Benny in the seventh inning. Benny allowed just five hits while getting three strikeouts and walking one.

“He pitched an outstanding game,” said Batesole. “For a freshman, in that environment with that kind of pressure against the best team in the country, that was just an outstanding performance. He’s going to be something special before it’s said and done. I’m really proud of all of our freshmen. They have been a big part of our success this year and getting them in this regional against this competition in this environment where they can feel it and touch it is going to help us down the road.”

After retiring two batters in the inning, Zac Bischoff made his first NCAA tournament appearance and got the next Anteater to fly out to retire the side.

In the eighth inning, the Dogs lead-off batter Robinson drew a walk and stole second base. With one out, Bibona was replaced. He was masterful, setting a career-high with 14 strikeouts.

The Dogs will take on San Diego State, coached by former Major League all-star Tony Gwynn, at 4 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game. Gwynn’s brother, Chris, and Batesole were Minor League teammates in the Dodgers system.

Fresno State is 10-0 in elimination games dating back to last season.

No. 7 Virginia 5, San Diego State 1
It was unfortunate that San Diego State’s stellar pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s only NCAA tournament appearance ended with his only loss on the season. ACC champion Virginia, ranked No. 7 in the nation, beat the Aztecs 5-1. Strasburg, projected as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming Major League Draft, struck-out 15 batters and didn’t walk any but gave up a first inning home run and two runs in the first two innings and which proved to be enough for the Cavs, who advanced to the second round of the winners bracket game Saturday at 8 p.m.

2009 Irvine Regional Results/Schedule
Friday, May 29
No. 7 Virginia 5, San Diego State 1
No. 1 UC Irvine 4, Fresno State 2

Saturday, May 30
San Diego State vs. Fresno State, 4 p.m. .
No. 7 Virginia vs. No. 1 UC Irvine, 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 31
Game 5, 4 p.m. .
Game 6, 8 p.m. .

Monday, June 1
Game 7 (if necessary), 8 p.m.

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ENCORE PERFORMANCE?

Fresno State begins its’ national title defense Friday night vs. UC Irvine.

By Andrew Marden
VSP Senior Writer:

FRESNO, Calif – “If there’s anything we learned from last year, it’s that we always have a shot,” smiled Bulldog outfielder Gavin Hedstrom.

Isn’t that the truth.

Dating back to last season, Fresno State has survived 13 straight elimination games, including four in a row over the weekend to win the program’s fourth consecutive WAC Tournament Championship, all without ace Jake Floethe (season-ending Tommy John surgery) and first baseman Alan Ahmady (indefinite suspension). Ahmady is not with the team and is most likely done for the rest of the season.

“There’s definitely some magic there,” added Hedstrom, one of three seniors on the team. “I can’t explain, it just happens. When something special happens, you just kind of step back for a second and say, ‘Wow, that was unbelieveable.’”

So is it “unbelievable” if Fresno State is able to win the Irvine Regional?

It’s considered by many to be the toughest regional in the tournament, featuring the #1 team in the nation (UC Irvine) and the #1 pitcher in the nation (Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State).

“It just shows that they kind of want us out, it looks like,” said Bulldog junior third baseman Tommy Mendonca, a second-team All-American, reacting as to why the defending national champions were placed in the toughest regional.

“They don’t want us to succeed. But we’re gonna prove ‘em wrong again this year.”

If so, the Diamond Dogs will do so as a “4 seed” yet again. They have the second-worst record (32-28) of all the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament field and will open against the host school, UC Irvine (43-13), Friday night at 8:00 pm PT (ESPNU).

“I hope that teams look past us and think that they can just get by us,” said sophomore Jordan Ribera, the WAC Tournament’s unlikely MVP with two two-run game-winning homeruns. “We’re gonna come out fighting like we do.”

In each of the past three years, Fresno State has made it to the regional championship game.

“There’s not gonna be too many surprises,” said head coach Mike Batesole. “We know what (UC Irvine’s) gonna do, they know what we’re gonna do.”

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LOOKING BACK AT THE BEST SEASON EVER

The Fresno Pacific baseball team has a lot to be proud of this season.

By Andrew Marden
VSP Senior Writer:

FRESNO, Calif – Only one team can be the national champion. Everyone knows that going in.

But ten teams make the NAIA World Series.

And this year, for the first time ever, Fresno Pacific was one of those teams.

“It hit me once we got there,” said FPU junior outfielder Tyler Pryor. “Seeing all the other teams and how many people come to the games, it makes you come back to reality and say, ‘wow, that’s pretty cool.’

