Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

More Of The Same, And Less Of What’s Needed: Cal Drops Another Close One, 24-23 to NC State

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA– By default, the Cal Bears are built to compete in close, contentious football games. Currently, winning those games is not part of the mix.

Freshman kicker Derek Morris’ field goal miss from 28 yards with 1:37 remaining left Cal short on the scoreboard in a 24-23 loss to North Carolina State, but a list of plays and issues kept the Bears winless in their inaugural trip through the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Making winning plays simply hasn’t happened for Cal in a painful, four-game losing streak that has been too little in the game’s biggest moments.

“I have to do a better job coaching the team so we can find a way to win these tight games,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “Everyone has to come back and own their part of it. We need to have high expectations and standards for the way we operate around here.”

The Bears looked the part in building a 13-10 halftime lead and extending it to 23-10 after three quarters. But that put gutty freshman quarterback CJ Bailey in position to survive six sacks and the punishment that came with them, and fashion a comeback that would be the Wolpack’s biggest since October 2012. Bailey threw two fourth quarter touchdown passes, the second 41 yards to Hollywood Smothers that gave NC State the lead with 6:32 remaining.

“His ability to keep composure is just very impressive,” Bailey’s teammate Davin Vann said. “He just continues to show me why he has the ability to play at this level and is going to succeed at this level and beyond.”

Bailey not only was under duress for the first three quarters, but he also was essentially without a run game as well. The Bears stuffed the Wolfpack, allowing an insignificant 29 yards on 30 rushing attempts.

But when afforded time, Bailey delivered, with 6’3″ Justin Joly using his height to snag four catches for 95 yards to lead the NC State receivers. The freshman, who began the season behind senior transfer Grayson McCall on the depth chart, finished 25 of 36 for 306 yards.

“He stays positive, and he’s just got that it factor when it comes to how he manages things and overcomes,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said of Bailey. “Even when he makes a bad play, it doesn’t rattle him.”

The Bears should have benefitted from all the upheaval in NC State’s lineup that saw them without leading rusher Jordan Waters and beholden to a new mic linebacker Kamal Bonner. But NC State touted their depth, and it proved to be the case as their first trip west since a 1960 game at UCLA turned out to be a winner.

Cal’s final drive encompassed 13 plays for 65 yards and put Cal in position to retake the lead. It also bought precious minutes for its defense that once again was on the short side of time of possession in part because of Thomas’ damaging, first half fumble. But the drive didn’t end well after a critical holding penalty on first down at NC State’s 16-yard line. Fernando Mendoza misfired on second down, and two short completions left Cal with a fourth down and sufficient time for NC State to respond had Morris converted a go-ahead field goal.

Again, a missed field goal in the final two minutes was not solely the reason for Cal’s loss.

The Bears (3-4, 0-4) have a non-conference game next Saturday against Oregon State in Berkeley.

Cal 0 for 3 in the ACC: Big Defensive Effort Not Enough For Bears In 17-15 Loss At No. 22 Pittsburgh

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

For Cal, the margin of loss again was small. But the totality of mistakes and penalties were bigger than coach Justin Wilcox could tolerate.

“I’m not sure you ever go through a game perfectly, but we don’t have the margin for error to play bad football from time to time and expect to win against a Top 25 team,” Wilcox said of Cal’s 12 penalties that left his Bears on the short end of a 17-15 loss at Pittsburgh. “Nobody feels sorry for us. Those are things we have to fix. If we do that, than we can win these one-score games.”

Cal’s resourceful 3-0 start to the season has dissolved into a three-game conference losing streak with an aggregate loss total of eight points. At Acrisure Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Bears shut out the host Panthers for the final 40 minutes but couldn’t regain a lead at any point.

“If we were able to take the lead, I felt good about our defense stopping them,” Wilcox said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that.”

Cal’s counter to Pitt’s surprising 5-0 start that now has them at 6-0 for the first time since 1982 in the glory days of Dan Marino and Hugh Green should have been the story. Prolific Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein was forced into a defensive posture as Cal added to their nationally-leading interception total of 13 with picks by Nohl Williams and Cam Sidney.

“That’s a great defense we played right there,” Holstein said. “They played every coverage in the book. They gave me different looks. It was hard to tell what they were playing in certain situations.”

Games aren’t normally decided on the first play of the second quarter, but ultimately, this one was. Coach Pat Narduzzi rolled the dice and elected to attempt a fourth down conversion on his side of the field. A handoff to Desmond Reid was the perfect call as the speedy back went 72 yards untouched against Cal’s unbalanced set.

That was Reid’s second scoring run and put the Panthers up 14-6. A few minutes later, they would increase their lead to 17-6 on Ben Sauls booming, 58-yard field goal.

