June 6 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY
Fox
Angels' starter Garrett Richards hadn't given up any runs in the first inning of any of his first nine starts coming into Saturday evening.
The 2015 Yankees had been a strong offensive club in the first inning coming into the night (51 runs in 55 games), though, and it continued against Richards. Brian McCann clubbed a two-run shot and in Brett Gardner's second at bat of the first he took a fast ball right over the middle of the plate and ripped a two-run single and the hosts led 6-0, chasing Richards from the game before he got out No. 3.
Adam Warren did the rest, limiting the Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels Baseball Club of a Part of California to just four hits and two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings as the Yankees won their fifth straight, 8-2.
Warren, back in the rotation after a very good season out of the bullpen in 2014, has allowed three runs or less in eight of his 11 starts. Behind Michael Pineda and what the Yankees hope is a healthy Masahiro Tanaka, Warren has so far become the team's No. 3 starter.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
What Tom Verducci calls fellow color commentator Harold Reynolds: "H"
Game 143 - Cal State Fullerton vs. Louisville
June 6 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Lexington, KY
ESPNU
We spend a lot of time at this site documenting the nonsense said by baseball broadcasters, and Saturday's opener of the Louisville Super Regional was no different.
One day I'll open up my own Silly Baseball Hall of Fame (ridiculous phrases, the sound of Michael Kay's voice saying "Alex ROGG-REE-GIS" heard on loud speakers at all times, absurd nicknames, framed photographs of Sikes Orvis, etc..) and ESPN's Randy Flores will have his own wing. It'll be right up at the front door of the building and when visitors walk through that door and into his wing, they'll be sprayed with applesauce.
The day didn't start well for Flores. Here's the tail end of a cough before his first pre-game comment:
Then he started speaking.
Flores would start a number of thoughts with a "come on!", as if play-by-play man Roxy Bernstein and the viewers had provided an opposing viewpoint, which they hadn't. I counted six come ons by Flores, including:
#1 right after the cough
#3 before talking about how "hot" were the St. Louis Cardinals
#4 before talking about how "important" was the win for Cal State Fullerton against Arizona State in last weekend's regionals
#6 talking about the University of Louisville's athletic facilities
If you've ever visited this site, you know that Flores wasn't nearly finished making a name for himself. Here's his greatest hits from Saturday's game:
"He's not even a pitcher, he's a surgeon" (said twice)
"And maybe we'll see if his legs start doing more talking"
"Baseball royalty"
"Changing the eye level" (said twice)
"He jolted it" (said twice)
"Solo jack"
"Solo bombs" (said twice)
"That bruise tomorrow could be the mark of a victory"
"Small ball's two outs away from a victory"
One more time:
(when describing a diving catch by the right fielder) "look at that little crocodile squirrel right here"
Titans win
Plenty of complete nonsense from the broadcast booth, but a huge game one victory for Cal State Fullerton. It came on a Timmy Richards' bases loaded, hit by pitch in the 10th inning and the Titans won 3-2.
Fullerton, which shook off a pair of tying solo home runs from the host Cardinals (Brendan McKay in the sixth and Mike White in the ninth), will try and advance to the College World Series with a win in game two on Sunday.
ESPNU
We spend a lot of time at this site documenting the nonsense said by baseball broadcasters, and Saturday's opener of the Louisville Super Regional was no different.
One day I'll open up my own Silly Baseball Hall of Fame (ridiculous phrases, the sound of Michael Kay's voice saying "Alex ROGG-REE-GIS" heard on loud speakers at all times, absurd nicknames, framed photographs of Sikes Orvis, etc..) and ESPN's Randy Flores will have his own wing. It'll be right up at the front door of the building and when visitors walk through that door and into his wing, they'll be sprayed with applesauce.
The day didn't start well for Flores. Here's the tail end of a cough before his first pre-game comment:
Then he started speaking.
Flores would start a number of thoughts with a "come on!", as if play-by-play man Roxy Bernstein and the viewers had provided an opposing viewpoint, which they hadn't. I counted six come ons by Flores, including:
#1 right after the cough
#3 before talking about how "hot" were the St. Louis Cardinals
#4 before talking about how "important" was the win for Cal State Fullerton against Arizona State in last weekend's regionals
#6 talking about the University of Louisville's athletic facilities
If you've ever visited this site, you know that Flores wasn't nearly finished making a name for himself. Here's his greatest hits from Saturday's game:
"He's not even a pitcher, he's a surgeon" (said twice)
"And maybe we'll see if his legs start doing more talking"
"Baseball royalty"
"Changing the eye level" (said twice)
"He jolted it" (said twice)
"Solo jack"
"Solo bombs" (said twice)
"That bruise tomorrow could be the mark of a victory"
"Small ball's two outs away from a victory"
One more time:
(when describing a diving catch by the right fielder) "look at that little crocodile squirrel right here"
Titans win
Plenty of complete nonsense from the broadcast booth, but a huge game one victory for Cal State Fullerton. It came on a Timmy Richards' bases loaded, hit by pitch in the 10th inning and the Titans won 3-2.
