One of my favorite movies is "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," the story of game show host Chuck Barris, who doubles as a CIA hit man. At one point when Barris finds out that his game shows have been taken off the air, he says. "I pushed them into the world through the birth canal of my imagination."
OK, I'm not going to compare putting out a football section to child birth, but I know how Barris feels. The Enterprise staff completed another bang-up special section on Wednesday night. It was a long and tough process, with several bumps along the way but we think you'll find the section informative and entertaining.
Look for the 2007 Football Preview in Thursday's Enterprise.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Coming this afternoon
Here's what to expect in the Enterprise sports section today:
The Marshall plan?
SAN FRANCISCO — A tremendous comeback was not enough for UC Davis senior Matt Marshall. Marshall battled back from a two-hole deficit on the back nine to square his match with Kyle Dickey in the first round of match play at the 107th U.S. Amateur Championship at the Olympic Club on Wednesday, but lost a late 1-up decision and was eliminated.
UC Davis thinks there’s life after Kays
Tony Kays — who took UC Davis’ all-time receptions record with him when graduated — is not the sort of player whose
production can be replaced by just one person. But that’s actually the good news, say the Aggie receivers. UCD has pinned many of its offensive hopes on a deep and experienced group of pass-catchers. The Aggies hope that having multiple threats will force defenses into difficult decisions.
DHS wants to keep players fresh
As the season wore on last season, Davis High football head coach Jim Johnson realized that playing both ways was tiring his players out. It wasn’t so much that individual players were gasping for air, but it was showing in the team’s performance.
As practice has gotten underway this season, Johnson and his staff have already taken steps to avoid those letdowns in the later stages of games. The team has been divided into offense and defense with the offensive players wearing white practice jerseys and the defense wearing blue.
The Marshall plan?
SAN FRANCISCO — A tremendous comeback was not enough for UC Davis senior Matt Marshall. Marshall battled back from a two-hole deficit on the back nine to square his match with Kyle Dickey in the first round of match play at the 107th U.S. Amateur Championship at the Olympic Club on Wednesday, but lost a late 1-up decision and was eliminated.
UC Davis thinks there’s life after Kays
Tony Kays — who took UC Davis’ all-time receptions record with him when graduated — is not the sort of player whose
production can be replaced by just one person. But that’s actually the good news, say the Aggie receivers. UCD has pinned many of its offensive hopes on a deep and experienced group of pass-catchers. The Aggies hope that having multiple threats will force defenses into difficult decisions.
DHS wants to keep players fresh
As the season wore on last season, Davis High football head coach Jim Johnson realized that playing both ways was tiring his players out. It wasn’t so much that individual players were gasping for air, but it was showing in the team’s performance.
As practice has gotten underway this season, Johnson and his staff have already taken steps to avoid those letdowns in the later stages of games. The team has been divided into offense and defense with the offensive players wearing white practice jerseys and the defense wearing blue.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Butter up at Pioneer
Scanning the football rosters on maxpreps.com the last few weeks, the staff has noticed the amount of graduated seniors on area football teams. Pioneer High is certainly one of those as the Patriots lost Davis Enterprise Player of the Year Shane Rosin along with quarterback Enrique Fernandez, wide receiver Andrew Marquez and hard-hitting linebackers Jeremy and Josh Hutchison.
Heck, the Pats even lost energetic coach Joey Montoya, who left for Placer.
That leaves new coach David Butterworth, the former UC Davis and Davis High star, with some big questions to be answered. For more on Pioneer and the rest of the area teams, check out the Enterprise’s pull-out football section on Aug. 30.
Speaking of Rosin, he’ll be running at Yuba College in the fall for coach and Davis resident Ted Hoal.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Plough named starting quarterback
Tim Plough will start at quarterback for UC Davis in Sept. 1's season opener against Western Washington. Aggie coach Bob Biggs made the announcement after morning practice on Monday afternoon. Plough had been competing with fellow senior Matt Engle for the starting nod since spring practice.
See Tuesday's Enterprise for the full story.
