Monday Morning Quarterback: Second Team?

If there’s one thing I’m known for amongst my group of friends, is that I like to complain about sports. Not debate, not brag, but complain. Why? Because there’s just so much to whine about, and because it’s just kind of fun.

My fantasy baseball team‘s current standing (10th of 12)? Sucks.

That pitch that Brett Lawrie got called out on the other night? Freakin’ absurd.

The fact that I always have to guard 6’1″ and 215 lbs Casey Harms in pickup basketball even though I’m 5’8″ on a good day and was forced to quit playing rec league when I was a kid because I was so bad? Total crap.

But this week on MMQ, I’m moving my usually-off-the-blog rants onto the Tiger Talk public forum because I am just so damn frustrated with the SCIAC for its baseball and women’s water polo All-Conference selections.

Why are Pedro Aldape and Tessa Bailey-Findley only second-team all-conference, and where is Brent Wunner on the baseball list?

Let’s start with baseball.

Pedro Aldape deserved better than second team all conference this year. Photo by Lisa Gilliand

As had been well-documented throughout the season, this was a great year for the Diamond Tigers. 23 wins in total, a .643 winning percentage in conference, and a late playoff push– this was truly a breakout year for a team that many expected to finish towards the bottom of the conference standings. And leading the charge on the field was none other than young Pedro Aldape: an unassuming 6-foot-tall junior from Sherman Oaks with a heart of gold and ridiculously quick hands at the plate. The kid had a monster year: a .390 average, 53 hits, 10 double, 8 home runs, 45 RBIs, and even 6 stolen bases just because. He finished in the top six in the league in four categories (including second in home runs and RBIs) after having missed six games entirely with a thumb injury. He was the offensive heart and soul of this team, and certainly All-SCIAC material.

But second team? Come on. I know that Pomona-Pitzer’s James Campbell had the lock down at the first team 1B position (Campbell one-upped Aldape in nearly every category), but was CalTech’s Brian Penserini really a better option at DH? I mean, sure the kid hit .430 and it’s nice to give the hapless Beavers a little recognition every now and then, but Aldape was significantly better in nearly every other category: he collected 13 more hits, 6 more home runs, 26 more RBIs, and 39 more total bases. And, more significantly, he did it against other teams’ Friday guys, not a bunch of misfit relievers like myself who CalTech rarely teed off on (ya, I’ll wear that insult for this argument). So my conclusion here is that these two should be switched: Aldape should have been placed on the first team as DH, while Penserini should have been voted onto the second where there are no positions.

The All-SCIAC list was also missing Tiger catcher Brent Wunner.

To that point, Brent Wunner also deserved a nod to the second team. If you look at the all-conference roster, you’ll notice that there are four shortstops on that list: Claremont’s Brian Gose, La Verne’s George Hanna, Redlands’ Chase Tucker, and Oxy’s Logan Allen. Now, I understand why Tucker and Allen were selected (Chase hit .304 with 31 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, while Logy Bear finished at .325 with 3 home runs, 28 RBIs and 24 steals), but Gose and Hanna are suspect. Just look at the numbers: In 45 more at-bats, Gose only hit .15 points higher than Wunner, only had one more extra base hit, only had two more stolen bases, and finished with 4 fewer RBIs than the Tiger’s catcher. Similarly, while Hanna collected 8 more extra base hits and 10 more RBIs than Brent, he finished with a lower average (.278), lower OBP (.375 vs. .402), and the same amount of steals–and had 63 more opportunities to go to bat. Plus, none of this takes into account that Wunner was perhaps the best defensive catcher in the league. Other teams just did not want to run on him: he allowed only 22 steals on the season, the majority of which came when notoriously slow-to-the-plate lefty Tyler Eyrich was pitching (including in the March 23rd game against Cal Lu when the Kingsmen stole 7 bags in a double-steal clinic against Eyrich), and did a phenomenal job of blocking– allowing only six past balls all year. So, yes, Wunner, Gose, and Hanna finished the season with very similar stat lines, but I still think Brent should have gotten the nod here because of his defense.

Ok, and now onto water polo.

Tessa Bailey-Findley (2) had a huge year both on offense and defense. Image from Occidental Water Polo

It’s harder to argue this one because not all water polo teams keep stats, but I’m going to try it anyway. Tessa Bailey-Findley deserves a first-team bid, not a second. Why? Because  the girl absolutely shut down her competition on defense, and had one of the best offensive years in all of college water polo.

