Big 12 Tournament: It Ain't Over Until . . .

. . . the last game is played.

On the other hand, the Tigers' 7-2 loss to the Aggies last night effectively spelled the end for the Tigers' hopes for a continuation of their 2010 season.

Even if MU wins on Saturday and gains a 2-1 record in pool play, they will be - at best - tied with at least one of the other teams in the pool. And because of the tie-breaking rules in placed for the Big 12 Tournament, the Tigers have no chance at winning the pool and advancing to the Big 12 Championship game.

If teams are tied, head-to-head competition will be used to break the tie. In case the teams are still tied, the highest-seeded team amongst the tied teams advances to the championship.

And in spite of any dreams and imaginations any fans may be harboring, if the Tigers have no shot at the Big 12 Tournament Championship, they have no shot at getting invited to their 8th straight NCAA Regional. The current numbers:

Record: 28-25

RPI Rank: 72nd (BoydsWorld.com)

NCAA RPI Rank (5/25): 77th

Yes, there's still one game to be played in the 2010 season. Mizzou plays Texas Tech on Saturday at 9:00 AM. And as I've always said, Every Game Matters.

Ironically, Augie Garrido put it well the other day:

"It [the tournament] matters because we have an opportunity to play, and every time you have an opportunity to play you have an opportunity to get better. And you learn from the good news and the bad news that comes from every game. And when you keep it in a pitch-to-pitch experience, you learn a lot."

And from my perspective, every game is chance to be entertained and enthralled by the greatest game ever invented.

And here on SimmonsField.com, it's always baseball season.

Coming up in the next 2-3 weeks at SimmonsField.com:

■ Next Week: Our annual You Make the Call poll: Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Newcomer of the Year

■ Our annual "Tip of the Cap" Awards, taking a look back at the 2010 season

■ The 2010 MLB Amateur Draft is coming up, June 7-9. We'll be tracking which Tigers are drafted and which ones sign (and which Tiger recruits are drafted away).

■ Continuing coverage of MU alums in the Minors and Majors throughout the Summer

■ News about Tigers in the summer wood bat leagues (if you have information about where certain players will be playing this summer, send me an e-mail - simmonsfield@hotmail.com)

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do, I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers Hornsby

■ Missouri baseball team falls to Texas A&M (Columbia Tribune)

The question was posed specifically to Barret Loux, but the answer pretty much covered the Texas A&M Aggies.

What was working for you tonight?

“Everything,” said Loux, the Aggies’ ace, who retired the first 14 Tigers while leading Texas A&M to a 7-2 victory over Missouri and a spot in Sunday’s championship game last night at the Big 12 Baseball Tournament at Bricktown Ballpark.

■ A&M defeats Missouri to earn berth (Houston Chronicle)

Texas A&M left fielder Joaquin Hinojosa crashed into a Bricktown Ballpark wall while chasing a foul ball in the sixth inning Thursday night, and limped around for a bit before staying in the game.
A half-inning later, Hinojosa tripled along the right-field line, and even added a headfirst dive into third base for fun. It’s been that kind of week for the Aggies in the Big 12 tournament, because even when things have looked bad, they’ve turned out good for a team that’s peaking at the right time.

■ Clenching down (Columbia Tribune)

Eight days after suffering a broken jaw during fielding practice, Liberto returned to the lineup for the Tigers’ Big 12 Tournament opener against Texas yesterday at Bricktown Ballpark. Liberto spent most of last weekend’s regular-season-closing series against the Longhorns pacing in the dugout.

“It’s my last shot, my senior year,” said Liberto, jaw still wired shut. “I wanted to get after these guys one more time.”

■ Now that Mizzou has been eliminated from Big 12 title game contention, tomorrow will officially be the last time Aaron Senne and the seniors take the field in a Mizzou uniform. A tip of the cap to all of them. (RockMNation.com)