Mizzou Links, 9-26-08

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 6:03 AM CDT in News Comment 29 comments

I must say...even though they lost in Corvallis two years ago, I didn't see this one coming. After a week off to digest their win in The First Game of the Century of the Year, USC traveled to play a team that had ruined their national title hopes two years ago...and fell into the exact same trap that killed them in '06 (and '07, for that matter)--the Severe Letdown Game. I don't even like USC, and it kind of annoys me when they do this...because now, like last year, when they're playing great in November, pundits will once again bitch about the teams at the top of the standings not being as good as USC. But hey...if it's us at the top of the standings, I won't really care.

Recruiting articles! And as always, these are all from rivals.com...to whom you really have no excuse not to subscribe...

Official confirmation on Bryce Brown's visit schedule.
Houston WR Josh Gordon is getting back into the swing of recruiting after Ike, and Mizzou's still at the top of his list.
3-star TX RB Lou Greenwood likes Mizzou too. He doesn't have an offer just yet--his film's quite nice, though.
We're still on 4-star TX WR Emory Blake's list, though he hasn't scheduled a visit yet.
We're still on 4-star NC WR Jheranie Boyd's list as well, and he looks to be visiting some time in December.

Dave Matter's got a "What to Watch For" primer for Mizzou's bye week...

Washington wants Gary Pinkel. Good luck with that. They had their chance almost a decade ago. They should be happy to settle for Dave Christensen.

Finally, the Missourian's got a great article on the Hickman-Rock Bridge rivalry and the 1994 game that some apparently call the greatest game in MO high school history (news to me, as the only rivalry I was involved in at that point was the epic Weatherford-Clinton rivalry...

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One of the best sports weeknights I can remember

- Mets come back from down three in the 7th to winning in the 9th
- Braun of Milwaukee goes walk-off grandslam in the 10th (damn your team The Boy….couldn’t they have just helped me out this once?)
- Twins come from SIX down in the game to win in extras to sweep the ChiSox and overtake the lead in the AL Central (Sorry Uribe…trust me…I know how that feels)
- The upset in Corvallis

And to take this completely off the rails…I happened to look at Ichiro’s stats. He will turn 35 in a month…and between Japan and the US, he has over 3,000 hits now. Thing is, Japan plays a season about 27 games shorter than the US (looks like maybe 135 vs. 162). And he missed about 60 games total in his last two seasons there to injury. Given his health in the other seasons, had he been in the bigs the entire time for those seven full seasons (he played 43 in his first season, will leave that one alone), he would have played in about 140 more games (not even counting the ones he missed to injury). The way he plays and hits…that is just another 200 hits or so.

With over 1,800 hits in the US to date, if he keeps his health, he certainly may have a shot at 3,000 hits in MLB. My question becomes…how does the Hall of Fame view him? If he ends up breaking the all time hit record (would need about 50 beyond what he needs to get to 3K in the US) between the two, is he recognized as such given the majority will come from MLB?

"Write a wise saying and your name will live forever." - Anonymous
Rock M Nation

by The Beef on Sep 26, 2008 7:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

My initial reaction...

…is that he will have a shot at the HOF. He came with a reputation that a lot of the Japanese players haven’t—only Daisuke’s come with more hype—and I think that helps him. Plus, it feels like he’s been doing this for about 12 years now, so that probably helps too. But then again, Baseball HOF voters are the most arrogant, trivial out there, so I’m sure they can come up with a reason not to put him in…

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 7:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Devastating?

Yeah, that’s pretty much what it was. Think if Mizzou was up 35-14 in the Big 12 Championship Game going into ~~the half~~ fourth quarter and lost 38-35.

Although, you do have Sid “Slower than Molasses” Bream, so that’s gotta be up there in suckitude, too.

Also, Ichiro gets my vote for the Hall of Fame if I ever get one. There hasn’t been a year that he’s played in the US in which he has not got 200 or more hits. That’s mind-boggling. You have to be a ridiculously good baseball player to come over from Japan, face a new culture and completely different styles of pitching (for example, they don’t throw two-seam fastballs in Japan), and do what he’s done. Look at how awful Kosuke Fukudome has been this year or and tell me it’s an easy transition.

Chicago White Sox Examiner—Your What Hurts?
http://www.examiner.com/x-425-Chicago-White-Sox-Examiner

by UribeAuction on Sep 26, 2008 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sid F***ing Bream

Don’t you dare use that name on this website!