Fernando Mendoza played well with 27 of 37 passing for 272 yards. But his offensive line again incurred critical penalties that stopped drives and limited Cal’s scoring. With Cal’s defense in control for the vast majority of the game, Mendoza and the offense could only muster Ryan Coe’s 39-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Jack Endries 19-yard scoring catch with 10:30 remaining.

Twice Cal failed to convert two-point conversions, including backup quarterback Chandler Rogers rushing attempt that was stuffed after Endries score.

Jaivian Thomas got the majority of Cal’s rushing attempts as Jadyn Ott was scratched before the game due to lingering ankle issues. Thomas opened the scoring with a 21-yard run in the first quarter.

The Bears return to Berkeley for Homecoming and a meeting with North Carolina State on Saturday. At 0-3 in the ACC, the Bears won’t earn a championship game appearance in their first year in the new conference. But they do figure to be favored in all of their remaining games, which could lead them to a significant bowl game invitation.

For Pitt, a day dangerously thin on offense but propped up with their best defensive effort of the season stood up. Far from what Narduzzi would have preferred and less than the subdued, nervous home crowd wanted, but it worked.

“I don’t know if there’s ever been a perfect game,” Narduzzi said. “I wish. We strive for perfection and take excellence. It’s never going to be perfect. There’s too many scholarship athletes out there.”

Clock Strikes Midnight On Upset-Minded Cal in 39-38 Loss To No. 8 Miami

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–At some subtle, hard to determine juncture approaching the three-hour mark of a lengthy, college football game, Cal lost its grip.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal sensed it, then framed it after his Hurricanes scored 29 of the game’s final 32 points to stun the Bears, 39-38 to remain unbeaten and squarely in the hunt for a national championship.

“I don’t know how many teams in the country would have come back against that defense,” Cristobal said of Cal, which held Miami to 10 points until 3:02 remained in the third quarter.

Damian Martinez’ 1-yard touchdown run and Xavier Restrepo’s two-point reception didn’t trigger an avalanche for the Canes. Instead, Cal proved steadfast and took another three plus minutes off the clock in increasing their lead to 38-18 on Ryan Coe’s 37-yard field goal.

Three Miami touchdowns would follow, capped by Elijah Arroyo’s 5-yard catch and score with 26 seconds remaining.

“We kept clawing and scratching, and the defense held up,” Cristobal recounted.

“How many people cut this off?” he said, touching on the fact that the Hurricanes’ comeback didn’t hit maximum thrust until after 1:00am in Florida.

What caused the television audience to rest was Cal’s defense. Nohl Williams picked off Miami’s Cam Ward, his fifth of the year, which leads the nation. Linebackers Cade Uluave and Teddye Buchanan combined for 23 tackles while Cal built a 25-point lead. But the experienced Ward played the waiting game, and the result was 35 completions, 437 yards, and two fourth quarter touchdown passes that sandwiched his 24-yard touchdown run.

“That’s two games straight we had to do that. We have to lock in,” Ward said. “It’s good to get a win. We’re not going to complain. An ugly win is better than a good loss.”

Ward improved to 2-1 against California with the first win and loss coming when the quarterback was with Washington State in 2022 and 2023. Conversely, the Bears missed a rare opportunity to upset a team ranked in the top ten nationally. The last time was 2017 versus the Cougars prior to Ward’s arrival.

Ward’s 437 yards passing gives him six consecutive performances of 300 plus yards passing to put him squarely in contention for the Heisman trophy.

Fernando Mendoza led Cal with 285 yards passing. Jadyn Ott made the most of a slow night with a 66-yard touchdown catch and run. That production helped the Bears build a sizeable lead, but 2 of 10 third down conversions left the Bears defense vulnerable to fatigue that surfaced in Miami’s comeback.

Coach Justin Wilcox didn’t appear to agree with a targeting situation that didn’t draw a penalty on Miami after a review. That non-call on third down forced Cal to punt and gave the ball back to Miami for their game-winning, six-play drive.

Wilcox was close-lipped regarding that play but was open regarding the game in its entirety.

“We had every opportunity to win that game, obviously,” Wilcox said. “We didn’t get it done, so every individual has to own it.”

The Bears travel to meet undefeated Pittsburgh (5-0) next week. The Panthers posted an impressive 34-24 road win over North Carolina on Saturday.

Cal Says Emphatically, “We’re College GameDay, And You’re Not!”

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Before things became fun and wicked smart along Memorial Glade on UC Berkeley’s campus, they grew dark and sinister in the middle of the night.

The Cal Bears fans gathered for the first-ever football ESPN College GameDay in Berkeley grew restless, and in a fit of rage, as noted by Fox News, and in the absence of sufficient security blew through the barriers to get closer to the ESPN production stage. The crowd’s actions were spiritedly defiant, unchecked, and entirely successful.

