Thoughts after Vandy loss...

[CadaverDawg]

That decision to bring Self in will haunt me. I repeatedly said that our coaches' love affair with Riley Self in big spots could cost us a potential Natty if they did it in Omaha, and to see it happen was like a bad dream.

It's over now though, and I'm not giving up on these guys. Tough row to hoe, but you gotta eat this elephant one bite at a time. Just find a way to get back to Vandy. Once we're back to Vandy, just gotta find a way to force a game 2 and then all bets are off. I look at it as needing to win two games right now....just get it to a deciding game vs Vandy and it's anybody's Title at that point.

First order of business is a scrappy Louisville team. We need Ginn to show us why he came to State. We need him.

Want a bright side? Mississippi State typically performs best as an underdog....well nobody gives us a shot outside of our team and some fans at this point, so the pressure is off. As far as the CWS, most people think it's Vandy vs Mich/TT and Vandy winning. If this team has shown us anything, it's to never count them out...at this point, all we can do is cheer them on and enjoy what is left of guys like Jake Mangum's careers.

One pitch at a time, one game at a time....HailState

[starkvegasdawg]

Should have never come down to Self giving up that bomb. That bases loaded play where the throw went to second instead of home was what turned the tide. We get a home to first DP and the inning is over at 3-0. But, we have the mother of all brain farts and that three run homer to make it 6-0 was the result.

[MSSTATESEEYA]

Should have never come down to Self giving up that bomb. That bases loaded play where the throw went to second instead of home was what turned the tide. We get a home to first DP and the inning is over at 3-0. But, we have the mother of all brain farts and that three run homer to make it 6-0 was the result.

If Self covers first it's a DP inning over as well. Which would have been the easier DP.

[basedog]

Should have never come down to Self giving up that bomb. That bases loaded play where the throw went to second instead of home was what turned the tide. We get a home to first DP and the inning is over at 3-0. But, we have the mother of all brain farts and that three run homer to make it 6-0 was the result.

Yes, if you read Lemonis lips he agrees with throwing home for potential double play. This was the "Play Of Game".

[Scared_Hitless]

Self made the pitch to get out of the inning, which is all you can ask him to do. Bringing in Barlow to walk everyone was more of a miscue in my opinion. You have to live with it though, and unless we start hitting better it will not matter. Honestly I think if Plumlee stays in he gets out of the inning he was hitting his spots.

Unless we start hitting more consistently this is all a moot point. Vandy is very good and I think we all see why we wanted them to somehow lose in route to Omaha they have more talent than us. But luckily in baseball things happen so I havent given up yet. Lets win today and hopefully Small can go Friday, if we force a Saturday game its all hands on deck to get to the series.

[The Federalist Engineer]

The plays of the game:

(1) Coaches bringing in our Left handed "specialist"
(2) Coaches using our one-pitch Reliever versus a talented team
(3) Defensively not getting the lead runner or DP
(4) Tyler Brown shut us down, we had tying run at the plate, didn't get it done
(5) Cheeseburough signaled Allen not taking 3rd, Allen not super fast
(6) Vandy shift took at least 2 big hits away

[Lord McBuckethead]

Should have never come down to Self giving up that bomb. That bases loaded play where the throw went to second instead of home was what turned the tide. We get a home to first DP and the inning is over at 3-0. But, we have the mother of all brain farts and that three run homer to make it 6-0 was the result.

Wouldn't it been 2-0. They scored 1 off of his bad throw to second and 3 off the next swing homer.

[ScoobaDawg]

I hope I'm wrong but I think this loss is going to haunt us for a long long time.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I hope I'm wrong but I think this loss is going to haunt us for a long long time.

For the last two years when this team gets in the backs against the wall mentality they've thrived. I expect nothing less than that tonight.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

That decision to bring Self in will haunt me. I repeatedly said that our coaches' love affair with Riley Self in big spots could cost us a potential Natty if they did it in Omaha, and to see it happen was like a bad dream.

