If you were Mike Batesole for a day...

How would you pencil in Fresno State's opening day starting lineup? The Diamond 'Dogs take the field against Nebraska at 6:05 p.m. Friday in Game 1 of a four-game series.

Is this the best lineup coach Mike Batesole can run out there? Or would you like to see the order flip-flopped, positions flip-flopped or starters swapped? Here's what we're likely to get Friday night:

1. LF Bobby Coyle, L
2. 3B Garrett Weber, R
3. 2B Danny Muno, S
4. CF Dusty Robinson, R
5. RF Brennan Gowens, L
6. 1B Jordan Ribera, L
7. DH Kenny Wise, L
8. C Trent Garrison, L
9. SS Isaac Vivas, R

Starting pitcher: RHP Derek Benny

Concerned about lack of recruits in MLB draft?

If you were like me, you spent the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft hoping to not hear the names of any Fresno State signees who will be joining the Diamond 'Dogs for the 2010 season. Not 'cause you wish negativity for the newest 'Dogs to be, but because you want to see them in Fresno State uniforms instead of seeing them lured away to the minor leagues.

But, after all 50 rounds (yes, 50 rounds!) of the draft were completed, and only ONE Fresno State recruit was chosen -- there might be cause for concern.

Clay Cederquist, a Fowler High product who is one of the most exciting recruits in recent history because of his pure hitting ability, was chosen by the Seattle Mariners with the 1,373rd pick. Granted, he was injured most of his senior season at Fowler, which dropped his stock, but for the Bulldogs to not have any other signees chosen is strange.

Definitely not the norm for a Fresno State program that just last year lost star pitching recruit Graham Johnson to the draft when he was chosen in the fifth round. Especially coming from a recruiting class that is supposed to be the first result of a College World Series national championship...

You tell me. What do you think? Are you concerned about the lack of draft attention the new recruits got? Are you less optimistic on this class now? Or is it nothing to worry about?

Mendonca to be drafted today ... ya think!?

I had already planned to get a little MLB Draft blog goin' today, but when I opened a recent Google Alert email with this story from KMPH I decided to rush it:

Fresno's Mendonca Expected To Be Picked Up In Draft KMPH Fox 26 -
Fresno,CA,USASeveral valley stand-outs are expected to hear their names called
over the three-day draft, including Fresno State third baseman Tommy Mendonca.
...

If that's not the most "duh" headline of all-time, I don't know what is. But I was glad to see that wasn't actually printed atop the story when I clicked and followed the link.

Today's draft is an exciting one for Fresno State fans -- although bittersweet being that we'll close the chapter on The Great Wall of Mendonca at third base. All-time Fresno State home run king. 2008 College World Series MVP. He made defensive plays so good, so consistently, that ESPN put (count 'em) at least three Mendonca fielding highlights in its postseason package that has been playing during every postseason game this year.

Mendonca, a junior, is as good as gone with 7 figures likely awaiting him in a signing bonus. Pitcher Tanner Scheppers, who was lost to injury during the final homestand of 2008 and missed the CWS glee, has rehabilitated his shoulder while making a handful of appearances for the independent St. Paul Saints. Scheppers was drafted by the Pirates last year, but they refused to give him the first-round money he deserved and he didn't sign. This time, expect Scheppers to go as early as the top five picks. Just take this quote from Fresno State coach Mike Batesole in today's Fresno Bee:

"People call me nuts, but I saw Strasburg pitch again for the second time and
there's no doubt: Tanner is the best [pitcher] in the country," Batesole said.
"With all due respect to Strasburg, I'd pick Tanner."

Other 'Dogs to watch for on the draft board are junior first baseman Alan Ahmady, who was suspended at the end of the regular season, junior pitcher Matt Morse and senior pitcher Holden Sprague.

A news flash for Kevin Frandsen

Hey Kevin Frandsen, guess what, we don't blame you for despising Fresno State so much. Like many san jose staters (the school doesn't deserve capital lettering), you're jealous of the Bulldogs.

