Wrestling at all levels, but particularly at the college and high school levels, took a huge hit on Tuesday when Arizona State cut its storied program, along with men’s tennis and swimming.

It’s a huge development even here, some 400 miles away, because it shrinks further the pool of quality schools for high school wrestlers to move on to and it takes a rival away, and a relatively inexpensive road opponent, away from Cal State Bakersfield — one of now eight remaining wrestling schools in the Pac-10 conference. The cuts come on the heels of recent cuts of wrestling programs by Oregon and Fresno State.

And lastly it further illustrates what an easy target wrestling and other minor men's sports are,  and the poor choices administrators make in relation to Title IX and its role in balancing collegiate athletic departments. This move could and likely will perpetuate more bad decisions by administrators to cut men’s sports under the guise of budget problems, while the real motivating factor is Title IX legislation, bogus interpretation of it and fear of lawsuits slapped on them by women's groups or female athletes.

ASU administrators say that trimming men’s wrestling, tennis and swimming will save the university $1.2 million and will help the university approach proper gender equity proportions, but mostly they’re blaming the casualties on budget dilemmas brought on by state funding cuts. Two other criteria were given for the cuts: each sport's potential for competitive success and conference/regional support. Gender equity, by the way, was the fourth criteria offered, implying that it was the least important of the four.

Who’s kidding who here? If money was the primary issue, why not include a women’s sport in the cuts — a non-revenue sport like water polo, which was spending, by the way, $6,374 per each of its 22 athletes during the 2006-2007 school year, compared to wrestling spending $3,056 per each of the 44 on the wrestling roster, according to data from the Office of Postsecondary Education. Moreover, there are more than 5,000 kids wrestling at the high school level in Arizona and zero playing sanctioned water polo, so don’t tell me there would be negligent denying of opportunity if water polo were to fall by the wayside. Title IX is supposed to guard against that. It doesn’t call for the irresponsible cutting of men’s sports so as to even up opportunity for women.

Potential for competitive success? ASU won a national title in 1988 and annually is a national contender, although not this past year.

There are steps the university could have taken to avoid these damaging cuts. First, state monies don’t fund scholarships, so it’s unfair to lump them in with the savings if you’re going to blame the program cuts on state budget cuts. A ramp up in fund raising campaign, combined with trim-downs of men’s rosters and expenditures and additions to some women’s rosters and expenditures could have made up some of the losses, kept wrestling, swimming and tennis intact, and balanced the numbers. And while football goes a long way toward funding the entire athletic program, providing 85 scholarships and paying coaches three and four times the average of all the other sports, minus basketball, throws gender equity out of whack.

 Until the true spirit of Title IX legislation is fully implemented in addition to administrators toeing the line on football and basketball coaching salaries and number of football scholarships granted, we’re going to continue to see knee-jerk cuts to storied programs like ASU wrestling.



 

The Miami Dolphins are betting $57.55 million ($30 million guaranteed because that’s the only dollar amount that matters anymore) that Jake Long, a tackle from Michigan, won’t join an elite list of all-time first-round draft stiffs, that at least according to the Baltimore Sun, includes David Carr.
Long, days before Saturday’s NFL draft, signed a contract with the Dolphins, who has the first pick. The Sun picked their worst list by team, each getting credit for one stinker, and Long would have to reek big time to surpass wide receiver Yatil Green, Miami’s first-round pick (and 15th overall) in 1997. Green was hurt the first two years of his career and caught 18 passes for 234 yards his third year. After that he was gone.
Long's only competition at offensive tackle is Philadelphia’s Kevin Allen (1985) who started just four games for the Eagles and eventually wound up in prison for sexual assault.
Carr, a Stockdale High product, has lots of company at the QB position, most of whom couldn’t hold his jock, but given Houston’s short history in the NFL, Carr gets the nod. He is joined by Tommy Maddox, Pittsburgh 1992; Andre Ware, Detroit 1990; Art Schlichter, Indianapolis, 1982; Todd Marinovich, Oakland, 1991; Ryan Leaf, San Diego, 1998; and Heath Shuler, Washington, 1994.
 

