I know Skenes and Crewes are both excellent and I like watching both play but are the ESPN guys contractually obligated to mention them every 20 seconds? Do they get fired if they don't find a way to include either of them in every sentence? Even in non LSU games it's getting pretty tiring.
I don't really need to know Skenes' shoe size.
@PABaseball posted:I know Skenes and Crewes are both excellent and I like watching both play but are the ESPN guys contractually obligated to mention them every 20 seconds? Do they get fired if they don't find a way to include either of them in every sentence? Even in non LSU games it's getting pretty tiring.
I don't really need to know Skenes' shoe size.
I already lodged my complaint about Ben McDonald. But I think, with the exception of Kyle Peterson (who is excellent), the entire ESPN crew is really bad. They will absolutely beat a dead horse to death again. They don’t call games for many CWS teams during the season and they don’t know what they should about many of these teams. So they default to grabbing the low hanging fruit. Over and over. I have found the best viewing option to be at a restaurant bar, no sound on the TV, and good music in the background. But that’s just me.
@adbono posted:I already lodged my complaint about Ben McDonald. But I think, with the exception of Kyle Peterson (who is excellent), the entire ESPN crew is really bad. They will absolutely beat a dead horse to death again. They don’t call games for many CWS teams during the season and they don’t know what they should about many of these teams. So they default to grabbing the low hanging fruit. Over and over. I have found the best viewing option to be at a restaurant bar, no sound on the TV, and good music in the background. But that’s just me.
I’ve complained multiple times to ESPN about Bill Walton’s rambling on about everything but basketball. I never heard back. I’ve even called ESPN during the game to complain. When I can watch live I synch up the ESPN or PAC 12 video with KTLA’s UCLA radio network coverage.
Well at least Skenes is going to break Ben McDonald's K record in about 5 minutes.
@nycdad posted:Well at least Skenes is going to break Ben McDonald's K record in about 5 minutes.
Great pitching matchup between Skenes & Lowder. Arguably the best 2 pitchers in college baseball this year. Both of them really command the baseball. Really fun to watch!
@PABaseball posted:I like TCU in a heartbreaker over ORU. Tennessee is going to be a tough game for the loser of LSU/Wake but at this point they're all tough games. If LSU loses a game at any point I think they're done, don't think they have the bullpen depth compared to the others.
And dead wrong again. Seems to be the norm more often than not nowadays. That being said LSU got two big time starts from their guys which I believe saved them. Did not think their pen would turn it around after their slump towards the end of the season but here we are. Anything that doesn't result in a title for LSU is a busted season. Will not be listening to arguments
3 thoughts
1. Great baseball tonight. Doesn't get much better than that from a pitching perspective
2. Wake should have been the home team. How they weren't was maddening
3. Home plate umpire was poor which seems to have been a theme all CWS
I didn’t get to tune into the game until the 8th inning last night. Does anyone know why Nick Kurtz was not playing?
I’ve really enjoyed this thread.
@ClevelandDad posted:I didn’t get to tune into the game until the 8th inning last night. Does anyone know why Nick Kurtz was not playing?
I’ve really enjoyed this thread.
He was a late scratch. Apparently re-injured a rib injury in BP. Will say his sub played well.
@PABaseball posted:2. Wake should have been the home team. How they weren't was maddening
Was wondering the same. Why wasn't Wake the home team? How do they determine home team?
LSU was the home team in both games. I don’t get it. Wake was the team that came through the winner’s bracket. They should have been the home team Wednesday.
@RJM posted:LSU was the home team in both games. I don’t get it. Wake was the team that came through the winner’s bracket. They should have been the home team Wednesday.
I think it should be winners bracket is home. If the losers bracket team is able to force a winner take all game it should go by higher seed.
Seeds are useless if they're not going to be used
I think LSU is getting too cute swapping their SS and second baseman. It cost them a double play the other night against Wake. I don’t like it because neither player gets as much practice at their swapped positions.
My favorite pitch in baseball is the high hard one. Been used very effectively by both teams tonight to strike good hitters out.
Maybe give Jay Johnson a bit of credit; he seems to know what he's been doing.
Watched the CWS today, first time I've watched a game or even a sports event that didn't involve family or friends in a long time. It's hard to explain, but having a kid in the minors can do that to you...
I suppose I have a connection to Florida here on the board, and I've had a few conversations with Wes Johnson when he coached my kid (great guy) so I don't really have a horse in the race. Fun game to watch, and I remember the strike zone being expanded when my kid was in college, but wow I don't remember the blues being that bad.
I will say this about pro ball (every level) the strike zone gets smaller and the blues get a lot more consistent.
Congrats to LSU, and I'm looking forward to Florida tying it up!
Another great game! What a great post season and CWS.
