Matt LaGrassa will presumably be healthy this time when Cal Poly visits UCLA on Thursday. By Owen Main

Despite being knocked-off in the second round of the Big West Tournament last week, Cal Poly (11-4-4) men’s soccer was selected as an at-large bid for the 48-team NCAA Tournament on Monday. The Mustangs, whose RPI has been in the top-30 in the nation for much of the season, will have a chance to avenge a 4-1 regular season loss to the Bruins (10-8-1) on September 18th — over two months prior to their second meeting of the year.

A different story?

Cal Poly has reason to be optimistic despite the earlier loss. The Mustangs played that September game without senior captain Matt LaGrassa and many players, including Justin Dhillon, were nursing injuries. Head coach Steve Sampson, still trying to figure his rotation out at that point, played 19 different players on that day. He’s cut his rotation down significantly since then.

After losing to former schools where Sampson coached in a row (Santa Clara and UCLA), Cal Poly has gone unbeaten in 12 out of 14 games.

You don’t Seyi

If they are going to have a chance, Cal Poly has to focus on containing UCLA striker Seyi Adekoya. Adekoya scored the final two goals of the first matchup for the Bruins. The sophomore was a second-team all-Pac 12 selection as a freshman.

Game time is slated for 7:00pm at UCLA. The winner will advance to play Seattle on Sunday. In their meeting earlier in the season, Cal Poly beat Seattle 1-0 in Spokane, WA.

Day 2 of the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championships. By Danielle Boyle Melman

As I sit here reflecting on the past weekend, I cannot help but think how lucky I am to have experienced the 2014 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four Championships at my alma mater, UC San Diego, where I also work. Although this is my third water polo Final Four, this time was a little different. Before I begin to reflect on my personal experience as a Final Four spectator and worker, let’s get to the most important part: the results.

Both semi-final games were intense match-ups, but especially in the second game.

In semi-final number one, UC San Diego faced a very experienced and powerful UCLA team, where the Bruins prevailed 15-6. UC San Diego came out playing hard, ending the first quarter only down by 1. The second quarter was a different story: the Bruins had an explosive offense, outscoring UC San Diego 6-2 and leading 8-3 at the half. UCLA ultimately won 15-6, earning a trip to the championship game.

In Semi-Final number two, USC beat Stanford after two overtime periods and one sudden death period.

Stanford controlled the first half, leading 7-5. But the magic of USC kicked in. The Trojans outscored the Cardinal 3-1 in the third quarter, and tied the game up with 14 seconds left of regular time. Two overtime periods later, the score was still tied.

In collegiate water polo, after two three minute overtime periods, the game is decided by sudden death. With 5 seconds left of the first sudden death period, USC Senior Kostas Genidounias (Athens, Greece) scored from the outside to lift USC to a win, earning their 10^th trip in a row to the NCAA Final Championship game. I have seen a lot of water polo but this was one of the most exciting games I have ever watched.

The UCLA Bruins celebrating their 9th NCAA Men’s Water Polo championship. By Danielle Boyle Melman

The next day, Stanford had an easy time with UC San Diego in the third place game, winning 20-11. The championship game, however, did not fail to bring drama, intensity and a passion you only see in collegiate sports.

UCLA came out blazing for three solid quarters, earning a three goal lead holding USC standout Genidounias to no goals.

But USC came blazing into the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in a row to tie the game. With 34 seconds remaining, and the score still tied, UCLA sophomore Gordon Marshall (Newcastle, Australia) fired a shot from inside to lift the Bruins to a 9-8 lead. Great UCLA defense on the next USC possession concluded the game, giving UCLA its ninth NCAA Men’s Water Polo title and 112^th NCAA championship in university history.

But intertwined with the crowning of the national champion, an NCAA National Championship weekend celebrates much more than the first place team. It honors the spirit of the student-athlete. It celebrates the sport and the community hosting the event. It recognizes the spectator, participant and volunteer. Everyone has the opportunity to share in the student-athletes playing for their teammates, for their university, for their families, for their high school, for their club coaches, and never for themselves. The student-athletes’ hearts are on out on display for all to experience  – and it is a feeling like none other.

