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Bulldogs going the distance

This year’s return of the men’s cross country team at Fresno State has given the track team new hope.

After cross country was cut in 2003, the track team lost its distance runners, who had participated in both cross country and track events.

The lack of distance runners was hard for the track team to overcome, since it had no athletes to compete in distance events. The team was then unable to place at meets, although it still participated.

Track star Ryan Moore, a senior, recalled the frustration experienced by the team.

“We weren’t able to score a lot of points in track because of that,�? Moore said.

Distance coach Joe Gonzales agreed that it was a difficult time. “We are the type of team that fights for every point, but we can’t fight when we don’t have anyone there to compete,�? Gonzales said.

Gonzales was also frustrated at not being able to recruit even average distance runners to Fresno State for track, because there was no cross country team.

“When they dropped it, it was hard to recruit,�? Gonzales said. “You can’t recruit when people won’t even talk to you.�?

Cross country was brought back in July, after a controversial decision that eliminated wrestling.

Gonzales was here when cross country was cut and is now instrumental in recruiting runners to rebuild the team.

“This year I have a lot of distance runners interested in our program,�? Gonzales said. “Next year will be even better, and we will do much better in the WAC than we did this year. It was a blessing for us, but it was bad for wrestling.�?

When the decision was made to allow cross country to return, the track team was excited.

“Having distance runners back has helped us a lot,�? Kellen Kennedy, a jumper and sprinter on the track team, said.

“It allows us to have more athletes and win more meets.�?

Although recruiting started a little thin this year due to the late summer return of the program, Gonzales found a rising star in freshman Frank Sanders.

Sanders, a native of Turlock, is one of five distance runners on the new team. Sanders received a scholarship for his talents in the 800 meter event. Yet, he got even more than he expected when cross country returned.

“I didn’t even know that I was going to do long distance, but when wrestling was dropped and cross country returned, they needed distance runners,�? Sanders said.

The fact that Sanders is a talented freshman bodes well for the future. “It has been good to see a mid-distance guy doing really well, especially as a freshman,�? Moore said.

Sanders expects great things out of his remaining three years at Fresno State.

“The team is really looking to step it up a notch,�? he said. “It’s a slow process since we don’t really have a name for ourselves yet, but we should have a really strong team next year.�?

This weekend Fresno State will be hosting 26 schools for the track and field Cal-Nevada Championships, which Moore described as, “A good opportunity to show other schools what we have.�? Fresno State also hosts the WAC Championships in May.

The return of the cross country team was a vote of confidence by the administration, Moore said. “It now feels like the administration is looking out for our team,�? he said. “It feels like they care. We were on the bubble before, but now they are embracing us.�?

For his part, Kennedy is looking forward to the chance to showcase the new team. “People are starting to respect that ’Dog.�?

‘Dogs continue winning way

The Fresno State women’s tennis team is not only winning, it’s winning in blowout fashion.

Add No. 20 Colorado to the list of the 10-straight opponents the Bulldogs have knocked off, including three that at the time, held a top 25 ranking. In Monday’s match against Colorado, the Bulldogs (12-2) eased their way to a 6-1 victory over the Buffaloes.

The Bulldogs established their dominance early, winning all three of their doubles matches to earn the doubles point. Singles matches for the Bulldogs were no different, as No. 3 Melanie Gloria, No. 71 Renata Kucerkova, No. 70 Anastasia Petukhova and Danon Beatty all buzz-sawed through their opponents.

“We came out very strong in doubles and executed well,�? Fresno State head coach Simon Thibodeau said in a statement. “This was a good Colorado team that had wins over William and Mary and Baylor.�?

The Bulldogs will return to the court Saturday for a noon start against UC Irvine at the Wathen Tennis Center.

Fantasy baseball offers season-long excitement for casual fans

Greetings baseball fans and welcome to another season of major league baseball. With the new season comes many exciting new changes. Every team is starting the season tied for first place and nobody is out of contention quite yet.

But perhaps the most exciting thing about the return of major league baseball for all of us stat-geeks is the beginning of a new fantasy baseball season.

That’s right everybody. Go and buy your new magazines, search to the ends of the Internet, and comb through all of those unknown new players in search of that one “sleeper�? who is going to catapult your team into championship contention.

For those of you who don’t know what fantasy baseball is all about, let me go ahead and give you a quick crash course on the finer points of the game.

Fantasy baseball is a game comprised of many of those pointless stats that all but a very few people in the world care about. The season starts with a draft that is usually held just before the beginning of the regular season. In this draft you simply choose players that you believe will put up the best stats at each position and give you the best chance to win.

There are many different ways the game can be played. The most prevalent is based on total points in head to head match-ups with the others in your league. To put it simply, if the team you put together through your draft scores more points than the team you are up against on that particular day, then you get a win.

