Tulane Has Some Work to Do

I follow the Philadelphia Phillies closely, but I don’t know much about college baseball. But I kinda keep in touch with the Wave- and I have watched a lot of the CWS this year- including all of the entertaining, albeit not exactly crisp, LSU-Texas game last night (Phillies were off).

But a little distance might actually help here. Two observations:

First: This idea that Tulane is level with these power programs, but for the absence of a couple of players who went to A-Ball over the Green Wave, is wholly erroneous. This is particularly evident among position players. Like Florida State hammering Tulane in last year’s tournament, these guys hit from one-to-nine: line-ups littered with straight power and gap power. They can go for ten runs even against good college pitching- not just Northern Colorado and Wright State. Of the five tools, these programs seemingly have a dozen hitters who can bring either the “hitting for power” or “hit for average” tool (or both)- at least at the college level. How many does Tulane have?

It seems that one Shooter Hunt can make you a tough out in a tournament setting- but you need hitters in bunches to make you truly dangerous. The relationship between pitching depth versus hitting depth is skewed from MLB. To survive in the major leagues, you need a trio of power bats and eight-nine serviceable arms- in college it seems almost flipped.

Second: This college game is never going to be television friendly if they don’t address the pacing issue. It is so languid at times. You can play a ton of games where a fair over/under is fifteen runs and have the playing time associated with that. But these ridiculous pitch counts, pitchers afraid to challenge the eight hole hitter because even they can go deep or into the gaps, the resultant endless three ball counts and walks....

Come Back Shooter

I don’t know too much about college baseball- so forgive me if I decline to opine on the merits of the inclusion of Tulane versus Baylor in the NCAA Tournament.

But I do know something about the nature and purpose of Division I sports. And Tulane’s failure to make this tournament is unacceptable. Considering the investments and salaries made in this baseball program, failing to make the tournament two years in three- and being a bubble outfit last year- is multi-year institutional failure.

I’m only a casual fan- but even I know the program has slipped enormously. Even I can see that frankly the only difference between three years of mediocrity is Shooter Hunt in a few big spots.

With the money and resources they spent here- for a boutique program with 2% of the visibility of men's football- it has to get better. Now.

It is run like a yogwf fantasy demanded by a certain sub-sector of the alumni who are willing to put their parochial baseball interest over the flagship men's programs. Mind you, I'm fine with that; it is their money. But the corollary is, if you demand funding for a secondary project, it had better work. All those bleating for this new stadium and associated baseball nonsense- while pounding those of us who pointed out this boutique sport was taking real monies away from actual Division I activities of relevance- had better man up and get this fixed.

Again, I’m no expert- but from browsing the chats and web sites the problems listed are making me crazy. The first is “Guys got drafted”. Heavens. This is a big money coach- if he can’t manage the roster and talent acquisition, then why is Tulane paying him all this money?

The second and third issues seem to be the growing domination (fair or unfair) of a BCS-style cartel at the expense of Leagues like C-USA coupled with the willingness of cartel schools to recruit and run-off surplus talent circumventing the scholarship limits.

Beats me. But if this is truly the case: college baseball is heading to a "have" and "have not" situation currently representative of college basket ball and football- and then Tulane is further numbered among the “have nots”. Well, then someone who we trust to guide this program has messed up- and made a huge multi-million dollar bad investment in facilities and coaches that peobably can't succede. Investments that go sour in the millions of dollar range demand accountability.

Tulane 8, LSU 7

More than a little ornery juice flowing from the Tulane community this morning- as the Tulane Green Wave began an attempt to right their season by defeating #2 LSU last night by an 8-7 mark.

Look, it never gets boring to take the Tigers down a peg- particularly when you get outstanding and fair points from one “Wavefan” on yogwf. These are his rules:

Always remember the "Tigah Code" for this series:
Winning in this series means more to Tulane than to LSU, even if it doesn't.
We pitch our "weekend starters," even when we don't.
They pitch the end of their bench; if it looks like they have their ace closer in, well, they just don't.
And above all else, it is a meaningless midweek game, unless LSU wins, in which case it establishes who has the better team.

Honestly, I don’t think Tulane needs to apologize for “trying harder” to win this game than LSU. We play in a weaker League, get fewer season changing games. LSU has every other conceivable program advantage. Does anyone believe that the college baseball environment isn’t hugely slanted toward the Tigers?

So, it behooves Tulane both to take the small advantages and to get the big wins when they are available. If that means jumbling the rotation a little- so be it. I plan to never get in the habit for apologizing for victories over the big state monster to the north.

Anyway, good win for Tulane and the program.

(Photo credit: I stole the photo from nola)

Maybe if we built another new stadium?

Speaking of baseball- and I know it is a long season- but the Tulane Green Wave seems to be in a bit of trouble, no? The sort of trouble that defies the normal yogwf solution: Build another stadium!

Right now, it is a fair, and unfortunately easy, argument to make that, right now, UNO, SE La and LSU are better than Tulane. And while I don’t follow college baseball religiously, perhaps a little distance, a little "frank" talk, helps here.

So, let’s be frank: Every “real” test: Dairy Queen Classic (love that!!!), UC-Irvine, UNO, LSU, SE La.- well, maybe Tulane hasn’t “failed”- but let’s just say nothing suggests they’re a Top 40-50 team. Or even “okay-plus” when Shooter isn’t available.

I will also say- although I bet there are a zillion rational excuses why Tulane did it- these series against Sacred Heart and other assorted jokesters seemingly did zero to get Tulane ready to play against real Division I outfits. You play these out of conference games to learn about your team for the important stuff- to prep for conference and intra-Louisiana play, find out who can pitch and hit in a “real” collegiate program. We clearly did not find answers- or we sort of stink. Either way...

If they don’t make the tournament again this year (anyone willing to say they definitely will?), that is trouble for that program.

Still, even in my ignorance, I would think the presence of Shooter makes the season salvageable. Add one more, just one!, quality option to the weekend rotation and a Top3-4 finish in conference is very possible. Sure, Tulane is certainly not in Rice’s class. The Pirates are probably better weekend in and weekend out too. But find another plus C-USA level starter and we’re in the mix for third or fourth.

Finish .500 in the League- which is probably where they are now- and you can stop saying we are a re-load, rather than rebuild, baseball program. And it makes 2009 a “win or panic” year.