Everyone else is doing top-10 lists for this year, so I thought I’d weigh-in. Here is my list of the top sports things that happened that I wrote about or covered at some point in 2012. You may disagree on the order (sorry Giants fans), but here is my end of year top-10.

Kristaan Ivory’s nose for the end zone helped Cal Poly upset FBS Wyoming in Laramie early in the 2012 college football season. By Owen Main

10. The Warriors and Clippers are kind of relevant

The Clippers started their march toward relevancy when Blake Griffin was drafted. Signing Chris Paul last offseason and a group of other really solid players this past offseason has put them squarely in first place in the Pacific Division with a 25-6 record. The Clippers have won 17 straight games and look like they could be serious contenders with Oklahoma City for the best record in the West. While the Lakers have been a bevvy of turmoil, Donald Sterling’s team has become really good. Those are words I never thought I’d utter.

As for the “Clippers North,” Golden State has started to reap the benefit of new ownership and the consistency of Mark Jackson‘s system. The Warriors are 21-10, would be the 4-seed if the playoffs started today, and are currently 5 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers. Yep, almost halfway through the NBA season the Warriors and Clippers both have better records than the Lakers. By far.

9. The Giants won the World Series… Again

This one would have been higher, except that SLO County is split between Dodgers fans and Giants fans. For the second time in three years, the Giants are World Champions. As much as it sickens me to say it, the Giants had to make this list. They have done it in every way a big market team dreads. Pitching, defense, timely and patient hitting have been hallmarks. The Giants have taken really great pitching and key no-name players and done what their cross-bay rivals never could — brought home the trophy.

As a side note, the World Series trophy will visit the Central Coast again around Valentine’s Day. I don’t know why they’re bringing both of their two whole trophies they’ve won in San Francisco, but they are. And you can be there to get your picture taken with it or something. I’ll probably be there with my camera and some Dodgers gear on.

8. The Lakers keep themselves relevant, but at what cost?

With the offseason acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, the Lakers looked like they were creating a dream team of their own to compete with Oklahoma City and Miami. The only question in fans’ minds was whether Mike Brown was the right guy for the job.

The answer, as was always the case, was a resounding “no.” Brown was let-go just five games into the season and the Lakers have struggled to stay at or around .500. They are 9 games behind the Clippers, in third place in the Pacific Division, and in 10th place in the Western Conference. In other words, if the playoffs began today, they’d be out. Not out of home-court advantage. Out of the playoffs. The team has been front-page news all year, which is what is really important in Los Angeles, but it hasn’t gotten them any closer to a title. Yet.

As a side note here, how much is their coaching situation like the movie Gladiator? Phil Jackson could be Russell Crowe, Jim Buss could be Commodus (the Joaquin Phoenix character), Jerry Buss as Marcus Aurelius, and Jeanie Buss as Princess Lucilla. It could work. Here’s the Gladiator IMDB page.

7. The Dodgers get new ownership

The Guggenheim group, led by Magic Johnson, won the bidding war for Los Angeles’ most valuable sports franchise. In doing so, they erased about a decade of questionable ownership decisions (see #1 below) and moved the Dodgers firmly out of “Laughing Stock” category as a franchise. If the Giants hadn’t won the World Series it would be even better. Even so, Dodger fans can look toward a future that’s a lot brighter than it had been.

Dylan Royer’s sharp shooting helped Cal Poly muster a huge upset in Westwood. By Will Parris

6. The Dodgers new ownership spends A LOT of money

Having new owners isn’t the only thing that got Dodger fans’ hearts pumping this year. In August, the Dodgers traded for Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto. Punto aside, that’s a lot of unrealized talent and payroll to take on all at once. Adding the star power of Gonzalez along with the depth of Beckett and possible awesomeness of Crawford made a lot of Dodger fans really happy. Alongside newly aquired Hanley Ramirez, the former Red Sox couldn’t put a dent in the Giants’ World Series run, but they give the Dodger faithful hope for the future.

With the addition of ace Zack Grienke this offseason, the Dodgers will have (BY FAR) the biggest payroll in baseball in 2013. Whether it brings a World Series back to Los Angeles is yet to be seen, but it makes up for some of the frugal heartache Dodger fans have experienced over the past few years. Again, reason to be hopeful for those of us who bleed Dodger blue.

5. The Angels keep up with the Joneses (Guggenheims)

An argument could be made that the new Dodgers ownership actually had to do what they did to keep up with Arte Moreno. Though they didn’t make the playoffs, the Angels were (arguably) the most talented team in baseball in 2012. Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Jered Weaver, and a pitching staff that looked (on paper) like the best rotation in baseball created a fervent preseason buzz around the Orange County team. The season itself was a disappointment, but the spending of Arte Moreno set the bar for and put the pressure on the Dodgers’ new ownership to spend the same way.

In the offseason, the Angels got their hands on Josh Hamilton. Mike Scioscia will be stacking-up Mike Trout, Hamilton, and Pujols in a lineup that should have no trouble drawing attention. The Angels remain relevant and, in Southern California, that is of the utmost importance.

