Perspective on 2008 Baseball Season

[Frenchie35]

_ When errors make pitchers throw more, more can go wrong... and more things going wrong sums up this season. MORE WENT WRONG THIS YEAR ON THE MOUND BECAUSE THIS WAS A POOR PERFORMING TEAM IN THE FIELD. The mounds' backup didn't back up.

FOR EXAMPLE:

FINAL SCORE: UL 3, LSU 2 (if crucial errors are not committed).
REALITY: LSU 5, UL 3, when errors WERE committed.

Early on, there were raves from all corners and visions of grandeur about a starting rotation that was supposed be among the nations' elite. Solich, for instance, was pulled from games early, usually because someone didn't do their job behind him and more chances to screw up were dumped on him. Roger Clemmons would look just as bad with similar back-up by teammates bobbling the ball. As a result, his innings were reduced and obviously his confidence along with it. That would be human nature. But when a coach blames others for our collapse, the coach --- no matter how great we may think he is --- should look in a mirror and wonder if his decisions to sign or start certain players were on or off the mark. Don't place all of the blame on kids when they fail. Blame everyone who has a hand in preparing those players and preparing their confidence and skill levels as well. Many times during this season I saw confidence levels that didn't come close to meeting the ones I saw in opposing dugouts. Yesterday, I saw opposing coaches (albeit some of them are jerks) walk up and down the dugout to inspire players during an entire game, while in our dugout, no one wearing a coaches number was doing more than keeping stats and wiping ones face with white towels at the end of the dugout. And in one CRITICAL situation in the ninth, I saw a blunder of huge proportions when a runner went home when he should have stayed glued to third base. Had he done so, the game would have been tied on the next play and it would have been (at a minimum) extra innings after that. We may not have won in extra innings against a good hitting team like UNO, but with the low percentage attempt to score in that situation, we went from having 2 runners in scoring position at 2nd and third to runners on the corners, and we sealed our fate. On the next base hit, we only scored 1 to make it 6-5 instead of scoring two from 2nd (with speed on that bag) and third to tie 6-6. If the player went on his own, shame on him ---but shame on any coach who failed to paint all possible scenarios to a freshman in ADVANCE in THE most critical situation of the season.

Did we drop the ball during the season? You betcha. But we did it collectively ---players AND coaches. After all, the team is made up of BOTH!

I'll repeat. Did we drop the ball during the season? We did it as a COACHES/PLAYERS TEAM! _

I agree totally.........


I mention the blunder of Bowman trying to score of a ground ball to third and got my a&& chastised for it. I was told that he had to do what his coach told him to do. One out you don't move unless that ball was hit deep to second base and you had a good lead or a deep fly ball. And only if it is deep. It is always said that you don't lose a game on one play. Well we lost a chance to tie the game on that play........And by the way Logan would have score from second when Goulas hit up the middle and it got away from the center fielder.....tie game.......post game Robe said that it was a poor base running decision. On who, the third base coach or the runner.....just my thougths

[CajunRage]

I think that we are gonna need another outfielder and some infielders. Hopefully our catchers go out and play this summer and get better. Maybe the youth we had this year will emerge like Goulas did. I really like him. I am just not sold on some of the young guys in the infield. Maybe they will come on a little with age but Benzel has made numerous errors in big situations. A ground ball is a ground ball and the throw is the same throw he has made since little league. He is a little suspect at the plate. Might take a while to adjust to the pitching but i cant handle the errors. HArst got cold at the plate late in the year, but didnt hurt us defensively. Need much more consistancy at short. Again too many errors on routine balls . Need more production at the plate. I just feel we need impact players that dont kick it around

Why is no one calling out Will Long?!?! He is awful. Yes, our other infielders are making errors, but Long is our shortstop. His fundamentals are horrible. He was "God's gift to earth" when he came in and has shown absolutely nothing. I see no potential whatsoever. Robe needs to bring in someone else and cut his losses.

[GoneGolfin]

I agree totally.........


