CWS - Who takes home the hardware

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Hey in the press conference after the game, Mike Fox took all of the negative of that play and put it on himself. Class act. Steed will be up in a big situation again. He'll have his chance. RedBirdFan you're right. You cannot single out one play in a baseball game. That is the beauty of it.

Last time I checked that is what is supposed to happen. Good teams take advantage of mistakes by other teams and exploit their weaknesses. Hence, Oregon State, the less talented of the two, was able to beat the mighty heels.

Bard was incredible Braves, as was Hovis, Flack, Horton. I heard on the rumor mill woody is back next year. I will enjoy watching him anchor next years staff.

As a pitching guy, but not second guessing: Why do we take woodard out. 2 runs in 13 innings, gives up a double and he's out, with a 3 run lead. Sorry for the George Michael reference, but you gotta have faith...faith...faith.

 

You know Andro, you really bring up some good points. I believe you have to be a former pitcher to really understand them. When to take them out...when to leave them in. You can never leave it up to the pitcher to decide, but you must know your pitchers.

In Daniel's last inning he was still serving gas. He made some great pitches against the batter that walked and then got one in (perfect pitch) on the hands of the batter that blooped one over the 3rd B. It was his game to win or lose at that point and he didn't seem to be tired at all. Ya gotta have confidence in your pitchers and know when to show it. I belive if Coach Fox was a pitching coach he would never have disrupted Daniel's zone he was in.

 

basically it was mike fox fault.

1-he ruined his pitchers rythm by coming out there and bothering him.

2-he put a catcher at first who rarely plays there.

3-that kid who made the weak throw was not normally there.

4-also...the attempted steal of home i think was a good idea. especailly if it had worked, it didnt however so it looks kinda dumb. the batter should not have swung at the pitch. if he hadent and it was a ball the run would have counted, correct?? he woulda been safe

 

Pressure

Congrats to the Heels on a tremendous season. I applaud both Coach Fox and Bryan Steed for standing up, not making excuses, and admitting their mistakes. That is class. Being in a pressure situation in a game like that affects you in ways we can't imagine. Heck, I still gag over 3 foot putts when my brother and I hit the links and try to beat each other's brains out. And we play just for fun!!!

And a reminder to all you Tar Heels. Remember the 1983 NCAA Basketball Championship game when the Georgetown guard crossed midcourt and passed the ball to James Worthy, thinking he was his teammate? One of those 1 in a million mistakes......but it pretty much sewed up the game for the Heels if I remember correctly. That was pressure, and an unexpected gift from the Hoyas.

Josh Horton stealing home......boy, that's the kind of aggressive baserunning I like to see. BUT, would it not have been better to steal with less than 2 strikes, so the batter could swing and protect the runner without striking out?

Dan Bard.......wow. He was lights out. The Red Sox are getting a good one.

 

yes, it would have been less risky / better to steal home with less than 2 strikes when there's 2 outs.

also what about when Horton tried to score from 3rd base on the sharp grounder hit to the 3rd baseman? & then Jay Cox tried to go from 1st to 3rd on the same play & never got past half way to end the double play & the inning. ???????? in this case, IMO that's not aggressive baserunning; that's just bad baserunning for experienced college players.

 

Just my 2 cents, but I was impressed with UNC after this game. Most players would have thrown something, hit something or whatever, but Steed didn't seem to show any kind of emotion. Even though I know he was beating himself up inside, and was good to see a player have good sportsmanship and discipline to not do anything like that. I noticed that from several UNC players when the cameras would follow them to the dugout none of them were doing anything crazy like you see in most games. So, my hats off to them for that. As for the play at second, I'm not sure it was all one persons fault. I think the throw was off line, but still catchable and it appeared Fed got his feet tangled up a little. Either way, it doesn't matter. I'm sure these guys will have another shot next year. This was a VERY young team, so look for a preseason possible #1 next season. I'd vote for them there. And heck, just to add to it, I'm a NC State graduate, but I still pulled for all the NC kids playing, especially since I saw most of them play when I was coaching! Great season guys and work hard during the offseason to return next year!

 

You must have inside info that MIller,Bard and Cox are coming back for their senior year.
Otherwise, the deck is heavily stacked against the Tarheels reaching the finals again period.
This year was their best shot at winning it all, by far.
A college coach having two guys like Bard and Miller for 3 years together, injury-free is rare.
Guys like Bard and Miller rarely opt for college instead of million dollar contracts,much less the same one.
That's a once-in-a-career-dream-shot at winning all the marbles.

 

carolina will not sniff omaha next year.

and of course they did not throw things.....they GAVE the beavers the game!!! nothing to be upset about. they played terrible and deserved to lose.

 

Great class coming in.. still have some pitching.. and a bullpen..

They may not make it to Omaha next year .. but they got there this year..
I guess thats why they play the games .. UNC was the 4th or 5th choice to win it this year.. OSU wasnt even a thought...
I would rather take my shot at the title and lose.. that to sit at home and watch...

 

Actually, OSU made it to Omaha in '05 and returned their primary pitchers, so they were on the radar. If we had to lose, I'm glad it was OSU instead of Rice or Miami.