Amazing year-end run. You guys are winners in every description of the word. Thanks for the ride

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:33 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I just read Zech tweeted apology to his teammates and the fans. Zech your heart is in the right place but there is no need. No one is automatic. You had a great year.

+1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

(06-10-2013 07:16 AM)DFW Owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 07:13 AM)I45owl Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 10:51 PM)DFW Owl Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 10:26 PM)Riceman2004 Wrote:  That pitch was definitely out, then again, you've got to get the bunt down earlier in the at bat

Stupid to even try to bunt in my opinion. I would much rather that we try to play for 2 runs and the win instead of trying to scratch out a run and go to the 18th tied.

Rice was the home team ... one run would've ended the game with a win.

No, in bottom of the 17th we were down 1 run.

ok. I was thinking the wrong inning and am suffering serious sleep deprivation.

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team.

Hmmm.... It's hard to look at all those strange batting decisions and unforced baserunning outs on and say we got the most out of our hitting abilities.

(06-10-2013 08:52 AM)dubpack Wrote:  1. Home plate ump last night was the worst I have ever seen. No consistency whatsoever. It seemed to be "consistently inconsistent" but still....have to imagine NCSU & Rice pitchers got a bit frusterated a time or two.

I thought he did ok through the first few innings with maybe an exception or two. After the rain delay, he was infuriating. I'd imagine the hitters probably had more to complain about.

(06-10-2013 08:52 AM)dubpack Wrote:  2. Simms was unbelievable. Kid seems cool, composed, and just rocks and fires....he was straight dominant for 6+. Was he drafted/eligible yet?

Either in this thread or one of the others, I think the expectation is that Simms will leave, even though he'll only get mediocre money (but it wasn't clear to me if that was the inclination before the draft or afterwards). I don't know what inning he was drafted, but I don't think it was terribly high.

(06-10-2013 08:53 AM)NicevilleWRC Wrote:  Great season, Owls!

And anyone who thinks NCSU doesn't belong in Omaha is off their rocker; many think they should have been the 8th national seed over Oregon and we nearly knocked them both out!

I agree. NCSU is a solid team and earned their way to Omaha. Not making any errors through the three games in this Super Regional speaks well of the team.

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:33 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I just read Zech tweeted apology to his teammates and the fans. Zech your heart is in the right place but there is no need. No one is automatic. You had a great year.

+1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

More is better, but I'm not sure that the purported depth of pitching to 10-11 pitchers is an imperative. We didn't lose any games in the post-season due to poor pitching (pitching mistakes yes, but it's hard to argue that you'll have fewer of those from your #9 or #10 pitcher than from your starting rotation or stud closer).

I will not presume to suggest that there is anyone better qualified to manage pitchers in the college game than Wayne Graham.

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:33 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I just read Zech tweeted apology to his teammates and the fans. Zech your heart is in the right place but there is no need. No one is automatic. You had a great year.

+1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

I most certainly didn't think lack of pitching depth was our downfall during the post-season run. Our pitching was generally excellent. It wasn't perfect, but it was easily among the best in the country. In comparison, I didn't think Carlos Rodon matched his hype at all. Rice had both games in hand against NC State in the 9th, but give credit for NC State for coming through with miracles.

I do have concern for all the gaffes and errors that Rice made, particularly on the basepaths; and in the last AB, I thought Christian Stringer could have thought more about what he was going to swing at in a potentially winning 2-out situation. He swung at the first ball from a contact pitcher!! Predictably, it was a fly out. As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

(06-10-2013 02:29 PM)Bay Area Owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:33 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I just read Zech tweeted apology to his teammates and the fans. Zech your heart is in the right place but there is no need. No one is automatic. You had a great year.

+1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

I most certainly didn't think lack of pitching depth was our downfall during the post-season run. Our pitching was generally excellent. It wasn't perfect, but it was easily among the best in the country. In comparison, I didn't think Carlos Rodon matched his hype at all. Rice had both games in hand against NC State in the 9th, but give credit for NC State for coming through with miracles.