And, in case you forgot, the all-time series between Fresno State and san jose state now stands as:
Bulldogs 147, spartans 70

Enjoy the video of the Red Wave celebrating at your favorite restaurant, just across from the Fresno State campus, Dog House Grill...

Who do you want in the starting lineup?

Now that Fresno State's "UnderDOGS to WonderDOGS Part 2" came to an abrupt end after two straight losses to open the NCAA regionals in Irvine, this much we know:

• Tommy Mendonca and Holden Sprague are true 'Dogs at heart. Both were choked up and nearly moved to tears knowing their Bulldogs careers were coming to an end (Mendonca as an early-round draft pick and the school's all-time home run king).
• Dusty Robinson is good, as in Freshman All-America good. The left fielder bashed 15 taters and his batting average skyrocketed the last month of the season.
• Derek Benny is gonna be good, as in Matt Garza/Tanner Scheppers good. Maybe even Jeff Weaver/Bobby Jones good. Benny is a power pitcher, like Garza and Scheppers, but had far more control of his stuff than either of those two did as freshmen.
• There are five really, and I stress really, annoying kids who are UC Irvine fans. I know because they sat right behind us at the regionals and mocked every traditional Diamond 'Dogs chant. And the three adults with 'em just encouraged the foolishness.

What we don't know, however, is what next year's starting lineup will look like. There's a lot of turnover, a nice group of signees and lots of returning talent. So sound off. Who do you want in the 2010 Fresno State baseball starting lineup? Here's my take:

1. Danny Muno, 2B
2. Nick Hom, 3B
3. Dusty Robinson, LF
4. Jake Johnson, DH
5. Steve Detwiler, RF
6. Clay Cederquist, 1B
7. Brennan Gowens, CF
8. Garrett Weber, SS
9. Trent Garrison, C

Pitching Rotation
Derek Benny
Jake Floethe
Josh Poytress
Matt Morse

They are merely freshmen

That's been quite the theme around Pete Beiden Field lately with the '09 Fresno State baseball team. Heck, it's been the theme all year with the men's basketball team too. The difference, though, is the baseball team is winning -- and winning big -- albeit against weak competition like Buffalo (22-4), Portland (7-0) and Cal State-Bakersfield (16-1).

Let's break down the young 'uns on the Diamond 'Dogs:

• Kenny Wise, can't say enough about the way this kid's been taking at-bats. 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and a walk yesterday at the DH spot. Now batting .389 on the year, the lefty Wise is making it tough for Jordan Ribera to see the field against right-handed pitching (although Ribs did hit a jack after striking out looking yesterday). For the record, Ribera is now hitting .077 on the young season with 10 strikeouts in 13 at-bats.
• Josh Poytress, the highly-touted Fowler High grad was brilliant in his first start on Monday, shutting down Portland in five innings (they're brininging him along slowly). No complaints about a lefty with a 0.00 ERA in 7 2/3 innings who's throwing 92-93 mph gas.
• Derek Benny, while the 6-foot-5 flamethrower has been touched up sporadically, the potential he offers is exciting fans at Beiden Field. Think Matt Garza/Tanner Scheppers but taller if he develops. He's already better than those two were as freshmen.
• Brennan Gowens, fans have to like his play running down flyballs in center field lately. Plus, his balanced plate approach from the left side allows him to grip and rip. He gets after it hard, the way Mike Batesole loves for his guys to approach the game. A .350 average, 1 HR and 4 RBI -- not too shabby.
• Dusty Robinson, the much ballyhooed high school power phenom unleashed on one and took it over the left field wall and out of the park last night (his first homer since the season opener against Washington). He's batting .333 and seems to be the guy in left field for now.
• Taylor Garrison, the pitcher has turned in 7 1/3 innings of relief and given up just one earned run. It's hard to remember a time when any freshmen have made a big impact on the mound, let alone three of them. Even sophomore Jake Floethe, who's been nothing short of dominant in his three starts, had an 8.64 ERA as a freshman, compared to 0.95 so far this year.

