Say what you will about the offense

[Todd4State]

But our pitching sucked ass tonight too. Just pointing that they shouldn't be left off the hook either. Hopefully the Daniel Brown experiment is over.

[Smitty]

Ehhh yeah, we know they suck… Can't really help that at this point. They aren't actively trying to give up runs.. Butch isn't calling hanging breakers or fastballs down the pipe.

The Blockhead IS actively costing us runs.

[thf24]

Hopefully a lot of experiments are over. But I don't think many of us are holding our breaths.

[Todd4State]

Ehhh yeah, we know they suck… Can't really help that at this point. They aren't actively trying to give up runs.. Butch isn't calling hanging breakers or fastballs down the pipe.

The Blockhead IS actively costing us runs.

Just haven't see it pointed out yet. You should win games when you have a 5-0 lead in the first- and score seven total.

[Smitty]

Just haven't see it pointed out yet. You should win games when you have a 5-0 lead in the first- and score seven total.

Oh God I called this quote in the game thread. Yes you SHOULD. Doesn't mean you have to max out at that run total.

[JohnnyQuid]

You SHOULD score when u have a guy on 3rd with less than 2 outs, but we usually dont.

[maroonmania]

Well we were starting a guy for the first time and had to save most of our pen for the weekend. And Ross just isn't Ross anymore with the new baseball. There are some midweek games where you just need to outscore the opponent and we just can't do it. Put a 5 spot up in the first and couldn't score but 2 more pitiful runs in the 10 innings that followed.

[Todd4State]

Oh God I called this quote in the game thread. Yes you SHOULD. Doesn't mean you have to max out at that run total.

It will be the first prediction you got right all year. I didn't/haven't said shit about the offense. Bitch away.

[Todd4State]

Well we were starting a guy for the first time and had to save most of our pen for the weekend. And Ross just isn't Ross anymore with the new baseball. There are some midweek games where you just need to outscore the opponent and we just can't do it. Put a 5 spot up in the first and couldn't score but 2 more pitiful runs in the 10 innings that followed.

We definitely gambled with the rotation some. It might pay off in SEC play even though it hurt tonight.

[Smitty]

I'll bet you can muster a defense for each sac call.

[War Machine Dawg]

We definitely gambled with the rotation some. It might pay off in SEC play even though it hurt tonight.

This is how I picture Todd now:

[Todd4State]

I'll bet you can muster a defense for each sac call.

No? Have you see me defend one tonight?

All I was doing was pointing out that our pitching sucked too. I knew it would go down this path though.

[Smitty]

No? Have you see me defend one tonight?

You've come around then

[Todd4State]

This is how I picture Todd now:

Nope. I've just come to terms that this is a bad year already and have moved ahead. I was dead serious when I said we would miss a regional after we lost to Ark-Pine Bluff. Some people said I was "overreacting" but I was being more to the point than pissed off. Still think Mingione should go at the end of the year.

[Todd4State]

You've come around then

I call a spade a spade. You can bunt too much, just like you can do anything else too much. I can see and get that. The difference is you see no value in it and don't have an appreciation for what is actually going on. I'm pretty sure you never will. For example, I didn't mind bunting with Robson and a guy on third against Auburn. We were trying to score a run and we had a fast runner at third and our best bunter at the plate. It just didn't work out, and a lot of people bitched about it. The reason I didn't mind it was because we were obviously trying to score a run with it and we were struggling.

Interestingly enough, we have been quite successful at scoring runs when we've been bunting up until the last week or so.

The biggest times I don't like bunting are the first inning after the lead off guy gets on- which is why I suggested moving Robson up in place of Brown, but Vickerson is not too bad.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Nope. I've just come to terms that this is a bad year already and have moved ahead. I was dead serious when I said we would miss a regional after we lost to Ark-Pine Bluff. Some people said I was "overreacting" but I was being more to the point than pissed off. Still think Mingione should go at the end of the year.

Firing Ming in and of itself will not solve our problems, IMO. It's Cohen's hard-headedness and refusal to change his philosophy when it's clearly not working. If the philosophy stays the same, it won't matter who the hitting coach is.

Here's what should happen- Stricklin needs to sit down Cohen and tell him that we will throw the bank at the best available hitting coach in America, and Cohen needs to drop his offensive philosophy and turn over to the new guy. Cohen can still make the occasional steal/hit-and-run call in game when the situation calls for it, but the days of him trying to dictate every move our players make is over. Let Butch and the offensive/hitting guru take care of pitching and offense respectively- and Cohen can teach the defense, recruit, be the CEO of the program, etc... Those are the things Cohen does well. Managing a game is NOT one of those things.

[Todd4State]

Firing Ming in and of itself will not solve our problems, IMO. It's Cohen's hard-headedness and refusal to change his philosophy when it's clearly not working. If the philosophy stays the same, it won't matter who the hitting coach is.

Here's what should happen- Stricklin needs to sit down Cohen and tell him that we will throw the bank at the best available hitting coach in America, and Cohen needs to drop his offensive philosophy and turn over to the new guy. Cohen can still make the occasional steal/hit-and-run call in game when the situation calls for it, but the days of him trying to dictate every move our players make is over. Let Butch and the offensive/hitting guru take care of pitching and offense respectively- and Cohen can teach the defense, recruit, be the CEO of the program, etc... Those are the things Cohen does well. Managing a game is NOT one of those things.

I think Cohen is stretched thin and needs someone that is a really good hitting coach to at the very least assist him with that. Would it solve all of our problems? I can't make that claim right now, and every team in baseball is going to have good and bad days- hopefully more good. But I think it would help a LOT.

People talk about bunting a lot- but the biggest thing I see is guys not being aggressive. And that to me is confidence and strike zone recognition. That also leads to the coach not being confident in the player. And what does a coach do a lot of times with a player that he's not confident is going to get a hit? I think we know the answer to that. And those are two areas where I think a good hitting coach would really help out in- and maybe those are areas where Cohen can't spend the time he needs with players because of being stretched thin.

And some of that confidence is lack of talent. Who are our best hitters right now? Humphreys (drafted), Collins (would have been drafted had he not been hurt), and Robson (drafted), Cody Brown tonight (walk-on). So, yeah there's an exception but there is also a trend there as well.

[I seen it dawg]

All those players in the last paragraph are being wasted. Damn shame.