“Complete chaos in Berkeley,” Avinash Kunnath of “Write for California” reported at 12:30am. “There is not enough security to organize the crowd.”

Luckily, the playful crowd wasn’t destructive or menacing, just hyped. And that was the beginning of Cal’s triumphant appearance on GameDay, which peaked hours later as Marshawn Lynch displayed his curious driving habits, and the crowd demanded that coach Nick Saban remove his disgusting red tie.

After Cal was left scrambling by USC and UCLA’s pre-emptive move to the Big 10, and subsequently forced to join forces with the ACC for pennies on the dollar of the conference’s already determined television deal, the campus community was forced to get wise and money smart to find their way through the changing major college sports landscape. The Bears’ encouraging start to the season was the first step, and ESPN’s decision to bring its road show to Berkeley was next in Cal’s athletic department closing the gap on its financially positioned competitors.

Bear Backers started with the phrase “Calgorithm” and quickly built a full-fledged comedy review. From all the live reports and cemented by GameDay host Rece Davis, Cal aced the test.

“Cal is one of the best crowds we’ve ever had,” Davis proclaimed at 9:05am as the television lights were extinguished for the day and the crowd dispersed.

“Sometimes it’s about feeling good,” a University Library librarian said. “And clearly, people felt good about this.”

So good that people spent the night, characteristically did not use drugs, and maintained the exposure fever until shortly after sunrise when fatigue and the live broadcast vapors waned slightly. 

But the sunlight revealed a bunch of kids, families, young alumni couples, and a smattering of smugsters from the U who couldn’t have honestly said they knew what to expect. The mix was respectful even before security materialized, and new friendships sprung up all over the place.

“We’re happy to be in the ACC,” said Charles Karren, class of ’90. “It was that or death.”

Karren, whose son is also pursuing a Cal degree, was quick to mention chancellor Rich Lyons as an advocate and savior for Cal athletics. Undoubtedly, Cal has successfully navigated the gauntlet of NIL, the transfer portal and budget concerns from the top, with Lyons, on down.

Back on television, suddenly, and perfectly calculated, Cal’s Memorial Glade was like the Today Show with the bluster of network personality Pat McAfee at his zenith as the loud mouthed galvanizing force.

“You know it! You tell the story! You tell the whole damn world this is Bear Territory!” McAfee bellowed with seamless support from the crowd.

Sitting next to McAfee was Saban, fiercely determined to be his somewhat cranky self until the crowd demanded he yank off his Stanford red tie. Finally, the Hall of Fame coach relented and swapped in a traditional Cal rep tie that enriched his blue blazer. Was Saban prepared to interview for a graduate assistant position under Coach Justin Wilcox? He was.

The signs didn’t disappoint. Instead, they shimmered as every smart aleck grew biceps in displaying their humorous takes.

Woke vs. Coke (carried by an unsuspecting 9-year old. Cal parents do better!)

This Game Is Past My Bedtime (also carried by a 9-year old. This is better.)

We Do Lines Of Code

The Miami Playbook is Shorter Than My Syllabus

Hitting the Slopes vs. Isotopes

Bow To Oski

U People Were Blocking the Library

Florida State Says No To Cal Staying Undefeated, Wins 14-9 in Tallahassee

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Cal knows how hard going 4-0 in the ACC is now.

Host Florida State wasn’t much better than they were in an 0-3 start, but this time, they didn’t fall behind, and they didn’t go away in a tense, gritty 14-9 win over the Bears.

D.J. Uiagalelei completed 16 of 27 passes for 177 yards, with the biggest connection coming with 11:08 remaining.  The 35-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas was the play of the game, allowing the Seminoles to regain the lead after they trailed for the first time, 9-7 late in the third quarter.

“I just tried to give him a good ball. Ja’Khi made him miss early. He had a good release and got separation, I just had to put a good ball, and he did the rest,” Uiagalelei said.

“When you play a team like Florida State with that much talent, you can’t make mistakes and expect to win,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We had plenty of opportunities and couldn’t capitalize on it. They did, so they deserve credit for that.

Cal’s playmakers–quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Jadyn Ott, back from an injury absence and Mason Starling–played well, but playing well didn’t include scoring a touchdown.

Cal kicker Ryan Coe converted three of five field goal attempts, but four was the magic number. Coe missed from 36 yards in the third quarter after Cal ran 15 plays and put FSU on their toes to start the second half.

Coe missed again from 38 yards with 6:07 remaining while converting from 25, 29, and 51. Had the first year specialist converted either of his misses, Cal’s penetration on both of their concluding drives would have afforded Coe an opportunity to give Cal the lead with little time left.

