« February 2005 | Main | April 2005 »
March 29, 2005
Bears Hold Off Late Surge to Top Hornets
BERKELEY -- What appeared to be a rout of the Sacramento State Hornets quickly turned ugly for the Cal Bears baseball team tonight at Haas Diamond, after the lowly Hornets scored five late runs to pull within two. But the Bears (20-9, 3-0 Pac-10) staved off the surge to eke out another victory, 7-5.
Bear slugger Chris Errecart hugs his mom after clubbing his fifth homer of the year.
Wireless photo by Rebecca Turek.
The game started as expected, with the Bears scoring five runs by the fourth inning and keeping the Hornets (8-17) from even reaching second base. But in the seventh inning Cal's sophomore pitcher Michael Cooper was replaced by Brandon Morrow, which nearly became the kiss of death when Morrow gave up five quick runs in the eighth. For high-flying Cal, which is bearing down on its first regional tournament appearance since 2001, the sudden meltdown was a shock.
Two of the Hornet runs were walked in compliments of a shaky Morrow, and then with a spurt of extra offense, what had been a 7-0 game became a 7-5 nail-biter. But with the help of senior pitcher Matt Swanson, who replaced Morrow after an inning and a half, the score remained in the Bears favor.
Bears Coach David Esquer said the poor pitching was not characteristic of Morrow, who was 1-3 with a 6.07 ERA in 2004. “It was a fluke,” Esquer said. “[Morrow] has been good for us and usually doesn’t do that.”
The talented Bears were able to compensate for the disastrous eighth inning thanks largely to sophomore team captain Chris Errecart’s hitting and the solid pitching of Cooper and Swanson. The victory was Cal’s eighth in their last nine games.
The Bears’ offense started in the third inning, with an RBI single by freshman short stop Kyle Spraker and an RBI ground out by sophomore center fielder Brennan Boesch. The Bears stayed in control of the game in the fourth with RBI singles from senior third baseman Matt Einspahr, Spraker and Errecart. The remainder of the Bears’ scoring came in the seventh with an RBI single by freshman second baseman Josh Satin, and then Errecart’s fifth homerun of the season.
Errecart said even though the game got ugly at the end, a win is a win. Errecart, who was 3 for 4 for the day, fully deserved the celebratory hug he received from his mom after the game. “I’m finally coming around,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve done well.”
Cooper (3-0, 4.30 ERA) was amazing in his second start of the season. During his six innings pitched he gave up three hits, no runs, no walks and had five strikeouts. The win improved his record to 3-0.
The Bears will now travel to Oregon State on April 1. Though the Beavers are a top 25 team, Bears’ second baseman Josh Satin said if his team plays as well as it did today, it shouldn't have any problems earning another win.
“We came out intense and we came out swinging. I’m just looking to show that we can handle anyone. I feel that confident,” Satin said.
Posted by J-School Student at 09:15 PM
March 12, 2005
Bears Roast Rebels to Continue Hot Streak
BERKELEY --Coach Dave Esquer has made it official: The Cal baseball team is exceeding expectations.
The proof of his statement came in a 13-2 dusting of UNLV Friday at Evans Diamond, the Bears’ 11th victory in 13 games. It can be difficult to get a baseball man like Esquer to look beyond the next game, but there was something about this victory that had the sixth-year coach smiling.
Maybe it was the 119-pitch, confidence-building performance of starting pitcher Adam Gold. Or perhaps it was the continued production of center fielder Brennan Boesch and second baseman Josh Satin, who combined for eight hits and five runs. More likely, it was all of that and more.
Asked if his team, now 12-6, is on the same elite level as PAC-10 rivals Stanford and Arizona after finished up last season at the bottom of the conference, Esquer was quick to answer.
“I think we’re on our way to that,” he said.
This is a young team and it is a cohesive team, which is an about-face from the squad that went 25-31 a year ago. Some call it “chemistry.” Esquer called it “the last step” toward success.
