Current World Series players once played at Simmons Field

Another great reason to follow College Baseball

Simmons Field is a great place to catch future Major League stars. Sometimes they're on the other team . . . and sometimes they show their future star potential at the cost of the Tigers.

Phillies slugger Ryan Howard played for the Southwest Missouri State Bears, and demonstrated his home run hitting potential against the Tigers more than once.

· May 2, 2001 @ Simmons Field: In a 12-11 win for the Tigers, Ryan Howard opened the game with a three-run homer off Ryan Stegall in the first inning.
· May 9, 2001 @ Springfield: MU's Shaun Marcum (soon thereafter to transfer to SMS) surrenders a solo home run to Ryan Howard in a 5-3 tiger loss

The Phillies' Gregg Dobbs, a former Sooner, faced the Tigers several times:

· April 9, 2001 @ Simmons Field: The Tigers lost their third straight game 9-6 to OU on this day, aided by Dobbs, who belted 3 homers in three days. In Game 2 of the series, Dobbs went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles and a homer. The weekend had started badly in the first inning of the Friday night game, as "sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning as leadoff batter Jerome Godsey reached on a throwing error by Propst and came around to score on an RBI single by Sergio Garcia. Sooner left fielder Gregg Dobbs then turned on an Endicott mistake and lifted a towering shot over the wall in right and the next three OU hitters followed with singles to put the Tigers in a hole they couldn’t dig out of."
During that same weekend, Dobbs' teammate, Jason Bartlett (now with the Tampa Bay Rays), contributed to the Sooners' Saturday win with a wind-blown grand slam.

The Rays' J. P. Howell faced Mizzou when he was a Longhorn pitcher.

· May 3rd, 2004 @ Simmons Field : After the Tigers took the first two games of a weekend series from the #1 ranked Longhorns (starting with a defeat over local product Sam Lecure on Friday), they were hoping for a sweep. But the Texas offense racked up 16 runs, which was 15 more than UT starter Howell needed, since he held the Tigers scoreless.
I remember thinking the Tigers had a good shot at a win, since J. P. Howell was reportedly injured. But, "All-American left-hander J.P. Howell, whose start was pushed back two days because of a severe cut on his foot, gave up just one hit in four innings."

The lesson learned: Even when the Tigers lose, you never know what future MLB star you'll see when you come out to the ballpark.


Former college baseball players in the 2008 World Series

Phillies

Joe Blanton, Kentucky
Clay Condrey, McNeese State
J.A. Happ, Northwestern,
Brad Lidge, Notre Dame
Jamie Moyer, St. Joseph's (PA)
Eric Bruntlett, Stanford
Gregg Dobbs, Oklahoma
Ryan Howard, Southwest Missouri State
Chase Utley, UCLA
Pat Burrell, Miami
Geoff Jenkins, Southern California

Tampa Bay

Chad Bradford, Southern Mississippi
Matt Garza, Fresno State
J.P. Howell, Texas
David Price, Vanderbilt
Andy Sonnanstine, Kent State
Dan Wheeler, Central Arizona
Jason Bartlett, Oklahoma
Evan Longoria, Cal State Long Beach
Carlos Pena, Northeastern
Gabe Gross, Auburn
Fernando Perez, Columbia
Ben Zobrist, Dallas Baptist

RSS Feeds

If you look at the left-hand column, you'll see a list of the most recent headlines from the Baseball page at mutigers.com. Clicking on any of those headlines will take you to the relevant mutigers.com story.

This service is possible thanks to mutigers.com's RSS feed, which enables anyone to receive selected MUTigers.com posts and headlines in their e-mail or on their web site or other custom pages.

Did you know you can also set up an RSS feed that will send new posts here on SimmonsField.com straight to your e-mail in-box? A quick and easy way to do that, if you're unfamiliar with RSS feed technology, is to go to rssfwd.com.

Once you register, you simply type in the URL of this site (http://simmonsfield.blogspot.com/), choose your preferences (real-time, daily or weekly) and tell it your e-mail address. From that point on, every new post on SimmonsField.com will be delivered to your e-mail.

Thanks to Allan Herigon for sending me this link so Mizzou Baseball fans can keep up with what's happening.

If you're more familiar with RSS technology, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand column here at SimmonsField.com for RSS Subscription links.

