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Show ^^™ SUMMER UTAH CHRONICLE SPORTS Page 6 www.dailyutahchronicle.com Wednesday, June 1, 2005 Utes hit the showers Baseball gets bounced from MWC Tournament Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor The U baseball team was eliminated from the MWC Tournament Friday, as the Utes' bats went silent in a 10-3 loss to the San Diego State Aztecs. The loss, Utah's second in the double-elimination tournament, put an end to a disappointing season for the Utes (19-36, 11-22 MWC), who finished the year dropping 12 of their last 14 games. After splitting the first two games of the tournament, Utah faced off against the Aztecs in an elimination game Friday afternoon. What started out as a slugfest turned into a blowout for SDSU, as Aztecs reliever Cody Campbell shut down the Utes with six innings of no-hit ball to lead . San Diego State to the 10-3 victory. "Cody Campbell was just outstanding," Aztec head coach Tony Gwynn said. "When you get into tournament games like this, those are the kind of performances you need. That's as good as he's pitched all year." Over the first three innings, Utah pounded out nine hits, including two apiece from Trevor Eastman and John Welsh. Eastman's solo home run in the top of the second inning gave the Utes an early 1-0 lead. The Aztecs, who scored 21 runs in their first-round victory over Air Force, were once again on target offensively. Utah third baseman Jay Brossman connects against San Diego State Friday at Franklin Covey Field. The Utes failed to register a hit En the final six innings of play in a 10-3 loss to the Aztecs. See BASEBALL Page 8 Jackpot UNLV knocks offBYUin conference title game Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor It took three meetings with BYU to get it done, but the UNLV Rebels were finally crowned MWC baseball champions this weekend. The Rebels defeated the Cougars 7-4 in the championship game of the MWC Tournament Saturday, earning their third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. UNLV, the top-seeded team in the conference coming into the tourney, dropped its first meeting with second-seeded BYU. After surviving an elimination game with San Diego State, the Rebels got revenge on the Cougars, beating them twice in as many days to claim the tournament crown—and they did it on the arm of junior reliever Matt Wagner. Wagner pitched both ends of Saturday's championship doubleheader, tossing seven-plus innings of nearly flawless work to earn tournament MVP honors. BYU had a chance to clinch the tourney title Saturday afternoon after defeating UNLV 7-2 on Friday. But the Rebels survived thanks in large part to Wagner (5-3), who came on in the fifth inning after BYU's four-run fourth and shut down the potent Cougar offense, allowing just one hit in 4.2 innings on the mound in a 9-5 victory. All-Conference outfielder Ryan Bird drove in three runs for the Rebels who avoided elimination and forced a decisive championship game later that same night against the Cougars. Once again, UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith turned to Wagner, who started Saturday night's championship game and tossed three strong innings, allowing just one run. After falling behind 1-0, the Rebels scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take control. But the Cougars roared back once Wagner was out of the game, scoring three runs in the fifth to tie the game at four, That's as close as BYU would get the rest of the way, as Wayne Foltin, Chris Huseman and Kyle Tabeek combined to quiet the Cougar offense the rest of the way. Ryan Bird doubled in what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth, and the Rebels rolled to a 7-4 win making this their third NCAA tourney berth in a row. cbellamy@ chronicle.utah.edu A fter surviving an elimination game with San Diego State, the Rebels got revenge on the Cougars, beating them twice in as many days to claim the tournament crown... UNLV's Matt Wagner tosses a warm up pitch at Franklin Covey Field earlier this season. Wagner was the MVP of the MWC Tournament last week. Real soccer fans lack passion A soccer match in Salt Lake City doesn't resemble any soccer match I've ever seen before. I lived in England for 15 years where the stadiums of Double A-equivalent teams are brimming with boisterous drunkards, shouting obscenities and hurling AA batteries at players for encouragement. Most of them have cigarettes dangling from their mouths because their hands are already full with flares, steel drums, trumpets and a pint that 1 they'd better take care not to spill on the big, odorous bloke standing next to them. It's quite a contrast to Rice-Eccles "Stadium, where 20,000 mild-mannered fans are barely audible above the sounds of the on-field action. A lone drummer provides the bulk of the festivities as viewers clap and boo with good-natured reserve, always conscious of the young children and less fervent patrons around them. Outbursts of passion usually fizzle out after a brief pause for self-reflection. Sparse pockets of zealous Real fans might as well be screaming out "F*** you, ref!" during a crowded final exam. They sound as if they're letting out a roar with each breath they draw over the hush of silence surrounding them. Say what you will about soccer hooliganism and violence—it's just what English criminals occupy themselves with. Criminals in the United States get guns and assault, rape and steal. In England, criminals go to football matches and flip out whether they win or lose. That's just how their system works. The hooligans are isolated and their behavior isn't really a major part of the general atmosphere that I'm describing. Regular fans in England and around the world allow themselves to express anger when rich, .famous 20somethings fail to fulfill expectations. And they damn well should. Regular fans around the world make a road match into a downright frightening proposition for opposing players who still somehow R egular fans in England and around the world allow themselves to express anger when rich, famous 20somethings fail to fulfill expectations. And they damn well should. Matthew Piper manage to refrain from calling themselves "warriors." Fans are harsh, but that's exactly what every fan expects when he or she buys tickets to the game, and what every player expects when he takes the field. When the players come through the tunnel, the shouting takes on the timber of monastic chanting. All individual sounds begin to lack definition as they merge into an immeasurable whole. Bands of trumpeters and drummers take turns competing and cooperating with fellow instrumentalists in the stands, triumphantly belting out the theme song from "The Great Escape" in spontaneous unison after the home keeper makes a big save. To be frank, watching soccer without these elements kind of feels like watching "The Godfather" without the score. Granted, the enthusiasm of the masses can go too far sometimes. At Stamford Bridge, I once saw 50,000 fans let out a mock "Awwww" as an injured Everton player writhed about in pain before getting helped off and not returning. Most American parents wouldn't feel comfortable taking their kids to a game under those circumstances. Sportsmanship is apparently still regarded as an important virtue here, even after a myriad of incidents in our own professional sports. Nevertheless, some degree of fa- naticism adds to the overall dramatic element that makes soccer the world's most popular sport. Maybe folks should leave their kids at home, since Real needs as much tangible support as possible for the franchise to thrive. Without the unique effect of traditional soccer support, RSL will suffer the unfortunate fate of every other niche sport franchise in the United States. With that said, it's only fair to be lenient on the young team. After all, its stadium even sell beer yet, which would be a step in the right direction. mpiper@ chronicle.utah.edu |