June 13,  2007

Costner-Horton plans require adjustment

RANDY YOUNGMAN

FULLERTON George Horton's cell phone rang Sunday morning as he was watching the UC Irvine-Wichita State game on TV and going over his scouting reports for Cal State Fullerton's potential clincher that night against UCLA in the super regional at Goodwin Field.

It was Kevin Costner, the most famous CSF alumnus, calling to say he wouldn't be coming to that day's game but would literally drop in Monday from his home in Santa Barbara if there were a deciding third game.

The Titans had won four NCAA playoff games in a row and needed only one more victory to advance to the College World Series, so Costner didn't want to risk changing the karma.

"He used a line from Crash Davis, the character he played in 'Bull Durham': 'You never (mess) with a winning streak,' " Horton said. "I started laughing, and he said, 'But I got a helicopter set up for tomorrow if you lose today, and I'm whirly-birding in and landing on the football field.' And that's no lie."

Costner never had to make the trip because the Titans extended their winning streak that night with a pulsating 2-1 victory to earn another trip to the College World Series.

Horton says Costner wants to go to Omaha, and even perform a concert with his band while he's in town, but that's not surprising. Though he didn't attend any CSF games this season, Costner is a longtime Titans baseball fan, so what better time to jump back on the bandwagon?

This year, however, that won't make him unique.

"A lot of people jumped off the bandwagon and a lot of people counted us out," Horton said, referring to a late-season swoon that saw the Titans lose their last four conference series and finish fifth in the Big West.

One of those people apparently was Horton himself, because he made a confession after Sunday's victory.

"I, too, have to cancel some vacation plans that I had scheduled in the middle of June," Horton said. "We were going to go to Costner's house in Aspen."

He said he hadn't given up or lost faith in his team; he was merely being realistic and planning ahead.

"We were maybe dead a month ago," Horton said Tuesday during a conference call with media around the country. "I didn't see this coming. No reason to see it coming."

Instead, the Titans (38-23) somehow turned it around when the NCAA awarded them an at-large berth, blowing through the San Diego regional and sweeping two from UCLA while outscoring their opposition, 40-10, in those five games.

"At Fullerton, we don't plan on finishing fifth in the Big West and being on the bubble (at tournament time)," third baseman Evan McArthur said Tuesday. "For us, it's not a position we're used to and not a position we liked. ... But we got another chance, and we started playing 'Titan baseball' at the right time."

The turning point?

"I think the postseason was the turning point for us," said center fielder and leadoff hitter Clark Hardman, the Titans' leading hitter (.391) and leading run-producer (47 RBIs). "As a group, we all decided it's a brand-new season, we're 0-0 and one of 64 teams with an equal chance to win a national championship.

"We all stuck together, we knew we could do it, and we believed in ourselves, even though everyone else was counting us out."

Two weeks ago, the Titans were not ranked by Baseball America. Last week, they were ranked 25th. This week they are ranked No. 9. And the bandwagon, which includes Costner's private jet, is refueling and revving up for anoher trip to Omaha. Aspen can wait.

Left Coast showdown:The left side of the eight-team College World Series bracket probably should be called the "Big West-Pac 10 Challenge."

Cal State Fullerton opens Saturday against Oregon State, the defending national champion, and UC Irvine opens Saturday against Arizona State.

Fullerton also is sharing a charter flight with ASU on the way to Omaha.