The most important stats for players in fantasy baseball are pretty much the most important stats for those in real baseball. Most of your points are going to come from hits, home runs, runs scored, stolen bases, RBIs, wins (by the pitcher), strikeouts and saves.

There are many different options for the fantasy player who wants to join a league. In the early days of fantasy baseball, all of these stats were kept by the commissioner of the league. These days things are much easier.

Fantasy baseball is now primarily Internet-based with some of the more popular fantasy sites being ESPN.com, sportsline.com and yahoo.com. These sites make it very easy and inexpensive for the baseball fan to join a league.

You can get a group of friends together, have a private draft and give your information to one of these sites, which will easily keep all of your stats for you and maintain your league’s standings. Or, if don’t have a group of friends interested in fantasy baseball, you can participate in any number of free Web sites where you can join a league and play with people you don’t know.

So baseball fans, if your favorite team is one that is not typically very successful (i.e. Pirates, Royals, Devil Rays, etc.), and you normally lose interest in the season by the first month, fantasy baseball might be the thing for you. It makes it easy to maintain interest throughout the entire season, because it isn’t about rooting for a team, it’s about rooting for players.

Basketball regional a hit for those in attendance

By Ajay Riding
The Collegian

You can only feel it when you’re there.

It’s not on television. It’s not on the Internet. You have to be in the arena to get the full feeling of March Madness.

Fresno State had the rare opportunity to host a magical event — the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional Finals this past weekend.

Those who were there saw some great basketball, but many local people didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. The Save Mart Center holds more than 15,000 people, but Fresno State Associate Athletic Director Paul Ladwig said the tournament drew crowds of 3,000 to 3,700.

One fan who traveled across the country was Jeff Thomas. Thomas, 47, is from Cincinnati, Ohio. Thomas, a parent of one of the players, has been to other Regional Rounds of NCAA Tournaments.

“The Save Mart Center is a very nice facility,�? Thomas said. “You would always like to see more people here, but it’s not a bad crowd.�?

This isn’t the first time the Save Mart Center has hosted games from the 64-team tournament that crowns the NCAA Women’s Division I national champion.

In 2005, March Madness came to Fresno, where Stanford and Arizona State picked up first-round wins. This time around, Fresno got the chance to host the quarterfinals and see a Final Four team that will continue competing for its chance at history. This year, Louisiana State University easily defeated the University of Connecticut to advance to the Final Four.

The scene couldn’t have been scripted better: A legendary coach leading his storied program against the underdog team amidst national controversy without its head coach. Both teams had traveled more than 1,500 miles and knew all of their training would come down to one “do or die�? game.

The cameras were rolling, the bands were battling and the cheerleaders were tumbling . The anticipation was building before tip off.

But you can only feel it if you’re there.

The stands were filled with Fresno natives, cross-country travelers and numerous media. Each team had a following of more than 150 fans. One of those fans was a dedicated fan who had followed her team for nine years.

Helen Dyer, 62, from Baton Rouge, La., was part of LSU’s cheering section. Dressed in yellow and purple like her fellow LSU fans. Their attire and attitude brought a taste of upper-echelon basketball to Fresno.

“Our accommodations were good here, the food was delicious and the people were so nice,” Dyer said.

Fresno State junior Chris Rogstad, 25, said some of the visiting fans made an impression.

“The fans brought really good energy.�?

Rogstad said a lot of things added to the atmosphere in the arena. “One of the bands was really enthusiastic and wild,�? Rogstad said.
“They kept everyone into the action and really added energy to the crowd.�?

The band was rocking the house and most importantly, the players on the floor felt it from the crowd. Erica White, LSU’s junior starting guard competed in her third quarterfinal game of her career.

“The fans were great, and we were really able to feed off them,�? White said. “Teams that haven’t been in the tournament are usually looking for a town that has a lot of excitement. Not to say that Fresno doesn’t, but this was just a peaceful trip for us.�?

Everyone inside the arena seemed to feel it a little bit. Everyone knew what was at stake, and the “it�? everyone felt was undeniable.

Ladwig said hosting the tournament has been a success, “Did we make budget, yes. Did we make projections, yes.�?

The Save Mart Center may or may not have the opportunity to host more tournaments in the future, but if it does, know that you can only feel it when you’re there.

Dance troupe’s energizing “Escape”

Standing behind the curtain, Yosef Mahmood feels his body start to tense and his stomach start to churn.

He steps onto the stage and the nerves disappear as the energy from the audience takes over.

Mahmood is performing in “Escape,�? a dance concert put on by Fresno State’s Department of Theatre Arts.

The Portable Dance Troupe, which includes students, alumni and members of the community, is performing its spring dance concert “Escape�? all this week.

In its opening weekend, the concert sold out the Arena Theatre.

“I was super pleased. We had three sell out performances and the audience got really involved,�? director Kenneth Balint said. “Opening night went very, very well and each night got better.�?

Mahmood agrees.

