San Diego Sports Fans Have Plenty To Look Forward To This Spring

[ [ NEW SEGMENT ] ] [ [ NEW SEGMENT ] ] MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: This is KPBS Midday Edition, I am Maureen Cavanaugh. And the crowd went wild - [ [ AUDIO FILE PLAYING ] ] NEW SPEAKER: (Cheering and applause) San Diego State wins the US conference Regular-season championship. [ [ END AUDIO FILE ] ] MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: That well worn phrase came to life at VA has arena last weekend, the winds the men's Aztec basketball team snatched another championship from the very competent and very tall New Mexico Lobos, the accent as text come into this weekend's number one seed and meanwhile baseball fans counting the days until the arteries open decision season on March 30, poking the number one rivals the LA Dodgers. Springtime sports are topic and I'm is my pleasure to welcome our guests Jay Paris and Beau Lynott. Welcome to the program. Saturday night the locals were sixteen points ahead, how did the Aztecs make such a remarkable comeback against New Mexico? BEAU LYNOTT: Steve Fisher Fisher said he'd had enough after a couple of dunks by the big man in New Mexico and called timeout and put in at 131 sound defense which means that a player at the top of the key 63 guys in the middle and one down low, it's unorthodox for the Aztecs they have not run that defect for a month but that sparked a come back and they started sealing the ball and suffocating New Mexico and getting out on five breaks and came back and tied it up, it was very close down to the end but they won. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Steve Fisher has been named Coach of the year, which players deserve a shadow? Some of them have even been named players of the year. BEAU LYNOTT: Xavier themes, and Josh Davis, not much of the score but at very good rebounder and defender and they played in excellent team basketball, they have a low shooting percentage and a low free-throw shooting percentage but they play fantastic defense, and they play very well together, they don't get rattled even down sixteen to a team against New Mexico that a party beaten them on two weeks prior to prior. They have to be very confident heading into the postseason. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: One of the Aztecs chances as they had in the playoffs? JAY PARIS: Awfully good especially lacking from the team they hope that it won't rear its head going forward, there also good down by the basket and got to pick up their outside shooting and actually they will be okay, this is it defense of team that rebounds very well and plays old-school basketball, you can play a hard-nosed defense and then hit the glass, and they complement that with a little bit of scoring, they could be in for a deep run. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: You make the case in an article in the voice of San Diego that the Aztecs are hoping to turn around San Diego's negative sports reputation, make that argument Taurus, when he think that is so? BEAU LYNOTT: San Diego certainly has a negative sports arbitration nationally and locally, you talk to a San Diego fan and tell them San Diego never wins everything anything they would probably agree with you unfortunately, people have a pessimistic attitude that we have never won a championship since the 60s but the Aztecs are consistently good even when they were supposed to be in a rebuilding year, and Steve Fisher is getting a lot of consideration for national Coach of the year, is the Mountain West coach of the year and Steve Fincher being prominent himself has helped elevate the program and by extension, if San Diego State goes deep in this tournament again, this year, that will banish away some of the bad vibes of that San Diego's had in my opinion. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Jay, what was your take on that? JAY PARIS: I think Monaco San Diego sports fan made a deal with the devil or God, and they chose 72∞ every day rather than sports championships. When the Chargers beat the patriots it was a championship, not one of the victory college sports betting the key here was San Diego does not have a good team anymore they have a good cold program and that is consistency that gets you noticed on the sports landscape locally and nationally, and like both said, this was a bridge season and they were really make sure that there really loaded and for them to do so well this year, it's like a big snowball, they are on TV more and they're playing the games more, and no longer does Coach Fisher have to go out looking for players, they call him now. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Whitey think that other sports teams in San Diego might deal to learn from the Aztecs about rebuilding teams and getting on this winning snowball that Jay was talking about? BEAU LYNOTT: I think the Chargers are doing that, they have a younger front office since the beginning of last year with Tom Lesko and Mike McCoy, and they seem to be sort have sort of rebuilding from within and trying to draft well, trying to be careful and free agency and they had a couple of Mrs. last year but overall they were good free agency and draft and they send you trying to build a program that will be sustainable instead of trying to make a big shot with big name free agents, I wouldn't say that they are necessarily learning from San Diego State basketball but they are on a similar path of trying to build something that can assist sustain a winning tradition and winning attitude. