SB Nation Bay Area: All Posts by Nicolas Kranzhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48817/bayrea-fave.png2011-06-17T04:00:49-07:00https://bayarea.sbnation.com/authors/nicolas-kranz/rss2011-06-17T04:00:49-07:002011-06-17T04:00:49-07:00College World Series 2011: Cal Baseball's Story Of Perseverance And Survival
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<p>After staring down the barrel of program elimination, Cal baseball has fought back and now finds itself battling for a national championship. We break down the amazing and exciting ride that has been 2011 Cal baseball. For more on all Cal athletics, head over to <a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com" target="new">California Golden Blogs</a>.</p> <p>For the first time in my memory, Cal has captured the attention of the college baseball world. That has happened because two parallel stories have converged into a perfect storm of improbable joy. One part of the story is a baseball team, practicing and playing games, taking classes and living the lives of college students just like thousands of others. The other part of the story is a little more complicated. It combines economics and education policy, hurt feelings and fund-raising. When they both began back in 2010, neither story seemed destined for a happy ending.</p>
<p>Losing to Oral Roberts, particularly by allowing three runs in the last two innings in a one run loss, hurt. It was another year of playoff disappointment for the Bears. But both the team and fans could look forward optimistically to 2011. True, replacing departing first baseman Mark Canha and shortstop Brian Guinn wouldn’t be easy. But freshman Devon Rodriguez had looked pretty good with occasional playing time and would take on a starter’s role next year. Tony Renda was named a freshman all American, and six Bears that hit .300 on the year would be back. Most importantly, nearly the entire pitching staff would be returning, including a talented trio of starting pitchers in Justin Jones, <a href="#" class="sbn-auto-link">Erik Johnson</a> and Dixon Anderson. Nobody was predicting a juggernaut that should win a deep and difficult Pac-10 conference, but this was arguably the most talented team head coach Dave Esquer had ever had. If things fell just right . . .</p>
<p>But as the 2010 season ended and Cal baseball’s small group of dedicated fans looked forward to the promise of 2011, ominous news piled up. A significant portion of Cal’s faculty objected to discretionary money going towards intercollegiate athletics when academic programs faced meaningful budget cuts. The faculty held a non-binding vote in favor of reducing the athletic budget. Athletic Director Sandy Barbour acknowledged that changes would likely be necessary. A committee was formed to explore options and come up with a plan that would be agreeable to all parties.</p>
<p>Perhaps we all should have seen it coming – the rumblings were there. But the announcement on Tuesday, September 28th, was still a seismic shock to the Cal community. Baseball, lacrosse, men’s and women’s gymnastics. Gone. Rugby, reclassified as a club sport.</p>
<p>How could baseball be cut? This was a program with more than 100 years of history, with national championships, hall of fame caliber players and more than a few current major leaguers. And emotionally, it just felt wrong. Baseball, after all, is America’s pastime, one of the few sports in an athletic department that can be visible without winning perennial national titles.</p>
<p>Still, if Cal fans were being honest with themselves, there were some realities to face. We hadn’t done a great job of supporting the team – attendance had been low at Evans Diamond for some time. Some sports, like crew and swimming, have had high profile donors and large endowments to support their success, a luxury not afforded to baseball. Since the beloved Bob Milano retired in 1999, baseball simply hadn’t achieved on the field the way so many other sports at Cal had. Cal baseball had been expensive and unsuccessful, and that was a lethal combination when an athletic department was forced to make painfully deep cuts.</p>
<p>Outrage was immediate, particularly because of the proposed reclassification of rugby, Cal’s most successful varsity sport. There were gatherings, marches, protests, fliers, flurries of e-mails and phone calls, newspaper editorials and message board hand-wringing. To many who supported Cal athletics, Chancellor Birgeneau and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour became villains over night (unfairly in my mind, but that’s a debate for another day). Cal alum and beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle John Crumpacker called announcement day ‘Black Tuesday,’ which certainly captured how most fans felt.</p>