Curious poll results...

So, looking at our current poll on the right, lots of people have said they don't plan to attend any games at Beiden Field this season. This is quite the head-scratcher for me unless these are non-'Dogs fans voting.

I'm curious, and would like to hear from those of you who won't be attending games this year -- how come?

Thanks for coming out Red Wave!

It's rare for a Bulldog Bounce blog headline to get an exclamation point, but this one deserves it. Fans flocked out to Pete Beiden Field at Fresno State this weekend for the season-opening series. It started with a sellout Friday, about 2,900 on Saturday and more than 2,100 in wet weather Sunday -- and the Diamond 'Dogs didn't disappoint despite their youth taking the series two games to one.

It was great seeing all those new fans out there. And contrary to what you might have seen on the front page of The Fresno Bee Saturday morning, it's not important whether you were there every game last year or no games at all. What's important is growing the fan base and getting any fans who used to come out and don't as often anymore to return.

A young lady was pictured holding up a sign at the opener reading, "Where were all of you when we were 8-12?" Well, I'll tell you what (and this comes from someone who was indeed there when we were 8-12)...everyone becomes a fan at some point. The only thing that matters is keeping them coming. That's how this whole thing works. The team wins, attracts more fans and new fans, you get 'em out to the ballpark, you make the experience enjoyable for them and you hope they want to keep coming back.

I mean, I don't get the "where were you" attitude? Do you not want more fans to come? What if someone asked you where were you in 1991? Or 1988? Maybe you were there then too? But maybe you weren't.

The important thing is you were there on Friday evening. Or Saturday or Sunday afternoon. And that you plan to keep coming.

Put a little extra pep in your step Feb. 20

Live it up Red Wave, because tomorrow is the last day for us to wallow in the glory of Fresno State's 2008 College World Series championship. As of 6:05 p.m. a new season is under way, and the Diamond 'Dogs go from reigning national champs to defending national champs.

So let's all take an extra minute to reflect on that accomplishment...

In other Fresno State news, after another stick-your-hand-in-my-chest-and-tug-on-my-heart loss on the hardwood, my only question is whether this year's men's basketball team is the most talented and best last-place WAC team ever? From what I can remember, all signs point to yes.

Preseaon All-Whack team

OK, so maybe the preseason All-WAC baseball team isn't all whack, but it sure is at first base, where Fresno State's Alan Ahmady got the shaft. Pssshhh, and you thought Tatiana making the final 36 of American Idol was as bad as it gets...

Somebody has an explanation to make, because surely there has to be some sort of technicality or unthinkable mishap that led to the WAC's seven skippers not voting Ahmady a unanimous first-team selection. After all, the guy was first-team last year. As a sophomore.

Maybe all the nominations were put into a shoebox and there was a tiny hole in the bottom where Ahmady's name slipped out before the nominees were revealed to WAC coaches? Or maybe it's a prank, and Ahmady met Ashton Kutcher during the offseason, struck a friendship and is now being Punk'd? Better yet, maybe the WAC agreed to some sort of behind-the-scenes, unwritten rule that All-Americans aren't allowed to be on the preseason All-WAC team?

No, you say? It can't be? Well why then? Why is Ahmady, who led the WAC and tied the all-time Diamond 'Dogs record with 92 RBIs last year, led the national championship Fresno State team with a .382 average, and hit 13 homers not preseason All-WAC? Instead, it was Nevada's Shaun Kort, who had 60 RBIs, a .324 average and 6 homers. Yet, despite the gross advantages Ahmady held in all three statistical categories, and the idea that Ahmady is also the best defensive first baseman in the conference, he didn't even make the All-WAC team as a utility player.

Excuse me while I scratch my head.

