Blog #2: On Top of the World

For some reason, a lot of my big and bright ideas always seem to come to me when it's roughly 11pm or Midnight local time and I'm ready to fall sleep, whether it's the next piece of art I add to my growing City Pride albums or simply my next blog entry here in the CPM Sports Zone. Last week, I wrote about the growing interest being shown for Women's Basketball. The blog was such a big hit after it was posted, Candace Parker gave me a Follow on Twitter for my efforts.

Callan: Age 12

But that's for another time and place, this weeks post is a story from my athletic career that came to an end after my senior year in High School so I could begin the process of pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, writing or management. This blog flashes back to the late summer/early fall of 2006, 3,000 miles away from sunny San Diego, California to baseball heaven in Cooperstown, New York.

The San Diego Bucs set sail in 2002, originally named the San Diego Diamonds after we won a local recreation winter league in the winter of '02. The cast of characters shuffled a few times, but the original core of players played together for the longest time. 

Austin Shives was our everyday Center Fielder and a true five tool player. Alexis Curtiss the lone girl on our team, but damn could she play. A multi sport athlete shined both behind the plate, but also as a Soccer Goalkeeper. Eliot Lowell was our everyday Shortstop with a flashy glove and a solid bat, El also served as a pitcher in key scenarios. Tommy Hogle was our backup Catcher and big bopper in the lineup, also known for his humor with a fictional run in he had with truck and big screen television. Gino Rudolph who went on to be a high school teammate of mine brought an arm to the mound, a glove at 3rd base and some pop to our lineup. Trevor Deddeh who for some reason got the nickname "turtle" from everyone else played everyday First Base and had a clutch bat when we needed it most. Yours truly, Callan McClurg served as the Utility guy on the squad, and was best known for announcing the game, while playing the game (no joke). Dustin Burke patrolled the outfield and found a way on base nine out of ten times. Adam Taylor may have been the smallest player on most rosters, but size doesn't matter. Despite his size, the kid could freaking run and play some awesome defense in big time scenarios. Hunter Landry was Mr. Consistent, sure he had hiccups at the plate or on defense, but his play was even keel day in and day. Eric Fuss joined us just prior to our trip to the Big Apple to provide depth for the tournament. He may have struggled with the team, but still did grind everyday to improve his game. Ian Clarkin brought a left hand arm to the mound and added depth to the rotation of arms. Last but certinatly not least was Corey Oswalt who I labelled an F.O.N. (Freak of Nature) for his height at such a young age and the arm he brought to the mound as our closer to slam the door on another victory.

Indeed, we were by far the most dominating travel baseball team in San Diego from 2004 until 2009, having won or made the tournament final in every San Diego tournament held. But the Bucs weren't just dominating their hometown, also winning tournaments throughout Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, at this point, let just say they were the most intimidating and dominating team throughout the entire U.S.

But we were thrown into a new environment, a 28 team pool play/single elimination tournament against teams from all parts of New England and the rest of the nation in what I thought to myself "This will be an uphill battle, but I think we have a chance." We played a solid pool play round, finishing with a solid 4-1-1 record, holding the #5 seed and the added bonus of a first round bye going into what will become the greatest day of my athletic career and my life.

The day began at 9am Eastern Time with our game against a the New York Demon Dogs. In a game highlighted by balls sailing into souvenir city at the field, the game came down to the final inning. After we intentionally walked the best hitter on their squad, the situation became Bases Loaded with two out and us leading 8-6. The intentional pass became a source of controversy until we got what we planned for, a groundout to our third basemen, tag the bag, ballgame! The Bucs moved onto the Semi-Finals in the tournament. The Semi-Finals began at 2pm Eastern, pitting the Bucs against the Dillsburg (PA) All-Starz, who were sledgehammering every opponent put in front of them with homer after homer, with scores resembling those of Indoor Soccer or NFL Football games (literally) leading them to gain the cocky and confident attitude of that of a championship fighter, little did they know we too could play Long ball. The longball began with a 4 run onslaught in the first to put San Diego up early. After Dillsburg got back within two at 4-2, CLEAR THE DECK! CANNON BALLS COMING!! A San Diego onslaught of homers (including a Denny's Grand Slam) turned this one into that of an Indoor Soccer score: Bucs 15 Dillsburg 8, the Bucs advance to the Tournament Final.

