Dr. Lackritz on Strasburg's MLB Debut

Stephen Strasburg, an SDSU alum and highly-touted Washington Nationals' pitcher, made his first Major League appearance tonight. In 7 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Strasburg struck out 14, walked none, and only yielded two runs on four hits.

Before Strasburg took the mound tonight, Dr. Lackritz offered his insights to CNBC.com for an article regarding Strasburg's financial impact:

CNBC ARTICLE

Congratulations to Dr. Lackritz on the nice publicity and, of course, SDSU's Stephen Strasburg.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

By Lawren Wolf (SMBA '11)

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is a series of marathons and half marathons that the Competitor Group Inc., a San Diego based platform media and race event company, puts on throughout the country. These races combine the feel of a rock concert into an endurance event with live music throughout the course and are highlighted by a headlining concert at the finish line. This morning marked the 13th running of the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. The race, which consisted of over 30,000 from all over the world, started on 6th Avenue in front of Balboa Park, passed through PETCO Park and the runners crossed the finish line at SeaWorld.

Ben Fox, an employee of the Competitor Group and a member of the SDSU SMBA ‘09, came to our class about a month ago and asked if any of us wanted to volunteer to work the event as corral captains and a group of twelve of us jumped at the opportunity to help out. The only catch was that we all had to report for duty at 3:30 AM the morning of the race! As corral captains, we were each in charge of smaller groups of volunteers and we all helped to make sure the runners were in their proper corrals and relaxed before their big race. With the music blaring, the first corral of runners was released at 6:15 AM and our volunteers dropped the starting line and let them pass. Within an hour, all 39 corrals had been released and the race was well underway. After helping to clean up the park and break down the starting line area, we were done volunteering and were free to head to SeaWorld to celebrate at the finish line. Overall, it was a great experience!

In addition to over one-third of the class volunteering for the event, a group of five of our classmates actually ran and completed the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon. Congratulations to Katie Araujo, Alyssa Boyd, Jessica Ceresino, Tana Prosper and Krista Washington!

Volunteer Coordinating for NCAA Golf Regional

By Jodi Hutchinson (SMBA '11)

A couple of months ago I was asked to be the Head Volunteer Coordinator for the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regional hosted by San Diego State at Carlton Oaks Golf Course. I have had many amazing volunteer opportunities since beginning this year as a Sports MBA student but, I must say, this one turned out to be the most challenging and valuable experience of them all.

Due to my previous experience in the golf industry, the SDSU athletic department and the San Diego Sports Commission felt I could help them figure out how and where to search for volunteers. I have to admit at first I thought to myself that even though I had experience in the golf business I lacked the resources to find the 42 volunteers needed each day; not because I didn’t think I could do it, but simply because I am from Chicago and just moved here in January! My golf coach always told me to act as if, meaning act as if you had been there before and the only thing you could always be good at was faking it until you make it. So, that is exactly what I did.

One of the many valuable lessons I learned is nothing ever goes according to plan and learning how to deal with that is an important skill that will go a long way in business and the sports industry. I have to be honest, this job put me under a lot of pressure and I struggled to act as if a lot of the time I was searching for volunteers. Having this opportunity also helped me learn that people are more willing to help than you might think. They are even willing to help a complete stranger like myself.

My job would not have been successful without the help of the volunteers. The NCAA was happy and San Diego State University and Carlton Oaks were deemed great hosts, which is what makes me most proud. Any type of event in sports rarely happens without a large amount of volunteer help. So, I must give thanks to all of the volunteers for this event, because even if you do not think you make a difference, you truly do!

Flag Football: MILLSWAD Ends Season

Since exercise and non-school outlets are necessary, the SMBA '11 successfully organized a flag football team to participate in an 8-game season. The team name was MILLSWAD, in honor of one of our favorite sayings from Dr. Lackritz, and athletic prowess was certainly on display during all 8 games.

MILLSWAD finished the season at 3-5.

Graduation for Class of 2010

This morning the SDSU Sports MBA Class of 2010 graduated. Graduation was at PETCO Park and featured a commencement address from San Diego Padres' President Tom Garfinkel.

Congratulations to the graduates of the Class of 2010!

John Wooden Passes Away

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden died of natural causes at the age of 99 today. Wooden is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, building a dynasty at UCLA with 10 national championships. Seven of those were consecutive, between 1967 and 1973.

Wooden's passing is important for the SMBA '11, as many guest speakers and professors have recommended Wooden's books. His books, advice, and life lessons all lend themselves to success on and off the basketball court and will surely help the class navigate the challenges faced in the sports industry.

Congratulations to La’Roi Glover

Classmate La’Roi Glover has accepted a job for the St. Louis Rams where he will help young players make the transition to professional football and learn how to deal with off-the-field matters. The SMBA ’11 class found out last week, but the official announcement was made today that the Rams hired La’Roi as Director of Player Programs.

La’Roi spent his final three seasons in the NFL playing for St. Louis before retiring in 2008. He was the unofficial leader of our class and—whether he likes it or not—he has 33 friends that will be staying in touch.

SMBA ’11 wishes La’Roi all the best and we’ll miss him the rest of the year. Congratulations!