Linebackers Cade Uluave and Teddye Buchanan combined for 20 solo tackles as Cal made sure the Noles would go a fourth consecutive game with no more than 21 points. Cal forced six FSU punts, and the Noles converted 7 of 17 third down opportunities. Nohl Williams added to Cal nationally-leading interception total of ten with his second quarter pick.

“We don’t want to be at this point scoring 14 points, but at the end of the day, a win is a win,” Uiagalelei said.

“We can’t dwell on this,” Uluave said. “We just have to put our head down and keep going.”

Patrick Payton keyed Florida State’s defense with three sacks and three more tackles for loss yardage. Payton’s pressure and the Doak Campbell Stadium crowd noise contributed to Cal’s offensive line woes. The Bears suffered two critical penalties in the red zone for a false start and delay of game.

The Bears’ first taste of ACC play and Cal’s first visit to Tallahassee seemed to measurably flummox both squads. Coe’s missed kicks and Cal’s 10 penalties displayed the visitors’ nerves. But the home crowd was subdued by Cal’s measured attack and consistent effort on defense.

The Bears host first place Miami and familiar face, quarterback Cam Ward on October 5 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

ACC Weekly: Wary Golden Bears Commit to Grab Utensils Before Attempting To Eat The Picnic

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Successful college football coaches compartmentalize. That’s what they do: within the hyped-up world of rabid fan bases, blithering blitherers, realignment, and further talk regarding realignment, the big-time head coaches emphasize blocking assignments, play calling, and seizing and maintaining momentum within a game.

If the only thing that floats your boat is high-flying, cross-country storylines that zeros in on perennial, heavyweight squads losing for a second, third, or even a fourth, consecutive week, don’t tread here. Coaches and players don’t have time for that stuff, blitherers do. For seven plus seasons, Coach Justin Wilcox has always been among the best at keeping the main thing the main thing.

This is the week Wilcox and his unwavering focus really comes into focus.

The Bears play their first-ever ACC football game in a sold-out stadium in Tallahassee, Florida where the team, the coach and the quarterback are about to be run out of town without any wait til season’s end grace period. The Top 25 (for the first time since 2019) and the direct leadup to a bigger showdown in Berkeley on October 5 are at stake. Suddenly, and momentarily, everything is possible for Cal, including an ACC Championship Game berth, if they win.

Wilcox did say enthusiastically, that winning “would mean we went out and played our best game of the season thus far and had an opportunity to go 4-0. And so, as I mentioned, there’s only so many chances you get, and it’s going to be a great venue. We’ve never been down there before. Again, in a different place with some great players and coaches. So it’s an unbelievably exciting opportunity.”

Wilcox knows a great season can only achieve its beginning on September 21. He also knows a failed season starting Saturday could manifest a lot faster. So being level-headed and detail-oriented is what Wilcox is preaching.

“I think they’re a very, very talented football team. The games haven’t gone their way from one reason or another. We recognize how slim the margins are in playing great football and not great football. And they’re a very gifted team. They got really good coaches, and they’re a prideful outfit. So we know what’s in store, and we’ve got to be, we’ll have to play our best game, and our guys are expecting that.”

FSU hasn’t shown pride yet. In their opener, the Seminoles scored first, didn’t commit a turnover, and managed a slight edge in time of possession against gritty Georgia Tech. But the Noles’ defensive line got outplayed, and three lengthy scoring drives by Tech stood up in their 24-21 upset win.

Boston College made big plays early and led Florida State 14-6 at halftime. A deeper lethargy froze FSU’s offense in the third quarter, and they found themselves in an insurmountable hole before losing 28-13.  

Memphis led 20-3 halfway through the third quarter before DJ Uiagalelei and company started making plays. But that was too late, and the Noles fell to an unthinkable 0-3.

Uiagalelei obviously isn’t playing well; missing throws and an inability to stretch the field with deep balls are his biggest faults. But he needs help, and his teammates on both sides haven’t provided any.

“I think it’s a feel from the entire offense,” coach Mike Norvell said. “Obviously, DJ has to help that transition for him individually and offensively. We’ve got to make sure that we’re doing that. That’s something that we’re definitely working to make sure they have a heightened sense of awareness to the detail.”

On the heels of Boston College, especially, the Bears defense could again leave the Noles stuck in the mud. Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina, linebacker Teddye Buchanan, and corner Nohl Williams are Cal’s stars, but the entire defense has displayed a confident, veteran presence. The Noles rank second-to-last in rushing nationally with just 52 yards per game.

“They are very multiple in what they do, fronts, coverages they mix it up as good as we’ve played up to this point this year. They do a really nice job of just the effort, the passion, the energy. They are a big, long, physical defense,” said Norvell. “They’ve got good playmakers. They’ve done a really nice job in putting together a defense that plays to a standard, and those guys have been very opportunistic when that ball’s in the air.”

