Bulldogs

It's old news now what those Fresno State Bulldogs did last week, but it will be a long time before pholks from not only the Valley but across the country stop talking about the first NCAA Division I college men's championship in FSU history.

It's a great story and not just a sports story. It's not just that the Fresno State team won the College World Series pholks, it was the way the team got there and the way it was won. This FSU team, perhaps not the most talented in the country, had an appeal which captured the hearts of much of the nation. The loveable underdogs.
The Red is still waving and the proliferation of “Underdogs to Wonderdogs” and the sale of “NCAA Champions 2008” shirts, caps, visors and probably underwear is continuing. Collectors' items celebrating what is being referred to as the “Upset of the Decade,” if not longer, will remain hot items for quite a while. It's just amazing how fast that stuff is turned out and into the hands of merchants to feed the buying frenzy bred by championship contests.

This whole thing is great for Fresno, the Valley, and well beyond, but like I said, it's far from over with visits to the governor of Cal-IF-Orn-yaaa and the President of the whole United States of America still to come. These events, of course, will re-ignite the Wonderdogs and Cinderella themes again and again.

One player's now famous reply to the Cinderella comparison that “I don't know about Cinderella, we're Bulldogs” already is destined to cuddle up to “We're going to Disneyland” and “Do You Believe in Miracles?” status.
Champions are cheered. Underdogs are rooted for. Underdogs-turned-Champions is as good as it gets.
Pigs still don't fly, hell is still unfrozen and there are no snowballs there, Elvis hasn't really re-appeared, but a college baseball team with a 33-27 regular season record won the College World Series. The Bulldogs played their last 22 games on the road, including playoff games against top-ranked teams. Fresno State could only get to the playoffs in the first place by winning the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament securing an automatic playoff berth.

Nearly all the other tournament teams were nationally ranked and all were seeded ahead of the lowly Dogs. None of those Goliaths worried about a sling-toting little David. Cinderella didn't get an e-mail invite or a hand-delivered envelope with a gold-embossed RSVP letter. Her ugly and cruel stepsisters denied her access to the household cell-phone so she wasn't going to be asked for a date.

We all know what happened to the feared and previously undefeated Goliath and, despite throwing a shoe (actually a glass slipper), Cinderella scored big time. See pholks, if David would have lost and Cinderella had kept her shoes on, no one would have heard of either of them.

Although I didn't play on any Fresno State athletic teams, I have followed my alma mater's teams for more than 40 years. I am a phan. There has been much to cheer about over the years. There also have been too many reasons to feel somewhat embarrassed by the school's teams, players, coaches, athletic directors and the administration.
One overriding factor, however, is that Fresno State isn't afraid of an athletic challenge.

Football coach Pat Hill's mantra of “Any Team, Any Where” challenging gridiron powerhouses to play the Bulldogs is often repeated and part of current college football lore. The upcoming football season is promising, and FSU would well find itself in the favorable limelight again.

But now the beam of glory and admiration is shining on the “Diamond Dogs,” AKA the “Wonderdogs.”
Move over David and Cinderella, make room for them Dawgs.

Miles can be reached at mshuper@valleyvoicenewspaper.com