Sez Me …
Unlike the Padres, with fans who lost it, panicked and ran for shelter after an opening-day loss to the Dodgers, San Diego State basketball’s rabid followers have become immune to such nonsense.
The Aztecs, who spent the 20th century in the valley, have found their way up the hill in this, century 21.
They have arrived. They have planted a flag while many more famous climbers have slipped. There are Sherpas with the money and names who have reached and continue to reach the summit ahead of them, but State is up there now, man, comfortable mingling with the bigs.
It didn’t take their win Friday in the first round of the NCAAs to serve notice. Seeded fifth in the East Region, the Aztecs took it rock by rock vs. Alabama-Birmingham, getting huge efforts — offensively from Jaedon LeDee, and defensively from Lamont Butler — on the way to a 69-65 win. The win allowed State to advance to the round of 32, where the Aztecs will take on Eli Yale on Sunday night. Yale is not a comfortable mattress to sleep on, as Auburn discovered Friday.
What widened the eyes came before the first tip. The NCAA Selection Committee seeded the Aztecs 18th overall among the 68 schools in the tournament.
And their season wasn’t terribly impressive. They went 25-10, but were a middle-of-the-pack 11-7 in regular-season Mountain West play and lost to New Mexico in the conference tournament finale.
Yet the committee, recognizing the Mountain West was the best it’s been in its history, still seeded them 18th overall, fifth in their bracket, which tells you they would have been higher had they beaten the Lobos.
But they reached the national final last spring, they play strong teams outside their league and are consistently good. Think about it. Three California schools made the tournament — SDSU, Saint Mary’s and Long Beach State, which got in by winning its league tournament despite firing its coach. Now the Golden State has one team remaining.
Next to Gonzaga, SDSU has been the best program on the West Coast for years. And the committee obviously notices such things. There is no Cinderella to them anymore. They are Prince Charmings.
UCLA didn’t make it, which I always find hard to fathom. Another blueblood, Kentucky, lost to Oakland in the first round.
Those are NIL money schools. SDSU is not. Steve Fisher started it all of course in 1999, and protege Brian Dutcher has raised the bar without many prep superstars and one-and-dones.
Kentucky coach John Calipari recruits McDonald’s All-Americans and says 70 percent of his players get drafted. They also leave him early for the NBA, which means he’s always young, and that doesn’t necessarily cut the tournament dijon. Even he its his team has to get older.
The Aztecs are always veteran, a menu favored by Michigan State, which makes it easier to calm storms. And that matters in March. Maybe the Aztecs aren’t always going to reach Final Fours, but knock enough and you get through the door — and they’ve been to 11 of the last 14 rodeos, four in a row.
Dutcher has done a masterful job making the keys to get in. If you were around to see the condition this program was in when Fisher arrived — for me, the worst in America — then you know San Diego State men’s basketball is our own little secular miracle.
And if there is a blip, their fans don’t leap into live volcanoes. …
LeDee is a grown-up fellow. That is a first-round NBA body. I love his game, because he can create and score in so many different ways. Lost art in the land of 3’s and dunks. …
I realize Shohei Ohtani is well on his way to becoming a billionaire, but even if I’m Bill Gates, and a friend asks me to lend him $4 million, the least I’m going to do is ask: “OK, but why do you need it?” …
I’ve never understood interpreters, anyway. The subject talks for 30 seconds and you get three-word answers. …
Shoheigate stinks. There’s not a rug big enough for it to be swept under. …
New Judases’ head coach Jim Harbaugh had a garage sale at his former Michigan residence. So, fired up by the success, he gets to L.A. and puts receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams out in the driveway. …
Meanwhile, Justin Herbert is talking to new GM Joe Hortiz, demanding extra receiver money for having to throw to himself. …
Finally out of Pittsburgh, Kenny Pickett obviously wanted nothing to do with getting called into Russell Wilson’s office. …
The more I think about it, the more I can’t understand how the Bears simply gave away a young, skilled starting quarterback for a piece of slag steel. If Justin Fields never plays again, it would be stupid. George Halas must be spinning like a blowout tire at 80 mph. …
During his visit, the Football Giants told Wilson there were no guarantees he’d play over Daniel Jones. Never has there been a greater NFL insult. …
Do nerds have any information on how many times in baseball annals a broken glove has lost a game? As a kid I had a Rawlings “Finest in the Field” Stan Musial model. I beat it to hell for years and it never failed. Guess cows were tougher then. …
There’s not a pitcher in the history of the universe worth $62 million. Blake Snell is good, but the Giants are taking the biggest gamble since D-Day. And San Francisco doesn’t have Eisenhower in the front office. …
Greg Maddux — who never got $62 million guaranteed — faced 20,421 batters, and 133 reached a 3-0 count. …
Bob Uecker on catching the knuckleball: “Wait until it stops rolling and pick it up.” …
I am deeply saddened to hear of former San Diego State President Dr. Stephen Weber’s death. We talked quite a bit. A good man, a wise man, who listened. His late wife, Susan, was wonderful. RIP. …
How can you tell if you’re watching an NBA game or a college basketball game? Last week, in the Big Ten Tournament, there was a traveling call. …
To get caught traveling in the NBA, you have to be on the team plane. …
After Padres pitchers walked nine on opening day vs. the Bums, skipper Mike Shildt sent them to a Seoul Williams-Sonoma to find the plate. …
Dan Patrick is spot-on. MLB should try growing here before it goes over the big drink to Korea to play games at 3 a.m. West Coast time. …
Saw this: What do you call a person who’s happy on Monday? Retired. …
Thirty years ago last Wednesday, George Costanza decided to do the opposite. Kentucky didn’t watch. …
“Reality TV to me is the museum of social decay.” — Gary Oldman. He still sounds like Churchill. Perfect. …
Why does the NFL want to keep screwing with kickoffs? The last guy I saw return one was Gale Sayers. …
“I fought Sugar Ray Robinson so many times, it’s a wonder I don’t have diabetes.” — Jake LaMotta
The Paris Olympic Committee is providing 300,000 condoms for Olympic athletes. Goodness. Did Wilt make the basketball team? …
I knew Joe Biden was too old to do NCAA Tournament brackets. I mean, picking the Hickory High Huskers?
