Because Steve Detwiler pinch hit from Isacc Vivas in the eighth, the Bulldogs had to make some changes.

Detwiler went to right, Brennan Gowens slid over from right to center, and Gavin Hedstrom moved from center to shortstop. Danny Muno remains at second base.

The Bulldogs began the season with Muno at short and Hedstrom at second.

Mendonca flies to deep left and Fresno STate still trails 4-1 entering the bottom of the ninth.

Fresno State third baseman Tommy Mendonca is coming to bat with two outs in the top of the eighth and Danny Muno on second base.

The Aztecs change pitchers, going to right-hander Addison Reed, who has a 0.68 ERA and 19 saves this season.

Fresno State is down to six outs.

The Bulldogs trail to the Aztecs 4-1 entering the top of the eighth inning.

So far, Fresno State has churned just four hits and walked once. The Bulldogs have struck out seven times.

On full count, Sprague hits designated hitter Chris Wilson to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.

Then Sprague gets ahead 0-2 in the count against Matt Parker. But Sprague then fires a baseball that's too low and gets by catcher Trent Garrison on a wild pitch. San Diego State scores to take a 4-1 lead.

Wilson follows by flying out in foul territory to Bulldogs first baseman Jordan Ribera.

Fresno State trails 4-1 through five innings.

Matt Morse is removed with two outs in the bottom of the fifth for reliever Holden Sprague.

Morse allows three runs (all earned) off eight hits, three walks and one hit batsman in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out two.

Morse gave up two home runs to Aztecs No. 2 hitter Brandon Meredith, who entered the day hitting .309 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.

Morse exits with runners on first and second.

Sprague is 7-4 with a 4.34 ERA and four saves. He has struck out 65 batters in 95 1/3 innings.

IRVINE -- Greg Vaughn is here. Not sure why you'd need to know that other than we have one rule here at the blog. We tell you everything. You can decide if it's valuable information. In this case, it's a tough call. Vaughn, you might recall, played outfield and designated hitter for several major league teams throughout the 90s and early 2000. He was at his height in 1998 when he hit 50 home runs. If I was any kind of man I would go ask Vaughn if he was on steroids, but he's still really thick.

He's here at the Irvine Regional because his son, Cory Vaughn, plays right field for San Diego State and his fifth in the order. Cory is slightly smaller than the parking structure behind the right field wall. He's just massive, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds it says in the media guide. I would have guessed he's bigger. Greg actually looks kind of short in person, but I guess he just sort of seemed larger than that, persona wise. Anyone who hits 50 home runs in the big leagues you just sort of assume is a giant. OK, anyone not named Brady Anderson.

Fresno State trails 2-1 with Kenny Wise supplying the Bulldogs' only run with an RBI triple in the left, center gap.

Tommy Mendonca scored after getting on base with an error on Aztecs second baseman Mitch Blackburn, who let a ground go under his glove.

Morse got in a little trouble again in the bottom of the fourth, but again is bailed out by an innind-ending double play.

On another note... It's been a rough homecoming for Bulldogs senior and Irvine native Gavin Hedstrom. The center fielder is 0 for 2 today after going 0 for 4 against UC Irvine on Friday. While walking past a couple of major league scouts, one was mimicking Hedstrom's swing and said he didn't like how Hedstrom coiled backward before taking a swing.

Hedstrom ented today hitting hitting .263 with five home runs -- quite a regression from last year when he hit .305 with seven homers.

San Diego State leads 2-0 after Bulldogs starting pitcher Matt Morse struggled early on with his command.

Aztecs No. 2 hitter Brandon Meredith, who entered the game hitting .309 with five home runs and 41 RBIs, hit a two-run homer.

But after a visit to the mound from pitching coach Matt Curtis, Morse settled down a bit and induced an inning-ending double play on a roller to Bulldogs third baseman Tommy Mendonca, who touched the bag then threw an out to first.

Fresno State's offense still hasn't done much. Mendonca, who went 0 for 3 against UC Irvine on Friday, got an infield single in the first inning but it led to nothing. Gavin Hedstrom got on base on a strikeout that sailed past the Aztecs catcher. But Hedstrom, too, remained on first.

Morse looked better in the second inning, aided by a stellar defensive play from Mendonca, who field a slow roller barehanded and still made the out at first.

IRVINE -- Fresno State is down 2-0 after a home run by San Diego State freshman Brandon Meredith in the first inning. I believe it was a curveball from Bulldogs starter Matt Morse that went line-drive home run over the left field wall. Morse got out of more trouble when Tom Mendonca turned his own double play at third, then throwing to first. Morse then settled down in the second, and is now in a wee bit of trouble in the third. More to come on that.

The news, though, was the weird third inning, which we are currently in. Fresno State had a runner on first, Danny Muno, who had singled to right. There was one out. The next pitch was high and inside to Dusty Robinson, who didn't swing, but there was a loud sound, as if it had hit something hard, and the ball rolled toward first. Robinson didn't really react in pain, but didn't run either, and so the Aztecs touched first and eventually tagged out Muno in a rundown that ended the inning.

IRVINE -- I'd like to tell you Fresno State looks nervous, tense, ready to clobber each other with fungos. But you know better than that. For whatever reason, the Bulldogs seem to relax as the pressure should be mounting. Maybe it's their personality, or their collective personalities. Maybe it's a reaction to their coach, Mike Batesole, who is known to be on edge from time to time.

Start of the game
UC-Irvine starts its ace, left-handed pitcher Daniel Bibona, who is 11-1 with a 2.65 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings.

The biggest lineup adjustment Fresno State has made to counter the lefty on the mound is starting right-handed hitter Steve Detwiler, who is hitting .227 with five homers and 25 RBIs. Detwiler is hitting cleanup.

Also, right-handed hitter Jake Johnson is starting at first over left-handed hitter Jordan Ribera, who was the Western Athletic Conference tournament MVP.

Johnson is hitting sixth.

In all, Fresno State has three left-handed hitters -- No. 3 hitter Tommy Mendonca, No. 5 hitter Brennan Gowens and No. 8 hitter Trent Garrison. Leadoff hitter Danny Muno is a switch hitter and is batting from the right side.

Top of the first inning recap

Leadoff hitter Danny Muno grounded out to short
Dusty Robinson strikes out swinging
Tommy Mendonca strikes out looking

Also...
Fresno State has gone with freshman Derek Benny to start the first game, instead of junior Matt Morse.

Benny comes into the game at 4-3 with a 5.02 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings. His claim to fame this season has been a two-hit shutout he pitched earlier in the year. In that outing, Benny faced the minimum number of batters at 27.