See Tuesday's Enterprise for the full story.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Stadium news
The area media got a tour of Aggie Stadium on Friday from associate athletic director Bob Bullis. Here he is showing off the working media room, where The Enterprise will be stationed for fall Sundays in the foreseeable future. You cannot imagine how excited I am not to have to cover another season in Toomey. I imagine longtime Aggie fans have plenty of happy memories over at 5th and A, but from my perspective, it just wasn't comfortable.One bit of news to come out of the tour, UCD's sideline has been moved to the near side, meaning it will be closest to the press box. During much of the planning phase, the team was supposed to be on the far side in front of the students for sportsmanship reasons. Many in the football program wanted to be on the near side in order to be in the shade, much like at Toomey. But that has, apparently, changed. For the record, the media pack walked the field at around 2:15 on Friday afternoon and there was no shade anywhere. Adjusting for the shorter days, I'm still not convinced the Ags or Western Washington will have any sort of break from the sun on Sept. 1. I did see some large fans on the sidelines during the scrimmage, and I assume those will be employed to keep everyone cool during the hot days.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
O'Sullivan gets look
Former UC Davis star J.T. O'Sullivan continued to see action for the Detroit Lions in the second game of the preseason, a 23-20 win over the Browns. O'Sullivan entered the game in the third quarter and was 3-for-7 for 43 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Dan Orlovsky, who O'Sullivan is trying to beat out for the No. 2 job, was 2-for-5 for 34 yards.
Another former Aggie, Tony Kays, had one catch for 22 yards in the Bengals' 27-19 loss to the Saints.
Another former Aggie, Tony Kays, had one catch for 22 yards in the Bengals' 27-19 loss to the Saints.
Not The Junction Boys
Usually when high school football coaches are portrayed in movies they are screaming at players after every mistake and certainly not trying to be anyone’s friend. A quick trip out to Davis High School football practice well tell you that that is not the only style that is successful.
Head man Jim Johnson and his assistants certainly raise their voice when necessary but there is a different more positive vibe to their practices. One play after laying into a player for a mistake, Johnson will often be heard making a joke or giving some positive encouragement.
Obviously it isn’t brain surgery, but taking the time to positively reinforce and keep the players in a good mood seems to be working for DHS. Not only has the team been steadily improving over the past few years and perhaps even more telling, the number of players on the team has gone back up after reaching dangerous lows a few years ago.
On Friday, former head coach Dave Whitmire, who retired after the 1999 season, was on hand to help out. Another coach who balanced a laid-back attitude with some fire and brimstone when necessary, Whitmire was also the last man to take the Blue Devils to the postseason. His style was unquestioned and when he left, the number of players going out for football started to decline. It could be a coincidence, but it seems, at least in Davis, the coaching style works.
- Chris Saur; Photo by Greg Rihl
Friday, August 17, 2007
Coming this afternoon
This is what to expect in today's Davis Enterprise sports section:
Rule changes to affect Ags
UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs calls the Aggies’ offensive plays and reports he is completely happy with the NCAA’s rule changes for the football season. He expects the UCD defensive coaches might have some different feelings though. Between attempting to improve everyone’s field position and then returning about 14 more plays to the average game, this college football season could be a offensive bonanza.
Palamo to play rugby in France
Davis High School graduate Thretton Palamo was one of 30 U.S. players named this week to play in the Rugby World Cup, held in France in September. Palamo, a center for the San Francisco Golden Gate, was picked by USA Rugby’s men’s national coach Peter Thorburn.
Rule changes to affect Ags
UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs calls the Aggies’ offensive plays and reports he is completely happy with the NCAA’s rule changes for the football season. He expects the UCD defensive coaches might have some different feelings though. Between attempting to improve everyone’s field position and then returning about 14 more plays to the average game, this college football season could be a offensive bonanza.
