No doubt former Fresno State football coach Jim Sweeney knew how to get things done during his tenures with the Bulldogs, but he also had a way with words.

One thing he said that's always stuck with me is, "The games you remember are the ones in November."

So, now that we're back on standard time and those late-afternoon sunsets (and to think it's still baseball season!), it appears we've got a lot of good games to look forward to.

Here's a quick peek at what's around the corner for local fans and athletes in the coming weeks.

l In boys water polo, Hanford clinched the West Yosemite League boys title with Mt. Whitney's come-from-behind win over Hanford West last Thursday.

The Bullpups will wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games, against Mt. Whitney today and Lemoore on Thursday, while the Huskies end the regular season at El Diamante today.

Expect both teams to get high seeds when the Central Section unveils playoff brackets on Friday.

l In volleyball, Lemoore and El Diamante are tied atop the WYL with matching 9-1 records heading into the last week of the season after the Miners beat the Tigers in Visalia last week. That win gave Lemoore and El D a split of the regular season series.

Lemoore ends the year with a pair of home games, against Golden West tonight and Hanford Thursday night, while El D is at Hanford West tonight and Golden West on Thursday.

Volleyball seedings will be announded Friday as well.

l In girls tennis, Hanford West heads into southeast Tulare County this afternoon for a Division III semifinal match with Porterville. A win there sends the Huskies to the title match for the second straight year, at Clovis North or Tehachapi, on Thursday.

Football? We'll get into that later in the in the week, but for now, more thoughts hopefully worthy of dessert on this Tuesday afternoon/evening as we contemplate the joy of not having to listen to Tim McCarver until next year's World Series:

l And speaking of the Series, how about a job swap between Jon Miller on ESPN Radio and Joe Buck on Fox? Miller sounds on top of his game in this Series, while Buck seems to be looking forward to his next NFL assignment. Makes one thankful, again, how fortunate we are in this part of California, to be able to tap into Miller with the Giants, Vin Scully with the Dodgers, Ken Korach with the A's and, on the tube, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.

l You think baseball commissioner Bud Selig's had problems with officials in the past month?

Bud, meet Pete Saco, commissioner of the Sac-Joaquin Section, who, unlike you, is powerless to do somethng about the controversy at the end of the recent game between Stockton Edison and Tracy Merrill West.

West was trailing by a point with just seconds remaining and lined up for a 29-yard field goal.

The kick bounced off the crossbar and through the uprights, but there is no joy in Tracy, but plenty in Mudville - the zebras have struck out.

A video shot by the Stockton newspaper from the end zone shows a scene that's part Rube Goldberg, part Mel Brooks.

The booted ball comes in on a line, but just before it goes through the uprights, the stadium announcer pronounces it no good. In addition, one of the referees underneath the goalposts can be seen ducking as the ball closes in on the goalposts, then calling it no good.

You can also see West coaches demanding a meeting of the officials. The officials are then seen confirming the call made on the field.

But don't go reaching for the red flag yet.

According to a posting on the Sac-Joaquin Section's Web site, citing the National Federation of High School Football rule book, not only can replay not be used to overturn a call, but there's no situation that allows a state or section official to reverse the outcome of a game.

West's only remedy appears to be if Edison were to forfeit the game, but school officials have said they won't do that. Both schools are locked in a tight race for a spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Just something to keep in mind since the California Interscholastic Federation has allowed limited use of instant replay for next year's state basketball tournament.

l Because nothing expresses the joy of the holiday season like a night of mixed martial arts, tickets are now on sale for the "Brawl in the Hall" card Dec. 3 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino.

This card takes on a bit of an international flavor, with two fighters from Paris, middleweight Xavier Foupa-Pokam and light heavyweight Crille Diabate on the card.

Foupa-Pokam (20-11) is in the main event against Parlier's Mike Moreno (5-2), and Diabate (14-6-1) is on the undercard against Milwaukee's Rob Smith (20-13-1).

Richard de Give is The Sentinel's sports editor. He can be reached at 583-2430 or rdegive@HanfordSentinel.com.

(Nov. 3, 2009)