UC San Diego Tritons take home a NCAA Men’s Water Polo 4th place finish. By Danielle Boyle Melman

Some of that emotion and heart is seen before the championship play even begins. In the spirit of the student-athlete, the National Championship Finals includes an award the NCAA hands out in every sport, in every division: the Elite 89 Award.

The Elite 89 Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating in the NCAA Championship Finals. There are 89 NCAA final championships; hence the 89. This year the NCAA honored Stanford junior BJ Churnside – an electrical engineering major holding a 3.786 GPA. Churnside not only excels in the classroom, but in the pool as well: he earned All-American accolades his freshman and sophomore year, and is ranked third on the team for goals this season. Churnside was celebrated at the student-athlete banquet Friday night, and it was a touching moment. Because this award truly embodies the spirit of the student-athlete, it was moving to see him honored in front of his peers and the water polo community. I couldn’t help but think – this is why I got into collegiate athletics.

That theme resonated with me throughout the whole weekend. I am so fortunate to be a part of the growth and development of young adults through collegiate athletics. Being an athletic administrator allows me to have a positive impact on our student-athletes, providing support and guidance through the highs and lows — almost reliving my collegiate career through the eyes of these athletes.

As the championship weekend came to a close, I couldn’t help but be so proud of all student-athletes who participated, my athletics department, UC San Diego and the community who came together to celebrate and champion the collegiate student-athlete!

It was a great collegiate season for men’s water polo and I enjoyed bringing my perspective of the game.  For those who are excited about their next, or first water polo game, you don’t have to wait a whole year for the men’s season to start back up…the women’s collegiate season is just around the corner with the first sprint in January!

With the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship Final Four set to commence on Saturday, December 6, emotions are running high. Four teams head into the most important tournament of their season and potentially their career. UCLA, Stanford, USC and UC San Diego are in the lineup to play in the semifinals, with #1 UCLA facing #4 UC San Diego at 1:00 PM PST, and #2 Stanford facing #3 USC at 3:00 PM PST. All games are taking place at UC San Diego’s Canyonview Aquatics Center. Below is a preview of the four teams, many of which have had to face adversity both in the water and out this year.

#1 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

UC San Diego to host the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Final Four December 6-7.

UCLA is, clearly, the number one seed going into the Final Four. The road was somewhat predictable for the Bruins, who posted a 27-3 record heading into this weekend. The team is consistent when they are winning, but also consistent when they are losing. The Bruins saw their undefeated season squashed on October 12, when they not only lost to USC, but  four hours later to Stanford as well at the SoCal Tournament. UCLA slowly climbed its way back on top of the polls, entering the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference championships as the top seed. Surprisingly, UCLA lost to Long Beach State in the semifinals (whom they previously beat one week earlier by 8 goals). The Bruins went on to face USC in the third place game, beating them 10-5.

Although this team faced untimely loses this season, they will be hungry for the national championship final. I like their overall consistent, powerful play, and even though they crept into the final four by being granted an at-large berth, this team is ready to redeem themselves and show they are the number one team in the country.

Keys to victory

UCLA needs to score double digits both days to get the wins and take home the crown. With their outstanding offense and solid defense, double digit scoring will most likely produce a national championship.

#2 STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Stanford has been on a similar path as UCLA this season, posting a 25-3 record heading into the national championships. Two of their three losses have come from the Bruins, most recently losing only by 1 goal in their last meeting. Unlike UCLA, however, Stanford won their conference (MPSF) by beating Long Beach state 9-8, earning an automatic qualifier to the final four. This team will be a contender; however, UCLA seems to have their number every time they face each other. If both UCLA and Stanford make it to the NCAA Championship game, Stanford will have to be mentally tough to overcome this strong UCLA team. Bottom line: this team is a force to reckoned with and will not back down to any challenge. The key to Stanford’s success will be their offense.

Keys to victory

Similar to UCLA, when Stanford scores less than 10 goals, they lose. They need to make sure their offense is on-point and that they are putting up at least 11 goals to ensure a win. If they do that, they will be hard to beat.

Canyonview Aquatics Center-UC San Diego

#3 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

USC has encountered many ups and downs for a team at this stage, seeing six loses over the course of the season. With a record of 26-6, five of their six loses have been from UCLA and Stanford, with the most recent loss coming from Stanford in the semifinals of the MPSF conference championship tournament. The following day they lost to UCLA in the third place game. Although they have endured more losses to teams of higher seeds, USC has a unique past leaving me to believe we should not count them out.