Palamo to play rugby in France
Davis High School graduate Thretton Palamo was one of 30 U.S. players named this week to play in the Rugby World Cup, held in France in September. Palamo, a center for the San Francisco Golden Gate, was picked by USA Rugby’s men’s national coach Peter Thorburn.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Coming this afternoon
Well-rested Mike Mirer is back from vacation, so look for plenty of updates on UC Davis football practice in the coming weeks, leading up to the season opener against Western Washington. Also, the Enterprise sports staff has begun work on its football preview section this week. Photographer Greg Rihl was at Pioneer and Woodland high practices on Tuesday catching up with new coaches, David Butterworth and Bert Salinas.
Here's what to expect in today's Davis Enterprise:
UC Davis backfield getting thin
The first major injury of UC Davis’ fall football camp turned out to be less serious than it initially looked. And, given the Aggies’ depth concerns at running back, that was especially welcome news. An MRI on junior running back Demario Warren’s knee showed a sprain rather than the torn ligament coaches initially feared. He’ll still miss some time, perhaps into the season, but the Aggies had been counting on his steady hand atop a young depth chart. Warren is the UCD’s only experienced running back, and has been projected as the starter this year.
Yolo Post juniors third at state
When the Yolo Post 77 Junior American Legion baseball team lost two games on Monday and was knocked out of the State Championship tournament in Yountville, the players and coaches certainly were upset with their performance. It didn’t take long, however, for the team to put things in perspective. After winning the District 6 and Area 1 championships, Yolo took third place at state, losing only to Chino and Oxnard, the two teams that played in the championship game.
Here's what to expect in today's Davis Enterprise:
UC Davis backfield getting thin
The first major injury of UC Davis’ fall football camp turned out to be less serious than it initially looked. And, given the Aggies’ depth concerns at running back, that was especially welcome news. An MRI on junior running back Demario Warren’s knee showed a sprain rather than the torn ligament coaches initially feared. He’ll still miss some time, perhaps into the season, but the Aggies had been counting on his steady hand atop a young depth chart. Warren is the UCD’s only experienced running back, and has been projected as the starter this year.
Yolo Post juniors third at state
When the Yolo Post 77 Junior American Legion baseball team lost two games on Monday and was knocked out of the State Championship tournament in Yountville, the players and coaches certainly were upset with their performance. It didn’t take long, however, for the team to put things in perspective. After winning the District 6 and Area 1 championships, Yolo took third place at state, losing only to Chino and Oxnard, the two teams that played in the championship game.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Broadcast notes
The Sacramento Kings released their preseason schedule today, which means we can start talking about the broadcast end of this football season. Both of UC Davis football's electronic partners for football -- Comcast SportsNet and KHTK 1140 AM -- have primary arrangements with the Kings. The Aggies, both in terms of TV and radio, have to be pieced onto the schedules after the NBA picks its dates.
The most troubling piece of the schedule is Nov. 3's Causeway Classic. The Aggies' game at Sacramento State is scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. kickoff. The Kings are scheduled to play in Dallas at 5:30 p.m. PT. Factor in KHTK's hour-long pregame and you get a conflict. So the Aggies likely will be bumped from their station. The timing of that game also means that Comcast is unlikely to pick up the Causeway, unless it can get Sac State to move the game time. If TV wants that, it will get it. For those that are feeling especially optimistic, it's worth noting that the Kings play at Philadelphia on Dec. 14, the same time as the Division I Football Championship game.
I've heard that Comcast is leaning toward televising one Aggie home game, Oct. 27's tilt against South Dakota State. This is all subject to change, of course. And we'll keep you posted.
The most troubling piece of the schedule is Nov. 3's Causeway Classic. The Aggies' game at Sacramento State is scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. kickoff. The Kings are scheduled to play in Dallas at 5:30 p.m. PT. Factor in KHTK's hour-long pregame and you get a conflict. So the Aggies likely will be bumped from their station. The timing of that game also means that Comcast is unlikely to pick up the Causeway, unless it can get Sac State to move the game time. If TV wants that, it will get it. For those that are feeling especially optimistic, it's worth noting that the Kings play at Philadelphia on Dec. 14, the same time as the Division I Football Championship game.