Fullerton, which shook off a pair of tying solo home runs from the host Cardinals (Brendan McKay in the sixth and Mike White in the ninth), will try and advance to the College World Series with a win in game two on Sunday.
Game 142 - VCU vs. Miami (Fla.)
June 5 at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, FL
ESPNU
VCU was appearing in its first Super Regional, but the host Hurricanes used a three-run second inning and had just enough to hold off the Rams 3-2 in game one of the best-of-3 series.
Miami has made 23 College World Series appearances in its history, which is second all-time (Texas has 35), yet hasn't been to Omaha since 2008. That probably feels like 1908 to the folks in Coral Gables, but the Hurricanes are one step closer and can wrap up the program's 24th berth Saturday at noon.
In that second, No. 9 hitter Jacob Heyward delivered the big hit, ripping a two-out, two-run single to put Miami up 2-0. Ricky Eusebio followed with a single and it was a 3-0 game.
There was a 90-minute weather delay after that, then VCU got within 3-2 with a run in the sixth. Michael Mediavilla and Bryan Garcia combined for three perfect innings to close out the game one victory.
Anish Shroff/Danny Kanell
The broadcast team had a fine day splashing around in the Baseball Phrases kiddie pool. Let's take a look at their top 7:
7. "A fixture on the postseason front" (Shroff)
6. "A scrappy bunch" (Kanell)
5. "Tweener" (Kanell)
4. "Nibble their way back into this game" (Kanell)
And our VCU Top 3
3. "Darkhorse" (Shroff)
2. "A true Cinderella" (Shroff)
1. "David against Goliath" (Shroff)
Webb Bobo All Stars
We'd like welcome VCU southpaw JoJo Howie to the team. Howie went 6 1/3 innings and allowed the three runs in that second, but none were earned as a normally-strong Rams' defense made three errors Friday.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Mark Light Field - "The Light"
Why it isn't a nickname: Because you just took one of the words in the name of the park and added a "the" to it. Why not just call it The Mark or The Field?
What about just one of the words?
"Welcome to Mark"
"Welcome to Light"
"Welcome to Field"
ESPNU
VCU was appearing in its first Super Regional, but the host Hurricanes used a three-run second inning and had just enough to hold off the Rams 3-2 in game one of the best-of-3 series.
Miami has made 23 College World Series appearances in its history, which is second all-time (Texas has 35), yet hasn't been to Omaha since 2008. That probably feels like 1908 to the folks in Coral Gables, but the Hurricanes are one step closer and can wrap up the program's 24th berth Saturday at noon.
In that second, No. 9 hitter Jacob Heyward delivered the big hit, ripping a two-out, two-run single to put Miami up 2-0. Ricky Eusebio followed with a single and it was a 3-0 game.
There was a 90-minute weather delay after that, then VCU got within 3-2 with a run in the sixth. Michael Mediavilla and Bryan Garcia combined for three perfect innings to close out the game one victory.
Anish Shroff/Danny Kanell
The broadcast team had a fine day splashing around in the Baseball Phrases kiddie pool. Let's take a look at their top 7:
7. "A fixture on the postseason front" (Shroff)
6. "A scrappy bunch" (Kanell)
5. "Tweener" (Kanell)
4. "Nibble their way back into this game" (Kanell)
And our VCU Top 3
3. "Darkhorse" (Shroff)
2. "A true Cinderella" (Shroff)
1. "David against Goliath" (Shroff)
Webb Bobo All Stars
We'd like welcome VCU southpaw JoJo Howie to the team. Howie went 6 1/3 innings and allowed the three runs in that second, but none were earned as a normally-strong Rams' defense made three errors Friday.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Mark Light Field - "The Light"
Why it isn't a nickname: Because you just took one of the words in the name of the park and added a "the" to it. Why not just call it The Mark or The Field?
What about just one of the words?
