Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Grapevine -- Issue II
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Aug. 30, 2001
Bulldog Grapevine Archives
- Issue I - August 14, 2001
Bulldog Grapevine is a biweekly column about Bulldog athletics written by Assistant Athletics Director Steve Weakland. Its purpose is to stimulate interest in many things that may not get mainstream media coverage. It is also a forum to answer questions and correct misinformation about Fresno State athletics. If you have questions or comments, please contact Steve at sweaklan@csufresno.edu. Your comments could appear in future editions of this column.
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WHAT A WIN! - Fresno State's win over Colorado in football on Sunday was important. Not only did the Bulldogs beat a Big 12 opponent on the road, but the fact that a national television audience watched the game made the win even more significant. The media response from all over the nation has been overwhelming. There is no discounting the power of television or putting a price on exposure. I have a feeling that will be nothing compared to a win this week over Oregon State, ranked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated and No. 10 by the Associated Press.
TRIVIA QUESTION - What is the highest ranked team ever to play at Bulldog Stadium?
BULLDOG OF THE WEEK - There are a lot of good candidates -- Nick Watney reached the "Sweet 16" of the United State Amateur Championship, Melvin Ely has been dominating at the basketball courts at the World University Games in China, David Carr was named the MVP of the Jim Thorpe Classic. But my pick goes to Scott Wetherbee. Who? Scott Wetherbee, Fresno State's ticket manager. He was a superstar last weekend. Wetherbee sat in the hot Colorado sun for eight hours selling nearly 1,300 tickets the day before the Jim Thorpe Classic. Then upon returning to Fresno at 5:30 a.m., Wetherbee got off the Bulldog charter, dashed home for a quick shower and change of clothes, and got to the ticket office by 6:30 a.m. to prepare for the ticket sales record setting onslaught that day. Monday's sales at the Bulldog ticket office set records for single day sales and the season ticket sales record was shattered, as they sold over 1,000 season tickets in one day. Great job Scott!
SCOUTS GET AN EYEFUL - For being a Big 12 school, you would expect NFL scouts would be flocking to Boulder, especially when the Buffs are playing schools like Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. But a Folsom Field record 19 NFL scouts were at the Fresno State vs. Colorado game. Several Bulldog seniors made a big impression with the pro scouts.
RALLY SCORING - Look for something new and exciting in Bulldog volleyball this season as rally scoring is being introduced for the entire match for NCAA women's volleyball. Each game will be scored to 30 points, with every serve counting for a point. The NCAA has been using this scoring method in men's volleyball and it has been well received. I watched a men's volleyball match last season between two top 10 men's programs, Hawai'i and UC Santa Barbara, and while it took me a while to adjust to the different scoring system, it was entertaining and allowed for great scoring runs and momentum swings. It was exciting and the fans loved it.
VIDEO SCREEN AND VENDCAP - For the first time in school history, Fresno State will have a giant color video screen for the fans to watch replays at Bulldog Stadium. The screen, which is 17' x 23', will show replays during game, plus promotional videos produced by the university and sponsors. Another exciting Bulldog Stadium amenity for the 2001 season is VENDCAP, which will offer ATM services for fans to obtain cash during the games. VENDCAP will also be setting a limited edition collectors series of T-shirts via an electronic vending machine. A unique "Undeniably Red" shirt will be sold at each game, with a limit of 2001 sold per game at the stadium.
CHESLER CHARGING AHEAD - Few coaches in the nation work as hard to promote their team as Fresno State men's soccer coach Dave Chesler. Dave is extremely active in the soccer community and works to get the youth of the area involved with his program. For District 7 Day, Oct. 7 vs. San Francisco, he has sold approximately 2,000 tickets through his various clinics and speaking engagements with the youth leagues in area.