The Trojans have been the reigning national champions the past six years in a row. Since 2002, Coach Jovan Vavic has taken home nine National Championships and two runner-ups back to the USC campus. This team knows how to win – and they know when to win. The Trojans have not only shown how physically tough they are, but emotionally and mentally tough as well.

In January, USC men’s water polo lost a teammate, sophomore Jon Walters, who passed away unexpectedly. As projected, the news hit the team hard. The have recovered both emotionally and mentally and will be wearing #6 on their caps in memory of Walters. Although almost a year has passed, the memory of Walters is very much alive: his younger brother James is a freshman on the USC team. It is absolutely remarkable how these young adults have rebounded from such a loss, and channeled their energy in a positive direction. USC is my wild card in the bunch, being incredibly unpredictable. They are playing with a heavy heart.

Keys to victory

With emotion running as high as I’m sure it is, anything can happen with USC this year — including some really good things. The Trojans will need to control and focus all the emotion that is sure to be there in order to dominate and bring home their seventh championship in a row.

#4 UC SAN DIEGO

This particular Triton team is two years in the making. Coach Denny Harper took a very unconventional approach in the spring of 2013, when he chose to have his top two would-be seniors, including 2012 conference MVP Josh Stiling, redshirt the 2013 campaign. Both student-athletes were supportive of the idea, knowing that it would create opportunity for the incoming juniors. Now, over a year later, this team is one of the best UC San Diego teams I have seen in a great while. With very experienced upperclassmen who have played with each other now for at least three years, this team is extremely close, can read each other well, and are committed to their coaches and to each other.

Although UC San Diego comes into the national championship tournament with a 16-9 record, all their losses have come from top ranked teams. This final four will be a fairly challenging one for the Tritons, but the program has always thrived on being the underdog. In 2000, UC San Diego faced USC in the NCAA National Championship semifinal game, beating the Trojans 9-8 and surpassing all expectations the water polo community had for the them. The Tritons ultimately fell to UCLA in the championship game, but it was the first ever national runner-up the program ever saw. Although a long shot, this Triton team is the host this year and should be up for any challenge. Great defense with a consistent offense from UC San Diego will be the key to knocking off the number 1 seed in the semis. UCLA’s three losses have come when they couldn’t convert more than six goals.

Keys to victory

If the Tritons can somehow hold the Bruins to six goals or less, their chances of winning the semi-final game increases dramatically, repeating their 2000 NCAA efforts.

I was a peripheral college baseball fan before this season. I enjoyed it, but didn’t try to plug myself into the national scene. I’m also a big believer in East Coast bias in all media — sports media not excepted.

So this season, I think I’ve learned a lot about college baseball, the way it’s covered in general, and the fans. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

California is a good place for college baseball, but the South is insane.

California has a lot of college baseball teams, but people care about college baseball a whole lot more in the South, and the numbers back it up.

At the end of the season, the SEC dominated in attendance, drawing numbers that look like those of a bad Major League Baseball team.

SEC has set a new record with over 2.25 million in paid baseball attendance during the 2014 regular season.

— Chuck Dunlap (@SEC_Chuck) May 18, 2014

Nearly half a million of that total comes from the state of Mississippi alone. LSU 380K. ARK and SC both over 1/4 million each.

— Chuck Dunlap (@SEC_Chuck) May 18, 2014

LSU ended the season in first place in attendance, drawing over 378,00 fans in 35 home games. Ten of the top eleven and 12 of the top 14 total attendance leaders were from the SEC or ACC.

Cal Poly, in the midst of the greatest baseball season the school has ever seen, drew the 41st-most fans in the country. In a city like San Luis Obispo, it’s nothing to scoff at — just over 45,000 fans in 30 games — but let’s not compare it with what happens in the SEC and ACC.

Baggett Stadium is a great place to watch a game. It drew the 41st-most fans in college baseball this year. By Owen Main

San Luis Obispo is the kind of town this can be sustainable in. Maybe.

All that being said, SLO isn’t the typical place to find a university in California. Located in a more rural county, San Luis Obispo probably has more in common with an SEC college town than maybe any other college town in California.

