http://yardleybehindthemic.blogspot.com/...treak.html

(04-08-2013 05:14 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  http://yardleybehindthemic.blogspot.com/...treak.html

I was coming here to post it, and somebody beat me to it. Thanks, Tiki!

I really was surprised at how few details I remember from games in that streak. Aside from beating Texas, of course. My highlight DVD, Thresher editions, and scorebooks are in storage back home, so I don't even have much handy in the way of reference material.

Would love to hear everybody else's favorite memories from that streak.

I really liked having student announcers. It really felt like they were part of the team, part of the experience.

During that time I was hardly ever in Houston, so depended on the internet connection and Yardley to paint the picture.

At the time I was mostly in Minnesota until the CWS but did make it back for one of the early tournaments we had at the time. Like grol was mostly dependent on Jonathan's calls for the games.

I did see a number of the games during the streak but for me the CWS was so big that it has kind of wiped out just about every other 2003 game from my memory. Being in Omaha for the entire run was incredibly special...each and every day brought new highlights. Obviously the final game was the best but the two wins over UT (after having suffered through the 2002 loss to UT in Omaha) made the championship even better. M

My strongest memory from the streak wasn't actually from the streak. It was the 6-5 loss we took against Bama at the Minute Maid Classic. That was a tough one to take (and of course would have run the streak to 34, assuming all subsequent games played out the same).

EDIT: Did I just get Bowdlerized for "a s s u m i n g"? Apparently so. Do other words begging with those letters do it? Let's see:
associate
assign
assail
assailant
assassin (a s s a s s i n)
assault
assiduous
assumpsit
assuages (a s s u a g e s)

The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

(04-08-2013 08:14 PM)texd Wrote:  EDIT: Did I just get Bowdlerized for "a s s u m i n g"? Apparently so. Do other words begging with those letters do it? Let's see:
associate
assign
assail
assailant
assassin (a s s a s s i n)
assault
assiduous
assumpsit
assuages (a s s u a g e s)

Your reputation proceeds you, Tex

I see that the dictionary was updated and my three previously bleeped words have now been allowed.

(04-08-2013 05:25 PM)Jonathan Yardley Wrote:  

(04-08-2013 05:14 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  http://yardleybehindthemic.blogspot.com/...treak.html

Would love to hear everybody else's favorite memories from that streak.

Probably my favorite memories during the streak were not from the games themselves but some epic pre and post game tailgates. Da Owl grilling zummo's and PJ also doing his thing on the grill led to the need to drink quite a few Shiners and such during the streak...

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

I thought Cruz tied it off Street with a HR in the 8th, and Street was out of the game when we won it in the 10th.

IIRC, Rice gave reigning CWS MVP Street his only blown save (at Reckling) and his only loss (Rosenblatt) of 2003.

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

IIRC, Wade Townsend started, and left after striking out the last batter in the 7th with a 97 mph fastball, pumping his fist. (I'm sure about the 97 mph fastball and the fist pump).

(04-09-2013 05:26 PM)Hardball Owl Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

IIRC, Wade Townsend started, and left after striking out the last batter in the 7th with a 97 mph fastball, pumping his fist. (I'm sure about the 97 mph fastball and the fist pump).

I've seen many, many great Rice baseball games (double shutouts against LSU in 2002 Supers - nod to Stephen, Kenny Baugh's Super Regional win in 1999, a come from behind win in the Supers against A&M, the 2003 team beating Ryan Wagner and the Cougars in the Supers, the Baylor games in a Reckling regional including an airmailed intentional walk delivery, but the 2003 Reckling victory over UT has got to be in the Top 5.

When you think about it, picking a Top 5 out is pretty darn difficult.

[quote='grol' pid='9212143' dateline='1365461108']
I really liked having student announcers. It really felt like they were part of the team, part of the experience.

I really liked student announcers because they were far more articulate than what we have now.

(04-09-2013 06:34 PM)Benchwarmer Owl Wrote:  [quote='grol' pid='9212143' dateline='1365461108']
I really liked having student announcers. It really felt like they were part of the team, part of the experience.

I really liked student announcers because they were far more articulate than what we have now.

A. S. S. is likely to hear your request and storm the booth.

(04-09-2013 05:14 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

I thought Cruz tied it off Street with a HR in the 8th, and Street was out of the game when we won it in the 10th.

IIRC, Rice gave reigning CWS MVP Street his only blown save (at Reckling) and his only loss (Rosenblatt) of 2003.

That could also be the case. I remember Street blowing the save. The game winning it could have come off someone else.

(04-08-2013 05:25 PM)Jonathan Yardley Wrote:  

(04-08-2013 05:14 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  http://yardleybehindthemic.blogspot.com/...treak.html

I was coming here to post it, and somebody beat me to it. Thanks, Tiki!