"Welcome to Mark"
"Welcome to Light"
"Welcome to Field"
Game 141 - Catch 42 (GA) vs. East Cobb Braves (GA)
June 4 at East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, GA
Things were going just fine for Stockbridge, Georgia's Catch 42 until the bottom of the fourth inning.
Catch 42 led 3-1 heading into that frame before Jeffery Hutcheson lined a lead off double down the left field line against Lawrence Harvey. Harvey got an infield pop out, but he lost the strike zone shortly after that. Harvey threw just two strikes as East Cobb drew three consecutive walks, the last of which forced home a run to make it 3-2 and chased the right-hander from the game. Reliever Myles Smith didn't fare any better as the southpaw gave up a go-ahead, two-run single to Alan Carter, then walked four of his own as the Braves scored six times to take a 7-3 lead and win by that score.
Amazing what can happen in a baseball game in just one half-inning.
Before that, Mason Calloway had ignited a pair of run-scoring rallies. Calloway, who I cover at Newton High School, opened the game with an infield single, moved to second on an throwing error and eventually scored from second on a ground out to shortstop to make it 1-0. In the third, Austin Holm and Calloway each had one-out singles and the duo pulled off a double steal (Holm swiped home) before Calloway scored on a single by Smith to put Catch 42 up 3-1.
Excellent work by Carter, who not only delivered the go-ahead hit, but came on in relief of starter Chase Shell and tossed three scoreless innings, striking out five to pick up the win.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Catch 42
Calloway - "Mase", "Maso"
Austin Jeter - "Jete"
East Cobb
Hampton Clark - "Hamp"
Jimmy Richardson - "Richie"
Other things heard
Catch 42 third baseman Dillon Withers shouting encouragement to Smith: "same thing, rinse and repeat".
East Cobb third base coach: "there's ducks out there".
Things were going just fine for Stockbridge, Georgia's Catch 42 until the bottom of the fourth inning.
Catch 42 led 3-1 heading into that frame before Jeffery Hutcheson lined a lead off double down the left field line against Lawrence Harvey. Harvey got an infield pop out, but he lost the strike zone shortly after that. Harvey threw just two strikes as East Cobb drew three consecutive walks, the last of which forced home a run to make it 3-2 and chased the right-hander from the game. Reliever Myles Smith didn't fare any better as the southpaw gave up a go-ahead, two-run single to Alan Carter, then walked four of his own as the Braves scored six times to take a 7-3 lead and win by that score.
Amazing what can happen in a baseball game in just one half-inning.
Before that, Mason Calloway had ignited a pair of run-scoring rallies. Calloway, who I cover at Newton High School, opened the game with an infield single, moved to second on an throwing error and eventually scored from second on a ground out to shortstop to make it 1-0. In the third, Austin Holm and Calloway each had one-out singles and the duo pulled off a double steal (Holm swiped home) before Calloway scored on a single by Smith to put Catch 42 up 3-1.
Excellent work by Carter, who not only delivered the go-ahead hit, but came on in relief of starter Chase Shell and tossed three scoreless innings, striking out five to pick up the win.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Catch 42
Calloway - "Mase", "Maso"
Austin Jeter - "Jete"
East Cobb
Hampton Clark - "Hamp"
Jimmy Richardson - "Richie"
Other things heard
Catch 42 third baseman Dillon Withers shouting encouragement to Smith: "same thing, rinse and repeat".
East Cobb third base coach: "there's ducks out there".
Game 140 - Marquis Grissom Baseball (GA) vs. The Highlanders (TN)
June 3 at East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, GA
The Knoxville-based Highlanders were no match for Anthony Nettles as the MGB starter tossed four perfect innings in a 5-1 victory in the opener of the 18-under division of the wood bat East Cobb Invitational.
Nettles, a rising senior at Morrow High School (Morrow, GA), struck out six, including the side in the second. Rafiel Cabral added a dominant inning of his own, striking out the side in the fifth and tossing all 11 of his pitches for strikes.
MGB scored twice in the first, then tacked on two in the fourth - one when Alabama State signee Eriq White was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a passed ball.
The Highlanders finally broke up the perfect game when Trevor Whitley singled to open the sixth against southpaw J.T. Thomas. Andrew Slyvester’s bloop single in the bottom of the seventh snapped MGB’s shut out bid.
The Knoxville-based Highlanders were no match for Anthony Nettles as the MGB starter tossed four perfect innings in a 5-1 victory in the opener of the 18-under division of the wood bat East Cobb Invitational.
