*Saturday, September 20; Women's Volleyball--UC Merced @ CSU Monterey Bay, 5 p.m., FloSports.
(9/18 update: The Otters win on the road in a 3 set sweep over Cal State East Bay in the conference opener!)
The Otters of CSUMB are members of the long standing CCAA, the California Collegiate Athletic Association. UC Merced is in its first year as a member of this D-2 conference. (Fresno Pacific University will be joining in 2026.) The other members include: Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State), CSU Dominquez Hills, Cal State East Bay (Hayward, formerly Hayward State), Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State San Marcos, Chico State, San Francisco State, and Stanislaus State (Turlock, Ca.)...CSU Monterey Bay came into existence in 1994, and all signs point to Otter Athletics, and the overall campus vibe in general, trending upward. The campus is located in Marina, just to the North of world-famous Monterey and Pebble Beach...Otter Head Volleyball Coach Courtney Materazzi and her team have been a pleasure to work with. For the record, Cal Poly Pomona captured the regular season title in 2024, while second-place San Francisco State won the conference tournament. The Gators would subsequently advance to the D-2 National Championship Match, falling to Lynn College of Tampa Florida.
*Sunday, September 21; Men's Soccer--Gonzaga @ CSU Bakersfield, 7 p.m., ESPN Plus.
This will be the final preseason match for both sides...The Roadrunners will open up with Sacramento State on Wednesday, October 1. The favorite in the Big West appears to be UC Irvine. The Anteaters are currently ranked #20 in land, and own a record of 5-1-1 entering conference play. CSUN (Northridge) remains undefeated at 3-0-3, and looks to be a contender for the top spot...the 'Runners maintain a solid backline, with All-Conference returnees Defender Luka Geishauser (Germany), and goalkeeper Zenden Hart(Australia)...low scoring affairs may be the formula for Bakersfield this season?! The top 6 teams qualify for the Big West Tournament. Last season Cal Poly SLO (San Luis Obispo) finished atop the conference, while UC Davis netted the end of the season tournament and a trip to the NCAA Tournament...Bakersfield finished 5th, and were knocked out by UCD in the first round.
*Saturday, September 27; California Community College Football:
Butte College at College of the Sequoias (COS), 11 a.m. PST,
KPAY Sports 1290 in Chico. (kpaysports1290.com)
Butte College are also the Roadrunners! Butte has been of Northern California's "Blue Bloods" in California Community College Football. I had a blast announcing from just above the stands in Cowan Stadium...The Stadium also includes a grass berm, where fans can enjoy the action...The vibe is upbeat-Butte College has an address or Oroville, however Chico is a mere 10-15 minute drive away. (Chico State has a bit of reputation for being a friendly and "social" university.)...The Roadrunners are currently 3-0 after upending San Francisco City College...Butte's head coach, Robby Snelling, a former tight end back in the day; Coach Snelling played for Butte, Boise State, and one season for Barcelona back when there was an NFL Europe...The games are covered on Chico's KPAY Sports 1290 (kpaysports.com)...what a kick to be back on live radio-a sincere delight to be on both the Butte College and the KPAY teams! Once again the KRVH (Rio Vista High School's on campus radio station) training pays off!
*Sunday, September 28, Women's Soccer--UC Irvine at CSU Bakersfield, 1 p.m., ESPN Plus.
(9/18 Update: Bakersfield outlasted UC San Diego 1-nil Thursday night...the side improved to 4-4-1, and 1-0 in the Big West. The Runners lone goal came on a beauty, lazered in by Cynthia Ramirez.)
Bakersfield's Women's Soccer team is on a roll, currently sporting a 3-4-1 record--in their last 4 outings, the Roadrunners have notched victories over UOP, Fresno State, Boise State and played to a draw with Idaho...as Big West Play begins on Thursday, September 18, Fullerton State and UC Santa Barbara appear to be the teams to beat...UCSB won the conference tournament a year ago, besting the Roadrunners in penalty kicks 8-7. The Runners are lead by first year head coach Whitney Pitalo...Coach P played for USC, and has coached at Corgan University (Oregon) Gonzaga and Boston College...I commend Coach P for the path of her team--despite a 0-4 start, Coach P's confidence in her squad never wavered, and not they are rolling...Coach Whitney reminds me a lot of my old pal Drew Hibbs...Hibbie-Hibbs is a very successful boys coach in Sacramento area (a couple of state titles to his resume while leading Foothill H.S.)...They both maintain what one might term the "It" factor when it comes to coaching...Passionate, confident, knowledgeable, creative, with a modest sense of humor, and they both could really play their sport back in the day! One of Coach P's players, Catalina Roggerone has played on the Argentinian National Team...Another player, ironically (CJ Walters)was a former student of mine at Rancho San Juan High School during Covid (a wonderful student by the way!)...this gritty team, may have a say once again in conference play-might a run to the Big Dance be in their future!?!
