HI NOTES: That Never Works

MIZZOU BASEBALL IN THE MAJORS

♦ The most common fan reaction to the fake-throw-to-third pick-off move is "That Never Works!", but apparently it did work occasionally for Max Scherzer: Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer voice displeasure over change to fake pickoff move (mlive.com)

"I'm pissed," Scherzer said during Saturday's TigerFest at Comerica Park.

The move was used by pitchers to trick a runner on first base into trying to swipe second. It proved particularly effective for Scherzer, who picked off two baserunners with it last season.

"(Scherzer) gets one or two guys a year on that thing," Justin Verlander said...

Photo by Duncan Hall flickr.com

PRE-SEASON SEASON

Pre-Season Prognostications have a success rate only slightly better than the fake throw to third, but what else would writers and bloggers doing during the Pre-Season Season?

♦ Perfect Game has their preview of the SEC, which you'd have to pay to see. For free, you get to see that Missouri is surprisingly NOT predicted to finish last in the SEC East: Conference Previews: SEC (perfectgame.org)

♦ Stitch-Head-in-Chief Eric Sorensen has Mizzou ranked 88th nationally and 12th in the SEC - and his facts a little outdated - in his comprehensive Top 298 for 2013 (College Baseball Today) Could be worse. We could be Coppin State fans.

Ugh! It’s going to get a little worse before it gets better for Tim Jamieson and Co. The move to the SEC is pretty ill-timed as Mizzou loses two of three starting pitchers and three-fourths of the infield. Tigers will apparently also lose RHP Eric Anderson for ‘13 due to Tommy John surgery.

♦ Also lining up to take a wild swing is ChasingOmaha.com with The Omaha Eight: Preseason Edition

♦ Tweets from the first day of practice nationwide: Storify: First Day of Practice (College Baseball Daily)

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

♦ Mark Etheridge takes a look at LSU and Kentucky, plus his own spare time bucket list, in Three Cuts: Ain't Nobody Got Time For That (SEBaseball.com)

Gary Henderson's club rode a fast start against so-so opposition to an early ranking. Many of us felt they would fall back to the pack once conference play started. Instead the Wildcats hung in all season and should have hosted a Regional last June. When they dropped a 21 inning Regional opening game against Kent State their pitching staff was stretched for the rest of the weekend and fell in the final to eventual CWS club Kent State.

So the question now becomes will Kentucky stay at the top of the SEC or will they slip? ...