There are way more IM participants than varsity baseball athletes at UCD. Considering those lights were probably funded in their entirety with student fees and tuition dollars they needed to benefit a greater section of the student population. The IM lights are also very necessary in my opinion. The fields get a lot of use- with several contests daily, so they need lights for flexible game times. Then there's the safety factor. So while the contests played on the IM fields are meaningless to all but those involved they are important for those students who aren't talented enough to play varsity sports but want to compete and enjoy themselves.

Football has lights because many contests are at night, which accomodates more fans. Because it brings in more fans (and more money) than any other UCD sport per game-it can have nice things. Soccer can be pretty popular but it's not Portland popular. It's not like hundreds of people are denied tickets at the gate to each game. Soccer couldn't really accomodate more fans without additional seating structures also being added, so accomodating more fans with later gametimes has a very limited benefit Sometimes money trumps Title IX.

I think the IM lights were an easier sell because they're for the benefit of all students who want to participate in IM sports. If baseball gets lights only baseball benefits.

I believe something worth doing is worth doing well. I'd rather they cancel the program than do a half@ss job. If they're dragging their feet due to TItle IX then maybe it's time to cut some sports to reduce their financial obligationsand get new leadership at the top. Other schools manage to get the things they need for the sports they have facing challenges. Get it done.

They invested the money in a new coaching staff but they pretty much had to due the bad PR. Coaches can only do so much. UCD presents the same recruiting challenges for any baseball coach that comes in.

I thought he died due to a heart attack ? If that program took a political stand they probably made the argument that he didn't have access to adequate preventitive health care because of racism. There could be some truth to that if he was discriminated against when seeking treatment but I don't know all the facts.

Lasorda must have actually been drinking the SlimFast he endorsed on TV to avoid the same fate.

And the placement of the stadium is perfect for students from Primero and Segundo to walk on over. Not to mention those apartments near the ARC.

I think UCD is way behind the majority of the Big West in recruiting. Back in 2005 they had the remnants of a really good 2004 D-II team (plus eventual major leaguers Eddie Gamboa and Daniel Descalso), swept UCSB, CSUN + won 4 out of 5 against both UCR and Sac State-unthinkable these days. The Gauchos, Matadors, and Hornets, among others, recruited better and improved while UCD stood still. Rex Peters got some dynamic two-way players (Popkins and Lyman), started to turn things around, and then he quit. Then instead of getting another experienced head coach to build on what they had they went with an internal hire who was not a head coach anywhere, not even at the HS level

Now UCSD, which was Division III when I was a student, out-recruits them. They have been losing the arms race for years.

And now we come to find out that the whole time Vaughn was coach and possibly even back to Peters' days there was all that drunken hazing going on. And how naive would we be to assume that only happened for a couple of days a year ? How many players during that time played hung over and ruined games with sloppy play ?

I'll reserve jugment on the current coaching staff until
I see what they can do with a team comprised of mostly their own recruited players

if anything I think there are more managers who didn't play in the majors like Oliver Marmol (Cardinals) or Pedro Grifol (White Sox). than there used to be. I think there's about 6 or 7 this year. But the assistants nowadays definitely have less professional experience. Gabe Kapler, for instance has 16 assistants and I believe only 3 of them-Brian Bannister, Andrew Bailey, Antoan Richardson) -have MLB experience. Yes they have Pedro Guerrero but it's not the one who was a star for the Dodgers and Tommy Lasorda (who I don't believe played in MLB)

Speaking of the Cardinals would one of their assistant coaches be considered a Marmol-aide ?

Edit: Tommy Lasorda did play a little bit in the majors. Here's a mind f'er though. Lasorda was briefly a teammate of Jackie Robinson but he out-lived Robinson by almost 5 decades !

I won the raffle once-got a gift certificate to Rocknasium that I never used. With crowds being so small I always thought it was a crock that I didn't win more, especially considering not everyone takes one. I would not be entirely surprised if they only called the numbers of programs that no fans picked up or they chose programs at random from the stack beforehand and distributed them in the press box, called those numbers. I saw very few people ever claim them. Softball had better prizes (and women !) But ugh...the singing !

I would add the UCD fans are pretty lame as a group. There are some excellent fans (like Ralph Rago) but many more who are just there to watch whichever player is related to them and doze off the rest of the game-a lot like little league. The Aggies never have a home advantage-the opposing fans are always louder and more supportive.

My answers would be #'s 2,3,and 7.

LOL

Yeah he's been there a couple of years. It kind of shows you how times have changed in baseball. It used to be that major league coaches were prominent former major leaguers (Dusty Baker as the Giants hitting coach under manager Roger Craig for instance) .

Now with the increased role of analytics the prospective MLB coach doesn't even need a successful professional playing record; they just need to understandmodern coaching. Popkins only reached Double-A as a player, although he did ok. The Giants' current hitting coach Justin Viele barely hit in pro ball (.211 career average, only reached Single-A). They have another coach who never played in the pros and was not a star player at the D-II level. And then there's Sac State alumna Alyssa Nakken who never played college or professional baseball. I think in her case they decided that based on her work in her previous positions they wanted her on the coaching staff and tailored the position to match her skillset rather than simply hiring her to fill a specific open position.. That can happen with assistant coaching positions-manager gets free reign to hire whomever they wish.

The most recent UCD baseball news is that Robert Garcia made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins on 7/14. He retired one batter and allowed a hit and a walk. He's back in the minors.

I like how you found one where Pam has an exasperated look !

I was surprised Larrison and Tompkins are juniors. I thought they were fifth year seniors. But maybe that was just because it seems like you all have been talking about them forever. Lol.

I hope it's a lowerclassmen who achieves distinction because talking about the same players is boring.

Have you heard about the [Incarnate] Word ?

Everybody knows that the Word is the word.

I heard he went to go work at a paper company with his aunt Pam.

Too bad they couldn't get someone from the CO School of MIMES. It would be nice to have some quiet. Players make entirely too much noise.

Rock Hall-named after Dwayne Johnson ? Chris Rock ?

True story: I stayed in Webster Hall during Summer Session one year. One of the students asked if it was named after Emanuel Lewis (their wording was less PC)

Maybe when you were there. I distinctly remember Dr. Applegate letting us out of class early one day because too many people were staring at the molecules on the walls.

I'm good with them continuing to disappoint. Gives the Aggies someone on whom to beat.

I think I would root against San Diego if I were invested enough in college football. I've been to University of San Diego and whatever students live on campus there must be truly spoiled (very fancy-looking buildings). How many of us watched movies in Chem 194 (164 ?) with pictures of molecules on the wall ? I bet they have a movie theater that's only a movie theater.. Bunch of Richie Riches. "Wahhhh our football team is only ok. We need a new football coach !" Be a fan of UCD baseball for a year and reflect on how .500 is not the end of the world. I bet if the real Torrero were there they would wave their cape at this in disgust.

The players will be much better at blowing up tanks now.

please add "turns 90" to the subject line. I was worried for a moment there.

I usually see him at UCD games when I go. Considering he was a big part of the effort to get Community Stadium built I doubt he ever has to pay for a ticket.

I believe it's only if they're on scholarship.

LOL you just told DrMike about groin injuries. Unless DR stands for "DJ Rapmaster" and not doctor.