Put down your super soaker because it’s time for another session of the wildly–or mildly–popular “Notes on My Napkin” column where we randomly name drop people and places (we thought about doing it alphabetically but I went to elementary school in West Virginia and spelling ain’t my strongest subject).
If we were to serve you alphabet soup style we might start with the letter C, as in Canada and Casper. I was the group leader on a basketball travelers tour to Canada (we called it “LB to LA”, LA as in Lower Alberta) around 1992 and the 16 year old star of the Canadian Junior National team was indeed Steve Nash–the 38 year old Lakers-bound assist maker. At the time, Nash was the youngest player on that Canadian team but easily their most impressive player. Even though Coach Seth Greenberg saw him for all five of the tour games, my recollection is that Seth said the kid didn’t fit.
A bunch of NBA all star games remind us that recruiting isn’t an exact science. For Casper Ware, his time in the NBA summer league with Detroit was a mixed bag. The friendly ghost didn’t do anything to hurt himself. He ran the team well, looked comfortable, took the ball to the basket when he needed to and played his trademarked energizer bunny defense yet 1-9 on 3 pointers. His agent, Bill Duffy (BDASports.com), was in Orlando and has a background with the Pistons since Austin Daye and Tayschon Prince are also his clients. What’s next? Well certainly there is Europe for play for pay. And expect TJ Robinson to go there as well. The best of the Big West options for the “Association” is clearly UCSB’s Orlando Johnson who was drafted for his quickness, skill, and oh yes, size.
Emailers may have too much time on their hands but I have gotten a basket full of items about “Turmoil for the Titans” so as reluctant as I am to kick an elephant when he is down, I feel an obligation to report on some of the current news from Nutwood.
We will first go through the names in the news beginning with Athletics Director Brian Quinn who is no longer CSUF’s A.D. Insiders say he had already decided to quit after a decade in Orange and Blue. He is 71 this year and came over about ten years ago from LMU, a job that was then filled by former 49er associate A.D. Bill Husak. Quinn, the silver haired and priest-like leader, has been re-assigned to athletic fund raising, a post recently manned (or woman-ed) by Pam Jones-Tintle. Meanwhile the Fullerton Faculty athletic rep Dr. Steven Walk, Chair, Department of Kinesiology and a Professor of Sport Sociology, has been named interim Athletic Director. Insiders hope Dr. Walk will sit out some of the big issues on the CSUF hot stove and will act only in a caretaker capacity.
The aforementioned big issues at CSUF include a replacement for men’s basketball coach Bob Burton, women’s softball coach Michelle Gromacki and legendary sport information director Mel Franks. Another big issue is the athletic indoctrination of their new president Mildred García, formerly of California State University, Dominguez Hills. At CSUDH the athletic ambitions are much more modest (but their velodrome is really nice). She is the first Latina president in the CSU system and was CSUDH president since 2007. Dr. Garcia replaced retired President Milton A. Gordon, who served as CSUF president since 1990. Her sporting plate is really full right now.
Softball Coach Gromacki added to the department’s Titan tumult when she filed a lawsuit that claimed to the O.C. Register that school officials “harassed and humiliated her after she demanded better facilities for women athletes and a salary equal to that of the baseball coach.”
On the baseball front, former coach Dave Serrano just finished his first year at Tennessee with no post season. New coach Rick Vanderhook (age 51) took the 2012 Titan team to a regional but it was two and BBQ. His heir apparent Kirk Saarloos (age 33) was named the CSUF pitching coach after his seven-year major league career with Houston (2002–03), Oakland (2004–06, 08) and Cincinnati (2007) but now has left for the same job at TCU.
The first rumblings from CSUF came when Quinn encouraged the men’s basketball coach Bob Burton’s to resign. Quinn just turned 71 and was set to retire in November when his contract expired. Quinn said he was not given a direct reason why he was reassigned out of the day to day athletic administration but academic leaders like to give new president’s a blank slate.
BITS AND PIECES: USA Today reported that NCAA president Mark Emmert is on pace to make nearly $1.6 million this year (take a moment to catch your breath)…Ex Dirtbag J. Weaver finally came in for AL in the top of the fifth inning, but his team was already trailing 8-0 with only two hits. Weaver walked the highly touted Bryce Harper and then easily got Buster Posey, David Wright and Dan Uggla out on two fly outs and a fielder’s choice. It was JW’s third All-Star game in just six seasons…Misty Mae will get a home-town send off or two before packing her, er, ah, uniform for the London Olympics…In the glistening gold medal match in Switzerland, the combo of USA’s May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the 39th gold medal of their illustrious FIVB SWATCH World Tour…the team split $43,500 and will party with their fans on July 17 for the Century Club and in the Pyramid at 5 p.m. on July 20th.
From August 2007, it was Mark Pocinich as the Director of Sports Medicine for LBSU. He helped that important function stay together with a tiny staff, tight quarters, lots of bus rides, rolls of white trainers tape and a tincture or two of iodine. Now he has taken a job in the big time–Director of Athletic Training and Rehabilitation in Westwood at UCLA’s Acosta Athletic Training Center. The Bruins’ state-of-the-art coed facility boasts 8,000 square feet of brand new modalities, rehabilitation equipment, walk-in whirlpools, SwimEx aquatic pool and private offices. Bruin brass brag, “UCLA continues to be on the forefront of Sports Medicine. Mark Pocinich, Director of Sports Medicine, leads the department comprised of 14 full-time Certified Athletic Trainers and approximately 50 undergraduate student interns.” Before 49erville, Pocinich spent seven years as an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Southern California.
CLOSING QUOTE: Long Beach State coach Dan Monson notes there’s something top programs need to be considered truly elite. “If you’re going to be a top 10 team, you have to put Long Beach on your schedule.” The tough sked does seem to pay off. Arizona State’s Keala King, West Virginia’s Dan Jennings, Loyola Marymount’s Edgar Garibay and DePaul’s Tony Freeland all cited the chance to play elite teams as one of the major reasons they transferred to LBSU.—DR. DAN