Come on Cohen you intense bastard, give us something
- Thread starter weblow
- Start date
Have any of you even looked at his resume? especially at Kentucky! He took them from worst to first, but how long did it take? It took 3 years, not one or two. We will better this year with a more mature pitching staff, easier OOC schedule and more of Cohen's recruiting classes. We are on the right track.<div>
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Goat Holder II
Guest
Many will point to his record getting worse last year, and that that record was worse than his record in his second year at UK. But it's simple really. We played one of the hardest schedules in the country last year. 7 more wins, we are at 30-26, and maybe in a regional, and everyone's happy. UCLA, Oklahoma and countless other close games. I mean, how many close games did pitching lose for us last year?
So, yeah. I expect to be much improved this year, seeing how we have some experienced talent on the mound coupled with better talent, albeit young, in the field.
I am still trying to rationalize away that Jackson State loss though, I admit.
So, yeah. I expect to be much improved this year, seeing how we have some experienced talent on the mound coupled with better talent, albeit young, in the field.
I am still trying to rationalize away that Jackson State loss though, I admit.
The bottom line on that team is this- they weren't very good and they, as a team, had attitude issues.
Just to be clear, I'm pointing the finger at everybody.
The JSU debacle was unacceptable. The umpire in that game was a joke. Regardless, our hitters/coaches should have figured that out by no later than the third inning and got the bat off of their damn shoulders. Sometimes, **** like that happens where you get a homer umpire, but you have to adjust and do the best you can. You just have to try to foul it off until you can get a pitch to hit. The worst thing you can do is just stand there and wonder why he called a pitch that was all the way over in the other batter's box a strike for the 15th time like your surprised.
Also, and this is totally on coaching- against a team like that, because they were pretty bad defensively themselves, that's the kind of team and game you want to try to force the issue against because odds are they're going to screw it up. And we had Sam Frost on the bases a couple of times- the perfect guy to do some basestealing for us.
And to be clear again- I'm not blaming that loss on the umpire, although he should never ever be allowed on a baseball field again. I am blaming it on the team- including the coaches for not adjusting.
Just to be clear, I'm pointing the finger at everybody.
The JSU debacle was unacceptable. The umpire in that game was a joke. Regardless, our hitters/coaches should have figured that out by no later than the third inning and got the bat off of their damn shoulders. Sometimes, **** like that happens where you get a homer umpire, but you have to adjust and do the best you can. You just have to try to foul it off until you can get a pitch to hit. The worst thing you can do is just stand there and wonder why he called a pitch that was all the way over in the other batter's box a strike for the 15th time like your surprised.
Also, and this is totally on coaching- against a team like that, because they were pretty bad defensively themselves, that's the kind of team and game you want to try to force the issue against because odds are they're going to screw it up. And we had Sam Frost on the bases a couple of times- the perfect guy to do some basestealing for us.
And to be clear again- I'm not blaming that loss on the umpire, although he should never ever be allowed on a baseball field again. I am blaming it on the team- including the coaches for not adjusting.
You can add 7 wins to anyone's record and everyone's happy. That's a LOT of wins to try playing the what if game. Fact is, last year we were 10-5 in games decided by 1 run or that went to extra innings. If anything, our record last year was better than it very easily could have been.Goat Holder II said:
The only two guys left who ever played for Polk are Freeman and Collins. No one else is here. If we suck, there's no scapegoat.Todd4State said:
Plus, I heard way too many stories of the "Polk guys" getting on young guys for not caring enough for me to believe they were really leading a mutiny.
I saw Conner Powers hit a walk-off home run against Southeast Missouri State last year. No one was excited. Yeah, yeah, I know it's SEMO State, but when someone gets a game winning hit like that, act happy. It was like no one cared.
And if you don't believe me, ask Chris Stratton- who said in an interview this week, and I paraphrase- "It was like we were a bunch of individuals last year".
That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about attitude.
Notice in my post I said TO BE CLEAR that I was blaming everyone. I know Luke Bole had some attitude problems and that's why he is not with the team anymore- he was a Cohen recruit.
Now, as far as Polk's players- I think they wanted to win. But the bottom line there is this: 1. In general, they just weren't good enough and 2. They didn't want to win bad enough. Not that they didn't want to. They didn't know HOW to win. A lot of that is personality. Last year it seemed like we had a lot of guys that were hoping that someone else would make a play or get the big hit.
Other examples of what I'm talking about:
Chris Stratton doing extra film work and doing extra work to make him better. It wasn't a coincidence that he was our best pitcher last year.
Adam Frazier going to games at Georgia in his spare time in high school to learn more about the game and get better.
One of my good friends told me about going to a basketball game and he heard something going on at the baseball field. It was CT Bradford and someone throwing him extra batting practice and no one else.
How many of Polk's players did you hear that about since 2007? Maybe Ed Easley or Mitch Moreland or Jeffrey Rea?
Those are examples of what a team with a good attitude does. I really think that if there is anything that people notice this year, it's going to be a better overall attitude with the team.
But believe what you will.
And if you don't believe me, ask Chris Stratton- who said in an interview this week, and I paraphrase- "It was like we were a bunch of individuals last year".
That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about attitude.
Notice in my post I said TO BE CLEAR that I was blaming everyone. I know Luke Bole had some attitude problems and that's why he is not with the team anymore- he was a Cohen recruit.