Nettles, a rising senior at Morrow High School (Morrow, GA), struck out six, including the side in the second. Rafiel Cabral added a dominant inning of his own, striking out the side in the fifth and tossing all 11 of his pitches for strikes.
MGB scored twice in the first, then tacked on two in the fourth - one when Alabama State signee Eriq White was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a passed ball.
The Highlanders finally broke up the perfect game when Trevor Whitley singled to open the sixth against southpaw J.T. Thomas. Andrew Slyvester’s bloop single in the bottom of the seventh snapped MGB’s shut out bid.
Game 139 - Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros
June 3 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX
ROOT Sports
In just his fourth big league start, Lance McCullers pitched a complete game, four-hitter in the Astros' 3-1 victory. McCullers struck out a career-high 11 and retired 15 consecutive batters at one point, leading Houston to its AL-leading 35th win.
Chris Carter crushed a pair of solo home runs and George Springer hit a line drive solo shot in the sixth for Houston's runs. Baltimore tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth on Delmon Young's RBI-single, then didn't get another hit until Adam Jones' opposite field single with two outs in ninth. Fantastic outing for the rookie McCullers.
The return of Alan Ashby
We haven't had the pleasure of listening to color commentator Alan Ashby since his intriguing evening in late-April, so it was nice to be re-acquainted with his unique brand of Baseball Phrases.
Ashby likes Lance McCullers, that was made abundantly clear:
"That's high cheese"
"He can still get into that gas tank"
"Did a little paint job"
"This arm is alive!"
"He's all the way back in the tank there, trying to get every last fume"
And a few non-McCullers-related items:
"The fruits of his labor"
"Majestic fly balls"
"Polish him off"
"The home run brigade"
"He can hit that fast ball atop he eight-foot ladder, I know that"
ROOT Sports
In just his fourth big league start, Lance McCullers pitched a complete game, four-hitter in the Astros' 3-1 victory. McCullers struck out a career-high 11 and retired 15 consecutive batters at one point, leading Houston to its AL-leading 35th win.
Chris Carter crushed a pair of solo home runs and George Springer hit a line drive solo shot in the sixth for Houston's runs. Baltimore tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth on Delmon Young's RBI-single, then didn't get another hit until Adam Jones' opposite field single with two outs in ninth. Fantastic outing for the rookie McCullers.
The return of Alan Ashby
We haven't had the pleasure of listening to color commentator Alan Ashby since his intriguing evening in late-April, so it was nice to be re-acquainted with his unique brand of Baseball Phrases.
Ashby likes Lance McCullers, that was made abundantly clear:
"That's high cheese"
"He can still get into that gas tank"
"Did a little paint job"
"This arm is alive!"
"He's all the way back in the tank there, trying to get every last fume"
And a few non-McCullers-related items:
"The fruits of his labor"
"Majestic fly balls"
"Polish him off"
"The home run brigade"
"He can hit that fast ball atop he eight-foot ladder, I know that"
Game 138 - New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners
June 3 at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA
ROOT Sports - Seattle
Masahiro Tanaka is back.
Tanaka made his first start since April 23 and was outstanding, holding the Mariners to three hits in seven innings in a 3-1 Yankees' win. Tanaka struck out nine (seven looking) and retired the final 13 batters he faced as New York completed the three-game sweep. Only in the third, when Seattle scored its only run on Dustin Ackley's double, did the right-hander struggle at all. That inning ended with the Mariners tying the game at 1-1, but with the potential go-ahead run (Ackley) being thrown out at the plate by Ramon Flores.
Flores hasn't hit at all since being called up from Triple-A Scranton, but that was his second outfield assist in about a week.
Garrett Jones followed yesterday's dramatic, three-run home run in the 11th inning with a two-run shot in the fourth that ended up being the difference. Jones took an inside pitch from Taijuan Walker and hammered it to right-center field. He had just one home run coming into Tuesday night.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Logan Morrison - "Lo Mo"
Why it isn't a nickname: because they just took the first two letters of his first and last name and combined them. That isn't a nickname.
Other examples:
Alex Rodriguez: A-Rod
Hanley Ramriez: Han-Ram
Bobby Bonilla: Bobby-Bo
Carlos Gonzalez: Car-Go
Herman Terwilliger: He-Te
ROOT Sports - Seattle
Masahiro Tanaka is back.
Tanaka made his first start since April 23 and was outstanding, holding the Mariners to three hits in seven innings in a 3-1 Yankees' win. Tanaka struck out nine (seven looking) and retired the final 13 batters he faced as New York completed the three-game sweep. Only in the third, when Seattle scored its only run on Dustin Ackley's double, did the right-hander struggle at all. That inning ended with the Mariners tying the game at 1-1, but with the potential go-ahead run (Ackley) being thrown out at the plate by Ramon Flores.
