It's TIME!! LB Register Ready to Rumble with P-T.

This morning, newspaper racks in Long Beach had a new offering.  The Long Beach Register's first edition was published today, enveloping copies of the OC Register, and putting pressure on the LA News Group to upgrade the rapidly-declining Press-Telegram.  Hopefully, that will mean more unique content in the P-T, and less of the Daily News.

The Register folks say the website for the LB Register will be up and running in September.

As far as Sports coverage, former P-T columnist and LBSU Baseball writer Bob Keisser is the LB Register's sports editor, and has already posted a brief discussion with AD Vic Cegles, and a preview of the fall sports. 

In response, the P-T has brought in Gazette Sports writers Mike Guardabascio and JJ Fiddler as their top Prep writers, and will likely team up with Robert Morales covering 49er sports this season.  They say the Gazette content will continue, as well.

All this means (hopefully) more and better local coverage of LBSU athletics.  Good for us!

Now...if the Register could just get rid of that darn paywall for us folks beyond the Orange Curtain...

(TWIT PIC OF THE FIRST LB REGISTER SPORTS PAGE)

Summer Update Time!

With the new athletic year about to get underway, I've done some updating of the links.  All of the Pacific stuff is gone, and we wish them well in the WCC.  A few other links have been updated or added, including some other fan sites.  I'll look to add more as I come across them.  Also, there will be a link to the new Register-Long Beach paper (I hear it will be called the Herald, but we'll see), where former PT beat writer Bob Keisser will be plying his trade.  Sadly, it will likely be behind a paywall for us folks outside of the Orange Curtain and LB area who can't subscribe.  Hopefully, the coverage is good.

Reportedly, 22 MBB games will be "broadcast nationally" this year.  I suspect a lot of those will be "broadcast" over the internet, meaning ESPN3.  It'll be interesting to see if the new Fox Sports 1 will have a similar service.

Women's Soccer and Volleyball are about a month away!  Looking forward to good seasons for both!

GO BEACH!

Aztecs Retreat Back to Mountain West as Big East Football Deal Disintegrates

SDSU atheltics officials today announced their intention to stay in the Mountain West in all sports next season, abandoning their plan to play football in the Big East, and other sports in the Big West.  U-T San Diego has the story HERE.

The move by the Aztecs follows Boise State also backing out of Big East football and Big West sports, as the Big East continues to fall apart with the defection of the "Catholic 7".

Barring any other moves, this will leave the Big West with its current lineup for 2013-14, minus Pacific, which is moving to the West Coast Conference next season.

Sagarin Update to Start 2013 / Vargas Leaves WVB Staff

With the 2013 Big West portion of the schedule getting underway for Monson's Minions and Wynn's Warriors, here are where they stand in today's Jeff Sagarin computer ratings, along with the conference ranking.

Men's BB:
Sagarin:  196 (7th)
SOS:  #2 (UCSB is #1)
Conference Rank"  #14

Women's BB:
Sagarin:  158 (5th)
SOS:  #243 (easiest among BWC teams)
Conference Rank:  #12

MEN'S SAGARIN LIST
WOMEN'S SAGARIN LIST

The women host Cal Poly tonight at 7pm in the Walter Pyramid, while the men, now with everyone eligible, are in SLO playing the Mustangs, also starting at 7pm.

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In WVB news, former 49er setter Nicole Vargas is leaving the coaching staff after one season back at The Beach to join the Pacific program  The Tigers are heading to the WCC next season.  Good Luck to Nicole up in Stockton!

Pacific Press Release

Boise State bails on disintegrating Big East football, and the Big West as a result

The Idaho Statesman reports Boise State has decided to remain in the Mountain West in all sports, and will not join the Big West or the football Big East next season.  Here's the link to the story:

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/12/31/bmurphy/boise_state_remain_mountain_west_not_join_big_east

Will SDSU follow suit?

It's Official...Boise State invited to return to the Big West.

After leaving the Big West for the WAC when the conference dropped football, Boise State will bring most of its non-football sports back to the Big West, starting June, 2013, along with San Diego State.  The two programs, whose football teams will play in the Big East after this season, will replace Pacific, which is segueing to the WCC after this school year.  For more information, click the link:

http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=16049

With the WAC announcing it's dropping football sponsorship after this season, and Idaho moving back to the Big Sky (indy for football, for now), and New Mexico State with nowhere to go, what will be the next domino to fall?  Stay tuned!

Catching up on an exciting year.

First of all, congratulations to 49er Men's Basketball for an exciting and fun season.  I think we'd all be happy with a 25-win season, Big West season and tournament titles, and NCAA Tournament appearance every year (at least!)...a far cry from Coach Monson's first year of 25 losses.  Big thanks to Coach, the staff, and the players, especially the "Fab Four", who have laid the foundation over the past four seasons for many more years of success for those who follow.  Next season will have a lot of new faces, but will also have the potential for similar results.  It should be fun to watch!

Second, more congratulations to 49er Women's Basketball for fighting thru an ungodly number of injuries to key players to make it to the Big West tournament, and then making an unlikely run to the title game, adding to the excitement for Beach fans in Anaheim.  The future is finally looking bright for Coach Wynn and her ladies, with all but Tipesa Moorer returning, including the injured Ella Clark and Sendy Valles.  Hopefully, they'll be making a run at a Big West championship in a year or two.

Next, more conference news...Pacific will be leaving the Big West after the 2012-13 season, returning to the WCC after four decades.  Pacific was a charter member of the PCAA in Football in 1969, and brought their other sports into the conference in 1971.  They were also a founding member of what would become the WCAC, then the WCC, back in the early 1950's.  Their spot in the BWC will be filled by SDSU, keeping the conference at 10 teams, barring any more moves.

Men's Volleyball keeps fighting through injuries trying to make the MPSF playoffs, on the road this weekend at Hawaii.  Women's Sand Volleyball is underway as well, in the sport's debut season, losing their first home matchup to USC, 4-1.  Softball opens conference play this weekend at UCSB, as Erin Jones-Wesley tries to carry them after a difficult non-conference slate.  Baseball also gets conference play underway this weekend at Cal Poly.

GO BEACH!