There was a break in the action to allow groundskeepers to get the championship field ready for the game, which would be a rematch of our first game of the tournament. The Bucs would face the South Jersey Sand Sharks (Sharks don't live on the Jersey Shore do they?) at 7pm Eastern in the 2006 Cooperstown All-Star Village Tournament FINAL. Before the game, both teams were introduced as you see at Opening Day in MLB, lining up on their respective baselines as the umpiring crew delivered a tremendous rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. The title game would get off on the wrong foot, as the Sharks slugged 2 homers, and added two more in the top of the first to lead early 4-0. The Bucs responded with one of their own in the bottom half to make it 4-1. South Jersey would get that run back in the top of the 2nd to pad there lead at 5-1, would that be the last run scored by them?

In the bottom of the second to last inning and trailing 5-1, the rally started (Que the Rally Monkey) with a walk, a double, another walk issued, another double made it 5-3 and a two run homerun tied the title game at 5-5, then Mother Nature killed the momentum as a one hour and forty five minute rain delay sent us back to our bunkhouse to refocus and reset that it was a whole new ballgame begin tied at 5-5 heading into the 6th and final inning of play. Both teams went down in order 1-2-3 to send the title game, with a championship trophy about as tall as I am today (6'5") hanging in the balance.

WALK OFF THREE RUN HOME RUN!!!

We shut down the Sharks in the top of the 7th inning and got our chance to win the tournament and bring the trophy back home to sunny San Diego. As in between warmups were wrapping up, the atmosphere changed from that of a baseball game, to what sounded like a UEFA Champions League Final Match, with the crowd breaking out soccer style chants throughout the entire 7th inning, all you could hear was the sounds of over 1,000 people chanting "OLE! OLE! OLE!" and chants in the tune of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army. Our first two runners go on base, with the teeth of the order coming up. Corey Oswalt would come the plate with two men on in a 5-5 tie. I remember saying "First pitch homer right here." Sure enough, a first pitch cement mixer Curveball was absolutely tattooed deep into the Cooperstown night and way gone, A WALK OFF THREE RUN HOME RUN to touch off what would become a wild celebration on the field and back at the bunkhouse.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP HAS THE GOLDEN STATE OF MIND

FINAL/7: SAN DIEGO BUCS 8 South Jersey San Sharks 5

The celebration lasted well into the early morning of the following day, as we changed attire into street clothes to have a little fun, including numerous photos, food, championship ring sizing, autographs, hugs, tears and it was also highlighted by the entire team falling asleep in the hallway of the cottage a family had rented for the tournament from how tiring of a day it was, three games, three dub's and the championship trophy in tow to America's Finest City.

COOPERSTOWN CHAMPIONS

In the days and months following the victory in the Big Apple, we were media darlings for a while. Newspapers, Magazines, Television, you name it, we were there. This biggest honors we received happened on December 1st and January 23rd, when we were recognized by the County officials and City Council of San Diego for our outstanding accomplishment, with proclamations from the County and City, proclaiming that EVERY December 1st and January 23rd is "San Diego Bucs Day" throughout the county and city of San Diego.

December 1st: San Diego Bucs Day, observed throughout the County of San Diego

January 23rd: San Diego Bucs Day, observed throughout the City of San Diego

So I guess Imagine Dragons was right after all: "I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD"

Thanks for stepping into the CPM Sports Zone,

Callan McClurg

Blog #1: The growing interest in Women's Basketball

I live by one golden rule, “I don’t discriminate sports, I’ll watch anything you put in front of me” and my entire life, I’ve sat through countless games from the Big 5 in sports, MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS. But the only sport that has also intrigued me has been the WNBA. Now I know most people would say “Why do you watch the WNBA, No one cares about the WNBA, WNBA Sucks, etc.” The answer is one specific player who I’ve have watched since her freshman year in college.

Diana Taurasi, 2004 #1 Draft pick.

