CSUN Believes Winnie the Pooh Was Overbearing

Winnie the Pooh could not have picked a worse time to perform.

Fresno State had scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 2-0 lead in a Western Athletic Conference softball game Saturday and the host Matadors were coming to bat in their half of the inning.

Enter Pooh in full costume, holding a bouquet of balloons in one paw and a blaring boom box in the other. Pooh had come to deliver a singing birthday telegram to Jennifer Richardson, the Matadors No. 3 pitcher who was sitting in the dugout.

The Matadors were dumbfounded, while Fresno State Coach Margie Wright was angered by the delay and took it out on the umpire, who also appeared baffled.

“None of us knew what to do,” Northridge Coach Gary Torgeson said.

Embarrassment overwhelmed Richardson, who was celebrating her 19th birthday. “Jen was trying to get the thing out of there and the damn bear is sitting there doing dances and playing music,” Torgeson said. “Now is the bear brain-dead?”

After several minutes of confusion and nervous laughter in the dugout and on the field, Northridge’s Terri Pearson, the leadoff batter in the inning, left the plate with bat in hand, marched over to Pooh, confiscated the boom box and carried it off the field--hoping Pooh would follow.

Some Matadors weren’t sure what to make of the flamboyant, animated bear. “You know, that’s the first time I’ve ever encountered Winnie the Pooh in my dugout,” catcher Missy Cress said.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

SOFTBALL

After defeating Marcie Green, Fresno State’s pitching ace, in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday, the Matadors fell, 2-1, against Maureen Brady.

Did Northridge let down? Maybe, but in all likelihood their loss of focus had less to do with the opposing pitcher and more to do with another sporting event that would be played less than a half-hour’s drive away later that night.

The Matador men’s volleyball team was playing UCLA in the national championship match and, as a result, Torgeson said the softball players “left us a little bit in that second game.”

“They were looking forward to going down there and being a part of it,” he said, “and I’m in full support because I feel the same way. That was the best thing that has ever happened to this program.”

VOLLEYBALL

Fred Sturm, coach of the U.S. men’s national team, placed a telephone call to Matador Coach John Price on Tuesday and one of his topics of conversation was Ken Lynch, the Matadors’ senior outside hitter.

Sturm asked Price if Lynch was planning to attend open tryouts this weekend for the national team that will compete in the World University Games. Price said he was not sure. Sturm requested he be there.

Lynch, who was undecided before, said Wednesday that he will show. “I’m glad he made that call,” Lynch said.

Price said Sturm already assumed that Coley Kyman, Northridge’s three-time All-American middle blocker, would be in attendance.

So, too, will Matador players Craig Hewitt, Matt Unger, Gene Urcan, Chris Gil, Peter Piexoto, Jon Baer and Gary Reznik.

The first rounds of tryouts will take place Friday night at Santa Monica City College and Saturday morning at Pepperdine. After a cut, additional tryouts will be held at Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

The top 16 players will be invited to Colorado Springs, Colo., to train for the World University Games, which will take place in Buffalo in July. Four more players will be cut during that training camp. Those four, plus a contingent of other players from this weekend’s tryout, will compete in the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Tex., in July. Price is coach of the North team in the Festival. Jeff Campbell, Price’s right-hand man at Northridge, is an assistant for the West team.

BASEBALL

It was early, a weeknight, and Joey Arnold swears that he was completely sober when he allowed a tattoo of a bat-swinging bulldog to be imprinted on his shoulder blade.

Arnold, one of five tattoo-sporting Cal State Northridge baseball players, said he has no regrets about joining Greg Shepard, Chris Olsen, Steven Morales and Marco Contreras in the tattoo club.

His parents, Vicki and Joe, did not embrace the concept, however.

“I got the whole lecture from my parents,” Arnold said. “They said: ‘You’re crazy. When you get older you’ll regret it. It’s there for life.’ ”

Arnold, a graduate of Reseda High and Pierce College, admits that his friends and teammates influenced his decision. “It’s just something you have in common,” he said. “It’s neat to compare them.”

THE MASTER’S

BASEBALL

The Master’s (28-20) must play its first NAIA District 3 playoff game today against top-seeded Azusa Pacific (33-7-1) on the Cougars’ home field. But Coach Chris Harrison is looking at the bright side. “The good thing about it is we get to throw Chris Beck at them,” he said.

Beck, a junior, has a 9-3 record, a 2.74 earned-run average and 89 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. “We had to play Azusa sometime,” Harrison said. “It’s good to do it the first game with us throwing our best.” . . .

Dan O’Sullivan finished the regular season as the team leader in power categories such as doubles (14), home runs (13) and RBIs (42). However, he also led NAIA District 3 players with a .403 batting average. “The average is the big surprise to me,” Harrison said. “Especially for a guy with his slugging percentage.”

CAL LUTHERAN

BASEBALL

Jeff Berman, Mike Winslow and Pat Norville, the Kingsmen’s three starters, finished the regular season among the top five pitchers in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in terms of earned-run average.

Berman had a conference-best 1.66 ERA, along with an 8-2 record. Winslow’s 2.00 ERA placed him second. Winslow is 7-0. Norville has a 7-1 record and 3.10 ERA.

Eric Johnson led all SCIAC hitters with a .431 batting average, which was even better--.478--in 20 conference games. Johnson also has eight home runs, which ties him with teammate Chris Fick and three other players for the lead.

GOLF

The Kingsmen on Wednesday were selected to take part in the NCAA Division III men’s championships, May 18-21, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

Cal Lutheran’s strength is its balance. Travis Fisher, a sophomore from Salt Lake City, has a team-best average of 80.3 strokes per round. He is followed closely by Jim Williams, a sophomore from Silverton, Ore., at 80.4 and Troy Carpenter, a senior from Tempe, Ariz., at 80.5.

JUNIOR COLLEGES

TRACK & FIELD

William Patterson, Jesse Polston and Josh Knight of Antelope Valley are not going to make anyone forget Larry Johnston, who won the 1991 state title in the hammer throw for the Marauders. But those three placed second, third and fifth in the hammer in the Southern California championships Saturday at Cerritos College to advance to the state finals.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Paige A. Leech, Theresa Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.