@anotherparent posted:What has happened to LSU? Weren't they the school that NILed its way to supposed success?
This hasn’t aged very well. Do you want an opportunity to restate your position?
I wouldn't call it a position, it was an observation on May 27; obviously it isn't over until it's over.
My position on NIL hasn't changed. If throwing pay-to-play money brings success, why should anyone else even try?
"If throwing pay-to-play money brings success, why should anyone else even try?"
If you think that simply paying big bucks gets you success, I point you to the San Diego Padres.
Why should a coach face criticism because he analyzed the rules, organized a program to take maximum advantage of the rules, implemented the program, and simply went out and got the (coachable) players? And then, got those players to actually perform.
What the LSU baseball program created was a team of players all rowing the boat in a singular direction, with a singular goal, buying in to a coaching system, and lead by a group of professionals committed to the players, the school, and the goal. Of course money helps; but there are 50 programs out there which could do the same money. (And there are other schools which did similar things, but just didn't have the hand of fate on their shoulder this year.)
Skenes and the others didn't go where the money was biggest; they went to the school they felt fitted them best.
Most anyone - players, coaches, people - who has had personal contact with Jay Johnson would tell you that his personal touch, charisma, intensity, humility, work ethic, and faith are what gets him these players; year after year, regardless of division (he started his ascent in NAIA), regardless of school (USD - an expensive private university - was a power while he was the recruiter), regardless of geography.
He succeeded in an era where the top HS kids went pro directly from college; he succeeded in an era where players can seemingly play for a decade: he is succeeding in an era where college baseball is pro-ball.
The success in an ever changing environment is no accident.
NIL does bring success. The portal does. It’s gonna take a minute but outside of the teams that just build a great culture of kids with a chip on their shoulder, only the big boys are gonna compete. The coaches are saying it out loud now. Sad for college sports. The main objective for coaches will not (if it had been) be development, it will be inspiring boosters and recruiting from the portal.
@anotherparent posted:I wouldn't call it a position, it was an observation on May 27; obviously it isn't over until it's over.
My position on NIL hasn't changed. If throwing pay-to-play money brings success, why should anyone else even try?
Any school that wants to can form a collective and use NIL to their benefit. Some schools have more resources than others. And let’s be honest, some schools care a lot more about having success in sports than others. With the unregulated and outrageous increases in college tuition, attending college is no longer a foregone conclusion among many middle class families. Some schools (SEC in particular) seem to be using their sports teams as advertisement to attract more students. They spend more on athletic facilities and they spend more on their athletic programs. They win, they attract more students, and they make more money. So it’s working as planned. That’s why in the SEC it just means more. Because it actually does. The Big10 could have done the same thing but at this point it’s probably too late even if all the member institutions were in favor of it - which all would not be. So IMO the use of NLI (which the NCAA did not think thru very well) is furthering the divide between schools/conferences that place a heavy emphasis on sports and those that don’t. More unintended consequences that aren’t good for college baseball. But use of NIL to recruit better players is legitimate. And teams that have more money available to them get to use it. It’s no different than the NY Yankees in MLB who have historically had a higher payroll than other teams. As a result they are always in contention but they don’t always win it all. That’s what we are seeing in college baseball. The epicenter is in the Southeast. Specifically the SEC. All-Conference performers in other conferences are in the portal because they want to play in the SEC. You can not like what’s happening all you want (and FWIW I don’t like it either) but it’s hard to blame the players for taking the money and bettering their circumstances. They are just using the current system to their advantage. It’s going to be frustrating going forward for fans of schools that won’t compete in the NIL game and/or don’t put a high priority on success in sports. It will probably make for a lot more Walmart fans.
NIL certainly changes things, but back in 2017 before the changes my son's dream was to play in the SEC. Not just the SEC, but for one of the top baseball schools in the SEC where the stands are full, students and fans are totally engaged and you've got a good chance of playing in a CWS. I think this is still mostly true for HS/Juco ballplayers that don't have a connection to a specific school or location (but money certainly helps).
At the end of 2022 the NCAA put a list of the top 100 baseball programs based on performance since the 2000's - so no legacy stuff: Top 100 College Baseball programs
Is there any surprise that 4 of top 5 and 6 of the top 10 are SEC teams? My son wasn't on any SEC's teams radar out of HS, but that changed in Juco and it worked out well for him. If other late bloomers can use the transfer portal to play in a place they've dreamed about, then why not?
