Well, the Aggies had best prove them all wrong.

Not to trivialize the main message here about how good the Aggies may be, but does anyone else think pre-season polls are worthless, except maybe to gamblers ? The various publications can't just go conference by conference, pick their favorite to win each, then pick a winner from that group. I mean it flows logically that to be in the national title game you should be able to win your conference, doesn't it ? So why have multiple picks from the same conference ? I know the idea is that the second-place finisher in one conference may be better than the winner of another but that seems ridiculous to me. In the national spelling bee competition you don't take the 3rd place winner in CA state bee just because they had to spell harder words than the AL winner.

But no, they have to pick their favorite 25 and then update the list every week when their predictions don't come true

They must have been really hard-hit by the pandemic considering their operating model depends on large groups of people congregating indoors. Still open though.

Read some interesting history on the Samoa Cookhouse, like how for many years it was just for workers in the lumber industry and how the servers all had to live upstairs in dormitories and remain single.

UCD is not on equal baseball recruiting footing with Sac State. Even if we assume that Rhys Hoskins would have met the academic requirements to get into UCD there wasn't really anything specific about the UCD baseball program to recommend it over other Division I programs nearby. If it was his intent to play pro baseball and be near his family then Sac State was a good choice.

Now as alumni we might tend to think that UCD is the be-all-end-all college experience because we loved it, but we don't easily remember the parts that weren't so great. Take UCD football for instance. I fondly remember that UCD football went 17-2 in games I attended as a student, but I selectively forget from time to time what a pain it was to be herded onto those old end zone bleachers and not being able to sit down the entire game- if I wanted to see any of it. I will say that UCD baseball as I remember it was a fun time during the D-II years because they won a lot more and there were more real rivalries that brought the students out ready to let the visiting team have it. Since the move to D-I It's become a more dull and sterile experience,more like a little league game where none of the home fans care about the outcome and you're not allowed to even voice your displeasure about the officiating. Prospective student-athletes pick up on these things when they visit. So maybe Hoskins just didn't want to play for UCD ? Or perhaps it was

To the best of my knowledge Daniel Descalso and Joe Biagini are still playing but not in the majors at present. Sac State actually has two former players in the game today. Sam Long is making his first MLB start for the Giants. Long and Hoskins were college teammates in 2014. I wonder if either of them knew Alyssa Nakken from school ? She is the first female member of a major league baseball coaching staff-and don't think the Giants didn't make sure everybody knew they made the historic hire.

I really don't think Spring Training has ever been about the fans. They're just practicing, really more working out and the fans are big enough suckers to pay to watch it. So much so that cities in AZ and FL are willing to foot the bill to give them better and better facilities. The city of Scottsdale has spent millions just to upgrade the Giants' minor league camp facilities at Native-American School Park (its PC name). Minor league-camp, which generates zero direct revenue for the city. These cities do anything to keep a club just for the tourist dollars, which hinge on a fairly silly premise in the first place. Chandler, Phoenix Cass Grande, Tucson..they've all been lured for ST and then dumped by MLB. Tucson even built two parks ! Lucky for them the Arizona Wildcats took over HI Corbett Field and Kino Stadium is still providing some use.

Since it sounds like you pulled an excerpt of an article there I don't know how much of the related details you already know, but I'll provide the context for the benefit of anyone else who's interested.

The alterations to the spring exhibition games were necesitated by COVID-19. Ordinarily they play full-length games (and sometimes extra innings just to get some players some work) a team can have everyone from its 40-man roster, invite an unlimited number of non-roster players (signed to minor-league contracts with the team and competing for major league jobs but not on the 40-man roster) and pull an unlimited number of players from its minor league camp (minor leaguers not initially invited to major league camp who play exhibitions of their own, usually not at the spring training stadium). The rules of the 40 man roster are another book in themselves, so for this post let's simplify it by saying you have to be added to the 40-man roster to be called up to the majors and on the regular-season 26-man roster to play in a major league game.

Due to COVID-19 these rules changed for 2021 and MLB put a hard pool limit of I think 75 total players that a team could have in major league camp during spring training. They wouldn't have 75 in the dugout at one time, especially considering injured players on the 40-man would kind of be there but not really.

