Manager Randolph Likes Church; Joel Wraps It

Church Gets Good Review

New York Mets manager Willie Randolph is not disappointed with RYAN CHURCH's spring batting average hovering around the .200 mark.

Here's what he told Mathew Cerrone's Metsblog:

"He's getting better and better. He's taking some pitches, and he's good that way. I just want to keep seeing him make progress hitting the ball the other way, and getting the ball through the middle, that's where he's gonna make his money. He's a little bit behind, so he needs at-bats."

Church, rememember, missed a week after his collision with Marlon Anderson, then two days when his baby, Mason, was born.

"If he just hits the ball the other way against lefties, he's gonna be fine. We want to see him get his hits to build his confidence, but I'm not looking at him as having to get hits to get on our team, obviously. He's going to be my right fielder."

The rap on Church was that last year he batted only .229 against lefthanders, but in all his previous years he hit lefties and righties equally well. He batted .272 overall last season.

"What I like about him and (catcher Brian) Schneider (who came from the Nationals in the same trade) both is that they don't give against lefties. You see some people, they lean a little bit and give-- I don't even mind that I have them back to back because they have decent at bats against lefties if they stay the other way-- and that's what we've been working on."

The lineup looks to have Church batting sixth or seventh, and Schneider eighth. The Mets close spring training Saturday in the Civil Rights game in Memphis against the White Sox. Then they open the season Monday in Miami opposite the Marlins.

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Joel Scores in CBI

Joel Smith wrapped up the college hoops season nearly in double digits as his University of Washington Huskies were nipped by Valparaiso 72-71 in the first game of the first-ever College Basketball Invitational.

Joel put UW ahead 71-70 with a three-pointer with 3:08 to play to complete a nine-point game. The junior guard also pulled down three rebounds and dished three assists in 20 minutes.

Smith spoke for the team after the game.

General Comments: "It's frustrating. We scrapped and tried get the job done. We just couldn't pull it out in the last couple of minutes."

On playing in front of few fans: "This is our home court. It shouldn't be a weird atmosphere at all no matter how many people are there. We still have to bring it to the floor."

On Valpo's inside play: "Coach stressed that they were a great three-point shooting team. He really didn't stress their inside game, but that still isn't an excuse to go out there and play like we did today."

On what the team needs to get better at: "We just need to go in the gym this offseason and work on the things that messed up our season. We definitely were a horrible free-throw shooting team this year and that's one of the keys that we need to focus on this summer as a whole. We pretty much bring it every other time, we just need to bring it together at once."

On the up-and-down season: "Once we come out and throw the first punch and keep hitting we do awesome. I can't put my finger on what is that when we go out there we just can't bring it every game."

Smith played in all 33 games, starting 11. He averaged 4.1 points per game and 15 minutes. His .424 average from beyond the arc led the team among players with significant minutes.

Smith Scores Big Photo in Pac-10 Tourney

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College Hoops

Whoops! A few days ago in wrapping up the University of Washington basketball season we sort of forgot a little item called the Pac-10 Tournament.

Well, maybe it didn’t matter. The Huskies were eliminated by Cal 84-81 in the opener yesterday but JOEL SMITH had his best game in several weeks with eight points in 20 minutes. AND he got a big photo in the Los Angeles Times.

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Duffy Appears Iowa-bound

More evidence that DANNY DUFFY will be moved out of Arizona next month---

A quick read of the Kansas City Star archives shows that the early minor league camp which Duffy attended beginning in late February through March 2 was expressly for players expected to go to out-of-town minor league clubs in April.

According to the Star the early camp included “all pitchers likely to be assigned to full-season minor league clubs.”

Pitchers there included Rowdy Hardy, KC’s 2007 minor league pitcher of the year (15-5, 2.48 at Class A Wilmington), Daniel Cortes, Blake Wood, Danny Duffy and Matt Mitchell. “Cortes, Wood, Duffy and Mitchell are all cited by Baseball America as being among the organization’s top 10 prospects.”

The season begins on April 3 for the Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. They host Peoria.

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Church Becomes Dad Today

RYAN CHURCH will become a father today. Mason Church is expected and Ryan will take Thursday and Friday off to help out. Dad went 0-for-2 Wednesday and the BA slipped to the low .200’s but, hey, it’s spring training.

Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News recently asked Church about his so-called weakness against left-handed pitchers.

"Last year I think it was a fluke because I've always been able to hit them," said Church, who batted .229 against southpaws in '07 with the Nationals, after hitting a combined .304 in 79 at-bats the previous two seasons versus lefties.”

Catch that-- .304 in 2005 and 2006.

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AHC Track

JEFF MONTELEONE won both the 800 and 1500 at the Western State Conference meet at Moorpark. He was named Male Athlete of the Week by the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table as a result.

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AHC Women’s tennis

The winless Bulldogs (0-7, 0-5) fell to Sana Barbara Monday 6-3. They dropped two out of three doubles matches. The number one doubles team of ELYSHA McCLAIN and Maty Martinez took their pro set to the limit before falling 8-6. ASHLEY BRADY and Kacie Guggia won number two in a thriller, 8-6.