Earth-shattering news!!!

Fresno State today signed baseball coach Mike Batesole and women's basketball coach Adrian Wiggins to Letters of Appointment!

Oh my goodness gracious holy cow can you believe it wow!?

Wait...what the heck is a letter of appointment? All this story says is they'll still be the coaches this year, but what does this mean exactly? How long? How much money? What are the terms?

LINEBACKER

Returning players: 7
Incoming: 2
Lost: 5 (Marcus Riley, Trevor Shamblee, Ryan McKinley, Todd Chisom, Robert Schenck)

This isn’t the first time in recent years linebackers have been called the team’s biggest question mark. Last season the group thrived on the challenge, thanks in large part to sophomore Ben Jacobs (6-3, 225). Jacobs was thrust into a starting role in the middle as a redshirt freshman after Ahijah Lane suffered a career-ending injury in fall camp. Now, Jacobs enters the season as the veteran of the group, coming off a season with a team second-best 81 tackles, 6 for losses and 2 sacks. He also blocked 2 kicks on special teams. He fits that prototypical mold of the player who always seems to be around the ball. This year, Jacobs will be expected to take charge of the defense, especially the linebacker corps. During Jacobs’ first year in the program, former teammate Tyler Clutts predicted he’d be an All-American by the time he graduated. That’ll take some hard work, but Jacobs is off to a solid start.

The other two starting roles are what have fans wondering. Junior Quaadir Brown (6-0, 210) was expected to be the veteran presence of this group, but reportedly had some off-field issues that took his mind off football for a while and led to him losing a significant amount of weight. Brown spent at least the first week of fall camp on the sidelines, not participating in contact drills. With his status up in the air, sophomore Chris Carter (6-2, 220) was converted from defensive end. Though just a few weeks into his new role on the weak side, Carter has earned most of the first-team reps and has demonstrated he’s going to be a standout once he refines his technique and gets used to playing in open spaces. Carter had 15 tackles, 2 for losses and a forced fumble as a true freshman last season at end, but was ranked as one of the state’s top linebackers coming out of high school – so he’s not a stranger to the position. Carter is one of the most chiseled players on the team, and probably the fastest of the front seven.

On the strong side, the long-awaited arrival of sophomore Nico Herron (6-3, 240) seems to have arrived. Herron had a standout spring, and an even better start to fall camp, and looks to be the starter. He’s got prototypical linebacker size and is a vicious hitter. He’s even shown some ability in pass coverage during camp, something that won’t always be expected of him. It shouldn’t take the Red Wave long to fall in love with Herron after he crunches a few bones out there. The downside is that he has very little game experience other than on special teams. He missed the first 8 games with an injury last season, finishing the season with just 2 tackles.

The Bulldogs took another big blow to their depth with word that junior Ryan Machado (6-0, 210) is reportedly done for his career. Machado was having a breakout season in 2007 before an injury at Nevada sidelined him. But there is some reserve experience with sophomore Nick Bates (6-2, 210), who originally came to Fresno State as a highly-touted catcher on the baseball team before deciding his heart was in football and walking on under Pat Hill. Bates had 19 tackles, 4.5 for losses, 2 sacks and a forced fumble in his first season, but enters fall camp No. 2 on the depth chart.

A player who has somehow managed to flow under the radar so far is redshirt freshman Kyle Knox (6-1, 215). But he won’t be under the radar long – those who saw his high school film knew right away what type of an athlete the Bulldogs were getting. Knox moves well and is an aggressive, punishing tackler who specializes in snuffing out running backs and blitzing. He showed early glimpses in the first scrimmage of fall camp, delivering a crushing blow to running back Lonyae Miller and then intercepting a pass for a touchdown a few plays later. He’s sure to find his way onto the field this season.

Serving as backup in the middle is another redshirt freshman, Austin Raphael (6-2, 225), who has shown surprising speed early in his career and might play his way into the rotation a bit sooner than expected. He’s had an up-and-down camp, but definitely grown since last season.

