OT: Baseball

Can you people say something nice? Is the team advancing? Are they winning? FFS!

On our way to the Super Regional. Best 2 of 3. We have 3 really good starting pitchers so that helps.

the artist formally known wrote:

I umpire high school baseball. Most of the starter I deal with have good enough command to throw the ball over the plate. watching the college game I was surprised how bad their command is. I thought well maybe the ump was squeezing them some but that was not the case.

The only reliever where this really stuck-out to me (and actually it started in the Indiana series) was Weiss. Now the kid came into the year on fire. He was loose, confident, and threw fire with outstanding change of speed. What happened, I assume as it happened to me and happens to most young pitchers (although it happened to me when I was 16 and was playing good competition and they lit me up for the first time). Anyway even the fly balls were hard hit and that made me just try to throw harder, good hitters can hit fastballs, therefore I'd try to throw even harder. Now I would be really over-throwing, and when you overthrow your command gets compromised. You could tell that this was happening to Willie, the harder he got hit the harder he tried to throw. There goes the command and you get what happened against Creighton in the second game. What's really weird is that it happened to the ENTIRE BULLPEN. I've never seen that before.

I'll be watching this weekend intently but honestly I'm not expecting to win. It's not so much that Michigan is bad, they are very good (just not always consistent). My concern lies with UCLA, they are seriously a AAA team. They're that good. This isn't your father's College World Series. Michigan is capable to stealing a game, two out of three seems a bit much though. I hope that I'm wrong but UCLA is UCLA...

dwoody wrote:

Can you people say something nice? Is the team advancing? Are they winning? FFS!

I was channeling my inner-'artist.

Bo 2.0 wrote:

the artist formally known wrote:

I umpire high school baseball. Most of the starter I deal with have good enough command to throw the ball over the plate. watching the college game I was surprised how bad their command is. I thought well maybe the ump was squeezing them some but that was not the case.

The only reliever where this really stuck-out to me (and actually it started in the Indiana series) was Weiss.  Now the kid came into the year on fire.  He was loose, confident, and threw fire with outstanding change of speed.  What happened, I assume as it happened to me and happens to most young pitchers (although it happened to me when I was 16 and was playing good competition and they lit me up for the first time).  Anyway even the fly balls were hard hit and that made me just try to throw harder, good hitters can hit fastballs, therefore I'd try to throw even harder.  Now I would be really over-throwing, and when you overthrow your command gets compromised.  You could tell that this was happening to Willie, the harder he got hit the harder he tried to throw.  There goes the command and you get what happened against Creighton in the second game.  What's really weird is that it happened to the ENTIRE BULLPEN.  I've never seen that before.

I'll be watching this weekend intently but honestly I'm not expecting to win.  It's not so much that Michigan is bad, they are very good (just not always consistent).  My concern lies with UCLA, they are seriously a AAA team.  They're that good.  This isn't your father's College World Series.  Michigan is capable to stealing a game, two out of three seems a bit much though.  I hope that I'm wrong but UCLA is UCLA...

yes your probably right in most instant it more about location the speed some time hitter get over powered , but most the time it off speed and location that hurts them. I will take a good change up and location over most other pitches, although then it become an art instead of athleticism

Well Michigan won 3-2. Things got really dicey in the 9th though. It was 3-0 Michigan going into the bottom of the 9th and that's when things got sketchy. First the good (just for you 'woody): Kauffman went the first 8 innings striking out 8, only giving one walk, and one hit. He was dominating the UCLA hitters, I was pleasantly surprised. Then the 9th came... Kauffman walked the leadoff batter on 4 straight pitches. Then the next batter got an infield single. Runners on 1st and second with no outs. Pitching change, Jeff Criswell (the #3 starter) comes in in relief. That right there is telling you that Bakich has very little confidence in the Bullpen. This would be a day that Criswell threw anyway so...

I'm a little fuzzy on exactly how things went but the jist is Michigan won. UCLA scored 2 runs, both charged to Kauffman and UCLA didn't hit Michigan very hard (even though they were in it all the way to the end.