Even more so when you remember the Sunbirds have only had a baseball program for four years.
“I’m real proud of our team, a lot of guys came in to turn this program around from where it started,” said pitcher Brian Oliver, a Central High grad. “The fact that we made it to (Lewiston) Idaho to play against those teams is a tribute to our players and our coaching staff.”

The Sunbirds played three games at the NAIA World Series, winning one of them (vs Embry-Riddle Saturday). All told, they won 39 games this season and made the tournament’s final eight.

They also won five straight elimination games at the Sioux City (IA) Regional to qualify for the World Series.

“We went out there and we laid it out on the line and that’s really all you can ask,” said head coach Oscar Hirschkorn, a Kerman native, who’s been the head coach of the program all four years it’s existed. “And that’s really what this group was good about doing.”

“We get a lot of Cinderella stories, being compared to Fresno State,” said outfielder Dwight Nixon, whose pinch-hit, two-run walk-off homerun eliminated Embry-Riddle on Saturday. “But all of us think we’re not a Cinderella story, we deserve to be there just as much as anybody.”

With a .283 batting average and a .424 slugging percentage, the Sunbirds proved at least that much.

But is it a bad thing being compared to Fresno State? After all, the Underdogs to Wonderdogs did win last year’s NCAA national championship.

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PASCOE AGREES TO FOUR-YEAR DEAL WITH 49ERS

The San Francisco 49ers announced that they have signed sixth-round draft choice TE Bear Pascoe to a four-year contract.

From 49ers.com:

Pascoe (6-5, 251) was a two-time All-WAC selection at Fresno State, where he played in 45 games (37 starts) and hauled in 112 passes for 1,294 yards and 10 touchdowns. He blocked a school-record six kicks during his career, ranking him ninth in NCAA history.

In 2008, Pascoe started 12 games and recorded 40 receptions for 400 yards and four touchdowns. He had a career year in 2007, catching 45 passes for 553 yards and four touchdowns in 12 starts. Pascoe started 12 games in 2006, finishing with 22 receptions for 307 yards and two touchdowns. As a redshirt freshman, he played in 13 games and caught five passes for 34 yards. After being recruited as a quarterback out of high school, Pascoe made the switch to tight end and redshirted as a true freshman.

The 23-year-old Pascoe is a native of Porterville, CA. He becomes the fourth of the 49ers seven 2009 draft picks to sign with the team.

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ODDS AND OUTS

When I play poker, I love the challenge of reading opponents or pulling off a nasty bluff, but the reality is that winning poker is all about making smart bets as often as possible. Just as you wouldn’t invest money in some shady deal, you don’t want to put money in the pot unless you have potential to make money. To do that consistently in poker, you need to have a basic understanding of odds and outs.

Basic Odds

First, let’s talk a little about odds. Your “basic odds” are simply the ratio of one outcome to another, like winning to losing. If someone says you have “2 to 1 odds to win”, that means you win two times for each one time you lose. Over time, you will win two out of every three situations and lose the other one.

Basic odds can be expressed in either of two ways—as a ratio of one outcome to another or as the ratio of one outcome to the total outcomes. In the above situation, we can say you have 2 to 1 odds to win OR your odds of winning are 2 in 3. The first is the ratio of outcomes (2 wins to 1 loss); the second is the ratio of one outcome to the total outcomes (2 wins out of 3 total times). They mean the same thing.

Basic odds in poker are most easily thought about in one on one (heads-up) situations. In the chart below, you can see the odds of some Texas hold’em hand match-ups before the flop. For example, if you hold pocket aces and your opponents holds fishhooks, you’re a 4 to 1 favorite (80%) to win the hand. If you hold a pair versus two overcards, you’re basically slightly better than even money (1.2 to 1) to win the pot. That’s why you hear the TV commentators saying, “He’s a coin-flip here, Norm!” when a player turns over QQ versus an opponent’s AK.

Match-up: Example: Odds:
Overpair v underpair: AA v JJ- 4 to 1
Dominated card: AKo v AQo- 2.6 to 1
Pair v one overcard: QQ v ATo- 2.3 to 1
Two over-cards v two undercards: AKo v 53o- 2 to 1
One overcard: ATo v J9o- 1.6 to 1
In-between cards: ATo v QJo- 1.5 to 1
Pair v two overcards: QQ v AKo- 1.2 to 1

Pot Odds

Once you understand your basic odds, you compare them to your pot odds. Your “pot odds” are the amount of the payoff you’re being offered given the amount of chips in a pot and the amount of your bet or call. For example, let’s say you’re in the late stages of a tournament. You raised with AQ and your opponent has re-raised you all-in with what you think might be AK. If you see 1500 chips in the pot and it’s 500 for you to call; we say you’re being offered 3 to 1 (1500/500) odds on your money. To make that situation pay off, you need to be no worse than a 3 to 1 to win and from the chart above, we can see that AK has a 2.6 to 1 advantage over your hand. What’s that mean? It means you call! That’s not to say you want to run into AK with AQ, but if the pot odds are right (i.e. better than you odds of losing), it’s profitable over time to make the call.

