Owls just aren't good enough right now to spot anybody 4 runs in the 1st inning.

The problem is very simple. We don't have the same talent level we have had in the past. It is easy to pin the blame on this play or that play. But the bottom line is that when you out-talent the opposition, you can get away with mistakes, but when you don't, you can't.

It's the same with football. We can't out-athlete most people, so our mistakes get magnified. I never really saw any plan from Bailiff, except to get to were we could out-athlete people. We never seemed to have a plan to out-scheme and out-execute opponents. If we had Alabama's football talent, we could make the mistakes and still win. But we don't, and we never will, so we can't.

We had that kind of talent in baseball for several years, at least relative to our conference mates and most people in our region. We don't anymore.

(03-24-2018 06:55 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The problem is very simple. We don't have the same talent level we have had in the past. It is easy to pin the blame on this play or that play. But the bottom line is that when you out-talent the opposition, you can get away with mistakes, but when you don't, you can't.

It's the same with football. We can't out-athlete most people, so our mistakes get magnified. I never really saw any plan from Bailiff, except to get to were we could out-athlete people. We never seemed to have a plan to out-scheme and out-execute opponents. If we had Alabama's football talent, we could make the mistakes and still win. But we don't, and we never will, so we can't.

We had that kind of talent in baseball for several years, at least relative to our conference mates and most people in our region. We don't anymore.

I don't think it's this simple. Yes, being more talented helps paper over some mistakes. But we didn't go from nothing in the 90s to winning it all in 2003 simply by out talenting our opposition. Talent got better as we went along, but it isn't like Graham inherited a Alabama-Saban quality roster when he got here.

Somewhere along the way we lost a step (or several) with regards to execution. For a while, the talent gap might have hidden it. But we definitely lost those steps.

Football never had that talent.. so approaching it as though we did was just stupid off the bat. But vastly different situation from baseball where we went from not having the talent and out executing to having the talent and out executing to not having the talent and out executing to now having neither. Big difference.

(03-24-2018 06:55 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  The problem is very simple. We don't have the same talent level we have had in the past. It is easy to pin the blame on this play or that play. But the bottom line is that when you out-talent the opposition, you can get away with mistakes, but when you don't, you can't.

It's the same with football. We can't out-athlete most people, so our mistakes get magnified. I never really saw any plan from Bailiff, except to get to were we could out-athlete people. We never seemed to have a plan to out-scheme and out-execute opponents. If we had Alabama's football talent, we could make the mistakes and still win. But we don't, and we never will, so we can't.

We had that kind of talent in baseball for several years, at least relative to our conference mates and most people in our region. We don't anymore.

100% agree. The thing that frustrates me is we used to lose to teams like Lamar, SHSU, or even bad conference opponents because they wouldn't make any mistakes. We wouldn't lose because of a lack of talent but more of mental lapses. We would approach games like that as if we were playing a hs team at times where to them it was an opportunity to play with the big boys. This is kind of the whole "anyone can win on any given day" belief. The difference is now that we have lost the talent we used to have these mistakes seem magnified. With our current talent, if we played sound ball we would be above .500. Not a question in my mind. However in years past we could shoot ourselves in the foot and overcome it because of the players we had.

I think you are both right. The talent level is lower than it used to be. AND the execution is consistently worse than it used to be. It’s not either/or, it’s both.

Not surprising after what happen last year. Can’t wait until Graham is gone.

(03-24-2018 08:34 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  I think you are both right. The talent level is lower than it used to be. AND the execution is consistently worse than it used to be. It’s not either/or, it’s both.

(03-24-2018 11:20 PM)OldOwl Wrote:  Not surprising after what happen last year. Can’t wait until Graham is gone.

(03-24-2018 08:34 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  I think you are both right. The talent level is lower than it used to be. AND the execution is consistently worse than it used to be. It’s not either/or, it’s both.

Ditto that

(03-24-2018 08:34 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  I think you are both right. The talent level is lower than it used to be. AND the execution is consistently worse than it used to be. It’s not either/or, it’s both.

Well, worse talent usually reflects itself in worse execution. And when the talent level is lower, there is more need to press, and that begets errors.

Yes it took a while to get over there from beer bike.

(03-24-2018 02:34 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  View after 1st inning. Late arriving crowd?

(03-25-2018 08:37 PM)75src Wrote:  Yes it took a while to get over there from beer bike.

(03-24-2018 02:34 PM)Almadenmike Wrote:  View after 1st inning. Late arriving crowd?

Sad. That is the result of alumni placing a coach's desire above the good of the program. Wayne hasn't take the team to Omaha in TEN YEARS!

That's odd because we won the national championship FIFTEEN years ago. I wonder where those games were played??

(03-26-2018 07:56 AM)Bulldinkydurham Wrote:  Sad. That is the result of alumni placing a coach's desire above the good of the program. Wayne hasn't take the team to Omaha in TWENTY YEARS!

Not sure where you learned to do math, but Rice baseball went to Omaha in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008. That looks more like 10 years than 20 years. Why do you feel the need to exaggerate to make your point? Or do you just not have any real knowledge of the program's history.

Also, there are plenty of alumni and non-alumni Rice baseball supporters that believe a head coaching change should have already been made. Please don't lump all alumni together in this.

(03-26-2018 10:33 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(03-26-2018 07:56 AM)Bulldinkydurham Wrote:  Sad. That is the result of alumni placing a coach's desire above the good of the program. Wayne hasn't take the team to Omaha in TWENTY YEARS!

Not sure where you learned to do math, but Rice baseball went to Omaha in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008. That looks more like 10 years than 20 years. Why do you feel the need to exaggerate to make your point? Or do you just not have any real knowledge of the program's history.

Also, there are plenty of alumni and non-alumni Rice baseball supporters that believe a head coaching change should have already been made. Please don't lump all alumni together in this.

Sorry ten years ago....seems like twenty based on the recent state of Rice baseball .