<p>When the dust settled, it left a group of players in a cruel sort of limbo. Continue to play for the university you picked, for the teammates and coaching staff that you know? Transfer to another school to pursue your baseball dreams? More pessimistic fans probably thought that even if the program was somehow saved, the team would be decimated anyway, so wounded with transfers and decommitments that it would have no hope of being competitive. And yet the response from the players was nearly unanimous. They were going stay in Berkeley and commit themselves to practicing and improving in the face of elimination.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, after digesting the announced cuts, friends, family and alumni of every impacted sport gathered together and refused to give up. ‘Save Cal Sports’ was quickly created, with the stated goal of reinstating every single program. Donors could give donations in support of all five sports, or specifically send their money towards one program. Money poured in. In some ways I believe that Cal’s administration was taken aback at the donation rate. The foundation began working directly with administrators, working on dates and targets that needed to be reached. A deadline was set to raise the money to save all five sports.</p>
<p>As the baseball team prepared for the season that deadline came. But baseball supporters were stunned when it was announced that rugby, lacrosse and women’s gymnastics would be saved but that baseball and men’s gymnastics were still cut. Many felt betrayed by Cal administrators, because they had been led to believe that ether all or none of the five sports would be retained. Nearly five months of tireless work had resulted in failure.</p>
<p>Or had it? Baseball supporters had raised approximately 2 million dollars, less than the 6 million pledged to rugby. Supporters were told that 10 million was needed to ensure baseball could continue for more than a few years without the threat of the budget axe hanging over its head. But how could what was now ‘Save Cal Baseball’ raise another 8 million in such a short period of time?</p>
<p>With this bleak backdrop, the season finally began on February 20th. And despite so much uncertainty, Cal raced to a 19-6 start that saw them earn a ranking as high as #13 in the nation. The Bears were delivering on their promise behind a pitching staff that was dominating opposing batters and an offense that had a knack for delivering in the clutch.</p>
<p>Cal fans who made the drive to San Francisco to watch the Bears take on #18 Rice at AT&T Park probably felt that something special was happening. The Bears fell behind 6-1 after five innings, then scored four runs over the last three innings to tie the game before finally winning in the 15th inning with Tony Renda scoring the final run. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was a performance that typified the Bears at their best.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Save Cal Baseball was busy pulling off a miracle. I still don’t know how they did it, but led by former baseball player Stu Gordon, pledges went from ~2 million dollars to ~9 million dollars between early February and late April. But it was still short of the 10 million target set by the administration. Would it be enough?</p>
<p>The Bears were in Arizona, preparing for an important road series against a ranked Pac-10 foe. Coach Esquer received the news over the phone and then gathered his team for a meeting to deliver the news: Salvation. Administrators had been successfully convinced that despite not reaching the 10 million target, enough money had been raised to keep the program running for the long term. Later, the players would admit that they had already begun planning for their future. Tony Renda and Justin Jones admitted they were preparing to transfer to Oregon to continue their promising careers. The exodus had been prevented.</p>
<p>Cal still had the meat of their regular season schedule to face, and it didn’t go nearly as well as the first two months of the season. After sweeping a woeful Washington team, the Bears finished Pac-10 play on a 4-10 conference streak that saw them fall out of the national rankings. Some players felt that they had lost their edge upon learning that baseball would not be cut. It’s also true that in those 14 games Cal faced four ranked, playoff bound teams. Whatever the reason, optimism was in short supply when it was announced that Cal was heading to Houston to take on Rice, Baylor and Alcorn St. to open their NCAA playoffs.</p>
<p>That lack of optimism seemed well founded when Cal lost to Baylor 6-4 in game 1. Then the Bears fell behind 4-0 to Alcorn St., and it looked like they would be swept out of the playoffs without a win once again. Perhaps the season wouldn’t be a disappointment – the Bears did make the playoffs, and the program would continue to exist – but it seemed too soon for a team that reached such heights in April.</p>
<p>And then, out of nowhere, Cal rediscovered their first-half-of-the-season mojo. Cal’s struggling lineup exploded for 10 runs to come back against Alcorn St. After falling behind they again came back to eliminate Rice, 6-3. With most of the pitching staff having been used in the three prior games, Coach Esquer turned to freshman Kyle Porter to start just his third game of the year. He responded with 6 2/3 of brilliant, shut out pitching and Cal’s lineup exploded for 8 runs. The Bears were one win away from a stirring regional championship.</p>
<p>And then it all fell apart. Baylor exploded for 6 runs in the 4th inning and Cal’s season looked like it was over. Even when Cal scored two runs in the 6th and two more in the 8th Baylor still held an 8-5 lead. To make matters worse, Baylor had brought in ace Logan Verrett, who had already shut down Cal in Baylor’s earlier win.</p>