Flores hasn't hit at all since being called up from Triple-A Scranton, but that was his second outfield assist in about a week.
Garrett Jones followed yesterday's dramatic, three-run home run in the 11th inning with a two-run shot in the fourth that ended up being the difference. Jones took an inside pitch from Taijuan Walker and hammered it to right-center field. He had just one home run coming into Tuesday night.
Nicknames that aren't really nicknames
Logan Morrison - "Lo Mo"
Why it isn't a nickname: because they just took the first two letters of his first and last name and combined them. That isn't a nickname.
Other examples:
Alex Rodriguez: A-Rod
Hanley Ramriez: Han-Ram
Bobby Bonilla: Bobby-Bo
Carlos Gonzalez: Car-Go
Herman Terwilliger: He-Te
Game 137 - New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners
June 1 at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA
YES
Over the last week and a half, the Yankees have been a difficult team to figure out. They allowed 30 runs in being swept in three games at home by Texas, then swept a three-game series from AL Central-leading Kansas City. Last weekend, New York lost 3-of-4 to Oakland, which came into the series with the AL's worst record.
So, naturally the visitors scored seven runs against Felix Hernandez on Monday and didn't let the right-hander get out of the fifth in a 7-2 victory.
Hernandez, who came into the night with a 1.91 ERA, looked like he was going to cruise to a complete game, shut out on about 80 pitches when he set down the first nine batters he faced on just 21 pitches. But something changed in the fourth. I don't know if it was his footing - he had to knock the dirt from his cleats on a couple of occasions, (apparently the roof was partially open even though it's SEATTLE and the Mariners' roof is retractable) and his control just evaporated.
After consecutive singles by Brett Gardner and Chase Headley opened the inning, Hernandez threw a wild pitch (catcher Mike Zunino probably should've blocked the breaking ball as the pitch went right through his legs), scoring Gardner for a 1-0 lead. Two of the three walks in the inning were followed by Brian McCann's bases loaded double play that scored Headley and the Yankees led 2-0.
The Yankees opened things up in the fifth. Hernandez issued a lead off walk to Stephen Drew, which under the most-recent collective barganing agreement is a $75 fine, and five batters later Mark Teixeira launched a grand slam to make it 7-0. It was the sixth career home run for Teixeira against Hernandez, whose seven earned runs were the most he's allowed in a game since Texas got him for eight in August, 2013.
Michael Pineda was excellent for six innings, got into some trouble and didn't get an out in the seventh, but ultimately allowed just two earned and struck out nine in his first start at Safeco since being traded to New York before the 2012 season.
YES
Over the last week and a half, the Yankees have been a difficult team to figure out. They allowed 30 runs in being swept in three games at home by Texas, then swept a three-game series from AL Central-leading Kansas City. Last weekend, New York lost 3-of-4 to Oakland, which came into the series with the AL's worst record.
So, naturally the visitors scored seven runs against Felix Hernandez on Monday and didn't let the right-hander get out of the fifth in a 7-2 victory.
Hernandez, who came into the night with a 1.91 ERA, looked like he was going to cruise to a complete game, shut out on about 80 pitches when he set down the first nine batters he faced on just 21 pitches. But something changed in the fourth. I don't know if it was his footing - he had to knock the dirt from his cleats on a couple of occasions, (apparently the roof was partially open even though it's SEATTLE and the Mariners' roof is retractable) and his control just evaporated.
After consecutive singles by Brett Gardner and Chase Headley opened the inning, Hernandez threw a wild pitch (catcher Mike Zunino probably should've blocked the breaking ball as the pitch went right through his legs), scoring Gardner for a 1-0 lead. Two of the three walks in the inning were followed by Brian McCann's bases loaded double play that scored Headley and the Yankees led 2-0.
The Yankees opened things up in the fifth. Hernandez issued a lead off walk to Stephen Drew, which under the most-recent collective barganing agreement is a $75 fine, and five batters later Mark Teixeira launched a grand slam to make it 7-0. It was the sixth career home run for Teixeira against Hernandez, whose seven earned runs were the most he's allowed in a game since Texas got him for eight in August, 2013.
Michael Pineda was excellent for six innings, got into some trouble and didn't get an out in the seventh, but ultimately allowed just two earned and struck out nine in his first start at Safeco since being traded to New York before the 2012 season.
