(04-23-2014 09:22 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(04-23-2014 07:26 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-22-2014 10:40 PM)Swede Owl Wrote:  Reeves is a little dinged up from the weekend, and since this upcoming weekend series vs Southern Miss is so important (they're right behind us in the C-USA standings), they rested him. Ewing had a bad stomach bug so he wasn't even there to ensure he didn't get anyone else sick.

Reeves is more than "a little dinged up". He's been playing in severe pain since the Middle Tennessee series, with injuries to both his hand and leg....and it's the leg that's causing him the most problems. Simply amazing that he's able to catch over the weekends.

McDowell played as DH, but is not yet fully recovered from the flu bug. And Ford was forced to play, since we have no other available SS, but he has a milder version of what Skyler has (they're roomies), and from what I understand, it's a really bad virus and not the flu (as JP had indicated over the broadcast). Also, let's not forget that this is the last week of the Semester, and just about everyone has multiple papers due this week. In fact, the academic demands may keep one or two guys back from USM series, at least for the Friday game, as Semester-ending tests/papers will keep them from getting on the bus Thursday morning. (Note-- it's the longest bus ride of the year, by far, to get to Haittesburg.)

Let's just hope the sick and injured recover in time for Friday's game, as this USM series is critical, and USM is coming off a HUGE mid-week win over nationally ranked Alabama.

An uninformed opinion/question here...a long bus ride anywhere during the academic year is nuts for Rice Baseball. Couldn't Rice petition the CUSA officials to make a schedule that when Rice visits USM, it occurs after school is out? I am giving Rice the benefit of the doubt that you cannot fly into USM without a charter here. If not a call to arms from the RBI Club might be in order if the bus trip is due to budgetary constraints.

This bus trip at this time seems unduly harsh. The 2014 Rice Baseball Owls - The Movie is already getting to be somewhat unbelievable to be playing this level of baseball while facing all the various hardships that have been thrown at them so far this year. I am now seeing the movie pitch including a cross between King Leonidas of 300 fame and Mr. Creosote of The Meaning of Life, and a dash of the Black Knight from The Holy Grail.

* this posting was typed by the truly soft 13thOwl.

13th, there is NO easy way to get into Haittesburg. Even if you fly, you would still have a 1 1/2 - 2 hour bus ride. Remember, it was the bus ride to USM back in early 2009, coupled with a cold, wet rainy weekend, that resulted in arm injuries to both Berry and Ojala. We really need our upperclassmen (especially, our Seniors), who have a bit less academic pressure, to step up big time this weekend. That means Aquino (time to take a leadership role and turnaround your season as Ratterree did late in 2012), Cook, Hoelscher and McDowell, in particular.

(04-23-2014 09:37 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-23-2014 09:22 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(04-23-2014 07:26 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-22-2014 10:40 PM)Swede Owl Wrote:  Reeves is a little dinged up from the weekend, and since this upcoming weekend series vs Southern Miss is so important (they're right behind us in the C-USA standings), they rested him. Ewing had a bad stomach bug so he wasn't even there to ensure he didn't get anyone else sick.

Reeves is more than "a little dinged up". He's been playing in severe pain since the Middle Tennessee series, with injuries to both his hand and leg....and it's the leg that's causing him the most problems. Simply amazing that he's able to catch over the weekends.

McDowell played as DH, but is not yet fully recovered from the flu bug. And Ford was forced to play, since we have no other available SS, but he has a milder version of what Skyler has (they're roomies), and from what I understand, it's a really bad virus and not the flu (as JP had indicated over the broadcast). Also, let's not forget that this is the last week of the Semester, and just about everyone has multiple papers due this week. In fact, the academic demands may keep one or two guys back from USM series, at least for the Friday game, as Semester-ending tests/papers will keep them from getting on the bus Thursday morning. (Note-- it's the longest bus ride of the year, by far, to get to Haittesburg.)

Let's just hope the sick and injured recover in time for Friday's game, as this USM series is critical, and USM is coming off a HUGE mid-week win over nationally ranked Alabama.

An uninformed opinion/question here...a long bus ride anywhere during the academic year is nuts for Rice Baseball. Couldn't Rice petition the CUSA officials to make a schedule that when Rice visits USM, it occurs after school is out? I am giving Rice the benefit of the doubt that you cannot fly into USM without a charter here. If not a call to arms from the RBI Club might be in order if the bus trip is due to budgetary constraints.

This bus trip at this time seems unduly harsh. The 2014 Rice Baseball Owls - The Movie is already getting to be somewhat unbelievable to be playing this level of baseball while facing all the various hardships that have been thrown at them so far this year. I am now seeing the movie pitch including a cross between King Leonidas of 300 fame and Mr. Creosote of The Meaning of Life, and a dash of the Black Knight from The Holy Grail.

* this posting was typed by the truly soft 13thOwl.

13th, there is NO easy way to get into Haittesburg. Even if you fly, you would still have a 1 1/2 - 2 hour bus ride. Remember, it was the bus ride to USM back in early 2009, coupled with a cold, wet rainy weekend, that resulted in arm injuries to both Berry and Ojala. We really need our upperclassmen (especially, our Seniors), who have a bit less academic pressure, to step up big time this weekend. That means Aquino (time to take a leadership role and turnaround your season as Ratterree did late in 2012), Cook, Hoelscher and McDowell, in particular.

I remember Ry-an Ber-ry taking a wild cab ride from Houston to Hattiesburg tailing a bus driven by some dude with a bunch of tattoos and perhaps including a bus with mechanical difficulties...Of course watched the movie and didn't read the book.