The back story of my interest in Women's basketball began when I was 9 years old on an East Coast road trip to see my uncle in Connecticut on a chilly and rainy day. My family and I were touring the University of Connecticut’s campus, when I looked at the marquee for the Gampel Pavilion advertising an upcoming Women’s basketball game at 7:05pm that night. Little did I know my uncle already had tickets to the game. I have a good memory, but not good enough to remember who UCONN was playing that night, but I became intrigued by the play of UCONN star Diana Taurasi, best known for being the #1 draft pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the following year’s WNBA draft. I also frequently attended San Diego State Women's games at Cox/Viejas Arena when they were led by star player Jene Morris who was drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2010, then traded to the Tulsa Shock in 2012.

Candace Parker, 2008 #1 Draft pick

I did my best to stay updated and on top of the Women’s Basketball scene, as far as WNBA and College scores from ESPN or other online feeds. Slowly, my interest began to die down until roughly November of ’04 when there was a Women’s college game on ESPN one night during an off day with the NBA. The game was Tennessee facing an opponent that I can’t remember, but I recall how the commentators were pumping up the tires on a freshman from Tennessee. Her name was Candace Parker, a freshman that most experts were talking about for All-American, Naismith and other accolades during her four years with the Lady Vols. It was from that point forward that I made sure I didn’t any Women’s basketball.

Candace could have played one more season with the Lady Vols after taking a medical red shirt her Freshman year, but just days after guiding Tennessee to back to back NCAA Championships, she opted to enter the 2008 WNBA Draft that April. The Los Angeles Sparks, coming off of their worst season in franchise history after posting a 10-24 record were awarded the #1 pick for the draft. Naturally, LA selected Candace as the overall #1 pick and I remember saying to myself that night “This is the start of something nice.” The next day at school, I walked into my English class and looked at the warm up assignment, which was a journal entry reading “Tell us about something that occurred yesterday.”

Go figure, two pages and a cramping hand later, the “something” was Los Angeles drafting Candace. I remember my classmate sitting next to me saying in a joking matter “You wrote that much about Women’s Basketball?” and I remembered my gold rule that I still live by to this very day “I don’t discriminate sports, I’ll watch anything you put in front of me” The WNBA still wasn’t given a lot of air time over the summer, due to other commitments but luckily the Sparks games were shown on FSN West so I was able to watch most of the 34 game regular season.

Talk about things coming full circle, Parker’s debut was on May 17^th, a day before my birthday plus it was against the longtime rival Phoenix Mercury, with their star in Diana Taurasi, the same player that I saw play five years ago on that chilly and rainy day in Hartford. LA beat Phoenix in that contest, with the rookie Parker shattering the rookie record for points in a game. Parker dropped 34 in her debut game, again “The start of something nice”

Candace Parker's dunk as it appears in
Callan McClurg's #CityPrideLA art album 

As June rolled around and with Candace leading the Sparks, she added yet another feather to her cap. In the June 22^nd home game against Indiana, Candace became only the 2^nd women to slam dunk in a game, joining then teammate and Sparks legend Lisa Leslie as the lone two players to accomplish the improbable feat. She would also take home Rookie of the Month honors for May and July. 

With August in full bloom, the WNBA suspended play to allow players to partake in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with Parker and Leslie selected to play on the squad. Team USA cruised to eight straight victories and a Gold Medal. More accolades for Parker included winning both the 2008 Rookie of the Year, but also being crowned the 2008 WNBA Most Valuable Player. She joined Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld as the only players to win both prestigious awards. During the 2008 off-season, Candace tied the knot with former Duke star Shelden Williams. As 2009 sank in, the couple welcomed a new member to the team, in a baby daughter on May 13, 2009.

With the pregnancy behind her, she returned to LA after missing the first eight games of the season. Despite missing the time earlier in the season, Parker lead the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals, but they faltered in a well fought three game series to the eventual WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury. The 2010 season would be one to forget for Candace as she missed most of the year after suffering a left shoulder injury, playing a career low ten games in the 2010 campaign.

With a few hiccups with injuries in the 2010 season, she returned to full strength early in the 2011 season, only to have her season cut short once again after suffering a torn meniscus in her right knee which forced her to miss the remainder of the season. 2012 would be a fresh chapter for Parker as she recovered from her injuries to lead LA to a 24-10 record and another berth to the WNBA Playoffs. The Sparks breezed by the San Antonio Silver Stars in the Western Conference Semi-Finals 2-0, only to be stopped dead in their tracks by Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx in the Conference Finals 2-0. Candace dropped 33 points, snagged 15 rebounds and rejected 4 shots. The closing shot of the 2012 season was Parker's emotion after the game with her mom watching courtside.

