I wasn't going to post this because it isn't truly worth it but what the heck.... LONG POST.
I never get on the GQ during football or basketball games. The fan freak out is so extreme. I get it. Fans live and die and it is actually harder being a fan and staying even keeled than playing or coaching.
Here is what happened.
This baseball team is legit. They are remarkably talented to the point we probably have at least 6 current 1st round draft picks (Blade, Burns, Dollander, Beck, Gilbert, Burke/Moore can be) on this roster. To put that in perspective there are around 15 college players that get selected in the 1st round each year to show how small the number is. They are incredibly well coached. They have swagger. They are clutch.
They also play in the easily the best and deepest league in all of college sports. SEC baseball is insane. Even this year when some consider it "down" which we will see come NCAAT time.
These “bad” SEC teams are finishing middle of the pack in other conferences.
The fanbase (and maybe even the players) got lulled to sleep because of how insanely hot we were for 75% of the season. We also got lucky in some games which happens to every team but for us we got all the breaks early. That isn’t how this sport is. In the this sport things return to the mean. That doesn’t mean we aren’t the best team in the country either. But there is a leveling out in this sport that happens at every single level. The breaks WILL go against you when things are not rolling. You will slump with your pitching. You will slump with you hitting. You will slump when it comes to luck. Other teams will make a play they don't normally make. Or have a performance from a kid who plays out of his mind. You will run into a pitcher whose stuff plays against your hitters.
So no need to panic and freak out if a team makes us look human. Kentucky has MLB draft picks on their team. They were hurt badly with injuries this year but don’t assume they suck because they don’t. SEC teams have crazy talent. To think a Kentucky or a Missouri or someone like that can't line up is crazy. They beat out many other P5 programs to land the kids on their roster.
The first 45 games were as special as you will ever say. Enjoy it and be glad it happened. We also are never going to see our team go 41-4 again. That was once in a life time stuff. We will have teams that can win it all like this team but going on that run isn't happening again in all likelihood. We very well may get flowing again but we are playing against really good teams and when you aren't grooved up you can absolutely get beat.
Here is the silver lining... we are so complete in our starting pitching, bullpen, hitting, speed, defense and coaching that even when we aren't "on" we are still going to give ourself a chance to win like we did Thursday and yesterday where we will have a chance to win it.
Just get right and feeling good for NCAAT. That is all that matters.
If you made it this far- Summary- this sport is insanely hard and it is extremely humbling. It is not supposed to be easy. It is a grind and you will look bad. It doesn't mean you suck. It just means you chose the sport that makes you look like a fool often.
Hang in there everyone. We are legit. Just baseball.
I never get on the GQ during football or basketball games. The fan freak out is so extreme. I get it. Fans live and die and it is actually harder being a fan and staying even keeled than playing or coaching.
Here is what happened.
This baseball team is legit. They are remarkably talented to the point we probably have at least 6 current 1st round draft picks (Blade, Burns, Dollander, Beck, Gilbert, Burke/Moore can be) on this roster. To put that in perspective there are around 15 college players that get selected in the 1st round each year to show how small the number is. They are incredibly well coached. They have swagger. They are clutch.
They also play in the easily the best and deepest league in all of college sports. SEC baseball is insane. Even this year when some consider it "down" which we will see come NCAAT time.
These “bad” SEC teams are finishing middle of the pack in other conferences.
The fanbase (and maybe even the players) got lulled to sleep because of how insanely hot we were for 75% of the season. We also got lucky in some games which happens to every team but for us we got all the breaks early. That isn’t how this sport is. In the this sport things return to the mean. That doesn’t mean we aren’t the best team in the country either. But there is a leveling out in this sport that happens at every single level. The breaks WILL go against you when things are not rolling. You will slump with your pitching. You will slump with you hitting. You will slump when it comes to luck. Other teams will make a play they don't normally make. Or have a performance from a kid who plays out of his mind. You will run into a pitcher whose stuff plays against your hitters.
So no need to panic and freak out if a team makes us look human. Kentucky has MLB draft picks on their team. They were hurt badly with injuries this year but don’t assume they suck because they don’t. SEC teams have crazy talent. To think a Kentucky or a Missouri or someone like that can't line up is crazy. They beat out many other P5 programs to land the kids on their roster.
The first 45 games were as special as you will ever say. Enjoy it and be glad it happened. We also are never going to see our team go 41-4 again. That was once in a life time stuff. We will have teams that can win it all like this team but going on that run isn't happening again in all likelihood. We very well may get flowing again but we are playing against really good teams and when you aren't grooved up you can absolutely get beat.
Here is the silver lining... we are so complete in our starting pitching, bullpen, hitting, speed, defense and coaching that even when we aren't "on" we are still going to give ourself a chance to win like we did Thursday and yesterday where we will have a chance to win it.
Just get right and feeling good for NCAAT. That is all that matters.
If you made it this far- Summary- this sport is insanely hard and it is extremely humbling. It is not supposed to be easy. It is a grind and you will look bad. It doesn't mean you suck. It just means you chose the sport that makes you look like a fool often.
Hang in there everyone. We are legit. Just baseball.
