Everyone!!!

Watch the great Michigan baseball team in the College World Series!! 2-0. ESPN. Next game FRIDAY!!!

Believe me, I WILL!! And yes, Bo2/Woody or Woody/Bo2, whoever corrected himself, I DID pitch for U-M for a couple years (preferred walk-on---as in, Moby [Benedict, then-UM coach] would have preferred I never HAD) in garbage mop-up. But loved every minute. I can say this: what I wouldn't give for Tommy Henry's change-up!!! Conversely (to popular "wisdom"), his fastball protects it, not the other way around. His heater has enough oomph (90-91) to keep batters honest, but that change is what screws them into the ground. With a flamethrower like Criswell, it IS the other way around, however.

Needless to say, the always-presumptuous FSU media said the team stunk it up. Pardon me? Two earned runs in 9 innings? To a pitcher a la yours truly, that doesn't reek! But I had a warm-in-fuzzy NOT after Jesse's blast on the second pitch, but after four innings: seeing their overpowering starter having thrown SIXTY-TWO pitches already. You knew he couldn't last, particularly not a power pitcher.

Now, gents: QUIZ TIME! You saw in both our games, on infield popups, our (and their) pitchers ducking out of the way for an infielder to move in and take it. WHY IS THIS? I want the REAL answer, not one of the two obvious (pitcher less of a fielder; you don't want your pitcher injured).

WELL????

One thing is they could stumble over the back of the mound. I'm not being a smartass but when you pitched the mound was a nice perfect dome. Now they are shaped and there is more of a drop off than before. Of course all of this is speculation.\

But I agree with you Mike. I've never understood why pitchers couldn't catch pop ups.

Since it's been five hours sans any replies but yours, Joe, I'll take it:

The pitcher is most likely to flub up the play---be it by dropping the popup, failing to turn to the proper base to check any on-base runners, throwing awry attempting to double off a runner, whatever---because, to a far greater degree than his fielders:

He is too emotionally involved in the game.

Believe me, I know.  In my best (or least bad) outing, at Fisher, in May '72, they had runners on 2nd and 3rd, two out, and we were up "only" four, in the 7th. I knew I had to get this out if I wanted to stay in the game. Launched my best heater, on 1-2, with my ALL.. and sure enough, the batter (Illinois) sends a real RAIN-MAKER skyward. Instinctively, I thought of catching it--and I can say, my stomach knotted up!!   Happily, an alert 2B-man yelled "Mike! MOVE!" and I dove to the turf while he settled under it and snagged it.

I'd put the chances at 85% I'd have muffed it.

That's a great take that a non-pitcher wouldn't even think about.

I was only a pitcher for a couple years because I was bigger at that time. My forte was catching. I was a bitch because I could see the whole field. As I said I had really great baseball instincts. At 13 I concocted pick off signs from catcher to first second and third. They almost always worked. I stole home 8 times in pony league. The pitcher had no idea what I was doing and I was never caught.

I loved being in charge of the game but not having to pitch to do it.

Then I stopped growing.

Oh, by the way, I heard the complete game shutout last night was only the 3rd ever in the #CWS.

Hard to believe but extremely impressive.

michmike wrote:

Now, gents: QUIZ TIME!  You saw in both our games, on infield popups, our (and their) pitchers ducking out of the way for an infielder to move in and take it. WHY IS THIS?  I want the REAL answer, not one of the two obvious (pitcher less of a fielder; you don't want your pitcher injured).

IMHO it's because the pitcher is not in the correct mindset. They just used most of their energy to hurl a ball 90 mph. As pitchers we don't have our heads screwed on correctly. We are so used to concentrating on a string on the catchers glove that nothing outside of it matters. Instead of being in a loose frame of mind and able to react immediately to what happens after the ball is hit we're trying to follow through while staying on our feet.

I'll give you another "frame of mind" example to help illustrate my point. Like I said as a pitcher we are so focused on throwing the ball as hard as we can at knee height that we can't really adjust. I played 3rd-base on days that I wasn't pitching. With every ground ball I received I would always fire the ball to first base knee high. Third base is farther than 60"6' so of course my throws always bounced and ended up going past the first baseman. That is what led to me switching to first base.

But actually in the Texas Tech game Criswell fielded a high chopper that went over his head on the back of the mound so I guess that throws out my theory. Criswell made a great play. Typically Thomas would have made that play.

When I saw that (the play by Criswell Bo2's talking about) my heart sank. And indeed, he DID almost fall backwards behind the mound (lends credence to your theory about messy mounds Joe). Fortunately, he recovered his balance just in time to nip the guy at first (in a "bang-bang" play) for the second out (of the 9th) before his nasty sinker K'd the TT guy who'd homered earlier (only his second of the year, mind you...)

michmike wrote:

...I can say this: Conversely (to popular "wisdom"), his fastball protects it, not the other way around. His heater has enough oomph (90-91) to keep batters honest, but that change is what screws them into the ground...

This is a very good assessment. I will be regurgitating this with my brother-in-laws and passing it off as my own thought

+2

sandyeggo_blue wrote:

I will be regurgitating this with my brother-in-laws and passing it off as my own thought      

Thief!