@adbono posted:Any school that wants to can form a collective and use NIL to their benefit. Some schools have more resources than others. And let’s be honest, some schools care a lot more about having success in sports than others. With the unregulated and outrageous increases in college tuition, attending college is no longer a foregone conclusion among many middle class families. Some schools (SEC in particular) seem to be using their sports teams as advertisement to attract more students. They spend more on athletic facilities and they spend more on their athletic programs. They win, they attract more students, and they make more money. So it’s working as planned. That’s why in the SEC it just means more. Because it actually does. The Big10 could have done the same thing but at this point it’s probably too late even if all the member institutions were in favor of it - which all would not be. So IMO the use of NLI (which the NCAA did not think thru very well) is furthering the divide between schools/conferences that place a heavy emphasis on sports and those that don’t. More unintended consequences that aren’t good for college baseball. But use of NIL to recruit better players is legitimate. And teams that have more money available to them get to use it. It’s no different than the NY Yankees in MLB who have historically had a higher payroll than other teams. As a result they are always in contention but they don’t always win it all. That’s what we are seeing in college baseball. The epicenter is in the Southeast. Specifically the SEC. All-Conference performers in other conferences are in the portal because they want to play in the SEC. You can not like what’s happening all you want (and FWIW I don’t like it either) but it’s hard to blame the players for taking the money and bettering their circumstances. They are just using the current system to their advantage. It’s going to be frustrating going forward for fans of schools that won’t compete in the NIL game and/or don’t put a high priority on success in sports. It will probably make for a lot more Walmart fans.
In the Big Ten academics mean more. Big Ten schools have to be members of the Association of American Universities. Only four SEC schools are members. Before you feel insulted Texas A&M is one of the four.
@RJM posted:In the Big Ten academics mean more. Big Ten schools have to be members of the Association of American Universities. Only four SEC schools are members. Before you feel insulted Texas A&M is one of the four.
We are talking about facts so no reason for anyone to be offended. Not that it takes a legitimate reason anymore. But it’s all good. I do wonder how credible it is to belong to The Association of American Universities at this point in time. I think the quality of a college education in America has deteriorated across the board. Some places more than others and how you would quantify that I don’t know.
@adbono posted:We are talking about facts so no reason for anyone to be offended. Not that it takes a legitimate reason anymore. But it’s all good. I do wonder how credible it is to belong to The Association of American Universities at this point in time. I think the quality of a college education in America has deteriorated across the board. Some places more than others and how you would quantify that I don’t know.
I went to a very liberal college. I got two degrees there. One as a student-athlete and another as a part time student on nights and weekends.
In the four and a half years I was a full time student I didn’t pay attention to the liberal stuff. There was always something being protested. I was too busy with school and baseball. What spare time I had was dedicated to girl chasing.
I was an Econ major with a concentration in Quantitative Analytics. It was because math/calculus was easy for me. I had no intention of being a Econ/calculus nerd in a cubicle after college. I took as many Poly Sci electives because the courses were easy. The professors were all communists and socialists. I told them what they wanted to hear and walked away laughing with an A.
My son had the same major forty years later. After one mistake of stating his opinions on a paper and getting a D he learned to play the game. I had warned him. Keep in mind TA’s grade tests and papers. My son had the nerve to write personal responsibility and accountability should come before leaning on the government for help.
My daughter was a science major. There’s nothing political about science. She went to law school and achieved the amazing. At an Ivy she became Editor of the Law Review despite being in the Young Republicans Club.
College is what you make of it. It’s like shopping for clothes. If you see expensive clothing a sane person asks themselves if they will wear it often enough for it to be worth the money. Majors work the same way. Am I getting my monies worth.
My kids received 75% between athletic and academic money. College was not expensive. I paid the rest. I had saved for 100% for each from the day they were born.
Neither of my kids nor I have/had careers in our majors. But with our majors we proved we were smart and sensible. Our majors could have led to careers. My son went fromEcon to consulting. My daughter went from forensic science to law school. My major allowed me to answer two questions to get through the cattle call interview. 1) Is your major math or computer science oriented? 2) Is your gpa 3.2 or better in your major? I advanced to go in sales and sales management in the mini and mainframe world.
Regardless of the cost of college those with college degrees still make significantly more over a lifetime. There are exceptions. I have an auto mechanic friend who makes a lot of money specializing in high end foreign cars. There are college graduates with useless degrees going nowhere. A friend pulled his daughter out of Georgetown when she changed her degree to sociology. He told he she can go to Nowhere State for a sociology degree.
Good thing the college baseball season is almost over. This is way off topic.
Note on quality of college: My daughter graduated undergrad from a state university known for it’s academic mediocrity outside her major. It was one of the best for her major. She saw it as the best place for the combination of her major and softball.
She graduated PBK and scored in the top 5% of those taking the LSATs that year. She applied to five elite law schools and didn’t get into any of them. it must have been perceived by these more northern law schools she went to some dumb ass southern school.
She worked as a legal researcher for a prestigious DC law firm for two years. The lawyers at the firm helped get her into all five of the same law schools with their referrals.
The threads that veer off topic sometimes end up being the very best. But then again, some turn into train wrecks.
