Sunday Morning QB- Spring Sports Edition
1. What a great Saturday to relax and enjoy some college sports and placing a wager or 5. No powerlifting meets, no 12U baseball practice, no demands from the Ex, no more girlfriend demanding attention...just a peaceful day to watch college ball and yell at the TV with a filet cooked a perfect medium light red/pink, jazzed up creamed corn, and sautee'd squash/zuchini.
2. Let's look at basketball first. Jan has brought a tough, gritty persona to the basketball program which is who we are at Miss State. You play DEFENSE or your ass doesnt play. Defense travels in basketball when sometimes offense doesnt. SOME of our crazy fans were calling for Jan's head just 5 games ago (just a few fringe morons) but now we are riding a 5 game win streak stylin and profiling our way thru Feb with a solid 7th place in the SEC and a pretty much locked up NCAA berth
3. Hubba Hubba Hubba. Hubbard is playing very well and has given us the outside scorer this team has needed so badly. It's changed the way teams are having to defend us. It's opened up the paint more for Tolu which is seeing him work more easily. Had a smooth 19/9 last night and it didnt even seem like it. These 2 guys make us tough to deal with because it forces defenses to defend the entire half court.
4. Davis and Murphy. Both are playing their basketball right now off the bench. They have seemingly accepted their roles and are flourishing. Davis is defending well but also getting in the flow offensively much better now. Not forcing anything. Murphy's length is fantastic and he has come back more aggressive. Shaq is playing a solid PG and leading the team.
5. We've likely done enough to make the NCAA Tourney. Now we are playing for seeding. Huge game Tuesday. Kentucky is good enough to win it all and bad enough to lose in Round 1 of the NCAA's. They are really the proverbial "box of chocolates". After that is two road games at Auburn-which we wont win- and then A&M which will be tough. Finish against SC in a revenge game that we certainly need. Finish 10-8 in conference and it's been a good year. Then let's see what kind of draw we get Selection Sunday.
6. On to baseball.....It's Get It Done or be gone for Lemon. Coaching matters the least in baseball. The HC makes out the line-up and a move or three during a game and thats about it. BUT- he does set the tone for the program which is his most important job. I have never been a big supporter of his but I 100% agreed that he deserved a 3rd year post Natty. Having the school's only Natty gets you that. Especially when you are recruiting pretty well still. We dont really lack talent- altho I would argue we are a position player short- but when it comes down to it we have enough to win games and make the NCAA's. Our problem is our TONE. The baseball program has no tone. There is nothing that the program identifies as. It's just there. You cant have that. That doesnt get it done.
7. GoTro is failing as a hitting coach. Our approach at the plate is terrible. We swing at too many bad balls in advantage counts. LHP's that throw 86 absolutely carve us up on the reg because we try to jerk everything. Good teams crowd the plate against those types of guys. Punish him when he tries to get in on you and drive the ball to RCF on his soft stuff. We dont do that. It's yank yank yank. I would have been yelling that in the dugout after every hitter yesterday. But nothing from our guys.
8. Parker has improved the pitching but it's still inconsistent. Time will tell on this group. Lots of talent but little consistency. Stephen looks great then gets pummeled. Scheulke struggles vs Lefty's, Holcombe has walked 5 and hit 1 in 3.1 IP's. Ligon throws a beautiful sinker but is struggling with location. Lots to get worked out with these guys. A team ERA of 4.86 after these 7 games is disappointing
9. Any line-up with Bryce Trout hitting 4 or 5 hole is lacking a little. It's good we have Mersh and Kohler back- that makes the line-up more formidable. Slow starts by some of our guys are hurting tho. They gonna have to pick it up and get rolling. HugeSak, Hines (I want chunky Hunter back), and the other need to get it together. Hitters hit. a hitting coach can help with a thing or two- but by and large you are up there by yourself and have to perform. You know if you are trying to jerk the ball too much. You know if you the idiot that keeps getting fooled on the 2-0 change. You know if you are trying to pull an outside pitch. You know if you are swinging at bad pitches. That's the bottom line. Get it done. Baseball is an individual sport wrapped up in a team blanket. Pitchers know if they are getting too much plate on 0-2 (I cant f'ing stand pitchers that give up 0-2 hits...that's just incompetent stupidity). Pitchers know if they are nibbling and not getting ahead in counts. Fix it people. It's on you. Have some f'ing pride
10. I really like Long but its also part of our problem. Long is a leader and takes charge on the field. He called a player's only meeting and apparently aired out some grievances. Love that. But he also struggles at the plate. Cupp is an all-star in the field but he is going to struggle at the plate this year. It's tough to have 2 auto-outs hitting 8 and 9. Something has to be worked out there.
HailState