I've heard that Comcast is leaning toward televising one Aggie home game, Oct. 27's tilt against South Dakota State. This is all subject to change, of course. And we'll keep you posted.
Poll Position
The first Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision poll is out, and four UC Davis opponents are in the Top 20. There are three Great West Football Conference teams (No. 4 North Dakota State, No. 15 Cal Poly and No. 20 South Dakota State). Portland State, who the Aggies play on Sept. 8, is ranked 13th in the nation. Counting further down in the Others Receiving Votes category, UCD would be 35th. I'll be clear here in saying that I believe preseason polls to be near meaningless, especially given the imperfect information that abounds in FCS-level football. But that's also why I chose to vote, because the poll is designed to aide coverage and has no bearing at all on the postseason.
So here's how I voted in this poll:
1. Appalachian State
2. North Dakota State
3. Montana
4. UMass
5. Youngstown
6. Northern Iowa
7. Illinois State
8. New Hampshire
9. Portland State
10. Cal Poly
11. McNeese State
12. James Madison
13. Southern Illinois
14. Furman
15. Delaware
16. Wofford
17. Eastern Illinois
18. Tenn.-Martin
19. Hampton
20. Lafayette
21. Sam Houston St.
22. Montana St.
23. Lehigh
24. Central Arkansas
25. UC Davis
You can see another man's opinion here. He, apparently, is an even bigger Great West homer than I am. For what it's worth, I had South Dakota State about 26th in my head. Perhaps I'm underrating the Jacks at my own peril, especially after what I've seen them do to the Aggies the last two seasons. But SDSU should be used to that by now.
So here's how I voted in this poll:
1. Appalachian State
2. North Dakota State
3. Montana
4. UMass
5. Youngstown
6. Northern Iowa
7. Illinois State
8. New Hampshire
9. Portland State
10. Cal Poly
11. McNeese State
12. James Madison
13. Southern Illinois
14. Furman
15. Delaware
16. Wofford
17. Eastern Illinois
18. Tenn.-Martin
19. Hampton
20. Lafayette
21. Sam Houston St.
22. Montana St.
23. Lehigh
24. Central Arkansas
25. UC Davis
You can see another man's opinion here. He, apparently, is an even bigger Great West homer than I am. For what it's worth, I had South Dakota State about 26th in my head. Perhaps I'm underrating the Jacks at my own peril, especially after what I've seen them do to the Aggies the last two seasons. But SDSU should be used to that by now.
Monday, August 13, 2007
An early snub?
There were a handful of UC Davis programs last season that looked like they were headed in the right direction in the final year of the transition. Women’s soccer was one of those after posting a 9-6-2 record, including two wins and two ties against the Big West Conference a year ago.
The Aggies, however, didn’t receive a lot of love from fellow Big West coaches recently when they were picked to finish eighth in the conference, just ahead of UC Irvine. UCD loses just four seniors from last year’s team and returns its leading scorer in Dayna Dumont as well as fellow seniors, goalkeeper Megan Daws (seven shutouts) and midfielder and Davis High grad Megan Wall.
In the coaches’ defense, seven of the eight Big West schools posted winning records, including Long Beach State (14-5-1) picked to win the conference this season. The Aggies toppled the nationally ranked 49ers 2-1 last year.
UCD opens its exhibition slate at 1 p.m. Sunday against Chico State. The Ags' first official game is Aug. 31 against Kent State.
The Aggies, however, didn’t receive a lot of love from fellow Big West coaches recently when they were picked to finish eighth in the conference, just ahead of UC Irvine. UCD loses just four seniors from last year’s team and returns its leading scorer in Dayna Dumont as well as fellow seniors, goalkeeper Megan Daws (seven shutouts) and midfielder and Davis High grad Megan Wall.
In the coaches’ defense, seven of the eight Big West schools posted winning records, including Long Beach State (14-5-1) picked to win the conference this season. The Aggies toppled the nationally ranked 49ers 2-1 last year.