Bulldogs freshman Dusty Robinson smashes a solo home run over the scoreboard beyond the left-field wall to put Fresno State ahead 1-0 in the top of the third.

It is the seventh home run allowed by Bibona this season.

IRVINE -- It's a chilly evening here in southern California and the Bulldogs are about to kick off their postseason and the second half of their national championship defense. The first half, also known as the regular season, did not go so well.

OK, that noise you hear in the background is the end of the National Anthem buzz.

Fresno State (32-28) is the No. 4 seed at the Irvine Regional, about to play UC-Irvine, the No. 1 seed. According to Baseball America, the Anteaters are the best team in college baseball. The Bulldogs are, well, they don't make rankings that go that far down. It has to be the biggest mismatch in the entire first round of the playoffs.

Anteater Ballpark is a pretty new stadium, and it is absolutely packed. Virginia beat San Diego State in the first game, and they cleared out the stadium before this game. The line to get into the game went down the right field line, then took a hard right away from the stadium, past a massive tennis complex and halfway across a recreational soccer complex. I would not be exaggerating to say it was nearly a quarter-mile long.

Bulldogs fans are everywhere, wearing the latest popular team t-shirts, the ones that read, "LOOK WHO'S BACK" on the back of them. If I had to guess, I'd say there are 400 Fresno State fans. Maybe 500. This stadium is ridiculously nice, by the way. The grass is perfect. I can smell the ocean. There's a hint of fog in the air. Perfect for baseball. If I had gone to UC-Irvine, I'd have flunked out in one semester. Probably by mid-terms.

Bulldogs freshman Dusty Robinson smashes a solo home run over the scoreboard beyond the left-field wall to put Fresno State ahead 1-0 in the top of the third.

It is the seventh home run allowed by Bibona this season.

The game is still scoreless.

Anteaters ace Daniel Bibona has not allowed or hit or a walk and struck out four.

Bulldogs freshman Derek Benny has allowed one hit and no walks and struck out two.

Bibona gets a second trip around the Bulldogs lineup. Will the Bulldogs make any adjustments? Will Irvine make adjustments against Benny?

Almost game time

It's going to be a packed house at Anteater Ballpark tonight, with the line plenty long for UC-Irvine's first time hosting an NCAA regional.

The game is still scoreless.

Anteaters ace Daniel Bibona has not allowed or hit or a walk and struck out four.

Bulldogs freshman Derek Benny has allowed one hit and no walks and struck out two.

Bibona gets a second trip around the Bulldogs lineup. Will the Bulldogs make any adjustments? Will Irvine make adjustments against Benny?

UC Irvine catcher Francis Larson knocked a single up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the second for the game's first hit and first base runner.

But Bulldogs third baseman Tommy Mendonca fields a grounder and throws an out to first for his third assist of the game.

Derek Benny is looking solid and coach Mike Batesole has said in the past, that when Benny is inducing grounders to the right side of the infield early on, it means he's on top of his game.

We'll see if that continues...

OK, so maybe I was wrong when I asked if it matters which team advances out of the west. At that time, I was pretty sure Cleveland was the most complete team and would likely win the NBA title.

Apparently, I overlooked the Orlando Magic, which I suspect many others did as well. With Cleveland down 3-1 to Orlando, and the way the Magic is playing, I'm thinking it does matter which team wins the west.

But, the same question may still apply - can either the Lakers or the Nuggets beat the winner of the east? I say yes. Why? Because of matchups.

I am surprised that Orlando is handling the Cavaliers they way they have, but I think both Denver and L.A. matchup well with the Magic. I also think the Magic have exposed things about Cleveland that could benefit either the Nuggets or the Lakers.

I still predict L.A. wins the series 4-2 and that means the Lakers would have to win Game 6 Friday in Denver.

I am now more confident that L.A. can win the title whether it be against Orlando or Cleveland.

Here's some news and notes on the Fresno State baseball team.

Still no Ahmady
Suspended star first baseman Alan Ahmady did not travel with the team Wednesday to Irvine and remains out indefinitely for violating an athletic department policy.

The Fresno State baseball team underachieved all season long, and then with their backs to the wall, pulled together and won the WAC tournament.

Advancing past the Irvine Regionals will not be easy, but then again, look what the Bulldogs did last year.

This team, though not entirely the same, still seems to have that fight in them. I just wonder if they have enough to not only get through this round, but make it to the super regionals and just maybe, a chance to repeat.

What do you fans out there think?

We're going to start something a little crazy today. Right here, we're going to summarize the entire history of college baseball. If Ken Burns* had a blog, it's what he would do. I'm kidding. We will not be doing that. It's lean times in journalism these days and I'm doing all my own research, so we're going to keep the workload to a minimum. We are, however, going a little over the top, and getting a bit historical, by looking back at what happened to College World Series winners the season following their championship.

*The more I got to thinking about it, maybe Ken Burns did have a blog, but the closest I could find was a blog called "Ken Burns Hates Mexicans," which as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with Ken Burns.

Watching the NCAA softball Super Regionals, it became obvious to me that Fresno State won't get back to Oklahoma City and the College World Series unless coach Margie Wright starts recruiting some hitters who can bang balls off and over the fences -- and find a sturdy No. 2 pitcher to back Morgan Melloh and give her a breather in the playoffs.

Only a handful of pitchers have carried teams to the NCAA championship and they were All-Americans. Melloh isn't in that class yet, although she only just completed her sophomore year and has room to mature.

As for the 'Dogs offense, it put up the lowest batting average in decades and there doesn't seem to be any help on the way. They lose lead-off batter Haley Perkins, the team's lone

There's no denying the quality of Stockdale's baseball program the past few years behind coach Dan Lemon and first baseman/pitcher K.C. Hobson, perhaps the Central Section's premier player, who's signed with Texas A&M.

But, my gosh, how the Mustangs have caught a few monstrous breaks in the process.

First, in last year's D-I title game at home against Clovis, Cougars pitcher David Rohm threw what appeared to be a perfect two-strike, two-out slider that should have ended the game. It was called a ball and Stockdale -- to its credit -- scored three runs to tie it in the bottom of the seventh before winning it in the eighth.

Robert Kendrick ensured there would be no shutout for American men at the French Open this year.

The native of Fresno beat Daniel Brands of Germany 6-7 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted more than 3.5 hours Sunday to reach the second round at Roland Garros for the first time.

Wow! What a game Wednesday in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. I knew the Magic would make things interesting, but didn't expect a road win to steal home court advantage.

So far, fans are getting treated to some great basketball. If each game in the series is anything like the first one, I definitely want to watch.

LeBron scores 49 and it just isn't quite enough. Amazing! Dwight Howard puts in 30 and broke a shot clock on a thundering dunk.