(04-23-2014 09:37 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-23-2014 09:22 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  

(04-23-2014 07:26 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-22-2014 10:40 PM)Swede Owl Wrote:  Reeves is a little dinged up from the weekend, and since this upcoming weekend series vs Southern Miss is so important (they're right behind us in the C-USA standings), they rested him. Ewing had a bad stomach bug so he wasn't even there to ensure he didn't get anyone else sick.

Reeves is more than "a little dinged up". He's been playing in severe pain since the Middle Tennessee series, with injuries to both his hand and leg....and it's the leg that's causing him the most problems. Simply amazing that he's able to catch over the weekends.

McDowell played as DH, but is not yet fully recovered from the flu bug. And Ford was forced to play, since we have no other available SS, but he has a milder version of what Skyler has (they're roomies), and from what I understand, it's a really bad virus and not the flu (as JP had indicated over the broadcast). Also, let's not forget that this is the last week of the Semester, and just about everyone has multiple papers due this week. In fact, the academic demands may keep one or two guys back from USM series, at least for the Friday game, as Semester-ending tests/papers will keep them from getting on the bus Thursday morning. (Note-- it's the longest bus ride of the year, by far, to get to Haittesburg.)

Let's just hope the sick and injured recover in time for Friday's game, as this USM series is critical, and USM is coming off a HUGE mid-week win over nationally ranked Alabama.

An uninformed opinion/question here...a long bus ride anywhere during the academic year is nuts for Rice Baseball. Couldn't Rice petition the CUSA officials to make a schedule that when Rice visits USM, it occurs after school is out? I am giving Rice the benefit of the doubt that you cannot fly into USM without a charter here. If not a call to arms from the RBI Club might be in order if the bus trip is due to budgetary constraints.

This bus trip at this time seems unduly harsh. The 2014 Rice Baseball Owls - The Movie is already getting to be somewhat unbelievable to be playing this level of baseball while facing all the various hardships that have been thrown at them so far this year. I am now seeing the movie pitch including a cross between King Leonidas of 300 fame and Mr. Creosote of The Meaning of Life, and a dash of the Black Knight from The Holy Grail.

* this posting was typed by the truly soft 13thOwl.

13th, there is NO easy way to get into Haittesburg. Even if you fly, you would still have a 1 1/2 - 2 hour bus ride. Remember, it was the bus ride to USM back in early 2009, coupled with a cold, wet rainy weekend, that resulted in arm injuries to both Berry and Ojala. We really need our upperclassmen (especially, our Seniors), who have a bit less academic pressure, to step up big time this weekend. That means Aquino (time to take a leadership role and turnaround your season as Ratterree did late in 2012), Cook, Hoelscher and McDowell, in particular.

OK, I will climb out on that limb and predict that Aquino, Cook, Hoelscher, and McDowell will garner most of your game balls this weekend. This is not their first Rodeo. They may even bring back a shrubbery...

Attendance: 5125

Great crowd for a Tuesday.

What a great game. Everyone seemed to get into the act in the ninth. From the play by play description below the box score on Riceowls.com:

Rice 9th - RAY, P. to p for SCHLOTTMANN. Aquino singled to left field. Kopycinski singled to left center; Aquino advanced to second. Cook walked; Kopycinski advanced to second; Aquino advanced to third. Warren fouled out to lf, SF, RBI; Aquino scored. Hoelscher flied out to rf. K.Taylor walked; Cook advanced to second; Kopycinski advanced to third. C.Teykl singled to right center, 2 RBI; K.Taylor advanced to third; Cook scored; Kopycinski scored. MINTER to p for RAY, P.. Stainback hit by pitch; C.Teykl advanced to second. Murphy pinch hit for McCanna. VINSON to p for MINTER. Murphy flied out to cf. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Aquino stepped up and gave a little of that senior leadership that Walt was talking about. Kopycinski took advantage of his opportunity and continued the hitting brigade. Cook walked loading the bases. The freshman Warren hacked a ball that sliced into left scoring Aquino. Shane hit a screamer down the right field line that the Aggie right fielder made a sports center diving catch on in the corner. The former Aggie Taylor continued the inning with a walk. Teykl drove the ball back up the middle for a hit scoring two. Ford got hit in the foot saving the equalizer via the wild pitch/passed ball loading the bases one again. Then Mr. Student-Athlete Murphy filed out to centerfield to end the inning and the game. That nine guys taking at bats that inning, right? Just a beautiful, but imperfect inning.

If Shane's rocket into right had dropped, or if Ford had gotten out of the way of the pitch that hit him, Rice at the worst, ties the game and at the best wins. Baseball is cruel, but very entertaining. I expect them to battle hard this weekend while working in Hattiesburg. Thanks guys for the effort last night.

(04-23-2014 10:26 AM)13thOwl Wrote:  If Shane's rocket into right had dropped, or if Ford had gotten out of the way of the pitch that hit him, Rice at the worst, ties the game and at the best wins. Baseball is cruel, but very entertaining.

  Peanuts World Series 22 Dec 1962.gif (Size: 38.88 KB / Downloads: 34)

http://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1962/12/22#.U1gWEJ0o6Uk

Not to go unnoticed, the fact that McCarthy and Orewiler were able to eat up 7 innings in relief (even if Ryan took an inning or two to settle in) could prove incredbily important to our success this sweekend, as it allowed Teykl (only threw to 2 batters) and Ditman to be saved for USM (when each will likely be used on multiple occassions). We also should have a well rested and, hopefully, fully recovered from the flu, McDowell, ready to provide quality bullpen innings.

I think this was the last home game before Finals Break. The Rice team is almost always better after finals when they can finally just play baseball instead of having to study.