UCD opens its exhibition slate at 1 p.m. Sunday against Chico State. The Ags' first official game is Aug. 31 against Kent State.
Friday, August 10, 2007
O'Sullivan update
It's just exhibition football, but former UC Davis quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan threw for 225 yards and a touchdown on Thursday in the Detroit Lions' 27-26 win over the Bengals. O'Sullivan was 12-for-19 and combined with Detroit's other backup QB, Dan Orlovsky, for three touchdowns and two interceptions. His touchdown was an 83-yard bomb in the second quarter to Shaun McDonald.
As you might remember, O'Sullivan is coming off an excellent season in NFL Europa where he was co-MVP of the league and led the Frankfurt Galaxy to the Arena Bowl.
The Lions are O’Sullivan’s seventh NFL team. It will be worth keeping an eye on whether he can beat out Orlovsky for the No. 2 job. One would think the Lions would be a good opportunity for O'Sullivan. One, offensive coordinator Mike Martz's offense is pass-happy. Two, the Lions appear to have a number of talented receivers like Roy Williams and rookie Calvin Johnson. Three, the starting QB is Jon Kitna, not exactly the kind of guy who is guaranteed to start all 16 games. And lastly, it's the Lions. They should be playing catch-up in a number of games.
Ex-UCD wide receiver Tony Kays, who is on the Bengals' roster, had one pass thrown his way in the fourth quarter but did not post any stats.
As you might remember, O'Sullivan is coming off an excellent season in NFL Europa where he was co-MVP of the league and led the Frankfurt Galaxy to the Arena Bowl.
The Lions are O’Sullivan’s seventh NFL team. It will be worth keeping an eye on whether he can beat out Orlovsky for the No. 2 job. One would think the Lions would be a good opportunity for O'Sullivan. One, offensive coordinator Mike Martz's offense is pass-happy. Two, the Lions appear to have a number of talented receivers like Roy Williams and rookie Calvin Johnson. Three, the starting QB is Jon Kitna, not exactly the kind of guy who is guaranteed to start all 16 games. And lastly, it's the Lions. They should be playing catch-up in a number of games.
Ex-UCD wide receiver Tony Kays, who is on the Bengals' roster, had one pass thrown his way in the fourth quarter but did not post any stats.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
National exposure
One UC Davis program to keep an eye on this fall is men's soccer. The Aggies were more than impressive against the Big West Conference last season, compiling a 7-3-2 mark. That included a home win against UC Santa Barbara, which went on to win the national championship.
The Gauchos are ranked No. 3 in the country in College Sports News' preseason poll and have the No. 13-ranked recruiting class as well. Santa Barbara is in Davis on Sept. 29. (Yes, that's the same day the UCD football team travels to San Jose State). UCD travels to Santa Barbara on Oct. 12.
The Aggies, who have their top scorer back in Quincy Amarikwa (nine goals), open the season Aug. 31 at the Xavier Tournament.
The Gauchos are ranked No. 3 in the country in College Sports News' preseason poll and have the No. 13-ranked recruiting class as well. Santa Barbara is in Davis on Sept. 29. (Yes, that's the same day the UCD football team travels to San Jose State). UCD travels to Santa Barbara on Oct. 12.
The Aggies, who have their top scorer back in Quincy Amarikwa (nine goals), open the season Aug. 31 at the Xavier Tournament.
Pigskins in August
It's a rare day when the entire sports department is in the office at the same time. It's not that we don't like one another. We're usually just in and out at different times.
Last week was one of those rare occasions - to discuss the annual football tab at Steve's Pizza next door to the Enterprise. While I can't go into specific details of this year's special section, it should be another good read and give plenty of perspective on UC Davis' first official season in Division I. Graphics guru Shawn Collins was on hand to help us with cover ideas.
Oh, and if you can't wait for prep football season, here are the season openers for all of the area teams on Sept. 7: Davis at Woodland, Pioneer at Vacaville and Linden at Dixon. Winters starts a week earlier as usual with an Aug. 31 home game against Rio Vista.