“We just all get along,” said Boesch, who raised his team-leading batting average to .423. The sophomore pointed to the bench, which, unlike last year, “(now) has guys to cheer for.”
“This year, it’s a whole different scene,” he said. “Lots of guys are playing like they have something to prove.”
If there was anyone on this team that had something to prove, it was Adam Gold. The team’s designated No. 1 starter, the junior has been mediocre at best this year, and was coming off an outing against Stanford last Saturday in which he gave up four runs in less than two innings.
The story was different against the Rebels (3-14). After giving up a run in the first, Gold settled in with sliders and curveballs he kept low in the strike zone, and a tailing fastball that reached the upper 80s. He tossed seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out five.
“This was definitely one to build on,” said Gold, who improved to 2-2 and lowered his earned run average to 6.19. “In future games I’ll look back on it to see how I felt.”
The decision to push Gold to his highest pitch count of the season was purely psychological.
“He needed a high-count day, he needed to be out on that mound to get that feel,” Esquer said.
The Bears certainly have that feel at the plate. They pounded out 18 hits, including a towering two-run homer to left by Matt Einspahr. Satin’s four hits were a season best and he now leads the Bears in both runs (16) and RBI (15).
With the conference schedule two weeks away, Esquer knows that hitting alone won’t carry the Bears.
“We’ll go as far as our pitching will take us,” he warned.
He followed that with another bold statement.
“There’s someone out there who’s going to step up big for us, someone we haven’t heard that much from yet,” he said.
His first reaction was to point to Jason Corder, a freshman out of Mission Viejo who has played seven games in the outfield but entered Friday’s blowout as a relief pitcher. Corder pitched a scoreless eighth, his second run-free relief appearance of the season.
It gave the bench something else to cheer for.
“The little pieces will need to come up big for us,” Esquer said.
Posted by J-School Student at 11:55 AM
Gold's Value Soars as Bears Torch Rebels
BERKELEY -- Question: What does Cal junior right-hander Adam Gold do after completing his best game of the season, a 13-2 pounding of the UNLV Running Rebels? Answer: He rakes the dirt between second and third base, helping clean up Evans Diamond after the game. All in a day’s work.
Gold pitched seven solid innings Friday, allowing three hits, while striking out five and walking two. He threw a season-high 115 pitches, 69 for strikes, and the Bears backed him with 18 hits, their best offensive effort of the year, also a season-high.
But Gold (2-2, 6.19) said the win was just a learning experience.
“In the future I’ll look back on this game and how it felt and build on it.” He attributed his success on the mound to his ability to keep the ball low, and use a mix of sliders in the high 80s and change-ups.
Whether it was the lingering satisfaction of knocking off Stanford last weekend, or the thrill of trouncing the Rebels in the bright sun and mid-80s heat, the Bears were on fire on Friday.
Freshman second baseman Josh Satin was 4-4 and with three RBI, sophomore center fielder Brennan Boesch had four hits, and senior third baseman Matt Einspahr smacked a two-run homer for the Bears, who improved to 12-6. Mike Van Winden, Jeremy Burchett, and Garrett Bussiere chipped in two hits apiece as well for Cal.
Gold got off to a bit of a wild start in the first inning, and threw 29 pitches, allowing the Rebels to take an early 1-0 lead. But Cal evened the score in the bottom half, and by the second inning, Gold had settled in. The Bears surged ahead 3-1 in the second and continued to build on their lead, as UNLV (3-14) appeared helpless for much of the game.
Last season at this time Cal was 8-10, and finished at the bottom of the Pac-10 conference. So what's different about this year's team?
According to Gold and center fielder Brennan Boesch, the key has been confidence and camaraderie. Both said their team has greatly enhanced its game by startng the season 12-6.
“We have a lot of confidence right now, so we need to keep it rolling and build off that confidence,” Gold said.
In addition, Boesch said the team has become closer than they have been in previous years.
“We have a lot of guys that hang out together on and off the field and we all want to win,” he said.
Whether it’s the fraternity-like closeness or the satisfaction of their winning record, something is working for the Cal team. Like Gold and Boesch, Coach David Esquer also attributes the team’s accomplishments thus far to the cohesiveness of the players.
