Some Thoughts for Your Pre-Texas Game Enjoyment

by 40AS on Jun 19, 2009 9:39 AM CDT in Texas Longhorns Baseball

This will serve as your LSU-Arkansas open thread. Here are some other thoughts/musings to talk about while we wait for the ballgames to start today:

Is it better to be a fan of a team like Carolina, with yearly Omaha futility, or a team like Texas Tech which never even sniffs getting to Rosenblatt? Is it more frustrating to be near the mountain-top year after year only to consistently fall short, or to just never be in the mix?
The two teams with a major advantage today are Texas and LSU, and both could be said to have displayed the elusive trait of "it." We have never before been able to pinpoint what exactly "it" is--that's why it's just called "it." But seeing two very different teams display something that can be called "it" has gotten us thinking more clearly about this idea: it seems that "it" comes in (at least) two forms: magic and swagger. Magic "it" obviously follows this Texas team wherever it goes, as the Longhorns have found remarkable, astonishing ways to win throughout the NCAA Tournament. Swagger "it" seems to have found a comfortable spot in the LSU dugout, as the Tigers always expect to win and have simply overpowered opponents in winning 12 straight games since losing the opener of the SEC Tournament. A lot of teams claim to have swagger (see Ohio State football every year), but the ones who really have it don't have to talk about it. In any case, if the Texas-LSU matchup were indeed to happen on Monday, which kind of "it" will prevail?
A Texas win today or tomorrow will extend baseball season at least to Tuesday. Hopefully Texas fans will have a national championship to celebrate for a little while after the CWS ends. But once that euphoria subsides, the long summer days start counting down to opening kickoff. There are two points to be made here:
- The baseball Longhorns deserve our gratitude, because unlike the previous two years they have reduces our in-between-sports season to essentially last only 2 months--the end of June to the end of August.
- What will you do with your July and part of August? Make up new Aggie jokes? Memorize the entire football roster? Purchase and watch a 2009 College World Series DVD (if we get the outcome we want)? Consider BON your support group.

0 recs | 73 comments

Comments

Close, but no cigar

In response to the first question: I’d much rather be UNC in that scenario. I know it sucks to lose, especially after getting that close to the summit. However, at least you’re still there. It’s kinda like the NFL in the 1990’s…Yeah everyone gives Bill fans a hard time for losing four straight Super Bowls, but I’d rather root for the Bills in that era than some crappy team like the Seahawks, who didn’t even sniff the playoffs during that period.

heeltuckitandrun - June 19, 2009 reply

Bills are the first team to pop into my head, too.

Although as a lifetime Houston Oilers fan, they fit the bill, too. So close, yet so far from the promised land. Still, gotta prefer that to regular mediocrity and/ or failure.

junglerules - June 19, 2009 reply

Fish, fish and then fish some more

What will you do with your July and part of August?

Horncasting - June 19, 2009 reply

I hear that’s what Shipley and Mccoy like to do together when they aren’t playing football in thier backyard…

UT_BKC - June 19, 2009 reply

Or

when they aren’t barbecuing with their dads. Did you know they were roommates too?

Horncasting - June 19, 2009 reply

Cole Green starting?

run Bevo run - June 19, 2009 reply

That's what I'm expecting

And Seth Blair for ASU. Rumor was out this morning that Mike Leake has tendonitis and may not pitch the rest of the CWS. Of course Pat Murphy is famous for running his mouth, so who knows if that’s just a smoke screen.

bassale47 - June 19, 2009 reply

short rant

I really hate the use of the word “swagger” in describing athletes and teams…

–noun
4. swaggering manner, conduct, or walk; ostentatious display of arrogance and conceit.

Swagger is a strange manner of walking, or an arrogant attitude, neither of which would help anybody succeed in an athletic contest IMHO. I realize that everybody and their mother used it to describe VY and the 2005 UT football team, but I still don’t like it.

If you mean “confidence,” then just use that word.

/ end rant

SelimSivad - June 19, 2009 reply

Swagger is an attitude, an arrogance, and confidence that you can do no wrong.

In sports, swagger puts you in the right state of mind to be able to stay calm and always feel like you have what it takes to win anything.