<p>So if you believe that fate, or destiny, or karma, or any other kind of higher power influences sporting events, what happened next can only be described as some sort of divine providence mixed with grit, talent and some amazing clutch hitting. The details have been discussed many times over the last 10 days. Three hits, one hit by pitch, one walk, one horribly botched run-down and one unbelievable error combined in one of the most amazing 9th inning comebacks you’ll ever see. </p>
<p>Compared to the events in Houston, Cal’s two game sweep of fellow upstart Dallas Baptist to advance to the College World Series was downright boring. It seemed that, in surviving the regional round, Cal rediscovered their talent and confidence from earlier in the season. It was on full display as the Bears dominated the Patriots in front of more than 1,000 joyful Cal fans in Santa Clara.</p>
<p>Cal will be the underdog once again in Omaha. It’s a packed field this year at the College World Series. Every other team entered the playoffs ranked in the top 10. The odds of winning are decidedly low. But are they lower than the odds of raising 9 million dollars in little more than half a year? Are they lower than the odds of scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th, or the odds of getting a base hit with two outs after falling behind in the count 0-2?</p>
<p>But the real victory is that, no matter if Cal plays two games in Omaha or eight, they will play again next year. This season wasn’t just a victory for the baseball team – it was a victory for the Cal community. Bear backers were faced with the loss of four sports, and rather than accepting it, they fought back. A statement was made: these programs are an important, worthwhile part of our university, something worth saving. And they backed up that statement with time and money, and they won. Every single sport was saved.</p>
<p>For that reason I’ll be cheering that much louder when the Bears take the field on Sunday against Virginia. They may not feel comfortable with the label, but the Bears are more than a baseball team. They represent every sport that was almost cut, a reminder of what we would have lost. Go Bears!</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2011/6/17/2228285/college-world-series-2011-cws-2011-cal-baseball-cinderella-storyNicolas Kranz2010-11-14T10:02:39-08:002010-11-14T10:02:39-08:00Kimura Goal Gives Colorado The Win
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<p>In the end it was like every other game from San Jose’s unexpected run to the playoffs. The Quakes were outmanned and outplayed for 90 minutes, playing at high altitude and in bitter, freezing cold. But tireless defending and heroic goalkeeping kept them in the game. Colorado controlled the ball, they created more chances and better chances, and fully earned the win. But as the game wound down there was always the chance that Chris Wondolowski would find another goal out of nowhere, that a streaking Bobby Convey could smash in a rebound. But this time the key strike wasn’t there and San Jose’s season came to a close.</p>
<p>Kosuke Kimura and Omar Cummings were the clear players of the game. Frequently working on concert, Kimura supplied fantastic crosses and through balls to Rapid attackers, and Cumming’s speed frequently caused panic for San Jose defenders. It was his lurking presence that turned a relatively standard Kimura cross into the only goal, as Jon Busch had to account for Cummings as the ball surprisingly straying into the goal. Kimura also played sound defense, and his close out on a fantastic through ball to Ryan Johnson denied one of San Jose’s best chances.</p>
<p>But it’s not all doom and gloom for San Jose. Even in defeat this season marked a major step forward for a franchise attempted to revive itself as an expansion team. San Jose found a formula that allowed it to compete against even the most talented teams in <span class="caps">MLS</span>, and with a new stadium on the way and ownership apparently committed to building a winning team there’s no reason to expect less in 2011. Personnel decisions will have to be made – choosing a goalkeeper between Jon Busch and Joe Cannnon, strengthening midfield, finding more production at forward – but this is a team with a good foundation for success.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/14/1813508/colorado-rapids-san-jose-earthquakesNicolas Kranz2010-11-12T12:49:52-08:002010-11-12T12:49:52-08:00Colorado Rapids Preview With Burgundy Wave
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<p>In preparation for this Saturday’s Eastern Conference Finals, SBNation Bay Area exchanged questions with Chris White of <a href="http://www.burgundywave.com/" target="new">Burgundy Wave</a>, SBNation’s Colorado Rapids blog. Thanks to Chris for providing his insight into this weekend’s game!</p>
<p><b>Q. Connor Casey and Omar Cummings. Omar Cummings and Connor Casey. The highest scoring duo in the league. What does San Jose have to do to prevent them from running amok?</b></p>
<p>A. One of the reasons the duo is so effective is because they are so fundamentally different players. There’s few defenders that have the pure speed of Omar and the strength of Casey. If you saw the first Colorado/Columbus game you saw that Colorado can use the “dump the ball to Omar on the wing and have him run full speed before crossing to Casey in the box” method of attack to great effect over and over. In fact, it was that sort of move that got Pablo Mastroeni his goal. You cannot stop the duo effectively, you can only hope to contain them. The easiest way is to cover the relatively slow Casey and keep him away from the front of goal so that Cummings has to do the work himself – Omar seems to hate shooting and prefer to look for the pass, he can be quite mistake prone at times between his brilliant goals if he can’t pump the ball to Conor.</p>