A pleasant surprise in camp has been the emergence of freshman walk-on Shawn Plummer (6-0, 200), the son of longtime Hoover High coach Pat Plummer, a former Bulldog lineman. Plummer, who played safety at Clovis High, is a bit undersized but makes up for it with speed. He’s played well beyond his years in scrimmage situations, and draws comparisons to Bates last season.

A couple of local walk-ons from last season are working hard to climb the depth chart and will definitely play large roles on special teams, as they did last year. Sophomore Sonny McCree (6-0, 230) of Edison High has 3 tackles in 4 games since converting from H-back last season. Sophomore Eric Brown (5-11, 210) out of Clovis West High is the son of defensive coordinator Dan Brown. He finished with 9 tackles in 6 games, and was often the first defender down the field on kickoffs. Being brought up in a football family didn’t hurt his on-field intelligence either. Brown says his favorite football player is Marcus Riley, the WAC Defensive Player of the Year who graduated from Fresno State last season and is now in the NFL. Both McCree and Brown have been solid in camp.

True freshman Michael Butler (6-3, 220) of Sunnyside High was originally thought to be either a tight end or defensive end, but is now working at linebacker. Typically, the Bulldogs would want to redshirt him, but might need him this season with such unproven depth. He’s one of the most driven and positive-thinking recruits under Hill, who committed to Fresno State last season and then worked on convincing other area targets to become Bulldogs.

A couple of walk-ons fill out the unit in freshmen Dustin Russell (6-0, 210) of Atwater and Chad Martinez. Neither is likely to see a significant role this season. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, two of their most highly regarded recruits didn’t yet show up for camp in Ricky Pemasa (6-1, 205) and Damion Whittington (6-1, 220). Both would have been candidates to play as true freshman.

Rating: 6 of 10

I've got that Bulldog Spirit ...

(sing along) up in my head, deep in my heart, down in my toes!

I still haven't regained enough composure to post what I want to yet, but it was the greatest day in my life yesterday as the Fresno State baseball team won the national championship. Best part was, they did it while showing the entire country (and reminding some in our Valley) the characteristics we stand for and represent: heart, guts, pride, loyalty, determination, passion, spirit, undying effort, toughness and perseverance. No other school on Earth can brag about this combination. It's why I'm so proud to be a Bulldog and a HUGE part of why I am who I am today.

Thank you so much to the Fresno State baseball team, you'll never know what this means to me.

I'm still at a loss for words and I've been crying off and on for a while now. Some of you may understand, while some won't. Those that don't, I hope you get there at some point (maybe not the crying, but the understanding).

Please feel free comment and share any and all stories related to Fresno State's CWS run. We'd love to hear them.

Bulldog Born, Bulldog Bred, I'll be a Bulldog 'til the day I'm dead!

I still remember crying...

There's not supposed to be any crying in baseball, but I admit it, I broke the rule. It's one of my very first memories, and I was reminded of it tonight after Fresno State out-pounded No. 3 Arizona State to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 1991.

It came in the form of a text message from one of my best pals, and the only guy I know who follows the Diamond 'Dogs as closely as I do. I sent him a text message saying, "NO 'DOGS DOWN!!!" His reply was simple: "On the verge of tears over here."

That's what triggered one of my first-ever memories. I was 6 years old, months away from my seventh birthday, and spending a little time cleaning my room. While I thought it was cruel of my dad to make me clean, I have to thank him for making sure I had a radio handy. It was 1988, and the Diamond 'Dogs were the No. 2 seed in the College World Series, with a record of about 56-8 on the year.

I was a little kid, already believing I was Bulldog Born and already sold on my dad's words of wisdom saying that Fresno State might win a national title in baseball and football in my lifetime.