Now, it’s difficult to quantify defensive ability; I mean, you can’t just look at the numbers and say, “wow, this girl shut down the girls she was guarding all year.” But by most accounts and by the fact that she finished 6th in all of college water polo in steals and set an Oxy record in that category, I think it’s safe to say that she was a defensive force in the SCIAC this season. Furthermore, Tessa also produced on offense: her 74 goals ranked second on the team, third in conference, and 7th in all of the nation (Division I and Division III reported stats) and her 102 points put her at 8th in the country. So second team material? I think she was a little better than that. Should have been first team, without a question.

Admittedly, I’m not exactly sure how the SCIAC picks its all-conference teams. I asked around in the athletics department and some said the SIDs get to influence the results, and others said it’s just all the coaches. But what I do know is that the selectors messed up. Pedro, Brent, and Tessa all got screwed, and I don’t like it.

A Toast to the Fan

No doubt about it, people love their tigers. No, I’m not talking about the kind of people who dress their babies as tigers because it’s cute or even those that paint their dogs like tigers because they think it’s the safest and next best thing– I’m talking about those Tiger fans who show up to every game, and every event because they love their Oxy Tiger athletes.

I’m talking about Oxywood.

I’m talking about those awesome women’s water polo fans who go the extra mile with facepaint.

I’m talking about the students who dress up, dress down, and do whatever else it takes to show their team that they’re behind them all the way.

So here’s to you crazy Tiger fans for all of your dedication. It’s been a pleasure to write for you, announce for you, and play for you, and both Jake and I are truly grateful for all of your support.

Water Polo Ties Wins Record/ Lacrosse Clinches No. 2 Seed

Women’s Water Polo racked up their 21st victory of the season today, tying the school’s single season wins record set by the 2000 Tigers, and Women’s Lacrosse continued the best season in the sports brief Oxy history by defeating CMS and locking up the second seed in the SCIAC tournament. To celebrate this great day Tiger Talk decided to get itself an Instagram (username OxyTigerTalk). Now our pictures can look extra spiffy.

Mascot Matchups: Goin off the High Dive

Just another perfect weekend for the Oxy Water Polo team, and more importantly another perfect weekend for Mascot Matchups bringing both the Tigers and my overall record to 14-2. Because this is a Mascot Matchups post I won’t go into a lot of detail about how the Tigers won their four games last weekend, I’ll just direct you to the Oxy Athletics game recaps (Games 1&2 Games 3&4) so we can get to the fun stuff.

Oxy Tigers vs. Bucknell Bison

Have you ever seen a tiger or a bison jump off a diving platform? Me neither. But I think it would be pretty cool, so we’re going to hold a diving contest. Up first is the tiger. Leaping off the platform the tiger does a simple straightforward dive gracefully landing in the pool. Not a lot of style points, but the judges are satisfied. The bison toes the platform, and begins to dive. His giant head forces him to flip as he travels the 33 ft. into the pool. Excellent form such a large animal. However, the bison slams into the water with a huge splash. As everyone knows, splash size is very important. The tiger is ruled the winner.

Oxy 10, Bucknell 5

Oxy Tigers vs. CSU Northridge Matadors

It sure seems like a waste to not have a contest involving a matador take place in a bull ring, but I have to stick to water. However, there’s no reason we can’t have this battle somewhere the Matador can get a decent foothold to do his fancy red cape waving. How about the moving fountain at Universal City Walk. The battle begins with the Matador at one end of the fountain and the tiger at the other. The matador is a little bit leery about steppinginto the jets of water because he does not want to get his fancy bullfighting costume wet, but he reluctantly begins waving his cape. The tiger watches the strange dance of the matador, but does not seem impressed. The matador begins shaking his cape furiously to entice the tiger. Finally the tiger begins to walk toward the bullfighter, but he has no interest in the cape. He leaps and takes down the matador, and well…you can imagine the rest. It turns out that waving a piece of cloth a tiger just makes it mad it doesn’t distract him.

Oxy 8, CSUN 7

Monday Morning Quarterback: WINNING!

The women's lacrosse team wasn't the only club on campus picking up some Ws for the Tigers this past week. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

Like all people who are bothered by things (which means, I hope, everyone), I have a mental list of phrases and words that annoy me stored away somewhere in my brain’s filing cabinets. It used to look like this:

1)  “Winning!”

2) “Got heeeeeem!”

3) Any phrase that involves the word “totes”

4) “It’s a small world, after all.”

5) “K. Thx. Bai”

7) “What you talkin’ about, Willis?”

8) “Yankees suck.” (And I’m even a Red Sox fan and I hate this last one. It’s rediculous: I once went to a Boston/Kansas City game and the crowd started cheering it. The Yankees weren’t even playing that day.)