In singles, McLain won in three sets 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Church Returns; Aztecs Stay Hot; Dotzler on TV

mlb spring training

He's Baaaaaack

RYAN CHURCH returned to the New York Mets from his week of concussion recovery on Saturday. The concussion resulted from the play shown in the photo here when he collided with first baseman Marlon Anderson.

Church made his comeback one to remember with a ringing 2-for-2 day. He is now batting .308, the highest spring training average of any of the Mets’ expected regular season starters.

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College Women's Water Polo

Aztecs Keep on Blazing

In Irvine Friday the No. 6-ranked San Diego State women’s water polo team edged UC Irvine 6-5. Senior goalkeeper HEATHER FENSKE anchored a stellar defensive effort with 12 saves in front of the cage. It was her sixth game with double digit saves.

Then Sunday in San Diego the Aztecs downed UCSB 10-8 as San Diego took an early 5-0 lead. Junior Anna Gonzales notched her team-leading 40th goal on the Aztecs' opening possession then SDSU struck again on its next trip down the pool. Jenna Schuster got elevation on a pass from senior co-captain BECCA UR and tipped the ball into the net during a 6-5 opportunity. Fenske notched four saves. Her total is now 147, her average 8.2 per game. The Aztecs are now 16-2 on the season and 3-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

UCSB had lost on Saturday as well, this by 6-5 to San Jose State, but freshman KATHRYN NELSON netted her third college goal. Her score came in the fourth quarter and chopped the Spartan lead to a single goal. The Gauchos are now 4-12 overall and 0-6 in conference.

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College basketball

Huskies Slip in 2OT

Washington State nipped Washington in double overtime Saturday 76-73. Barring an unlikely invitation to postseason play the defeat ends the Huskies’ season at 16-15 and 7-11 in the PAC-10. Junior JOEL SMITH saw only three minutes of action. Of 31 games Joel played in all of them and started 11. Most of his starts came early in the season. He averaged 14.8 minutes overall. He averaged 3.8 ppg and racked up 42.9% from beyond the arc.

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Sports TV

Dotzler to Appear on Lompoc Locker Room

Allan Hancock College's hard-hitting third-baseman COREY DOTZLER will appear on Lompoc Locker Room, the TV Show Monday at 5:30 p.m. on Comcast Channel 25.

Coe Wins Title, Church Hurt, College Hoops, Polo

COE WINS INDOOR TITLE


SEATTLE – MICHAEL COE won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor track title in the 3000 meters Sunday, posting a lifetime-best mark of 7:59.75 and provisionally qualified for the indoor national championships.

The race pitted 34 runners from Cal, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, and Washington State. Second was Yoseph Gehbray of Californa at 8:02.68.

The Cal men's distance medley relay, consisting of senior Andres Perezchica, juniors Mark Matusak and Jake Hanson and Coe, also provisionally qualified for nationals with a time of 9:38.39. The relay placed fourth in the race.

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Major League Baseball Spring Training
CHURCH INJURED


RYAN CHURCH took Sunday off after a collision Saturday with first baseman Marlon Anderson during the Mets' 1-0 victory over the Dodgers at Vero Beach, Florida. MLB.com reported it like this--


The collision in shallow right field near the foul line in the fourth inning was quite nasty and left Church with a Class 2 concussion.

Anderson and Church, the right fielder, have thick bodies, and their impact was considerable. But given the potential for more serious injury, Mets manager Willie Randolph concluded, "We were pretty fortunate even though it looked a little ugly."

Anderson and Church were examined via CAT scans at a local hospital. Church was dazed and needed assistance from Randolph and trainer Mike Herbst as he walked off the field. Anderson walked off without assistance.

Church remained in the trainer's room, eyes closed, but emerged 10 minutes later. He preferred not to discuss the collision, a club spokesman said, because he still was groggy.

"He said he doesn't remember anything about anything," media relations vice president Jay Horwitz said.

Church suffered a cut inside his mouth and a sore jaw. He stayed home Sunday and didn’t even make the drive to the ballpark.

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College basketball
HUSKIES UPSET CAL

In Berkeley Saturday Washington staged an 87-84 victory over Cal to pass up the Golden Bears in the Pac-10 race. UW is now 7-10, California 6-10. JOEL SMITH scored two points in four minutes of playing time. The Huskies wrap up regular season play at Washington State on Saturday.

U-MARY ALL DONE


In Winona, Minnesota the University of Mary men’s basketball team saw its first appearance in Northern Sun post-season play end quickly as top-seeded and third-ranked Winona State tore apart the Marauders 77-50 Saturday night. Point guard GEOFF WEST scored eight points.
The Marauders end the 2008 season with a record of 8-20 overall while the Warriors improve to 30-1 this season.

West, a junior, scored 10 points per game to rank No. 2 on the squad. He led the team in steals. His brother JASON WEST, a freshman, played sparingly but ranked No. 2 in free throw percentage at .813 (13 of 16).

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College Women’s Water Polo
Aztecs Split


STANFORD, Calif. - Six different San Diego State Aztecs were able to find the back of the net against No. 2 Stanford, but it wasn't enough as the seventh-ranked San Diego State women's water polo team dropped its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener, 12-9, Saturday afternoon. The Scarlet and Black fell to 13-2 overall and 0-1 in the MPSF, while the Cardinal improved to 10-2 overall, 2-0 MPSF.