And then I cried. I sat on my bed in tears, as Fresno State dropped the CWS opener to Stanford. I don't want that this time. This team might be less talented, but that doesn't have to stop this dream season. It hasn't yet...not even against arguably the best lineup in the nation in Arizona State. Because this team has heart. And I hope they make me feel like crying again -- but this time I want it to be because of a win. A national championship.

What's wrong with the Diamond 'Dogs?

Remember the last time the Fresno State baseball team got off to a hot start? If you do, you'll agree it's been a while. If you don't, it's been a while. So most of the Diamond 'Dog fans likely expected it once again this season, or at least knew not to panic when it happened, again.

Those of you still waiting to panic, you can start now. Fresno State has eight wins, with the only one of significance coming against San Diego State, because they were ranked at the time. Now, we're into the WAC season now and getting complete-gamed shutout by a sub-.500 team. With one-third of the season gone and a win/loss S-curve that rivals the 1906 San Francisco earthquake on the Richter scale (sorry, I've been studying for a California Earth Science exam and it's fresh in the mind), there could not be a better time to put a lot of Ws on the board, unless we go back in time.

I don't like to focus on the negative, but there are so many people confused as to why this has happened, that I'm going to focus on it. So far this year, I've attended every home game and followed every road game via radio or gametracker:

• Tom Mendonca is striking out in nearly half of his at-bats, a number that is in the 30s. He's also batting under .200. Reason number one for this is that he has been a complete guess hitter all year, not good considering he's only been right 17 times in more than 70 at-bats. Couple that with him trying to be a leader by example on the field and feeling like he needs to carry the team out of the gutter, and poof, you get his current stat line. That's all there is to it on his end, but it's nothing that is easy to fix at this point.

• Mendonca hasn't been the only one struggling to make contact. The Bulldogs as a team have struck out more than twice the amount they have taken a walk this year. In college baseball, contact is a must. I don't think I need to get too deep into this, but you then have no chance for sac bunts, hit and runs, steals, a pitcher working out of the stretch, pitchers on the mound from mostly weak bullpens, it goes on and on. Last night against Hawaii: four hits and 10 strikeouts. They never had a chance.

• On-field leadership: Danny Grubb is your main leader on this club, but it's hard to have that role when the catching job is split three ways and when he himself is struggling terribly at the plate. Coach Batesole is a tough, hard-nosed guy, but at the same time, he trusts his players to take care of their business and get their work in, therefore keeping his distance at times. I will never say that this team doesn't go out and play hard, because I think they go all out on the field, but the demeanor of this team and apparent (apparent being the key word) lack of visual competitiveness (if that makes sense), is noticeably different from the Bob Bennett teams of the past. That goes for every Batesole team since he arrived.
  

• Lineup juggling: Even this deep into the season, there is no everyday lineup. You would think this is a small deal, but it's not, because each spot in the lineup has a different role. It has a bigger impact than you would think.
  

• Preseason expectations: This team made no secrets before the season that it was Omaha or bust. The slow start only adds to this pressure. For all we know, maybe our guys just don't handle that pressure too well. It's entirely possible.

These are just five reasons for the early struggles, and there are plenty more, maybe even ones that are more telling. There is no quick fix, although I know this team responds to personal challenges. When they are called out, they respond. Problem is, it shouldn't get to that point. Baseball should no doubt be fun for these guys, but they'll agree that it's never fun when you are losing.

Maybe it's time to bear down a little bit more and show some visible intensity and focus. That kind of emotion can change things in a hurry. Or maybe this team can't play that way.

But, for me at least, as long as they continue to play all out and represent Fresno State with pride, I'll be out there supporting them.

But I just get the feeling that they need to support themselves too.

Go DOGS!

Not dazed, but definitely confused...

The good news is if you're a Red Waver, you'll have something to do Thursday evening. The bad news is...you might have too much to do for your own good.

After racking my brain for the past four days, mining for a solution in the depths of my cranium, I came up with -- a big, fat nothing.

