Yes, we picked it.  The Saints beat the Colts in the Super Bowl, giving the city of New Orleans their first NFL championship.  How did it happen?  Thanks to the gutsy play-calling of a coach who wasn’t afraid to fail.  Chris and Craig recap an exciting Super Bowl:

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So Drew Brees won his first Super Bowl.  Why do San Diegans insist on revisiting the Brees-Rivers debate from years ago?  Craig and Chris talk about Brees, Philip Rivers, and Peyton Manning, and how the legacy of each great QB changes (or doesn’t) based on the Saints’ winning the Super Bowl:

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DEL MAR–The San Diego Derby Dolls premiered their brand new banked track Saturday night in impressive fashion, destroying the visiting Mitten Kittens by a final score of 193-58. SDDD fielded their banked track all-star team to face the Michigan-based all-star travel team.

While some Mitten Kittens skaters do have some banked track experience from both playing in Texas’s banked track league and from being stunt doubles in Whip It, the Mitten Kittens are typically a flat track team. This was the first time the Mitten Kittens competed as a team on the banked track, and they actually received a short lesson on banked track roller derby the day of the game from SDDD’s coach Isabelle Ringer.

SD’s Kiki DiAzz started off the slaughtering with a 4-0 SD jam against the Mitten Kitten’s Kat Von Destroya. By the end of the first quarter SD had increased their lead to 56-10. At the beginning of the second quarter it looked as though the Mitten Kittens had pulled it together and had a chance to catch up. Mitten Kitten jammers ReAnimateHer, Racer McChaseHer, and Kat figured out how to put some points on the score board and brought the score to 59-23 by the third jam of the second quarter. The Mitten Kittens weren’t able to hold on to this scoring pattern and only scored 1 one more point in the remainder of the second quarter leaving the score 111-29 at the half.

Watch post-bout video interviews with Kali Katt and Racer McChaser after the jump:

SDDD's Kung Pow Tina about to attempt a pass on some Mitten Kitten blockers

During the second half SD continued controlling the scoreboard. By the end of the third quarter SD had the game with a score of 149-42, and ended it with a final score of 193-58 SD. The high scoring jammers for this game were Steely Jan and Kung Pow Tina for SD with 44 and 45 points scored respectively. The Mitten Kitten’s highest scoring jammers were ReAnimateHer with 22 points and Kat Von Destroya with 15 points.

SD has a second win under the belt for 2010, with this win added to their flat track win against AZRD in January. SD is starting off 2010 nationally power ranked at #22 by the Derby News Network.

After the bout I caught up with Derby Dolls’ veteran SplintHer to get her thoughts on the historic night in Del Mar for roller derby:

Not only did the Mitten Kittens have to adjust to the angle of the track, but also to some slight rule changes. There are some major differences between banked and flat track roller derby, including one minute jams rather than two minute jams, and penalties being served in the next jam rather than during the jam in which the penalties were committed.

Another major difference is that in banked track roller derby the lead jammer is the jammer that is literally in the lead, and this can change during a jam if the lead jammer is passed by the other jammer. In flat track roller derby the first jammer to break out of the pack is the lead jammer, and she can not lose her lead jammer status by being passed by the other team’s jammer.

This was the first official game the Mitten Kittens have played as a team since 2008, however some of the skaters are from the Detroit Derby Girls and Grand Raggidy Roller Girls. Both teams are ranked in their region by the Woman’s Flat Track Derby Association, and Detroit is starting off 2010 nationally power ranked at #13 by the Derby News Network.

Mitten Kittens’ jammer Racer McChaser talked about the new experience of playing on the banked track in a post-bout interview:

SD Roster: Anna Notherthing 11 / Blur D’Lee 4 / Bo Toxic 619 / Bonnie D Stroir 26 / Dahmernatrix 505 / Ivanna S. Pankin 22 / Kiki DiAzz 88 / Kung Pow Tina 7&7 / Lemon Drop 80% / Slamurai 7 / Somebrero 5 / Splint Her i / Steely Jan 91 / Trish the Dish 99

Mitten Kittens Roster: Ann Atomic U235 / Barberika 789 / Cookie Rumble 333 / Damsel Distresser 911 / Del Bomber 76 / Effin’ Money 248 / Javelin 33 / Kat Von D’Stroya 90 / Lily St. Smear 13 / Miss Canada 99 / Mosquito Bandito 83 / Racer McChaseHer 28 / ReAnimateHer 31 / Yoga Negetitt 30

Now it’s really going to be tough for Steve Fisher’s SDSU men’s basketball team. For Beth Burns’ women’s team the Mountain West Conference stretch run isn’t going to be any easier.

