Warszawski: Bell tolls on Grizzlies’ temporary Taco name change

Enter the Warzone, training camp fodder.

▪ The Fresno Tacos were such an Internet sensation that Taco Bell offered to buy tacos for everyone in Fresno – if the Grizzlies made the name change permanent.

Fine. But only if the tacos aren’t from Taco Bell.

▪ After a stadium-record 16,916 packed Chukchansi Park for the Taco Truck Throwdown on Thursday, 9,449 showed up for fireworks the following night. Then 8,333 and 6,066 over the weekend.

Perhaps every night should be taco night …

▪ With the first-place Grizzlies going for a five-game sweep of the last-place River Cats, Fresno manager Tony DeFrancesco rested his four best hitters in Sunday’s series finale.

It was the humane thing to do. The Grizzlies then lost 9-3.

▪ There may be no bigger admirer of the Fulton Mall than River Cats manager Bob Mariano, who spent the previous three seasons managing the Grizzlies.

Become Facebook friends with him to see for yourself.

▪ Monday was the first day of real football at Fresno State (i.e. full pads), prompting coach Tim DeRuyter to remark, “A lot of guys bark. We’ll see who’s going to bite today.”

Judging by the number of skirmishes that broke out, quite a few Bulldogs went in with sharpened teeth.

▪ How’s the quarterback competition coming along? Right now Zack Greenlee and Chason Virgil look like co-leaders. Thursday night’s scrimmage (the only one of three open to the public during camp) could establish a front-runner.

▪ Left out Jamire Jordan’s name when discussing the talented young receivers in Sunday’s column.

Shouldn’t have. That kid is so fast the No. 2 on his jersey should be blurry.

▪ Graduate assistant Ricky Manning Jr. insists he’s nowhere near playing shape, except we saw him drop and do 75 pushups in about 45 seconds.

Every 15 or so, Manning thrust himself into the air and threw his hands in front of his head like Superman flying before catching himself just as gravity kicked in.

Those are best left only to professionals.

▪ Can’t remember Frank Gifford the running back, but Frank Gifford the TV announcer was an essential part of our football upbringing.

Gifford was the steady presence in the “Monday Night Football” booth, and not just because Howard Cosell and “Dandy” Don Meredith were swaying by the third quarter.

▪ David Carr told a neat story on Twitter about how he and Gifford first met.

Carr wrote he was sitting in the Giants’ locker room when the door burst open and someone yelled, “Where’s the boy from Bakersfield?”

Uh, here.

▪ Why doesn’t Henry Ellard get more run for the Hall of Fame?

When the former Bulldogs and Hoover High School star retired in 1998, his 13,777 career receiving yards ranked fourth all-time – and then let’s not forget Ellard’s impressive 16.9 yards per catch.

▪ On May 12 the Dodgers were 22-10 and leading the National League West by 51/2 games over the Giants. They’ve gone 40-39 since, entering Monday, and led the Giants by three games.

You know what that means? Three months of mediocre baseball for both sides.

▪ No matter how the 49ers want to spin the Aldon Smith saga, let’s be sure to remember they’re the ones who let him play in a game two days after his 2013 DUI arrest.

Actions are supposed to have consequences – even when you can rush the passer.

▪ For no particular reason: Victor Dean.

▪ Thirteen members of the U.S. rowing team came down with stomach illnesses while competing at the same venue that hosts next summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Hard to row when you’ve gotta go.

▪ Fresno State’s latest football signee is a cornerback named Tyquwan Glass.

Which is a lot easier to say than it is to spell.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Bell tolls on Grizzlies’ temporary Taco name change."