Becca Ur scored once while Heather Fenske had seven saves in goal for San Diego.

On Sunday at San Jose State however the Aztecs’ three-goal outburst in the fourth quarter lifted them to a 9-8 comeback victory over eighth-ranked San Jose State (8-8 overall, 1-3 MPSF). The Scarlet and Black improved to 14-2 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Fenske recorded double-digit saves for the fifth time this season, as she turned away 10 shots.

Masson Champion of San Francisco

In the first day at the state wrestling meet in Bakersfield MASSON BLOW pinned San Francisco's No. 1 wrestler Demetric Strong. It took him 1:43 for the fall.

After two rounds Masson is the only Southern Section wrestler still alive in the championship bracket at 152. In his first match Masson outpointed Andew Tsarnas of Healdsburg 11-2.

Thirty-nine wrestlers began, but entering Saturday there were only 16 still in the running for the top two spots. Masson has his work cut out for him today. He draws the No. 1 seed in the state, Michael Kent of Vacaville.

Thanks to ARMANDO ROBLES for the photo here from the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet.

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In baseball news RYAN CHURCH went 1-for-3 in spring training vs. the Cardinals and is now batting .286..... At Stanford in PAC-10 basketball the Cardinal nipped Washington 82-79 with JOEL SMITH playing his customary sixth man role for UW, but just for three minutes. The Huskies visit Cal today.

Masson Qualifies for State; Aztecs Rebound

Masson Blow Qualifies for State Meet

MASSON BLOW qualified for the state wrestling meet Saturday. He is pictured above in action in a photo by Armando Robles.

At the CIF-Southern Section Masters Tournament in Rialto the Lompoc High star finished fourth among 30 wrestlers wrestling at 152 pounds.

Seeded #2 Blow drew a first round bye, then pinned Timmy Garnica of North Torrance at 2:31. In the quarterfinal round he won 5-0 over Stephen Mills of Laguna Hills, but in the semifinal he was pinned by eventual winner Jacob Rodriguez of Canyon Springs at 4:47.

Relegated to the third-place bracket he stopped Trevor Gray of San Clemente 10-4, but then lost to Mills by a 7-4 score and had to settle for fourth. Mills had a big advantage in the fatigue category. He had been able to rest instead of wrestle when his qualifying match was won by injury default.

Though Blow had been seeded second by CIF, Rodriguez was no surprise. California Wrestler ranked him #2 and Blow #3. Vinny Maraj of Yucca Valley had been seeded and ranked #1 but he fell to sixth due to injury.

The state meet will take place in Bakersfield next weekend.

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College Women's Water Polo

The San Diego State unbeaten streak was snapped Saturday but the Aztecs battled back for three straight victories to give themselves a 13-1 record by nightfall Sunday.

Upstart UC Davis nipped #6-ranked SDSU on Saturday 8-7 but the team weathered a final flurry to down Michigan 11-9, edged UC Irvine 9-8, and then came from behind with four unanswered goals to top Arizona State 7-5 all at the UC-Irvine Tournament.

Goalie HEATHER FENSKE posted save totals of 8, 12, 5, and 9 with three of her 12 against Michigan coming in the final four minutes. Captain BECCA UR scored against Davis and netted another against Michigan to give the Aztecs their 11-8 advantage to provide a cushion before the Wolverines’ final push.

Becca now has 12 goals for the season, while Heather has 114 blocks.

The #6-ranked Aztecs open conference play at Stanford on Saturday and at San Jose State on Sunday.

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College hoops

SEATTLE— A ragged University of Washington team fell 77-63 to Arizona State Saturday night. The Sun Devils lifted themselves to 7-7 in the Pac-10 while UW fell to 6-9.

JOEL SMITH went 0-for-4 from the field in 15 minutes of play. He snagged three rebounds, dished an assist and blocked a shot. The Huskies visit Palo Alto to play Stanford on Thursday, and Berkeley to face Cal on Saturday.

Bismarck, ND – Fourth-ranked Northern State blacked out the University of Mary Marauders on the boards Saturday and took home a 72-50 victory. The Wolves outrebounded U-M 58-20.

GEOFF WEST led the Marauders with 14 points. He also had two assists and two steals.
The Marauders conclude the regular season at 8-19 and finish eighth in the NSIC at 5-13. The Marauders open the NSIC men’s basketball tournament at regular-season champ Winona State on Saturday,

Boo's a Happy Bobcat; News on Blow, Church

BOO JACKSON THRILLED WITH OHIO

In an interview to appear on Lompoc Locker Room Monday at 5:30 (Comcast cable Channel 25) BOO JACKSON expressed flat-out joy Friday at his signing with the Division I Mid-America Conference Ohio University Bobcats.

“I feel great. It feels real good. It’s been a dream since youth football with the Rebels. I think it’s every kid’s dream.”
Jackson’s dream however, even with a CIF title under his belt, looked kaput even before he started college.

“In high school I didn’t get it done in the classroom. That’s what everybody preaches about and I ignored it. You’ve got to get it done in the classroom. I found it out the hard way. That’s the first thing you have to do, like it or not.

“I thought everything was done. Plus I had to get knee surgery so I definitely thought everything was done. I couldn’t play football.