It doesn't seem like it unless you're right in the middle of it, but there is some progress being made in the ongoing effort to create a baseball venue for Cal State Bakersfield's new Division I baseball team that will begin play in February, 2009, and possibly the Blaze. The progress is about as slow and erratic as a knuckle ball fluttering up to the plate, but there is progress.

Another step is being taken today (Tuesday 4/22) and it could be monumental if the local construction community turns out as anticipated for a gathering at the invitation of the  all-volunteer Baseball Stadium Committee and Roadrunner Club. It is the hope of the Baseball Stadium Committee that a practice facility  — that can also serve as home field for the Runners next season — gets built on campus with donated materials and labor. Given the economics conditions of the day, that might be a pie in the sky lunge. If it can, it adds ammunition to the concept of a permanent stadium getting built on campus - joint-use with the Blaze or otherwise - for far less money than conventional wisdom would dictate, and that other new academic facilities can get built for less as well.

That's a lot to ask of contractors, who have crews they are responsible for and mouths to feed. It'll be interesting to hear the BSC's pitch to them. More coming on this.

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Can’t let Earth Day pass without a shout-out to athletes who have done our good earth proud with outstanding contributions in the world of sports.

First Team All-Earth (not named Green or some derivative of)
Robin Yount, baseball
Lefty Grove, baseball
Jerry Rice, NFL
Larry Bird, Basketball
Jim Foxx, baseball
Forrest Gregg, NFL
Henry Cotton, golf
Goose Gossage, baseball
Meadowlark Lemon, basketball

Honorable mention All-Earth
Bob Lemon, baseball
Zack Wheat, baseball
Lynn Swann, NFL
Sam Rice, baseball
Kurt Busch, NASCAR
Goose Goslin, baseball
Nellie Fox, baseball
Vida Blue, baseball
Catfish Hunter, baseball
Mule Sutters, baseball
Bob Lilly, NFL
Art Shell, NFL
Ken Rosewall, tennis
Willie Wood, golf
Wilbur Wood, baseball
Herb Brooks, hockey

Tree Rollins, basketball
Rosie Greer, NFL
Yukon Moose Cholak, pro wrestling
Walt Moose Moryn, baseball
Joe Moose Skowron, baseball
Charlie Waters, NFL
Eddie The Eagle Edwards, ski jumper


First-team All-Ineligible for All-Earth team
Pete Rose

First-team All Green (or derivative of)
A.C. Green, NBA
Mean Joe Greene, NFL
Hank Greenberg, baseball
Dallas Green, baseball
Roy Green, NFL
L.C. Greenwood, NFL
Ahman Green, NFL
Gaston Green, NFL
Darrell Green, NFL
Wilfred Thomas “Shorty” Green, NHL
Shawn Green, baseball

Gimme the dirt on who I'm missing.

DEANNEXATION!! DEANNEXATION!!

Good citizens of the Quailwood residential area and other areas victimized by the latest crime sweep conducted by Bakersfield City Code Enforcement that could severely jeopardize my lofty free throw percentage, I call on you to join me in commencing city deannexation procedures.

I learned Tuesday via a notification placed on my porch fence that I am in violation of Bakersfield Municipal Code 12.21.010 for having a portable basketball goal and support standard perched on my sidewalk, facing the street in my cul-de-sac so my kids and I can play hoops once in while. I saw at least a half dozen other notifications on front doors of people with sidewalk hoops in just my immediate area. In the county, you could have an entire arena perched on your sidewalk and they wouldn’t care.

I have until the 22nd to remove it, or face a fine of up to $300 or a 90 prison sentence or both. Each day I do nothing after the deadline for removal is a separate violation, subject to the same fine. So in theory if I do nothing, I could get life.

“Hey, man . . what-a-ya in fer?”

“I didn’t move my basketball hoop off my sidewalk.”

“Man, we don’t like your kind in here.”

