Without realizing it, Clarion-Ledger sportswriter Rick Cleveland shows exactly what ails Mississippi in his latest column. Mr. Cleveland opined yesterday on whether USM's trip to Omaha was the greatest event in USM sports history. While the USM AD said it was, Mr. Cleveland said he couldn't "rubber stamp" that opinion and proceeded to discuss memorable events of USM sports over the years: NIT Champeeeenship, Ole Miss victory in football, the Liberty Bowl (yes, you read right) victory, the 1953 victory over Bama, and other achievements. At the end, he declines to give the Omaha trip the top spot: "So, I’m not quite ready to rate this baseball run as the greatest achievement in USM sports history." Column
Mr. Cleveland's column is a perfect example of why Mississippi is usually last in most categories and what ails this state. Picking the top achievement for USM athletics is a no-brainer: the trip to Omaha. USM is playing for a national championship in a major sport. The only other teams in USM history that did so were the women's softball team ten years ago, which were also omitted by Mr. Cleveland. The Gold Sox are playing on national tv, are the subject of the national media for a solid week, won a Super Regional on Florida's home field and they are compared to a team that went to the Liberty Bowl? If the Gold Sox can win the next game, they still have a pretty good shot at making it to the Champeeeenship series against LSU.
Mr. Cleveland instead focuses on USM beating the neighbors. Just like a typical Mississippian: worrying about beating Alabama and Louisiana while we get left behind by the rest of the country. This is the same mindset afflicting most Ole Miss and MSU baseball fans as well. They look at the college baseball season as they do the football season: "We beat Bama. YEAH!" or "We beat Ole Miss this weekend! How bout dem Dawgs." I remember when Ole Miss beat then number-one ranked Georgia (every serious college baseball fans means those rankings don't mean anything) a few weeks ago, my Ole Miss friends were bragging about it for several days. However, these wins mean nothing unless your idea of success is to beat State or Bama. Most LSU baseball fans couldn't care less which team LSU beats.... as long as LSU gets to Omaha. Go to the major baseball powers: LSU, Miami, Texas, even Rice, and you will rarely hear regular season games discussed the same way they are in Mississippi. They focus on competing at Omaha or trying to get there, not beating the cousins. While the fans and programs here focus on winning the SEC or beating their neighbors, the top programs (and their fans) worry more about how they will do in the playoffs and making that trip to the Midwest in June. Regular season is seen as practice for the playoffs, not a regular season per se. Rarely is getting to a Super Regional or going to Omaha discussed as a regular goal- its seen as a reward, not something to be expected. Meanwhile the fans here focus on their own backyard then are shocked when they can't seem to get past the regional or super regionals and then start blaming the coaches when in reality, the teams didn't have the same talent level as those at Omaha.
However, back to Mr. Cleveland's column. One wonders what Mr. Cleveland thought as he refused to give this run at Omaha the honor it was due. Maybe Mr. Cleveland has covered so many bad sports programs he feels like a prisoner and suffers from Stockholm syndrome.
Whatever the reason for not placing a "rubber stamp" on the baseball team, the Golden Eagles' run at the NCAA Baseball Champeeeenship is without question the greatest event in USM sports history. Congratulations to the Gold Sox.
Monday, June 15, 2009
2009 Golden Eagles baseball: best USM team ever
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12 comments:
I agree. Rick Cleveland is normally first-rate, but "even Homer nods." It's an insult to a team that has won consistently over a long season and reached the highest level of its sport, to compare its accomplishments to isolated upsets. All in all, a strange column by Mr. C. One suspects that he contracted writer's block and had to recycle some lamentably trite USM material.
It should've been written after the tournament. There is no way you can compare beating Ole Miss to playing for the nationall championship in a major sport.
I just wish they had pitched a few strikes last night. Now that would have been something to write about.
argh ! ! ! ! !
Pitching was pitiful as they gave the game away...literally. At least someone gets it.
College baseball fans here are so ignorant about the sport compared to other places. State gets to Omaha or Ole Miss gets to Super Regionals and they blame the coaches for not advancing. When you get to that level, EVERY team you face has good pitchers. Top to bottom. Rice has been making it to SR's or further just based on pitching alone. When the bats changed, the game changed. One Ole Miss fun was mad last week because on the Sunday game, 0 outs, runner on second, Ole Miss bunted. He thought it was nuts and was griping about it. I told him he hadn't seen CSF play because they had won a few games at CWS and some titles doing just that. Let me see, you're not hitting well all weekend, the other side has deep pitching, hmmm....you manufacture runs by playing small ball. But people here think Bianco is a bad coach because his guys aren't crushing the ball against these pitchers. The coaches here actually do quite a bit with what they have in reality.
I agree 100% except it wasn't Ole miss style of baseball and I think it was a mistake to bunt in the first inning. Bad time to change style of play.
Besides, the day before they attempted a few bunts and it was obvious they weren't exactly
proficient.
Besides,the throwing error from the 2nd baseman is what should cost Bianco his job ! ! !
(ok, tongue is actually touching my cheek)
Wasn't an error. the 2nd baseman was lazy. His footwork was lazy and his throw was lazy. Same for the 1st baseman.
I understand what you are saying but you are facing a club whose pitching is very good and you've had trouble getting consitent hitting on them all weekend. bunt, move guy to 3rd, then its one out, a hit or something else will get you a run. Now its 1-0. Then do it again. Works for CSF all the time and that is probably what he is thinking. I didn't say it would work, I could just understand why he did it.
no argument...........
But, getting back on point....
And , I hate printing this but it should be read and
re-read and re-read. This is brutal.....
After an intentional walk to Kevin Keyes loaded the bases, Brandon Loy drew a walk to bring in Tucker with the tying run. After Southern Miss reliever Collin Cargill fell behind 2-0 on Cameron Rupp, Josh Fields was summoned from the bullpen. Fields battled back to retire Rupp on strikes for the second out, but then walked pinch-hitter Kevin Lusson to force in pinch-runner Tant Shepherd to put the Longhorns in front 6-5.
Three walks and a hit batsman in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed Texas to score the winning run
the only thing that would be worse to read is a pitch by pitch recap of the bottom 8th and 9th .
Ball 1
Ball 2
Ball 3
Ball 4
I disagree with you re: State fans and where their focus is. Most I know care about the regular season only insofar as it effects post-season play, e.g., being able to host a regional or super-regional. Sure they may talk smack about a game or series but they've made the Omaha trip many times before and know that at the end of the day, that is where the focus is. Nothing else matters. And you are right, USM can definitely compete in that tourney.
VA stole 12 out of 13 bases from Ole Miss. How many did they steal from LSU? ( 1 of 2 I think ) Ole Miss appeared to choke; but USM takes the prize here!! Good Luck to USM the rest of the way!!
The problem is if you don't have good and deep pitching, you get exposed at the CWS. Ask MSU. or LSU last year. Once you got past Coleman, LSU didn't have much, unlike this year.
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