I do have concern for all the gaffes and errors that Rice made, particularly on the basepaths; and in the last AB, I thought Christian Stringer could have thought more about what he was going to swing at in a potentially winning 2-out situation. He swung at the first ball from a contact pitcher!! Predictably, it was a fly out. As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

You could tell that as soon as he made contact with the ball, that he knew he had messed up and shouldn't have chased the ball. If you caught his facial expression, you could see the pain he felt.

(06-10-2013 02:29 PM)Bay Area Owl Wrote:  As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

My thoughts exactly! The talent was there, but the decision-making held it back. And decision-making seems like something that should be quite learnable, and therefore something Rice should excel at.
And THAT's what so frustrating -- to fall short in the very skill that should, in theory, be a strength of Rice, not a weakness.

At the risk of comparing apples to oranges, it's a bit like the frustration many fans feel in football when Rice struggles with clock management. Of all the skills it takes to win a game, the ones that are purely mental should be the LAST ones getting in Rice's way.

(06-10-2013 02:29 PM)Bay Area Owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:33 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  I just read Zech tweeted apology to his teammates and the fans. Zech your heart is in the right place but there is no need. No one is automatic. You had a great year.

+1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

I most certainly didn't think lack of pitching depth was our downfall during the post-season run. Our pitching was generally excellent. It wasn't perfect, but it was easily among the best in the country. In comparison, I didn't think Carlos Rodon matched his hype at all. Rice had both games in hand against NC State in the 9th, but give credit for NC State for coming through with miracles.

I do have concern for all the gaffes and errors that Rice made, particularly on the basepaths; and in the last AB, I thought Christian Stringer could have thought more about what he was going to swing at in a potentially winning 2-out situation. He swung at the first ball from a contact pitcher!! Predictably, it was a fly out. As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

I think Lemond being gassed hurt us the last two games. Just my opinion, but we rode him hard the last few weeks and he didn't look the same. I'm not questioning effort or conditioning or anything on his part, I just think if we had another pitcher we trusted out of the bullpen (instead of just 3 starters plus Lemond) he would've held up better. Same with Simms last week. Having him warm up all game the first 2 games and then come back Sunday hurt us. Again, just my opinion. I'm also not saying we need NC State type depth, just that 4 isn't enough. If we had won at the end yesterday, who were we going to throw today? Somebody who hadn't pitched in weeks, or somebody on no rest. If we stayed in the winner's bracket all the way through we would've been ok, but to come from the loser's bracket we could've used some more. It's a credit to our boys that we almost pulled it off anyway.

(06-10-2013 02:52 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 02:29 PM)Bay Area Owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  +1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

I most certainly didn't think lack of pitching depth was our downfall during the post-season run. Our pitching was generally excellent. It wasn't perfect, but it was easily among the best in the country. In comparison, I didn't think Carlos Rodon matched his hype at all. Rice had both games in hand against NC State in the 9th, but give credit for NC State for coming through with miracles.

I do have concern for all the gaffes and errors that Rice made, particularly on the basepaths; and in the last AB, I thought Christian Stringer could have thought more about what he was going to swing at in a potentially winning 2-out situation. He swung at the first ball from a contact pitcher!! Predictably, it was a fly out. As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

I think Lemond being gassed hurt us the last two games. Just my opinion, but we rode him hard the last few weeks and he didn't look the same. I'm not questioning effort or conditioning or anything on his part, I just think if we had another pitcher we trusted out of the bullpen (instead of just 3 starters plus Lemond) he would've held up better. Same with Simms last week. Having him warm up all game the first 2 games and then come back Sunday hurt us. Again, just my opinion. I'm also not saying we need NC State type depth, just that 4 isn't enough. If we had won at the end yesterday, who were we going to throw today? Somebody who hadn't pitched in weeks, or somebody on no rest. If we stayed in the winner's bracket all the way through we would've been ok, but to come from the loser's bracket we could've used some more. It's a credit to our boys that we almost pulled it off anyway.