Game 136 - Illinois vs. Wright State
June 1 at Illinois Field in Champaign, IL
ESPNU
Wright State came into the day as a pretty heavy underdog. Host Illinois is the No. 6 national seed and needed to win just once to advance to its first-ever Super Regional. Meanwhile, the third-seeded Raiders needed to win twice on Monday. So anytime this type of situation presents itself in sports, we'll hear how the underdog team is running out of time & it's almost midnight & various thoughts on glass slippers.
Play-by-play man Jim Barbar, though, was on his own level. I consider him the Cinderella of Talking About Cinderella Baseball Teams.
Barbar talked about Cinderella three times in the pre-game, then as the broadcast headed toward a commercial he said: "we're about to find out if the shoe fits for Wright State", so that's four pre-game mentions.
He continued throughout the game:
"Cinderella hanging tough" (5)
"C (Cinderella) trying to make that glass slipper fit tonight" (6)
"The C Raiders up 2-0" (7)
"C is right there for the taking" (8) - that's not the way you say that, Jim. that makes it sound like C is right there in front of you, ready to be kidnapped.
"Well, if there was any doubt that C came to the ball just to sit around and do nothing...that thought has been extinguished today because Wright State has come and come to win" (9)
"The clock is about to strike midnight on C" (10)
* Fantastic job out of the bullpen by Illini left-hander Tyler Jay, who relieved in the sixth and fired four scoreless innings. Jay, expected to be a high first-round draft pick later this month, continued his remarkable junior season as he picked up his 14th save and lowered his ERA to 0.60 in 60 1/3 innings. Jay fanned five Monday and has 70 strike outs and just seven walks.
"It's something that we've been building up my arm for throughout the season," Jay said to ESPN about the extended outing. "I really look forward to it."
Something tells me not many people look forward to facing Illini pitching. In the three regional wins against Ohio, Notre Dame and the Raiders, Illinois allowed five earned runs in 27 innings pitched (1.66 ERA) and pitched a pair of complete games.
* Lost in all the Barbar/Cinderella nonsense was a solid night of Baseball Phrases from Jerry Kindall:
"Slugfest"
"He's all business"
"A plethora, a cascade of runs"
"The rest is history"
"The obligatory bath"
"The super playoffs....what do you call it? The Super Regionals!"
ESPNU
Wright State came into the day as a pretty heavy underdog. Host Illinois is the No. 6 national seed and needed to win just once to advance to its first-ever Super Regional. Meanwhile, the third-seeded Raiders needed to win twice on Monday. So anytime this type of situation presents itself in sports, we'll hear how the underdog team is running out of time & it's almost midnight & various thoughts on glass slippers.
Play-by-play man Jim Barbar, though, was on his own level. I consider him the Cinderella of Talking About Cinderella Baseball Teams.
Barbar talked about Cinderella three times in the pre-game, then as the broadcast headed toward a commercial he said: "we're about to find out if the shoe fits for Wright State", so that's four pre-game mentions.
He continued throughout the game:
"Cinderella hanging tough" (5)
"C (Cinderella) trying to make that glass slipper fit tonight" (6)
"The C Raiders up 2-0" (7)
"C is right there for the taking" (8) - that's not the way you say that, Jim. that makes it sound like C is right there in front of you, ready to be kidnapped.
"Well, if there was any doubt that C came to the ball just to sit around and do nothing...that thought has been extinguished today because Wright State has come and come to win" (9)
"The clock is about to strike midnight on C" (10)
* Fantastic job out of the bullpen by Illini left-hander Tyler Jay, who relieved in the sixth and fired four scoreless innings. Jay, expected to be a high first-round draft pick later this month, continued his remarkable junior season as he picked up his 14th save and lowered his ERA to 0.60 in 60 1/3 innings. Jay fanned five Monday and has 70 strike outs and just seven walks.
"It's something that we've been building up my arm for throughout the season," Jay said to ESPN about the extended outing. "I really look forward to it."
Something tells me not many people look forward to facing Illini pitching. In the three regional wins against Ohio, Notre Dame and the Raiders, Illinois allowed five earned runs in 27 innings pitched (1.66 ERA) and pitched a pair of complete games.
* Lost in all the Barbar/Cinderella nonsense was a solid night of Baseball Phrases from Jerry Kindall:
"Slugfest"
"He's all business"
"A plethora, a cascade of runs"
"The rest is history"
"The obligatory bath"
"The super playoffs....what do you call it? The Super Regionals!"
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