Why College Baseball is King

[desotodawg]

In the midst of all the drama that is our baseball team, I just wanted to share why I love baseball so much.
There is not another sport out there where a team of misfits can beat the blue bloods on any given day.
Tennessee Tech should not have beaten Tennessee last night. Coastal Carolina should not have won a National Championship.
MSU coming back from 14-3 and beating Rice in 98 regional. Even most of our games in the post season last year. The list goes on and on.
In baseball, 1 player can get hot and change the course of a game.
Cole Gordon couldn't pitch his way out of a paper bag and suddenly he shuts down Florida in the SEC tourney and is now pitching in the Minors instead of working a finance job.

These stories are everywhere in college baseball. This is why we love it so much. The hope that even we, as average joe's, could be that guy!
We as fans hang on every pitch breathless to hear that crack ( or ping in the old days ) of the bat and hope for a hit or a homerun.
Or the growl of a called strike three when your pitcher throws a nasty breaking ball for a miss.

What sport can the fans get in the head of the opposing pitcher by counting out loud the number of times they tap the ground won a wind up?
Or heckle Blue for a bad call? I remember mid week games and fans knowing the umpires first names and Eddie Peyton's karate chop strike call behind the plate.
Nothing beats that experience.

I don't know if this team will make it to regionals but who knows. We have seen heroic's on the field carry us before. Whose to say/hope it won't happen again?

Go Dawgs.

[BrunswickDawg]

To me that has always been the difference maker about baseball in general at any level - hope.

You see it in youth leagues. I know the team I always remember the most from playing as a kid was the team when I was 10. We played in the Mustang League age group at the shitty park in town. My Dad was coach because the coach who signed up bailed at the last minute. The coach bailed on draft day, so the team was stuck with basically leftovers. Our two best players were girls - a pitcher and a SS. We had them because my Dad was the only coach willing to take them on his team (this is 1983, and girls playing baseball was unheard of). We only had 10 on the roster so everyone played. But, that also meant that our right fielder was a kid who had never played before and we had to teach him how to throw, catch and hit. This was also in the good old days when parks bought polyester MLB team jerseys that got handed down year to year and you got to don the hot ass stinky jerseys for the Orioles, Giants, or the creme de la creme rainbow Astros jersey. Half way through the season we are 0-10 and facing the undefeated stacked team of the league - the Cardinals. They had already beaten us once - run ruled us 20-0 in 3 innings. Their starting pitcher was a 10 year old who was already starting to grow a mustache and threw heat. Well, our girl pitcher no-hits these guys through 4, then gives up 2 in the 5th - and we only played 5 inning games. Score is 0-2. In our last at bat we get the bases loaded with 2 outs and up walks the right fielder who had never played before. He hadn't taken the bat off his shoulder in 10 games. Not once. On an 0-2 pitch, kid closes his eyes and swings - and knocks an opo taco to right for grand slam. You would have thought we won the World Series. Whole park went nuts. It sparked the second half of our season and we finished 8-12 - in last place. The girl pitcher made the all-star team. We were still not very good - but we gained confidence and things started going our way a little.

You just don't get experiences like that in other sports - or at least I never did. Football and basketball almost always sees talent win out. But baseball is game where a last place team can win - even if it is only for a day or two.

[desotodawg]

Great story! Coaching my son in fall league was similar. He was not the best athlete on the team nor the hardest throwing pitcher. But he shutdown the 'loaded' team and beat them. They were used to fastballs and my son's pitches were more like change ups :). I miss those days :(

[WhiskeyPirate]

It’s also one of the few sports along with college wrestling that isn’t corrupted by money at this point. I’ve about given up on everything but college football and NIL may ruin that.

Pro sports are not what they used to be. College basketball is a cheapened dumbed down version of what it used to be.

It still beats watching Diaper Joe destroy what’s left of our country, so there’s that.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Baseball, Hockey, and Men's Volleyball are still pure sports.

If I were corporate HR, I would just go watch games and hire kids right from the rosters. These guys are balanced students and athletes with proven time management and personal drive.

Plus, you would have bad-ass company softball and intermural teams.

[Cooterpoot]

Baseball, Hockey, and Men's Volleyball are still pure sports.

If I were corporate HR, I would just go watch games and hire kids right from the rosters. These guys are balanced students and athletes with proven time management and personal drive.

Plus, you would have bad-ass company softball and intermural teams.

There are no pure major sports anymore. Baseball isn't immune. Kids rankings and recruitment are handled through travel ball just like other sports (AAU/7v7). The adults are making money and the sports are suffering.

[The Federalist Engineer]

There are no pure major sports anymore. Baseball isn't immune. Kids rankings and recruitment are handled through travel ball just like other sports (AAU/7v7). The adults are making money and the sports are suffering.

Baseball has a HS draft and a player may be drafted many times and keep their eligibility. This is a very civilized approach, fair for everybody.

The super majority of college baseball players are doing it cause they love the game and school. Jake Mangum.

But yeah, there is a baseball prospect industry. Like you say.

By the way, college hockey is even more civilized. The college player may be drafted and the can join the NHL organization after school, or leave school at any time to join his NHL club. The entire Michigan team this year were fully drafted 1st round NHL players.