Question is, if Orlando wins the series, is this really an upset? I'm not so sure.

Being a long-time Lakers fan, I anticipated the team's return to the NBA Finals to try to make up for last year's loss to the Celtics. As the season went on, I thought they were on track to get that title. Now, I'm not so sure.

Having a close eye on the playoffs thus far, I don't know if the Lakers can win a series with the up and coming Denver Nuggets. Even if so, it seems the Cleveland Cavaliers are the hot team this season - though it lost 2 of 3 to the Magic in the regular season.

But sports fans know, anything can happen. I expect the Lakers to rally and take the series with Denver 4-2, then in one of the best finals in recent history, come back to beat the Cavaliers 4-3 winning the last 2 games of the series.

OK basketball fans, what say ye?

This has been overdue nearly as long as my copy of "Where the Red Fern Grows," from the Hugoton Elementary School library. Today, the blog proudly presents a question and answer session with play-by-play man, author, KMJ sports director, former TV personality, and all-around good-looking guy, Paul Loeffler. Oh, and he's also the new voice of the Fresno State Bulldogs, taking over for the 2009 football season.

Clearly, a man getting that many paychecks should be helping me buy a condo in Santa Barbara. Or at least paying my late Verizon bill. Loeffler is also the author of "Underdogs to Wonderdogs," the Fresno State-approved version* of the colossol, stupendous, unimaginable 2008 baseball national championship. That's in no way to say Loeffler's work was changed or affected by the school; in fact, it appears to be the opposite. (That, kids, is called Q&A foreshadowing, right there.)

*Did you know there is now a third book out about the 2008 College World Series? Yep. It's by an ESPN.com writer named Ryan McGee, another super nice guy, and I'll do my best to get a Q&A with him as well. At the very least, there will be a blog about the book. There are a couple chapters about the Bulldogs. I was even included in the acknowledgements, which was nice.

Tioga Pass Road, Yosemite's gateway to Tuolumne Meadows and the Eastern Sierra, will open for the season Thursday or Friday "unless something unforeseen happens," park spokesman Scott Gediman said.

The road is currently open from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek to both cars and bicycles, and there are a couple eye-witness accounts popping up on various blogs and Internet messageboards of cyclists riding into Tuolumne Meadows. According to Gediman, however, the road is officially closed between Tioga Pass and Yosemite Creek.

In past years, the park service has allowed bicycles on the road one day before it opened to cars. Gediman wasn't sure Monday if that would be the case this year as crews are still clearing rocks and dealing with water issues.

Bottom line, Tioga Pass will be open in time for Memorial Day weekend.

It must be summer, because rangers at Yosemite National Park erected the Half Dome cables on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The world-famous Half Dome hike is 17 miles round trip and involves 4,800 feet of climbing as the trail passes such landmarks as Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite Valley. The cables allow hikers to scale the final 600 feet on the dome's shoulder.

Be sure to bring water and gloves ...

Looking ahead, I'm hearing Tioga Pass Road will open sometime this week, likely Thursday or Friday. There's also typically a day when bicycles are allowed on the road before the cars take over. When I hear when that is, I'll pass it along.

FINAL: UCLA 9, Fresno State 5
Bruins win Los Angeles Regional and advance to super regionals.

First inning: Fresno State 3, UCLA 1
UCLA (visitor): One out, Andrea Harrison unloads on a 2-2 Morgan Melloh pitch and parks it over the right-field wall for her eighth homer of the year. That's it. Melloh records first strikeout to end inning. (1 R, 3 H, 0 E)
Fresno State (home): Haley Perkins opens with a single to center. Haley Gilleland beats out a bunt to the left side. Michelle Moses cranks a two-run double to right center and reaches third on the throw in. Alexis Lujan strikes out. Caitlin Stiglich hit by a pitch. Lisamaria Coronado RBI single to right center to keep up a hot streak that started at the WAC tournament.
(Note: UCLA pitcher Megan Langenfeld, who beat FSU Saturday and hit a two-run homer, reaggravated an ankle injury and was taken out of the game in the first inning. She was the logical starter for a second game if necessary)

Second inning: UCLA 8, FSU 3
UCLA: A Melloh meltdown. Bruins send 10 to the plate and score seven runs. Julie Burney hits lead-off homer, GiOnna DiSalvatore rips a three-run triple and Amanda Kamekona blasts a three-run homer to chase Melloh. Melloh allows eight hits and eight runs (three homers) in 1 2/3 innings. MacKenzie Oakes gets the last out of the inning.
Fresno State: Jody Badorine reaches on pitcher throwing error. With two outs, Michelle Moses walks. Alexis Lujan hits a soft liner that third baseman Burney catches at ground level with a dive to her left.

Third inning: UCLA 8, FSU 3
UCLA: Oakes issues a two-out walk but gets Andrea Harrison on a force-out grounder.
Fresno State: Caitlin Stiglich lfooled badly striking out on a change-up. Lisamarie Coronado fouls out to left fielder. Nicole Angene pops out to shortstop.

Fourth inning: UCLA 8, FSU 4
UCLA: GiOnna DiSalvatore and Kaila Shull each get two-out singles. But Oakes gets Amanda Kamekona to to hit into a double play -- liner to Haley Perkins at second and the toss to shortstop Haley Gilleland stepping on the bag.
Fresno State: Brooke Phipps bunts for a single and throw from third baseman goes wild, allowing Phipps to speed into second untouched. Jody Badorine sticks out bat and pops one into left for a single. Phipps moves to third. Haley Perkins RBI single to left. Haley Gilleland sac bunt, runners on second and third. Michelle Moses whiffs on a change-up. Alexis Lujan strikes out. Ouch! Donna Kerr now has six Ks.

Fifth inning: UCLA 8, FSU 5
UCLA: Oakes has a nice 1-2-3 innings. She's only allowed two hits since replacing Melloh with two outs in the second inning.
Fresno State: With two outs, Nicole Angene hits her fourth homer of year beyond the right-center field wall. Brooke Phipps run count full, fouls one off and strikes out on, what else, a change-up.

(Note: Attendance today 452, bringing the total to 1,841 for the three days and about what FSU draws to one game on a good day sometimes.)

Sixth inning: UCLA 8 FSU 5
UCLA: Oakes another 1-2-3 inning. What a job by the froshburger. 'Dogs have six outs to work with or it's good-bye to the season.
Fresno State: Haley Gilleland hit by a pitch with two outs. Michelle Moses pops weakly to third baseman. Three outs left for 'Dogs.

Seventh inning: UCLA 9, FSU 5
UCLA: Back-to-back doubles by Kaila Shull and Amanda Kamekona give Bruins another run. Heart of FSU batting order coming up.
Fresno State: Go down in order.