As a result teams mainly used those spots for players they knew were definitely in the running for major league as well as Triple-A roles. Some players who were neither were part of it too because they were either hot prospects or on the 40-man. Players who were ticketed for minor league camp were instructed to stay home until after major league camp was finished and yhose players had dispersed. That's a reason why the minor league season started in May this year instead of April.

So that's the end of the player pool explanation. Now we have to address the reason for the exhibition length changes. Spring Training is just about players getting in game-ready shape. Major league teams do not want to risk their star players getting hurt in exhibitions and at the same time they want to get a look at the players competing for jobs so they pull the starters early, probably similar to how they do it in Aggie football exhibitions (except players can't be brought back in after they've been removed).

Typically at the beginning of spring training starting pitchers will have a low fixed pitch count, as they aren't stretched out enough to pitch deeper into the game. It's kind of like starting a weightlifting program ftom scratch. Maybe you start with 10 reps per set at a low weight that's not a challenge for you until you're comfortable increasing your workload. Pitchers who are locks to make the team are only focused on making sure that their arms feel good and they're able to execute their pitches effectively; they ramp up toward throwing more pitches as camp progresses.

Now these 1-2 inning starts at the beginning of major league camp are typically not a problem since the teams have so many players at their disposal; they can give a bunch of pitchers an inning or so . With the hard limit on the player pool this year they made adjustments to the length of the exhibition games to accomodate those situations. The relief pitchers are on a schedule too; at the beginning of camp they aren't stretched out to pitch consecutive games. As a result teams may run out of available pitchers if they play 9.

Depending on what the COVID-19 rules are next year major league camps may return to full capacity and these altered game lengths disappear.

There's a lot that's wrong with MLB today. Although I do like the 3 batter minimum rule for pitching changes I don't care for other rule changes, like the automatic runner on second in extra innings. That one's garbage. If they want to speed things up just end the game after 9 innings if it's not the playoffs. Ties are ok for soccer (hockey too I think) and little league, why not MLB ? If the game ends that way at least your team didn't lose. Tiebreakers can be used to determine the 1st place team if it comes down to ties figuring in the standings. A tie is a natural possible outcome of the game already: there's no meddling.

They should already be eliminating extra innings in college baseball to maximize the student-athletes' rest and study time. First and foremost their priority should be their studies; the competitions are just supposed to be a form of academic enrichment. After all, do fans really care about the outcome of a single college game in a week's time ? Not unless they're superfans or they're posting on a message board devoted to said sports team and happen to start a topic on it. Imagine how fewer the losses would be for UCD if there were no 10th inning. Like 3 at least per year.

Some Aggie trivia:

Vaughn has 1 tie in his coaching record. This is from a Sunday game in the 2015 opening series at Texas State. A tie was forced because the Aggies had to leave to catch their flight home. In a way, the Aggies swept that series because they captured all the wins that were awarded.

Beware, MLB has some partnerships with independent minor league baseball to test rule changes, and one thing they're testing in the Pioneer league (teams like the Boise Hawks, Billings Mustangs, etc) is the biggest bastardization of the game yet- a knockout round instead of extra innings ! After the completion of nine innings each team selects 1 player to participate in a homerun derby. Each player gets I think 10 swings, and whichever one has the most his team wins. This is an ok solution for independent leagues because they have a more limited player pool (no other teams to pull players from like in MLB) and often the games put a real strain on pitchers because quite frankly these teams are typically not as good as even your average double-A team. They're higher-scoring affairs with weaker pitching and defense. If that comes to MLB....

And these attempts to endear the players to fans orchestrated by MLB are just obnoxious. Player nickname day celebration is so stupid. Players wear jerseys with their nickname on them. Play the game-I don't give a whooping funt what they call them in the clubhouse. Most of ballplayer nicknames are stupid anyhow. They just add -y or -er to a player's first or last name. Other times they're inside jokes. Keep your jokes, folks. I pay to see the game not hear about behind the scenes crap.

Even the smart guys for UCD can't spot a good nickname opportunity when they see it. Take former infielder Mason Novak for instance. The Office was not so far removed from its last episode when he played but I heard not one player call him "Ryan" or "Ryan the Temp". Now that would have been a smart nickname. For background on that, one of the show's writers and principal actors was B.J. Novak. What a waste of an opportunity.