Most recently, more and more WNBA games were shown on ESPN, ABC and on the new Sparks channel, Time Warner Cable SportsNet to give fans more chances to see them play on the big stage in front of National home audiences.

I missed maybe two or three Sparks games on Television the whole year this season, and if I missed a game, I caught it on NBA TV or on the league's online stream mobile app. With the expanded television coverage, I was able to watch probably the best basketball game that I've watched at any level, male or female was this past August in a game against the Tulsa Shock where the Sparks erased a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter, including the now infamous Parker/Ogwumike head-butt to force Double Overtime and win the game 90-88.

At any other level, I would guess maybe 90% would give up and not try to make a comeback when down by that many points that late in the game, not in the WNBA where no lead is too big or too small to overcome.

The 2013 season was also a memorable one for the WNBA in terms of growth, The Number Crunch-er will further examine the league's growth

NUMBER CRUNCH-ER: WNBA Growth

MARKETING: "The 3 to see" Elena Delle Donne (CHI), Brittney Griner (PHX), Skylar Diggins (TUL)

SPONSORSHIP: Boost Mobile and State Farm Insurance

VIEWERSHIP: Renewed TV contracts with ESPN through 2027 with an average of 231,000 per telecast = 28% increase

MOST WATCHED GAME: Chicago at Phoenix = 455,000 viewers = Most watched WNBA game

ATTENDANCE: Chicago +17%, Phoenix +9%, Indiana +8%

MOBILE/ONLINE STATS: Double Digit growth in website growth and utilization of the WNBA Center Court/Live Access mobile app

So, to everyone that gives me grief for watching the WNBA and always tells me “Why do you watch the WNBA, No one cares about the WNBA, WNBA Sucks, etc.”, let me ask you this question, "What Basketball are you watching during the summer? NBA Summer League? NBA Development League Reruns?" I'll take WNBA Basketball over the NBA Summer League and D-League ANY summer. With these numbers provided above, this only means one thing: 

The WNBA is going in the right direction. Delle Donne, Griner and Diggins did their part, More sponsors are joining forces with the league,Television contracts with ESPN renewed through 2027, attendance rose in three major cities last season, and if fans couldn't make or watch the games they could utilize the WNBA Mobile app to watch their games on the go. So instead of saying “Why do you watch the WNBA, No one cares about the WNBA, WNBA Sucks, etc.” How about you actually tune in and watch these athletes that I believe actually play way harder than most of the players in the NBA instead of always putting the league down because it's the WNBA.

In closing, The 2013 season was also memorable for one particular social media moment during the season. On a late night in August and after I finished hosting my YouTube sports show, I came across a tweet from Candace who couldn't seem to fall asleep on the eve of a prime time match up on the national stage with WNBA legend Tina Thompson and the Seattle Storm. Just like most people would say during a rough night, she asked what was good with her tweeps. I saw the tweet and said that I had just finished hosting my sports show and I talked about her and the Sparks on it. Right before my friend and I decided to call it a night on FaceTime, I caught a Twitter notification reading "Mentioned by @Candace_Parker" and I said to my friend with probably the biggest smile I've had on my face in a long time "Candace Parker just replied to my tweet." Her answer, pretty plain simple:

Candace Parker's Twitter response for the love shown on
my sports show that night.

Thanks for stepping into The Sports Zone,
Callan McClurg

Step into The Sports Zone: Intro

Hello, and thanks for stepping into the Sports Zone, the official blog of Callan McClurg.

I will do my absolute best to keep adding recent content on this blog for your reading interest, with at least a blog every week. My first blog will be posted sometime this week, talking about the reasons why I tune in to watch Women's basketball at the professional or college level.

The Sports Zone blogs will discuss stories from my personal life and athletic career, important events that have affected the sports world, relive some of the greatest games or events that we love to bring up with friends or family during a general discussion and much more!

I hope you will find the blogs both intriguing and fun to read so that you'll be locked in to read another blog that I post.

If you should have any questions, comments or concerns about the blog, please feel free to let me know.

Thanks for stepping into the Sports Zone,
Callan McClurg