The Bears are hoping Jaydn Ott’s return will take pressure off quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who to date hasn’t had to win a game with his arm. Mendoza has completed 70 percent of his passes, and avoided mistakes, but can he maintain that ascent in a game that’s competitive in the fourth quarter on the road?

FSU stopped the run against Memphis, which ranks 90th nationally, but they weren’t stout against Boston College and Georgia Tech. DL Daniel Lyons, linebackers Blake Nichelson and Justin Cryer can make plays, but the third down efficiency has to improve. FSU is 124th in that category and they’ve been repeatedly unable to get off the field.

Norvell could position his young, talented secondary to make plays this week. KJ Kirkland and Conrad Hussey head a group that’s been sticky in coverage while improving each week.

Cal’s Nyziah Hunter will draw the most attention, he has 12 catches this season, four for touchdowns. Jonathon Brady, Corey Dyches, and slot receiver Maven Anderson have been active as well for Mendoza.

A close game feels inevitable between teams that aren’t blessed with explosive offenses. Turnovers will be key, as well as third down situations. Wilcox knows that means execution and belief will be paramount for his Bears.

 “(Won-loss) records are records but if you sit down in our offices and turn on the tape, you see what you see and you trust that, and our players do the same thing,” Wilcox said. “So we know how gifted they are and how good of coaches and scheme they’ve got. So we’re going to need to play great football on Saturday.”

Work Pitchers, Hit Deep In Counts, Put the Ball In Play: The Padres Make .264 An Impressive Number

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Hitting home runs, running the bases, scorching shots into the gaps for extra-bases, or drawing  walks isn’t quite what the Padres do.

What they do is see pitches, work counts, and rack up base hits. The most hits (1,335 in 148 games), singles (922), and the best team batting average in MLB belong to the Padres in 2024, and it’s a hard-earned distinction for post-season likely San Diego.

“We got some really good approaches,” manager Mike Schildt said. “And guys not only have the bat to ball skills, we have a lot of guys–and Luis (Arraez) leads the charge, but… a lot of our guys put the ball in play. They take really tough at-bats, not afraid to hit with two strikes. But have the approach A) what they’re doing and B) what they’re trying to do with it. They see the field, and they can move the baseball around.”

The .264 team batting average was a modest number. In 1976, Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine hit .280 as a team. In 1986, Cleveland hit .284 as a team and missed the playoffs. In 1997, the Fenway Sox hit. 291, the Coors Field Rockies hit .288, and the Indians won the AL pennant by hitting .286. That’s baseball’s free swinging past.

In 2024, however .264 is robust and the industry standard. As the game has skewed more and more towards power pitching, strikeouts, and modest batting averages, the Padres have responded by dissecting almost every hurler they face. The hits define their success. The team batting average may seem pedestrian, but in fact, it’s exceptional.

“The approaches are dialed in, and guys can leave the ballpark either way,” rookie Brandon Lockridge added. Lockridge made his Major League debut on Friday, but it was his breakout .414 OBP with Yankees Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre that drew GM A.J. Preller’s attention and brought Lockridge to San Diego in a mid-season swap.

San Diego has talented hitters: perennial hitman Manny Machado heads the list. Machado has logged nearly six full seasons in San Diego, and 164 of his 339 career homers have come since his arrival.

Xander Bogaerts, in his first season away from Boston, has set sail with a .309 clip since July 12. He’s also likely to join Machado as an infielder with a ninth, consecutive season with 10 or more home runs. Currently, Bogaerts has nine homers, 99 hits, and 25 walks in 376 plate appearances.

Luis Arraez’ arrival in May by trade with the Marlins has been season-altering. The three-time All-Star with the powerful, compact build has compiled 147 hits while striking out just 15 times. Currently, he’s in a stretch of 129 appearances without a strikeout, and among franchise hitters, only Tony Gwynn (170) has gone longer without being punched. Arraez has the lowest career K rate in baseball (7.0 percent), and he’s made Arraez easier to spell than (Juan) Soto, the similarly talented slugger he essentially replaced at first base.

“Good approach, good swing, elite hitter, and that’s Luis,” manager Mike Shildt said in repeating hitting coach Gene Tenace’s assessment of Arraez.

Rookie Jackson Merrill’s arrival has also been transformational. The ROY candidate has 147 hits in 143 games and enough big moments on SportsCenter to boost the highlight show’s ratings. Merrill projects to finish the regular season with 550 plate appearances, more than 30 walks, and an outside shot at just 100 strikeouts.

Veterans Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar are having big seasons. The 31-year old switch-hitting Profar has 145 hits and a career-best 3.1 WAR. Cronenworth has 131 hits and a team-high 53 walks.