2009 NCAA Baseball rule changes

The College Baseball Blog reported on several new changes in the rules for 2009, including:

The biggest change is the fact that they will require base coaches to wear a
helmet next season following the lead of Major League Baseball after the
unfortunate death of a minor league coach in 2007. One of the other rule changes
deal with speeding up the game with less conferences with umpires and on the
mound. The final rule change is to eliminate all the huddling around home plate
by a team after a home run or doing live play where teammates will come out of
the dugout.

There's a video discussion of the rules changes on YouTube.

DoubleAZone has more comments and quotes on the requirement for coaches to wear helmets:

According to Ty Halpin, associate director of playing rules administration at the NCAA, the MLB rule brought the committee's attention to the issue, but it was the reflection of many committee members that sealed the recommendation's passage. Many members remembered close calls where a ball nearly hit them.

"The more we talked about it, the more it made sense," Halpin said. "Coaches aren't always paying attention to the pitched ball; they're often
focusing on the runners."

It remains to be seen if college coaches will take issue with the rule the way many major league coaches, like Larry Bowa have. Bowa, the third-base coach for the Dodgers, initially refused to wear the helmet, telling various media outlets he'd walk to the base wearing shin guards, a chest protector and a facemask to make his point.

Rivals.com has news of even more possible changes:

For the past year, the NCAA has served as an agent of change for college baseball. Some coaches have agreed with the NCAA's new policies, while others have scoffed at the changes.

The NCAA may not be finished making changes.
. . .
"There has been a measure reviewed by many bodies at the NCAA to eliminate
distant travel in some of our postseason championship events."
. . .
Though a more regionalized postseason format irks some coaches, another part of the
proposed legislation seems sure to draw their ire. The NCAA says the new plan opens the door for teams from the same conference to be in the same regional.

For example, Texas and Texas A&M or Ole Miss and Mississippi State could be in the same regional in the future.

"I'm about as concerned with teams from the same conference being in the same regional as I am actually getting the teams to the regional site," Poppe said.

. . .
The uniform start date and condensed schedule remains a heated topic among coaches. Some coaches believe the condensed schedule promotes parity; others still view the change as detrimental to a student-athlete's developmental process on and off the field.

Though some coaches say that a week should be added to the schedule, don't look for any changes to be made before the 2009 season.
. . .
The NCAA is pondering the idea of decreasing the number of regular-season games from 56 to 52.

There also changes underway in requirements for the metal bats, according to College Baeball Blog:

The NCAA Baseball Research Panel, a group charged with maintaining the protocol for testing baseball bats in the college game, has recommended changes to the means for measuring performance in those tests.

The panel recommended replacing the “ball exit-speed ratio” with a “ball-bat coefficient of restitution” or BBCOR, because the latter eliminates discrepancies with
different length bats and is a more direct measure of bat performance. At its meeting in July, the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, which oversees and determines the actual performance level of bats, approved the new protocol and established the performance standard based on data collected from available wooden bats.The committee and the research panel found that for a given bat length, batted-ball speed is a near-perfect correlation with BBCOR – that is, a bat’s BBCOR will predict the speed with which the ball will leave the bat.

Because wood and non-wood bats with the same BBCOR produce essentially the same batted-ball speeds, it is relatively easy to relate a non-wood bat’s performance
to that of a similarly sized wood bat.
. . .
To allow manufacturers sufficient time to adjust, the NCAA will enforce this standard beginning January 1, 2011, and will allow only BBCOR-certified bats in the 2011 season and beyond.

There will be no opportunity for “grandfathering” old bats.

Halpin said the change does mean that existing bats will need to be tested again, and that by 2011, bats will be required to be designated with a BBCOR certification mark to be considered legal.

Max Scherzer and Evan Frey to play in Arizona Fall League

Mizzou alumni Max Scherzer and Evan Frey will be playing for the same team again this fall: the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.

The Arizona Fall League is considered an "elite" off-season league, a "finishing school" of sorts for Major League organizations' top prospects. The roll call of current MLB stars that have played in the Arizona Fall League over the years is impressive, including Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols. The roster size is 30 players per team.

Each Major League organization is required to provide six players subject to the following requirements:

• 
  All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible, provided the players are on at least a Double-A level roster no later than Aug. 1.
• 
  One player below the Double-A level is allowed per Major League team.
• 
  One foreign player is allowed, as long as the player does not reside in a country that participates in winter ball, as part of the Caribbean Confederation or the Australian winter league.
• 
  No players with more than one year of credited Major League service as of August 31 are eligible, except a team may select one player picked in the most recently concluded Major League Rule 5 Draft.
• 
  To be eligible, players on Minor League disabled lists must be activated at least 45 days before the conclusion of their respective seasons.