I mean, it's March Madness, and the 'Dogs men's b-ball team gets under way against Nevada at 5 p.m. Thursday. It's a game I fully expect the 'Dogs to win (hey, Kevin Bell is a first-team All-WAC point guard) and it's hard to beat a team three times in one year. Heck, I'm ready to turn on the tube and watch this game right now!

But wait, what about the softball game at Bulldog Diamond pitting our 20-somethingth ranked Lady 'Dogs against top 10 Oklahoma? Man, if there's one softball game this year I want to see in person, it's this one. And it's at the same, exact time -- 5 p.m. Shoot, which of these two should I pick!?

Huh? What's that? Baseball is being played that same night too? You have got to be kidding me! It's the PJQC (Pepsi Johnny Quik Classic for those of you not in the know) and the 'Dogs host a familiar PJQC foe in Gonzaga (didn't one of their players get hit by a car in front of Taco Bell several years back?)...

So how do I narrow this down? Basketball is the most high-profile sport and most important in the grand scheme of things...but it's just on TV. Softball is playing in a high-profile matchup of two of the nation's strongest teams. But baseball is more my game (plus Mike Batesole isn't talking about suing the university). Hmm, that said, I've been to three baseball games in the past three days...

You see what I mean? The more I think about this, the more confusing it becomes...

With LOI Day done, it's officially baseball time!

Before I get to baseball, let me touch briefly on yesterday's recruiting class. If it's not clear yet, Fresno State is beginning to get guys who are ready from day one. Last year gave us a sneak peak of that, and this year the door has been blown off. But the best part, these guys aren't recruited unless they have the Bulldog football mentality, which is what makes it exciting.

February 22, 2008: mark it down. That's the home and season opener for the Diamond Dogs. If you've never been, sorry you've missed out for so long. If you are on the fence, this should get your butt in the seats (the brand new, contoured Bulldog Red ones). And if you are already standing in line, this will only be reinforcement.

Here's why you need to be a part of this:

First is tradition. I've been going to Beiden Field for 22 years. Not much has changed, which is good, because everything that is there is good. The best grounds crew in the biz, a passionate base of vocal, smart (with rare exceptions) fans, the red-clad and legendary yell leader Inman Perkins and of course, the great vacation spot that is Beiden Field. When you go to the games, you are a part of a family. There are familiar faces, Bulldog Baseball bingo and Sugar Bear, the drunkest (yet surprisingly able), loudest, most booming voice man ... well, ever?

Then there is the tradition on the field itself. Taking the field in unison, taking off the batting helmets and slamming them together, fans taking off their hats and waving them in the home run signal, the best umpire taunting around and the reason we all go in the first place, a consistently nationally competitive team that bonds with the fans.

Second is the unique nature of baseball. As great as football, basketball and all the other sports are, nowhere can you feel like you are a million miles away from stress or any of the other daily annoyances like you can at Beiden Field. It genuinely feels like a vacation. It genuinely feels like you are 12. I still dream about running onto that field in a Bulldog uniform. There are so many sights and sounds to take it as well, yet they are subtle enough to please. Let me list a few: ball hitting glove, ball hitting bat, crack of peanuts, music played between innings, music with clever lyrics making fun of the other team, hazing the other team and umpires, the rally claps and more. Then there are the sights and smells, which you have to be there to understand.

And then of course, when you combined this all, and some of which I haven't even touched on, you get some memorable stories. Whether it be a grandfather teaching his grandson the game and connecting like they couldn't anywhere else (and for that matter where people of all ages connect for a few hours, related or not), or maybe it's just the fact that the Bulldogs put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to win. If you couldn't tell, I get pretty excited about anything and everything surrounding baseball, especially the Diamond Dogs, hence my struggles to say something in a non-fragment.

Nobody will ever force you to go out to Beiden, but if you don't go, there's no other way around it—it's your loss.

If you have your own stories or want to add some other reasons why Beiden is the place to be, please comment.