“But I did some rehab on my own and got invited to the all-star game. Then I went to El Camino and gave it a chance. The rest is history.”

Jackson chose El Camino in Torrance because his uncle, who lives nearby, walked into coach John Featherstone’s office with tape of his nephew. “At first they saw my defensive skills and they had me at free safety,” Jackson remembers.

But the EC offensive coordinator spotted him throwing on the sideline and suggested he take a year off, “gray-shirting” it’s called, and return as a quarterback. Jackson won the starting job four games into the 2006 season and took the team to two Mission Conference titles. Of course he had some help-- El Camino pumped 23 players into Division I schools this year.

Meanwhile the Ohio Bobcats did not win the MAC last season. They went 6-6 with a revolving door of no fewer than four quarterbacks. Coach Frank Solich, the onetime Nebraska coach, was in his second year as head man.

Solich never passed the football at Nebraska but he has turned a new leaf at Ohio, according to Jackson .

“They had Kalvin McRae who was an outstanding running back. They gave him the ball a lot. Toward the end of the season they started throwing to their tight ends so they’re going more to passing this year.” Jackson said both he and his principal competitor are dual threat operators.

Solich has announced he’ll tailor the offense to the most impressive quarterback performer in spring drills.

“He just wants me to perform how I always perform,” Jackson said. “He’ll base it off what I do in spring ball if I become the starter.” Jackson is the only OU newcomer at quarterback.

Since signing Jackson has held a phone meeting with OU quarterbacks coach Gerry Gdowski at 8 a.m. every day to go over the play book... or books. “I’ve got six or seven different books. There are hundreds of plays.”

Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, Akron, Kent State, Temple, Ball State, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan are also in the MAC. Eastern Michigan is the defending champion but MAC Report Online, an e-mail scouting service, rates OU’s 2008 recruiting class the best in the conference.

“Boo Jackson brings with him the promise of a new day for Ohio's passing attack, which has been the biggest thing crippling its offense for the last two years of the Solich reign,” writes Brian Golden. “I'll be surprised if Jackson isn't starting very soon.”

Jackson leaves California for Ohio March 30. School and spring ball start March 31.

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BLOW TITLE FIRST IN A GENERATION

Al Hunt tells us that the CIF wrestling title achieved last weekend by MASSON BLOW was the first at Lompoc High in 24 years!

MIKE VILLALOBOS won at 119 pounds in 1984. Anybody know how to contact Villalobos? Lompoc Locker Room will put Villalobos and Blow on the same stage if we can find him.

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CHURCH FACES SANTANA

Friday RYAN CHURCH took his first batting practice against Johan Santana. He was impressed. "I don't need to see those pitches anymore," Church said shaking his head.

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COLLEGE HOOPS

In Seattle Washington stuffed Arizona 75-66 Thursday night as JOEL SMITH was perfect from the three-point line. In 13 minutes he went 1-for-1 with a rebound. The Huskies are now 6-8 in the Pac-10, 15-12 overall.

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In Bismarck, North Dakota the University of Mary Marauders were idle as they await their final regular season game on Saturday opposite the Wolves of Northern State University in a Northern Sun Conference clash. The Wolves are ranked No. 4 in NCAA’s Division II. The University of Mary is 8-18 overall and eighth in the 10-team Northern Sun with a 5-12 record. Northern State, ranked fourth in the nation, is 15-2 and 24-2 overall.

Geoff Busts Slump; Church Signs and Reports Early

Bismarck, ND – GEOFF WEST and the University of Mary exploded offensively in the second half as the Marauders defeated Bemidji State University 79-68 Friday night.



West scored 15 points after intermission and the Marauders snapped an eight-game losing streak.



Tied early in the second half, the Marauders took control on a 9-1 run behind treys by West and Zach Dosch that built a double-digit lead for U-Mary at 48-38. The Marauders would build the lead to as many as 16 points late in the game.



After scoring in double digits in 10 straight games, West had slipped into a slump recently by scoring just 23 points in his last six games.



West broke out at just the right time, leading U-Mary with 18 points, 15 coming after the break. The junior guard from Lompoc, CA, made 5-of-9 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 beyond the arc. He also made all five of his free throw attempts and added three assists.

Saturday Geoff followed up by leading the team with four steals and four assists plus nine points as the Marauders won again, this time 75-64 over Minnesota-Crookston.

The victories push the Marauders past the Bemidji for the final slot in the NSIC tournament with one game left for U-Mary and two for BSU. The Marauders are now 8-18 overall and 5-12 in the NSIC.

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JOEL


The Washington Huskies startled the world last Saturday when they upset UCLA, but Thursday night they looked like a squad running 4-8 in the PAC-10. They lost 71-58 at Oregon 71-58. JOEL SMITH, playing his customary sixth man role, contributed five points and three steals in 11 minutes.

Saturday Joel did not score but brought down three rebounds, snagged two steals, and dished an assist in 19 minutes as the Huskies demolished Oregon State 97-59. Now UW is 5-8.

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Major League Baseball
CHURCH REPORTS EARLY


Though position players are not expected to report until next week, RYAN CHURCH reported to the New York Mets on Friday. MLB.com reported as follows--



Though Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan could push for at-bats, Mets manager Willie Randolph on Friday confirmed that the starting right-field job remains Church's to lose. If Church shows a propensity to hit lefties, Randolph said he could just play every day.