Each of the six Arizona fall League teams is made up of a combination of players assigned by various MLB organizations.Max Scherzer played in the AFL last season, dominating the league as a closer.

Phoenix Desert Dogs 2008 Roster

You Make the Call: Archives

At the previous location of SimmonsField.com, a regular feature was the "You Make the Call" polls.

For our archives, here are a few results from those polls:

2008 MVPs:
Player: Aaron Senne
Pitcher: Aaron Crow
Freshman: Andrew Thigpen

2007 MVPs:
Player: Evan Frey
Pitcher: Aaron Crow
Freshman: Trevor Coleman

2006 MVPs:
Player: Zane Taylor
Pitcher: Nathan Culp
Freshman: Rick Zagone

2005 MVPs:
Player: James Boone
Pitcher: Max Scherzer

2004 MVPs:
Player: Cody Ehlers
Pitcher: Garrett Broshuis
Freshman: Nathan Culp

2003 MVPs:
MVP: Jayce Tingler
Freshman: Zane Taylor

2002 MVP:
Co-MVPs: Lee Laskowski & Jayce Tingler


Which newcomer will have the biggest impact on the Tigers during his career?
2005: Evan Frey, Derek Chambers
2004: Max Scherzer, Hunter Mense, Cosme Caballero
2003: Ian Kinsler
2002: Abel Newton

Tiger Bullpen

Dear Tiger Baseball Supporter:

At Mizzou, we are committed to providing the best resources for our student-athletes. We realize this can not be accomplished without the support of our fans and alumni.

We have great commitment from the University and Athletics Department, but we need support from our fans and alumni to further enhance our program. the purpose of the Tiger bullpen is to raise funds tos upport Mizzou Baseball and we invite you to join.

As a Tiger bullpen member, you will receive a newsletter that will keep you up-to-date with the Tigers. Members will aslo be invited to special events throughout the year.

We thank you for considering this opportunity to join the Tiger bullpen and become part of the team.

Thanks for your support. Go Tigers!

Head coach Tim Jamieson


For details on joining the Tiger Bulpen Club, contact Luke Cassis, Director of Operations at 573-884-8929 (cassisl@missouri.edu) or go to the mutigers.com Tiger Bullpen page.

What if Tim Jamieson had been fired after the 2002 season?

What if . . . ?

Being a man of little originality, I am borrowing [aka stealing shamelessly] an idea from a fellow Mizzou Sanity blogger. As he said, "This isn’t meant to be some rose-colored fantasy so much as a chance to do two things a) satisfy some curiosity, and b) prove my ultimate nerd-dom in front of the entire blogosphere."

And so the question is:

What if . . . Tim Jamieson had been sent packing after the 2002 season?

It was widely rumored that just such a move was being seriously contemplated by in May of 2002. This was the spring that Alden fired MU Softball Coach Jay Miller, and many assumed Jamieson would follow.

When word came just before the final series of the year that Jamieson would be back in 2003, scuttlebutt was that TJ's immediate supervisor, then-Associate Athletic Director Gene McArtor, gave his former protege a life-line that perhaps was not what Mike Alden would have chosen if not for the lobbying of Coach Mac.

According to the rumors, Coach Mac put some important expectations on the rehiring. These included making it not only to Big XII Tournament, but making it to the NCAA Regionals. In addition, Coach Jamieson would need to go get some additional training and inspiration during the summer, and return with a plan to make the changes necessary to turn the team's fortunes around.

Of course, none of what I've said to this point is cold hard fact. It's all just my recollection of the speculation going on at the time time. But the fact is that Jamieson was given another chance.

We all know the result (or at least all of us who have been paying attention). Mizzou is one of only two Big XII teams to make the NCAA Regionals the past four straight years. The other is that perennial underdog, the Texas Longhorns. And this past year, MU won the Malibu Regional - the hard way - and moved on to a Super Regional for the first time since the Supers were invented.

There are, however, still doubters - perennial Jamieson-haters who say he hasn't done enough, that Mizzou could do better.

So ... what if Gene McArtor had lost that discussion with Mike Alden back in May of 2002, and called Tim Jamieson into his office after the Northern Iowa series and said, "Sorry, old friend, but we've decided to make a change."