For that reason, I have a little bit of hope that with some continued, sustained success, college baseball in San Luis Obispo could be a lot more popular. There are only 45,000 people in in the city of San Luis Obispo and about 275,000 in the entire county — not exactly a metropolis.

There are also five or six quality beach towns, lots of wine, and about a thousand other things to do than watch baseball. I don’t think sustaining an average of 1,500-2,000 fans per game is an unreasonable goal for the program.

When things like this happen though, during a season like they’re having, one has to wonder….

RT @pistolpete565 : Someone really just asked me if baseball season has started yet! Are you serious?

— fansmanship (@fansmanship) May 20, 2014

What about that East coast bias?

Does the East coast bias exist? I believe it does.

I also believe that, in a lot of ways, it’s justified. If I owned a website that covered college baseball nationally, I would look at the above numbers that reflect Southern fansmanship and skew my coverage waaay in that direction. Add to that the fact that SEC and ACC teams are really good and have great RPI’s and you have a system that promotes the game where the game is the strongest — SEC and ACC country.

UCLA, arguably the most successful West coast school of late, has a stadium that holds 1,820 people. Oregon and Oregon State — two other Pac-12 powers — have facilities that accommodate for 4,000 and 3,248 people respectively. These are big numbers, but they don’t sell-out every game all season and, if they did, they wouldn’t even break the top-10 nationally.

Also, let me make this clear. Guys like Aaron Fitt, John Manuel, Eric Sorenson Kendall Rodgers, and Shotgun Spratling do yeoman’s work. In Major League Baseball there are 30 teams that get covered by countless writers. In college baseball, a small core group cover over 300 Division 1 teams, and it seems like guys like Fitt could name most of the starters on most of the top 100-150 teams in the nation. They do a great job.

In the end, arguing bias doesn’t matter

Fans on the West coast can argue an East coast bias all they want, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. Teams that are national contenders will host regionals. Teams that are good will make it to Omaha. Six of the past ten national champions have come from a conference on the West Coast. Despite there being far fewer Division 1 schools West of Texas, the schools that have made the College World Series from the West have fared relatively well.

Listen, I’m not here to start a fight. I’ve lived in the South. I’ve seen what SEC football can do to people. I can imagine what happens during football’s offseason. By every measure, college baseball in the South has more eyes on it and is more important to the general population there than anywhere else. On some level, I get the bias in this sport and I am on-board with supporting fan-bases that come out in droves.

On Monday though, neither fans nor the media won’t be the one who selects who gets in the tournament and what regional they go to. That is up to a selection committee that has shown a good deal of thought in recent years when it comes to selecting NCAA Tournament teams. They seem to do a pretty good job of understanding RPI bias.

Cal Poly felt like they got snubbed two years ago. Last season, they showed they belonged in a regional. So, what’s the next step? I guess we’ll find out next week.

To view attendance numbers for all NCAA schools go here, choose Division 1 baseball, and go to “Misc. Reports.”

The UCLA Bruins. I’ve rooted for them as long as I can remember. Tracy Murray. Don MacLean. Legends of college basketball in my childhood.

I was in 7th grade and Tyus Edney went coast-to-coast. George Zidek ruled the paint and Ed O’Bannon was the second coming. Jim Harrick’s team was electrifying.

The UCLA faithful can get a scaled, toothy monkey off its back with a win tonight. By Leahcim506 at en.wikipedia, from Wikimedia Commons

Since Harrick left, UCLA basketball has fluctuated. During first actual game at Pauley Pavilion, I watched a Steve Lavin team beat top-ranked Kansas, led by Kirk Heinrich, Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, and Wayne Simien. UCLA’s ultra-talented team included Jerome Moiso, Cedric Bozeman, Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono, Ray Young, and Dijon Thompson. That UCLA team was supposed to be awesome. They made it to the Sweet 16 under head coach Steve Lavin that season, but could never get over the hump.

When Lavin’s results became untenable, Ben Howland was brought in. Howland led UCLA to two consecutive Final Four appearances. In both of them, they lost to Al Horford and Joakim Noah’s Florida Gators. After a downhill slide that culminated in a home loss to Cal Poly last year, Howland was fired.