Coach Fonz's Top 7 NFL AFC/NFC Rankings:
1. San Diego/LA Chargers. Left/West Coast Bias here, and the Bolts will always be San Diego's team.
2. Baltimore. Harbaugh bias.
3. Buffalo. Is this finally year the Bills raise the trophy?
4. KC. Chief Fatigue has set in. However, with all of the Swiftees, their vibe is as strong as ever.
5. Indy. Not sure about that penalty vs. Denver...however Daniel Jones is loving the Midwest. I also am a Big Tyler Warren fan. The NFL is a copy cat league apparently--then why wouldn't teams jump on Warren earlier in the draft, particularly after the success of the Napa Dude, the Raiders' Brock Bowers?
6. Denver. The Orange Crush rides again! Denver travels to LA Sunday (9/21) for a date with the Bolts...an early season, monster tilt!
7. Bengals. Can the Burrowless Bengals hold on?
To the Senior Conference:
1. Philly. They are the Champs until they are not...mastering the Tush Push may have brought the push to its knees!?!
2. Green Bay. The Pack is back...Lambeau rolls in and out of my Bucket List.
3. Tampa Bay. #3-7 a toss up!
4. The 49ers The injury bug has hit them hard in Santa Clara.
5. The Rams As I recall, the Rams nearly took out Philly in the NFC Championship!?!
6. Arizona More West Coast Bias...along with QB's who can run like Benny Hill!
7. The Field Seattle, Atlanta, Detroit, Minnesota, Washington, Dallas? Pick one. I tend to suffer from "Paralysis By Analysis"...thus, this group stymies my pick.
Closing with the MLB...the Athletics need to get the heck out of Dodge (Sacramento), end the farce, and move on. In the end, the players will benefit the most...If the Athletics are moving to Vegas, play in Vegas...Utah could work--it's closer to LV? The MLB could throw the Athletics and the Rays a bone, and when those two teams meet in 2026, move those 6 games to MLB parks? Perhaps the Marlins could host the Rays for a weekend? The A's, well...how about Arizona--or for fun, why not San Diego or Anaheim? Fans of these teams deserve a weekend near Disneyland or lovely San Diego. The MLB could spin the A's & Rays into a win, however, I digress...The A's young core is really coming together, and they will be fun to watch in the future...History repeats itself? The A's left Kansas City in the late 60's, and blossomed in Oakland. Could the Green and Gold be on the verge of another dynastic run? Before you say no...ask the Reds and Red Sock, who just lost 5 of 6 from the Young Dudes. Quick, name an A's pitcher? Add some arms to go with Nick Kurtz & Co, and the Swinging & Bashing A's, might just be back!?!...final thought, if Cleveland and the Mets squeqk in the postseason, keep an eye on them...Be well everyone!
*If you are so inclined, feel free to donate? A cup of coffee here or there, well, it's like earning a sticker for my ramblings!?!
**Finally this past week included September 11. A day never to forget...while simultaneously remembering our brethren in NYC. September 10...well my father would have turned 100, or is 100, depending on your perspective of how one counts birthdays. The fellow loved sports, and sports personalities...if you are able, give your pops a pat on the rear, buy him a beverage, and share a smile and laugh or two...also this week, my daughter landed her first full-time gig. A toast to her as well--in fact, I can't wait to raise a glass with yer, as she currently resides on the Right/East Coast...See you on the pitch, court, and gridiron! (What do you think of the moniker Fresno Fonzee?!?)
My favorite picture of my parents (& godparents) chilling with friends, dining and laughing...from 1969!
Cheers to the Kiddo in the middle--now she can pick up the tab--waka, waka!
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