“Implied pot odds” include the amount of chips in the pot now, and, to the extent you can predict them, future bets into the pot. If you think calling an unprofitable bet now, will give you a chance to win a monster pot later in the hand, you might call. For example, if you have pocket sixes and your opponent moves all-in and he’s a tight player who won’t do that with anything less than aces or kings, you should fold. But if he’s got tons of chips and makes a little pre-flop bet relative to your respective stack sizes, you might call the bet hoping to flop a set and take his entire stack when he overplays his aces.

Common Situations

I know what you’re thinking, “Ok, Su, I’m not a math whiz. How can I keep it all straight?” Well, not all poker players are math whizzes, but most good players understand the odds of common situations happening. For example, the odds of flopping a pair with any two random cards is 32% or about 1 in 3. So even if you hold 72 off-suit, you have a 32% chance of flopping a seven or a deuce. You might not win the hand (a pair of sevens or pair of deuces rarely gets the job done) but a third of the time, you’ll see another one on the flop. What’s that mean for you? Well, even 72o wins a third of the time against a hand like AK. Would you rather have the AK? Of course. But even with 72o, you’ve got a 1 in 3 shot at winning.

Some other common situations. If you have a pocket pair, the odds of flopping a set are about 12% or 1 in 8.5 times. If you have a pocket pair and your opponent has a set, your odds of winning are about 1 in 10 or <10%. If you have four to a flush with two cards to come, your odds are about 36% (1 in 3) to make your flush. If you have four to a straight with two cards to come, your odds are about 32% (again, roughly 1 in 3). And so on.

If all the numbers seems confusing, don’t stress out. You can find most of these situations in any basic poker book or online site. And once you see the same situations again and again, you’ll start to recognize the value in them and bet accordingly. Poker shows on TV highlight all the crazy hands and celebrity matchups, but all the real money is made by understanding your odds and making sure you get money in when they’re in your favor.

Outs

On a related note, you’ll often hear a player commenting that he has “outs.” Outs are cards which, if they come on the turn or river, make his hand. For example, if I hold two spades in my hand and there are two spades on the flop, I have a “flush draw” or four of the five cards I need to make a flush. If one of the nine remaining spades comes on the turn or river, I make my flush. I might not win, but I’ve got a made hand. Therefore, we say I have nine outs. Similarly, if I have two cards in my hand which, if combined with the board, make an open-ended straight draw (like 9TJQ), there are eight cards in the deck (the four kings and the four 8s) which make a straight. Therefore, I have 8 outs.

You should get used to determining your “outs”, simply counting up the number of cards left in the deck that could make or improve your hand. If you hold the Qs Js…and the board comes 3s 9h Ts, your hand is queen high. BUT there are a number of cards that could make your hand including:

Three Qs
Three Js
Four Ks (they make a straight)
Four 8s (they make the bottom straight)
Seven other spades (note: there are 9 other spades outstanding, but you’ve counted the Ks and 8s already.

For a total of 21 possible outs.

Of course, if your opponent holds pocket aces, the Qs and Js don’t help you (his aces will beat your QQ or JJ) but with the 15 other outs, you’re almost a 60% favorite to win the hand from the flop!

A good rule of thumb is that your odds of winning the hand are about 4x the outs you have on the flop and 2x times the outs you have at the turn. In the above example, you had 15 outs and had about a 60% chance to win (4 x 15 outs). On the turn, you were about 30% to win (2 x 15). Actually, your odds were 56% not 60% but for practical purposes, you can use the 4x and 2x rule to figure out roughly where you stand.

Conclusion

I know I’ve thrown a lot of numbers at you, but to be a winning poker player, you need a command of the basics of odds and outs. At first, it might seem confusing, but as you practice and think out situations, you’ll learn to recognize the profitable spots and start stacking your opponent’s chips. And while making sick reads and cold-blooded bluffs are a huge ego boost, it’s the day-in day-out profitable plays that will build your bankroll fastest. See you at the tables!

Su Kim is Head of Player Relations at Club One Casino at Van Ness & Tulare in downtown Fresno. She’s an accomplished live and online player with tournament victories at Club One Casino and the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. She can be reached at sukim@clubonecasino.com.

Club One Casino holds daily NL poker tournaments and offers live poker games 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Club One Casino also offers poker classes for beginner, intermediate and tournament players. Call (559) 497-3000 or visit www.clubonecasino.com for details.

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