Owl 69/70/75
Just an old rugby coach
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RE: Rice vs Stanford Game 2
(02-24-2018 11:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: (02-24-2018 10:59 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: You can’t be an elite team without an elite closer. Six great innings from a starter and the bullpen blows it will not get it done. I have said it before and will continue to maintain that your closer needs to be no worse than your third best pitcher. We won a national championship with Aardsma and got to Omaha with Anderson and CSC. The year after the natty, Aardsma had graduated and with almost everyone else back we didn’t get out of the regional., basically because our bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the championship game.
While I don't disagree with what you're saying, in 2003 Aardsma was our 5th best pitcher...and he was good, but certainly not great until the post-season, when he suddenly became elite. I think Gayle has the potential to be an elite closer, but I'm not sure if he's more than a 1 - 2 inning guy.
I could see fourth best, but only because the big three were so special. Who did you have as fourth? Not questioning your judgement so much as just trying to refresh my memory.
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02-24-2018 11:29 AM |
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clutj
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RE: Rice vs Stanford Game 2
(02-24-2018 11:29 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: (02-24-2018 11:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: (02-24-2018 10:59 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: You can’t be an elite team without an elite closer. Six great innings from a starter and the bullpen blows it will not get it done. I have said it before and will continue to maintain that your closer needs to be no worse than your third best pitcher. We won a national championship with Aardsma and got to Omaha with Anderson and CSC. The year after the natty, Aardsma had graduated and with almost everyone else back we didn’t get out of the regional., basically because our bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the championship game.
While I don't disagree with what you're saying, in 2003 Aardsma was our 5th best pitcher...and he was good, but certainly not great until the post-season, when he suddenly became elite. I think Gayle has the potential to be an elite closer, but I'm not sure if he's more than a 1 - 2 inning guy.
I could see fourth best, but only because the big three were so special. Who did you have as fourth? Not questioning your judgement so much as just trying to refresh my memory.
Steven Herce as 4th best?
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02-24-2018 11:36 AM |
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Ranger
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RE: Rice vs Stanford Game 2
(02-24-2018 11:29 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: (02-24-2018 11:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: (02-24-2018 10:59 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: You can’t be an elite team without an elite closer. Six great innings from a starter and the bullpen blows it will not get it done. I have said it before and will continue to maintain that your closer needs to be no worse than your third best pitcher. We won a national championship with Aardsma and got to Omaha with Anderson and CSC. The year after the natty, Aardsma had graduated and with almost everyone else back we didn’t get out of the regional., basically because our bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the championship game.
While I don't disagree with what you're saying, in 2003 Aardsma was our 5th best pitcher...and he was good, but certainly not great until the post-season, when he suddenly became elite. I think Gayle has the potential to be an elite closer, but I'm not sure if he's more than a 1 - 2 inning guy.
I could see fourth best, but only because the big three were so special. Who did you have as fourth? Not questioning your judgement so much as just trying to refresh my memory.
I am pretty sure he means Baker.
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02-24-2018 11:50 AM |
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Owl1998
Special Teams
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RE: Rice vs Stanford Game 2
I'm not as discouraged as some of you are....
Stanford is really good and I can see them making a run to Omaha. Our starting pitching has been pretty good. The bullpen is currently a disaster but hopefully that can turn around. Defensively we are terrible in one spot (LF) but pretty good everywhere else. When Dom and Dunlap get healthy, I like our lineup. We haven't been blatantly overmatched by Stanford but they're definitely better than us right now. But they're better than most teams right now too.
I think we're gonna be fine. The young kids will improve.
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02-24-2018 12:06 PM |
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waltgreenberg
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RE: Rice vs Stanford Game 2
(02-24-2018 11:29 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: (02-24-2018 11:14 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: (02-24-2018 10:59 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: You can’t be an elite team without an elite closer. Six great innings from a starter and the bullpen blows it will not get it done. I have said it before and will continue to maintain that your closer needs to be no worse than your third best pitcher. We won a national championship with Aardsma and got to Omaha with Anderson and CSC. The year after the natty, Aardsma had graduated and with almost everyone else back we didn’t get out of the regional., basically because our bullpen couldn’t hold the lead in the championship game.
While I don't disagree with what you're saying, in 2003 Aardsma was our 5th best pitcher...and he was good, but certainly not great until the post-season, when he suddenly became elite. I think Gayle has the potential to be an elite closer, but I'm not sure if he's more than a 1 - 2 inning guy.
I could see fourth best, but only because the big three were so special. Who did you have as fourth? Not questioning your judgement so much as just trying to refresh my memory.
Look at te 2003 stats...
http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...mcume.html
...Baker and Aardsma were essentially equivalent, especially when you factor in that a 1 - 2 inning closer's ERA is always somewhat inflated since they do not get credited with inherited runs scored. In fact, though he was only a middle reliever, with less innings pitched, Matheny had superior all-around numbers to Aardsma. Again, David didn't become special until the post-season. He was very much up and down during the regular season. It's easy to forget given how lights out his was in Omaha. Half of his 2003 saves were recorded in the post-season.
(This post was last modified: 02-24-2018 01:23 PM by waltgreenberg.)
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02-24-2018 12:21 PM |
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