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: This is a big time of year for a lot of San Diego baseball fans, a new baseball season is about to begin and in San Diego it kicks off with a sold out crowd at Petco Park on March 30 against the Dodgers, is a big deal for the first game in San Diego? BEAU LYNOTT: It is a big deal and is sort of disruptive to the start of the baseball season because San Diego Dodgers and Padres game was the sort of the kick kickoff game but is not the traditional opening game, so if you go on Sunday you will have some of the festivities being opening day, and then they will do it all over again on Tuesday. And opening get opening day on game two. Is odd for the Padres to host the first game here. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Why not have two home openers? Nothing without. JAY PARIS: Is going to be the third opener because doctors are opening ends Australia on in Sydney and opening up down under and someone will have to explain that to me, it's a little bit of a tweak but with Cindy Knight Saturday night baseball that is a good for the audience and a good way to pop the cork. If the Padres open a successful season,, they did scuffle little bit now last couple of years, last six years under 500, but without a winning year, their building and they are optimistic and this is the time to be optimistic. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Jay, your covering spring training how they done so far? JAY PARIS: To have been all right, it's all about developing this year and your winning a lot of games and that is great, we're building a tradition and if you're not winning then you're working on things, you can't really go wrong but if they were playing soccer or hockey would be in first place, they've made some nice pickups this year and there are some great pieces that they added that really this is about what they have thrown in the ground and these young players have had growing pains these last couple of years and now is their time, and the guys that have been getting some rings around their trunk last couple of years this is there year that they can compete in his upper divisional side in the we have a lot of that. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: We know that the Padres pitching staff is pretty strong, any heaters this year? JAY PARIS: There are hitters but the DNA of this team is not to send the ball up there in J St. are up and parked at the park, this peak team is built around solid defense and that being said we still have the cleats and don't play everyone's while we're hoping to get that and keep them healthy and they're hoping to get that a couple of years ago and take a step back next year and we also coming off the big year, they're going to score just enough to win as they are trying to phrase it, we're going to be a team does throw the ten spot up there on regular basis and score one more than the other guy. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: What you think the Padres need to focus on? BEAU LYNOTT: The advanced metrics people protect them for about a 78 to 79 win season, if they can get to 500 or above, that is progress as far as where this franchise and team has been in the last few years, the ownership this is kind of the new ownership's first full year and they are doing a lot of things to Institute fan appreciation and redoing a lot of the ballpark and the love that will be in implanted next year but is also that next year with bringing defenses in with party deck in right field, the Princess seems that is headed in a positive direction and we've been talking about the excellent farm system and pitching in the use they've had and as Jay says it's time to start seeing that flesh out, in some wins. San Diego baseball fan has been really eaten down the last few years and just a winning seed would be a great start. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: One of the ways that the fans will not be beaten down this year as they watch the Buena Vista games on TV, tell us about that. JAY PARIS: Finally had deal has reached Time Warner and a couple other people able people and you and I have 200 channels and we certainly look forward to it and that is been cleared up that I think it's pretty critical for an organization like the Padres without a lot of key players it is important that you're able to sell your product and expose these young players so that fans can get to know them as well and hopefully a new relationship and attachment to them, that is been changing over the last couple of years in your sailing a young team selling a young team and people are not aware of who they are, it makes it tough. That is a big plus and grieving going to have instant replay this year before. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: The other changes the rules. JAY PARIS: Yes they've dragged that strictly kicking and screaming into the party first century, knowing baseball they might do dial-up instead of Wi-Fi, but you actually bring it up to date and one thing again in about that Sunday game opening the season in the we the first game ever that has instant replay. Never seen a game you're not going to take all of your electronic gadgets down. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Okay, you guys have given us a great update, I've been speaking with sports writer Jay Paris and Beau Lynott, the sports contributor for voice of San Diego, thank you both very much. BEAU LYNOTT: Thank you. JAY PARIS: Cheers. [ [ END SEGMENT ] ]