What then?

I'll try to be lest verbose than my fellow "What if" blogger. Just a few points:

1. Classy farewell.

Tim Jamieson has always been a classy guy, and his departure would have been no different. No recriminations, no throwing Tex Little under the bus, just a humble 'good-bye' and on to look for a job elsewhere.

Where would he have landed? Hard to say. Certainly not in the Big XII or another of the top conferences. He would have had to get a head coaching job in a mid-major conference or an assistant's job at a major school before earning his way back to the "big time".

Maybe, just maybe, he would have gone just down the road to Central Missouri State. Yes, I know Brad Hill didn't leave CMSU for Kansas State until after the 2003 season. But, what if . . .

2. Brad Hill signs on as Head Coach of Missouri Baseball.

Part of the rumors flying around that spring included Mike Alden's interest in Brad Hill, who was coaching just over in Warrensburg at Division-II CMSU. He was taking his Mules to the D-II World Series with regularity, and even winning national championships. This was a guy who excelled in recruiting, finding great players in spite of competition from several area D-I schools. He was a guy who emphasized discipline and conditioning. He was a guy who was bringing national attention to tiny little CMSU.

And he was a also a guy who reportedly was quite interested in the Missouri job - if it became available.

I have no doubt that if Tim Jamieson had been given the heave-ho in May of 2002, Brad Hill would have jumped from the MIAA to the Big XII a year earlier.

Would that have been a better deal for Mizzou Baseball?

3. The Brad Hill Tigers, 2003-2006

It's hard to say what the Tigers would have looked like, how well they would have fared under Brad Hill these past four years. A few things to consider:

· What has Hill done at Kansas State since jumping there a year later? In three years, KSU has posted a record of 87-75-2, finished 10th, 10th and 9th in the Big XII, and failed to make the Big XII Tournament or the NCAA Regionals.

This followed Mike Clark's record in his last three years of 70-90, 9th, 5th, 10th, with 1 trip to the Big XII Tournament.

This compares to Tim Jamieson's record with the Tigers in the same three years: 113-74-1; 7th, 4th, 7th; Big XII Tournament all 3 years, NCAA Regional all 3 years, Super Regional 1 year.

· Recruiting: With Jamieson gone, would Brad Hill have given a assistant's job to Tony Vitello? It's my opinion (shared by many others), that Tony V has contributed greatly to the Tigers' success, playing a key role in recruiting many of the top players the Tigers have signed over these past few successful years. (If you want to look over my shoulder into the crystal ball, you'll see that

I know of one key player on the team over those intervening years that was recruited by Brad Hill to go to CMSU, but turned him down, not only because he had a shot to play in the Big XII, but because he clicked better with Jamieson and Company than he did with Brad Hill.

My guess is that the Mizzou Athletic Department gives marginally better support to their Baseball program than Kansas State does, so Hill may have done better at MU than he has at KSU. But any time you get rid of one coach and hire another, the change has an impact on the team. I doubt if Hill would have made an immediate impact enough to achieve what Jamieson has done.

And, given the level of support Baseball gets from MU, there would not have been the option of going after a big name coach to turn things around in a Huge way. The Tigers were not that attractive a program, and they won't be until the AD raises the program up a notch or two in priority in budgeting, facilities and promotion.

Conclusion: As I said in my annual "Tip of the Cap Awards" after the 2006 season:

A really good coach, goes the argument, would not have taken a team ranked #10 pre-season and knocked it down so far they were unranked in the polls by the end of the regular season.

But Tim Jamieson, magician extraordinaire, pulled a rabbit our of his hat by pushing this team to peak at the right time, sweeping through Texas and on into a strong run in the Big XII Tournament, and all the way to somehow grabbing that last spot on the NCAA bracket.

And, to top it all off, Tim Jamieson put his name permanently in the NCAA Division I record books by coaching the only 4th-seeded team to ever win a Regional.

Coach J, you deserve an unreserved, long overdue tip of the cap (or perhaps, a tip of the magician's hat). We're proud to have you as the Tigers' head coach.

A Tip of the Cap 2008

"A Tip of the Cap" is SimmonsField.com's annual end-of-the-year awards tradition, named in honor of legendary MU coach John "Hi" Simmons' trademark gesture.