UCLA's pitcher, who was the Pac-12 pitcher of the year, dominated Michigan except for 1 inning. Garcia set down 11 Wolverines in a row (maybe more). Michigan strung together a few timely hits and capitalized on an error.

Game #2 is tonight at 9pm Eastern. The game is on ESPN2 again. While it hasn't been announced yet (at least I haven't heard anything) I think Tommy Henry will start. Tommy started against UCLA in March when Michigan beat UCLA the first time. I'm not too knowledgeable about UCLA's pitching staff but they do have the best staff in the country. We got a win which was the best case scenario IMHO before the series began but now I hope that we win Saturday. We'll see.

Henry will start tonight. Garcia for UCLA was 10-0 going into last night. UM scored 2 in the 3rd, and Kauffman threw a gem. When he starts his pro career in a couple weeks they will limit his pitch count. College is still the last place to be an old school pitcher.

A lot of drama last night and the good guys won. Can't believe how nervous I still get watching games like that.

Were the announcers pissing anyone else off?

They were sucking UCLA's dicks all night.

And Michigan wasn't doing anything right on defense. He kept telling us the outfielders were too deep, the shortstop was in the wrong place, the 3rd baseman was guarding the line too much. All these things were certainly going to lead to Michigan's downfall.

Except none of them did. And he wasn't enough of a man to admit he was wrong all night.

He was a dickwad. An assface. A shit-for-breath. Is the game 0n the IMG network?

Bo 2.0 wrote:

Well Michigan won 3-2.  Things got really dicey in the 9th though.  It was 3-0 Michigan going into the bottom of the 9th and that's when things got sketchy.  First the good (just for you 'woody): Kauffman went the first 8 innings striking out 8, only giving one walk, and one hit.  He was dominating the UCLA hitters, I was pleasantly surprised.  Then the 9th came...  Kauffman walked the leadoff batter on 4 straight pitches.  Then the next batter got an infield single.  Runners on 1st  and second with no outs.  Pitching change, Jeff Criswell (the #3 starter) comes in in relief.  That right there is telling you that Bakich has very little confidence in the Bullpen.  This would be a day that Criswell threw anyway so...

I'm a little fuzzy on exactly how things went but the jist is Michigan won.  UCLA scored 2 runs, both charged to Kauffman and UCLA didn't hit Michigan very hard (even though they were in it all the way to the end.

UCLA's pitcher, who was the Pac-12 pitcher of the year, dominated Michigan except for 1 inning.  Garcia set down 11 Wolverines in a row (maybe more).  Michigan strung together a few timely hits and capitalized on an error.

Game #2 is tonight at 9pm Eastern.  The game is on ESPN2 again.  While it hasn't been announced yet (at least I haven't heard anything) I think Tommy Henry will start.  Tommy started against UCLA in March when Michigan beat UCLA the first time.  I'm not too knowledgeable about UCLA's pitching staff but they do have the best staff in the country.  We got a win which was the best case scenario IMHO before the series began but now I hope that we win Saturday.  We'll see.

Well after walking the first guy he got a perfect double play ball except he reached out his glove and tipped the ball screwing it all up. 1st and second. Next guy got a swinging bunt towards 3rd/short. No chance to get him. Bases loaded no outs. There was an out before The runs scored on a single to right putting men on 1st/3rd. So 1st/3rd 1 out. Then he got a popup to the 3rd baseman. Then struck the last guy out.

The infield hit, not ruled an error was because the runner was moving on the pitch and the second baseman was breaking to cover the bag in case it was a steal attempt. He actually overran the ball which was hit back behind him from the direction he was coming from, and it glanced off his glove. Tough break.

joe wrote:

Were the announcers pissing anyone else off?

Yes and no. Yes they didn't appear to give Michigan much respect although that was semi-understandable. No they didn't piss me off because they were right. Bakich pissed me off. It's not like they were playing softball, or even on a small field (like Michigan's home field is). And joe, you didn't mention how when a foul pop landed only because the Left fielder was basically on the warning track. That could have ended the game. Fortunate for us Criswell ended up striking that guy out the end the game. I understand "no-doubles" depth but playing that deep with only a one-run lead and runners on 1st & 3rd means a gap single has a very good chance of scoring the winning run from first base.