However, after last week, I think I’m going to have to amend that list, because “Winning!” is suddenly in. Here’s why:

Pedro Aldape and the Oxy baseball team picked up two more wins this weekend against SCIAC competition. Image from the Occidental College Tigers' Facebook page

The last seven days have added up to perhaps the greatest week I’ve ever witnessed during my four years at Occidental. First of all, baseball took two from Pomona-Pitzer for the first time in who-knows-how-long to move into second place in the SCIAC thanks in part to a win in the first game on Saturday by Jake (good stuff). Secondly, men’s tennis won four of its six matches over the week to improve to 7-2 on the season, which means they now have one more win than they had through all of last year. Thirdly, women’s lacrosse just kept on winning, picking up wins over Whittier and Fort Lewis (CO) to run their win streak to an impressive 5 games (which means that they now only need one more victory to even their season total from 2011). Fourthly, Oxy soccer goalie-turned-golfer Andrew Larkin shot a 5-over 76 to finish 14th overall at the third SCIAC golf tournament of the year on Thursday. And finally, women’s water polo picked up four wins– including its biggest victory in program history with that stunning defeat of nationally-ranked Division-I UCSB that Jake wrote about–over the weekend.

Plus, all of this doesn’t even take into account the awesome new landing page put up last week to celebrate Oxy women’s basketball’s 5-straight SCIAC championship, which I keep seeing whenever I go to check the scores on oxyathletics.com. 

Could the week have been any better? Doubtful.

Is “WINNING” back in? Yes.

 

Congratulations to Women’s Water Polo

Not only did the Tigers defeat Grove City College by a score of 10-5, but they also took down the #10 team in Division 1 UCSB 7-6. The team has two more games tomorrow so check back for a full write up of the weekend early next week.

Monday Morning Quarterback: Men’s Tennis, Oxy’s Best Kept Secret

Men's tennis has come out of the gates swinging, picking up 3 wins in its first three matches. Image from oxyathletics.com

Hey. Over here. I have a secret. But you can’t tell anyone, okay? Especially all of those other teams in the conference.

Oxy men’s tennis is good. Real good. And no one else seems to know about it.

A year after going 6-14 overall and 2-7 in SCIAC play, the men’s team appears back with a vengence, winning their first three matches of the season to sneak into the national rankings.

Coach Newhall called it a “program on the move.” And now we see why.

In the first match of the season, Oxy handily dispersed of pesky Glendale Community College by a final count of 7-2. Sophomore Jeremy Shapiro (#2) and junior Jordan Brown (#3) led the charge, winning their singles matches 6-4, 6-4 and 6-0, 6-0, respectively, while their teammates Stephen Perkins and Spencer Choy picked up a big victory in their doubles match to lock up a win for the Tigers.

The tennis team picked up a big victory last week, downing no. 24 Brandeis 7-2. Image from oxyathletics.com

In their second matchup of the season, Occidental stunned no. 24 Brandeis with an impressive 7-2 victory. In this one, the Tigers swept their three doubles matches, as #1 pair Shapiro/Brown, #2 pair Perkins/Choy, and #3 pair Ben Herrington-Gilmore/Jaime Grossman all downed their opponents in dominant fashion to set the tone early in Oxy’s signature early-season win.

And finally last Friday, in match three of the season against NAIA Biola University, the Tigers made a shocking comeback to win 5-4. Down 4-1 after the three doubles and first two singles matches, Oxy strung together four straight singles victories to pick up the W and keep the Tiger’s undefeated season alive.

Should Oxy continue its winning ways, starting with this weekend’s scheduled matchup with Pomona-Pitzer, it could post its first winning season since before 2005 (sadly, the Oxy record book only goes back that far for men’s tennis).

So like the guy from who gets hit with a tennis ball while chatting to a pretty girl on the sidelines in the very-much-related scene in Mr. Deeds, the SCIAC better look out. Because Tiger tennis can compete. And no one saw it coming.

Quick Hits:

The women's water polo team haven't been the only winners this spring. Image from Oxy Water Polo's Facebook page

This might be the kiss of death, but so far this has been an extremely successful spring season for the Tigers: women’s lacrosse currently sits at 3-1 (meaning they’ve won half as many games already as they did last year), baseball is at 9-3 and in second place in the SCIAC, women’s water polo already has 6 wins after going a perfect 4 for 4 last weekend, and Oxy track and field has been making headlines every weekend its competed thus far. Not a bad start; not bad at all…

If you’re on campus the next couple of weeks and notice the members of the Tigers baseball team looking a little scruffy, please don’t be alarmed: they’ll be growing out their beards and later shaping them into mustaches as means to create awareness about a fundraiser for cancer they will be holding later in the month. Be on the lookout for more details soon to follow…

And finally, I just want to post a shout out to Oxy athletics contributor Jack McHenry, who has done a phenomenal job in bringing Tiger athletics to the public through both his work at the Oxy Weekly, and his efforts as a commentator on the Oxy Stretch Network. You can read some of Jack’s articles here, and to listen to his broadcasts, please check the games schedule here. Keep up the great work, Jack!

