Sports

THE SWAGGER: Many of you are probably wondering how we got that awesome shot of the men's volleyball players on the back page. Not to toot my own horn, but you only see this kind of stuff in Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. And that was my inspiration.

THE FRESHNESS: This past week I had to miss the New University's weekly meeting (which any aspiring writers should attend on Wednesdays) because I traveled out to Riverside to cover the men's volleyball match against California Baptists University. It was interesting, to say the least. The team swept Cal Baptists, but that is not really the story considering they were expected to do just that. The story is about how they rose to the occasion when faced with a challenge. That challenge was named Adiel Tiedjop.

BASKETBALL: UCI falls to UCSB but rallies to defeat Cal Poly. UCI hosts UC Davis in the Game of the Week.

BASKETBALL: Lady Anteaters drop a couple games to UCSB and Cal Poly in Big West action at home.

BASKETBALL: UCI hangs on for a thrilling 78-74 overtime victory over CSU Fullerton on Saturday at the Bren.

THE SWAGGER: UC Irvine sports teams have started winning, and are winning often. We have achieved some national success, most recently with men's golf, baseball and men's volleyball. However, most of our sports teams seem to make it near the top, but are not able to get over that final bump. What is that last ingredient that we need for our sports teams to garner the utmost respect they deserve? Ladies and Gentleman, that is "Swagger."

THE FRESHNESS: Being fresh. What does that mean to you? For me, it immediately brings one thing to mind: The Fresh Prince. Considering that that was one of best shows ever made, I love my new column name. When our good friend over to the left came up with the new name for his column ("The Swagger"), I wanted something equally as smooth. "The Freshness" is just that.

PREVIEWS: Volleyball, basketball, baseball and swimming and diving are bringing some new looks and old dominance to 2008.

MARTIAL ARTS: The New University takes an in-depth look at the UFC craze, and into what lies ahead for the sport.

THE ORACLE: I hate sports. Watching the UC Irvine men's soccer team fall to St. John's on Saturday in below 40-degree weather in Queens, NY just reminded me how lame sports can be.

THE HYPOTHESIS: We fans are not as good as the people on the field, court, rink or track. They simply are better athletes than us. That is why we are fans. I understand that sometimes that is hard to accept, but if the case were otherwise, we would not be fans — we would be players. With that in mind, we need to now understand our part, as fans, in the game. Trash talking.

BASKETBALL: Cal State Bakersfield avenges its loss to the Lady Anteaters last season with 85-63 win.