Readers of ClipperBlog are aware that for the better part of the last two seasons, D.J. Foster has been doing the heavy lifting at this site. In that role, D.J. has done far more than just write up recaps and offer the combination of pathos, guarded optimism and hard-boiled x’s & o’s you’ve come to expect from ClipperBlog. He’s infused this place with a fresh voice. His generosity and smarts have allowed me to pursue other goals while still maintaining ClipperBlog.
Today, D.J. gets an opportunity to follow his passions with the launch of Southern California Colleges Blog at ESPN Los Angeles. Here’s D.J. laying out the blog’s mission:
The fact that Los Angeles is primarily a Trojans and Bruins town is certainly not lost on most native Angelenos.
Consider for a moment, however, that the large majority of Los Angeles-area college students attend schools other than USC and UCLA, and that these schools produce professional talent and championship level teams every single year. In the last few years alone, Long Beach State has produced major league baseball stars in Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki. Perennial powerhouse Cal State Fullerton has reached the College World Series sixteen times and has brought home four NCAA titles in their illustrious history. UC Irvine, Pepperdine, Long Beach State, Cal Poly and the aforementioned Cal State Fullerton were all in, or received votes to be in, the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Baseball Top 25 poll. The Big West conference, which houses seven Los Angeles area schools in total, just may be the best college baseball conference in the entire nation.
And it’s not just about baseball.
UC Irvine is the reigning Men’s Volleyball Champion. UC Santa Barbara is only a few years removed from an NCAA Men’s Soccer title. The Cal State Northridge Men’s Basketball team was shockingly close to upsetting Memphis in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Keion Bell of Pepperdine dropped 34 points on nationally ranked Gonzaga…in the second half alone.
With USC already out of the tournament due to self-imposed sanctions, and UCLA looking rather shaky, there’s a strong chance Los Angeles will be solely represented in March by one of these lesser known teams. In a lot of ways, these teams exemplify what college basketball was always supposed to be about. They seem to reside in this untainted vortex where one-and-done players don’t exist, where the term “student-athlete” remains relevant. And there’s something inspiring about watching the underdog operate under the ultra-realistic premise every game could be his last.
This blog is here to give those underdogs their due, detail the Cinderella stories, and provide these schools with the in-depth coverage they deserve.
I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
You’d be crazy not to, whether you’re a Fullerton baseball fan, a Pepperdine basketball fan, or just someone who loves witty, heady sportswriting.
D.J. will still be active on ClipperBlog, but many nights you’ll find him at Blair Field covering the Dirtbags or at Gersten Pavilion watching WCC hoops. That means we’re looking for some reinforcements here at ClipperBlog which, this week, enters its fifth year. We need new voices like Krai Charuwatsuntorn who can provide readers with game analysis, unique perspectives and the kind of testimonials that only a Clipper partisan can express.
If you’d like to be a part of ClipperBlog, please send us an email at clipperblog -at- gmail.com. Tell us why you’d like to come aboard and what kind of stuff you’d like to do for the site. Please feel free to share some sample work, idle thoughts, graphic illustrations or recipes. Whatever inspires.
Congratulations to D.J.
You’ve earned this.
27 Responses
Congrats DJ!!!!
As an alum, please show some love the Matadors of Northridge.
JM Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Seconded on both counts.
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Thanks guys – will do!
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Why doesn’t CSUF have a football team?
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Congrats dj, toss a couple of gimmie articles on my UCSB gauhos. See you at the big west tourney?
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Thanks Q.d. – I’ll most definitely be at the Big West tourney. Looking forward to it.
Curtis Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
UCSB alum here as well. Excited for this year’s Big West tournament and a good possibility that they’ll make it to the big dance this year.
Congratulations DJ!
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Hey DJ, congrats on the college beat man, give me a call if you’re down at CSULB covering the baseball or basketball team.
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Thanks Krai! I’ll hopefully be spending a lot of time in Long Beach – love it up there.
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Great news, congrats to DJ on the new gig!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Thank you Will!
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
grats dj!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Thanks Bongstradamus – always enjoy reading your insight after games.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 2:47 am
I’m a UCLA alum, but I have a lot of friends that go or have gone to Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge, etc. Repping a lot of the lesser known colleges in SoCal sports is awesome. Way to go, DJ!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Thank you Chris!
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 7:29 am
As many of us know from reading the fanposts on clipsnation and the responses on clipperblog to KA and DJ’s posts, it is not easy to put original thoughts together in a coherent and entertaining way.
Some people say the same things over and over again. Some fans are so thickheaded that it’s not even worth your time to discuss things with them. Some posts are so ridiculous you’d think it was that person’s first time watching a basketball game.
It’s like George Carlin’s old bit about how many people are stupid… how many people are full of shit, and how many people are fuckin’ nuts.
I fit into all three of those categories.
It takes talented people to produce the high quality writing that I look forward to reading everyday on clipperblog. Good luck to you in the future…
I think Kevin should reserve a spot for you here if Lebron actually comes on board!
Go Matadors!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Thanks for the kind words acd. LeBron or no LeBron, I’ll be posting here still quite a bit. Like every other fan, I could never quit the Clippers
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 9:26 am
congrats DJ…I love how you counterbalance KA’s prolific writing/analysis with a bit of “homerism” much like many clippers fans…Looking forward to seeing some Titan basketball coverage on your blog and also to see who among the clipsnation and clipperblog citizens will step up and continue our trek to the motherland that is a championship!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Hey, at the end of the day I’m still a fan, right?
Thanks Lawler’s Law – don’t be a stranger in the live chats.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Looking at all these comments, a lot of the clipper fans are representing the big west.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Also, you found a great niche that is easily overlooked. I’m excited for your future articles.
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Thanks Curtis – I always enjoy chatting Clippers with you, now we can sprinkle in a little UCSB as well!
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Congrats DJ. That’s fantastic. I’ve appreciate our brief exchanges and it’s caused me to visit Clipperblog more often (no disrespect to KA of course).
Keep up the great work but don’t forget those of us here!
D.J. Foster Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
MG – thank you so much for the kind words. I’ve enjoyed our exchanges too – your comments are always enjoyable to read. I’ll still be posting quite a bit around these parts, so I look forward to chatting with you in the future.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Congrats DJ. I wish you success and nothing less. My chatting has been quite sparse the last few months as I’ve been busy with MBA applications but I should be stopping by more frequently now.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I’m a die hard clippers fan and been following them for quite some time now and I don’t know why. I hope they lose everygame for the rest of the season and rank on the top 5 for the draft so the chances of landing John Wall would be better.
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Congrats DJ! I’m really proud of you and after reading the posts it looks like your new beat will be a hit with fans from the L.A. area. Clipper fans are also obviously fans of the underdog. The smaller colleges in L.A. may be small, but they’re mighty and produce great professionals in different walks of life, not just athlectics. Long live the underdog!!!
Posted on March 8th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
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