It was a complaint from a citizen that got all of us horrible violaters busted, so I guess there’s at least one person in the neighborhood who won’t sign the petition to secede from the city. Really, is it so hard to skip around the thing? And I’m told by police that they have no choice but to enforce the code once a complaint is made. I understand further that as long as the goal gets moved off the sidewalk or street when not in use, I’m not in violation. But the wheels on those things are not positioned for easy transport.

OK. So . . . I guess I’ll have to tell my 15-year-old, who’s too lazy to move a sock off the floor to his drawer, to a roll a clunky, weighty, top heavy basketball standard that could easily crash down on his head and crack his skull, on and off the sidewalk every time he wants to play, particularly during those times I’m not at home to help him.

 He won’t do it, nor do I want him to. So, I  guess that’ll be one less at-home, wholesome, healthy activity he can do to keep himself out of trouble or out from under the clutches of his PS2.

How about this, Bakersfield. Get your best code enforcement guy, bring him over and we’ll shoot for it. Bring along the person who filed the complaint and if he/she can make a three-pointer before I do, I’ll move it.

 Moreover, I won’t have my dog poop on their lawn anymore.
 

RADAR Magazine considers ESPN personality and Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser as No. 9 on its list of the Web’s ten most hated people because he dared to tell it like it is about bloggers who consider themselves as credible as credentialed, trained sports journalists working for legitimate media. With Leatherheads fresh in peoples’ minds, it got me thinking about true villains of sports — big screen sports villains, and because Clooney’s film failed to develop a good one, other films need to be recognized for brilliantly developing loathsome, if not lovable, villains.
 

MY LIST OF THE MOVIES’ TOP TEN SPORTS VILLAINS

10. MICHAEL JETER as Norm Snively, the clumsy birthday party performing clown in “Air Bud” who lost his dog and whatever was left of his dignity in trying to get it back from a fatherless boy who had fell in love with it and its basketball playing ability. I actually felt sorry for the dude, found myself rooting for him near the end, which is why he comes in at No. 10.

9.  BOB BARKER playing himself in Happy Gilmore. Much more interesting the then the true villain in the picture Shooter McGavin, but again once he started landing some right hands to the mush of Happy Gilmore, he made a big swing in my book from villain to hero.

8. MARGARET WHITTON as Rachel Phelps, owner of the hapless Cleveland Indians in Major League. She was more a villain to common sense in this picture because, gee, if you want to sell, wouldn’t you want your team to win and your stadium to fill up so the team’s value spikes?

7. HELLEN KALLIANIOTES as Jackie Burdette in Kansas City Bomber. I don’t remember much about this film accept that she was a great bad mama-jama and regularly kicked the daylights out of Rachel Welch’s character.

6. TED KNIGHT as Judge Elihu Smails in CaddyShack. Possibly the most lovable villain of all, certainly the most well versed: “It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and you've got the stock market beat.  But the man worthwhile is the man who can smile when his shorts are too tight in the seat.”

5. BILL MURRAY as slimy professional bowler Ernie McCracken in Kingpin. If your name’s McCracken in a movie, chances are you’re a bad mother. Ernie McCracken may have been the villain who thought out of the box the most — witness the facilitating of the amputation of Roy Munson’s hand after it had been jammed down the ball return.

4. BEN STILLER as White Goodman in Dodgeball. Was there any doubt he’d end up alone in bed stuffing his face?

3. DON JOHNSON as pro golfer David Simms in Tin Cup. Problem is, the professional tours are loaded with uptight guys like David Simms who’ll take a string of pars any day over taking a risk or two that might actually endear them to fans.

2. Tie between EDDIE ALBERT as Warden Hazen and CHARLES TYNER as Unger, both loathsome characters in The Longest Yard, starring Burt Reynolds as Paul Crewe. Unger was an unforgivable creep because his plot to kill Crewe backfired causing the death of  lovable Caretaker, but you can almost say the warden put him up to it.

1. PAUL D'AMATO as Tim “The Hook” McCracken, chief punk for the Syracuse Bulldogs in Slap Shot. Small roll, but the only villain I know of in a sports movie bad enough to  have a bounty placed on his head.