The knock on Church remains his career .254 average against left-handed pitching, which dipped to .229 last year. But now he'll be playing home games at Shea Stadium, where he hit .317 with four home runs. He doesn't consider those numbers to be minor.



"I hit well there," Church said. "I like hitting there. That's why I'm excited. I definitely think that the doubles can turn into home runs."



And he is excited -- thrilled, even. While many players have qualms about being traded to another team, Church said he was delighted from the start.



"I was pumped," he said. "When they told me I was traded, the first thing I said was, 'Who was it?' When they said New York, I was like, 'Thank God.'"



Last week Church avoided arbitration and signed a one-year $2 million contract with the Mets.

Weekender--Fenske Stars in SD's Roaring Start

Heather Fenske, Lompoc's "Rudy"

In the feel-good story of the winter San Diego State is 5-0 and won the weekend UC San Diego women’s water polo tournament. Better yet, a Lompocan was the star of the event…a most unexpected Lompocan at that

Senior goalie HEATHER FENSKE was a dominant force as she recorded a career-high 14 saves in the San Diego State Aztecs' season-opening 11-8 victory against Hartwick last week.

Then, just to show that performance was no fluke, Fenske turned in nine more in a 13-6 whipping of Maryland and eight later in the day in an 11-6 triumph over Cal State Northridge in the first two games of the UCSD Triton Invitational.

In the semifinal Sunday the Aztecs won 8-6 over UCSB, Fenske registering 10 saves, and in the title game the ‘Tecs won yet again, 10-9 over Loyola-Marymount. Fenske totaled five blocks. In 13 seasons SD State had never before won the UC San Diego early season tournament.

Fenske had scarcely played in it before. She played in just nine matches out of 30 each of the last two years and has won just one letter over three seasons, but she is a six-time scholar athlete at SDSU.

Aztec co-captain BECCA UR netted three goals in the five contests and against UCSB led the defense with four steals.

Earlier in the tournament KATHRYN NELSON of UCSB scored her first collegiate goal in a 16-15 victory over Hartwick.

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College Hoops

Joel
Thursday JOEL SMITH got 17 minutes and scored two points as the Washington Huskies lost their fourth straight Pac-10 basketball game, this to USC. On Saturday when the Huskies snapped the loss skein upsetting #5-ranked UCLA Joel got only four minutes.

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Geoff
Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota GEOFF WEST scored six but the University of Mary fell to the outside shooting of Concordia 86-59. On Saturday West scored eight but the Marauders lost 58-56 to Minnesota-Moorhead in the final three seconds. The Marauders slip to 6-18 with the loss and 3-12 in the Northern Sun.

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College baseball

JAKE KOUGL
JAKE KOUGL is on the South Dakota State baseball roster for his senior year after serving as the Jackrabbits’ closer in 2007. Kougs totaled nine saves to lead the team. He posted an ERA of 3.38

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JC baseball

Hancock
At Hancock COREY DOTZLER must like openers. He rapped two hits for two RBIs in a 6-4 victory over Taft in the Bulldogs’ season opener. Then in the home opener on February 5 he did the exact same thing—two rips, two RBIs. But he wasn’t done. On February 8 against West Hills he rapped two more, including a three-run homer. On Saturday against Rio Hondo he was good for two more including a double. En Fuego!

On February first at Reedley KIRK FRIDRICH notched his first win of the season in a 2 1/3 –inning outing against College of the Sequoias.

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SB City College
At SBCC JOHNATHON TERRONES is batting .222 after 2-for-9 in six of the Vaqueros’ first seven games. One of those raps was a triple. Catcher BRIAN GREGORY has gotten into two games and in one at-bat has an on-base percentage of 1.000. He drew a walk. Pitcher JAMES ROOT has taken the mound for one inning. He struck out one, walked one, and gave up one earned run.

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Boxing
ROY'S BOXING GYM MOVING AGAIN

Effectively immediately, Roy's Boxing Gym will be moving to 960 East Chestnut or next door to the Lompoc Food Pantry. Contact Coach Baca at 588-2901 for more information.

Church Excited About Santana; UW, UM Hoops Fall

CHURCH EXCITED TO HAVE SANTANA

RYAN CHURCH, the last newcomer to the New York Mets before yesterday’s announcement of the club’s trade for star lefthander Johan Santana, expressed delight at the acquisition.

“I'm just glad that he's on our team,” Church wrote in a Wednesday e-mail. “He really is the cream of the crop when talking about starting pitchers. He now joins an already solid pitching staff, and I can't wait to play behind all of these guys!“

Earlier, in an interview televised on Lompoc Locker Room, the TV Show, Church made clear just how very optimistic he is about his new Mets team.

“They want to get an ace like Johan Santana,” Church said on January 11. “If they do, the sky’s the limit.”

“The limit” in baseball is winning the World Series. That is a goal Church's former team, the Washington Nationals, could only dream of for the far distant future.

“I know now that I have a chance year in and year out to win a championship,” Church said. “That’s why I said I was ecstatic and I still am.”

