Keepin' it Real

While scouring the web today, I read a pretty interesting piece in the Daily Press about Silverado's girls basketball semifinal game with Chaffey today. It seems that the Hawks had issues with the scorekeeping at Montclair High School.

You can read the article right here.

Anyway, I was at that game and noticed the same quirks in the scoring that the Silverado coach and the Daily Press reporter, Tomoyo Shimura, noticed. After consulting with the official book (something I like to do in general just to confirm that what I have is correct or verified) at the end of the third period, I noticed that the official scorer's third-quarter tabulation was one point less than what the scoreboard read. The scoreboard was two points more than what I had.

The first point was accounted by a 3-pointer that was counted by the official scorer which I counted as a two. I can't say conclusively whether I was right or I was wrong by counting it a two - during the course of a game I'm trying to keep track of points, rebounds, assists, fouls, turnovers and steals and to be honest, sometimes I goof on long perimeter shots near the 3-point line. That's why there are multiple books kept at the scorer's table, to serve as checks and balances and to prevent costly "goofs".

The other point was reconciled after the official scorer recounted and summarized that she mistabulated Chaffey's third-quarter points, meaning the score on the scoreboard was correct. As far as the foul was concerned, there was no conflicting information based on what I had recorded. There was a Chaffey player who was incorrectly identified on a foul in the first half, which was corrected after the Chaffey coaches and the official scorer questioned the official shortly after the foul ocurred. The Silverado book probably either didn't catch the number change on the foul or just forgot to change it during the heat of the game.

None of this made my game writeup for a few reasons - a) I didn't know whether I was 100 percent right compared to the official book, so I didn't want to speculate b) even if the original book tabulations were right, Chaffey still wins by one and c) I didn't hear an official protest from Silverado coach Tyrone Brown in the portion of his post-game interview that I was a part of. I wasn't there as long as Shimura due to deadline considerations, so anything he told Shimura about after I left was not in my story.

With the game over and Chaffey in the CIF finals, this story makes me wonder about a reporter's role in a situation like this. Is it my job to report on strictly what happens, or am I obligated to point out an error that could potentially swing the outcome of a game? This question has been taken a number of ways. If you do nothing, you have the unique situation that the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks have to deal with next Saturday, outlined here. If you do something, you can significant alter the course of an event, as evidence by what happened to Michelle Wie in an October 2005 golf tournament.

I personally think that the reporter who outed Wie was wrong in what he did, as he became the story instead of doing his job, which was to report on the golf tournament and not influence its result. That's part of the reason I didn't go beyond looking at the official book in the Silverado-Chaffey game.

While there may have been an error - like I said before if you go by the book's original third-quarter count and add in the fourth quarter, Silverado still loses by one - its one that the Silverado book and coaching staff needed to address at the time of the discrepancy. While Brown did question it once he noticed it in the third period, there either a) wasn't contrary evidence from the keepers of the Silverado book that could be confirmed or b) the Silverado scorekeepers didn't fight as much as they probably should have.

I'm not going to criticize the Silverado scorekeepers for this - they are just teenagers and quite honestly, its a tough situation to be in - especially if you don't know that you are 100 percent correct. It's a tough life lesson to learn, which is check your work and stand by what you think is right. As far as the Chaffey scorekeepers are concerned, hopefully they'll be extra careful during the next game they score. It's just a shame when a possible error sullies what had been a spirited, competitive game between two solid teams.

Posted by TJ Berka at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It wasn't the best day on the field for the Bloomington boys soccer team yesterday against Santa Monica in the Division IV quarterfinals. In fact, it might have been one of the worst as far as on-field production was concerned.

The Bruins, winners of six straight games to surge into the playoffs from a 1-4-1 record in the Sunkist League, weren't able to get a seventh on the unbeaten Vikings. In fact, Bloomington was victimized for seven goals in a 7-0 rout. But in an otherwise humbling defeat, the Bruins' integrity and class showed up brighter than ever.

In soccer, the line between good, hard play and dirty chippiness is a thin one. In a lopsided game, that line is crossed over pretty regularly. In covering soccer at all levels, from high school to Division I to the MLS, I've seen countless lopsided soccer games turn into cheap-shot fests, with trips, high slide tackles and even the occasional flying kick. Words are said, pushes are given and as a reporter, you just hope the game ends without someone seriously being hurt.

These methods are never justified, but the Bruins - who gave up four goals in a six-minute span of the first half - could have easily found themselves trying to stick it to Santa Monica in frustration. But Bloomington refused to do that, playing hard and clean and continuing to battle despite the impossible score. They didn't play the cheap shot game and I saw very little, if any, trash-talk toward the Santa Monica players.

