In the wake of BYU's 80-67 win over San Diego State at Viejas Arena Saturday, a couple of troubling facts that have risen in the background the past couple of weeks became very evident.
First was that while SDSU got by Colorado State by a buzzer-beater, were lucky to win at undisciplined UNLV and were sloppy against revved up TCU, BYU was pounding those teams by large margins.
Second was that some of those supposedly meaningful wins last fall now don't look all that exciting. Wichita State has compiled a fine record but if the Shockers don't win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, they might be NIT-bound. Cal is a mid-level team in a mid-level Pac-10. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are both pretty so-so. Even the Mountain West Conference is looking rather average, all of a sudden, beyond the top two places.
For the last couple weeks, these were annoying thoughts in the back of our minds. But when the Cougars threw down a few slam dunks in garbage time to open up the margin of Saturday's game, they became major facts in Aztec reality.
The loss hurts, but is not devastating. Barring a letdown in the final two games, they will be seeded second in the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas, but you have to figure all three games are going to be rough no matter who they play. If they win out and win the MWC tourney, they'll earn a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament. I don't see them going lower than fourth. However, a fourth seed then has to beat a fifth seed to make the Sweet 16, so the road just got tougher.
Learning the upper limit of your team is okay, but it sucks for it to be BYU that hands out the lesson...It also stinks that those AP poll voters who refused to move SDSU over some of those teams that lost the week earlier were correct. The Aztecs team that showed up Saturday probably doesn't even deserve the No. 6 ranking. I can see them dropping to No. 10 on Monday...National Coach of the Year? Dave Rose might give Steve Fisher a run for his money, and deservedly so. He has Fisher figured out, and the reverse is not true...That pre-game dunk-fest by the Aztecs was almost worth the price of admission by itself, but while all that was going on, the Cougars were quietly preparing in a businesslike manner.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Big Chill Perfect for SDSU-BYU Part Dos
In the years before Steve Fisher arrived at San Diego State, you'd have thought you would never see a week like this until hell freezes over. Well, the weatherman says places in our county often hotter than hell could see snow the same day 27-1 SDSU, ranked No. 6 in the country, hosts No. 7 BYU at Viejas Arena. How fitting.
So I was dead wrong in my post figuring the Aztecs would come out of Marriott Center with a huge win last month, but I still think I'm right that the better team lost the first match-up. Cougars G Jimmer Fredette made himself the favorite for national Player of the Year honors that night, and it wasn't just that he scored 43 points but how he did it, with off-balance NBA-length three-point baskets taken with a defending hand shielding his face.
Plus, most of the Aztecs front line went inexplicably soft in the face of a ferocious effort by the BYU bigs to not get dominated under the basket. The lone exception was flu-ridden F Kawhi Leonard, who put his IV tubes aside to keep the Aztecs in the game. Once it was over, F Malcolm Thomas admitted the sub-standard play and took responsibility on his strong shoulders.
I have a hard time seeing Fredette, now hobbled by a leg bruise, going off again to such a proportion and his teammates, while good, are not capable of such a performance. I also think the SDSU forwards are going to be much stronger this time around. That should add up to an Aztecs win -- which would take our minds off white stuff dusting El Capitan or Mount Woodson.
---
Here's something to look forward to. Going into the season, you could look at the Aztecs roster and see 10 guys capable of contributing. Instead, Fisher has kept his rotation at eight players and the full-court press has been only token. I suspect that at some point, either Saturday vs. BYU, in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, or the NCAA Tournament, Fisher is going to turn these guys loose for 94 feet of hell. It'll be fun to watch if it happens...I'm not perturbed about the Aztecs ranking in the AP poll this week, remaining stuck at 6 after four of the teams ahead of them lost. I can see some arguments for not moving them higher. But I have two worries. One, that there are writers out there who just aren't going to put them higher for any reason whatsoever. Two, that there are a couple of voters who put them far lower than 6, and there is clearly no reason for that. Remember not even the greatest of baseball players have made it to the Hall of Fame unanimously. There are weirdos with votes. The big question is, if the Aztecs beat BYU handily, will these people move the Aztecs up to where they belong?...I hope the students aren't so bleary eyed by camping out for tickets that they can't put up a show by the time the game rolls around on Saturday.