Mizzou Unleashed

While the Tigers' 2008 season ended sooner than the team and the fans had hoped and expected, the season was certainly a success in terms of moving the MU Baseball program forward and upward.

Take me out with the crowd

Building on the exposure from the Regionals last year, garnering attention from the media - both local and national for the team's - and top pro prospect Aaron Crow's - successes, plus a season-long stay in the national polls, Mizzou pulled in fans like never before. The '08 Tigers set - and reset - the record for single-game attendance several times (season attendance details at right). The Nebraska weekend was reminiscent of the 2007 Taylor Stadium Regional, with overflow crowds rocking the ballpark.

A Tip of the Cap to all the people who discovered Mizzou Baseball this season - and to the long-suffering fans who have been there year in and year out.

The road to The Show goes through Simmons Field

Recruiting Coordinator Tony Vitello's job gets easier and easier with each passing year, and 2008 helped even more. All Tony V has to do is point to Major Leaguers like Ian Kinsler, Max Scherzer and Doug Mathis; to the large group of MU alums currently working their way up the ladder in the minor leagues; to Aaron Crow's rise from undrafted high school pitcher to #9 draft pick; and to the attention being given to 1st-round draft prospects like Kyle Gibson ('09) and Nick Tepesch ('10).

Rumor has it, one first round prospect for '11 actually called Mizzou asking to be recruited (and has signed his letter of intent for the Fall of '08).

Leaving the Zou

Here's a Tip of the Cap to the Tigers that are leaving us.

Aaron Crow & Rick Zagone will always be connected in my mind, going back to the two freshmen who turned in back-to-back amazing pitching performances in that Malibu Regional in 2006, and continued to set the pace of the pitching staff throughout their three years.

Jacob Priday also reminds me of that 2006 post-season, stepping up to be the team's catcher. Jake struggled through injury and the long road back, costing him a decent shot in the 2007 Draft. But what a 2008 season, breaking records, leading the offense, and finally getting the scouts' attention

Ryan Lollis has been a stalwart of the Mizzou outfield in his time with the Tigers. At the time of this writing, it's still uncertain whether he'll sign with the pros or return for another season - but we'll miss him when he leaves.

Kurt Calvert and Lee Fischer toiled for the Tigers faithfully - occasionally in a starting role, often in back-up roles. Both got their reward in being picked in the draft. Both will have their eyes on Chicago and the big leagues.

Dan Pietroburgo will also be saying farewell to Mizzou, after 5 years. Always in the shadow of someone else in the depth chart for catchers, always willing to play whatever role asked of him. For long-time day-after-day fans, it's the guys like Dedicated Dan we miss the most. He came in known for being the offspring of a former Tiger star, but left as a vital cog and experienced leader of the team.

Our cap is off for all of you.

A special tip of the cap for another departing member of the Tigers: Christina Walden.

Christina has been a faithful fan of the team during her three years on campus, and has been a valued volunteer in the Baseball office as well, helping out wherever needed.

In 2008 she helped John Lane and others revive the Tiger Bullpen Club, editing the club newsletter and helping with the organization of the Saturday tailgate parties (even at the cost of missing the beginning of the a few games).

Christina also volunteered to help me out with SimmonsField.com, writing her own blog from the fan-in-the-stands point of view, On the Inside Corner. Hopefully, she'll drop us another blog or two from her new job.

Thanks again for all the help and support, Christina, both at Simmons Field and at SimmonsField.com.

2008 Attendance

(record-breaking crowd in BOLD)
Fri 5/8 ISU 696
Sun 5/10 ISU 512
Fri 3/14 Tol 625
Sat 3/15 Tol 349
Sat 3/15 Tol 339
Sun 3/16 Tol 605
Tue 3/18 SDS 202
Wed 3/19 SDS 395
Fri 3/21 BU 1196
Sat 5/22 BU 1124
Sun 3/23 BU 374
Tue 4/1 WIU 429
Wed 4/2 WIU 546
Fri 4/4 OSU 1433
Sat 4/5 OSU 2205
Sun 4/6 OSU 1321
Fri 4/11 UT 1206
Sat 4/12 UT 1410
Sun 4/13 UT 1016
Wed 4/16 WW 1103
Fri 5/2 KSU 1583
Sat 5/3 KSU 1642
Sun 5/4 KSU 1696
Tue 5/18 CU 589
Fri 5/16 NU 2418
Sat 5/17 NU 3126
Sun 5/18 NU 2547