Morgan Melloh has 448 strikeouts and needs six more to tie the single-season record of 454 she set last year as a freshman. She has 902 for her career, and has two years to shatter Jamie Southern's record of 1,321.
PItching matchups: Fresno State LH Melloh (30-15, 1.54 ERA) vs. UCLA RH Donna Kerr (18-6, 2.55)

'Dogs are trying to advance to their first Super Regional since the NCAA started that second-round format in 2005. Fresno State hasn't made it past the regionals the past nine years.

UCLA has won 10 straight in the series, including Saturday's 4-2 victory. The Pac-10 has all six of its teams playing for regional championships today. Nevada, the WAC tournament runner-up to Fresno State, was eliminated by Stanford, 9-1, last night.

You probably heard them at Fresno State softball home games singing the "Morgan Melloh" song and counting out her Ks every time she whiffs a batter. Well, they made the trip to L.A. today to give the 'Dogs a vocal boost against UCLA in the NCAA regional championship here.

Scott Seagle (soph), Matt Escoto (soph), Phil Johnson (Sr., maybe) and Ryne Santos (Sr.) are perched in the last row high in the bleachers down the third-base line. They love to singing Morgan Melloh to the tune of the Mickey Mouse song and usually hold up K signs each time Melloh fans a batter.

Johnson said they were waiting to see how Fresno State did late last night against Long Beach to decide whether to come.

Fresno State wins 12-2

Seventh inning: Fresno State 12, Long Beach State 2
Fresno State: Haley Perkins rips another two-run double after Nicole Angene singles, Brooke Phipps walks and Jody Badorine sacrifices the runners up with a bunt. Michelle Moses caps the rally with an RBI single up the middle.
Long Beach State: Melloh has 1-2-3 inning

Sixth inning: Fresno State 9, Long Beach State 2
Fresno State: Alexis Lujan gets a one-out single, but the 'Dogs don't score.
Long Beach State: 49ers get one hit and Melloh strikes out two more and has 10 for the game.

Fifth inning: Fresno State 9, Long Beach State 2
Fresno State: Haley Perkins rips a two-run double to left center with two outs.
Long Beach State: With the bottom of the order up, Brandy Reyes lines a two-run single, the 49ers' third straight hit to open the inning. Melloh gets a force out and strikes out the last two batters.

Fourth inning: Fresno State 7, Long Beach State 0
Fresno State: with one out, Haley Gilleland triples to right center. Michelle Moses strikes out and Alexis Lujan walks. With Caitlin Stiglich up, she takes a called strike as Gilleland steals home, sliding under the tag of the catcher.
Long Beach State: Melloh has 1-2-3 inning, gets her sixth strikeout.

Third inning: Fresno State 6, Long Beach State 0
Fresno State: goes down 1-2-3 against 49ers reliever Kelly Cross, who replaced Brooke Turner with two outs in the second inning.
Long Beach State: Melloh gives up second hit but strikes out two and now has five.

Second inning: Fresno State 6, Long Beach State 0
Fresno State: after two outs, Jody Badorine, in only her 10th start, singles on a drag bunt. Haley Perkins singles to center. Haley Gilleland reaches on shortstop error to load the bases. Michelle Moses blasts an 0-2 pitch into the pine trees high above the left-field scoreboard for a grand slam and her 10th homer of the year.
Long Beach State: Melloh gets the first out then issues the 49ers' first hit and walks a batter. She ends it with two strikeouts.

First inning: Fresno State 2, Long Beach State 0
Fresno State (visitors): Haley Perkins gets her first hit of the regional, an infield dribbler to second she beats out. Haley Gilleland beats out a bunt, with Perkins going to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. Gilleland steals second. Michelle Moses flies out and Alexis Lujan strikes out. Caitlin Stiglich delivers a two-run single to left.
Long Beach State (home): Morgan Melloh has a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout.

Fresno State and Long Beach State will start their elimination game of the NCAA tournament at just after 8 p.m. The game was pushed back two hours because it took the 49ers 13 innings to dispatch UNLV 3-1 in 13 innings.

The winner moves into Sunday's championship to play No. 2 overall seed UCLA, the last unbeaten in the Los Angeles Regional. If Fresno State takes care of the 49ers, it would need to beat UCLA twice to win the regional.

Just a note: the L.A. Regional has attracted just 1,389 fans for the first two days. The crowd was 582 on Friday and 807 on Saturday.

Playoff seeding by the Central Section committee is an often contentious and always thankless assignment that routinely draws critical comments from coaches who feel slighted.

The contrary occurred today with Stockdale baseball coach Dan Lemon, who could have been expected to scream foul after his Mustangs -- defending D-I champions and runaway titlists of the Southwest Yosemite League this season -- were seeded fourth behind Buchanan, Clovis West and Clovis West of the Tri-River Athletic Conference.

It only happened because Stockdale was swept by Clovis in a season-opening doubleheader at Clovis three months ago.

Playoff seeding by the Central Section committee is an often contentious and always thankless assignment that routinely draws critical comments from coaches who feel slighted.

The contrary occurred today with Stockdale baseball coach Dan Lemon, who could have been expected to scream foul after his Mustangs -- defending D-I champions and runaway titlists of the Southwest Yosemite League this season -- were seeded fourth behind Buchanan, Clovis West and Clovis West of the Tri-River Athletic Conference.

It only happened because Stockdale was swept by Clovis in a season-opening doubleheader at Clovis three months ago.

There are silly people who wonder why the Pac-10 gets high seeds in the NCAA tournament. Well, consider this:

UCLA beat Fresno State 4-2 today and became the fifth Pac-10 school to advance to a regional championship round. The others are Washington, Arizona, Stanford and Cal. Arizona State lost today but can still make its regional final with a win in a late game.

Head to head results screamed true in the Central Section's baseball seeding today.

It represents only one part of the seeding committee's five-point criteria, but there's no denying its impact. Consider:

** The Tri-River Athletic Conference received the top three Division I seeds in Buchanan, Clovis West and Clovis. Making this possible was Clovis' season-opening sweep of D-I defending champion Stockdale, which is seeded fourth. The reputation of TRAC muscle was obvious, given league champions who were stuck with lower seeds. Besides Southwest Yosemite League titlist Stockdale, they were Southeast Yosemite's Liberty (No. 6) and the County/Metro Athletic Conference's Bullard (No. 8).

FINAL: UCLA 4, Fresno State 2
UCLA moves into into championship on Sunday. Fresno State has to play winner of next game between Long Beach State-UNLV at 6 p.m. today to stay alive.

