What Is The Common Thread Tying Eight Local Sports Teams Together?

No Comments June 12, 2017 CSF Baseball By John Stellman

Part 1 of 2

Rivalries

Today: CSF-LBS & Dodgers-Giants

To say that the Lakers, Dodgers, Trojans, Bruins, Kings, Ducks, Titans and Dirtbags don’t like their arch rival very much would be a gross understatement.

There is no love lost between Lakers and Celtics.

The Dodgers and Giants generally loathe each other.

USC and UCLA football players consider the other guys sometimes despicable.

Our two local National Hockey League teams occasionally ignite fisticuffs on the ice.

And the Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State baseball players often despise one another.

Don’t Like ’em

“We don’t like those guys, so it’s going to help for the whole team.

“…the last time we played them there was stuff that went on that we weren’t to happy about.

“…I’m not going to talk about that.

“Of course, yeah.

“There’s definitely some extra adrenaline going.”

Those words came from the mouth of CSF junior right handed pitcher Connor Seabold.

It was just before he faced CSLB in the opening game of last weekend’s best-of-three NCAA Super Regional playoffs.

His Titans and the Dirtbags both had their eyes on Omaha, Nebraska and a birth in the College World Series.

Rivalry Weekend was in full affect.

Long Wait

Long Beach (20-4) was coming off their first outright Big West Conference championship since 2003. The Dirtbags (16-8) and Fullerton (16-8) tied for the 2008 title . That season notwithstanding, CSUF was crowned undistputed champions on nine occasions.

Titan freshman second baseman Sahid Valenzuela put the whole weekend into proper perspective when he said, “I mean, it’s awesome. The rivalry that we have, and just coming into this weekend, we’ve got a good mentality.

“We’re hungry, because they took five out of six from us (three by one run and two in extra innings) we want to go out there and just beat them.”

CSF took a 141-73 overall edge against Long Beach into the weekend series and boasts a rich CWS tradition.

The Titans have been to Omaha 18 times. Their 34 wins is ninth most in history.

And they have four titles.

In 1979 they squeezed by Arkansas, 2-1.

Texas was the victim in 1984, 3-1.

Eleven years later they polished off USC, 11-5.

Comeback Kids

And after losing the opener to Texas in 2004, the Titans rallied for 6-4 and 3-2 victories to capture their last crown.

Fullerton bounced back again and have given themselves the opportunity to add to their impressive CWS resume.

Just as they did against the Longhorns, Fullerton lost their opener to Long Beach, this time by a score of 3-0.

Perhaps Seabold’s utter destain for the Dirtbags provided billboard material and some timely motivation in the Long Beach locker room.

A first inning chopper up the middle by Lucas Tancas followed by doubles from Ramsey Romano and Luke Rasmussen was all that Big West Conference ‘Pitcher Of The Year’ Darren McCaughan, relievers Eli Villalobos, Zak Baayoun Josh Advocate and closer Chris Rivera needed.

Rivera loaded the bases in a shaky ninth inning but struck out the side to notch the save.

Game 2 was over almost before it started.

Batting Practice?

The Titans showed no mercy.

After scoring twice in their first at bat, Hunter Cullen, Chris Hudgins, Valenzuela, Dillon Persinger, Timmy Richards and Hank LoForte drove in runs during a seven run third inning in what turned out to be a 12-0 spanking.

For the encore, Fullerton handed the ball to Colton Eastman, who hadn’t pitched in 2 1/2 months.

Sidelined by elbow tightness, last season’s ‘Pitcher Of The Year’ hurled seven brilliant innings in a 2-1 victory that sends Fullerton back to Omaha after a one year absence.

Eastman surrendered just one hit and one unearned run in his fifth appearance since returning from the disabled list.

The Titans reward?

A first round matchup with No.1 national seed, Oregon State (54-4).

Unbelievable Brutal!

Fifty two years ago, 42,807 Candlestick Park fans witnessed perhaps the ugliest matchup in sports history.

It turned the game of baseball upside down.

The Dodgers and Giants were locked in a fierce battle for the National League lead. Los Angeles led San Francisco and Atlanta by just half a game.

The Braves would eventually fade, finishing 11 games behind the Dodgers, who edged San Francisco by a pair of games.

But what happened on that fateful August 22, 1965 afternoon left a permanent scare on the national pastime.

It all began innocently enough. The game’s first batter, Maury Wills, reached first base after he dropped down a perfectly placed bunt.

On his next at bat, fiery Dominican right hander Juan Marichal knocked Wills down with a high, tight fast ball.

When Willie Mays stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second, Sandy Koufax delivered a fast ball over his head that hit the screen behind home plate.

Marichal then sent Ron Fairly sprawling in the third with a blazing inside fast ball.

This brought an ejection warning from home plate umpire Shag Crawford.

Watch Out Juan!

Coincidentally, it was Marichal who led off the Giants’ third inning.

John Roseboro dropped Koufax’ second pitch, which was inside.

The catcher’s return throw was extremely close to Marichal’s face. The pitcher said it clipped his ear.

Expletives were exchanged and when Roseboro moved toward the pitcher, Marichal lifted his bat and slammed it down on top of the catcher’s head.

Benches emptied and a melee ensued.

Roseboro went after Marichal, who kept on swinging the bat.

Crawford actually tackled Marichal while Mays corralled Roseboro and moved him away from the confrontation.

“They can thank Mays that there wasn’t a real riot out there.

“If it wasn’t for Willie Mays it could have been a lot worse.

“Willie did a hell of a job stopping the battle,”Dodgers outfielder Lou Johnson told the Los Angeles Times.

Battle Scares

Roseboro need 14 stitches to close the wound on his head.

Dodger reliever Howie Reed and Johnson were spiked by a kicking Marichal who lay on the ground.

The umpire’s hand was cut by someone who inadvertently stepped on it.

The Giants’ pitcher was suspended 10 games, fined $1,750, a record at the time, and paid Rosoboro $7,500 resulting from a law suit.

Ironically, years later the two befriended each other. Marichal pitched for the Dodgers in 1975. And they were reunited for a 1982 Oldtimers’s Game.

In 1991 Roseboro told the Los Angeles Times, “There were no hard feelings on my part, and I thought if that was made public, people would believe that this was really over with.”

Over? Perhaps. But forgotten? Never!

Southern California News Group, Kevin Stone (ESPN) Contributed To This Article

image: lineupforms.com

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John Stellman

I was born with sports in my blood. I began coaching little league baseball at 15. I was the sports editor of my high school newspaper. I did football play by play for the college radio station. I broadcast high school basketball for a local commercial station. But baseball was always my passion. During the 1970's I covered the Angels for the Orange County Register. And now I am back where I belong...