It has been described as the nation̢۪s best collegiate baseball tournament. Dozens of teams from all over the country have come North, South, East and West to participate in the Fresno State baseball program̢۪s Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic.
Starting today, the tournament — which has seen multiple name changes since its inception in 1978 — will be in its 29th year, and has traditionally served as a weeklong, all-day event providing baseball fans hours of entertainment.
This year, however, the event is going through what can be best described as a hiccup. The tournament, which has evolved to a field of eight teams over the years, only has three participants this year, including host Fresno State. Iowa and Dallas Baptist are the only other teams to have made the trip to Fresno this season.
Fresno State baseball coach Mike Batesole isn̢۪t worried about the lack of teams taking part in the event, given the obstacles a team must clear to ensure its part in the tournament.
Schools that are interested in the PJQ Classic must be on spring break in order to take off the more than a week it takes to travel and play in the tournament. For many schools, including ones that were originally slated to play this year, having that week available was the lone challenge they could not overcome.
Contributing to that is the financial aspect a team must commit to. With travel parties of 40 or more people, funding for plane flights, meals and hotels can accumulate to more than $50,000.
It just so happened that for this year̢۪s tournament, an abnormal amount of teams fell victim to the sometimes overwhelming commitments.
“Until they sign a contract, they’re not locked in,� Batesole said.
The problem with contracts, though, has been that many times teams would be unable to commit to a contract, or the potential payout from backing out of a contract, Batesole said.
So, for this year at least, Fresno State will change the PJQ Classic from a bracket format to a head-to-head format, taking place Wednesday through Saturday, two days shorter than typical tournaments have been.
Regardless of the amount of teams in this year̢۪s PJQ Classic, players like Fresno State̢۪s Brian Lapin understand how beneficial the tournament can be.
“We try and invite the best teams,� Lapin said.
But what separates the Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic from the rest of the tournaments, according to longtime Dugout Club booster Marty Mamigonian, is the hospitality teams receive and the memories they leave Fresno with.
The Dugout Club is the baseball team̢۪s fundraising and support booster, sponsoring luncheons and other events to help the Fresno State baseball team succeed.
Mamigonian, a current board member and two-time past president of the Dugout Club, has nearly 20 years of involvement with the PJQ Classic, and can recall the finest comments people have made in regards to the tournament.
“Coaches used to say the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic was the finest baseball tournament in the country,� Mamigonian said.
One year, Mamigonian remembers, a sports writer for the San Francisco Chronicle came to the tournament “by chance,� and gave the tournament his highest praise.
“He called it college baseball’s version of [Major League Baseball’s] spring training,� Mamignian said.
Next year, Batesole says eight teams have already committed to participate in the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, with more on the waiting list. In fact, Batesole says the tournament is booked for the next 2-3 years.
Even baseball tournaments have to get rid of the hiccups from time to time.
BigDog • Mar 15, 2007 at 11:30 pm
There are several problems that need to be addressed before the PJQ can return to glory.
1. Get the Dugout Club back involved again. This year our admin gutted the dugout club involvment by restricting the club to “doing what is does best, serving food in the dugout club area, and providing team hosts. Its hard for people to be passionate about something when someone is standing on your throat.
2. Force the sponsors to up the ante, and keep the sponsor money in the tournament. It may have been 10 years or more since sponsorship money was addressed. I think we guaranty each visiting team $7,500 to come here. That was fine 20 years ago, but not today.
3. Have an administration that recognizes the history, tradition, and reputation built before they blew into town. Dr. Bey (sp?) has been heard on the radio as saying he does not see the value of a large tournament. Ask the timeout club about what happened to the holiday classic basketball tournament that they used to host.
4. PROMOTE the sport and the tournament. Compete head to head against the Grizzlies and get down and dirty about it. You have to let people know there’s a game before they will come to it. Marketing for this year’s tournament was a poster created on a desktop computer. Not the fault of the man marketing the tourny, but the restrictions that he has to work under.
5. Don’t just talk “fan friendly”, BE fan friendly. Cost of concessions, condition of restrooms, seating restrictions, all add up to losing fans, not gaining them. (It gets better, next year they say they are going to charge to park at baseball unless the dugout club forks over $10,000.) Paying to park at 6 football games does not compare to attending 40 baseball games. Again, Fan Friendly has been removed from the Fresno State dictionary.
6. Stop angering donors by twisting thier arms for MORE and MORE money. We are alienating people rather than welcoming them.
BigDog • Mar 16, 2007 at 6:30 am
There are several problems that need to be addressed before the PJQ can return to glory.
1. Get the Dugout Club back involved again. This year our admin gutted the dugout club involvment by restricting the club to “doing what is does best, serving food in the dugout club area, and providing team hosts. Its hard for people to be passionate about something when someone is standing on your throat.
2. Force the sponsors to up the ante, and keep the sponsor money in the tournament. It may have been 10 years or more since sponsorship money was addressed. I think we guaranty each visiting team $7,500 to come here. That was fine 20 years ago, but not today.