So I was dead wrong in my post figuring the Aztecs would come out of Marriott Center with a huge win last month, but I still think I'm right that the better team lost the first match-up. Cougars G Jimmer Fredette made himself the favorite for national Player of the Year honors that night, and it wasn't just that he scored 43 points but how he did it, with off-balance NBA-length three-point baskets taken with a defending hand shielding his face.
Plus, most of the Aztecs front line went inexplicably soft in the face of a ferocious effort by the BYU bigs to not get dominated under the basket. The lone exception was flu-ridden F Kawhi Leonard, who put his IV tubes aside to keep the Aztecs in the game. Once it was over, F Malcolm Thomas admitted the sub-standard play and took responsibility on his strong shoulders.
I have a hard time seeing Fredette, now hobbled by a leg bruise, going off again to such a proportion and his teammates, while good, are not capable of such a performance. I also think the SDSU forwards are going to be much stronger this time around. That should add up to an Aztecs win -- which would take our minds off white stuff dusting El Capitan or Mount Woodson.
---
Here's something to look forward to. Going into the season, you could look at the Aztecs roster and see 10 guys capable of contributing. Instead, Fisher has kept his rotation at eight players and the full-court press has been only token. I suspect that at some point, either Saturday vs. BYU, in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, or the NCAA Tournament, Fisher is going to turn these guys loose for 94 feet of hell. It'll be fun to watch if it happens...I'm not perturbed about the Aztecs ranking in the AP poll this week, remaining stuck at 6 after four of the teams ahead of them lost. I can see some arguments for not moving them higher. But I have two worries. One, that there are writers out there who just aren't going to put them higher for any reason whatsoever. Two, that there are a couple of voters who put them far lower than 6, and there is clearly no reason for that. Remember not even the greatest of baseball players have made it to the Hall of Fame unanimously. There are weirdos with votes. The big question is, if the Aztecs beat BYU handily, will these people move the Aztecs up to where they belong?...I hope the students aren't so bleary eyed by camping out for tickets that they can't put up a show by the time the game rolls around on Saturday.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Stauffer, Hundley Keys for 2010 Repeat
They're the swing voters, the ones who will determine whether the upcoming baseball season for the Padres will be a repeat of 2010's fun or a return to inept 2009. P Tim Stauffer and C Nick Hundley just might hold the Padres fortunes in their hands this time time around.
The pitching rotation should have some constants in Mat Latos and Clayton Richard, barring injury. Questions follow. Can Aaron Harang return to form after injuries? Can Wade LeBlanc and/or Cory Luebke throw consistently over the long haul?
It would be nice if Stauffer can pitch like he did last September, and thus push those questions from the middle of the rotation to the end. It is a must if the Padres are going to win their Petco Park-style 2-1 games. He allowed more than one run only once in his last five starts and never walked more than two batters in any of those outings. His final ERA was 1.85, coming in a season in which he had an emergency appendectomy. That's pitching like a former first-round draft choice. If he's on in 2011, the Padres will have a fighting chance.
Hundley was the forgotten man down the stretch last season as manager Bud Black turned to the now-departed Yorvit Torrealba down the stretch. Hundley is now IT behind the plate, unless you consider Rob Johnson or Gregg Zaun legitimate alternatives. While Stauffer brings numbers that project nicely into this season, Hundley batted .249-8-43. He does handle the staff well and his defense is pretty good. It's just that catcher is about as important as it gets for a field position, and the Padres' safety net has holes. I do like some of the things I've been reading and hearing about Hundley, however, so the reason I make a linchpin is he actually has a chance to develop into a team leader and offensive contributor. If it happens, look for the Padres to contend.
Looking up: I see big things ahead for Latos, OF Will Venable, P Ernesto Frieri and, of course, GAB. I'm amazed GAB is still here, the way this off-season went.