Seventh inning:
Fresno State: last at-bat unless get something going. 'Dogs get a runner on, but by fielding error, but Brooke Phipps flys out for final out. Game over.

Sixth inning: UCLA 4, Fresno State 2
Fresno State: 'Dogs go down in order, but not before Michelle Moses has a 10-pitch at-bat (strikeout) and Alexis Lujan a 15-pitch at-bat (strikeout).
UCLA: First three Bruins get hits. Megan Langenfeld, who homered in the first inning, bunted her way on. Gionna DiSalvatore single to left. Passed ball puts runners at second and third. Kaila Shull doubles to left, scoring both runners.

Fifth inning: Fresno State 2, UCLA 2
Fresno State: Goes down in order on only three pitches. What the heck are they thinking? Megan Langenfeld has thrown only eight pitches the last two innings.
UCLA: Melloh gets Bruins in order, all on grounders.

Fourth inning: Fresno State 2, UCLA 2
Fresno State: Goes down in order on only five pitches. Not good. It doesn't give pitcher Morgan Melloh any rest after battling out of a bases-loaded jam in the third.
UCLA: Melloh strikes out the side and has six now.

Third inning: Fresno State 2, UCLA 2
Fresno State: Haley Gilleland strikes out for the second time after getting hit by a pitch. The ump, though, said she didn't get out of the way, even though she was plunked in the ribs. Michelle Moses flied out. Alexis Lujan was hit by a pitch. Caitlin Stiglich had an 18-pitch at-bat before lining out to second on a great diving play by Amanda Kamekona.
UCLA: Andrea Harrison two-out single. Megan Langenfeld walks. Gionna DiSavaltore hits ground to second, Haley Perkins kicks it toward first and Michelle Moses grabs ball for what looked like the third out, but runner ruled safe loading the bases. Melloh geets Kaila Shull on a flyout to shortstop Haley Gilleland.

Second inning: Fresno State 2, UCLA 2
Fresno State: Caitlin Stiglich draws a one-out walk on 15 pitches. Lisamarie Coronado singles to left (first and second). Nicole Angene reaches on fielder's choice (Stiglich out at third). Ryane Petersen gets infield hit, squibber in front of plate that UCLA pitcher throws wild to first. Coronado scores. Brooke Phipps singles to right, scoring Angene with the tying run.
UCLA: Melloh strikes out the side.

First inning: UCLA 2, Fresno State 0
Fresno State (visitors): went down in order.
UCLA (home): Morgan Melloh issues a one-out walk to Andrea Harrison and Megan Langenfeld crushes an 0-1 pitch to the opposite field well over the left-field wall to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead after one inning. The first five batters Melloh, a left-hander faced, were lefties. This could be a long day for the Bulldogs. If they lose, they play an elimination game at 6 p.m. against the winner of Long Beach State-UNLV.

12:45 p.m.
Today's pitching match-ups:
Fresno State LH Morgan Melloh (29-14, 1.49 ERA) vs. UCLA RH Megan Langenfeld (15-1, 0.99 ERA).
Both pitchers won Friday in the opening round. Melloh beat UNLV 2-1 and Langenfeld beat Long Beach State 4-2.

'Dogs are warming up: 25 minutes to go

Just a note a half-hour before 'Dogs take on No. 2 overall seed UCLA on Day 2 of the Los NCAA Angeles Regional.

A Bulldogs win would be monumental and send them into Sunday's championship round. But, UCLA has won 10 straight in the series (7 by shutout). Fresno State hasn't beaten the Bruins since a 1-0 home win in 2000 during the regular season. UCLA is 10-3 against Fresno State in the NCAA tournament.

It was long ago that I wrote this column about Cal Poly second baseman Matt Jensen. And then two days later, he broke his clavicle and was out for the season.

I don't believe my column is jinxed. Don't get me wrong, I believe in jinxes. Cubs fans always do. But not this column. Or at least we need further evidence. Still, I was a little worried about Ben Holscher, the Clovis High teacher and wrestling coach. I wrote about him in today's column.

Morgan Melloh pitched a six-hitter with 15 strikeouts and Fresno State beat UNLV 2-1 Friday in the opening round of the NCAA softball tournament on UCLA's campus.

Haley Gilleland drove in the winner in the fourth with an infield single.

The Bulldogs (37-18) will play today at 1 p.m. against the winner of second-seeded UCLA and Long Beach State.

Haley Gilleland, with two outs and runners on second and third, hit a dribbler to the left side and beat the shortstop's throw to first. Pinch-runner Jody Badorine scored, giving Fresno State a 2-1 lead through four innings.

Fresno State left-hander Morgan Melloh has record every one by strikeout through her four innings against Las Vegas. All 12 Ks were by swinging. Her high is 15 strikeouts in a seven-inning game. She had 20 in a 16-inning game against Hawaii this year.

Caitlin Stiglich ripped a 3-2 pitch with two outs for a single to right center that scored Haley Gilleland for a 1-1 tie with UNLV after three innings.

Gilleland got it going with a one-out double to left. Michelle Moses walked and, after Alexis Lujan flew out to center, Stiglich stroked her opposite field hit. In the first, Stiglich had flied out with runners out to end the inning.

Morgan Melloh struck out the side in each of the first three innings...yet Fresno State trails UNLV 1-0 with the Bulldogs coming to bat in the bottom of the third. Melloh has allowed four hits and one walk.

UNLV struck for the first run with two outs in the second inning off Fresno State pitcher Morgan Melloh.

Melloh had struck out the side in the first and the first two batters in the second before giving up a double to right by Laura Briones. Outfielder Lisamarie Coronado nearly caught the sinking liner, with the ball bouncing off her mitt. Elena Fata, the No. 8 batter, then hit a single to left that scored Briones. Melloh gave up a walk then struck out Marissa Nichols for her sixth of the game.

It's a half-hour before game-time and Fresno and UNLV are warming up on the field here at UCLA. Bulldogs are the home team wearing white jerseys, blue pants and white sox with blue stirrups. UNLV is dressed in black tops and gray pants with red stripes down the sides.

Wonder what this regional will draw. Fresno State had about 700 fans per game at the WAC tournament last week. Right now, there's about 80 here by a rough count. There's a small group of Bulldog fans (about 12-15) sitting behind the homeplate screen just right of Fresno State's dugout on the third-base side.

The UCLA media room is decorated with photos of the 11 NCAA title teams and individual shots of the all-americans and players who won gold for the US Olympic team. That's what

There are nine players with Valley connections on Fresno State's softball roster as it prepares to take on UNLV in the first round of the NCAA tournament at UCLA this afternoon.