<p><b>Q. Casey and Cummings get all the press, what what are some other Rapids to watch out for?</b></p>
<p>A. You obviously know about Brian Mullan, who helped San Jose to an <span class="caps">MLS</span> Cup earlier in the decade. Since getting him in a trade with Houston, the Rapids have suddenly had a wing presence that we haven’t seen in Colorado since Colin Clark’s fantastic play until his injury in 2009. Obviously Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz are the worst kept secret in <span class="caps">MLS</span> when it comes to a dominating defensive midfield, both are killer with passes and both have a strange ability to score beautiful goals at random times. And naturally, you can’t forget about Matt Pickens, who despite his one horrible mistake late in the season was completely solid all year long.</p>
<p><b>Q. Only four teams in the <span class="caps">MLS</span> were stingier about allowing goals, and the Rapids decreased their goals allowed from 2009 by 6. What has been key to the defensive improvement?</b></p>
<p>A. Before the season, the Rapids picked up Drew Moor and Marvell Wynne from Dallas and Toronto respectively. Those two quickly became the heart of the defense and both of them managed to have career seasons, Moor while playing every minute of every game this season. A trade for Anthony Wallace mid-way through the season worked wonders as Wallace has slowly started to mature into the fantastic Left Back that Dallas hoped he would when they picked him in the first round. Matt Pickens having a fantastic year didn’t hurt either.</p>
<p><b>Q. Colorado has only lost two games at home all season, and both by just one goal. What makes the Rapids so successful at home, and what can the Quakes do to overcome that advantage?</b></p>
<p>A. The cop-out answer here would just be to say “the altitude”, which does seem to affect opponents stamina throughout games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That said, it’s also pretty clear that the Rapids are much more at ease with their offense – although I have no idea why – when they’re playing in front of their home fans. Only playing the best team in the league and starting their B squad featuring Scott Palguta, Danny Earls and Mac Kandji all starting has been able to hand them a loss.</p>
<p><b>Q. Give us some predictions!</b></p>
<p>A. 2-1 Colorado is my prediction, as I said before. I think the home-field advantage and wonderful defense at Dick’s that Colorado has shown all season cannot be understated, and the attacking mentalities of both coaches as evidenced by that press conference means that we’ll more than likely be seeing more than just a 1-0 slog. I say Omar Cummings gets a goal, Brian Mullan notches his first ever goal in a Colorado uniform as well, with Wondolowski getting a late glimmer of hope for San Jose.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/12/1810532/colorado-rapids-preview-san-jose-earthquakesNicolas Kranz2010-11-09T20:04:08-08:002010-11-09T20:04:08-08:00Ramiro Corrales Out With Hamstring Injury
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<p>According to the San Jose Mercury News San Jose left back Ramiro Corrales will not be able to play this Saturday in the Eastern Conference Finals:</p>
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<p>San Jose might be at a disadvantage because left fullback Ramiro Corrales can’t play after suffering a hamstring muscle strain at the end of the first half at New York. Convey moved to left back but prefers to operate in the midfield where he directs the offense.</p>
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<p>Corrales, a team captain, worked hard to return to the lineup in time for the playoffs after suffering a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. While out Bobby Convey played admirably in defense but his value as an attacking midfielder is tough to give up, as witnessed in his man-of-the-match performance in San Jose’s 3-1 win over New York.</p>
<p>Frank Yallop is leaning towards starting Chris Leitch at left back to keep Convey in the midfield. If that is the case Leitch will have the unenviable task of dealing with Connor Casey and Omar Cummings, Colorado’s dynamic offensive duo.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/9/1804939/ramiro-corrales-out-with-hamstring-injuryNicolas Kranz2010-11-08T22:20:56-08:002010-11-08T22:20:56-08:00MLS Conference Finals: San Jose Earthquakes Taking On Colorado Rapids
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<p>San Jose's Cinderella season continues this Saturday against the <a href="https://www.burgundywave.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Colorado Rapids</a> at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver. San Jose advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals by becoming just the 2nd team in MLS history to win a two game tie after losing the first game at home. <span>Bobby Convey</span> and <span>Chris Wondolowski</span> led the Quakes to a 3-1 victory in New York, eliminating the Red Bulls in the process. Colorado, meanwhile, advanced past the <a href="https://www.massivereport.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Columbus Crew</a> after scoring a late goal to force overtime before winning a penalty shootout.</p>
