April 2, 2015
LSU AND KENTUCKY HOOPS
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SPORTSCENTRAL
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central HS
We are halfway through the LSU baseball season, and despite a gaudy record and lofty ranking many Tiger baseball fans are concerned. Coach Mainieri says it is not time to panic and I agree. After the first week, I said it would take the first half of the year for Coach Mainieri to learn this team in order to make the right moves.
Recently, managing decisions haven't worked out well. Whether it has been leaving a starting pitcher in too long, not having a relief pitcher ready, or other aspects of managing the game. Sometimes baseball is like that, but think back to last year and there are many examples when Mainieri's decisions were just right. Like when he had Foster in as a defensive replacement and Foster made the amazing catch at A&M to win the game.
So neither Coach Mainieri and I are pushing the panic button, but I know there is a long list of areas to improve in order for this team to accomplish its goals.
Coming into the season the pitching staff was a question mark. Midway through the season, they are still a question mark. Almost everyone not named, Poche, Stallings, and Lange have had highs and lows. Of those three, only Lange has yet to show a crack. Poche appears to be the same pitcher he was last year, which is not bad. But, he is probably going to need to be lifted in the 6th or 7th of each start. Stallings appears to be very good as long as he doesn't pitch back to back days.
With those conclusions, here is the "to do" list with this pitching staff, in order of priority:
A. Find a second closer for when Stallings is unavailable the day after an appearance. The problem is it doesn't look like anyone else on the staff has closer type "stuff."
B. Find reliable guys for the 7th and 8th innings. This didn't seem like an issue entering SEC play, but the bullpen has not looked good in conference. Coach Mainieri has pointed to the late innings being the difference between winning and losing the last couple of years. Through 9 SEC games, LSU has lost 3 (a third of those games) in extra innings. It sounds like Mainieri is hoping Jake Latz will fill this role later in the year, but that is still a month away from being a possibility. Not that he needs my advice, but LSU might be better served by pitching the hot guy or the best matchup in the 8th inning rather than naming one guy "the guy."
C. Find a fourth starter. Again, it doesn't appear one pitcher will be able to fulfill the role, instead the coaching staff may need to look at matchups and be willing to change on the fly.
In 9 SEC games, the lineup has been productive enough to get a win 8 times, but it has only resulted in 5 wins. While that is not on the batters, they certainly can do more. Once again, in order of priority:
A. Find a lead off hitter. LSU is hitting tremendously, but they don't walk. The Tigers don't strike out much, but they don't walk either. A lead off man needs to get on base and a hitter gets on base every time he gets walked, whereas even hard hit balls are sometimes outs. If a leadoff man gets four at bats and doesn't get a walk he needs to bat.500 (2 of 4) to be productive in the leadoff spot. Unfortunately, there does not appear an LSU player with a leadoff mentality on the roster. Consequently, whoever hits leadoff MUST hit for a high batting average. If that guy slumps, he will have to be moved since he won't get on base other ways.
B. By having such a high batting average, LSU is going to leave more men on base than other teams simply because they will generate more opportunities. Nevertheless, in close games this team has to find a way to score runs without getting 2-3 hits in an inning. Besides, there are many quality pitchers in the SEC that simply won't allow that many hits. Entering SEC play, LSU was successful on 73% of their stolen base attempts. In SEC games, the Tigers have been caught stealing half the time. The Tigers will need to find a way to be more efficient in producing runs when they face top flight pitching.
C. Alex Bregman has to get hot. I know he has had lots of loud outs. I know. Still, the three hole hitter cannot hit.310 when the team is hitting.330. I don't want or expect Mainieri to move Bregman from the third spot. My point is that LSU will get hot as a team when Bregman gets hot (as in he hits.400 for a month). LSU will then score runs in bunches because when Laird gets on like he has Bregman will get RBIs. Then Bregman has two hitters behind him hitting.350 and over.400 to drive him home. As a result, LSU will score more runs from the top of the lineup, and the lineup will turn over more often.
Again, no need to panic Tiger fans. Consider how many things have had to go wrong for LSU to lose the SEC games they have lost. Still, the team needs to develop an attitude to win those wild affairs.
I can't let the week go by without giving some thoughts on the Final Four.
Of course the main attraction at the Final Four is whether Kentucky can finish their perfect season. I suspect they will, though I want to go on record and say I think the Anthony Davis led Kentucky championship team was a more talented team. This year's Kentucky team is special because of their size and depth. They usually play very well to their size advantage, but their style does not take as much advantage of their depth.
I fully realize that I am nit picking, but who doesn't like to pick a good nit?