But there are four other locals on NCAA teams this year: Cal Poly soph. C Stephanie Correia (Redwood), who's batting .267 with two HR and 16 RBIs; Cal redshirt junior Nikki Schrey (Edison), hitting .250 with 7 RBIs and who played two years of soccer for the Bears; Texas A&M freshman pitcher Rebecca Arbino (Clovis), the No. 2 on the staff who's 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA and 77 Ks in 120 innings; plus UNLV freshman INF Stefani Sanchez (Buchanan), who might see action against the Bulldogs today as a pinch runner.

As if UCLA needed any advantages in the NCAA softball tournament.

UCLA, host of this weekend's Los Angeles regional, is 41-3 in 15 previous regionals at Easton Stadium and 47-4 in regionals played in Westwood.

The Bruins rank No. 1 in the nation in defensive with a .980 fielding percentage. They're also No. 6 in homers (72) and slugging % (.553) and 10th in batting average (.322).

UCLA also is home grown: 15 of the 18 players from California. The closest recruit to the San Joaquin Valley is jr. P Megan Langenfeld (Centennial High). She's 14-1 with a 0.93 ERA.

Things will get interesting if Long Beach State faces UNLV in this Los Angeles softball regional. UNLV's first-year coach Pete Manarino spent the previous 23 years as the 49ers coach, leading them to 17 trips to the NCAA tournament, including five appearances in the College World Series in the mid-80s and early 90s.

The teams already met this year, with UNLV handing Manarino's 49ers a 4-2 loss in March.

Just got to Easton Stadium, home of the 11-time NCAA champion UCLA Bruins softball team. This is a hitter's park. 190 feet down the lines and 210 to center. The wall is about 8 feet and there's a good backdrop of blue for the hitters. What makes this field so nice are the tall pine trees that line the outer perimeter of the outfield wall. It gives it a closed in effect.

UCLA is into intimidation, too. Each of the national titles are numbered and displayed all around the outfield wall, just to remind opponents what they're getting into.

3 p.m. Friday update: No responses to our ticket giveaway, so we're closing this one and donating the tickets to charity.

Perhaps we're getting a clue as to what the Valley thinks about the Grizzlies from the comments left on our original post?

Sound off with your perspective.

ORIGINAL POST: As promised yesterday, we're giving away Grizzlies tickets.

These are for Sunday's 2:05 p.m. game; the Grizzlies are playing the Dodgers affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes.

We've got four tickets in the Super View section PLUS a parking pass for one lucky reader. The FIRST eligible commenter on this post will win the tickets. And the winner must be able to pick up the tickets and parking pass at The Bee.

We won't publish comments until we have the winners. Official rules on the jump.

Fresno State is among 16 teams with one of the toughest roads to the softball College World Series if ratings percentage index (RPI) is any indicator.

Fresno State is in the UCLA four-team regional. According to RPIs, UCLA is the third-toughest regional and the winner would play the Missouri regional champion, rated No. 10, in the super regional. That adds up to 13, making that super regional the second toughest of the eight. The Arizona State regional is the No. 1 toughest and plays the Oklahoma regional (No. 9) in a super regional. That adds up to a super regional RPI of 10. Those two super regional winners advance to the CWS and play each other, presumably setting up the premier elite matchup at Oklahoma City.

RPI for the four teams adds up to 130, which would be the third-toughest of the 16 regionals. That winner plays the survivor of the 10th-toughest regional at Missouri, with a total RPI of 199, in the super regionals.

Fresno State's bracket is matched with the Arizona State and Oklahoma regionals.
The Arizona State regional (total 110 RPI) is the most brutal. That survivor plays the winner of the Oklahoma regional, rated ninth by total RPI.

The winner advances to super regional to play the 10th-toughest regional, led by Arizona State. That winner, in turn, would face the survivor of the Nos. 1 and 9 toughest regionals and

It's always more fun covering a nationally-ranked softball team, which Fresno State was until this week. The Bulldogs, 25th last week won the WAC tournament title, but were knocked to 26th and replaced at No. 25 by Notre Dame this week.

The Irish jumped into the top 25 after beating No. 20 DePaul for the Big East Conference tournament championship. Also keeping Fresno State from moving up was UMass, which remained at No. 24 after winning the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament in a three-game sweep. This shouldn't be suprising considering in the NCAA's final regular-season RPI, Notre Dame was No. 28, UMass No. 31 and Fresno State No. 40. By the way, UNLV, who the 'Dogs play Friday to open the NCAA tournament, had an RPI of 41. Regional host UCLA was No. 4 and its first-round foe, Long Beach State, was No. 45.

Fresno State ace Morgan Melloh, an all-WAC first-team choice, was one of six pitchers named to the 26-player Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-West Region team.

This was Melloh's second All-West Region honor. The sophomore left-hander is tied for the national lead in strikeouts with 414 and pitched the Bulldogs to the WAC tournament champlonship last weekend to solidify the program's 28th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.

UCLA, which hosts the Bulldogs, Long Beach State and UNLV in a regional this weekend, had five players selected to the All-West Region team. The WAC had six players, three from Hawaii.

UCLA softball will be hosting its seventh straight NCAA regional this weekend, which seems a little suspicious considering it gives the No. 2-seeded Bruins a huge advantage playing at home. Is the NCAA trying to make sure UCLA gets to the College World Series? No doubt the Bruins do draw TV viewers because of the reputation of 11 national titles.

Fresno State was sent to the UCLA regional, so I asked coach Margie Wright if she thought it was fair. She said, that's the way it is so they're dealing with it. She also said the NCAA tries its best to seed teams to cut down on travel and Fresno State is an easy drive to Westwood. Nevada, which finished second to the 'Dogs in the WAC, was shipped to Stanford (driving distance again). But the Wolf Pack did go to UCLA last year. So did Fresno State get ripped off being placed at a regional with a tougher seed? Sure. But there's no figuring out the NCAA softball cheeses when it comes to decision-making.

Fresno State guard Emma Andrews will make her return to the women's basketball team in the home opener against St. Mary's next season.

The NCAA suspended Andrews from the team all of last season and the first three games of 2009-10 for playing in an Australian pro league before she came to Fresno State.

Fresno State opens next season with road games at UC Santa Barbara, Cal or USC, and Texas Christian. Andrews, the starting point guard on the 'Dogs 2007-08 WAC champions as a freshman, will be competing for the job against senior LaShay Fears, who started last season and will be hard to move out.

A few extra thoughts about my column today, which I'm told dragged on longer than a fight scene from "Kill Bill." (Thanks mom, for the feedback.)

First off, Fresno State basketball coach Steve Cleveland told me no one from the university -- not president John Welty or athletic director Thomas Boeh -- has given him an ultimatum, or a mission statement, (depending on how full your glass is) about next season. He hasn't been told how many games he needs to win or fans need to be in the stands.