He also commented on a variety of other topics--

Playing right field instead of left field as he did in Washington--“I think I’m capable of playing all three (positions). It’ll be a different angle from where the ball comes off the bat but other than that it won’t be a problem. It won’t take long—a day or two of fly balls.”

The outfield at Shea Stadium—“It’s smaller than DC stadium, pretty much any stadium is. I won’t have to worry about playing so deep.”

Hitting at Shea—“It’s considered a neutral or a little bit a pitchers park but in years past, especially last year, I’ve hit well there.”

How many of his 43 doubles last season might have been home runs at Shea? – “At least 10.” Church hit 15 home runs in 2007.

Besides his doubles and home runs will his RBI total go up as well? –“The potential for hitting in a lineup like that with guys on base, I haven’t had that since I’ve been in the big leagues. In the minor leagues I had guys around me but not in the big leagues. You get better pitches to hit and more opportunities. I’m shooting for 85-90.” He had 70 RBI in 2007.

Is his batting average likely to rise also? “With more guys on base there’ll be more opportunities for sac flies and stuff like that. Definitely the average can go up.” Church batted .272 last season.

Omar Minaya, the Met General Manager, knew Ryan from when they both were with Montreal. Was knowing Omar a factor in the trade?—“They had two positions they had to shore up for next year and Omar, knowing me and Brian Schneider, he went and got us. So I think it played a role.”

Does it make a difference playing for a guy who wants you like Minaya? -- “It’s a confidence booster going in there knowing the guy that runs the team has a lot of confidence in me. He’s already shown that. Trading for me showed that here the NY Mets, a team that contends for the World Series year in and year out, wants me. That alone really brightened my day.”

Washington GM Jim Bowden did not seem to be a Church fan. Did that bother you? --“You can’t worry about it. You can’t let it bother you when they’re sticking it to you. It’s your job, your career. I kept my mouth shut and when I had an opportunity to do something to show them I tried to seize the moment and do it. There’s a lot of business stuff that goes along with baseball. You just have to keep your mouth shut and go out there and play hard.”

The New York sports writers have a reputation for being hyper critical. What do you think? – “I’ll respect them as long as they respect me. (Criticism) comes with the territory. There’s gonna be people writing stuff about you that you might not like. The best thing is not to read it, just go out and play. Don’t pay any attention.”

Regarding criticism from bloggers immediately after the trade — “I have a lot of things to prove to people. I’ll be happy to get in there and strap it up and get them behind me."

Does he like New York? — “I’m looking forward to it but you know me. I’m not a guy for hanging out with a lot of people. I don’t think you’ll see me living it up. I’ll go home, go to bed, get up and go to the yard.”

Is baseball still a thrill after four years? – “It’s a thrill every day. I love the game and I’m still a kid at heart.”

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JOEL

College Hoops

SEATTLE-- The California Golden Bears nipped Washington Saturday 79-75 to dump the Huskies to 3-6 in the PAC-10. JOEL SMITH (pictured above) scored five points in 15 minutes in his sixth man role.

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GEOFF & JASON

College Hoops

BISMARCK, N.D.-- Visiting Wayne State nipped University of Mary 73-65 Saturday. The most startling statistic however was that point guard GEOFF WEST was held scoreless in 25 minutes of action. It was the first time in a regular season game West has not scored. His average is 9.8 points per game. The Marauders fall to 3-10 in Northern Sun conference play, 6-16 overall.

Wes Hain Peoples Choice; Joel Keeps Winning

WES HAIN is the Lompoc Locker Room “People’s Choice” Male Athlete of the Year for 2007.


Hain overtook early leader Danny Duffy and bested him 51-15 with major leaguer Ryan Church, world-class runner Duane Solomon and Cabrillo cross-country leader Miguel Ortiz receiving a smattering of votes from among 17 nominees.


Hain voters not only voted 51 times, they included personal testimonials as well:

“Not only I but my entire family would like to vote for Wesley Hain for athlete of the year. Wesley is not only an incredibly talented athlete he is an incredible young man. As the mother of three young boys that will follow the athlete arena, I am glad that look up to someone like him. He is a very well rounded young man that will be a blessing to any team he plays on!” wrote Jill C. Hayes.


Hain broke the Cabrillo High water polo scoring record this fall, one that had stood for 20 years. He also plays a key role on the CHS basketball team. He finished third behind pitcher DUFFY and quarterback BOO JACKSON in selections by the Lompoc Locker Room Select Panel.

Tomorrow the Lompoc Locker Room "Peoples Choice" Sweepstakes winner will be announced.


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Smith Keeps Winning Touch

The Washington Huskies went into Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Saturday and came from behind for a 73-65 victory over LSU that coach Lorenzo Romar called a “gut-check.”
LSU led by 14 at halftime.

Romar started the same lineup that had given him three straight previous victories —high-scoring Jon Brockman, young center Artem Wallace, and Tim Morris, Ryan Appleby and JOEL SMITH at guards. Smith played 20 minutes and did not score, but contributed three rebounds, an assist and a steal in addition to his trademark defense.

UW, now 8-4, next takes the floor Monday afternoon vs. Idaho State.

Boo Commits; Kellie Leads; Romar Credits Joel's D

Boo Commits, Probably

"El Camino sophomore quarterback BOO JACKSON committed to Ohio University during his visit over the weekend. Jackson led El Camino to a California state championship last year as a freshman and took his team back to the SoCal playoffs this year. He had also been recruited by Memphis and Utah. His goal is to enroll at Ohio in March, in time for spring ball."