Looking down: As much as I'd like to see Harang recover, I just can't see him doing it for a full season. Look for ex-Red to have a good first two months, but the summer will wear him down. My position changed on Venable over time because I saw him make progress. My feelings on OF Ryan Ludwick remain the same because, well, it's February and the guy hasn't had a chance to show me anything different. I'm just not optimistic.
---
Nice to have the college baseball season back, just don't expect much out of either USD or San Diego State. Too much youth on both teams. Youth does bring hope, and both are working in top-notch recruiting classes. It wouldn't surprise me to see either or both teams in the Top 25 by early next season.
Head over to Cunningham Stadium on Saturdays to watch Dylan Covey pitch. Winthrop knocked him around for four runs in seven innings this weekend, but the freshman former first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers is going to be interesting to watch. Choose any day to go to Tony Gwynn Stadium to watch Brandon Meredith. The outfielder from Montgomery High in three games has a slugging percentage of 1.000, thanks to a double, triple and home run.
---
Would you have liked to have been a fly on the inside of the fuselage for Saint Mary's flight home from here last week? Wow, what a choke! Maybe they bused here and back, or came by personal vehicle. That might explain their upset loss to USD.
---
The SDSU-BYU Showdown II looms. It's gonna be mighty interesting around town later this week. Do not overlook the fact that while State has a week to prepare, the Cougars have to play Colorado State, which will be desperate after falling to UNLV on Saturday. The Rams are good enough for the NCAA Tournament, and this is their best shot at a signature win.
The pitching rotation should have some constants in Mat Latos and Clayton Richard, barring injury. Questions follow. Can Aaron Harang return to form after injuries? Can Wade LeBlanc and/or Cory Luebke throw consistently over the long haul?
It would be nice if Stauffer can pitch like he did last September, and thus push those questions from the middle of the rotation to the end. It is a must if the Padres are going to win their Petco Park-style 2-1 games. He allowed more than one run only once in his last five starts and never walked more than two batters in any of those outings. His final ERA was 1.85, coming in a season in which he had an emergency appendectomy. That's pitching like a former first-round draft choice. If he's on in 2011, the Padres will have a fighting chance.
Hundley was the forgotten man down the stretch last season as manager Bud Black turned to the now-departed Yorvit Torrealba down the stretch. Hundley is now IT behind the plate, unless you consider Rob Johnson or Gregg Zaun legitimate alternatives. While Stauffer brings numbers that project nicely into this season, Hundley batted .249-8-43. He does handle the staff well and his defense is pretty good. It's just that catcher is about as important as it gets for a field position, and the Padres' safety net has holes. I do like some of the things I've been reading and hearing about Hundley, however, so the reason I make a linchpin is he actually has a chance to develop into a team leader and offensive contributor. If it happens, look for the Padres to contend.
Looking up: I see big things ahead for Latos, OF Will Venable, P Ernesto Frieri and, of course, GAB. I'm amazed GAB is still here, the way this off-season went.
Looking down: As much as I'd like to see Harang recover, I just can't see him doing it for a full season. Look for ex-Red to have a good first two months, but the summer will wear him down. My position changed on Venable over time because I saw him make progress. My feelings on OF Ryan Ludwick remain the same because, well, it's February and the guy hasn't had a chance to show me anything different. I'm just not optimistic.
---
Nice to have the college baseball season back, just don't expect much out of either USD or San Diego State. Too much youth on both teams. Youth does bring hope, and both are working in top-notch recruiting classes. It wouldn't surprise me to see either or both teams in the Top 25 by early next season.
Head over to Cunningham Stadium on Saturdays to watch Dylan Covey pitch. Winthrop knocked him around for four runs in seven innings this weekend, but the freshman former first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers is going to be interesting to watch. Choose any day to go to Tony Gwynn Stadium to watch Brandon Meredith. The outfielder from Montgomery High in three games has a slugging percentage of 1.000, thanks to a double, triple and home run.
---
Would you have liked to have been a fly on the inside of the fuselage for Saint Mary's flight home from here last week? Wow, what a choke! Maybe they bused here and back, or came by personal vehicle. That might explain their upset loss to USD.