I swear this to be true, but at one of the Cal Poly games there was a Mustang batter named Nick and his teammate was encouraging him with "go Nick-er!" Do not do that, lest ye be cancelled by leftist trolls, sir. Makes me wonder how the Cal Poly announcer handled Mitch Haniger at bats. Probably a longer pause between syllables. "Now batting...Mitch. Ha.....ni...............ger."

One of the reasons for the lower batting averages is the meddling of analytics nerds in the game. They compile reports and filter down information to coaches about how a player needs to alter their stance and swing in order to hit for more power, and the focus of most players is to swing for the fences every time because some nerd is whispering in their coaches' ears + they'll get benched if they don't listen. The all-or-nothing approach results in a lot more strikeouts. You know something's wrong when Austin Slater has seven homeruns before the All-Star break, when really before 2020 it was more likely to take him 3 years to hit that many.

Off course the pitchers' cheating has something to do with it. Kevin Gausman and Anthony Desclafani were mediocre at best before coming to SF and now they're putting up jaw-dropping numbers. No, I'm not buying the idea that a change of scenery alone made that possible.

Also, they deadened the baseball a bit this year to cut down on the homeruns but the players haven't adjusted their approach. Still playing homerun derby and making more outs when they don't quite get everything out of a pitch and swing.

Really MLB has deteriorated into each teams' back office nerds essentially engaging in robot battles.

Yes, the Lumberjacks are still in the CCAA, but not for all sports (no baseball team).

Going to the CCAA site I saw UCSD men's basketball went 30-1 in 2019-20 ! Both the men's and women's teams won conference titles. Well, that UCD loss stings a little less now...

Angela: "Well, maybe that's because some people treat it like their own private Hooters strip club."

Michael Scott: "Whoa, Angela, hold on. Hooters is a restaurant with over 400 locations worldwide."

The first time I ever got buzzed I picked up my Gameboy and played a Castlevania game and there were people babbling in Japanese about Dracula. Then I fought a big snake and the game was over. First time I ever picked up the gsme...

And none of that was as confusing as what you said about Fresno just now....Just kidding !

Played that same game completely sober..never encountered the snake again.

Going to see Frozen in Tulsa on the 13th too ? Sorry, but the lack of specificity left that one wide open. LOL. I'm sure it involves that fancy "fooseball".

Actually that was wrong. It was four years after the 2017 season

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2017/12/14/Matt_Vaughn_Signs_Four_Year_Extension

I remember them saying he got a five-year contract extension after his last full winning season (2015). Since that would have only taken him through the 2020 season he must have already been under contract for 2016 at least. As a result he may come up for renewal this year, if we assume that 2016 was the last season of his previous deal.

I do not know if they will continue it post-pandemic but I remember in 2019 at least there was a Woodstock's pizza cart on weekends that sold beer. This year the concession stand was closed, although I seem to recall a food truck parked outside 1 game.

I recall in a press release a couple years ago Vaughn was excited they recruited a player from San Diego because they don't often get players from there. I think that player was Cade Wesolowsky, who never played a single game at UCD.

I see the merit of having lights for the purpose of the student-athletes having more flexibility with practice times and missing fewer classes. Aside from that I don't see it doing much to boost attendance, especially since night games conflict with study time. I seriously doubt the townies in Davis will ever care about UCD baseball.

In UCI baseball's case I would say their current recruiting success is largely due to sustained winning, even if they don't finish first. You have to recruit the best players to win, but you have to win to recruit the best players. I remember even in 2002 when they reinstated their program UCI was pretty good. They were able to recruit a lot of players who wanted to be pioneers in Anteater baseball history. Maybe UCD should get rid of its program for 20 years and bring it back ? LOL.

I'm not sure if Northridge has lights yet. Bakersfield has them, and I think UCSD does too (although both ballparks have considerably smaller capacity, and aren't as nice. ) Triton Ballpark seems kind of minimal, but I believe it was built when the team was Division III so there was no need to have a big facility. I know CSUN got a big donation that was supposed to pay for it.

I know of 3 other Division I teams that don't have lights and they're all in the West Coast Conference-St. Mary's, Pepperdine and San Francisco. San Francisco probably won't ever get them because Benedetti Diamond is in the middle of a wealthy neighborhhood where they don't want to disturb the neighbors at night.