Total Attendance 30,687
Average Attendance 1,136

Top 10 All-Time Attendance
6/2/07 Louisville (Regional) 3,630
6/1/07 Kent St (Regional) 3,481
6/3/07 Louisville (Regional)3,457
5/17/08 Nebraska 3,126
5/18/08 Nebraska 2,418
4/25/98 Texas 2,347
4/24/98 Texas 2,372
4/5/08 Okla St 2,205
6/4/07 Louisville-MU (Regional)2,199
5/14/05 Kansas 2,143

Past Years' Regular Season Attendance
2007: Total: 14,190 Average: 645
2006:Total: 23,906 Average: 885
2005:Total: 16,965Average: 707

Highlights & Happenings

Definition of switch-hitter Pat Venditte, Jr, the only ambidextrous pitcher in D-1 baseball, is on the mound. Trevor Coleman is on deck, taking practice swings left-handed. The NCAA rule says the pitcher has to declare which hand he will pitch with before the batter chooses which way to bat. Venditte steps up on the mound with his glove on his left hand, and Coleman turns toward the backstop, switches to a different bat, and takes a couple of right-handed practice swings. Hits a 2-run homer on the 2nd pitch.

Kauffman Stadium discovers college baseball The only saving grace about the Tigers' loss to the Jayhawks was that most of the fans missed having to watch the game for 2 or 3 innings while they stood in the unbelievably long lines to get to the incredibly understaffed concession stands waiting to get something to drink. Turns out people will show up for college baseball at the K. Or at least they did this time - wouldn't count on the same crowd next year, unless there are some guarantees of better service.

Jay Bell Award Speaking of Kansas, we pass out an annual award to a Tiger player for outstanding performance against the Jayhawks, in honor of a particularly memorable performance by former Tiger Jay Bell. The 2008 award goes to a pair of performances:

· Kyle Gibson earned the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for his contribution to the Tigers' weekend against KU: Gibson recorded a complete-game win and a save over last weekend in Mizzou's three-game series at Kansas. On Friday, Gibson entered the contest in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out the first batter he faced to record his first save of the year. Gibson then posted his second complete game victory of the season as Missouri run-ruled Kansas, 12-1 in seven innings, in the series finale on Sunday. He was perfect through the first 3.2 innings of the game and struck out eight, allowing just one run on five hits to improve to 8-1 on the year.

· Jacob Priday also distinguished himself against the Jayhawks, with a pair of fantastic defensive plays in right field. In game 1, Priday made a great throw from RF to nail a KU runner at home plate for the out. Then in game 2 Jake made a catch in foul territory in deep right with his back to the field, then turned and threw a bulls-eye to 2nd base to nail the runner who had tagged at 1st and decided to take advantage of Priday's rumored poor defensive skills. Uh oh.

Back-swing in motion During the Texas series, Aaron Senne's signature back-swing caught Longhorn catcher Cameron Rupp in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Rupp wears a more traditional catcher's mask with the backwards helmet-cap instead of the hockey-style protective helmet favored by many catchers these days.

After taking a couple of test pitches, Cameron stayed in the game. He did not start behind the plate for Sunday's game, however.

Super Senne The Minnesota native had an incredible night at the ballpark - or should I say dome - when the Tigers played the Golden Gophers at the Humphrey Dome in Minnesota. In Game 1 of that 2-game set, Senne, who is from nearby Rochester, tied a Mizzou record with 8 RBIs on the night. Senne went 4-for-5 with two homeruns. He drove in four runs alone in the sixth inning, highlighted by his three-run homer to right field.

"I just want to come in and do as much as I could for these people," Senne said. "For most of them these are the only two games they're going to see me play and I got lucky."

Base Cadet Brock Bond is not around anymore to dominate this award, given annually to the MU player who provides the most entertainment - and groans - on the basepaths. And original base cadet Ian Kinsler actually now leads the Texas Rangers in stolen bases. So someone new has to fill the untied shoes.

Fortunately, there was no player on the 2008 team that was outstanding in being picked off, run down or just plain confused on the basepaths.

Ryan Lollis, however, got our attention during the year on the basepaths. First of all, he led the team in worst base stealing percentage at 61% (8-for-13), which would automatically qualify him for the award.

But "Lollie" also made himself known with his enthusiastic flap-down scampering across home plate on more than one occasion, looking like the cat that just caught the canary (or perhaps the tiger that just caught the jayhawk).

