I never thought I'd have to turn from the CWS to the World Cup in order to see more scoring ...

(06-18-2014 06:27 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  I never thought I'd have to turn from the CWS to the World Cup in order to see more scoring ...

So that is one of the best comments I have read on the parliament. Well done!

Damani Leech, NCAA rep on TV tonight says they are hoping the new ball will make a positive difference with offense nationally and in Omaha. Says they discussed this morning moving the walls in at CWS. Everything is on the table. Mentions WG from Rice as very vocal about where the game is.

Rep says teams got here on backs of great pitching, not hitting. Just mentioned Wayne.

If new ball really adds 20' to hits, it will make a huge change. Wish they had gone to them for this series.

(06-18-2014 06:27 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  I never thought I'd have to turn from the CWS to the World Cup in order to see more scoring ...

I was thinking the same as this so I did some number crunching to see if this joke holds up.

CWS: 9 games - 44 runs, 30 hours of play = 1.46 runs/hour

World Cup: 20 games - 60 goals, 30 hours of play = 2 goals/hour

(06-18-2014 10:39 PM)owlaholic Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 06:27 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  I never thought I'd have to turn from the CWS to the World Cup in order to see more scoring ...

I was thinking the same as this so I did some number crunching to see if this joke holds up.

CWS: 9 games - 44 runs, 30 hours of play = 1.46 runs/hour

World Cup: 20 games - 60 goals, 30 hours of play = 2 goals/hour

ESPN with a lot of graphics last night on the diminishing offense. Also showed a picture of the current ball and next year's to demonstrate the difference in seams.

Would seem ESPN realizes as the offense dwindles, so does the audience.

The bottom line to me is that getting to Omaha has always been about depth of pitching, even in the LSU gorilla ball days...and a balanced offensive attack that capitalizes on other teams mistakes (like Texas did today). But this stadium does have a significant difference over RosenBlatt -- orientation of the field vs prevailing winds.

The dimensions at Rosenblatt and TD Ameritrade are exactly the same-335 feet down the lines, 375 in the gaps and 408 to center. But while home plate at Rosenblatt had a traditional southwest orientation, it has been rotated 90 degrees at TD Ameritrade. This was done because city fathers wanted the view out to center field to include the Omaha skyline as opposed to open space out in Iowa. What this has done is change the way prevailing winds come into play. At Rosenblatt the wind usually blew out to center field, now it blows in; probably wouldn't have been an issue with the old bats imho; but it came at the same time as the new BBCOR bats, and that amplified the effect. I wonder how much pressure ESPN will bring to bear to move in the fences? Even UVA moved their fences in slightly (404 to center now vs 408) from the Rosenblatt dimensions, but not enough to cause a cascade of homeruns. http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/g...ark-omaha/

(06-18-2014 09:26 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  The new balls will help next year, but that ballpark is just so cavernous, not sure it will help the CWS enough. They need to move the fences in.

Just rotate the field 90º.

(06-20-2014 06:04 PM)grol Wrote:  Just rotate the field 90º.

Excellent suggestion. Who builds field-rotating equipment these days?

(06-20-2014 11:05 PM)elf owl Wrote:  

(06-20-2014 06:04 PM)grol Wrote:  Just rotate the field 90º.

Excellent suggestion. Who builds field-rotating equipment these days?

Those guys that turned Willy's statue?

(06-21-2014 01:38 AM)mrbig Wrote:  

(06-20-2014 11:05 PM)elf owl Wrote:  

(06-20-2014 06:04 PM)grol Wrote:  Just rotate the field 90º.

Excellent suggestion. Who builds field-rotating equipment these days?

Those guys that turned Willy's statue?

I was going to nerd-out and say Magneto, but you win.

Same complaint in the major leagues?

Quote:Scouts routinely bemoan the lack of legitimate power hitters in college programs. Since the N.C.A.A. switched to a less lively bat in 2011, the college game has been largely predicated on stolen bases and small ball; Vanderbilt just won a championship despite going almost six weeks without a homer before the title game.

College baseball programs are allowed only 11.7 scholarships, fewer than other popular sports, and most scholarships are only partial. Further, argued the agent Scott Boras, the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which essentially capped teams’ draft spending, has chased away potential power hitters.

There may be compelling reasons to change the college game, but the fact that it is currently "bemoaned" by professional scouts is not one of them.

(07-05-2014 05:15 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  There may be compelling reasons to change the college game, but the fact that it is currently "bemoaned" by professional scouts is not one of them.

Yeah, pretty lame excuse. Anyone who has a clue know he's BS on college not supplying enough 'power hitters'. I doubt power hitters are sitting at home right now and not playing, pouting over the fact that it's too hard to hit HR's and they won't get paid many, many, many times over what they'd be making otherwise as of someone their age.

This article should of ran like this...

Power hitting is down because...
Baseball is screwing over hitters b/c pitchers are better, defense shifts, and stubborn hitters who aren't taking steroids or amphetamines.

The major league have moved fences in or out many times over the years. The Astrodome was too much a pitcher's park with distant fences so several years later a false fence was built a few feet closer in. The same story is true for many of the other parks over the years.

It is shame ESPN will not do more analytics since there are bound to be big enough to have an analytics department,

(06-18-2014 11:07 AM)mrbig Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 10:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-18-2014 10:04 AM)mrbig Wrote:  I still think the answer is to going to slightly more lively metal bats. Why the big push for wood or composite? I just don't get it. This isn't MLB or MiLB. No need to simulate those games just to make scouting hitters easier. The college game should have its own niche where guys can hit homers at a reasonable pace, elite hitters put up elite numbers, and elite pitchers can still dominte without fear that a 5'6" middle-infielder can hit a HR off the end of the bat. There is balance to be found without trying to make younger, weaker, less-talented college players hit with equipment meant to mimic professional baseball.

Alternatively, and more expensively, move the fences in at every college ballpark in america (except for the few that are bandboxes with the current bats). If all the fences were moved in ~10-15 feet all the way around, that would certainly return the college game to its previous levels of excitment while still letting scouts see how well college players hit without juiced bats.

I agree with your first statement, but not your second. Moving in fences and making all college parks bandboxes does not help the game, IMO; rather, it hurts the inegrity of the game. Routine fly balls should not become homeruns. The problem we've had the past several years is that well hit line shots have become routine outs, as they do not carry...and, similarly, well hit, deep fly balls stay in the park. Change both the balls (check!) and bats; not the parks.

I'm not advocating moving in fences, but I don't see how moving them in hurts the integrity of the game. What's the practical difference between tweaking the bats & balls so the ball gets hit further and moving in the fences slightly but keeping the same bats & balls that don't travel as far? The only goal of this suggestion would be to allow some of those well-hit balls that look like they should be a HR to actually become a HR. Again, its a ridiculous suggestion on my part since the cost of moving in all fences ~10 feet for almost every stadium in the country would be much more than the benefit and certainly much more costly than tweaking the bats & balls.

I haven't been watching the CWS to fault or applaud ESPN's coverage. But when head coaches are calling out the bats & balls during and after the game, I think there is a legit story.