4. Cal Poly football wins in Wyoming

It was early-on in what would be one of the most storied FCS seasons Cal Poly football has ever seen. A lot of things lined up right for the Mustangs including a down season from Wyoming, a Cal Poly team that was coming into their own, and some big plays early-on in the game. Being in Laramie and hearing that big crowd go quiet was pretty incredible. Withstanding Wyoming’s comeback bid and winning the game launched the Mustangs into as successful a season as they’ve ever had in FCS.

3. Cal Poly footabll wins the Big Sky Conference title and makes the playoffs

In their first season in the Big Sky Conference, Cal Poly earned a share of the conference title and a playoff birth. As a part of the Big Sky, Cal Poly can rest assured that winning their conference alone will guarantee them a playoff birth, something they could never rely on in the Great West.

A season like they one they had in 2012 should boost recruiting for Tim Walsh and could help Cal Poly to be a consistent FCS contender.

2. Cal Poly basketball upsets 11th-ranked UCLA

It was simply the greatest win in the history of Cal Poly basketball. On November 25, Cal Poly visited UCLA for the second time in three years. It was Shabazz Muhammad’s first home game at the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion. Keeping the game close would have been a successful road trip.

Instead Dylan Royer, a senior from Los Osos, drilled six 3-pointers en route to 18 points and Cal Poly scored the signature program win.

The day Frank McCourt no longer owned the Dodgers was a great day for Los Angeles. By Jake N. (Mrmiscellanious) (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just remind myself that the Dodgers are no longer owned by McCourt. It’s always a reliably uplifting experience, speaking to the atrocity that was the McCourt ownership. I’m sure that there are even worse owners still in play in sports, but McCourt used my team like a disposable bank account and was rewarded with over $1 billion profit on the sale of the team. It still makes me sick when I think too much about it and for that, the cessation of McCourt’s ownership is my number 1 story of the season.

This week’s edition of the Fansmanship.com podcast might be our longest, but perhaps the most timely as well.

Cal Poly’s Chris Eversley and the rest of the Mustangs fought back from an 18-point second-half deficit at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday night. By Will Parris

We have two guests on this episode. First, I talked to Tim Jeske from Katfans.com, a Sam Houston State fan forum. Jeske and I discussed the upcoming FCS playoff game bewteen Cal Poly and Sam Houston State, where each team has the advantage, and what the atmosphere is Huntsville, TX is like.

The second guest on the podcast was Tribune college beat writer J.D. Scroggin. J.D. and I talked about Joe Callero’s Cal Poly basketball team’s improbable upset of #11 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday night. We also discussed Saturday’s FCS playoff game, this time from a SLO perspective.

Pretty much this podcast is a Cal Poly extravaganza. If you are a Cal Poly football and basketball fan, you REALLY need to listen to this podcast.

Also, follow us on twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Thanks and enjoy!

O

By: Owen Main

Fansmanship.com

November 26, 2012

I’ve waited almost 24 hours and it still doesn’t seem quite real. In the New Pauley Pavilion last night, the Cal Poly Mustangs overcame a 18-point deficit midway through the second half to upset the storied UCLA Bruins, who had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class coming into the game.

An experience as surreal as this isn’t remembered in my mind as a clear, linear, easy-to-follow script. Instead, to quote Mozart,

“…the whole, though it be long, stands almost complete and finished in my mind, so that I can survey it, like a fine picture or a beautiful statute, at a glance. Nor do I hear in my imagination the parts successively, but I hear them as it were, … all at once.”

Cal Poly tamed the Bruin on Sunday night. By Owen Main

The series of events that led to the San Luis Obispo smiles in Westwood on Friday night can never be summed up completely without re-watching the game. Here are a few clear snapshots from the night:

Westwood – I grew up a UCLA fan. For the entirety of my middle school years, I wanted to go there so badly. I lived and died in 1995 with Ed and Charles O’Bannon, George Zidek, Tyus Edney, Toby Bailey, and Cameron Dollar. Even J.R. Henderson and Kris Johnson were staples in my consciousness during the mid-90’s.

In high school, other college options looked okay too and, when I got into UCSD instead of UCLA, I went to La Jolla with an I’ll take what I can get mentality. There is always something romantic to me though about UCLA, and walking around campus 3 hours before game time was really fun. I saw a camera crew and some blonde doing some kind of music video shoot, a slough of football players heading to the football facility presumable to watch some Stanford film, and a group of Indian students playing cricket in the quad.

John Wooden’s presence permeates the entire UCLA campus. By Owen Main

Outside Pauley. A student asks an usher who UCLA is playing. The conversation goes something like this:

“Who they playin’ tonight?”

“Cal Poly. From San Luis Obispo”

“Ooooo,” the young man says to his girlfriend. “They gon’ get dey ass kicked.” The two walk away, with no interest in trying to wait for tickets to see Cal Poly “get dey ass kicked.”