And so, we tip our cap to Ryan Lollis, the 2008 Base Cadet of the Year.


April 11, 2008: By the Numbers

31-12: Final score of the game

4.85: ERA for the Longhorns' pitching staff after the loss, a jump of 0.73.

7 Homers hit by Missouri, including a Big 12-record four by right fielder Jacob Priday.

11 Walks drawn by the Tigers, including seven issued by Longhorn reliever Drew Bishop in 21/3 innings.

26 Hits for Missouri in 49 at-bats.

35 Miles per hour: speed of wind gusts Friday night at Missouri's Taylor Stadium.

228 Pitches thrown by Texas starter Austin Wood and the six relievers who followed him.

1896 The last time Texas allowed more than 31 runs in a game. That year, the Longhorns lost to Dime Box 35-32 and were routed by Sixth Ward 32-3. Because results from the 1895 and 1896 seasons were very incomplete, the results are not included in Texas' all-time record.

50 Runs scored by Nebraska in a 50-3 victory over Chicago State on March 16, 1999. The Cornhuskers set NCAA records for total runs and winning margin in the game, which ended after 61/2 innings.

43 Consecutive scoreless innings thrown by Aaron Crow, a streak which ended in the 1st of this game

60 1/3 Probable NCAA D-1 record for scoreless innings pitched (set by Vermont's George Plender in 1955) . . . IF the NCAA actually kept a record.

And a quote from the post-game show with UT coach Augie Garrido at the end of the 3rd game of the weekend:"We said before this game started, no matter what happens today, we get to go back to beautiful Austin, and they have to stay here"

And for your entertainment, the 31-12 game thread at HornFans.com

Nattering Nabobs of the Press

Our annual tip of the cap for the best job covering MU Baseball in the Media goes to a pair of local sportswriters.

Matt Nestor is the veteran of the pair, which makes him sound older than he is, his receding hairline not-withstanding. Matt has been covering MU Baseball for the Columbia Daily Tribune for a number of years now, and his enthusiasm for the sport comes through in his writings:

The chants of "Over-rated!" that rained down from the stands at Taylor Stadium were directed at the No. 5 Nebraska baseball team.

Of course, that taunt could have been directed at Missouri just a few short weeks ago. The Tigers closed April with a five-game losing streak, including three straight at Texas A&M, that dropped them from fourth to 15th in the Baseball America poll.

Look at the Tigers now.
(Columbia Daily Tribune, 5/19/08)

Even Superman has his Kryptonite. But if there’s something that’s going to stop Missouri ace Aaron Crow, it has yet to be discovered. The junior right-hander took a line drive off his pitching shoulder on his second pitch of the game and still held the best hitting team in the Big 12 off the scoreboard.

With the help of a quartet of jaw-dropping defensive plays and a key home run by senior designated hitter Jacob Priday, Crow’s remarkable run continues. The fourth-ranked Missouri baseball team defeated Oklahoma State 3-0 last night on Simmons Field. Crow’s third complete game in four weeks ran his scoreless streak to 422/3 consecutive innings.
(Columbia Daily Tribune, 4/5/08)

Sam Miles is the fresh-faced rookie, being a student in the MU Journalism school and a writer for the Columbia Missourian. As he wrote in a blog toward the end of the year as he was preparing for graduation, his work-load was a real killer. At one point in the season, Sam first stumbled a bit by inaccurately reporting Aaron Crow's setting of a new consecutive scoreless innings record, but then poured himself into hours and hours of research, with the end result that he unearthed Vermont's George Plender and scooped every other media outlet - except one (SimmonsField.com).

Sam's energy and enthusiasm came through in his baseball stories for the Missourian, making him a joy to read.

Sam got my attention by paying homage to a subject close to my heart, Mizzou Baseball history. On May 3rd he wrote about the Tigers' honoring of Carl E. Bolte Jr.

In mid-April he came out with a well-researched article about the growing influence of the pitch-count, with some great quotes from the Mizzou coaches, including this from Tony Vitello about the pressure to ride the best pitchers past the point where it's healthy .

And here's a quote from his great profile of Tiger senior Dan Pietroburgo:

“There are a lot of guys that want to be the chief. There are a lot of guys that aren’t comfortable being the chief, and would rather be the Indian,” Jamieson said. “He’s a guy that he’s a great leader, but also accepts his role. He’ll do whatever the team needs him to do, but also be a take-charge personality, and that’s a rare ombination.”