One exchange in the second half really stood out to me. With the Vikings up 6-0, one of their players fell to the Bloomington turf with an injury after having collided with a Bruins player while pursuing a ball. The officials didn't see the Viking on the turf clutching his ankle, so the whistle wasn't blown. However, the Bloomington player who got possession of the ball saw the injured player and kicked the ball out of bounds intentionally, stopping play long enough to for the officials to see the injured player and for the Santa Monica training staff to tend to him. The Vikings were appreciative of the gesture. On the next throw-in, Santa Monica defenseman Nicholas Ferro threw the ball to midfielder Charlie Paris, who softly kicked the ball out of bounds intentionally to give Bloomington the ball back where they had it before the injury. Honestly, I've never seen matching displays of sportsmanship to that effect on a soccer field and I thought it was extremely cool.

Bloomington's class in a rough situation didn't only stand out to me, but to Vikings coach James Chapman: "Bloomington showed a great deal of class today. Usually when we have a game like this, there are cheap shots everywhere and you just hope that no one gets hurt. But Bloomington played hard, played clean and really impressed me. They are a class team and they play and conduct themselves the right way."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Posted by TJ Berka at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2008 NFL Scouting Combine, which is currently going on in Indianapolis, has quite a local presence, as five athletes from Inland Empire schools will be strutting their stuff for NFL scouts.

Some, like USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (Chino) and Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady (Eisenhower) look to be guaranteed first-round picks and in the case of Ellis, maybe even a top 10 selection. However, this week at the RCA Dome might be more important for the likes of USC cornerback Terrell Thomas (Rancho Cucamonga), Hawaii wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen (Rialto) and Oregon State kicker Alexis Serna (Miller).

Thomas, a two-year starter for the Trojans, is projected as a borderline first-day pick (Round 2 or 3), and is looking to prove that the nagging injuries that were part of his USC career are out of the picture. Grice-Mullen, who starred in the wide-open, June-Jones led Hawaii attack, looks to prove that he's more than a system WR while Serna, the Lou Groza Award winner for best kicker in 2005, is hoping to prove that he's worth taking a late-round flier on despite playing a position that is very rarely drafted.

All in all, it should make for an interesting week.

While I'm on the subject of the NFL, Thomas will likely become the 4th Baseline League defensive back to make the league in the last two years, joining Alta Loma's Eric Weddle (San Diego, 2nd round), Rancho Cucamonga's Gerald Alexander (Detroit, 2nd round) and Upland's Tyron Brackenridge (Kansas City, free agent) in the league. Oregon's Patrick Chung, a Rancho Cucamonga graduate, looked to be another Baseline NFL DB when he declared for the draft in January, but he reconsidered and will be spending 2008 with the Ducks.

Even without Chung, four NFL DBs from one six-team league in two years is pretty crazy. Makes you wonder what's in the water along Foothill Ave...

Posted by TJ Berka at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know what you are thinking. Another take about Roger Clemens? Really? Hasn't this issue been beaten into the ground worse than Ricky Hatton against Roger Mayweather?

The answer to all of those are yes. But its still not stopping me.

Before I get into my thoughts, I have covered Roger Clemens in the past. Before moving to San Bernardino roughly 18 months ago, I worked at a small daily paper in suburban Houston and covered the Astros for much of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, including Houston's 2005 World Series run. During that time, I interviewed Clemens (mostly in a throng of other reporters) a number of times.

Does this make me an expert on Roger's inner psyche? Certainly not. As a reporter, you very rarely get to know the entirety of the people you interview, especially the higher-profile ones. For the most part, athletes give you the bare minimum in a postgame or a pregame interview. For example, the professional athletes that have been the most cordial and most accomodating to me are Kobe Bryant and Dave Justice. Neither of those guys are considered the "good guys" of professional sports.

With that said, I don't have the hero worship of many fans or even media (read Jayson Stark on ESPN) has toward Roger. I also don't hate the man, but I never understood why Roger got the hero worship that he did. He was accomodating, but not necessarily friendly, with the media. He was prone to outbursts, like the tirade he pulled in Game 3 of the 1990 ALCS against Oakland, arguing balls and strikes before getting tossed, costing the Red Sox all hope of getting back in a series in which they were eventually swept. And I've always been a little skeptical of how great a teammate he was - especially in recent years where he would start the season in June and wouldn't necessarily accompany his teams on road trips.

With all that said, the man is talented. Steroids or not, he knows how to pitch. You don't win 354 games like he has just based on chemical enhancement. While his statistical peak late in his career is unnatural for someone his age (and a reason why I have personally suspected for years that Clemens has been on the juice) that person still has to know how to pitch, to mix pitches, speeds and hit locations. There's no question in my mind that Clemens is a great pitcher. And if he had just fessed up and said that he used performance-enchancers to try to "keep up with the Joneses" he'd still be looked upon as a great pitcher and forgiven accordingly.