---
The SDSU-BYU Showdown II looms. It's gonna be mighty interesting around town later this week. Do not overlook the fact that while State has a week to prepare, the Cougars have to play Colorado State, which will be desperate after falling to UNLV on Saturday. The Rams are good enough for the NCAA Tournament, and this is their best shot at a signature win.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tollner Sees it All at SDSU
Ted Tollner saw the best of football times at San Diego State, and some of the worst. Tollner, who reportedly is retiring as a coach at the age of 70, was offensive coordinator during the golden age of SDSU football during the 1970s and the head coach when the program began its slide toward near-oblivion.
Tollner is perhaps the least understood figure in the Aztec football family, respected by those who know him for his football knowledge and gentlemanly demeanor, and reviled by those who view him from afar and wrongly blame him for the program's collapse at the end of his tenure.
It was Tollner calling the plays in 1977, when the team that was arguably the Aztecs best went 10-1 and scored its signature win, a brazen 41-16 rout of a Bobby Bowden-coached Florida State team that earlier that day was awarded a bowl berth -- in an age when there were but a dozen post-season contests -- and SDSU could only dream of a late-December game. He developed star quarterbacks Jesse Freitas and Craig Penrose, and nursed productive seasons out of highly inconsistent Joe Davis and Mark Halda. His first stint also encompassed the 1979 team that beat Miami, Wisconsin and Arizona before he left in 1980.
When he returned to Montezuma Mesa 14 years later, it was as head coach, but the landscape of college football had changed.
-- SDSU's greatness in the 1960s and 1970s stemmed from being one of the few schools that relied on the pass, torching defenses built to stop ground-oriented option offenses. Everyone was throwing by the time he returned, and everyone had defenses designed to stop the pass.
-- The Aztecs dominance also stemmed from owning JC recruiting back in the day when JC players were worth something. When Tollner returned, they no longer had the stranglehold on California's community colleges they once did, and two-year schools did not produce mass quantities of quality players. The situation is even worse now. The latest SDSU recruiting class of 23 players has no one from the JC ranks.
-- The forerunner of the BCS, the Bowl Alliance, began in 1995, a year after Tollner returned to State. With the Aztecs in the Western Athletic Conference, there was going to be no opportunity for a major bowl appearance or bid for a championship. When a 12-1 BYU team was denied a major bowl, and a pair of 8-win SDSU teams failed to be invited to bowls of any sort, Tollner's recruiting efforts were doomed, and it soon showed.
Tollner had the right idea when he returned. The Aztecs had to have an effective power-running game to consistently succeed. Defenses were anywhere from pretty good to great. But you need a roster of quality depth to win in college football, and Tollner couldn't keep the cupboard full. He rarely took risks with recruiting and eventually stopped competing against the Pac-10 for players -- one of things that Tollner-haters point to even today.
Simply put, Tollner won when he had players and lost when he didn't have enough. Thanks to the Bowl Alliance and the BCS, the deck was stacked against him.
The end came in 2001, when the Aztecs lost 31-3 to a UNLV team that was 1-4 at the time. It was clear then, even with five games left, that the Tollner-era was crashing down, and I wrote as much on my old Web site. He was fired before the finale, in which his Aztecs won -- getting their first victory since before the UNLV game.
I never blamed Tollner for what happened, and I don't now. He was in a tough, possibly no-win situation. I think my theory was proven by his successor, Tom Craft, who went the other direction by gambling big-time in recruiting and lost in spectacular fashion. I don't blame Craft, either. He had to do what he did, and it just didn't work.
Recruiting finally picked back up under Chuck Long, and that was only because Utah proved that the BCS noose on college football could be loosened. The Utes, Hawaii, Boise State and TCU have since opened the floodgates and now SDSU can compete for any high school player it wants. It is no accident that it took this long for SDSU football to get back to post-season play. Those players brought here by Chuck Long matured and were augmented by better recruits from Brady Hoke. Tollner, after his first few years, and Craft never had that chance. I think Tollner would have had the Aztecs bowling regularly if he had a roster of the kind of players he enjoyed in the mid-1990s. There was just no way he could get them anymore, and he knew it.