I'm with you. We did use Lemond up Not his fault that he tired. Had we had just one more arm we could really count on, we could have allowed Lemond to rest and used him on Monday. But, quite frankly, while some of the other pitchers in the pen did well at times, they did not do so on a consistent basis, and coach had no choice but to use a fatigued Lemond. We don't need 9 or 10 pitchers like NC State, but we need at least five that we could always count on. We only had four.

(06-10-2013 02:52 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 02:29 PM)Bay Area Owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 01:56 PM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 09:00 AM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 06:44 AM)MemOwl Wrote:  +1

Without Zech being perfect in Eugene, we would not have made it to Raleigh.

My two cents on Game 2 is just this--as tough as it was to swallow the 9th inning, we ended up getting top shelf performances from ALL THREE of our starting pitchers. None of them left anything in the tank.

Tip of the cap to NC State for exploiting their opportunities and for the depth of the bullpen that Walt had warned us about. They used more pitchers in Game 2 than we used in the last 6 weeks of the season.

We've got to learn from NC State and find more pitchers next year. We can't just ride 4, no matter how good those 4 are.

Wow. I got something else out of this weekend. I got the idea that you maximize what you do with the talent you have. I thought Rice did an excellent job of getting everything it could out of this team. It did this in part by riding four excellent pitchers into the post-season. A hit here or there and they are still playing. Finding someone else to take the ball was not something I got out of this weekend, or last weekend for that matter.

I most certainly didn't think lack of pitching depth was our downfall during the post-season run. Our pitching was generally excellent. It wasn't perfect, but it was easily among the best in the country. In comparison, I didn't think Carlos Rodon matched his hype at all. Rice had both games in hand against NC State in the 9th, but give credit for NC State for coming through with miracles.

I do have concern for all the gaffes and errors that Rice made, particularly on the basepaths; and in the last AB, I thought Christian Stringer could have thought more about what he was going to swing at in a potentially winning 2-out situation. He swung at the first ball from a contact pitcher!! Predictably, it was a fly out. As much heart as this team had, better situational discipline would have gotten this talented team to Omaha...

I think Lemond being gassed hurt us the last two games. Just my opinion, but we rode him hard the last few weeks and he didn't look the same. I'm not questioning effort or conditioning or anything on his part, I just think if we had another pitcher we trusted out of the bullpen (instead of just 3 starters plus Lemond) he would've held up better. Same with Simms last week. Having him warm up all game the first 2 games and then come back Sunday hurt us. Again, just my opinion. I'm also not saying we need NC State type depth, just that 4 isn't enough. If we had won at the end yesterday, who were we going to throw today? Somebody who hadn't pitched in weeks, or somebody on no rest. If we stayed in the winner's bracket all the way through we would've been ok, but to come from the loser's bracket we could've used some more. It's a credit to our boys that we almost pulled it off anyway.

Completely agree. If we had had what has become a common Rice bullpen heading into postseason play, I think we would be playing today for a spot in Omaha. As it is, it is a tough break for a kid that carried us to where we got to. I hope Zech can shake it off and remember the amazing year he had. He and Jordan Stephens are going to make a hell of a one-two combo next year.

We played NC State closer on the road than FSU ( a national seed) played Indiana at home, and better (thus far, it is only the seventh inning) than UVA( also a national seed) has played Miss. St.

(06-09-2013 10:48 PM)RiceDad Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 10:32 PM)Owl-88 Wrote:  Yuck. What a crummy way to end the game. Two great opportunities to win were wasted this weekend. Still, a great season for the Owls. No shame in losing a SR on the road. I don't think Rice has ever won one away from Houston.

bull****, we beat LSU in Baton Rouge in a SR several years ago. Can't remember which year, but most times, we don't have to go on the road for an SR, so this loss is no consolation in that respect, or any other. It was merely a painful and very disappointing loss because we could have w/o two ninth inning meltdowns and would have won.

Sorry, but Rice has never won a SR on the road. All SR victories were at Reckling. We did beat LSU in the regionals at Baton Rouge, but lost to Tulane in New Orleans.

