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?

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.

Zero interest in Fresno State baseball?

This from a recent story in the Marin Independent Journal:

Suddenly, Detwiler and pals had the "It" factor. Prior to their NCAA championship run last year, there was little, if any, interest in Bulldogs baseball.
"Zero," Billingsley said.
"People didn't really know any baseball players unless they wore baseball uniforms," Detwiler said.

I can't be the only one who is offended by the comments above. We've all heard a lot of bandwagon fan jokes and remarks since Fresno State pulled off its amazing College World Series title run, but let's not blow it out of proportion. Yes, crowds have been less than ideal in the Mike Batesole era. Regularly packing Beiden Field was something not seen since the late 1980s and early '90s. And, yes, that's going to change on Friday when Fresno State opens the '09 season against Washington.

But trust me, there are lots of Red Wavers who had great interest in Fresno State baseball in all those years in between, a decent number who went to almost every home game last season and many who have had season tickets year after year. (See my comment at the bottom of the story link)

Mr. Billingsley, the GM of the great restaurant Dog House Grill, who was quoted by the Marin paper, does not speak for all of us.

We're the ones who were there to regularly answer Sugar Bear at Beiden Field when he yelled, "Is there a 'Dog in the house!?"

Woof!

Rain, rain, go away!

If anyone has any idea how to do a non-rain dance, please, I beg of you, do it on Friday, Feb. 20.

You see, that's the day the Fresno State baseball team takes the field for the 2009 opener as reigning College World Series champions. The game's sold out, the infamous voice of Sugar Bear hopefully rested, the bright red shoes of Inman Perkins laced and those of us who spend dozens of hours at Beiden Field every year are just hoping we get the chance to experience this day with good weather.

Last season started cold with gloomy clouds in a Friday night loss to UC-Davis. It was miserable baseball weather, and we just don't deserve that two years in a row. So let's hope the weather prognostications are wrong, and that this coming Friday is a day forever remembered in Fresno.

What's the deal Sand Man?

So it was reported in The Bee today that SS Todd Sandell quit the baseball team -- not the best news considering he's a veteran and has shown a good bat in the past.

Now, I haven't heard from Sandell, but I've just gotta wonder what the deal is? Does Sandell expect to start over freshman Danny Muno just because he's been around longer? If so, I hate to say it, but that's how this whole Division I upper echelon of baseball works Sand Man...and it's only gonna get more competitive from here.

Muno is batting .337, Sandell is at .221. There is no argument that can overcome that disparity. Muno's got more RBIs, more doubles, more triples and a higher slugging percentage. Oh yeah, and Sandell has 28 strikeouts in 77 at-bats, while Muno has 21 in 92. And let us not forget Sandell's team-high 7 errors, compared with 3 by Muno.

So yeah, if there's a reason you deserve to start Sandy, I'd like to hear it. I think we all would. Here's to hoping you ask Coach Batesole for your roster spot back and just go about it the old fashioned way -- earning it.

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.