(06-21-2017 03:26 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Again, if you're going to say we've had a steady decline from the absolute pinnacle of college baseball, that's fine, but I don't consider Top 25 performances a reflection of decline in a program.

Thanks for clarifying that all of this quibbling is over the definition of “decline.”

Rice went from never-ever making the tournament, to making the tournament consistently, to making the CWS periodically, to winning the National Championship, to making the CWS periodically, to making the tournament consistently. To me, that is an ascent followed by a decline. If you prefer different terminology, fine.

I think we are in agreement that Rice is still a well-above-average program.

My initial point, in the other thread, in the context of a possible contract extension for Graham, was that while acknowledging the trends, I felt that the ascent earned him the right to stay as long as he wants, and that I did not mean as long as he wants until the fans become restless.