I have nothing against Jay Johnson. Swapping short and second is awkward at best and has now cost them another double play. Sometimes you can outsmart yourself. Jordon Thompson imploding beside the point.
Wow! The Gator bats have shown up today. They must not like the sight of a Gator on an LSU fan’s BBQ grill. Looking forward to a winner take all game 3 tomorrow. Will we see Skenes? If I’m a betting man I say yes. Not sure for how long though.
If I was Skenes' agent, I'd hide his glove and burn his shoes.
My bet is maybe in relief since it would be a throw day for him normally.
TPM, Goosegg ,Adbono,
Never throw the “ hard thrower” first innings. The hitters eyes adjust down not up!
Bob
!
That was a tough day at the office for LSU. But they know who they are, where they are and how good they are. When you’re really good I believe it’s easier to shake off a beat down then a gut wrenching, walk off loss.
@RJM posted:That was a tough day at the office for LSU. But they know who they are, where they are and how good they are. When you’re really good I believe it’s easier to shake off a beat down then a gut wrenching, walk off loss.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
I remember back to about 10U or so we got absolutely boat raced the first game at a tourney. Evan at that young age we knew to flush it.
I remember watching Arkansas put up 21 on NC St in game 1 of the Super only to lose the next two. LSU is a solid favorite today on the betting odds. My guess is that Skenes throws far more pitches today than he probably should.
I didn’t believe LSU had the pitching depth to win this thing once they got to Omaha. I still don’t. Unfortunately Skenes is going to do to much. I only hope, for his sake, it’s not a career damaging decision. The bullpen arms they will most likely use have been taxed as well. I’m obviously pulling for LSU. But any kids long term health is far more important. I get this is the final game and most important of their life until now. And I’m sure that if this situation occurred in 2017 I would have told my son to go for it. It’s only one game. But it’s not. It’s a cumulative effect. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am. There have been some great games throughout this CWS. Maybe the best I’ve seen as a whole.
@Goosegg posted:What the LSU baseball program created was a team of players all rowing the boat in a singular direction, with a singular goal, buying in to a coaching system, and lead by a group of professionals committed to the players, the school, and the goal. Of course money helps; but there are 50 programs out there which could do the same money. (And there are other schools which did similar things, but just didn't have the hand of fate on their shoulder this year.)
Skenes and the others didn't go where the money was biggest; they went to the school they felt fitted them best.
I agree with the premise of what you're saying but I disagree with this part. I don't think there are 50 programs that could have offered them the same thing. I would guess there are maybe 10.
But I would also say that they did go where the money was the biggest. Tommy White is quoted as saying he didn't even go on other visits outside of LSU. I would imagine these guys are just fielding phone calls with numbers being thrown at them and then deciding which school is the best fit after a financial threshold is hit.
It's just a difference of opinions.
Regardless, this is what people wanted - this is what they are going to get. The big dogs are going to eat and the little guys are going to become farm systems.
I don't doubt for a second that 3-4 years from now you're going to see HS recruiting classes of 4-5 guys and another 8-10 portal kids going to the LSUs of the world.
@PABaseball posted:I don't doubt for a second that 3-4 years from now you're going to see HS recruiting classes of 4-5 guys and another 8-10 portal kids going to the LSUs of the world.
I've heard from a P5 coach this EXACT line. They are only looking for classes of 4/5 kids right now going forward.
@Master P posted:I've heard from a P5 coach this EXACT line. They are only looking for classes of 4/5 kids right now going forward.
There is a possibility that this development could actually help HS kids recalibrate their sights and make initial decisions coming out of HS that work out better for them. We can always hope.
@PABaseball posted:I agree with the premise of what you're saying but I disagree with this part. I don't think there are 50 programs that could have offered them the same thing. I would guess there are maybe 10.
But I would also say that they did go where the money was the biggest. Tommy White is quoted as saying he didn't even go on other visits outside of LSU. I would imagine these guys are just fielding phone calls with numbers being thrown at them and then deciding which school is the best fit after a financial threshold is hit.
I would say there are 4-5, not even 10 on the same level at LSU money wise and I do think most of them went where the money was. Everyone knew LSU was the place to be paid.
@baseballhs posted:I would say there are 4-5, not even 10 on the same level at LSU money wise and I do think most of them went where the money was. Everyone knew LSU was the place to be paid.
I figured 4-5 was more realistic but I could totally see the top 1/2 of the SEC and a few others like Texas, FSU, etc. Maybe not on the level of LSU, but within the upper realm. Regardless, the number is probably closer to 0 than 50.
I'm curious as to how this will play out moving forward. If you're getting $100k to play college ball, do you even sign for $50k as a junior? Or do you just stay in school for another $100k and take the $20k senior signing discount?
