New Depths in Sporting Failure, Sponsored (as always) by Baylor
by Vasherized on Jun 7, 2011 10:39 AM CDT
in Texas Longhorns and Other Baseball
Email
PrintIn the final game of the Houston Regional last night, Baylor held a three run lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning.
Baylor found ways to lose in ways that only Baylor can.
Ultimately, Cal Sophomore Devon Rodriguez delivered a two-run single to right on a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth to cap the rally by the Golden Bears, who trailed 7-1 after 5 1/2 innings.
The full meltdown is best enjoyed at Baylorfans.com, starting on page 24 as the formerly puritan Baptists steadily devolve into slandering and salacious malcontents, demanding coaches be fired, the program be shut down entirely, and that deceitful unnamed !!HEADS MUST ROLL!!
This is all a familiar roller coaster ride for Baylor Fan, who occasionally approaches the gates of sporting heaven only to plunge headlong into the fiery depths of hell. Except it's in slow motion -- pitch by pitch, error by error. They know it's coming, and there's nothing they can do about it.
Tell me about it.
If you don't have time to wade through all 36 pages of that glorious thread, here's a quick State of the Union:
I wish I was a Golden Bear right now instead of just a bear. Then we'd be playing Dallas Baptist, our brethrens in Christ.
Baylor's coach, Steve Smith, is now the most wanted man in Waco since Ramonce Taylor David Koresh. From reading through the live game thread, apparently Smith instructed his players to do this before -- Bucknering routine double play balls, hitting batters, failing to execute basic rundowns by leaving home plate wide the fuck open...It's a conspiracy! To lose! In new, exciting ways!
Coaches always say Act like you've been there. Baylor did exactly that. Now back to the loss column you go!
Despite how clutch Baylor was in delivering this loss, some credit has to go to Cal. They're acting typically existential about the triumph. The bigger concern is where to play the Super Regional. Cal's stadium doesn't have lights and Dallas Baptist's Stadium seats about 50 people.
I think Baylor should have to host it. 2012 can't come soon enough...
15 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I would suggest a larger stadium in the SF or Dallas area, but the Waco idea is much funnier.
by nordberg on Jun 7, 2011 10:55 AM CDT reply actions
I always forget. What year did you graduate from Baylor, nordberg?
by Vasherized on Jun 7, 2011 11:01 AM CDT reply actions
I caught the bottom of the ninth on Gametracker. I knew Baylor was done for when Tony Renda came up (hadn’t even known he played for Cal). A decade ago, his older brother Tommy’s San Mateo Babe Ruth team showed up with 8 players and 10-year-old Tony along for the ride to play my Menlo Park team. Rather than claim a forfeit, I told Tommy, “You can play your little brother in right if you want. You don’t have to bat him.”
First inning, one of our players gets a clean single to short right. Tony races in and with a perfect crow hop and captain’s wheel throws our runner out at first—a play I have never seen in any other game at any level ever. He bats and starts two rallies getting on base—I forget how now. He was without any doubt the best player on the field though five years younger than the others.
by OldTimeHorn on Jun 7, 2011 11:19 AM CDT reply actions
Magnitude 1.0 on the Choke Scale – as bright as it gets. This must have something to do with Brazos water.
by Tex Long on Jun 7, 2011 11:38 AM CDT reply actions
wow, i didn’t realize that Baylor had even lost until reading this.
I can’t believe one of those teams is going to Omaha. That should make getting tickets easier
by dick on Jun 7, 2011 11:47 AM CDT reply actions
Renda was the Pac 10 player of the year and he’s only a Sophomore so that story isn’t suprising, OldTimeHorn.
by Vasherized on Jun 7, 2011 12:07 PM CDT reply actions
Cal and DBU are going to play at Santa Clara’s home field.
by dick on Jun 7, 2011 12:48 PM CDT reply actions
Click over to Cal Golden Blogs if you want to hear the ninth inning.
by Drew Dunlevie on Jun 7, 2011 1:08 PM CDT reply actions
I played for Steve Smith at BU as a walk on for just over a semester before a weird compliance issue just made it easier to quit…
I appreciate the opportunity he gave me, and I generally respect the man, but all told, and certainly for my cup of coffee, he’s a better recruiter than a coach. There’s a reason none of his kids see the majors…
Sic ’Em Dears!
by scagnetti on Jun 7, 2011 1:34 PM CDT reply actions
That was an epic meltdown last night; I watched the 9th inning on the ESPN3 web feed. Unreal.
My all-time personal favorite Baylor being Baylor moment — and yes, there are so many to choose from — was at the 2005 CWS when Chance Wheeless pulled a Kirk Gibson and his 9th inning homer sent us to the finals and sent the Bears home. It’s my favorite largely b/c I was there to witness it.
That’s the year that Baylor owned us in the regular season, beating us 3 straight and then again in the Big 12 tourney. But in Omaha, things reverted to the norm and we beat them twice on the way to the title.
by burnt orange outrage on Jun 7, 2011 2:06 PM CDT reply actions
He was in our private baseball program for years, Vasherized. I’m pretty certain he was on one of our teams that won AAU Ntnl Championships at two different age levels. In any case, in a program with almost 400 ballplayers, about half of whom were D1 caliber, he stood out as our most competitive gamer. He would work a walk, lean into a pitch, drop a bunt, deke a runner… whatever it took to scratch out a win.
by OldTimeHorn on Jun 7, 2011 2:44 PM CDT reply actions
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704071704576277130580424792.html
Ironically, the Cal baseball program was almost eliminated by Cal-Berkeley due to budget woes. Cinderalla story if they make it to the CWS.
by torre on Jun 7, 2011 3:36 PM CDT reply actions
he stood out as our most competitive gamer. He would work a walk, lean into a pitch, drop a bunt, deke a runner… whatever it took to scratch out a win.
My ears are burning.
by David Eckstein on Jun 8, 2011 5:38 PM CDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