ROUNDBALL SCHEDULING - Scheduling guru Jack Fertig, director of basketball operations, has finally just about finalized the 2001-02 men's basketball schedule. There are three entertaining home TV games on the schedule, including Oklahoma State on ABC-TV on Feb. 10 and two ESPN2 games, Dec. 4 vs. San Francisco and Jan. 5 vs. Tulsa. The Bulldogs are playing in the Preseason NIT, opening the tournament at home against Montana State on Nov. 13. If the `Dogs win they will play the winner of the USC vs. Wyoming game on either Nov. 15 or 16. There's a possibility that game would also be at Selland Arena. Two wins in the Preseason NIT gets the `Dogs a trip to the semifinals in New York's Madison Square Garden on Nov. 21-23. The Bulldogs will also be playing Gonzaga at the Great Western Forum on Dec. 6 as part of the "Fab Four." USC plays Pepperdine in the other game of that doubleheader.
VOLLEYBALL OUTLOOK - After catching a couple practices and talking with the coaching staff, I believe the Bulldog volleyball team is going to better than advertised. The Bulldogs were picked sixth in the WAC in the preseason coaches poll. There's a lot of young talent on the team and veteran coach Lindy Vivas, in her 11th season, knows how to get the most of out of her players. Kara Verwey, a sophomore from Kerman, and Shauna McQuaid, the only senior on the squad, were named to the preseason All-WAC team. The Bulldogs open the home season in the Fresno State Invitational Sept. 7-8, hosting Morgan State, Sacramento State, Missouri-Kansas City and Arkansas-Little Rock.
TALENTED BULLDOG - Jennifer Smith, one of our top student-athletes, will be writing some features about her fellow students for gobulldogs.com this year. Jennifer, an English major, is an excellent student and member of the Bulldog track and field and cross country team. She wrote a neat feature on women's cross country coach and former Bulldog great Shannon Lieder last year that appeared on gobulldogs.com. Jenn and her teammates open the season Sept. 1 at the Fresno State Watermelon Run.
TITO TALK - I hate to spend much time in the column discussing Tito Maddox, but there is a valuable lesson in his mistakes for all young people, not just student-athletes. It's about making decisions. We all make decisions everyday, some turn out to be good and some bad. But whenever we make a decision that we know is wrong, we have to expect there to be repercussions. After Tito's eight-game suspension last fall, he knew that any further involvement with a sports agent would render him ineligible and end his career at Fresno State. There's no need to feel sorry for him. He knew the difference between right and wrong and made another poor decision. I wish him well on his journey to the NBA.
THANKSGIVING WITH THE BULLDOGS - Fresno State is once again hosting its annual women's basketball tournament Thanksgiving weekend, and this year the `Dogs are playing the first round of the event on Thanksgiving night. With the Fresno State vs. San Jose State football game being played Friday afternoon, Bulldog fans are going to have a real treat that weekend with three straight days of events with the tournament sandwiched around the football game. The Fresno State Classic concludes with the consolation and championship games on Saturday. Fresno State hosts Southern Utah, Cal State Northridge and Marshall. Mark you calendars to spend this Thanksgiving with the Bulldogs.
BUILDING MOMENTUM - It's amazing how a big win or good start by a football team spreads great moral around a campus and to other sports. This is the first time I've seen this feeling at Fresno State because of the magnitude of the win. People, who I thought were casual fans at best, are excited. You can see it on the face of the students as they returned to campus this week, and you especially see it in the student-athletes. An upset win gives everyone great confidence. When a football team gets a big win, it spreads to other sports and that momentum transcends throughout the fall sports. I have seen it happen at other schools and it's a great feeling to have here at Fresno State. Let's hope all of the Bulldog teams can build on the emotional momentum.
TRIVIA ANSWER - Colorado State is the highest ranked football team to ever play in Bulldog Stadium. The Rams, ranked No. 14, beat the `Dogs 44-42 in 1994. However, CSU is not the highest ranked team to play in Bulldog Stadium. That distinction belongs to the San Jose State men's soccer team, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation last season when the Bulldogs hosted them in Bulldog Stadium. USC is the highest rated women's soccer team ever to play at Bulldog Stadium. The Women of Troy were ranked No. 7 in 1999 when the Bulldogs beat them 2-1.