Last week was one of those rare occasions - to discuss the annual football tab at Steve's Pizza next door to the Enterprise. While I can't go into specific details of this year's special section, it should be another good read and give plenty of perspective on UC Davis' first official season in Division I. Graphics guru Shawn Collins was on hand to help us with cover ideas.
Oh, and if you can't wait for prep football season, here are the season openers for all of the area teams on Sept. 7: Davis at Woodland, Pioneer at Vacaville and Linden at Dixon. Winters starts a week earlier as usual with an Aug. 31 home game against Rio Vista.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
On the farm
With Dave McKae as a clear exception, it's been a tough summer for some former UC Davis baseball players in the minor leagues. Here's a quick update in early August:
* Fourth-round pick Daniel Descalso (Cardinals) hasn't found his stroke for the Batavia (N.Y.) Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League. Descalso is hitting .224 in 40 games and has just three extra-base hits in 147 at-bats.
* Things are better for Descalso's ex-teammate Aaron Hanke (Diamondbacks) for the Yakima (Wash.) Bears in the Northwest League. Hanke is hitting a modest .255 but has 11 doubles, three triples, four homers and an OPS of .777.
* Another Northwest guy, Tyler LaTorre (Giants) has raised his average to .260 and his on-base percentage to .362 in part-time duty for the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes, who are 35-9 overall.
* Ryan Coultas (Mets) has seen time in Single- and Double-A this season. Coultas is hitting .188 in Binghampton of the Eastern League and .241 with 22 RBIs for St. Lucie in the Florida State League.
* Kris Negron (Red Sox) who redshirted at UC Davis but then transferred to Cosumnes River College, is hitting .229 with 23 steals for the Greenville (S.C.) Drive of the South Atlantic League.
* Even McKae, the Connecticut Defenders ace, ran into some tough luck lately as he was was bombed for 11 hits and 10 earned runs in two innings at Portland.
* Fourth-round pick Daniel Descalso (Cardinals) hasn't found his stroke for the Batavia (N.Y.) Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League. Descalso is hitting .224 in 40 games and has just three extra-base hits in 147 at-bats.
* Things are better for Descalso's ex-teammate Aaron Hanke (Diamondbacks) for the Yakima (Wash.) Bears in the Northwest League. Hanke is hitting a modest .255 but has 11 doubles, three triples, four homers and an OPS of .777.
* Another Northwest guy, Tyler LaTorre (Giants) has raised his average to .260 and his on-base percentage to .362 in part-time duty for the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes, who are 35-9 overall.
* Ryan Coultas (Mets) has seen time in Single- and Double-A this season. Coultas is hitting .188 in Binghampton of the Eastern League and .241 with 22 RBIs for St. Lucie in the Florida State League.
* Kris Negron (Red Sox) who redshirted at UC Davis but then transferred to Cosumnes River College, is hitting .229 with 23 steals for the Greenville (S.C.) Drive of the South Atlantic League.
* Even McKae, the Connecticut Defenders ace, ran into some tough luck lately as he was was bombed for 11 hits and 10 earned runs in two innings at Portland.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Gone Fishin'
I like the UC Davis men's basketball schedule, which was mostly released today. Clearly getting another Pac-10 team to play at The Pavilion is a major coup for Gary Stewart. Oregon State's visit is, without a doubt, the highlight of the home schedule. We'll have a full story on that tomorrow afternoon.
And on that note, I'm off to the East Coast for the next week to gather my strength for the upcoming year. Hard to believe it's starting already. Super sports editor Matt O'Donnell will be taking care of the blog in my absence. I'll have a story about the opening of football practice during the middle of next week, and we'll start looking at things in earnest then.
And on that note, I'm off to the East Coast for the next week to gather my strength for the upcoming year. Hard to believe it's starting already. Super sports editor Matt O'Donnell will be taking care of the blog in my absence. I'll have a story about the opening of football practice during the middle of next week, and we'll start looking at things in earnest then.
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