Mascot Matchups Goes Italian

1-1 again on the weekend for my water polo picks as our Tigers were bested in their first contest by the Univ. of Pacific Tigers, but convincingly took down the Vanguard Lions, 19-5. For a full description of the games written by a competent professional visit oxyathletics.com

Just like the last two weeks, the Tigers will have a double-header this upcoming Saturday, but they will also have a double-header Sunday, too. Sadly I will only have one battle for each day. This is due to Oxy having rematches with Cal St. San Bernardino who they defeated 20-7 on Feb. 11 and Vanguard. Each non-conference opponent will get only one made-up chance to take down the Tigers, and CSUSB and Vanguard each had theirs, and neither made me change my mind by the way they played the actual game. All I have to say is:

Oxy: A Bunch, CSUSB: Very Few

Oxy: A Lot, Vanguard: 5

Now on to the good stuff: An Italian themed Mascot Matchups

Tiger Talk Italian fun fact: the Roman Colosseum used to host aquatic battles. One account of these battles stated, “Titus (former Roman Emperor) suddenly filled this same theatre (Colosseum) with water and brought in horses and bulls and some other domesticated animals (possibly Tigers and Leopards) that had been taught to behave in the liquid element just as on land. He also brought in people on ships, who engaged in a sea-fight there, impersonating the Corcyreans and Corinthians.”

How can I not take advantage of my new found knowledge when writing about Occidental taking on the La Verne Leopards.

I would have to imagine that in a make-shift lake filled with gladiators, boats, and various ferocious animals that these battles were more or less every man/animal for himself. Try putting yourself in the shoes (or more likely some sort of leather sandal) of a Roman gladiator in this chaotic environment. It seems that the main concern would be the animals. I think it would be much easier to get snuck up on by a leopard jumping out of shallow water, than a gladiator wearing heavy armor. With that in mind the first goal of all the gladiators would be to incapacitate all the wildlife. Leopards are stealthy and quick, but they are out of their element in an Italian arena. The actual floor space in the Colosseum is not that big so hiding places would be difficult to find, and hiding under or near the boats that were brought in would most likely result in drowning. Under the circumstances the gladiators will take out the weaker leopards before starting work on the tigers. It’s the only strategy that makes sense. Whether or not the gladiators eventually take down the tigers is irrelevant for our purposes here.

Oxy: between 14 and 20, La Verne: Not Quite as Much

Rounding out the post will be the Tigers taking on the Lakers of Mercyhurst College.

This guy isn't beating Oxy

According to the Mercyhurst website “a ‘Laker’ is a fisherman who has the skill, tenacity, and resourcefulness to meet the challenge of life on the sea.” I do not think that a lake counts as life on the sea, but either way a tiger is going to eat a fisherman in any context, so let’s at least give the Lakers a fighting chance by letting them be represented by the Los Angeles Lakers. The athleticism of an NBA team will provide at least somewhat of a challenge for the Tigers in a game of Marco Polo, one of Italy’s most famous and influential people. Given that most Tigers have some difficulty saying either “Marco” or “Polo” a growl will be acceptable. After a coin-flip it is decided that the Laker’s are it first, and due to his European heritage Pau Gasol is selected to be the “Marco” caller. Pau, currently distracted by trade rumors from Laker management does not have his head or his spirit in the contest. He half-heartedly begins calling out “Marco” listening for the returning growls. After a few minutes of not being able to tag a tiger, the tigers begin to get bored. When tigers become bored they get hungry. When tigers get hungry, they try to eat NBA players. When tigers try to eat NBA players, NBA players runaway. When you runaway you lose a game of Marco Polo. Tigers win by forfeit.

Oxy: Close to 17, Mercyhurst: Who Cares?

Mascot Matchups: Seafood Buffet

Where the Pacific ocean ends, the occident continues. Oxy by a few

Well, not a bad week last week with my first picks of the polo season going 1-1, but apparently cougars somehow have a natural talent on jet skis as Oxy fell to APU. This week I will only have one matchup, but two predictions due to the Occidental Tigers playing the University of the Pacific Tigers in the second game of their double header. Writing a fictitious battle about two tigers just makes no sense. However, picking Occidental over Pacific makes perfect sense, which is why I am going to say:

Oxy 10+ UP 9-

On to the real matter at hand: Oxy’s first game against Vanguard.

