Tip of the Cap 2010: Notable Quotables

Nattering Nabobs

A Tip of the Cap to the people who cover the Tigers and college baseball. This Blog would be more of a Blah if it weren't for the people out there in the traditional press, the websites, and the newer social networking sites that provide the content behind all the quotes and notes.

As I've made abundantly clear, for me baseball is about having fun. Because of that, I enjoy the media people who seem to have fun doing their job.

This year, a couple of nabobs nattered in a most entertaining and informative manner.

JJ Stankevitz

I write about the White Sox for Examiner.com, where I try to ground my analysis in advanced stats. I also cover the University of Missouri baseball team for MOV.com’s MizzouSpot blog, where I believe I’m one of the few writers covering a college baseball team who uses advanced stats (a big thanks goes out to Mike Rogers of BlessYouBoys.com for hooking me up with those numbers).
(http://comeyoumastersofwar.wordpress.com/)

KMOV.com, 4/16: I don't know if this has been pointed out already, but Kelly Fick easily has the best intro music of any player on the team—he comes out of the bullpen to the theme song from "Dexter." That's just outstanding.

KMOV.com, 3/25: Bottom 1—That was one of the ugliest innings I've seen a team have in a long time. Missouri scored seven times on just two hits—six walks and two hit batsmen were issued in the inning. UAPB starter Brad Tarter issued six of those in just 0.2 innings.

KMOV.com, 4/16: Aiding Tepesch has been some very good defense by Missouri today. Aaron Senne made a highlight-reel play to begin the top of the sixth, gloving a line drive on a short hop while doing a split. It looked kind of like a goalie gloving a puck that would've gone through the five-hole.

Eric Sorenson

Eschewing the normal journalistic road to sports writing, Eric has been an advertising copywriter for years. He admits that creative background has added to his unconventional approach to sports writing and is a main contributor to his unique style. (collegebaseballtoday.com)

■ An open letter to the NCAA Selection Committee (CollegeBaseballToday.com)

You must find another formula – ANY formula – to be considered besides the RPI.

Now would be a good time to use Boyd Nation’s ISR or the Jeff Sagarin rankings or the Warren Nolan computer rankings to be added to the formula. Make it a mixture of three or four services like the BCS (Good God, don’t tell me those mental midgets at college football do something better than college baseball does). That way, it will also make for a nice for a better balance when you average them out. Besides, the RPI is way too harsh on teams that are geographically isolated like New Mexico, Oregon State, Minnesota and Hawaii, for example.

■ Let's take the lid off this sucker (CollegeBaseballToday.com)

Before we get to the weekend’s preview, there’s a much-eagerly anticipated press announcement from Tiger Woods: “I am announcing here that I haven’t been truly forthcoming with my family or my fans… I am a closet stitch-head.”

Wow, who knew?

[Trrip Note: Click the link - you gotta see the accompanying photo]

Best Coverage of a Rival School

I've been impressed for the past few years by the coverage of the Nebraska Cornhuskers Baseball team at HuskerExtra.com, the NU Sports web page of the Lincoln Journal Star. So here's a Tip of the Cap to Husker Extra.

Anderson reaches key point in his career (May 21)

In the eyes of some Nebraska fans, Anderson always will be regarded as the “wrong hire” — which is flat-out unfair.

Thing is, scrutiny and expectations are more intense at Nebraska than at most schools. Anderson understands that. The Huskers created high expectations with consistent winning for most of the past dozen years. What’s more, Haymarket Park, a $29 million gem, creates lofty expectations, as does Lincoln’s proximity to Omaha, home of the College World Series.

“The great ones overcome it,” Anderson said. “The great teams we’ve had here and good teams we’ve had, it doesn’t become a factor. ... It’s just learning how to overcome it and to produce in light of it.”

Look at those Uniforms!!!!


In a season when Mizzou baseball seldom got mentioned in the national press or on national College Baseball websites, they got some surprising national attention because of their new faux-flannel road jerseys.

Under Armour goes back to the future (ESPN.com Page 2)

In this case, UA has come up with Legend Gray, a new throwback uniform fabric currently being worn for selected road games by Missouri, Texas Tech and Pepperdine. Although it looks like an old natural-fiber flannel fabric, full of texture and grain and a heathered tone, it's actually UA's standard double-knit polyester embedded with a pattern designed to simulate the look of flannel.

This all might seem like a lot of fuss over a gray fabric, but Missouri baseball coach Tim Jamieson says people have noticed. "Very seldom do you have other coaches comment on your uniforms, but each coach we've played has said something about this one," he says. "They want to feel it, they want to see what it's all about. It's amazing, because from a distance it looks like my old Little League uniform, or what major league teams wore in the 1960s."

Biggest story of the year

Without a doubt, the biggest story of the year in the media was the rumored realignment of conferences, and the possibility of Mizzou jumping from the Big 12 to the Big Ten. I've made my opinions on that topic pretty clear already (9 reasons why moving to the Big Ten would not be good for Mizzou Baseball), so I won't rant on about it again .

The best quotes about the topic, from a baseball point of view, came this past week at the Big 12 Tournament.

Conference realignment will force a road more travelled for baseball (NewsOK.com)

"As far as realignment, we're just a mosquito on top of the water, waiting for a fish to grab us,” Texas coach Augie Garrido said. "Very few things are done because of baseball. It's about football. So I guess we're going to do what they tell us to do.”
. . .

"Don't think I haven't thought about it,” admitted Oklahoma coach Sunny Golloway. "When I first heard about it, the possibility of Nebraska and Missouri leaving, I started thinking, who could potentially be. ... right then, I stopped. I'm the baseball coach. We understand, we're a baseball program within the athletic department. We're proud of football. It's the program that drives (the athletic department). It's the engine. We understand that.

Day 4 of the 2010 Tip of the Cap Awards tomorrow: And the winners are . . .