Franchise wonder kid Fernando Tatis Jr. has experienced absences in all five of his big league seasons, missing 293 games due to injury or suspension. But those absences have very little to do with his incredible productivity. This season–in 90 games to date–the 25-year old Tatis has a four-hit game (June 20), and his first career walk-off hit (September 5). But this week alone, and in response to his absence due to a femoral stress reaction, he’s robbed Seattle’s Randy Arozarena with a spectacular reach over the right field wall, and homered in three, consecutive games. In the Padres’ 5-0 shutout of the Giants Friday night, Tatis redirected Logan Webb’s mistake slider 433 feet in the first inning.

“Go and attack,” Tatis said of his home run at-bat. “Webb has been a pitcher that’s been giving us a little trouble to face him. Today, we went in with the mentality that we were the attacker, and we had some good results.

“I want to be that guy, and as soon as I’m on the field, I’m  going to push myself to be that guy, and I take a lot of pride in that,” he added.

The Petco Push, Padre Pride, or even the Friars’ Fresh Approach. You label it, and the NL West-contending Padres embody it.

CEASE AMAZES WITH ACCELERATED PATH TO 1,000 K’s

Dylan Cease was good in Chicago, until everyone around him disappeared. Cease is good in San Diego as well. And Cease has always wielded a nasty strikeout pitch or two, a standard he established in July 2019, when he arrived in the big leagues.

Cease’s first six appearances resulted in four losses for himself and the Sox. But the then 23-year old right-hander pitched deep into all six and racked up a healthy, strikeout total. In the ensuing five years, and below the radar, Cease has established himself as one of the games’ true aces with 56 total wins and his 1,000th strikeout on Friday.

In the third inning, Donovan Walton was caught looking at a fifth, consecutive slider. But Cease shrewdly delivered his only pitch away in the sequence, which likely caught Donovan by surprise.

“Longevity and execution and performance and all that good stuff, but just happy we won,” Cease said. “I feel like I haven’t contributed in like a month.”

“Congratulations to Dylan first of all. One thousand strikeouts in the big leagues is really impressive,” Schildt said. “It’s just two plus-plus pitches that you got to honor. You got to honor the top, with tonight sitting 98–97, 98–you got to honor that. And you got to honor a slider that looks like a strike out of the hand. You got those two plus pitches with that kind of life; it’s a recipe for a lot of strikeouts.”

Cease joined Robbie Ray, Blake Snell, and Yu Darvish to form the quartet that has reached a thousand punch outs the fastest all-time. All four contemporary hurlers, and coincidentally all present and accounted for on Friday at Oracle Park.

“That’s pretty wild,” Cease said. “I have no idea.”

A’s Sunday Notebook: Growing Pains In Detroit For The Emerging Tigers, and Rosie Returns

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The last seven seasons for the Detroit Tigers have been losing ones. That’s a tough stretch, especially after one losing season in the nine prior to that, three consecutive ALCS berths and one World Series appearance in 2012.

What was desperately needed was a youthful core with promise, and manager AJ Hinch has that offensively even if he has to reference his crew of young hitters somewhat negatively when asked about some of the statistical oddities the group has compiled in a season filled with fits and bursts.

“We have a lot of young hitters,” Hinch admits.

And young hitters do confounding things. The Tigers hitting group—subtracting the oft-injured Javier Baez, and the pair traded at the deadline, Gio Urshela and Mark Canha—is similarly under age 30 and getting their first opportunity to do damage at the Major League level in Detroit. One head scratching pattern that’s emerged is the group doesn’t hit for average, but they do hit significantly better with runners in scoring position.

And if that’s hard to digest, Sunday’s methods should explain. The Tigers’ pitching, led by bulk dude Ty Madden, shut down the A’s for seven innings, and a 3-1 lead was realized. But in the eighth, the Tigers batted around, pushed across six more, and cruised 9-1.

“Eighth innings have been kind to us all year,” Hinch summarized.

Colt Keith, who had two of the Tigers’ 16 hits, and the seventh and final hit of their big eighth, piggybacked Hinch, saying, “we do play all nine innings.”

Riley Greene is the key guy, the barometer for the hit club at Comerica Park. The 23-year old was the fifth overall pick in 2019, but his ascent has been slowed by a broken foot in 2022 and Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow in 2023. Completely healthy this season, he was named an All-Star for the first time. Greene has career-bests in extra-base hits (50) while drawing 23 more walks than he did in either of his first two seasons. Greene’s biggest strides will come after he reduces his strikeouts, and he has work to do with 135 in just 119 games in 2024.

Matt Vierling, in his second season with the Tigers after bits of two seasons with the Phillies, also is establishing himself. But Vierling needs to improve his on-base ability while also cutting down on strikeouts (101 in 127 game appearances).

Wenceel Perez is another big name in Detroit’s renaissance, but he’s currently on the injured list with an oblique strain. In his place, and with Canha moved, Kerry Carpenter had a big August, renewing the promise he showed in 2023.