Now, as far as Polk's players- I think they wanted to win. But the bottom line there is this: 1. In general, they just weren't good enough and 2. They didn't want to win bad enough. Not that they didn't want to. They didn't know HOW to win. A lot of that is personality. Last year it seemed like we had a lot of guys that were hoping that someone else would make a play or get the big hit.
Other examples of what I'm talking about:
Chris Stratton doing extra film work and doing extra work to make him better. It wasn't a coincidence that he was our best pitcher last year.
Adam Frazier going to games at Georgia in his spare time in high school to learn more about the game and get better.
One of my good friends told me about going to a basketball game and he heard something going on at the baseball field. It was CT Bradford and someone throwing him extra batting practice and no one else.
How many of Polk's players did you hear that about since 2007? Maybe Ed Easley or Mitch Moreland or Jeffrey Rea?
Those are examples of what a team with a good attitude does. I really think that if there is anything that people notice this year, it's going to be a better overall attitude with the team.
But believe what you will.
and whether. if we don't have Nick Routt and Ben Bracewell available, will we be a bit better in that department than we were last year. Chris Stratton can't do it by himself. I guess I'm in the wait and see camp but pitching has to significantly improve for our team to improve and past Stratton I don't see anybody that can be regularly depended on that I've seen pitch for us before. Obviously we should get some immediate help from some true freshmen.
last year. Apparently, one of Gene's moderators is a butt-buddy with Thompson. Anyhow......
These guys have to get better. Girodo, Reed, Graveman, Watson, Jones.
These guys have to get better. Girodo, Reed, Graveman, Watson, Jones.
It is the one position on the field that you cannot hide being below average at.
We have had a good bit of discussion about Butch and posters seem split on their opinion of him but the one thing that I think most people agree with is that if there is not a big improvement in pitching this year, Butch better pack his bags.
We have had a good bit of discussion about Butch and posters seem split on their opinion of him but the one thing that I think most people agree with is that if there is not a big improvement in pitching this year, Butch better pack his bags.
my overall prediction is what it is with 30 wins. What happens with a rotation of Stratton, Girodo, and Graveman? If that's our rotation, we're going to have some bullpen issues. That rotation that I just mentioned is not out of the realm of possibility if Devin Jones doesn't step up and Routt doesn't come back. To me, Tim Statz is kind of a wildcard right now, as is Hunter Renfroe. If Routt can't come back, we could go with Statz- who is also coming back from an injury and is further along than Routt and has looked OK in the scrimmages.
Hunter Renfroe is a wild card because he has the arm to be an elite closer, but he really has never pitched before and he is extremely raw. But, overall he has looked pretty good, and he might be the guy that saves us this year. We have never really replaced Aaron Weatherford.
If anything, I feel like we have more options, and so we should be able to absorb something like the loss of a Nick Routt better. But, I'll tell you one thing that really scares me about our staff is we somehow have zero senior pitchers. That's big in college where you need leaders amongst the pitching staff.
So, I think your concern is pretty legit.
Hunter Renfroe is a wild card because he has the arm to be an elite closer, but he really has never pitched before and he is extremely raw. But, overall he has looked pretty good, and he might be the guy that saves us this year. We have never really replaced Aaron Weatherford.
If anything, I feel like we have more options, and so we should be able to absorb something like the loss of a Nick Routt better. But, I'll tell you one thing that really scares me about our staff is we somehow have zero senior pitchers. That's big in college where you need leaders amongst the pitching staff.
So, I think your concern is pretty legit.
from CC Watson. He has been pretty wild every time out. Today was a little bit better, but still not where he needs to be.
As far as he is concerned, I think he will pitch very sparingly and they will try to rehab him and hope for the best for his junior year.
I think Reed will have a pretty good year for us- but he can not be forced into a starting pitching role.
As far as he is concerned, I think he will pitch very sparingly and they will try to rehab him and hope for the best for his junior year.
I think Reed will have a pretty good year for us- but he can not be forced into a starting pitching role.
Evan Mitchell is a very interesting pitcher. I think he will fit in somewhere- but that's the question, where?- bullpen, starter?
It seems to me like they're looking at him as a starter. He could be our Nick Routt 2008 this year.
It seems to me like they're looking at him as a starter. He could be our Nick Routt 2008 this year.
Seems like if we can run some guys out there who will just throw strikes, that will be a very positive first step...we gave up far too many walks last year. At the end of the day, IMHO, that is what killed us, especially with all those late inning disasters. That seems like something that is correctable, too. Get guys out there who'll pound the strike zone. Our team would have been much, much better with a closer and without the plethora of walks in huge moments.
... like Jay Powell was. Or a sober/drunk Pete Young.
That's it, Thompson! Just get a big boy tanked-up and put him on the mound!
That's it, Thompson! Just get a big boy tanked-up and put him on the mound!
I love the guys that come in and just blow people away.
I also have the same birthday as Mariano Rivera, so maybe that's it.
I really think Hunter Renfroe is going to be that guy for us. Bracewell is good though- no doubt.
I also have the same birthday as Mariano Rivera, so maybe that's it.
I really think Hunter Renfroe is going to be that guy for us. Bracewell is good though- no doubt.
We lost 7 games when leading after 5 innings. That's pathetic, especially when you consider we only had the lead 21 times after 5. We managed only a .667 win percentage with the lead halfway through the game.
We also let our opponent score 10+ runs 16 times. I recall several years back when we had a streak that extened though a couple season where we didn't allow double digit runs.
We also let our opponent score 10+ runs 16 times. I recall several years back when we had a streak that extened though a couple season where we didn't allow double digit runs.