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

In my subconscious, unintentional "piss off The Boy" day...

In addition to mentioning that guy’s name when I thought it was The Boy, not The Beef (seriously, when you’re just waking up, it’s easy to get those confused), I’m also wearing my Ryan Braun Brewers t-shirt. Not that the 2008 Pirates are relevant, though…but that was a badass walkoff grand slam.

Also, Beef, quick question for you: has Jesse Orosco’s glove landed yet?

Chicago White Sox Examiner—Your What Hurts?
http://www.examiner.com/x-425-Chicago-White-Sox-Examiner

by UribeAuction on Sep 26, 2008 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

oh I could give a crap...

…about last night’s game. The Pirates’ season was a success because a) they actually traded for young, decent talent (they didn’t get a ridiculous amount of talent for Bay and Nady, but every guy they acquired immediately fell onto the Pirates’ Top 10 Prospects list…that’s how bad their minor league system was), and b) they actually drafted well.

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Getting Alvarez locked up was big...

But it wouldn’t surprise me if the Pirates decide to never draft a Bora$ client again.

What about Andrew McCutcheon? How close is he? If Tabata develops, that could be a pretty nasty outfield along with McClouth in a few years.

Chicago White Sox Examiner—Your What Hurts?
http://www.examiner.com/x-425-Chicago-White-Sox-Examiner

by UribeAuction on Sep 26, 2008 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have NO idea about McCutchen...

…because I don’t think they’ve decided on kind of player they expect McCutchen to be. If they still think his power’s going to develop or something, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in AAA again next year. But if they’re ready for a defensive upgrade in CF and an offensive downgrade, then he could be up in early ‘08. Problem is, while McLouth is a great offensive CF, but he’s only an average to above-average offensive corner OF. Taking him out of CF hurts his value, so I kind of agree with Charlie from Bucs Dugout…even though it would be a PR nightmare, it might not be a bad thing to shop McLouth around…see if you can get a couple really good prospects for him. You’re still a couple years away from possible contention and/or a winning record, and by then McLouth will be 30 and overpriced.

But yes…I was thrilled to see them get Tabata while Tabata’s value was low—I think he could be a big-time guy in a couple years. The only problem is (naturally), there’s apparently some doubt brewing about his age. While he’s one helluva 21-year old prospect, he’d only be a mediocre prospect if he were actually 23-24.

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 11:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting...

Trading McLouth for a good pitching prospect actually does make a lot of sense along those lines. The question is—can the Pirates develop said pitching prospect? The organization seems to have a penchant for taking a good pitching prospect, letting him have a good year, and then completely messing up what he was doing right (Duke, Snell, Gorzelanny come to mind, with Duke being the most egregious).

When the Rays are winning the AL East and the Rockies are making the World Series, Pittsburgh should honestly have no excuse for the seven different kinds of crap they’ve trotted out on the field for the last 15 years. The “small market” excuse doesn’t cut it. If they can start developing their players and stop making stupid trades (Mike Gonzalez for Adam LaRoche, anyone? Gonzalez has the best lefthanded chaneup this side of Johan Santana), then anything is possible. Pittsburgh is a great baseball town with a great venue to watch it in, and if the team is ever good again, the fans will flock to PNC.

Chicago White Sox Examiner—Your What Hurts?
http://www.examiner.com/x-425-Chicago-White-Sox-Examiner

by UribeAuction on Sep 26, 2008 12:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

By "the organization"...

…you mean Dave Littlefield, his worthless scouts, and his worthless coaches. I don’t know if Neal Huntington and the new guys can build a winner, but they’ve already proven themselves infinitely more capable than the last ones. Granted, Snell and Gorzelanny fell apart during the new regime, but a) from the beginning of camp, Gorzy showed signs of simply having been worked too much (Jim Tracy ran him into the ground last year…the bastard), and b) Snell’s certifiably insane and will probably go from a 2.80 one year to a 5.60 the next for his entire career. So far I haven’t 100% agreed with everything Huntington’s done, but they’re on the right track, and I haven’t been able to say that since…well…1997?

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Got sucked up in the intake of an airplane flying

over Shea and shot out to see…never to be seen again…

"Write a wise saying and your name will live forever." - Anonymous
Rock M Nation

by The Beef on Sep 26, 2008 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ichiro is in the Hall of Fame already IMO

As UribeAction mentioned Fukudome and others have come over and not had the success people thought they would. Ichiro has dominated. He broke Japanese position players into MLB and has broken some records along the way.