Keith, a rookie, had his big month in July and has parlayed his durability into the second base job with 111 starts this season. Spencer Torkelson had his breakout in 2023 despite hitting just .233. When his batting average dipped to .201 this year, he was demoted to Triple-A Toledo. But Torkelson is back in Detroit for playoff push and looking to realize the faith put upon him as the first overall pick in the 2020 draft.

The Tigers maintain a slim, 7 percent chance to make the post-season as they are handicapped by not having any remaining games against the Twins, the team closest to them in the wild card standings. At 72-70, the Tigers need to take full advantage of remaining home series against the Rockies and White Sox, the teams currently with the worst records in baseball.

A’s WELCOME FAN FAVORITE ADAM ROSALES: A look into Adam Rosales’ big league career is an invitation to witness frequent injuries, numerous stops, starts, and the needed resilience to navigate it all. Rosie had it rough, but he made it through 11 seasons by being a valued, unwavering source of positivity in Cincinnati, Texas, San Diego, Arizona, Cleveland, but mostly with the A’s in Oakland.

Rosales, back in Oakland, as part of the A’s successful campaign to bring back former players on home Sundays this season, recounted his career, and immediately pointed to 2012 as his most memorable season. Rosales pointed to then manager Bob Melvin as the key guy in his corner.

“The A’s let me develop,” he said. “Melvin was my favorite manager, and he always found a way to make me feel special.”

After hitting just .098 in 61 at-bats in 2011 with the A’s, Rosales could have evaporated. Instead, he remained in the team’s plans for 2012 in part due to his clubhouse presence along with his burning desire to stick at the big league level. But injuries, modest numbers, along with the looming presence of Grant Green (the A’s heir apparent at second base at that time) kept the organization from genuinely investing in Rosales.

But even that didn’t keep the Chicago native from making his mark. Rosie soon became known for his full sprint around the bases on homers he hit. The perpetual smile on his face told A’s opponents to back off from telling Rosales off regarding his showy trips around the bases. Rosales revealed a rationale centered in humility for his home run sprints.

“There’s too much emphasis on one hit,” he explained, in wanting kids that were watching him to know that the best celebration of a home run was quickly retreating to the dugout and planning to do something big in their next at-bat.

Ultimately, Rosales didn’t fit the Billy Beane profile for seeing a lot of pitches and hitting successfully deep in pitch counts. In fact, it was never clear if Rosales was a true big leaguer or a guy better framed as a “Four-A” prospect. He was released by the A’s in 2013, then in the next 11 days, released by the Texas Rangers without playing a game. The A’s reacquired Rosales, only to release him a second time. But those aren’t the stories he tells.

“I remember Grant Balfour coming into the game,” Rosales said, a nod to Balfour Rage, and the closer’s ridiculously hyped entrances to the Metallica song, “One.”

ACC Weekly: Late Night Games, Emerging Skill Position Players, and Welcome Stanford, Cal and SMU

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Stanford home games tend to be lightly attended, but blessed by a robust group of aging, but intensely proud fans who love watching football in a cool environment surrounded by a well-known, picturesque college campus.

That group has always been a smart group. The people who haven’t taken advantage of visiting this venue to see quality football are the ones missing out. So, with Stanford leading 14-7, and after TCU failed to convert a fourth down in Stanford territory, an alum stood proudly and announced, “There’s something different about this year’s team.”

A bold declaration, but not prudent and clearly premature as the home team fell 34-27, in their tenth, consecutive loss at Stanford Stadium, a streak that started on November 5, 2022.

Gotta love the enthusiasm, however. The new season is here, and I’m just as enthusiastic. Now, let’s see if my observations prove smart as well.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!” Need a jolt of adrenaline equal to Grade 5 hurricane? In Tallahassee, Florida, that undoubtedly leads you to Seminole Sports Radio and play-by-play announcer Jeff Culhane and color man William “Bar None” Floyd, the voices of Florida State football.

Floyd, the Super Bowl Champion fullback for the 49ers, and the 1993 FSU National Champion, is in his 15th season on-air. He connects by using the words “us” and “we” frequently during the broadcasts. Floyd is also a rapid-fire analyst who squeezes 100 yards of football into each of his 10-second observations.

Culhane is in his second year, and he beat out several talented broadcasters to overcome his humble background as the voice of North Dakota State for six seasons. A true wordsmith, Culhane can say, Uiagalelei twenty time real fast, Nole Nudge, and bring his voice to a crescendo when the play on the field intensifies.

For this rabid fan base, this pairing should be a fit, except neither man is Gene Deckerhoff, the legendary FSU radio voice who called 500 games beginning in 1979. In the South, change doesn’t digest well, and Floyd, who worked with Deckerhoff, receives harsh words from fans online, almost always without them saying what specifically they don’t like about the gridiron great.