St. Mary's is working just to even get permanent seating right now. They have just old creaky bleachers, especially on the visiting side. Guisto Field doesn't have restrooms either. You have to go to the new fitness center next door and freak out the students waiting to go exercise with your 'ancient-ness". I joke though; the people were all very pleasant.

I thought I read Pepperdine doesn't plan to get them. And that makes sense, it would ruin the view to play in the dark.

San Jose State doesn't really have its own regular ballpark. They play their games in city-owned Excite Ballpark, where they are basically squatters. I got a very good look at the entire ballpark and there are no indications that SJSU ever plays there. They have Blethen Field across the street, but apparently it's only suitable to serve as a practice facility. So technically they don't have lights because they don't have their own ballpark.

By that token the Long Beach State Gender-ambivalent Sharks don't have lights either. Blair Field is also a city-owned park, and doesn't belong to LBSU.. If LBSU has lights because they play at Blair Field then the Aggies have lights every time they play Fullerton at Raley Field in 2005.

Funding is a big deal. It affects the quality of players they can recruit.

You probably remember the basketball teams of that era too. The Aggies didn't always have an athletic and physical advantage. They won with smarts and better coaching. Well, in D-I baseball the players are smarter (at baseball) and more physical, even Sac State. You should see a Causeway Classic baseball match-up. You'd swear the guys in green were representing the UC., making all the plays. Actually that probably wouldn't be that fun. Forget I said that.

But games at Dobbins are just home games basically for the visiting team :(

I will be happy to start a baseball thread on this.

I thought non-binary meant someone identifies as neither (or both) gender(s) ? When did Gunrock come out ? I was at UCD the first year of Gunrock. They introduced him at Aggie Jam.

Thanks for taking the time to talk me away from the ledge.

I think you made a very astute observation of what I'm dealing with. If it were just a bad baseball team that would be easier to deal with, but there's also the problem with the other fans (and this is not just UCD games). Their behavior causes some serious anxiety and that's enough to keep me from wanting to go. There's something wrong when I'd rather watch Chico State beat on Fresno Pacific or Cal Poly lose to Hawaii. I talked myself out of the spite trip though even this morning in the SJ train station I was thinking hmm...only 5hr trip from here.

And to relate this to current events I'm fairly certain I passed the site of the mass railyard shooting the day before it happened. I was staying and watching baseball (San Jose Giants) about 3 miles from the action. Saw a weird-looking column of smoke in the distance that must have been from the wall of police vehicles..

I will say that visiting an old-timey stadium like Excite Ballpark is good for reviving interest in baseball with all of the nostalgia. There's a picture of George Brett in a San Jose Bees uniform. Apparently San Jose was an affiliate of the KC Royals back in the 70's. There's also a quote from the late Tommy LaSorda saying that if former catcher Mike Sciosia ran in a race against his pregnant wife he'd finish third. There's one from Yogi Berra saying that when he orders a pizza he asks them to cut it into four slices because he can't eat six.

The Lake Elsinore Storm's shortstop is named Jordy Barley. It would be really funny if he were traded to the Diamondbacks. There would then be a good chance he'd play for their High-A affilate- the HILLSBORO HOPS. Lake Elsinore's catcher is named Alison Quintero. Think his parents wanted a daughter much ? The SJ Giants have a guy named Brett Auerbach. He was at 2B in Game 1, catcher in game 2, and left field in game 3. Apparently he can play at least six positions and hit well too. Didn't get drafted. The Giants signed him for no more than a $20,000.00 bonus. This kind of thing will happen more often now that the draft has been shortened to 20 rounds. What it means is that the Aggies will lose fewer players prematurely because they tend to have players drafted in later rounds. Tanner Murray (4th round pick) was an outlier.

And then I went to a River Cats game today and that reversed that progress because adult River Cats fans are mostly 30-40 ish idiots who are there to pretend they're longtime Giants fans (but strangely have amnesia about anything that happened before October 2010), drink too much, and get up every 3 minutes for food.

So we'll have to see how I feel come Feb. Winter boredom springs eternal.

Fresno this past weekend. Big empty ballpark. Doubt if there were even 500 spectators with a 10,000 capacity. I'd been once before but had vastly different seats. Nice view of downtown. Too bad that part of downtown is so minimal in food and entertainment.