“Opening weekend went really well,�? he said. “Our feedback was very good and our choreographers were pretty happy with us.�?

Mahmood, who is a theatre arts and political science major, performs in a piece called “Wooden Horse.�?

“The dance I’m in is a little creepy. When we set ourselves at the beginning of the performance, we could hear the audience reacting,�? he said. “It was really gratifying and energizing to hear that.�?

Three dance pieces are included by director Ruth Griffin, who is currently teaching with the semester abroad program in London.

Balint, who is also a director, debuts a new piece. This piece, entitled “Endlos: Fact or Fiction,�? incorporates video, text and dance.

“There are six incredibly different pieces,�? Balint said. “There is a piece that uses clothing as a metaphor and another uses multimedia. I think it works well for a university [audience].�?

For the remaining performances, Balint said he wants “intangible things�? to happen.

“Dancers love to dance. I want everybody to be able to dance their hearts out,�? he said. “And when it’s all over, everybody will be kind of sad after working so hard.�?

Preparation for this concert started at the beginning of the fall semester with auditions. Each piece was rehearsed for about two to four hours per week, Balint said.

“We’ve been meeting two hours every Tuesday since the middle of last semester,�? Mahmood said. “The week before performances started we went into tech and costume rehearsal every night.�?

Changes were being made, however, up until the last minute.

“We had a last minute injury which changed casting. People had to learn new roles in 24 hours,�? Balint said. “They had to learn a lot quickly but everybody rose to the occasion.�?

Other choreographers include special guest artist Melissa Rolnick and Andy Noble, a former member of the Utah Repertory Dance Theatre.

“The Clothesline,�? a piece by Noble, is a “gutsy and robust exploration�? of the images people create for themselves and relationships, a press release said.

Rolnick, who has received recognition throughout the country, premieres a piece entitled “Ball Strategies.�? This piece, which emphasizes precision and rhythm, is a highlight of the show, according to the release.

The remaining performances run today through Saturday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m. in the Arena Theatre, located in the Speech Arts building

Tickets are $13 for faculty, staff and non-Fresno State students.

Students pay $8 admission with I.D.

Tickets can be purchased during the week at the box office from noon to 5 p.m. or one hour prior to curtain.

Jazz in the spotlight at KFSR

Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Dave Brubeck are just a sampling of the many musicians jazzing up local airwaves everyday on Fresno State’s radio station, KFSR 90.7.

KFSR has been a fixture of the FM dial since 1982 and reaches a half-million listeners daily.

The station reaches as far south as Kingsburg and as far north as Madera — most of Fresno County.

KFSR, a non-commercial station, relies solely on listener support. Station manager Joe Moore says a majority of the donations are from the listeners, and “85 percent of the listeners are jazz listeners,�? Moore said.

Because the station primarily plays jazz music, some college students don’t find it appealing. For example, Michael Martinez, 22, a business major, has never listened to the radio station.

“I’ve never heard it,�? Martinez said. “I don’t really know for sure what they play.�?

When another Fresno State student, Joe Foster, a 20-year-old business student, was asked about the campus radio station, all he said was “what radio station?�?

“I don’t even know what radio station it is,�? Foster said.

In a recent survey, 25 random students were asked if they would listen to the station if other genres of music were played. All 25 of these students said yes.

But KFSR doesn’t just play jazz. There is a wide variety of music that gets played throughout the day.

Jazz usually has the spotlight from midnight until 6 p.m. After 6 p.m., the Evening Eclectic takes the stage and goes on until midnight.

According to the stations Web site, Evening Eclectic, which used to be called the Afternoon Eclectic, is primarily “radio, remixed.�? The station made the decision to make the switch from the afternoon to the evening, due to poor ratings.

“Everyday at noon, two-thirds of our listeners would turn the radio off,�? Moore said.

The Afternoon Eclectic targeted the younger crowd, but where was the younger crowd during this time? In class.

By making the change from afternoon to evening, the station has seen a dramatic rise in ratings for both of the jazz shows and the eclectic shows.

All genres are played during the Evening Eclectic, whether or not the artist is signed to a record label. Genres ranging from electronica to local up-and-coming rock bands are played during these slots.

“We play local artists throughout our programming,�? Moore said.

According to Moore, hundreds of CDs are sent to the station from local artists to get some air time. From there, the music staff of KFSR picks what gets played and what doesn’t.

Another thing that KFSR does is special programming, which also helps to keep the station going.

A very big upcoming show that the station is putting on is “Evening Eclectic EN VIVO!�? on March 31 at The Crossroads.

The show highlights three bands: Brazzaville, The Same Shape, and El Olio Wolof. The Same Shape and El Olio Wolof are both from the Fresno County, but Brazzaville, a rock band from Barcelona, is making one of their three U.S. pit stops right here in Fresno.

Some people might see that the station plays a lot of jazz, but what they don’t see is that the station plays everything.

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