Occidental Tigers  vs. Vanguard Lions

Our battle of the day will take place in a seafood restaurant. Frightened patrons, waiters, and chefs run frantically trying to escape the building as our two feline nemeses begin brawling. Tables are smashed and shrimp cocktail flies through the air. The tiger knocks the lion into the lobster tank, cracking it and causing its watery crustaceous contents to flood the dining room. Outraged at being drenched the lion lunges at the tiger, ferociously clawing at his striped opponent. Taken off guard, the Tiger catches a claw to the face and reels backward into the kitchen hitting his head hard on the stove. The Tiger now on his back looks up to a very hungry lion waiting to finish him off. But just as the lion was about to deliver the finishing blow a spice jar falls from a shelf onto the lion. But not just any spice, pepper. Anyone who has seen The Hangover knows that tigers love pepper, and hate cinammon. The smell of the pepper has the same effect as spinach on Popeye the sailor. Within seconds the Tiger has the lion knocked out cold on the kitchen floor.

Oxy 12ish, Vanguard 6 give or take a few

 

 

New Mascot Matchups

Water Polo starts this weekend with two games at Taylor Pool on Saturday, and I have painstakingly researched the games and have picked the outcomes.

Oxy vs. Azusa Pacific University

If a tiger fights a cougar the tiger will win without question, but what about a tiger fighting a cougar in a jet-ski jousting battle? The answer of which animal will be thrown from its mount first may not be obvious to you at first, but if you really think about it there’s only one logical outcome. Let’s start the showdown after these two cats have mysteriously ended up on jet-skis in the middle of the ocean. Neither animal has an opposable thumb, so using the vehicle’s throttle will be the biggest challenge. The smaller shiftier cougar will quickly think to use it’s tail to begin to drive giving her the early advantage. Out of natural instinct of seeing a cougar operated jet-ski barreling towards her at 50 mph the tigress will throw up a paw which will then come down on the throttle making both felines mobile. Now, I don’t know how many of you have ever driven a jet-ski, but it’s not that easy. Especially, if you are doing it backwards using a tail to operate the gas. The cougar will be forced to turn around to see if it is near impact with the tiger. With its tail controlling only one side of the handlebars the cougar will pull the jet-ski into a hard right turn. The surprise of the sudden change in direction will cause the cougar to tighten its grip on the throttle speeding up the vehicle even more. Scared that it will fall if it loosens its grip on the bar tail the cougar refuses to attempt using the brake. Thus the cougar is now stuck in a spiral of rapidly increasing in speed. At a certain point she will get dizzy, lose her grip, and fall into the water, giving the tiger the victory. Meanwhile, the Tiger has gotten distracted by a school of fish heading out to sea, and can be seen riding off into the sunset anticipating a seafood buffet.

Oxy 14, APU Less than 14

Oxy vs. Cal State San Bernardino

The Tigers vs. the Coyotes, a chance to re-invent the age old rivalry of cats and dogs. Clearly this calls for a Pirate ship battle between two epic cartoon characters: Wile E. Coyote and Tigger. This should be an even matchup as Wile E. has more firepower with his access to Acme weaponry, but Tigger has the speed on his side with his bouncing ability. As the battle begins Tigger quickly loads several cannons, then springs from one to the next as he lights the fuses and cannon balls fly at Wile E.’s vessel. Wile E. is taking his standard approach of meticulously creating a weapon of mass destruction. He ties cannons together, straps rockets to these, attaches extending boxing gloves and dynamite, and finally links the whole mess to a single fuse. Tigger keeps bombarding Wile E.’s ship, as Wile E. strikes a match and holds it to the fuse. The coyote leaps behind the ships mast and covers his ears waiting for the inevitable explosion. Tigger sees the predicament he is in, and hops below deck. Several seconds go by and nothing happens. Wile E. turns around at his destructive creation and sees that the fuse has indeed burned all the way to the end. He carefully walks over and taps the device… Nothing… He taps it again… Nothing… he kicks it….Nothing. Now irate Wile E. begins jumping up and down on the mass of weapons when…KABOOM. The creation explodes in huge fireball. As the smoke begins to clear we can see a charred and disappointed Wile E. sinking into the water with his ship. Tigger wins, Tigers win.

Oxy More than 9, CSUSB Somewhere around 5