“It’s important. There’s only a certain level your team can be if they do not care for each other,” he said. “The team chemistry can be the difference between a good team and a great team.”
The Bears continue with the three-game series vs. UNLV again Saturday and Sunday, and then head to Stockton to play Pacific on Tuesday. Esquer said if the team continues to play this well, the Bears could rival Stanford for the conference title.
“I think we’re on our way to doing that,” he said. “We’ll go as far as our pitchers will take us. If our pitchers take us to that level, then we will play that level.”
Posted by J-School Student at 11:28 AM
March 07, 2005
McClymonds Rolls Over Castlemont, Claims OAL Crown
OAKLAND -- The last place Terrance Wilder expected to spend the first half of last night's Oakland Athletic League championship was on the McClymonds bench.
Victors' Spoils: The OAL trophy at courtside moments before
the Warriors won it. Photo by Oskar F. Garcia via wireless.
But head coach Dwight Nathaniel didn't keep him out much longer. The high scoring junior took over in the fourth quarter, scoring six points and leading the Warriors on a dominant defensive run to take the trophy.
Posted by Neil Henry at 02:05 PM
March 06, 2005
Bears Claw Their Way into Pac-10 Tourney
BERKELEY -- With Cal down by three points to Washington State in overtime, Richard Midgely suddenly saw a chance yesterday to reverse his team's fortunes.
Cal's Marquise Kately against WSU.
By Ira J. Spitzer via wireless.
Controlling the ball outside the three-point arc, the junior guard put up a desperation jumper as a Cougar defender slammed into him, drawing a foul and three key free throws.
Midgely converted two, and with renewed momentum the Bears rumbled on to a 63-57 win that earned them a ticket to the Pac-10 conference tourney when UCLA defeated Oregon later in the evening.
Like the Bears’ season (13-15, 6-12 in the Pac-10), the game wasn’t pretty. Not like Midgley’s last second 3-pointer to advance his team to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament two years ago.
But it was just enough to earn the Bears’ the eighth and final spot in the tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where they will play conference champ Arizona in the first round.
Cal coach Ben Braun was happy with the way his team competed after losing six straight coming into the game.
“I believe our team had lost some of that collective will,” Braun said after the game. “This was an effort game. This was a collective effort. Maybe a couple guys didn’t play well, but it wasn’t lack of effort or playing with a good attitude.”
Washington State didn’t make anything easy for the Bears. The Cougars’ led most of the way, behind a stellar performance by senior guard Thomas Kelati.
While the rest of his teammates sputtered on offense, Kelati went off for 29 points on 9-15 shooting, more than half of his team’s total,. Kelati, a tough match up for most guards because of his height at 6’5”, went 7-11 from 3-point range and added eight rebounds.
It appeared the momentum in the game might have shifted when Kelati drained a three-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to even the game 50-50.
“I said no matter what happens, Kelati’s going to hit some shots,” Braun said. “He hit a 3-pointer and this place was about as quiet as I’ve ever heard it. Well our guys weren’t quiet. They said lets go out and win this thing."
And that’s just what the Bears did in the overtime period.
California held Washington State scoreless for the final 2:13 on overtime, pulling ahead on a basket by sophomore forward Marquise Kately, who notched four points in the extra period. Midgely and junior forward Rod Benson also scored 4 points apiece in overtime.
The Bears exploited the Cougars’ lack of size, throwing the ball repeatedly into the post. Kately finished the game with 17 points on 8-10 shooting and Benson added 15 points. The Bears’ out rebounded the Cougars 39-31, with sophomore forward Dominic McGuire pulling down 11 boards.
Both teams shot poorly in the first half. The Cougars managed to convert only 29% of their field goals, and the Bears didn’t do much better at 36%. The second half was a different story for Cal though when they started relying on their big men and shot 56% for the half.
The game wouldn’t have been as close were it not for Cal's struggles at the free throw line, where they went 18 for 32. The Cougars meantime were almost perfect from the stripe, converting 12 of 13.