At least, that’s my take on it.

HornPossessed - June 19, 2009 reply

Dude, you have a wookie for a picture. Are you a wookie?… That is awesome.

UT_BKC - June 19, 2009 reply

I hate the word too. Swagger = Cocky, and that never actually seems to do anyone good. The people who always seem most full of themselves are usually full of sh*t

UT_BKC - June 19, 2009 reply

Swagger

It’s a euphemism for someone on your team who is acting like an a-hole.

Caradoc - June 19, 2009 reply

Absolutely agreed

I’ve always been bothered by the negative connotation there … writers use it as a euphemism for positive, team-oriented confidence, but that’s not what it means.

EddieTheAlbinoSquirrel - June 19, 2009 reply

So an Aggie walks into a bar.....

future_longhorn_dad - June 19, 2009 reply

So an Aggie walks into a bar

… with his dog under his arm.

Aggie says to the bartender, "give me a beer. Anything but Coors Light."

Bartender says, "why not Coors Light?"

Aggie says "I drank a case of Coors Light last night and blew chunks"

Bartender says, "dude, you drink a case of anything and your going to get sick".

Aggie says, "you don’t understand, Chunks is my dog".

Caradoc - June 19, 2009 reply

I think in general we ascribe way too much importance to intangible emotional quantities like “confidence” and “momentum”. It has been shown over and over again that a far better indicator of success is previous success, and mentality, which is a hard thing to assess to being with, has very little correlation with actual on-field results (see: any number of studies done on “clutchness”).

pleaseplaykindle - June 19, 2009 reply

Very, very well said

DoubleB - June 19, 2009 reply

Just to add to that a bit

The “IT” that both teams have is TALENT. Texas has better pitching than anyone in the nation. LSU is a very complete team across the board.

DoubleB - June 19, 2009 reply

I actually think Texas is the 3rd or 4th most talented team in the CWS

And we should have long since learned that talent is not what wins the CWS. Mentality is everything in baseball. The 25-inning game against BC, the walk-off grand slam against Army, the walk-off walk against Southern Miss, the 10 unanswered runs against ASU … that had very little to do with talent and everything to do with the fact that this team believes it is never out of the race, and when they need a hero, someone steps up.

Austin Wood and Taylor Jungmann … not the best pitchers in this tournament. Preston Clark and Cameron Rupp … not the best hitters. But since regionals, when it needed to get done, those guys got it done. There have been others as well. Kevin Keyes, Michael Torres, Brandon Loy, Travis Tucker, Cole Green … everyone has contributed something. And these teams like UNC and ASU that have the best hitter here and the best pitcher there and are full of high draft picks … why do they come up short? Why did we have guys like Kyle Russell and Jordan Danks on our team for 3 years and never make it out of our own regional, yet now we’re on the verge of a national title?

There’s a lot more to the equation than talent.

bassale47 - June 19, 2009 reply

Baseball has such a focus on the individual

One man at the plate, one man pitching the ball. If your nerves are affecting you, it will degrade your performance. The mental side is probably more important than in any other sport.

You dont get anywhere without talent, but the mental aspect is huge, especially in baseball.

BoddickerIsClutch - June 19, 2009 reply

To me, I think the deciding factor has got to be Augie

This isnt the most talented group of kids, only 2 got picked in the draft this year(not sure if that is the most relevant way to illustrate) , but, for someone to be in the dugout who have been to Ohama about as many times as he’s had a hamburger, I think that makes all the difference. It was one thing to rally the troops in the top of the 4th, but with one out and down one strike in the top of the 8th, he walks up to Loy with a big smile and told him what to do. I know coaches have the ability to inspire, but it seems like he knows exactly what to say and when to say it.

future_longhorn_dad - June 19, 2009 reply

Really, it had little to do with talent

Texas is the #1 seed in the whole damn tournament!!! Let’s stop treating this team like the “little engine that could.” There are some excellent players on this team, many of which are playing excellent baseball. I wouldn’t trade this pitching staff for any other team’s in the nation. And it may be the most complete staff of the last 10 years in collegiate baseball (debatable with some of those Rice squads of the early decade, but certainly in the conversation.