Two hours before game time. To say I got into Pauley Pavilion early on this day is an understatement. It was me, the cleaning crew, and a few early ushers. The Zen-like peace of a huge arena that is almost deathly quiet is something I’ve only enjoyed a few times. It was all I could do to not try to sneak a few free throws on the hallowed Wooden Court.

There was the gold seat. It sits in the second row behind the UCLA bench. It’s where John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood, used to sit and watch the Bruins. Decades after retirement, his presence was and is still felt throughout not just the building, but the entire campus.

Green. There wasn’t much of it, but because I mostly go to Cal Poly home games, I always think the green jerseys look really striking and sharp. There was some green in the stands, but not much of it.

Gold. Several UCLA players came out with highlighter-colored shoes. They looked like soccer players who wanted defenders to hate them. The players who wore them looked long, even from high above the southern sideline, it was clear how long and physically gifted every Bruin seemed to be.

Kyle Odister scored 15 points and was the point guard for most of Cal Poly’s second-half comeback. By Will Parris

“From Los Ojos Osos”… Dylan Royer, senior shooting guard for Cal Poly, is introduced.

5:00 into the game. I remember thinking that Cal Poly was holding their own. For now. Chris Eversley and company were matching shots with UCLA, but how long could it really last?

5:00 left in the first half. “Hmmm,” I thought, “Cal Poly is really hanging in there. Coach Callero is probably going to be pleased with this even if the team tanks in the second half.”

12:21 left in the game. UCLA goes up by 18. Cal Poly’s shooting and rhythm have finally failed them. The reporter next to me said something like, “well, they put up a good game.” We start to discuss whether the final difference will be in the teens or 20’s. I guess the 20’s. UCLA is flexing their muscle inside, but they are also making shots, and Cal Poly can’t stick with that talent when those guys are knocking down open 3’s.

11:50 left in the game. Something funny happens. I must have thought it was funny, because I laughed. Down by 18 points, Cal Poly senior Chris O’Brien got a steal. UCLA didn’t really hustle back as a team and freshman center Brian Bennett got an open fast-break dunk to cut the lead to 16. I laughed out loud.

Chris Eversley has established himself as Cal Poly’s premier scorer and rebounder. By Will Parris

The 6’9” Bennett, who was surely tired, looked like he barely got the ball over the rim to throw it down. I honestly had the thought, “that’s cool that he got a dunk in this one. He’ll remember that, even if they continue to get blown out.”

Dylan Royer came out of the timeout and made a 3-pointer, cutting the lead to 13 points.

7:47 left in the half. Cal Poly starts their onslaught. Royer and Kyle Odister knock down back-to-back 3’s, trimming the UCLA lead to 8 points with 7:08 to play. The tension really starts to build in the building. UCLA players start to get nervous, offense ceases to be run effectively for the young home team, and Cal Poly can’t seem to miss.

Bennett for 2. Odister with a lay-up. Eversley powers one home. I turn to the reporter next to me. “Is this really happening right now?” My question is drowned-out by the groans of the UCLA faithful.

3:23 to play. Dylan Royer’s final points of the game tie it up at 63. The former walk-on from Los Osos buries his fourth of the second half en-route to a career-high six 3-pointers and 18 points. Yes, UCLA is melting down, but can Cal Poly close them out? The answer, as you know is yes. Sure, there was some help from Norman Powell, who committed an unnecessary foul to send Odister to the free throw line for the game-winning shots, but Cal Poly clawed and clawed and fought to give themselves a chance.

And UCLA just didn’t have the gumption, experience, or maturity to stop it from happening.

Walking downstairs. As I waded through the crowd, down toward the floor, it was not a pretty picture. For a USC fan, it must have sounded like beautiful music. UCLA fans filing out, frowns on their faces, trying to make sense of what they just saw.

“I don’t even know if they have an offense,” one fan said.

“What the hell is Ben Howland doing?”

“How does this happen?”

For a guy who loved UCLA growing-up, it was a pretty odd experience.

For the Cal Poly faithful it was, simply, the greatest win in program history.

Photos by Will Parris http://blog.parris-studios.com/

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About the Author: A lifelong southern California sports fan, Owen Main is a founder, editor, writer, and photographer for fansmanship.com.

12th-ranked UCLA gave Cal Poly men’s soccer its first home loss of the season on Sunday afternoon at Alex G. Spanos stadium. The Mustangs are now 5-3. Photo by David Livingston

On Sunday, the UCLA Bruins beat Cal Poly 1-0 and snapped the Mustangs’ 5-game winning streak.

Cal Poly had several close chances that were called offiside in the physical match. The Mustangs led in shots-on-goal 4-2, but UCLA was able to put one of their chances into the back of the net.

The Bruins’ Fernando Monge scored the only goal of the match in the first minute of the second half on a header from a corner kick.

With the loss, Cal Poly finished their 5-game preseason homestand with a 4-1 record. Their record on the season is now 5-3 going in to Big West play. Conference competition begins this weekend when Cal Poly travels to Fullerton and Riverside. The Mustangs are next at home October 5th and 7th vs. Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine.

Photos by David Livingston

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