Quotes & Notes: Midnight Madness & Poll Madness

■ The 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball season is getting off to an early start, with a 12:01 AM game between the Central Michigan Chippewas and the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Fortunately, that game is being played at Fort Meyers, Florida, where the average low in February is 55 degrees (as opposed to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where the average low for that time of year is 15 degrees).

■ A number of opinionators on the web were surprised at Baseball America's preseason ranking of Mizzou at #10:

· True Son at MizzouRah: A little surprising considering we're losing Jake Priday and Aaron Crow. Most other polls I've seen have us somewhere in the 20-25 range

· In-the-mix at Tigerboard.com: Just a bit high I would say too. Brad Buehler as a starter? Wow!! Did the bulb come on this winter? Let's hope they're right!!

· Phil Miller at Market Power: I know better than to put much stock in preseason polls. Nobody knows how the team will gel, what injuries will occur, etc. But since the progress of the polls through the season are path-dependent (future polls depend partly on previous polls) it makes preseason polls impossible to ignore.

Personally, I have to agree with them. I think Mizzou will do well this season, but #10 seems a bit of a stretch for a preseason ranking. But you know me; I usually prefer the Tigers stay low in the grass until they've earned their stripes.