Such praise, however, is not uncommon from the coach, who speaks of the fifth-year senior’s character the way that churches talk about saints, and with the same reverence that much of the media reserves for Brett Favre. If he didn’t receive the same type of compliments from his teammates, one might be quick to dismiss them.

“He knows how to do everything the program wants to do,” Priday said. “He’s what they want their players to be like.”

Here's a tip of the hat to Matt and Sam, and our best wishes to the young Mr. Miles as he forward to a great future as a sportswriter.

Best walk-up Song

Dan Pietroburgo brought back memories of Zane Taylor and The Blood of Cuchulainn with his Irish jig. It brought out the foot-stomping and arm-swinging in the Taylor Stadium faithful.

Promoters of the Year

A big tip of the cap goes to the organizers - or should we say re-organizers - of the Tiger Bullpen Club. They took the tiger by the tail and worked to breathe new life into the booster club, sponsoring a tailgate party before every Saturday Big 12 home game, sending out a newsletter, drumming up interest.I don't have a list of the organizers or of the board members, so I will leave somebody out. But we doff our caps to John Lane, Danny Hill, Christina Walden and the others who made it all happen

Thanks again to everyone who sent me tips on news, corrected my errors and just plain surfed their way to making SimmonsField.com possible for another year of Tiger Baseball.

I get to relax a little now, with the Tigers out of the tournament and the draft past us. But keep checking the home page for whatever news and tidbits pass my way during the off-season.

Until next year ...

Gene McArtor named NCAA National Coordinator for Baseball

The NCAA has announced that Gene McArtor, who spent over 40 years at the University of Missouri as a student-athlete, coach and administrator, has been named NCAA National Coordinator for Baseball Umpires. McArtor replaces Dave Yeast who resigned in February.

As national coordinator, Gene will assist the Division I Baseball Committee with the selection and evaluation of officials for the Division I championship. He will also work with officials, as well as conference coordinators and regional advisors of officiating, coaches and NCAA staff, to help provide clear and consistent interpretations of NCAA men’s baseball rules and officiating mechanics. In doing so, he will work in conjunction with NCAA Baseball Secretary-Rules Editor Jim Paronto and other individuals with umpire mechanics expertise.

“The national coordinator plays a critical role in ensuring we have the very best umpires for the Division I baseball championship. We are fortunate to have someone of Gene’s quality serving in this leadership role,” said Larry Templeton, athletics director at Mississippi State University and chair of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

McArtor has a long history with the NCAA. He was named chair of the NCAA Baseball Committee in 1987, directing the championships in Division I and coordinating the selection of the 48 Division I schools for the championship and College World Series (CWS). He also was the committee chair during a five-year tenure that saw unprecedented growth of the championship, including national television coverage, bracket expansion and stadium renovation. In addition to his committee experience, McArtor also spent 30 years officiating high school and college football games that included numerous years of playoff and championship game experience.
McArtor has been a member of the executive committee and board of directors for the American Baseball Coaches Association. In 1987, he was elected fourth vice president of the organization and rotated through the vice president chairs to the presidency in 1991. He is also a member of the ABCA Hall of Fame.

McArtor stepped into athletics administration at Missouri later in his career, first taking the position of associate athletics director and then senior associate athletics director in 1997. He then moved to director of project management and also served a stint as MU’s interim director of athletics.

As head coach, McArtor guided six teams to the NCAA Tournament, coached 13 All-Americans and 41 all-conference players, and guided 55 players to the professional ranks during his tenure. During his 21 years as head coach, he compiled a 733-430-3 record and became the winningest coach at Mizzou when he recorded his 482nd win in April 1987. He won Big Eight championships in 1976 and 1980, including three-consecutive Big Eight Eastern Division crowns under the old divisional format. The Tigers also claimed four regular season conference championships, with McArtor twice earning Big Eight Coach of the Year honors. He led Missouri to a school record 46 wins in the 1976 season and remains the winningest coach in MU baseball history. McArtor earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D degrees at Missouri.

“We’ve seen significant progress in umpiring over the years, and much of that can be attributed to Dave Yeast’s leadership and individuals who love the sport and are willing to accept change for the betterment of the sport,” said McArtor. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue the growth and build on the successes we’ve witnessed, which helps our umpires and provides a great experience for student-athletes and coaches.”