New Mexico dealt blows to both on Saturday. At The Pit in Albuquerque, the Aztec men fell in overtime, 88-86, as Darington Hobson hit two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining and Kelvin Davis’ good-look but desperation three at the other end fell off the left side of the rim.

SDSU (16-7, 5-4) now trails 15th-ranked New Mexico, 10th-ranked BYU and UNLV (all 7-2 in conference) by two games apiece with just seven left to play. Needing a marquee road win to improve their NCAA Tournament chances, the Aztecs nearly got one after rallying from six points down in the final 34 seconds of regulation. D.J. Gay, who scored a career-high 25 points, was fouled on a three-point attempt with one second left and SDSU down by two. Gay could convert only two of the three free throws, however, sending the game to overtime.

On the women’s side, the Aztecs (14-7, 6-3) fell back into a second-place tie with New Mexico and BYU — a game back of TCU — as the Lobos won, 65-58, breaking away from a 53-53 tie in the final minutes by making their free throws (19-4 advantage in the game) and making their way to the boards (31-20 rebounding edge). The loss snapped SDSU’s 14-game home conference winning streak.

“We’ll see what we’re made of now,” Burns said. “It was a hard-fought game but they fought a little bit harder. Now let’s see if we can fight back.”

There was no lack of fight from Fisher’s team, which was trying to win at The Pit for the fourth time in the past five years. Trailing by 10 with just over three minutes to play, SDSU staged a furious comeback. That Gay could not play hero by hitting all three free throws in the final second was unfortunate, being as the Aztecs wouldn’t have had any chance to win without him.

“It was a great basketball game,” Fisher said. “I am extremely disappointed for our players, but I am 10 times as proud for how we fought, competed, found a way to come back, and gave ourselves multiple chances to win a game against a really good team in a hostile, hostile environment. D.J. made some big-time plays for us. He is the smallest, slightest we got, but yet he is the toughest we got, too.”

Hobson, who scored a game-high 29 points, was also tough — as in tough to guard. A slashing, physical player who is hard to contain on the inside, Hobson also hit four of his five three-point shots, including a 60-foot heave at the end of the first half that gave New Mexico a 42-37 lead.

The Lobos (21-3) maintained their lead throughout the second half, bumping their advantage to double-digits with time running out. But Gay hit a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 points in the final 2:01 to bring the Aztecs back.

Had he scored 11, SDSU would have celebrated in regulation. But trailing 78-76 with a second to play, the second of his three free throws bounced off the heel of the rim.

Nevertheless, the Aztecs went ahead in overtime as Malcolm Thomas scored on a dunk, then hit two free throws to put SDSU ahead 82-79. Hobson, though, would answer with a three, and eventually put New Mexico back in front, 86-85, on a free throw with 40 seconds to play. Thomas was fouled with 20 seconds left, and split two freebies, leaving the score tied and setting up the Lobos’ final possession.

Hobson got the ball on the right baseline and was fouled by Billy White making his move to the hoop at the 2.7 mark. After he made the free throws, SDSU’s Brian Carwell threw a long baseball pass into the front court, which was caught by Davis near the top of the arc. Dribbling to his left to create some space, Davis let fly with the potential game-winner as the buzzer sounded. But the shot caromed off the rim.

As disappointing as the men’s loss was, Fisher’s team once again proved it could play with the nation’s elite. The Aztecs lost by just a bucket to 10th-ranked BYU at home a couple of weeks ago, then came within a whisker of sweeping the season series from New Mexico.