So wrote Kevin Lustgarten of JCFootball.com today.

Contacted by phone later in the day Boo left the door open slightly in case Washington State, or any other PAC-10 school, should make an offer by the end of the week.

But indeed, barring a last-minute offer, he is off to Athens, Ohio and the Mid-American Conference.

“It was snowing when I got there,” Jackson said about his visit to OU last weekend. “Their facilities are great—the weight room, the football field, the practice field. The university is set in the middle of the town so when they have a game everybody comes.”

Jackson said the Bobcats will be going to a spread formation next season and expect to pass more than run. “Coming from El Camino I’m a spread offense guy, so that’s a plus for me.” He will be competing with a junior who saw limited playing time in 2007.

His other suitors in varying degrees at various times included Boise State, San Jose State, Memphis, Utah, Utah State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington and Washington State.

Washington State is still acting interested and Jackson would still like to play in the Pac-10.
“I can’t sign until tomorrow,” he said. “I think I’ll give them another couple of days.”

And if the Cougars don’t make an offer?

“I’m real happy. Finally I’m a Division I player. It’s been a long process.”

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Kellie George Dominates Early PC Votes

The opening of the Lompoc Locker Room “Peoples Choice” Awards Monday night was met by a collective yawn apparently, by everyone not a relative or friend of KELLIE GEORGE.

The Cabrillo girls golf promoter/organizer/fundraiser/all-league player and all-around dynamo received a landslide total of eight votes in the first 24 hours.

That does not sound like much, but consider this: no other candidate, in any of the four categories, received more than ONE!

Now we know how she brought CHS girls golf into existence—she has an ORGANIZATION.

Also receiving mention:
Male Athlete: Ryan Church, Danny Duffy, Miguel Ortiz
Female Athlete: Kathryn Nelson
Coach: Jim Allen, Roy Baca, Corey McIntyre
Team: Babe Ruth League Elks, Cabrillo girls water polo, Lompoc girls soccer

To vote just e-mail pressboxprod@verizon.net and give us the name of your fave. Voting closes Sunday night. The winners will be announced, and will be invited to be guests on the New Years Eve Lompoc Locker Room TV Show.

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Joel

JOEL SMITH sank a three and Portland State never got closer than 10 points Tuesday night in Seattle. Smith's Washington Huskies won easily 84-65. Smith continued in his starting guard role playing 18 minutes and contributing four assists as well as his trey.

And he played tough defense. Coach Lorenzo Romar addressed Smith's status in the starting lineup without mentioning him by name.

"I feel like we're making progress. With this lineup, there are some guys that aren't in the lineup who, if they could catch these guys defensively, would be in the lineup because they're better offensive players. At this point, since these guys give us the best defensive presentation, we're going to continue to go with them."

The Huskies play again on Saturday hosting CS Northridge.

McLain Named; Fans Trash Omar; CIF; TV; Hoops

ELYSHA McLAIN has been nominated for consideration in the Lompoc Locker Room Female Athlete of the Year contest.
McLain, pictured, took her tennis skills which were honed at Cabrillo High, to Allan Hancock College. There last spring she won first team all-Western State Conference honors in singles and second team in doubles.

YOU can nominate right now! Just e-mail your nominee to pressboxprod@verizon.net in any of four categories: Male Athlete of 2007, Female Athlete of 2007, Coach of the Year and Team of the Year. Take a look at the nominations list to date in the right-hand column below our sponsors.

Storie on TV

Lompoc Aquatic Center Supervisor JEFF STORIE appears on this week’s Lompoc Locker Room TV show beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Interesting stuff, especially if you swim early or late.

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Kennedy to ref CIF

Lompoc football official BOBBY KENNEDY has been selected to ref one of the CIF finals next weekend. Unknown which one.

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Basketball
Joel

Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma JOEL SMITH showed once again that he is the Washington Huskies' man-beyond-the-arc. Joel came off the bench as the sixth man and played 31 minutes. He hit 2-of-3 from three point land, 1-for-1 inside it, and 2-for-2 from the line for 10 points. He also contributed three offensive rebounds, two assists and a steal in 31 minutes. For the season he is 11-for-16 from downtown for a blazing 69%. Unfortunately Oklahoma State won the contest easily 96-71. UW is now 4-3 with its next game on Saturday when they host Pittsburgh.

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Geoff

Saturday night in Bismarck, North Dakota GEOFF WEST dished the ball around to help the Marauders of the University of Mary rake in their first conference victory of the season.

Bismarck, ND – A balanced attack featuring five players in double figures carried the University of Mary to their first Northern Sun win of the year, a 92-82 victory over Upper Iowa.
Eric Erdmann, a sophomore forward, spearheaded the Marauders attack by scoring 18 points junior center Zach Dosch came off the bench to score 14 points. Freshman guard Jordan Wilhelm also added 14 points and had three assists. Fellow guards Geoff West and Jordan Engelhardt each added 12 points. West had five assists.

Unfortunately Friday night in the conference opener Winona State was just too tough.