Washington State coach Dick Bennett was frustrated by his team’s reliance on Kelati for its offense.
“Thomas has just had a superb year, with really not a whole lot of help,” Bennett said.
Posted by Ira Spitzer at 01:29 AM
March 03, 2005
With Fanfare and Motorcycle Escort, Raiders Welcome Moss to Oakland
ALAMEDA -- The Raiders made the acquisition of Randy Moss official yesterday, introducing the five-time Pro Bowl receiver in a press conference at the team’s practice facility.
Raider coach Norv Turner after yesterday's press conference. With Moss in the fold, he hopes the chances of bringing a new addition to owner Al Davis' collection of Super Bowl trophies will be vastly improved. Photos by Nick Miroff via wireless cell.
Moss is not the first high-profile wideout to play in the Bay Area, but he said there’s no comparison between him and former 49er Terrell Owens.
"I know who’s the best, this organization knows who’s the best, and the NFL knows who’s the best," Moss said. "The numbers speak for themselves."
Moss has 90 touchdowns in his seven year career, just five less than Owens in two fewer years. His 9,142 receiving yards are an NFL record for a receiver in his first seven seasons. But Owens has already done what Moss hopes to do with Oakland – play in a Superbowl.
"All my career I’ve been preaching ‘Superbowl, Superbowl,’ and I want a championship," said Moss. "This organization has rings and I don’t have any."
The Raiders treated Moss’ arrival with Superbowl-esqe glamour, complete with a limousine and police motorcycle escort. Moss joked that he was nervous by the atmosphere, but repeatedly call the Raiders a "Class A" organization.
"All four of my children got a care package and that’s something I’ve never received in my life," said Moss. "That might seem small and petty, but to my family that’s something big. It could have had fruit for all I cared."
Head Coach Norv Turner said Moss would have a tremendous impact on the team’s offense. "This is a game of momentum; this is a game of excitement, energy and enthusiasm," he said. "When fans see an addition like (Moss) it adds energy."
In return for Moss the Raiders sent the Minnesota Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, as well as their first and seventh round draft picks for this year.
Turner said quarterback Kerry Collins was "in love" with having Moss on the team. "The quarterbacks (Moss) has played with have had their best year playing with him," Turner said. "The receivers have also benefited greatly from the attention (Moss) gets."
Moss officially joins the Raiders one week after the team resigned last year’s leading receiver, Jerry Porter, to a five year deal reported to be worth close to $20 million. Moss said he doesn’t expect controversy over the number of looks he gets – as long as the team is winning.
"The ball doesn’t have to go my way for us to win," he said. "As long as we’re winning, I’m happy."
Porter led all Oakland receivers last year with nine touchdowns; Moss caught 13.
As with several Raider acquisitions over the past few years, Moss is hardly squeaky-clean. The NFL fined Moss $10,000 for pretending to moon the crowd at the end of a playoff game between Minnesota and the Green Bay Packers, and the receiver has been fined several times by the league for other incidents of unsportsmanlike conduct.
Moss was also publicly scrutinized for walking off the field in the fourth quarter during a January 2 loss to the Washington Redskins – an action that drew criticism from teammates and coaches – which many said led to the Vikings’ desire to trade him.
"I don’t think he was a bad teammate three years ago," said guard Brad Badger, who played with Moss for two years before coming to Oakland in 2002. "I don’t know what it was like the last three years, but I’m looking forward to the experience of having him here."
Moss called his time in Minnesota "almost like marriage," and said all he got in return was "a slap in the face."
"I want to get back to being a dangerous football player," said Moss. "I’m ready to scream, that’s how excited I am."
Posted by Neil Henry at 10:22 AM
March 02, 2005
New Team, New Number for "Dangerous" Moss
Randy Moss said Wednesday he is excited about "getting a fresh start." During a packed news conference at Raider headquarters in Alameda the All-Pro wideout explains what the move from Minnesota means to him:
Posted by J-School Student at 08:55 PM