3. Have an administration that recognizes the history, tradition, and reputation built before they blew into town. Dr. Bey (sp?) has been heard on the radio as saying he does not see the value of a large tournament. Ask the timeout club about what happened to the holiday classic basketball tournament that they used to host.
4. PROMOTE the sport and the tournament. Compete head to head against the Grizzlies and get down and dirty about it. You have to let people know there’s a game before they will come to it. Marketing for this year’s tournament was a poster created on a desktop computer. Not the fault of the man marketing the tourny, but the restrictions that he has to work under.
5. Don’t just talk “fan friendly”, BE fan friendly. Cost of concessions, condition of restrooms, seating restrictions, all add up to losing fans, not gaining them. (It gets better, next year they say they are going to charge to park at baseball unless the dugout club forks over $10,000.) Paying to park at 6 football games does not compare to attending 40 baseball games. Again, Fan Friendly has been removed from the Fresno State dictionary.
6. Stop angering donors by twisting thier arms for MORE and MORE money. We are alienating people rather than welcoming them.
FSDogs1 • Mar 15, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Note to Heywood: Fresno State hasn’t accepted NQs for a few years now…
FSDogs1 • Mar 15, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Note to Heywood: Fresno State hasn’t accepted NQs for a few years now…
FSDogs1 • Mar 15, 2007 at 2:50 pm
JD is right, the PJQC was amazing for years, and the competition has lessened over the past few years. I remember when Batesole came as the coach of CS-Northridge when they were a big-time team. And Notre Dame during maybe it’s best year ever. North Carolina, the same.
Let’s get that back instead of Dallas Baptist all the time. And the 8 teams, 4 games per day for 6 days format is truly fantastic. It could be the best tourney in the nation again.
But first things first, Fresno State needs to become what it once was under Bob Bennett.
FSDogs1 • Mar 15, 2007 at 9:50 pm
JD is right, the PJQC was amazing for years, and the competition has lessened over the past few years. I remember when Batesole came as the coach of CS-Northridge when they were a big-time team. And Notre Dame during maybe it’s best year ever. North Carolina, the same.
Let’s get that back instead of Dallas Baptist all the time. And the 8 teams, 4 games per day for 6 days format is truly fantastic. It could be the best tourney in the nation again.
But first things first, Fresno State needs to become what it once was under Bob Bennett.
Heywood Jeblomey • Mar 15, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I would argue the exact opposite. Yes, a tournament that goes from 8 teams, down to 6, down to four (over the fall semester Arkansas was supposed to come), down to three has ‘lost its luster.’ That has truly happened with the PJQC. Iowa? Great. But remember back (02, 03, 04) when teams came from all over the country to play in this thing? Penn State, Chicago, Notre Dame, UCSB, ‘Zaga. Get the Dugout Club involved again. And sports staff—-criticizing players is something that you guys have little trouble doing. Administrative turmoil, bad decision-making, corrupt coaches, and policy that allows nonqualifiers to attend a public university needs more focus.
Heywood Jeblomey • Mar 15, 2007 at 7:37 pm
I would argue the exact opposite. Yes, a tournament that goes from 8 teams, down to 6, down to four (over the fall semester Arkansas was supposed to come), down to three has ‘lost its luster.’ That has truly happened with the PJQC. Iowa? Great. But remember back (02, 03, 04) when teams came from all over the country to play in this thing? Penn State, Chicago, Notre Dame, UCSB, ‘Zaga. Get the Dugout Club involved again. And sports staff—-criticizing players is something that you guys have little trouble doing. Administrative turmoil, bad decision-making, corrupt coaches, and policy that allows nonqualifiers to attend a public university needs more focus.
JD • Mar 14, 2007 at 4:21 pm
i don’t know when this trend started, but the collegian is much too homerish.
instead of constantly rooting (and making excuses) for the bulldogs, the sports staff needs to be more critical.
it’s the responsibility of a good journalist.
JD • Mar 14, 2007 at 11:21 pm
i don’t know when this trend started, but the collegian is much too homerish.
instead of constantly rooting (and making excuses) for the bulldogs, the sports staff needs to be more critical.
it’s the responsibility of a good journalist.
JD • Mar 14, 2007 at 4:18 pm
this thing has really gone down the tubes, and instead of apologizing on behalf of batesole, someone really needs to be knocking his regime for running this thing into the ground.
i don’t care who has spring break when or what hotel costs are.
the tournament used to be bomb. now it’s not. it’s somebody’s fault.
JD • Mar 14, 2007 at 11:18 pm
this thing has really gone down the tubes, and instead of apologizing on behalf of batesole, someone really needs to be knocking his regime for running this thing into the ground.
i don’t care who has spring break when or what hotel costs are.
the tournament used to be bomb. now it’s not. it’s somebody’s fault.
Mike Greyson • Mar 14, 2007 at 8:33 am
This tourney sucks. 8 teams to 3 teams participating in a matter of three years. It sucks.
Mike Greyson • Mar 14, 2007 at 3:33 pm
This tourney sucks. 8 teams to 3 teams participating in a matter of three years. It sucks.