"Believe me," he said, "I don't need anyone to come in my office and tell me what we need to do."

The Fresno Grizzlies climbed back to .500 last night when they started an eight-game homestand with a 12-3 victory over Nolan Ryan's team, the Round Rock Express.

With their sixth straight win, the Grizzlies climbed within one game of Pacific Coast League South Division-leading Sacramento.

There oughta be a roar coming from Chukchansi Park, right?

Local fishing experts Roger George and Larry Hodge came to The Fresno Bee to share bass fishing techniques and favorite lures for local lakes. You can listen to the full audio portion by
downloading the podcast. For more detail, See photos of the equipment

AND ALSO

watch a Video: Bass lures & techniques

Haley Gilleland stroked a bases-loaded single to left in the bottom of the seventh that gave top-seeded Fresno State a 3-2 victory over second-seeded Nevada and the Western Athletic Conference tournament championship Saturday at Bulldog Diamond.

The Bulldogs went 3-0 in winning their third conference tournament title.

Pitcher Morgan Melloh, who won all three games and pitched a four-hitter Saturday, was named the tournament MVP. Gilleland and teammate Lisamarie Coronado also made the all-tournament team.

Fresno State will find out its pairing in the NCAA tournament when the field is announced on Sunday.

Nevada's Jessica Haight's bloop single drove in the tying run in the sixth and Fresno State and the Wolf Pack are knotted at 2.

Nicole Angene and Brooke Phipps hit back-to-back doubles for Fresno State's first run and Halley Gilleland's infield hit brought in Phipps, as the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead after four innings in the WAC tournament championship round.

Sarah Hunt's run-scoring triple in the top of the fourth gives Nevada a 1-0 lead over Fresno State Saturday in the championship round of the WAC softball tournament at Bulldog Diamond.
If Nevada wins, the teams will play a deciding game for the championship and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Caitlin Stiglich drove the first run of the game with an opposite field, bloop single to right to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead iagainst Louisiana Tech in the top of the first of their winner's bracket matchup at the Western Athletic Conference softball tournament at Bulldog Diamond.

It's understandable that off-road motorcycle, four-wheel drive and ATV enthusiasts are paying close attention to the Motorized Travel Management Plan currently underway in the Sierra National Forest. (Click here to read my story in Thursday's paper.) Understandable, because the Draft Environmental Impact Report that was released last week threatens to close a majority of backcountry trails that those folks have enjoyed for years.

But the paltry turnout for Tuesday night's public forum in Oakhurst shows me that other forest users -- especially campers and horseback riders -- aren't paying attention. Because the DEIS affects them, too.

The meeting between Brett Favre and Vikings coach Brad Childress didn't happen according to reports today. It was reported that Favre called Childress sometime Wednesday or early Thursday and told the coach he wants to stay retired.

But, you know how things go. This may or may not be over ...

Say it aint so - a report suggests that Brett Favre is to meet with the Minnesota Vikings this week about a possible comeback. Minnesota coach Brad Childress said last weekend that the Vikings would discuss Favre's availability after he was granted his release by the Jets.

Stay tuned ... the saga could continue.

Read the story.

Fresno State sent out a news release today that senior outfielder Mallory Perkins, a former Buchanan High standout, left the Bulldogs softball team on the eve of the team's WAC tournament opener on Thursday.

Neither coach Margie Wright nor Perkins would explain why other than for personal reasons.

It's too bad we don't get an explanation. It makes people wonder, causes rumors and hard feelings from different quarters of the softball community. It could be Perkins is close to graduating, isn't playing much, and wants to concentrate on classes. Maybe she's upset at not playing in the team's last series at Utah State. Maybe she got in a verbal fight with Wright or feels she's been mistreated. Anyway, it's strange, considering Perkins and her cousin, Haley, were honored recently on Seniors Day at Bulldog Diamond.

Fans should get their money's worth Friday when top-seed Fresno State takes on No. 4 Louisiana Tech at 2 p.m. in the winner's bracket of the WAC softball tournament.

Pitching for the Bulldogs will be left-hander Morgan Melloh, who didn't get WAC Pitcher of the Year but probably deserved it over Nevada's Katie Holverson. And in the batter's box for La. Tech will be left-handed hitting Ambery Waits, the WAC Player of the Year who led the conference with a .471 batting average with 16 homers and 58 RBIs.

In the three-game regular season series, Melloh shut out La. Tech twice and lost in relief of a 1-0, 10 inning game. Waits went 3 for 10 against Melloh. In the WAC tournament, she's 4 for 6 with a double, homer and three RBIs.

Welcome to my little piece of cyberspace.
In this blog, I hope to give you a little insight into the stories and various other things I produce for The Bee, and to give you a chance to open some dialog with me about those things.

That's what I'm talkin' about ... Boston and Los Angeles played more like they need to in wins last night in the conference semifinals.

And action - boy was there. Two player ejections in the Lakers vs. Rockets, cheap shots thrown, players having to be separated - what a battle.

Can hardly wait until Game 3 when the Rockets have the home crowd.

As for the Celtics, it was quite a turnaround from Game 1. That is still a very good series as well and I expect Orlando to win Game 3 to keep things exciting.

Boise State center fielder Tazz Weatherly robbed Fresno State's Alexis Lujan of an extra-base hit and the potential first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth.

Caitlin Stiglich lined a two-out single to right and advanced to second on the right fielder's error. Lujan then lined a shot into the gap in left-center. A strong wind held up the ball just enough for Weatherly to make a diving catch on her belly.

Both teams have only two hits apiece in this WAC tournament game.

Might have been a good day for Bulldogs second baseman Haley Perkins to stay in bed with a good book.

The senior gave people a scare in the third inning when she appeared to hurt her leg during a collision at second base on a force play in Fresno State's WAC tournament opener at Bulldog Diamond. She was OK. Then in the bottom of the inning, Boise State pitcher Allie Crump beaned Perkins with a 2-1 pitch that nearly cracked the helmet.

Perkins did receive some good news, though. She earned ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors for the third time in her career as a second-team choice. Perkins currently boasts a 3.59 GPA and she is majoring in Kinesiology.

Top-seed Fresno State and seventh-seed Boise State are scoreless after two innings of their softball game at the Western Athletic Conference tournament at Bulldog Diamond.

Morgan Melloh got off to a rough start. She walked the bases loaded in the first but escaped without a run when she struck out Ashleigh Viers-Gordillo for the final out.

One of the good things about covering sports is that every once in awhile you see something you've never seen. It happened in Boise State's second at-bat. Alexa Straton broke her aluminum bat in half hitting a foul ball down the left-field line. Split right in two. I know Melloh has a pretty good fastball, but that's the first aluminum bat I've ever seen busted.