The hate for him, and Craft, is something I don't understand about my fellow Aztecs fans. It is misplaced. Both tried and it just didn't work out. My sincere hope with Tollner retiring is that Athletic Director Jim Sterk and new head coach Rocky Long will reach out and bring him back into the Aztec family where he belongs.
Tollner is perhaps the least understood figure in the Aztec football family, respected by those who know him for his football knowledge and gentlemanly demeanor, and reviled by those who view him from afar and wrongly blame him for the program's collapse at the end of his tenure.
It was Tollner calling the plays in 1977, when the team that was arguably the Aztecs best went 10-1 and scored its signature win, a brazen 41-16 rout of a Bobby Bowden-coached Florida State team that earlier that day was awarded a bowl berth -- in an age when there were but a dozen post-season contests -- and SDSU could only dream of a late-December game. He developed star quarterbacks Jesse Freitas and Craig Penrose, and nursed productive seasons out of highly inconsistent Joe Davis and Mark Halda. His first stint also encompassed the 1979 team that beat Miami, Wisconsin and Arizona before he left in 1980.
When he returned to Montezuma Mesa 14 years later, it was as head coach, but the landscape of college football had changed.
-- SDSU's greatness in the 1960s and 1970s stemmed from being one of the few schools that relied on the pass, torching defenses built to stop ground-oriented option offenses. Everyone was throwing by the time he returned, and everyone had defenses designed to stop the pass.
-- The Aztecs dominance also stemmed from owning JC recruiting back in the day when JC players were worth something. When Tollner returned, they no longer had the stranglehold on California's community colleges they once did, and two-year schools did not produce mass quantities of quality players. The situation is even worse now. The latest SDSU recruiting class of 23 players has no one from the JC ranks.
-- The forerunner of the BCS, the Bowl Alliance, began in 1995, a year after Tollner returned to State. With the Aztecs in the Western Athletic Conference, there was going to be no opportunity for a major bowl appearance or bid for a championship. When a 12-1 BYU team was denied a major bowl, and a pair of 8-win SDSU teams failed to be invited to bowls of any sort, Tollner's recruiting efforts were doomed, and it soon showed.
Tollner had the right idea when he returned. The Aztecs had to have an effective power-running game to consistently succeed. Defenses were anywhere from pretty good to great. But you need a roster of quality depth to win in college football, and Tollner couldn't keep the cupboard full. He rarely took risks with recruiting and eventually stopped competing against the Pac-10 for players -- one of things that Tollner-haters point to even today.
Simply put, Tollner won when he had players and lost when he didn't have enough. Thanks to the Bowl Alliance and the BCS, the deck was stacked against him.
The end came in 2001, when the Aztecs lost 31-3 to a UNLV team that was 1-4 at the time. It was clear then, even with five games left, that the Tollner-era was crashing down, and I wrote as much on my old Web site. He was fired before the finale, in which his Aztecs won -- getting their first victory since before the UNLV game.
I never blamed Tollner for what happened, and I don't now. He was in a tough, possibly no-win situation. I think my theory was proven by his successor, Tom Craft, who went the other direction by gambling big-time in recruiting and lost in spectacular fashion. I don't blame Craft, either. He had to do what he did, and it just didn't work.
Recruiting finally picked back up under Chuck Long, and that was only because Utah proved that the BCS noose on college football could be loosened. The Utes, Hawaii, Boise State and TCU have since opened the floodgates and now SDSU can compete for any high school player it wants. It is no accident that it took this long for SDSU football to get back to post-season play. Those players brought here by Chuck Long matured and were augmented by better recruits from Brady Hoke. Tollner, after his first few years, and Craft never had that chance. I think Tollner would have had the Aztecs bowling regularly if he had a roster of the kind of players he enjoyed in the mid-1990s. There was just no way he could get them anymore, and he knew it.
The hate for him, and Craft, is something I don't understand about my fellow Aztecs fans. It is misplaced. Both tried and it just didn't work out. My sincere hope with Tollner retiring is that Athletic Director Jim Sterk and new head coach Rocky Long will reach out and bring him back into the Aztec family where he belongs.
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