Culhane has managed to get nearly universal approval, but he, too, has critics. What’s currently driving the dynamic, however, is the Seminoles depressing 0-2 start to the season, which doesn’t currently mesh with the pair’s unwavering enthusiasm to broadcast.

SMU’s QB TANDEM: In Dallas, the new, central hub for ACC sports, the Mustangs of SMU are off and polarizing by winning their August 4 opener over opener Nevada, experiencing a walkover against Houston Christian, then losing at home to BYU.

Concern starts with the quarterback tandem of Preston Stone and Kevin Jennings, neither of whom has established themselves after play in all three games. Stone is 25 of 43 passing in three games thus far, and he wasn’t the primary guy in Coach Rhett Lashlee’s game plan for BYU. Jennings was, but he was ineffective, completing 15 of 32 for 140 yards. Neither guy has beaten a formidable opponent, which is concerning with big games against TCU and Florida State looming.

What works, Lashlee said, is the chemistry of youthful quarterbacks’ coach D’Eriq King with Stone and Jennings. King keeps the pair informed from game to game, quarter to quarter, regarding their status, critical communication for two competitors trying to establish themselves at the top of the depth chart. Neither are established, but their camaraderie with each other is.

Bears Wake Up: Cal comes alive after halftime in 31-13 season-opening win over UC Davis

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–When the prickly UC Davis Aggies made Division I-quality plays on Saturday afternoon, the Cal Bears were made to wince. When the Aggies reverted to their FBS status, the Bears proved resilient and pounced.

Not exactly what Coach Justin Wilcox wanted, but that initial pattern gave way to a dominant second half, and Cal cruised 31-13 over UC Davis in the season opener for both teams.

Wilcox never pretends to be satisfied, but after the totality of the 60 minutes in the last day of August opener, he wasn’t mad.

“It’s really a tale of two halves,” he said. “To be up a point at half, we were fortunate.”

Coach Tim Plough, a prized offensive assistant for Wilcox before assuming the head job at Davis, had his team prepared. They ran a whopping 52 offensive plays before halftime (but passed for only 221 yards in total) and made the atmosphere inside Memorial Stadium uneasy. Quarterback Miles Hastings simply took what Cal offered underneath, and the Bears were limited to 9:06 of possession time before the break.

“We never had any rhythm,” Wilcox said. “One of the keys for us is getting that first first down.”

Along with the lengthy possessions that unnerved Cal’s defense, Aggie Kavir Bains put a textbook lick on ball carrier Kadarius Calloway. That left the ball bouncing free inside Cal’s 5 yard-line, and Porter Connors skipped into the end zone with the scoop to trim Cal’s lead to 7-6.

But it was Nohl Williams’ momentum-turning, 80-yard kickoff that put Cal up 14-13 at half and put the home team in position to restore order.

Cal’s offensive line didn’t offer Fernando Mendoza enough time in the first, nor did they free leading rusher Jadyn Ott. The pre-season All-ACC runner had his afternoon end in the second quarter when he suffered an apparent ankle injury. But the Bears’ blocking was cohesive in a second half in which the Bears fashioned lengthy drives and relied on Jaivian Thomas and Byron Cardwell to run and break tackles as they outscored the visitors, 17-0.

“We’re the better team. We’re a well-oiled offense. We’re going to go and get this done,” Mendoza said in describing the Bears’ attitude to start the second half. “We’re going to go and do tempo, and we’re going to score. That’s what our offense thrives off of.”

The Bears’ aspirations to be a surprise, bowl-eligible team in their first season in the travel-happy Power 4 conference will demand them to survive visits to Florida State, SMU and Pittsburgh while hosting Miami, North Carolina State and Syracuse. Losing to California system school UC Davis for the first time in 12 meetings would not have been wise, and ultimately, the Bears were smarter than that.

In their premiere non-conference matchup with Auburn next Saturday, Cal gets its first shot at grabbing national attention in a rematch that narrowly went to the Tigers last season in Berkeley. This time, the heat, the travel, and Auburn’s speed and depth will make for a tougher test.

Ott’s availability will be monitored throughout the week after the speedy back became only the eighth Cal runner to reach 22 rushing touchdowns in his career. Ott’s 1-yard run midway through the first quarter was the initial score of the season and gave Cal an early 7-0 lead.

Ryan Coe, in his first game as a Cal Bear, kicked a 25-yard field goal and converted three extra points. Wilcox singled out his new kicker as “the kicker,” likely alluding to the Bears’ issues with the kicking game last season that jeopardized a couple of games.

Saturday’s game at Auburn starts at 2:30pm locally, and it precedes a home game against San Diego State and their initial ACC road trip to Tallahassee to face Florida State.