Thankfully it worked out but I was nervous. IMHO outfielders should never be less than 15 feet short of the warning track (unless it's softball).

fishgoblue22 wrote:

Henry will start tonight.  Garcia for UCLA was 10-0 going into last night.  UM scored 2 in the 3rd, and Kauffman threw a gem.  When he starts his pro career in a couple weeks they will limit his pitch count.  College is still the last place to be an old school pitcher.

You could tell that Kauffman was getting tired in the sixth inning. He was doing great though so Bakich left him in, that and out bullpen is suspect. Bringing in your #3 starter to close the game shows that. Of course yesterday was his day to throw on the side anyway but still.

Yea I really like Garcia. Reminds me of Greg Maddux.

Shocked Criswell is starting tonight and not Henry.

2nd inning blast gives Michigan the lead. Catcher with his 8th of the year. Wow, hope they can keep it up.

I love the drama of baseball! The 8th and 9th innings were great! I thought it was over. Damnit!

Every pitch counts. Any pitch can end the game. Bottom of the tenth. This is great!

Tonight's is just as good!

Well I was wrong. I'm very happy that I was. Michigan's defense didn't do it any favors though. The starting pitching carried us again, the Bullpen was decent, and the bats did just enough. We're playing with house money now. Texas Tech is up next. We played them in a 3-game series back in March and lost all 3. We'll see.

fishgoblue22 wrote:

Shocked Criswell is starting tonight and not Henry.

The reason why is the Henry has been battling the Flu for a week now. He wasn't even with the team on Friday night as he was in the hospital getting and IV. I'm beyond impressed that he played Saturday. What's more is that he was good!

Bo 2.0 wrote:

fishgoblue22 wrote:

Shocked Criswell is starting tonight and not Henry.

The reason why is the Henry has been battling the Flu for a week now.  He wasn't even with the team on Friday night as he was in the hospital getting and IV.  I'm beyond impressed that he played Saturday.  What's more is that he was good!

And yet he pitched a gutsy performance 7 strong inning. Glad they are off the west cost, that late time was past my bed time. Plus they wont have to worry about the marine layer anymore. This will be a great experience for the young player and good for recruiting.

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

But guess what? The young kids are inexperienced and the studs we have will leave school early and go Pro. That's the way college baseball works (for the most part). If you're really good, and 18 by the time of the draft, you'll get drafted right after your Senior year in High School. The team them has 3 years to sign you or else they go back into the draft pool. Most kids who get drafted right out of High School go Pro right away.

College age players are a little different. Players can be drafted whenever but most stay in school through their junior year. Why? They have leverage on the clubs who drafted them. They can always say that they'll go back to school if they are not offered a larger signing bonus. If they don't sign their junior year their signing bonus is bupkis as a senior. The Major League clubs know that the player has no where else to go so they offer a $1,000 signing bonus (or something pitiful).

So basically Michigan will likely be losing both Kauffmann and Henry this year (as they are both Juniors). Keizer is a RS junior and will be graduating this year. However he's already been accepted to Ross and he's going to be getting his MBA. He won't be leaving, plus I don't see him as Major league talent. He was outstanding against UCLA Sunday but his overall body of work says he stays in school. I do not know any of the baseball guys but I'm guessing that he is intelligent. There are far easier and less time consuming programs to enter for grad. school. My assumption is that he takes school seriously, he'd like to go play in the Majors but he knows he isn't good enough (plus it is impossible). He'll be at Michigan 2 more years to get his MBA (of course he only has one year of baseball eligibility remaining).

Criswell is a tough one. He's got raw skill. He's only a Sophomore, and even though he's only been in college two years he has experience. He's a Sports Management major so he's not at Michigan for the education. I honestly don't know what he'll do but if the team that drafted him offers him enough he's gone. I'm not sure that they will though. He might really like college, most baseball guys do (unless you have unbelievable talent). I think he'll come back but I honestly don't know.

the artist formally known wrote:

Bo 2.0 wrote:

fishgoblue22 wrote:

Shocked Criswell is starting tonight and not Henry.