But after yesterday's stop on Capitol Hill, Clemens' legacy is tarnished. Instead of his seven Cy Youngs (three which came before he was fingered for illegal substances) people will remember him meekly suggesting that Andy Pettitte "misremembers" their HGH conversations. Instead of his strikeouts, people will remember his contradictions about how he wasn't contacted for the Mitchell Report/wasn't told about it by his agents/was told about it but advised not to go. Instead of his champagne-popping after World Series, we'll remember him popping off to Henry Waxman, only to be scolded like a child by the congressman. And all this could have been avoided had he said "I'm sorry." He might have dealt with a little bit of backlash, but American is forgiving of those who admit to their mistakes. Clemens refuses to, however, and his corresponding denials, from 60 Minutes to Congress, have gone over like a fart in church.

For those of you still believing Clemens' innocence, my question is why? Even if you think that McNamee is scum (and there's evidence to support that, from date rape trials to drug trafficking), that doesn't make him a liar. The fact is that scumbags are used by law enforcement all the time to put people away (ex. Michael Vick). Typically when people are involved with criminal acts, the witnesses against them aren't Mother Theresa, Mr. Rogers or Barney the Dinosaur. The witnesses to criminal activity are typically criminals. Just the way it works.

And even if McNamee is kind of sketchy, Pettitte has backed up his account of him, as has Knoblauch, Debbie Clemens and the Clemens' nanny. So there are four people who back up McNamee's accounts of their actions but this guy is completely lying about Roger? Pettitte, Clemens' best friend in baseball, is not only going to back some "drug-dealer" over his best friend, but to make up conversations of Clemens, throwing his best buddy under the bus, while under oath?

Other things seem thin. How can Clemens say that he was discussing his wife's HGH used in 1999-2000 while he stated, corroborated by his wife, that she hadn't taken HGH before 2003? How can Clemens claim to "have learned more about HGH in the past month than he had before" when his wife not only took the drug from the accusing trainer, but also suffered "itching and circulation problems."? And are you telling me that McNamee injected his wife in the butt in their bedroom without Roger's knowledge, then not only didn't catch a beatdown, but continued to be employed by Roger after he found out? I know if some was "treating" my wife without my permission, he'd have hell to pay.

There are other things that stick out to me, from the abcesses to his possible witness tampering of the nanny (who got him to retract his denial of being at the 1998 Canseco pool play) to his body language and actions while being questioned by Congress. Barring a confession (which seems unlikely), I'm not sure if there's enough to find Clemens guilty of perjury. And to be honest, I don't have a need to see Clemens in jail. I think that the loss of his legacy, and his possible banishment from Hall of Fame consideration, is appropriate enough punishment from my perspective. In fact, the only person who is likely loving this story is Barry Bonds, who has seen his scrutiny drop considerably in the past two months.

Posted by TJ Berka at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While college has March Madness, high school has February fever. Yeah, I know that was corny as all get out, but Sunday saw the boys and girls basketball brackets released by the CIF. As one would expect, there were a few interesting subplots that were unveiled.

1) Citrus Belt and Baseline boys get respect
The CBL, while not necessarily known as a basketball power, were rewarded nicely in the Division II-AA seeding process. Eisenhower, winners of seven straight and 21 of 22, notched the No. 1 seed and have their best chance at winning a CIF title since Sean Marshall was playing for the Eagles. Redlands, who won its first 24 games before losing its final two,this week, got the No. 5 seed and could be a darkhorse, as it's combination of size and outside shooting allow it to play a variety of style. REV, who beat Redlands and took Ike to triple OT two weeks ago, got the No. 16 seed and can run and gun with the best of them.

As far as the Baseline League was concerned, the league notched three of the top nine seeds in Division I-A, led by No. 2 seed Etiwanda. The 25-1 Eagles don't have any stars, but can bring waves of athletic players and is comfortable in a variety of style. This is definitely their best team since the Jeff Pendergraph-Darren Collison state tournament team of 2005. Rancho Cucamonga, the No. 6 seed, has two dynamic guards in Nick Bennett and Justin Long and a rangy post in 6-foot-8 Teminiro E-Nunu. As far as No. 9 seed Upland, it will punch you in the mouth up front with 6-8 Kevin Bradshaw, 6-6 bull Thomas Colbert and 6-9 forward Zach Robbins. If senior point guard Danny Redmon stays healthy, this is a team to watch.