Which brings us to Steve Alford, and tonight. In Howland’s shadow — and more importantly the shadow of the great John Wooden — Alford’s team will attempt to avenge the unfulfilled promise of those semi-recent Final Four teams. Florida is a consensus number one and Billy Donovan’s players have always seemed to have UCLA’s number in the past. If Alford’s group were to knock-off the SEC’s finest and get themselves to the Elite 8, the new coach’s first year at UCLA will have been an unmitigated success, and UCLA fans will get that monkey with huge teeth and scales, finally, off their back. Beware though, it will take more than a solid 8-clap tonight.

Ohio State, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, Villanova, and Wichita State all have something in common and it isn’t something to be proud of. They all have been upset thus far in the NCAA tournament — sent home packing much earlier than many people expected. March Madness is known for its crazy shenanigans, but so far this tournament has been the craziest that I can remember. There are still many good teams left in the tournament, but what has transpired thus far is unexplainable.

Despite this picture being from 2009, not even Barack Obama could have predicted what would transpire thus far in the 2014 tournament, Pete Souza [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

#1 Florida vs #4 UCLA

#1 Virginia vs #Michigan State

#3 Iowa State vs #7 Connecticut

#1 Arizona vs #4 San Diego State

#2 Wisconsin vs #6 Baylor

#4 Louisville vs #8 Kentucky

#2 Michigan vs #11 Tennessee

This NCAA Tournament has given us some really good match-ups in the Sweet 16 and it’s looking like more of the same in the this weekend. Now here is my preview for what will transpire in the next few weeks:

Sweet 16:

#1 Florida vs #4 UCLA (Florida),

#10 Stanford vs #11 Dayton (Dayton)

#1 Virginia vs #4 Michigan State (Virginia)

#3 Iowa State vs #7 Connecticut (Connecticut)

#1 Arizona vs #4 San Diego State (Arizona)

#2 Wisconsin vs #6 Baylor (Wisconsin)

#4 Louisville vs #8 Kentucky (Kentucky)

#2 Michigan vs #11 Tennessee (Michigan)

Elite Eight:

#1 Florida vs #11 Dayton (Florida)

#1 Virginia vs #7 Connecticut (Virginia)

#1 Arizona vs #2 Wisconsin (Arizona)

#8 Kentucky vs #2 Michigan (Kentucky)

Final Four:

#1 Florida vs #1 Virginia (Virginia)

#1 Arizona vs #8 Kentucky (Arizona)

NCAA Championship Game:

#1 Virginia vs #1 Arizona

I’ve got Arizona holding up the trophy after its all said and done with the final score being 76-69.

What do you think? Did I even get close? Comment below.

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.

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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According to this LA Times article, former UCLA standout and malcontent Reeves Nelson has resurfaced, this time in the professional ranks with the Lakers. He has a non-guaranteed contract and has been invited to camp this year. On a team with huge salaries of Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, and Pau Gasol, there are multiple spots for guys who are making the league minimum or something close to that.

And this, I think, is where Nelson fits in. Lakers fans have seen some old and/or unknown big men as 2nd and 3rd stringers over the past 3 years. Can anyone say D.J. Mbenga? Josh Powell? What about Joe Smith? Theo freaking Ratliff. OK, you’re right, I missed the glory of Derrik Caracter.

So I can see the wheels turning for Mitch Kupchak. Depth at the post is a hard thing to come by. Rebounding and toughness off the bench are something worth taking a chance on. What harm can it be to sign a guy who can play with incredible energy and ferocity in spurts?

Reeves is still saying things that aren’t super-smart. From the Times article:

“I’m very grateful,” Nelson said in an interview. “It’s nice becasue I’m pretty sure that virtually no one thought I could get this far, so it’s pretty gratifying.”

Does he mean that nobody thought he could make it this far before or after he forced his way off the UCLA roster by acting like an ass? The talent of Reeves Nelson should have always got him AT LEAST to a non-guaranteed training camp somewhere. If he would have just not been an idiot in college, he could have seven-figures guaranteed for at least a few years.

Instead, he’s had to do all the “right things” to even get the opportunity to make an NBA team.

Reeves Nelson is a player who, in college, let his reckless emotions get in the way of him becoming great. Anybody in Los Angeles (or Indiana) know anybody like that?

I can’t wait to see Reeves, Metta, and Kobe on the court at the same time. Thank God for Steve Nash.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrfvu1jUvKs

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVYPbgzQ9co

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=K29LauvnC8s