A couple baseball thoughts:

** Clovis West has won 14 of 15, and the Golden Eagles only loss in the run was a walk-off grand slam by Buchanan's Seth Batty. Was I premature in leapfrogging the Bears over the Golden Eagles as No. 1 in the Central Section?

** When Fresno High clinched another North Yosemite League title Tuesday, I wondered once again: How long will 35-year coach Ken Papi hang as co-head coach with his son, Jason? I know this: They're having a marvelous time filling out a lineup card together.

Katie Holverson, the WAC Pitcher of the Year, threw a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts and second-seeded Nevada beat fifth-seeded New Mexico State 5-4 in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference tournanent at Bulldog Diamond.

The Wolf Pack advances in the winner's bracket today to face either Hawaii or Louisiana Tech, which played in Wednesday's late game.

What were WAC organizers thinking of when they scheduled top-seed Fresno State to play at 10 a.m. Thursday at Bulldog Diamond, its home field? Certaintly it wasn't to draw fans and make a little money on ticket sales to boot. Fresno State has the best attendance in the conference and one of the best on the West Coast, but 10 a.m. is a horrible time for the host team to play. People are at work, students are in school. It's going to be lonely in the stadium tomorrow, except for the senior citizens who regularly come out to support the team.

The flimsy excuse the WAC used was that's the way it is and fair to the other teams. It might be fair, but it doesn't make sense for a minor sport to handicap itself needlessly.

Kelsey Starr drove in the first two runs with a double and Nevada scored three times in the third to snap a scoreless game at the WAC softball tournament Wednesday.

The Aggies came back with one run ihe fourth on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Ashley Miaroda against WAC Pitcher of the Year Katie Holverson.

Both the teams' two regular-seson games were decided by one run in Nevada's favor.

Nevada's Katie Holverson won WAC Pitcher of the Year over Fresno State's Morgan Melloh, despite the Bulldogs left-hander winning the triple crown (most wins, best ERA and most strikeouts) in overall games.

The rub? WAC coaches, who selected the all-WAC team, considered only conference games in their voting. Holverson had the edge on Melloh with most wins and best ERA. What killed Melloh was a horrendous three days at Boise State a couple weeks ago. In the second game, she was chased in the first inning. That alone probably swayed the WAC coaches into giving Holverson the nod.

Melloh will have a chance to atone against the Broncos in Thursday's 10 a.m. game at the WAC tournament at Bulldog Diamond..

Boise State is looking forward to playing Fresno State's softball team today in the WAC tournament. I wonder if the Bulldogs feel the same way.The Broncos were a tough out the last time these teams played two weeks ago, and Fresno State struggled to win all three games.

"At lease we have some confidence going in," Broncos coach Erin Thorpe said Wednesday after her team beat San Jose State 8-4 in the tournament's first game.

This time, though, Bulldogs ace Morgan Melloh won't be handicapped by a sore finger on her throwing hand like at Boise State. Melloh was tagged for 24 hits and 18 runs in 14 innings.

Fans attending Fresno City's softball playoff games against visiting Sierra on Saturday and Sunday keep a look out for Wolverines pitching coach Michelle Granger, a former U.S. Olympian.

This is Granger's first year as a volunteer assistant with Sierra. The power pitcher beat China in the 1996 Olympic championship game and finished the tournament 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA.

The teams play at 2 p.m. Saturday and again at noon on Sunday with a third game if necessary.

This weekend is the last chance for folks to catch Haley Perkins in a Fresno State softball uniform. The senior infielder, who ranks on the all-time list in seven different categories, will try to help the Bulldogs win their second WAC Tournament championship in her four-year career. The action starts today at 2 p.m. with three games at Bulldog Diamond. Fresno State, the No. 1 seed, opens at 10 a.m. Thursday against the winner of San Jose State/Boise State.

Perkins will be featured in a story in Thursday's edition. See what she has to say about her distinguished career and how coach Margie Wright views one of the best players she's coached in her 24 years with the Bulldogs.

Two hours after Buchanan drummed Clovis 10-2 Monday, Clovis West required a seventh-inning passed ball to win 5-4 at Clovis East, which is 2-9 in the TRAC -- granted, the best 2-9 team in the Central Section by far.

And that, essentially, is why I flopped the Bears and Golden Eagles atop the Central Section baseball rankings.

While the teams are tied for the league lead with 9-2 records, Buchanan beat Clovis West in 2 of 3 TRAC games, as did the Bears with No. 3 Clovis.

Today, Buchanan is the section's best team. Whether the Bears remain there will depend on their No. 2 pitcher behind 9-1 super soph Seth Moranda.

Fresno State softball coach Margie Wright called me on a past blog in which I wondered what she'd wear to her retirement party -- her usual sweat suit or a dress, something I said I'd never seen her in.

Well, this week Wright reminded me that I did, indeed, see her in a dress; last summer downtown when she was testifying at the Stacy Johnson-Klein trial.

But, I told her, that's been the only time in 24 years. Needless to say, we both had a good laugh over that. For the record, Wright does dress up for Fresno State functions, like the all-star academic regalas and such. So, I apologize, Margie and have to wonder if she's ever seen me in a suit and tie. Fat chance. My Hawaiian shirts and Kansas cap are permanently stuck to my body.

More than 1,500 swimmers are in Fresno this week for the U.S. Masters Swimming Short Course National Championships.

Competition runs Thursday through Sunday at Clovis North High School before concluding Monday morning with the USMS One Mile National Championship open water swim at Millerton Lake.

Admission is free.

Spring hikes are always precarious in the Sierra Nevada, but the French Trail out of Mammoth Pool was looking promising enough -- just below the snowline, lots of spring runoff -- for me to pull out the gear last weekend for an early-season trail jaunt.

If you haven't heard of it, the French Trail follows an old pack trail from Mammoth Lakes on the east side of the Sierra to the Mammoth Pool area to the North Fork area. There are plans for extending the trail to Redinger Lake and connecting it to the San Joaquin River Trail. Once complete, it'll be a 73-mile skip across the Sierra, passing through the Ansel Adams Wilderness along the way.

Football fans know there has been a push to create a playoff system in NCAA football. Of course, the BCS officials are rejecting the proposals. Among other excuses, they claim a playoff system would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games. What?

I'm sure a system could be implemented that would match top teams eligible for a championship to be played as big bowl games - just with more emphasis on fairness and a chance to compete to earn No. 1.

Lawmakers are getting more involved, but face a difficult challenge. Check out today's story and share your thoughts.

There's also a video comparing the BCS system to communism.