pocketrocket

pocketrocket

The Pocket Rocket: six foot outside hitter Taylor Crabb soaring into the record books. Photo courtesy of Robert Burge.

Like so many things in life, you can find a beginning, middle and an end. Sports is the same and while there is entertainment in the beginning and the middle, most fans find their satisfaction (and you might even say legacy) in the endings.

This week, the long 2013 journey of Alan Knipe begins to end. Knipe, of course, was the hero of the 49er NCAA title and a 1992 grad of LBSU. I remember his first year and saw a talented but not always confident guy. He got better and better and when the USA Olympic team was looking for a head coach Knipe’s name was on top of their list. The team was very good but so was the rest of the world and no gold for the red, white and blue.

Fast forward to last week and the AK was the picture of poise, fire and well, calm as the #2 Beach boys (22-7, 18-6 MPSF) shut out #10 Northridge 25-14, 25-21, 25-23 for their fifth straight win. The party atmosphere was in part because the 49ers honored their three seniors, Alex Anshus, Trevor Crabb and Colten Echave and all those guys played a key role in the win. Crabb finished with 11 kills and five blocks, while his brother, junior Taylor Crabb, totaled a team-high 13 kills (.458), six digs and three aces. Junior Ian Satterfield also had 10 kills and six digs, while Echave added four kills and no errors on five swings for a .800 clip, to go along with a match-best six blocks. Junior Connor Olbright and Anshus directed the offense to .308 hitting. Olbright dished out 26 assists and Anshus chipped in seven assists and two digs.

alanknipeNext up is a well earned host slot in the MPSF quarterfinals. Although the Beach has a national ranking of number two they are slotted as number three in the league, tied for second with UC Irvine. Those numbers mean Alan’s lads’ host sixth-seeded Stanford Saturday night. And, if BYU holds serve, LBSU gets another trip to Provo for the rest of the MPSF tourney. The top two would then get an invites to the NCAA party and I feel really hopeful that the 49ers and their well traveled leader will stay in the title hunt.

Meanwhile, looking outside the Long Beach State track & field team stays really busy with the Mt. SAC/California Invitational Decathlon/Heptathlon, April 17-18, and the Mt. SAC Relays (April 18-19), and then moving over to their rented home for the Beach Invitational this weekend at Cerritos College. The men’s and women’s hammer is set to take place on Friday, with the rest of the events being held on Saturday.

Now if you like a suddenly hot ticket consider Niner baseball riding a four game winning streak. Sunday Jeff Yamaguchi had two RBI and hit a triple as Long Beach State completed the series sweep of UC Davis. The win mirrored the Dirtbag effort in each of the first two games of the series. That effort upped the Niner record to 16-18, 6-3 Big West and improved the mojo as Long Beach State continues Big West play this weekend at UC Santa Barbara. All three starters, Carle, Stassi and David Hill got wins and the bull pen of Ty Provencher, Landon Hunt and Ryan Millison were rock solid and were key to the team’s third weekend sweep at home this season.

WHERE ARE THEYS: The word is out that your trusty scribe does become bi-coastal and not just bi-polar. So last month I was in Florida near the Florida State league Brevard Manatees. That’s the employer of the popular ex-Niner pitcher Drew Gagnon. Drafted fairly early by Pittsburgh (2008, 10th round) Drew has had a slow start this spring so I wasn’t surprised that he got the loss in his three innings of work versus the Daytona Cubs in his 2013 first start. As Jim Healy heard Tommy Lasorda say, “This job ain’t so easy…” then there is the “now in the show” story of former Dirtbag Shane Peterson, a hitter on the Long Beach State teams of 2006 to 2008.

He made his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics yesterday and became the 43rd former Dirtbag to reach the majors and the 12th former Dirtbag on an active roster. LBSU leads all schools with 12 former players on active rosters, likely a cup of coffee visit since the A’s regular first baseman Brandon Moss is on paternity leave….and lady Niner golfer supreme Kay Hoey is toiling on the minor LPGA tours but baby sister Simone Hoey won a second straight individual title in the Fresno State tourney played at Copper River Country Club in Fresno. Her final score of five strokes under par was a four-stroke victory over UCI’s Luciane Lee. Okay that’s what you get this week, I got to get back to filling out the paperwork for my early entry into the NBA draft.—DR. DAN

Second photo: Long Beach State volleyball coach Alan Knipe has his 49er team poised for post season. Photo courtesy of Robert Burge.