HEY REF
By Dennis Dearie
Veteran Louisiana High School Referee
I feel since we are beginning a new baseball season there is no better time than now to release one of my “Best of Hey Ref” columns. This particular article spells it out loud “Why statistics are important”! Every professional player, no matter the sport, relies on stats because it is with these numbers that they justify the monies they’ll demand during contract negotiations. A few extra yards, another interception, higher batting averages and strike outs ae some of the stats being presented for higher salaries. So, with that brief intro, enjoy another “Best of” from the archives here at “Hey Ref”… …
This past week a good friend of mine “riddled” this question to me: Is it possible for a MLB pitcher to record FOUR strikeouts in a single inning, giving him credit for 28 outs during a nine inning game? Roy Lang, lll probably the premier ring announcer of the MMA world in Louisiana and a diehard baseball fan had me stumped. I gave it some very heavy thought for nearly five minutes then gave him my answer: NO!
I figured after a fifteen year career calling all levels of baseball in this state from little league, high school and semi-pro that I couldn’t be wrong. Well, wrong I was, am, is. I checked with the MLB record book and found out that at least 61 times this has happened. But how, I was still confused on this really being in all the record books.
I mean my entire career I was under the impression you got three strikes before you’re out. Also only three outs per inning making it impossible for anything more than 27 outs to be recorded in an official game. Well, there is your KEY word: RECORDED! The pitcher IS credited with the fourth out of the inning ONLY in the statistics but not as part of the OFFICIAL game… …
He’s right because in today’s world of multi-million dollar contracts the only thing that agents can rely on when negotiating any new deal for their client is his stats. So the pitchers wanting credit for every out got this written into the record books. His next question was even more confusing; does a batter get credit for all runs scored after the game ends?
This is the example: home team down by one run, bases loaded, bottom of the ninth and the ball is hit out of the park. And yes we as umpires end the game when at least one more run is scored by the home team BUT the batter is credited with four RBI’s not just the two that won them the game. I answered that since the game (officially) ended with the two runs being scored that no he didn’t get the two extra RBI’s. And again, I was wrong but educated that according to the keeper of the books that the batter gets all four runs!
With all that I figured I’d try and riddle him one better so I asked “Does a TIE go to the runner”? I was just waiting for his answer because it’s one of those things you hear all the time at just about every game. Of course the answer is NO!! There are ONLY two things a runner can be: out or safe. No debate, no thinking about it that’s the only thing in the rule book.
But here’s why I’m bringing this up, another baseball umpire chimed in that if it were the home team’s runner then he gives a safe call. I’m just siting a little numb when he explains that he doesn’t want the home crowd being upset with him. WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? If there are any umpires out there that call their games this way do everybody a favor and QUIT immediately!!!
You are doing a huge disservice not only to the teams but to the game itself. I was and am truly horrified that someone calling balls and strikes would admit to giving any credit to either team just to keep the crowd from booing him. Umpiring is an extremely tough job and if you’re considering whose at bat and then alter your calls accordingly then it’s just 1,000% WRONG!!
Anyone considering getting behind the plate or on the field can only call the game one way and that is straight down the middle. NEVER give a player or team any benefit of the doubt. Either you saw the play this way or the other but to say that you give the home team an advantage is something that never should be allowed. As an umpire I can tell you I’ve made numerous mistakes in some games. I’ve missed calls that weren’t close but I’ve never thought to myself; well that’s a home runner so he’s safe.
You can only call ‘em like you see ‘em. Not the way you want it to be but how you saw it. Be a man and suck it up when you “blow” one. It’s going to happen; you can never call a perfect game. The best advice I ever got from an old timer was “if you think you’ve called a perfect game; RETIRE! Cause you’ll never call two perfect games”. We strive to be perfect but we aren’t so admit when you’ve flat out missed the call.
The coaches from both dugouts will respect you more if you admit you’re wrong. It’s part of life, it’s part of the game. Work harder to reduce your mistakes but don’t add to the pressure of the job by giving an advantage when it wasn’t earned. And that’s the key word in administering a game, EARNED! If a team earns a strikeout, an extra base or an extra run then give it to ‘em. But in no way give anything away to anybody.
Just think how much better off our country and our lives would be if when we’ve earned something it was given to us! When you’re walking off the diamond ask yourself this one question “what did I learn in today’s game”? If you answer; nothing, it’s time to walk away from the game. If any umpire and/or referee ever answers “nothing” you’ll be doing the game a service by hanging it up and buying a ticket to sit in the stands because that’s exactly where you belong!!
Till next week…
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