<p>Colorado and San Jose exchanged 1-0 home victories in their only regular season matchups this year, and both teams finished tied in the standings. Colorado earned home field advantage with a superior goal differential (+12 vs. +1). It means that San Jose will once again put one of the better road records in MLS on the line.</p>
<p>For a look at the Rapids check out <a href="http://www.burgundywave.com/" target="_blank">Burdundy Wave</a> as they recap Colorado's win over Columbus and preview this weekend's matchup. We'll be doing our best to bring you the news and previews as the week moves forward.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/8/2323977/mls-conference-finals-san-jose-earthquakes-taking-on-colorado-rapidsNicolas Kranz2010-11-08T22:20:56-08:002010-11-08T22:20:56-08:00Colorado Rapids Defeat San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 In MLS Conference Finals
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<p>Catch the Eastern Conference Finals at 6:30 pm this Saturday on Fox Soccer Channel or KDOW 1220 radio.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/8/1802826/mls-conference-finals-san-jose-earthquakes-taking-on-colorado-rapidsNicolas KranzDavid Fucillo2010-11-04T19:21:28-07:002010-11-04T19:21:28-07:00San Jose Shocks New York With Two Late Goals
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<p>San Jose has advanced to the second round of their first playoff appearance since being recreated under the Earthquake name with two late stunning goals from Bobby Convey and Chris Wondolowski. Both goals were necessary because they were sandwiched around a Juan Pablo Angel tap in header that momentarily tied the aggregate score.</p>
<p>Bobby Convey scored quickly to open the game, immediately tying the aggregate score to give San Jose a fresh start. But as the game moved forward New York gradually took greater control of the flow of the game. The second half was spend almost entirely around Jon Busch’s goal until Geovanni was subbed out in favor of Arturo Alvarez.</p>
<p>Alvarez made an immediate contribution by playing a role in Convey’s second goal, a smash into the top left of New York’s goal from the left channel. But it was followed almost immediately by Angel’s goal, perfectly assisted by Juan Agudelo.</p>
<p>That set the stage for Wondolowski’s clincher. Convey (the clear man of the match) send a perfect cross into Wondolowski as he ran down the right side of the box. Wondo met the ball with his head and sent it perfectly into the top right corner of the net past the outstretched hands of Red Bulls keeper Bouna Coundoul.</p>
<p>San Jose’s cinderella season now continues, much in the same fashion of their regular season that saw the Quakes steal points against the run of play. They will now face the winner of the Colorado-Columbus tie, this time in a single, winner take all matchup.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/11/4/1794972/san-jose-shocks-new-york-with-two-late-goalsNicolas Kranz2010-10-30T21:41:55-07:002010-10-30T21:41:55-07:00Solid Effort Not Enough As Red Bull Hang On For Victory
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<p>Joel Lindpere’s putback goal in the 56th minute was enough for New York as Bouna Coundoul and the Red Bull defense did enough to hold on to the clean sheet and force San Jose into a must win on the road.</p>
<p>Jon Busch was largely solid in goal, stopping a number of tough shots, but he was unable to prevent Lindpere’s low shot into the corner from hitting net. A late San Jose charge for the equalizer was ultimately denied by the goalie and by the post, as Eduardo’s attempted put-back bicycle kick rattled the cage.</p>
<p>It was critical for San Jose to earn at least a tie so that they wouldn’t be forced to earn a win in New York with Thierry Henry likely to return to the pitch. Now a win is what they must find when they head east for a mid-week matchup.</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/10/30/1784577/solid-effort-not-enough-as-red-bull-hang-on-for-victoryNicolas Kranz2010-10-30T18:33:43-07:002010-10-30T18:33:43-07:00Starting Lineups Announced
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<p>Here’s Frank Yallop’s starting eleven:</p>
<p>Goalkeeper: Jon Busch<br>
Defenders: Tim Ward, Brandon McDonald, Jason Hernandez, Ramiro Corrales<br>
Midfielders: Geovanni, Sam Cronin, Scott Sealy, Bobby Convey<br>
Forwards: Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski</p>
<p>No shockers on the list – Yallop made good on his promise to play Sealy over Khari Stephenson, who Yallop believes to be in better form. Ramiro Corrales has done enough to assure his fitness and earn a spot at right back.</p>
<p>And for the Red Bulls:</p>
<p>Goalkeeper: Bouna Coundoul<br>
Defenders: Roy Miller, Tim Ream, Carlos Mendes, Chris Albright<br>
Midfielders: Joel Lindpere, Mehdi Ballouchy, Rafael Marquez, Dane Richards<br>
Forwards: Juan Pablo Angel, Juan Agudelo</p>
https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/10/30/1784317/starting-lineups-announcedNicolas Kranz2010-10-30T05:53:51-07:002010-10-30T05:53:51-07:00Earthquakes Advance Past New York With 3-1 Victory
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https://bayarea.sbnation.com/2010/10/30/1783012/earthquakes-host-new-york-in-first-leg-of-mls-playoffsNicolas Kranz