I really was surprised at how few details I remember from games in that streak. Aside from beating Texas, of course. My highlight DVD, Thresher editions, and scorebooks are in storage back home, so I don't even have much handy in the way of reference material.

Would love to hear everybody else's favorite memories from that streak.

My favorite story was that I was not yet a season ticket holder because I was under the misimpression that things had not changed since the 1980's and that if you wanted to go to a Rice game, you just showed up and walked in. I drove 3 hours to see Rice play Texas -- without a ticket only to learn that the place was completely sold out. I was so determined to see the game that I walked down the right field line to climb one of those trees behind what is now The Roost. But the trees were full! All of them had kids (and some not so young kids) hanging off every branch. I went on down to the corner where folks were going on the hill (which was only about a quarter of its current size back the) still with no ticket. I said to the attendant, "Surely there is a way that an alumni who drive 3 hours to see this game can get in to watch the Owls beat Texas." He said that he was pretty sure that when he looked the other way, I could get myself a spot on the hillside. I did, but it was so packed even out there that I had to squeeze my way into the front row. I stood on my tip toes for three hours watching Townsend pitch a jewel. I remember the two UT guys next to me shrugging and saying, "Geez" when Townsend lit the radar gun up at 97 late in the game. It was a great night!

(04-10-2013 08:35 AM)JMay Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 05:14 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

I thought Cruz tied it off Street with a HR in the 8th, and Street was out of the game when we won it in the 10th.

IIRC, Rice gave reigning CWS MVP Street his only blown save (at Reckling) and his only loss (Rosenblatt) of 2003.

That could also be the case. I remember Street blowing the save. The [run] winning it could have come off someone else.

Street's only loss on the season (8-1 with 15 saves in 39 app) was definitely at Rosenblatt when we scratched one across on Ruchti's B9 walk-off RBI single.
http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...03aaa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Colleg...Game_.2312

The Texas stats don't have a blown save category, but according to a post from Baylorfans, Street's only blown save up to the CWS (where he did not have one) was against us (One Baylor fan tried to claim one from the Big XII tourney, but Street entered a tie game there).

(04-10-2013 08:35 AM)JMay Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 05:14 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

I thought Cruz tied it off Street with a HR in the 8th, and Street was out of the game when we won it in the 10th.

IIRC, Rice gave reigning CWS MVP Street his only blown save (at Reckling) and his only loss (Rosenblatt) of 2003.

That could also be the case. I remember Street blowing the save. The game winning it could have come off someone else.

Here's the box score:
http://wayback.archive.org/web/200304182...AME_ID=980

(04-10-2013 01:40 PM)texd Wrote:  

(04-10-2013 08:35 AM)JMay Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 05:14 PM)MJY Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 02:05 PM)JMay Wrote:  The 2-1 win against Texas at Reckling sticks in my mind. Enrique Cruz's hit off Huston Street won in for the Owls in the bottom of the 10th. It was a pretty awesome atmosphere at The Reck that night.

I thought Cruz tied it off Street with a HR in the 8th, and Street was out of the game when we won it in the 10th.

IIRC, Rice gave reigning CWS MVP Street his only blown save (at Reckling) and his only loss (Rosenblatt) of 2003.

That could also be the case. I remember Street blowing the save. The [run] winning it could have come off someone else.

Street's only loss on the season (8-1 with 15 saves in 39 app) was definitely at Rosenblatt when we scratched one across on Ruchti's B9 walk-off RBI single.
http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...03aaa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Colleg...Game_.2312

The Texas stats don't have a blown save category, but according to a post from Baylorfans, Street's only blown save up to the CWS (where he did not have one) was against us (One Baylor fan tried to claim one from the Big XII tourney, but Street entered a tie game there).

It was poetic justice that Rice got the better of Street in 2003, because he was darned lucky to get the save in the first CWS game in 2002. It was not just the freak play where Quintanilla knocked the ball down with his bare hand after whiffing on it with his glove, which allowed him to throw Sinisi out at home, but just before that, Street got the call on a very marginal 3-2 pitch to Lorsbach, right after L. just missed a two-run double down the line, and before that, Sinisi was clearly interfered with at 2nd on a stolen base, which prevented him from being at 3rd when the crazy play to end the inning occurred. I have always wondered if Street would have been as big as he ended up if we had beaten him in that 2002 game.

(04-10-2013 04:24 PM)MJY Wrote:  I have always wondered if Street would have been as big as he ended up if we had beaten him in that 2002 game.

Good question. Perhaps a blow to his confidence or less love from the press box would have changed everything...every year the announcers find one guy to love on, and Street, IIRC, was that guy.