Though now squarely in fourth-place in the conference, this is a young team that will lose only one senior (Davis) next season. SDSU still has a solid shot at post-season play this season, but figures to be even better next year.

Meanwhile, the Aztecs women may be letting a golden opportunity slip away. The preseason conference favorites have now lost three of their last six games, and with seven losses total will not be able to duplicate last season’s 22-6 regular-season finish.

Senior guards Jene Morris and Quenese Davis — both returning All-MWC players — did their part against New Mexico, with Morris scoring 21 points to lead all scorers. But junior center Paris Johnson – another all-conference returnee — continued to struggle, scoring just seven points and grabbing only three rebounds.

Without Johnson controlling the paint, as she did a year ago, Morris and Davis (10 points, five assists) are being forced to carry too much of the load. Opponents are also taking advantage on the inside, as New Mexico did on Saturday by dominating the boards and forcing its way to the hoop to draw fouls.

They made six consecutive foul shots during a 9-0 run midway through the second half to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead. They finished 19-of-24 from the charity stripe, nailing their free throws down the stretch as Morris and Davis tried in vain to keep pace with jumpers from the outside.

A second-round NCAA Tournament team a year ago — with four starters returning — the women figured to be a good bet to be NCAA bound again this season. They still may be. But if Morris and Davis don’t get some consistent help over season’s final seven regular season games, a once hopeful season could go up in smoke.

– Ello –

Jordan Lawley led UCSD with a game-high 29 points (Jimmy Gekas-Sideline Studios)

LA JOLLA–Behind an inspired effort underneath from sophomore center Christian Hatch, the UCSD men’s basketball team snapped their five-game losing streak, holding off Cal State L.A. 83-77 Saturday night at RIMAC Arena.  The victory capped a double-header sweep for the Tritons, as the 8th ranked women’s team earlier dispatched the Golden Eagles 75-43, extending their record to 19-1 (14-1 CCAA).

Hatch blew past his previous career high, scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds.  Jordan Lawley added 29 and four Tritons scored in double figures in what head coach Chris Carlson called one of his team’s sharpest offensive efforts of the season.

“We played with great effort and energy early on and it really set the tone,” said Carlson.

UCSD (5-13, 4-11) led from start to finish, with Hatch scoring six early points down low as UCSD jumped ahead 14-4.  The Tritons led by 11 at the half and extended to an 18-point advantage early in the second half.  Cal State L.A. (12-9, 8-8) rallied behind Chris Fields’ 22 points, closing to within four late, but Lawley hit key free throws down the stretch to secure the Tritons victory.

Tyler Acevedo emerged from a long-range shooting slump to score 13 points (3-6 3-pointers) and Casey Ryan added a physical double-double, with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

But it was Hatch, who has struggled all season to find consistency in the post, who made the biggest plays all game, muscling his way for 8 offensive rebounds.  Hatch spoke after the game about his career night:

The Tritons’ efficiency on offense included 19 assists on 28 baskets, with only 13 turnovers.  Head coach Chris Carlson was relieved to see a five-game losing streak go by the boards:

Earlier in the evening, the 8th ranked UCSD women’s team (19-1, 14-1 CCAA) took their time before dispatching the Golden Eagles 75-43.  Coming out ice-cold from long range, the Tritons saw themselves tied with Cal State L.A. (4-17, 2-13) 19-19 with about four minutes to play.  Then, UCSD scored the final ten points of the first half, and the first 18 points of the second half.

The 28-0 run eventually extended out to 41-5 midway through the second half, by which point head coach Charity Elliott was able to empty her deep and talented bench.  Twelve players saw at least ten minutes of action for UCSD, with 11 players scoring.

Watch Charity Elliott’s postgame comments:

Chelsea Carlisle couldn’t find her range until halftime, then came alive to score a game-high 19 points.  The sophomore point guard talked about UCSD’s 5th straight win:

The Tritons’ women work pink uniforms on Saturday night as part of “Think Pink” night, an effort to raise breast cancer awareness through the WBCA Pink Zone and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.  UCSD’s basketball teams head out on the road now for games at Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State this weekend on Friday and Saturday.