Honorable mention: CARL WEATHERS as Apollo Creed in Rocky. 

Just in time for the playoffs, the Victoria Salmon Kings have received two players from their AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose, but will be without three players staying in the AHL after recent call-ups — two with non affiliated AHL teams who don't want to give them back —  their captain who is out with a season-ending injury, and their goon who is facing criminal assault charges.

Suddenly, I like the surging Condors chances, but they need to get one in Victoria. I hope the "mo" has some shelf life and is still percolating on Thursday when the best of seven series gets under way in Victoria.

Victoria is getting Kevin Estrada and Dylan Yeo back from their Manitoba affiliate, and those two will make Victoria a better team than they've been down the stretch playing with a lot of fill-ins from the college and junior ranks. The Condors are 3-3-3 on the season against Victoria but 3-0-2 in their last five.

Estrada has tallied 10 points in eight games against Bakersfield this season. But Daniel Rahimi is staying in Manitoba. The really big break for the Condors is that  Milan Gajic, a forward who had five goals and nine assists in five games against Bakersfield, is still with the Houston Aeros and Kiel McLeod is still with Albany and won't return to the Salmon Kings. Gajic, who had a hat trick for Houston the other night, had 40 points in 35 games with Victoria.

 Losing players to the AHL and not getting all of them back - such is the life of an affiliate. Not that Bakersfield would know, not being affiliated with anybody. This series will provide at least some insight as to the advantages of both scenarios, although given a choice I'm guessing the Condors would prefer having an affiliate to not having one.

But losing two players to non affiliated teams is something ECHL teams don't count on but agree to do for the benefit of the player's future - just like the Condors did with Mark Derlago, ironically to Manitoba, who agreed to give him back. Derlago has feasted on the Salmon Kings of late, scoring 10 goals and three assists in his last five games against Victoria. The Condors know all about losing a captain to a season-ending injury but thank goodness they don't know much about dealing with a cheap shot artist and the criminal charges he faces.

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One of the most enjoyable afternoons I've spent in my 22 1/2 years with The Californian was  with Joe Shell, in his living room talking USC football with the 1939 Trojan captain, blocking back and linebacker. I'm saddened to learn of his passing and my thoughts are today with his wife Mary K. But I'm so glad Joe passed having secured the recognition from his alma mater he and his 1939 team so deserved.

Joe was one of the great characters of Kern County and among a fraternity of terrific guys who, unbeknown to a lot of people, enjoyed spectacular successes in athletics prior to making their marks in local politics, business or civic endeavors. It was always neat to hear them talk passionately about those days and then turn around and let readers know what athletes these guys were back in the day.

A reminder of Joe's football days at USC surfaced in the fall of 2004 when, nearly 65 years after Joe's 1939 team he captained went  8-0-2 and won the 1940 Rose Bowl beating previously unbeaten and unscored upon Tennessee 14-0, USC finally recognized the 1939 team as national champions, just as two ranking systems had done 65 years earlier.

For all those years, USC powers at be struggled with the fact that the Associated Press chose unbeaten Texas A&M as its champion and two other polls selected Cornell. That or the university had just forgotten all about it. Ambrose Schindler, the USC quarterback on that '39 team, and a few other '39 boys convinced USC athletic director Mike Garrett to re-examine the situation and do the right thing before none of the fellas were left.

Shell didn't need any such recognition from Garrett or the university, or to receive a giant championship ring, to know that his team was the best in the nation —  maybe the best of all time, even better than the 2004 team that dismantled Oklahoma in the national championship game.

"We would not have been worried to play them," Joe told me on that wonderful afternoon three years ago, during which I swear Mary K. had to at one point discourage him from going in the back and slipping on his USC uniform and leatherhead.  "I don't want to say we were better, but back then, we thought we were better than anybody."

So, 4 1/2 years after the fact,  Moises Alou tells a reporter that he couldn't have caught the Bartman ball, so we ought to let Steve Bartman off the hook for blowing the 2003 pennant for the Cubs.