Bismarck, ND – The University of Mary lead was brief, but appeared to be enough to really annoy the seventh-ranked Warriors of Winona State as the Marauders fell 93-71 in the Northern Sun men’s basketball opener for both teams.
Playing in front of a standing room only crowd at the McDowell Activity Center, Eric Erdmann hit the opening bucket of the game and, after a three pointer by WSU, Geoff West responded with a three-point basket to give U-Mary a 5-3 lead. Three straight treys, running their streak to four in a row for the Warriors, quickly pushed WSU to a 12-7 lead. That lead would soon expand to a 22-point differential in the first half as Winona State outscored U-Mary 37-13 in one stretch.

The final was 93-71. After five games West is 9-for-17 (53%) from beyond the arc to lead U-M both in attempts and successes. He leads the team in minutes and ranks #2 in scoring with 9.6 per game. The Marauders are now 2-3 with the University of North Dakota coming to visit Tuesday night.

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Baseball
Mets’ Bloggers Trashing Omar

The New York bloggers are having a field day blasting Omar Minaya for trading “future superstar” Lastings Milledge for RYAN CHURCH and Brian Schneider. However there are a few NY fans who get the picture. Here’s one.

Good trade. I wanted to believe that Lastings was as good as advertised 3 to 4 years ago as well. Simply put, his heart isn't and never will be in the game. He called my friends car dealership and demanded a new car bc he's Lastings Milledge. They laughed. He was a can-cer in the Mets locker room. Good luck to him. If he hits 40 HR, I'll not be upset he is gone. Now, for Brian Schneider, FINALLY , we have a catcher that can friggin THROW OUT runners. It's what the Mets needed. He's a HUGE character guy. He is also known to be great with a staff. Tough as nails. Church...what are you guys missing? He's a late bloomer that has played a mere 3 years for a poor team. Seventy RBI in 2/3 of a season? That translates to 110 RBI on the Mets. Check how many runners in scoring position he had in DC LOL. He was in line for 60 friggin doubles. How many times will he be knocking home D Wright this year? Oftentimes. Solid character and fielder. Addition by subtraction even if the two DON't work out, which they will. You guys feel that Alou will play more than 80 friggin games? Not. Church needed greatly. If Lastings had ANY value in terms of landing one of the two A's pitchers...Omar would have tied him to a foul pole and not let him go anywhere…. In the words of NY's Marv Albert: YES!!!!!!!!!!!GO METS! -Lawrence

The Nationals scored 528 runs last season, the Mets 818. You can’t drive in runs when the bags are empty. If Ryan Church can drive in 70 runs for that Washington team he should drive in 90-100 for the Mets. Keep in mind he didn’t play during August. – Mr. En Fuego

Sims Starts in Regular Season Finale

Today in Provo, Utah before 64,000 fans MATT SIMS played his last regular season football game as the Utah Utes’ starting tight end. He got no receptions and BYU came back for a 17-10 victory, but Sims’ appearance in the starting lineup in his final game was a milestone for Sims and his roundabout college career.

Sims was a big part of the Lompoc High 2002 CIF championship team, playing both ways at tackle and winning all-CIF honors. He spent a season at Division II Humboldt State, then came home and sat out a year. Then he impressed at tight end at Allan Hancock, enough to win all-conference recognition and a scholarship to Utah.

Last year he played in all 13 games, with six starts. His four receptions for 62 yards led the Ute tight ends. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception. He had a catch for 23 yards at Utah State.
This year when the Utes went increasingly to a 4-wideout offense, he played in 10 of 12 games, starting in three. He caught one pass, for 10 yards, against Louisville.

Utah finishes at 8-4 with a bowl invitation likely. Last year the Utes were 7-5 at this point and received a berth in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas where they downed Tulsa.

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VAI

At San Jose the Nevada Wolfpack fell to San Jose State 27-24 but VAI TAUA did not play. Nevada (5-6) completes its season on Dec. 1 hosting Louisiana Tech.

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BASKETBALL

JOEL
Friday night at Madison Square Garden in New York Washington outrebounded Syracuse but could not best the Orange on the scoreboard as the Huskies fell 91-85 in the consolation final of the NIT Season Tip Off. JOEL SMITH entered the contest as UW's sixth man. He played 15 minutes and contributed three points on a three-point shot, three rebounds and an assist but was bedeviled by five turnovers. The game marked the first contest this season in which Smith has not appeared in the starting lineup at guard. In earlier games coach Lorenzo Romar started three guards and two forwards. Friday he went with a standard two-guard set. Now 3-2, Washington hosts Long Beach State Monday night.

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NOMINATIONS

MATT SIMS, pictured above, has been nominated for the Lompoc Athlete of the Year contest. Also nominated are the the Los Padres League champion Lompoc High Braves basketball team and their coach JEFF JONES.

YOU can nominate right now! Just e-mail your nominee to pressboxprod@verizon.net in any of four categories: Male Athlete of 2007, Female Athlete of 2007, Coach of the year and Team of the Year.

Sims joins Ryan Church, Boo Jackson, and Miguel Ortiz in the male AOY sweepstakes while Jones joins Jim Allen, Roy Baca, Peter Anderson, and John Hernandez.
The LHS baseball team joins……. Oh, go look at the list in the right column below the sponsors.