(06-09-2013 11:03 PM)wrysal Wrote:  Just a razor-thin close series. I think Rice wins if it's at Reckling, I think Rice wins if our hit to right of the corner of the fence isn't turned into a single while theirs is turned into a triple (there was no error by Ratteree there, he just slipped down), I think Rice wins if NC State ever does anything wrong, like commit an error even a wild pitch or passed ball. You can't get any more fundamentally sound than NC State this series. Great series, Rice just still doesn't have the sticks to go all the way.

C'mon Bailiff - no preseason this year!

1+

And Byrd was safe at second.

(06-10-2013 02:07 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(06-10-2013 08:52 AM)dubpack Wrote:  1. Home plate ump last night was the worst I have ever seen. No consistency whatsoever. It seemed to be "consistently inconsistent" but still....have to imagine NCSU & Rice pitchers got a bit frusterated a time or two.

I thought he did ok through the first few innings with maybe an exception or two. After the rain delay, he was infuriating. I'd imagine the hitters probably had more to complain about.

Dubpack, consider yourself fortunate haven't seen Greg Oros ump.

Watching TV, last night's home plate ump seemed to be pretty consistent -- until that 4-strike, 4-pitch walk he gave a Pack batter against Sims late in the game. His zone was low and wide (especially outside), but there was nothing like the 18-inch-outside third strike that Savery was rung up on at the CWS a few years back. (For dubpack's edification, maybe someone can post that damning photo; I couldn't find it in a quick search.) We've really seen a lot of bad-umpiring over the years. We wish our experience was more like yours in that regard, dubpack. :-)

(06-10-2013 04:20 PM)Memphis Owl Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 10:48 PM)RiceDad Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 10:32 PM)Owl-88 Wrote:  Yuck. What a crummy way to end the game. Two great opportunities to win were wasted this weekend. Still, a great season for the Owls. No shame in losing a SR on the road. I don't think Rice has ever won one away from Houston.

bull****, we beat LSU in Baton Rouge in a SR several years ago. Can't remember which year, but most times, we don't have to go on the road for an SR, so this loss is no consolation in that respect, or any other. It was merely a painful and very disappointing loss because we could have w/o two ninth inning meltdowns and would have won.

Sorry, but Rice has never won a SR on the road. All SR victories were at Reckling. We did beat LSU in the regionals at Baton Rouge, but lost to Tulane in New Orleans.

I think you overreached just a tad. IIRC, we won a SR victory at the Astrodome against ULaLa in 1999.

(06-11-2013 03:13 PM)I45owl Wrote:  I think you overreached just a tad. IIRC, we won a SR victory at the Astrodome against ULaLa in 1999.

Damn ... was that back in '99 ? And didn't we have to start one game at 5:00 or 6:00 AM due to an Astro game later in the day ??

That was a "home" SR.

(06-11-2013 03:22 PM)Da.Owl Wrote:  

(06-11-2013 03:13 PM)I45owl Wrote:  I think you overreached just a tad. IIRC, we won a SR victory at the Astrodome against ULaLa in 1999.

Damn ... was that back in '99 ? And didn't we have to start one game at 5:00 or 6:00 AM due to an Astro game later in the day ??

As I recall, that early-morning start was for a regular-season series that got moved to the Astrodome due to bad weather. For the 1999 super-regional, I think the reason we were able to bid the Astrodome as host site was that the Astros were out of town.

(06-11-2013 04:49 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(06-11-2013 03:22 PM)Da.Owl Wrote:  

(06-11-2013 03:13 PM)I45owl Wrote:  I think you overreached just a tad. IIRC, we won a SR victory at the Astrodome against ULaLa in 1999.

Damn ... was that back in '99 ? And didn't we have to start one game at 5:00 or 6:00 AM due to an Astro game later in the day ??

As I recall, that early-morning start was for a regular-season series that got moved to the Astrodome due to bad weather. For the 1999 super-regional, I think the reason we were able to bid the Astrodome as host site was that the Astros were out of town.

That's my recollection as well.