It's over now though, and I'm not giving up on these guys. Tough row to hoe, but you gotta eat this elephant one bite at a time. Just find a way to get back to Vandy. Once we're back to Vandy, just gotta find a way to force a game 2 and then all bets are off. I look at it as needing to win two games right now....just get it to a deciding game vs Vandy and it's anybody's Title at that point.

First order of business is a scrappy Louisville team. We need Ginn to show us why he came to State. We need him.

Want a bright side? Mississippi State typically performs best as an underdog....well nobody gives us a shot outside of our team and some fans at this point, so the pressure is off. As far as the CWS, most people think it's Vandy vs Mich/TT and Vandy winning. If this team has shown us anything, it's to never count them out...at this point, all we can do is cheer them on and enjoy what is left of guys like Jake Mangum's careers.

One pitch at a time, one game at a time....HailState

If Tanner Allen throws to home and we get a double play....the score would have been 3-3 later in game.....

[Todd4State]

The plays of the game:

(1) Coaches bringing in our Left handed "specialist"
(2) Coaches using our one-pitch Reliever versus a talented team
(3) Defensively not getting the lead runner or DP
(4) Tyler Brown shut us down, we had tying run at the plate, didn't get it done
(5) Cheeseburough signaled Allen not taking 3rd, Allen not super fast
(6) Vandy shift took at least 2 big hits away

I hope I'm wrong but I think this loss is going to haunt us for a long long time.

Both of these posts encompass my thoughts as well. Bringing in Barlow was worse than brining in Self to me.

[WinningIsRelentless]

If Self covers first it's a DP inning over as well. Which would have been the easier DP.

Seriously??? If anything TA should have covered first but he didn?t get back. He knew right when he threw it that he made a mistake and locked up.

[Covercorner2]

If Tanner Allen throws to home and we get a double play....the score would have been 3-3 later in game.....

Not to mention if Allen gets to third on the ball he hit to the wall, we would have had 4 runs....

This is why I'm not overly concerned. Yes, it sucks to now be in the loser's bracket, but it's not like we can't compete with Vandy. If anything, it will be tough for them to beat us 3 times.

[TALL DAWG]

Wouldn't it been 2-0. They scored 1 off of his bad throw to second and 3 off the next swing homer.

U beat me to it! Yes, would have been 2-0 at that point. Should?ve came home with the throw. Also, and I?m not meaning to pile on Tanner but it just happened 2B him, he should?ve been standing on 3rd base instead of 2nd when he hit the ball past the cf?ed. He would?ve easily scored on ground ball to the SS on the next play.

[starkvegasdawg]

I hope I'm wrong but I think this loss is going to haunt us for a long long time.

I can't look at it that way because we have no idea how the rest of this series would shake out, but I understand how that's easy to do. I can do the what if scenarios in a game, but too many variables and unknowns to take it larger scale than that.

[Dawg2003]

If Tanner Allen throws to home and we get a double play....the score would have been 3-3 later in game.....

Maybe, maybe not. If they hadn't scored those 4 runs after Plumlee left, maybe they leave Rocker in longer and pull someone else out the pen than the guy we got 3 runs off of. They probably felt okay pulling Rocker because of the 6-0 lead. If it was a 2-0 lead, they probably don't pull him.

[smootness]

Maybe, maybe not. If they hadn't scored those 4 runs after Plumlee left, maybe they leave Rocker in longer and pull someone else out the pen than the guy we got 3 runs off of. They probably felt okay pulling Rocker because of the 6-0 lead. If it was a 2-0 lead, they probably don't pull him.

He came out one inning later after we had made it 6-1. He had also thrown 95 pitches, and I'm guessing they're going to try to bring him back for the CS. There's no way he was coming back out for more than 5 pitches or so at most, and we had just scored off him.

If it's 2-1, I feel pretty good about our chances. They may have brought Brown in sooner, but I feel like we could have at least scratched one across.

[Liverpooldawg]

My thoughts are the same as they have been all season. Like it or not, Vandy is the best team in the country. That doesn't mean we can't beat them, anything can happen in baseball. It just means you just can't get too upset when you lose to them.