Regarding the 4 wins you mentioned in the above paragraph, Texas is CLEARLY better than the 1st three and it isn’t even close. The ASU game was a great win, although all the tough stuff was done in the 4th inning and then Texas incredible pitching depth shined again. If you can always find an arm (and this team can) you’ll never be out of a game, especially at this level.

DoubleB - June 19, 2009 reply

I'm not saying Texas isn't better

IMO, Texas is better than every team they’ve played in the postseason so far. That doesn’t mean they’ve been more talented. There is a reason we only had 2 players drafted. Most of our talent is on the pitching staff and not old enough to be draft eligible yet. Our offense is sorely lacking in elite bats.

We will never be ‘the little engine that could," regardless of the talent level. That is reserved for teams like Fresno State. But let’s not pretend that our roster is full of Dustin Ackleys and Mike Leakes either because it isn’t. And for the record, that doesn’t bother me at all.

bassale47 - June 19, 2009 reply

Just because the talent

isn’t draft-eligible doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. How many of those kids are going to get drafted in 2010 and 2011. How many of them are still excellent college players who might not project to be major-leaguers?

Would I rather have Mike Leake than any ONE pitcher on the Texas staff? Yeah, I would. But I’d much rather have the entire Texas staff than ASU’s staff. Texas has so much more room for error as the ASU game proved in spades. They have a better chance to win more games which is what talent is all about. In short, I think Texas has the most talented TEAM as a whole, outside of maybe LSU.

DoubleB - June 19, 2009 reply

Since this also serves as the LSU - Ark open thread

Does anyone know why the game is being delayed, or is ESPN just slacking

future_longhorn_dad - June 19, 2009 reply

Rain... info?

It’s a rain/weather delay, does anyone know if it’s supposed to stick around long enough to push back our start time tonight? It would actually be great to not start so early (for my schedule, at least).

rchorns - June 19, 2009 reply

yeah, me too, im not out til 7pm

future_longhorn_dad - June 19, 2009 reply

Pretty big storm according to weather.com

But doesn’t look serious enough to do much damage to the field or last very long. I would imagine our game gets pushed back at least 30 minutes but probably closer to an hour. The middle of the storm is right over Omaha right now.

bassale47 - June 19, 2009 reply

Last I saw, 2:30 was the earliest start time

With an additional 30 minutes added every time there’s lightning

40AS - June 19, 2009 reply

Game is still delayed...

ESPN’s game blog said another storm front was heading that way. It would really suck if our game got pushed back to tomorrow. I thought we had a real advantage with ASU having to play two in two.

Rickyspub - June 19, 2009 reply

dang

the other Andrew - June 19, 2009 reply

Serious sports-extension gratitude

I am not a fan of pro sports. Except for football, I’m actually an anti-fan. Can’t stand pro basketball (shoot, shoot, shoot, no defense), pro baseball (unless I’m there in person, with a Shiner in hand), and I frankly don’t know enough about hockey to appreciate it. Don’t even mention the ridiculousness that is pro soccer.

Now, I do enjoy a pro football game now and again. But college is my preference – by far.

So I raise a glass (ok, not now, but after 6 p.m.) to the mighty Texas Longhorns baseball team. Thanks for filling an entire month with extended college sports – and, as a bonus, a sport I actually enjoy and care about! Yay!

Seriously, the summer can be hard when I have no Bevo fix of any kind. That’s what has made this playoff run so awesome for me.

And what will I do with the next two months? Actually get a little more work done. : P

EddieTheAlbinoSquirrel - June 19, 2009 reply

+1. Screw major pro sports. The NFL is the only one that’s close to being tolerable.

burntorangehorn - June 19, 2009 reply

Texas game won't start........

till after 7:00 more than likely.

silky51 - June 19, 2009 reply

LSU/Arky will start at 3:38 PM

And we will definitely see Texas/ASU tonight according to NCAA.com.

bassale47 - June 19, 2009 reply

ok, make it an 8:00 start then

silky51 - June 19, 2009 reply

Our games have been running close to 4 hours

Dunno how long LSU/Ark will be, but if its similar, you are looking at a start time more like 8:30 or 9.

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