The Super Bowl is hours away, and both Craig and Chris are looking for an upset in Miami.  In their final What To Watch For podcast of the NFL season, the 619 Sports guys break down what they see as keys to victory for New Orleans:

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SAN DIEGO — After training for two years on a secondhand banked track in their private training facility, the San Diego Derby Dolls have finally reached their goal of bringing their first ever, public banked track bout to the fans of San Diego.  On Saturday Feb. 6 SDDD’s Banked Track All-Stars will face the Mitten Kittens on SDDD’s brand new banked track in the Wyland Center at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

In 2009 SDDD’s banked track team took the Championship title at the 2nd National Banked Track Roller Derby Tournament, the Battle on the Banked II, in Austin, Texas.  SDDD then went on to rock the 2009 Los Angeles Derby Doll’s banked track season by reaching the championship game undefeated.

With the desire to bring banked track competition to Del Mar, in true Do-It-Yourself fashion, SDDD’s own Cherry Punch was put in charge of construction.  With the help of Kitten Traxx, a banked track design and build company that started with the build of the LA Derby Dolls banked track, SDDD’s track was fabricated piece by piece in the basement of SDDD’s current training facility. Above, SDDD skaters trained on their older and worn out track, dreaming of the day they would be able to perform in front of their own city on a brand new banked track.  That day has finally arrived.

The Mitten Kittens, a Michigan based travel team, will be SDDD’s first opponent on the new banked track.  The Mitten Kittens are a culmination of some of the best skaters from all over the Michigan area, including nationally ranked speed skaters.  Several of the team’s skaters have come out of retirement to participate in this historic event.  Many of the Mitten Kittens are also skaters on WFTDA teams such as the Detroit Derby Girls and Grand Raggidy Roller Girls.  Both teams are ranked in their region by the WFTDA, and Detroit is starting off 2010 nationally power ranked at #13 by the Derby News Network.

While only two of the Mitten Kittens have actual banked track experience, two skaters, Miss Canada and Barberika, currently play on a Texas banked track team, after moving to Texas from Detroit.  Also, a handful of Mitten Kittens were stunt doubles in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut film Whip It, which featured banked track roller derby as an outlet for a teenage girl. By being stunt doubles in the film some of the Mitten Kittens got a feel for the banked track.

Mitten Kitten’s Captain for this game, Cookie Rumble, and one of the skaters that got a chance to stunt double for Whip It, promised that even though they lack banked track experience “all of us our super pumped to play this game!”

Regardless of the winner, this game will go down in history as the first banked track game ever for SDDD.  SDDD has a full season of banked track games scheduled at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for 2010, including hosting the 3rd National Banked Track Roller Derby Tournament the Battle on the Banked III, set to take place in June for the San Diego County Fair.

A live boutcast of the game will be available online at the Derby News Network.

SD Roster: Anna Notherthing 11  /   Blur D’Lee 4  /  Bo Toxic 619  /  Bonnie D Stroir 26  /   Dahmernatrix 505 /   Ivanna S. Pankin 22  /   Kiki DiAzz 88 /   Kung Pow Tina 7&7 /  Lemon Drop 80%  /  Slamurai 7  /  Somebrero 5  /   Splint Her i  /   Steely Jan 91  /  Trish the Dish 99
Mitten Kittens Roster: Ann Atomic U235 /  Barberika 789  /  Cookie Rumble 333   /  Damsel Distresser 911  /   Del Bomber 76  /  Effin’ Money 248 /  Javelin  /  Kat Von D’Stroya 90   /   Lily St. Smear 13  /  Miss Canada 99 /  Mosquito Bandito 83  /   Racer McChaseHer 28  /  ReAnimateHer 31  /  Yoga Negetitt 30

From Miami, former Aztec and New Orleans Saints Defensive Tackle La’Roi Glover talked about this weekends Super Bowl with 619 Sports.  La’Roi was just named as member of the NFL’s 2000 All-Decade team, and is currently back in school at San Diego State Univeristy going for his Masters Degree in Sports Business Administration.  Check out his twitter page, and check out this interview:

Download audio file (La'Roi Glover.mp3)

With half of the games completed in the Mountain West Conference schedule, its time for a discussion on how the Aztec men have fared.  Craig and Chris give their thoughts on SDSU’s play so far, and what Steve Fisher and his team are going to have do to have any shot at the NCAA tournament in March.

