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By John Zant
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Friday, July 13 2007 |
I was tempted to join in the All-Star baseball festivities in San Francisco this week -- maybe rent a kayak and seek the home run balls that were sure to splash into McCovey Cove. Now that would have been a chilling waste of time. The estuary next to Pac-Bell – excuse me, AT&T Park – was a dinger-free zone during the All-Star Game and even during the Home Run Derby. ESPN and Fox both planted correspondents in the flotilla beyond the right-field wall, but they might as well have been waiting for the Loch Ness Monster to appear. Nothing happened out there. |
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By John Zant
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Saturday, July 07 2007 |
Bill Pintard made it clear that Kyle Russell, despite his lofty credentials, will not be expected to carry the Santa Barbara Foresters through the rest of their summer schedule. After the Foresters lost 7-5 to the Santa Maria Indians, Pintard addressed the team. “There’s no finger-pointing," he said. "We win as a team, and we lose as a team."
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By John Zant
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Monday, July 02 2007 |
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Being a traditionalist, I find it hard to consider pigging out a spectator sport. But look what ESPN is televising on the Fourth of July – Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest. I don’t think I’ll watch. I just saw enough hot-dog consumption to keep me thinking of fruit salads for a week. I spent Sunday afternoon in the right-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium.
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By John Zant
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Thursday, June 28 2007 |
As I write this, Barry Bonds needs seven more home runs to surpass Henry Aaron’s 755, and I wonder: Why am I not more excited to see somebody break one of the most hallowed records in sports for only the second time in 86 years? Why are so many fans and baseball people also lukewarm about the prospect? |
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By John Zant
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Monday, June 25 2007 |
The Santa Barbara Breakers may have brought a fast-paced brand of basketball to town, but their game management could use some speeding up. The last home game of the International Basketball League team’s inaugural season Saturday night seemed to be an extension of the Summer Solstice celebration: To conclude the longest day of the year, they played the longest game.
The Breakers defeated the Vancouver Volcanoes 129-123 in a game that lasted until almost 11 p.m., four hours after the scheduled tipoff. Among the fans who stayed to the end was supermodel Kathy Ireland. NBA teams may have flashy tabloid celebrities in their crowds, but none of them has more class than Ireland, a mother of three. |
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By John Zant
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Friday, June 22 2007 |
Mike Garrett has learned a few things in the 11 years since he was a high-scoring basketball player at Santa Barbara High.
"After high school, I switched to being a point guard -- pass first, shoot second," said Garrett.
He picked up 10 assists in his first two games as a starter for the Santa Barbara Breakers last weekend. But he has not lost his scoring touch either. He put 23 points on the scoreboard in the Breakers' 161-159 overtime victory at Chico last Sunday. The Breakers carry a 13-5 record into their final two regular-season games tonight and Saturday night at the SBCC Sports Pavilion. They will face Vancouver (Wash.) Volcanoes in both games, tipping off at 7:05 p.m. |
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By John Zant
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Tuesday, June 19 2007 |
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The Santa Barbara Foresters defied all probabilities when they secured the 500th victory in Bill Pintard's career as their manager Sunday.
By dispatching the San Luis Obispo Rattlers 9-5, the Foresters ran their 2007 season record to 13-0 and won for the 25th straight time dating back to last season.
That sort of streak just does not happen in baseball, a game of untimely slumps and unlucky breaks that can put an occasional blot on any team's ledger.
The end was certainly looming late Saturday when the Clovis Outlaws had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied 8-8.
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By John Zant
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Friday, June 15 2007 |
UCSB had a banner year in athletics during the 2006-07 seasons, and the most significant recognition of that fact is the awarding of the NCAA Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy. It was presented to at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics annual convention in Orlando, Fla.
Division I-AAA comprises 93 major colleges that do not field football teams.
"This is a special achievement and a very notable award," UCSB athletic director Gary Cunningham said. "The coaches and student-athletes who have made this a reality should feel very good about it and our entire department is proud of them." |
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By John Zant
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Wednesday, June 13 2007 |
He was a can't-miss prospect, a high school catcher who swung a powerful bat. The New York Mets took Steve Chilcott with the No. 1 pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball draft, ahead of outfielder Reggie Jackson.
But Chilcott was plagued by injuries, in particular a shoulder that snapped out of joint, and he retired after six minor league seasons. He never made it to the big leagues.
Chilcott settled down in Santa Barbara and has led a quiet life -- except for all the cutting and tearing in the operating room. He has undergone nine surgeries to fix his joints, including a shoulder replacement. |
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By John Zant
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Monday, June 11 2007 |
Santa Barbara's semi-pro baseball team is already in championship form. The Foresters, who went 7-0 while winning the NBC World Series last summer, have started the 2007 season with seven consecutive victories.
Jon DeAlba provided the power in a pair of wins over the San Luis Obispo Blues over the weekend.
With several top college players still due to join the team, manager Bill Pintard will face a challenge whenever he fills out the lineup card.
The Santa Barbara Breakers are on a winning streak too, while five local collegiate athletes are NCAA All-Americans in track and field. |
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