2. Showdown in Division II-A girls?
While Miller was no surprise as the top seed in D2-AA, D2-A could end with a titanic struggle between No. 1 seed Ayala and No. 2 seed Cajon. Ayala, the Sierra League champion, knows the drills, having won a CIF championship a year ago. With UCLA-bound Rebekah Gardner and Oregon-bound Jasmine Holliday leading the way, the Bulldogs are legit. Cajon, which has made the San Andreas League its personal playground, is looking to advance to an elusive CIF final. The Cowgirls, who have been knocked out during the quarterfinals the past two years, ratcheted up their non-league schedule this season in hopes of getting over the hump. It will be interesting to see if they do.

3. Smaller division teams to watch
On the boys side, D4-A boasts defending CIF champion Twentynine Palms. The Wildcats boast junior Montreal Harris, who averages 22.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. In Division 4-AA, No. 2 seed Aquinas is a team to keep an eye on. The Falcons have won 13 straight games and are led by Cory Holloman, who averages 20.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
On the girls side, there could be a collison between No. 1 seed Colony and No. 2 seed Silverado. The Titans are led by Arizona-bound guard Amani Butler and have seen the young players grow around her, while the Hawks look to defend a CIF title of their own.

Posted by TJ Berka at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In talking to Harold Strauss at Colton's National Signing Day ceremony, he revealed that the Yellowjackets are still looking for a 10th game for the 2008 season and are looking to places as far away as Canada to find it.

Strauss mentioned that Redlands East Valley, a mainstay on Colton's non-league schedule, has chosen not to renew the series between the two teams. Los Osos and Bloomington, regulars on the recent Colton non-league schedule, have also decided not to reup with the Yellowjackets, though the Bloomington decision was a mutual one.

Thus far, Colton has road games with Palm Springs, La Quinta and Silverado to go along with a home game against Kaiser the week before league. Strauss has indicated that conversations with several local teams, namely Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills and Chino, haven't produced any takers, therefore the Yellowjackets are looking at teams from Arizona, Nevada and Colorado along with Southern California.

Posted by TJ Berka at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Silverado WR Byron Gardner, who came on late in the season for the Hawks, will sign a letter of intent to attending Division I-AA Marist on Wednesday.

Gardner, a 6-foot-2, 175-pounder, caught 11 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns for Silverado this season. He is also an accomplished student, earning a 4.0 GPA and a 1250 on his SAT according to Hawks coach Carl Posey. Marist is located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - roughly 85 miles north of New York City.

Posey also said that linebacker Dominic Bonetpels, a first-team All-County selection, will likely become a preferred walk-on at UNLV or San Jose State. Bonetpels, who has received interest from lower divsion and NAIA schools, has already visited UNLV and will likely visit San Jose State before making a final decision.

Posted by TJ Berka at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Redlands High School linebacker Brandon Phillips, an all-County first-team selection this season, will sign a letter of intent with Northern Arizona Wednesday according to Redlands coach Jim Walker.

Phillips, a 6-foot, 220-pounder, led the Terriers with 91 tackles (67 unassisted) and added two sacks and one fumble recovery. Phillips will be joining one of his rivals at NAU, as REV defensive back Tanner Hansler has also committed to play for the Lumberjacks.

Posted by TJ Berka at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Redlands East Valley secured its fourth and fifth football verbal commitments this weekend, as fullback Dylan Cruz committed to Fresno State and defensive back/linebacker Tanner Hansler committed to Northern Arizona.

Cruz, a 6-foot. 235-pounder who played fullback, H-back and tight end, caught 24 passes for 270 yards and 5 touchdowns and added another 262 yards and four touchdowns rushing. He was also a valuable lead blocker for tailback Chris Polk, the all-County Player of the Year and a Washington commitment.

Hansler, a 6-0, 185-pounder, had 65 total tackles (46 unassisted) with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries en route to all-Citrus Belt League honors.

The duo will sign their letters of intent at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the REV football office. Also signing will be defensive tackle Quentin Toailoa (Nebraska) and defense end Josh Scott (UTEP). REV coach Kurt Bruich also said that three others - kicker Trey Farquhar, offensive lineman Daniel Cherpin and defensive back Spencer Wells - might sign with schools as well.

Posted by TJ Berka at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Colton guard Daniel Bernard, a first-team all-County selection at guard for the Yellowjackets, verbally committed to Texas State after an official visit this weekend, according to Scout.com.

Bernard, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior, is a native of Texas and his commitment comes after a tumultuous recruiting process which saw the all-CIF and Inland team all-star have a scholarship offer pulled from Nevada and saw offers from Colorado State and Mississippi dissipate due to coaching changes at those schools. Other schools considering Bernard include Louisiana Tech and Mesa State (Ariz.).

Posted by TJ Berka at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)