One Response to 'Former Diamond Dawg reaches the majors'

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• Thomas Brown

  June 11th, 2008
  2:48 am

   

  There are 296 Division 1 Baseball teams, and Georgia is Ranked Number 6.

  Georgia is Number 6 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s NCAA Division 1 Poll, Number 6 in NCBWA Division 1 Baseball Poll, and Number 7 in Baseball America Poll as of June 10, 2008.

  There are no other Baseball Polls which are updated past May 26th, not wanting to appear totally stupid as no Top 8 Seed has won the CWS in 6 consecutive years.

  This is primarily because they rank a couple of the ACC teams at the top of the polls, only to watch every year since 1955 no ACC team ever winning the College World Series Baseball National Championship.

  This season, UGA is 6-4 against ACC teams Florida State (1-1), NC State (2-1) and Georgia Tech (3-2.) Now, we face Miami of Florida and should we get by them, Florida State again after that.

  David Perno is in his 7th season as UGA Head Baseball Coach, and he has been to the CWS 3 of the last 5 years, bettered only by North Carolina who has been to 3 straight now. North Carolina is in the other bracket. So, win and basically The Georgia Diamond Dawgs would have to have beat every ACC Baseball team there is this season.

  Georgia doesn’t face bottom feeder ACC teams of which there are 6, half the stinking ACC Baseball Conference.

  Tennessee was lousy in baseball this season, Auburn also was lousy, and you could throw in Alabama was maybe not up to par this season. The other 9 SEC teams were frankly very good.

  Maryland absolutely was horrible at baseball this season, Virginia Tech was horrendous this season, Duke was pitiful this season, Boston College sucked, Weak Forest sucked, and the Climpson Farmers were no good this season either. That’s 6 ACC, half the conference, who were pitiful beyond measure this season. The entire ACC played the softest schedules of every team in the nation this season. Why ? Half the America’s Cupcake Conference were Cupcake City this season in Baseball. And, for good measure, you find teams like Miami of Florida (SoS 54) , Florida State (SoS 67), and North Carolina (SoS 64), played about half the Top 25 teams that Georgia (SoS 39) played this season. Miami of Florida, for example, played no out-of-conference game against any Top 25 team in the regular season. Couple that with the 6 bottom feeders in the ACC, and Miami of Florida has a 9-5 record against the Top 25 (3-1 NC State, 2-1 FSU, 1-2 NC, 1-0 Missouri and 2-1 Arizona.) This in no way measures up to what UGA has accomplished this year against the Top 25 with a 14-5-1 record against the Top 25 (1-1 Florida State, 1-2 Arizona, 3-0 South Carolina, 3-0 Kentucky, 2-0-1 LSU, 2-1 Vanderbilt, and 2-1 NC State.)

  Which is better ?

  14-5 UGA against Top 25.

  9-5 Miami of Florida against Top 25.

  Miami of Florida Hurricanes under fine Coach Jim Morris are the ACC Champions, and The Georgia Diamond Dawgs under proven Coach David Perno are The SEC Champions.

  Miami of Florida not only has a better Batting Average at .322 (UGA .309), but also has the better ERA at 3.93 (UGA 4.82.)

  Duh.

  Miami of Florida hasn’t faced the Schedule that UGA has. Supposedly, Miami of Florida will not only roll over us, but also everyone else and win the CWS. Only problem with that is that no ACC Baseball team has in 53 consecutive years.

  Why should this season be any different ?

  On paper, it looks as if the entire ACC played very soft schedules, are unproven, and have zero history as a conference to send their top teams to the CWS and win it for the ACC. This is because half the league can’t beat their way out of a wet paper bag in Baseball again this season, and because they prefer to play Cupcakes Out-of-Conference too.

  But, Miami of Florida does something that UGA does not do. Coach Jim Morris knows baseball. If you look at Miami of Florida several areas stand out. They lead in SAC Bunts, lead in SAC flies, lead in Stolen Bases, and they don’t allow their Opponents to do these against them. They get them on, get them over, and get them in. Get ready to get Schooled in Baseball, if you watch Game 1.

  A Study of the Georgia Baseball Team this season is similar to studying the ACC conference as a baseball conference because UGA has an infield hitting at the top of the order (except injured 2nd baseman out for the CWS) and our outfield is similar to the bottom half of the ACC conference. It’s very unusual. You will find the CWS teams have far more balance than UGA does, with lots of pop and high batting averages too in their outfield. We just don’t. Georgia has no outfielder like Miami of Florida’s Blake Tekotte, for example.

  We also don’t play small ball.

  Stanford and Fresno State both played tougher Schedules than UGA this season. No other team in the College World Series 8-team line-up has played the Strength of Schedule Georgia has this season.

  Georgia would be The SEC’s Top All-Sports Directors’ Cup SEC Champions again this season, were we to Win the CWS.

  Will we ?

  We have the hitting at the top of the order, and as they came through in the Regionals and Super Regionals, if the outfield and replacement 2nd basemen platoon come through in the CWS, yes. We have a fine fielding team, but if we go out there to Omaha and act like we haven’t been there with the most experienced team out there before and let the rickety old Rosenblatt Stadium High Winds blow the ball past us, no. They are building a new stadium, but we have to play this game against Number 1 Miami at this old stadium and it is notorious for home runs too that come no where near getting out of Foley Field in Athens Georgia. So, guys who don’t hit home runs, will. This gets us to our very disappointing starting staff in Rosenblatt Stadium. We have given up a ton of runs to only now have a 6-9 record at Rosenblatt Stadium. If our hitters hit, and they are hot; our fielders play great defense as they have and throw runners out on the base paths against speedy Miami of Florida, turn some double plays for the 1st time this season, and don’t give up runs every inning and in bunches; and, if our Starting Pitchers can get after it and keep the ball down and constantly keep the ball inside to get it to our Bullpen which is very good, then hell yeah The Georgia Diamond Dawgs can beat Miami of Florida.

  After all, they are an overrated cupcake playing unproven America’s Cupcake Conference NEVER wining the CWS, team.

  You just have to want it. Last time, we lost this game and were dead in the water in the losers’ bracket. This time, we have to want it.

  If you don’t want it, you have no hope of beating the top 8 teams in Omaha.

  And, you have to know the Stadium.

  It’s a queer little baseball field, in the middle of nowhere, with huge high winds all blowing out.

  We’re actually more experienced than Miami of Florida. Coach David Perno is not Jim Morris (46-36 CWS). Jim Morris this season, more than any other season, has taught his players to get them on, get them over, get them in. I respect that. And, you are going to see that.

  Then, again, Miami of Florida does not have an Academic All-America James Gordon Beckham hitting .401 against a far tougher SoS than any other hitter, and while Miami of Florida has Jim Morris who knows baseball and teaches it; The Georgia Diamond Dawgs have David Perno who Won the State Championship in Football in 1985 with Clarke Central over Warner Robins. Perno is a Bulldog who wants it; and his team is destined to be known for wanting it. And, Rosenblatt Stadium is built for this UGA baseball team to hit home runs, wind-aided. Miami of Florida says UGA does not have any good Starting Pitchers. I think we do. They haven’t played anyone. They will in the CWS, and they will not win as a result : They are an ACC team, and ACC baseball teams never win the CWS with just 1 ever and it in 1955. This year is no different.

  Friday 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. CSS Channel 45 has review of 2007 UGA Football Season and Preview UGA 2008 Season including commentator DJ Shockley. And, UGA Football head coach Mark Richt (1982) and defensive coordinator Willie Martinez (1986) are both graduates of Miami of Florida, and I can assure you they wish they had both of them and Gordon Beckham.