That dark cloud that hovers over San Diego State athletics is showing renewed strength this week after word of two key injuries to star players and two others becoming academic casualties.
It is typical SDSU that a team heads into a season with high hopes, only to be knee-capped by injury, poor schoolwork or criminal misconduct. That has happened to women's soccer, which will enter the Fall 2010 semester with high hopes following a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA playoff victory. Cat Walker, the scoring sensation entering her senior season as a team leader, tore the ACL in her right knee earlier this month and is scheduled for surgery in early-August to determine the extent of the damage, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. There remains hope the midfielder can rest for now and play some in her final season, but I think by now we know where this story is going to go.
The Aztecs have high hopes for 2010 and accordingly fashioned a strong schedule that includes defending national champion North Carolina on the Aztec Sports Deck on Sept. 12 and perennially strong Santa Clara. The Aztecs return seven starters, but it would be nice to have their clutch goal-scorer among them.
The other injury -- breaking news credit goes to Internet message boards and Facebook, not the U-T -- was also a knee injury to incoming freshman footballer JJ Whittaker, the Oceanside High star who was snatched by coach Brady Hoke out of Arizona's grasp. Whittaker was one of the two or three recruiting coups of February's class, a Pac-10 quality receiver or cornerback who might have contributed this fall as a true freshman. The word is Whittaker's knee was ripped up so badly that there is no way he plays in 2010.
JC transfer offensive lineman Joe Unga failed to quality academically and there's talk that an incoming freshman receiver also didn't make the grade.
Now, soccer teams and football squads lose players to injuries and academics. It's the nature of the sports and college life. Isn't it typical for SDSU, though, that the dagger falls on such critical members of the rosters? I've written in the past that whatever dark cloud hangs over Montezuma Mesa appears to be dissipating, but it is not entirely gone.
---
The media that covers the MWC figures Hoke's bunch will finish sixth in the upcoming season. That's a safe choice. I understand being rated behind TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. From there, it is a bit of a crap-shoot.
The preseason poll lists Wyoming fifth before SDSU, with Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico bringing up the rear. The Cowboys get the Aztecs in Laramie, giving them an advantage in the head-to-head match, but the Pokes could be beat-up before the Red & Black arrives because of a difficult early-season schedule. Plus, SDSU will have vengeance on their minds after the Cowboy's comeback win at Qualcomm Stadium last year all but knocked them out of bowl consideration.
I still see the Aztecs as challenging for a 6-6 bowl game but they're still a year away from a major turnaround. Anything better will be dessert.
---
The shoulder inflammation suffered by former Aztec Stephen Strasburg before his start Tuesday for the Nationals against the Braves should serve as a warning for the Padres brass, which planned going into this season to limit the innings thrown by P Mat Latos.
The prized Padres youngster has pitched just once since the All-Star break thanks to the infamous stifled sneeze -- I've got some property in East Village to sell you if you believe that one -- and is set to throw Thursday and Tuesday against the Dodgers. He is currently on pace for more than 200 innings, when manager Bud Black and GM Jed Hoyer had planned to keep him to around 180 frames or less.
It's tempting to keep throwing your best starter out there every six days when you're in a race for a division title but word of Strasburg's injury is going to give them pause.
---
Lefty P Joe Thatcher was ready in the bullpen when Andre Ethier stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Thatcher has allowed left-handed hitters a .152 batting average this season, compared to the .274 mark of starter Jon Garland. Ethier is batting .234 against southpaws. Why Black left Garland in the game is beyond me.
No comments:
Post a Comment