I mention the blunder of Bowman trying to score of a ground ball to third and got my a&& chastised for it. I was told that he had to do what his coach told him to do. One out you don't move unless that ball was hit deep to second base and you had a good lead or a deep fly ball. And only if it is deep. It is always said that you don't lose a game on one play. Well we lost a chance to tie the game on that play........And by the way Logan would have score from second when Goulas hit up the middle and it got away from the center fielder.....tie game.......post game Robe said that it was a poor base running decision. On who, the third base coach or the runner.....just my thougths

Of course it is a base running mistake by the runner and not the third base coach. The runner needs to know the situation and that his run is meaningless without the runner on second scoring. Anything hit to the left side and he must stay glued to third base. It was also a quickly developing play where the ball was sharply hit to the third baseman. There is not time to obtain coaching input w/respect to whether the runner should break for home or not. This is a decision that must be made by the runner in real-time (and rehearsed in his mind before the play).

Brian

[CajunRage]

Again...

Why is no one calling out Will Long?!?! He is awful. Yes, our other infielders are making errors, but Long is our shortstop. His fundamentals are horrible. He was "God's gift to earth" when he came in and has shown absolutely nothing. I see no potential whatsoever. Robe needs to bring in someone else and cut his losses.

[BirdofParadise]

_ Of course it is a base running mistake by the runner and not the third base coach. The runner needs to know the situation and that his run is meaningless without the runner on second scoring. Anything hit to the left side and he must stay glued to third base. It was also a quickly developing play where the ball was sharply hit to the third baseman. There is not time to obtain coaching input w/respect to whether the runner should break for home or not. This is a decision that must be made by the runner in real-time (and rehearsed in his mind before the play).

Brian _

You're absolutely right. Bowman was told when he was at third that the "64" play was on. In other words, you go if the ball is hit at short (6) or second (4). Anything else, you hold. Freshman mistake.

[cjr3888]

Baseball season in perspective, I just asked my girlfriend to marry me. Of all places, I did it in New Orleans but I still say screw UNO and she agrees. GEAUX CAJUNS and GEAUX ME!posted via mobile device

[LSUTiger4RaginCajuns]

If we are going to rely on pitching than the infield defense is critical to winning games. This year I think the infield was weak. I hope next year they are improved.

Finding first base with the baseball shouldn't be as difficult as it was for all of our infielders.

At catcher, Blaine was my pick for defense but too spotty in hitting. If he can show better numbers next year we should be alright. When Blaine hit he usually got extra bases.

I don't think Dillon is as good behind the plate but maybe better with the bat.

[DestinCajun]

I agree totally.........


I mention the blunder of Bowman trying to score of a ground ball to third and got my a&& chastised for it. I was told that he had to do what his coach told him to do. One out you don't move unless that ball was hit deep to second base and you had a good lead or a deep fly ball. And only if it is deep. It is always said that you don't lose a game on one play. Well we lost a chance to tie the game on that play........And by the way Logan would have score from second when Goulas hit up the middle and it got away from the center fielder.....tie game.......post game Robe said that it was a poor base running decision. On who, the third base coach or the runner.....just my thougths

Hey Frenchie, it sounds like the same things that so haunted the football team last season and men's basketball on several occasions......

[BrudaCajun]

_ Why is no one calling out Will Long?!?! He is awful. Yes, our other infielders are making errors, but Long is our shortstop. His fundamentals are horrible. He was "God's gift to earth" when he came in and has shown absolutely nothing. I see no potential whatsoever. Robe needs to bring in someone else and cut his losses. _

I got your back, not effective in the field or the plate. When my girlfriend time and again says he is he worst player on the field, thats pretty bad. I thought he had his best defensive series of the year against UNO. It did not carry into the tourney.

[CajunDawgPound]

It's disappointing to have such a capable and senior pitching staff and end up this way. The pitching staff did their jobs during this tourney. Our batting is average, but our weak defensive infield wasn't worthy of a tournament appearance.

One would think that with Danny, Buddy and Brent --- three EXCELLENT returning pitchers --- that something didn't happen right in the way they were handled. How can three guys like that have the same sub-par seasons at the same time? And how can similar situations not change at the plate and in the field throughout the season--- with some folks hitting a ton worse than a year ago and others making the same errors over and over and over again.

When the blame game is played, it should not rest solely with the players.