March Madness

Michigan (maize-colored uniforms) blew out
Texas A&M (burgundy unies) from the beginning
in the first game of the Sweet 16 doubleheader
at the Staples Center. (Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

Going to the West Regional of NCAA men's basketball, "March Madness", was interesting and fun.

The fun part was spending three days (65 hours) with high school teammates, two of whom I hadn't seen since the day they graduated with my older brother Steve in 1970. Also, very meaningful to me was telling my high school basketball coach, John McMullen, how much his instruction and mentoring of me to become a better basketball player meant to me.

Humbled, he said, "Thank you very much." I didn't know if, in the hubbub of the Italian lunch we had with him in Culver City, I'd be able to talk with him. A previous get-together including the same guys, when McMullen was still actively coaching, a few years ago when New Mexico played at Long Beach State, hadn't really allowed for any meaningful interaction.

Coach McMullen, now 78 and an inductee into the California Community College Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, was in good shape, sharp, and remembering specific things about our years playing under him. That was pretty exciting and satisfying--when you can swap stories and, at our ages, have recall and enough energy to enjoy it.

Frankly, the interaction with the guys was much more satisfying than the actual games themselves. My energy level being what it is at age 63, by late afternoon and into the evening I'm not brimming with vigor, even on my "extra tank" of adrenaline. Michigan defeating two opponents is pretty much the summation of the three games spread over three days: The Wolverine fans, in maize and blue, dominated to the point of being about 80 percent of the vocal crowd at Saturday's game, March 24, when Michigan overcame a good Florida State squad.

The "interesting" part was staying at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles, near the Staples Center. It is a gritty area, urbanized, rough, and populated with plenty of unfortunate homeless people. Wandering the streets at night is probably not the best option, so that definitely affected the tenor of the trip. Good rate at the hotel, close location to the venue, but not an easy area to negotiate.

On Saturday we happened to be a few blocks from the L.A. version of the anti-gun "March for Our Lives". Some of the participants grabbed a bite to eat at the Subway next to our hotel, and we watched Emma Gonzalez's speech on TV, so I felt like I experienced a tiny bit of the event.

I enjoyed the most like-spirited guys who swapped stories about intermediate school (we didn't have a junior high in Camarillo) and high school. A neat balance, totally unplanned and unintended, was an even three-three split between those of us who had attended Las Posas Elementary School (including myself and my brother) and the trio from El Rancho, across town. The same order persisted two days later, even after two of us six had to depart for other commitments: two from Las Posas (guess who), two who attended El Rancho.

LJ baseball: Photos 3/21

By Ed Piper

LJ baseball 0, Parker 4

Centerfielder Blaise Gimber works a walk in
the fifth inning. (Photo by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's baseball team, young and frisky and sporting a 4-2 record, went to Parker Wednesday night, March 21, and ran into Lancer sophomore right-hander Joseph Cetale, who held them scoreless for 4 1/3 innings.

That in itself was notable, because Viking hitters carried a healthy, if not robust, .296 team batting average coming into the GMC Tournament game at the private school in Linda Vista.

In the end, the visitors were only able to garner three hits in total against three Parker hurlers, and fell, 4-0. 

Cetale, a big, angular lefty whose father came from Colombia, where baseball is growing in cities bordering the Gulf of Mexico, held Coach Gary Frank's lineup to a pair of singles by sophomore Cooper McNally over the first four innings.

Viking third baseman Jake Klimkiewicz, a freshman, added a base knock off Cetale in the fifth for La Jolla's third and final hit.

The game was a reunion of sort, with Parker's battery of Mike Campagna and Cetale coming from playing in La Jolla Mustang youth baseball years ago with Viking Johnny Meyerott and others.

The Vikings finally mounted a threat in the top of the fifth, loading the bases on walks by Blaise Gimber and Aidan "Hype" Suljic before Jake Klimkiewicz bunted cleanly down the third base line to get aboard, moving Gimber and Suljic to second and third, respectively.

Actually, Blaise had stolen second before Suljic's base on balls on a spectacular head-first slide in which he eluded second baseman Tristan Neel's tag by heading around the right side of the bag to reach out and touch it. Leading off from first base, Gimber, who is manning centerfield, took off on a steal attempt while Cetale, facing him as a left-hander, was still in the stretch. The pitcher threw behind the base runner to first baseman Mike Yourg, who had to quickly catch and fire the ball to Neel at second. It was too late.

But with the bases loaded and no outs, La Jolla, uncharacteristically, was unable to punch a run home. The next three batters, in slots nine, one, and two in the order, each struck out, the latter two swinging.

Yourg, the big senior first baseman who is headed to USD on the merits of his hitting, relieved Cetale in only his second appearance of the season after the first strikeout. He then showed a good fastball with his straight overhand motion to fan the next two batters.

Viking starter Koa Scott, like his opposite number on the Lancers a 10th-grader, showed good location in keeping his pitches low in the zone, with an effective curveball. "He's a sophomore, so even he doesn't throw hard (yet), he pitches like a power pitcher, not a finesse pitcher," said La Jolla pitching consultant Jake Grosz. "He comes right at the hitter."

Scott, in his third start of the season, gave up runs in the first, third, and fifth innings. The right-hander came in with an 0-1 record, nine strikeouts and three walks in nine innings, and a 3.11 earned run average.

"I left the one curveball up," remarked Scott with regret, referring either to the RBI single he gave up to Campagna in the bottom of the first or the RBI double he gave up to Sterling Hayes in the bottom of the third.

LJ g lax vs. Cathedral Catholic: Photos 3/20

By Ed Piper