The reason why is the Henry has been battling the Flu for a week now.  He wasn't even with the team on Friday night as he was in the hospital getting and IV.  I'm beyond impressed that he played Saturday.  What's more is that he was good!

And yet he pitched a gutsy performance 7 strong inning.  Glad they are off the west cost, that late time was past my bed time. Plus they wont have to worry about the marine layer anymore. This will be a great experience for the young player and good for recruiting.

Recruiting was my thought too but they still won't be getting the studs because of the weather. It will get the Michigan program out there for others to consider though. However Coach Bakich has already created in-roads with the California system. There are several players from California on the team. People who are serious about playing Major League ball don't go to Michigan. The days of Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, and Jim Abbott are over. And Abbott was a stretch, but thankfully it worked. That is a great story.

Bo 2.0 wrote:

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

But guess what?  The young kids are inexperienced and the studs we have will leave school early and go Pro.  That's the way college baseball works (for the most part).  If you're really good, and 18 by the time of the draft, you'll get drafted right after your Senior year in High School.  The team them has 3 years to sign you or else they go back into the draft pool.  Most kids who get drafted right out of High School go Pro right away.

A) BO thanks for explaining how the college baseball draft process works even though I didn't ask and it also didn't pertain in the slightest to the original point of my post.

B) My dog got a haircut yesterday.

C) Actual question... will the drafted players (or the other experienced players) be leaving the team before or during the CWS because if not I'd like to point out again...

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

Bo 2.0 wrote:

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

But guess what?  The young kids are inexperienced and the studs we have will leave school early and go Pro.  That's the way college baseball works (for the most part).  If you're really good, and 18 by the time of the draft, you'll get drafted right after your Senior year in High School.  The team them has 3 years to sign you or else they go back into the draft pool.  Most kids who get drafted right out of High School go Pro right away.

A) BO thanks for explaining how the college baseball draft process works even though I didn't ask and it also didn't pertain in the slightest to the original point of my post.

B) My dog got a haircut yesterday.

C) Actual question... will the drafted players (or the other experienced players) be leaving the team before or during the CWS because if not I'd like to point out again...

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

5 pitchers on the roster got drafted this year. with that type of talent they should have a fighting chance in every game.

I assumed that you were talking about next year. Therefore my answer. Both Kauffman and Henry are good, it shows against mediocre to good talent, however now we're getting to the big boys. Of course UCLA is included at the big boys table but I honestly don't think they played that well. I've followed Michigan baseball all year and I never thought that either was exceptional. Apparently they are better than I thought. And AGAIN with Michigan's defense. FIVE errors from the 9th inning on in the Saturday game. That just can't be.

I hope that I'm wrong again, as I was with the Los Angeles Super Regional but we'll see. Remember I've been following Michigan baseball much longer than you.

Getting drafted in Baseball honestly doesn't mean that much. No, everyone doesn't get drafted but there are 40 rounds in the draft!

A good friend of mine works for the NCAA here in Indy.  He is responsible for the NCAA.com website and is the baseball guy for the NCAA Twitter.

Anyway, he offered me and another friend full CWS Credentials for all games, a room for the week and we just need to make our own way to Omaha.

Sounds great, until I tell you that we have had a family vacation to North Carolina  for this week for  over a year.  I'm excited about camping at the beach, but I hate that I will miss this opportunity.

You have more of a reason to feel guilty that I do 'fish. Of course you also have a better excuse too. The buddy that I stayed with when I went to The Frozen Four 2 years ago who lives just outside of St. Paul Minnesota called me Monday and asked if I was planning on going to Omaha. I thought about it and while I realize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me (pretty much) I declined. Tickets are very cheap, rooms are more significant in cost but not unreasonable. I could have easily afforded it but I still said no. My concern is traveling all that way just to watch Michigan lose twice. That's a long drive (10 1/2 hours each-way) just for 2 games. If I had more confidence maybe but I'm being selfish.

This is a phenomenal story.

https://mgoblue.com/news/2019/6/12/baseball-michigans-kerrs-become-a-three-generation-college-world-series-family.aspx

Who kicks ass? Michigan. Michigan kicks ass!!!