Not me. Marmalard, he's a dead man. Neidermeyer . . . .dead!  Bartman . . . . . .

All together now Cub fans —  and I mean Cub fans, the ones that go wayyyyyyyy back with the team, who ones who served Old Style and Smokie LInks at their wedding, who lined up a 6 a.m. to get a spot among the Bleacher Bums for a double header, the ones who can tell you who the College of Coaches were, the ones who rushed home from school every day to catch the last three innings on WGN, the one's with vested interest who have the EXCLUSIVE right to comment on it, nobody else no matter how knowledgeable or sensible . . . . . . .   DEAD!

Of course, I mean dead in a punch-to-the-arm sort of way . . not actually dead, but in no way am I absolving Steve Bartman of his role in the demolition of the Cubs in Game 6 of the 2003 NLDS.

No. 1, I don't believe Alou. Look at the replays, which he needs to do again. His glove is high above the wall, under the flight of the ball just as its  being deflected off Bartman's hands. But let's pretend for a minute that Alou's right and he couldn't have caught it. Let's even go so far as to say the ball wasn't in the field of play, which it might not have been.

Don't care. Bartman had no business going after it. . . not at that time, not in that situation, not with all the history leading up to that moment, not with what was on the line for suffering Cubs fans.  If you're going to have that seat, in that game, there is responsibility that goes with it, and Bartman disrespected it.

The question is what was his intent? His intent was to catch the ball. Would he have held back had the ball been out six inches further?  I don't think so, so it doesn't matter if Alou could have caught the ball or not.

I get this argument all the time - - "well, the fans have the same rights to the ball as the players do as long as it's in foul territory."  Maybe in San Francisco they do, in the middle of August during another lost season, not when 97 years of frustrations, the apocalypse of 1969, the curses and all other voodoo that might be inflicting misery in Cubdom can be washed away with spectacular catch of a baseball in foul ground.

Of course then Alex Gonzalez has  to  actually field the ground ball that came next . . .

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The Associated Press on Tuesday released the salaries of all ballplayers on major league rosters to start the season, which then set off the obvious but entertaining exercise of compiling 25 man rosters of the most over priced and the most under valued, or bargain basement players, in the game today.

Assistant sports editor Ross Priest and I were the only two knuckleheads available to take it on.

What made the task challenging was to come up realistic rosters comprised of  nine starters (including a DH - that was Priest's idea, he's got a loftier title than mine so I went with it)) and a starting pitcher, at least four other starters, a relief corp, including a closer; and bench players, one of which had to be a second catcher. At $4.5 mil., how Jason Kendall can be left off an all-overpaid roster the way Priest left him off his, I don't know.

  While on Gagne we agree, we disagreed strongly on A-Rod, but the rest of our starters were close to being the same. Nobody in the game is worth $28 million, which is why he made my list. Priest says he's far and away the best and worth the money.

The Dodgers, you might have noticed, show up in bulk on both lists, which leads me to think  they're going to have budget issues if they want to hang on to some of their kiddies that are making comparatively nothing next to Juan Pierre ($8 million). Andruw Jones ($14.7 million)  and Rafael Furcal ($15.7 million). Jeff Kent ($9 mil) made both all-over-priced teams, as well, but probably wouldn't have if there wasn't this requirement to pick a second baseman.

At first base we differ, too. I went with what I thought was a pretty obvious choice in Richie Sexson and Priest  went with Carlos Delgado - both beyond their prime but marginally dangerous. Priest left Sexson off his team entirely.

As far as the guys living in Major League poverty, I'll take my $12.1 million team over Priests valued at more than $4 million more. You'll notice a heavy National League  slant to my bargain boys. There's a good reason for that. I don't pay no mind to the junior circuit.

For no apparent reason, we'd like to know whose lists make more sense. Better yet, make one of your own and as they say,  - I don't but they do, - let the debating begin. Click on the underlined text at the top of this blog to access a Web site that lists all the salaries.