Download audio file (Aztecs BBall Half Way Point.mp3)

LA JOLLA–The UCSD women’s and men’s basketball teams continued doggedly on their paths last night, heading in opposite directions.  The 8th ranked women’s team smoothly dispatched Cal State Dominguez Hills 83-57, running their win streak to four and their record to 18-1 (13-1 CCAA), while the men’s team (4-13, 3-11 CCAA) fell apart in the first half before rallying to make their fifth straight loss look more respectable, ultimately falling to CSUDH 68-58 at RIMAC Arena.

Charity Elliott’s women’s team is displaying a level of depth and athleticism that may be unrivaled on the West Coast in Division II.  Last night, the Tritons had all 13 players get at least eight minutes of playing time, with 12 scoring.  UCSD took control of the game midway through the first half with the second unit on the floor and all five starters resting.

“Our bench came in and really made a difference for us,” said Elliott of a unit that scored a season-high 42 points, “picked up where we started and kept it going.  We never had any letdown, which was a big step for this team.”

Daisy Feder (pictured) came off the bench for a career-high 19 points, including four three pointers.  Chelsea Carlisle, played just 23 minutes but still added 17 points and four rebounds.  Annette Ilg was her typical whirling dervish of defense, fast break outlets and layups, finishing with 14 points and three steals in just 18 minutes of work.

The UCSD backcourt of Carlisle and Ilg, with Feder, Osga and Laylani Martin in reserve, is easily the best in the CCAA, if not the country.  Martin (7 points) could start on any other team in the conference, and is the best Triton at breaking down a defender off the dribble.

Leading by 17 at the half, the Tritons starters picked up on the energy their bench provided, jumping out with a 22-7 run that put the game well out of reach.  UCSD is now 11-0 at RIMAC Arena and will look to extend their streak against Cal State L.A. at 5:30pm on Saturday, a game that will be simulcast live right here on 619Sports.Net.

***

Casey Ryan had a career-high 19 points in the UCSD loss (Jimmy Gekas/Sideline Studios)

The men’s team had shown progress over the past week but took a step backwards on Thursday night against a much taller and more athletic Dominguez Hills squad.  UCSD played with the Toros for the first 10 minutes, then saw the first half end on a 20-3 run.  During that stretch, the Tritons were regularly getting blocked inside by the Dominguez front line, which included 7-footer Amir Aguilar and 6′9″ Michael Cox.

Jordan Lawley contributed his usual 24 points and Casey Ryan added a career-high 19, but the rest of the Tritons were an ice-cold 5-for-30 from the field.  In addition, the team’s up-and-down free throw shooting returned, with UCSD clanking their way to a 13-for-25 performance from the stripe.

“We really didn’t execute anything at all in the first half,” said head coach Chris Carlson, “we really dug ourselves a hole and didn’t fight back from it in the first half.  We fought back in the second half but we were in too deep of a hole.”

Carlson described the effort as “disappointing” but vowed to focus on improvement for his mostly young team.  His problem is two-fold, and one part is not going to change.  First, his Tritons lack a reliable second option offensively, particularly from the outside.  This is unlikely to change this year but can evolve over time.

Next, his UCSD team plays in a conference against schools like CSUDH, which featured 9 junior-college transfers on their roster.  It’s a virtual guarantee that none of those nine (including five players 6′8″ or bigger) would have any chance of being enrolled in La Jolla.  The physical disadvantages are always going to be there.  UCSD needs to be a mentally strong team, but they showed the lack of resolve often found around a team with a sub-.250 winning percentage when things went south in the first half.

The Tritons will try to salvage one win out of their four-game homestand when they host Cal State L.A. at 7:30pm on Saturday night.  You can watch all the action live right here on 619Sports.Net, Craig Elsten will have the call of both games starting with the women at 5:30pm.