Your 2008 Missouri Tigers! #5 4-0 (0-0). Next up at Nebraska October 4th. Live on ESPN in primetime. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin for Co-Heisman!

by nji232 on Sep 26, 2008 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ichiro began the wave of Japanese hitters...

Guys like So Taguchi, Tadahito Iguchi, and Akinori Iwamura (who wasn’t big when he came over, but right now he’s the second-best Japanese player in the majors) likely wouldn’t have had the chance to play in the states had it not been for Ichiro and his success.

Unfortunately, Kaz Matsui got that opportunity, too…and look how that turned out for the Mets.

Chicago White Sox Examiner—Your What Hurts?
http://www.examiner.com/x-425-Chicago-White-Sox-Examiner

by UribeAuction on Sep 26, 2008 10:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard a stat

that if the Mets only played 6 innings in all their games they’d have an 11 1/2 game lead. If they only played 8 innings, they’d be up 6 1/2 games. Their bullpen has been almost as bad as the Cardinals.

by JayC on Sep 26, 2008 9:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So, now it is down to SEC v Big 12

Until Oklahoma loses in Waco, or something, but pulls out the victory against us in the B12 Champ game.

As far as Ichiro, I think he’ll be a Hall-Of-Famer if he gets to 2500 hits. But, he won’t be recognized as the all-time hits leader. MLB made a decision his first year (by giving him ROTY) that his years in Japan were not on the same level.

Sucks for him, but I agree. You can’t just take stats from Japan and apply them to the Majors. How many homeruns would Hank Aaron have had if he had spent part of his career in Japan?

I juggle one handed, do some magic tricks and do the best imitation of myself.

Ben Folds Five

by Andy--01 on Sep 26, 2008 7:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So, how much does USC's loss

serve as a motivating factor for MU in Lincoln next week?
At this point, we control our own destiny. No more than 1 team ahead of us can end up undefeated if we also are undefeated.

Do our coaches remind the team of that, or do we just concentrate on ourselves? I don’t see Pinkel discussing goals beyond winning the North, but obviously, every player knows that the Ultimate goal this season is getting to Miami.

I juggle one handed, do some magic tricks and do the best imitation of myself.

Ben Folds Five

by Andy--01 on Sep 26, 2008 8:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw this happen

I know that we have to take care of business and we have two huge games and a ton of dangerous trap games to go, but man, think about it. The SEC teams will pound each other into oblivion and out of the top of the rankings.

We control our own destiny for the National Championship.

Bones. It's not just a noun it's a verb. Not just a nickname, a movement.

by Ridiculous Matt on Sep 26, 2008 8:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow...

We control our own destiny for the National Championship.

It’s been FOREVER since we said that. I haven’t said that since like… December.

http://www.RockMNation.com
Chance McDanielson for Heisman

by rptgwb on Sep 26, 2008 8:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but think about

what all had to happen last year? The mass chaos that had to occur? We control our own destiny in September.

Before the start of the season, I knew that we would start high and this could be an even more special season than last year. But we needed a string of events to occur for everything to fall into place.

The first two have (Ohio State ruining themselves and thereby the Pac-10, USC shooting itself in the crotch, eliminating the Pac-10).

Man, I cannot WAIT for the Nebraska game.

Bones. It's not just a noun it's a verb. Not just a nickname, a movement.

by Ridiculous Matt on Sep 26, 2008 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The thing about USC

… is that, when pundits start whining, they somewhat have a point.

But the issue is, national championships in college football are supposed to reward the team that played the best all year, not just who is playing the best football in January. When they start talking about USC, I’ll agree with them that USC is the best team in football on any given day (especially when they’re motivated). But you do have to take the entire resume into account.

http://www.RockMNation.com
Chance McDanielson for Heisman

by rptgwb on Sep 26, 2008 8:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

they're the best on any given day...

…except for when they suck twice a year. And yes…my defense mechanisms are already perking up. I’m probably less than 2-3 weeks away from my first major “THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE BCS IS THAT IT DOESN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THREE TEAMS ON THE SAME FIELD!!!!” rant.

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's the thing.

Who have they looked awesome against? What, Virginia? An Ohio State team who benched their starting QB two weeks later and who plays in an equally horrid conference after almost losing to Ball State?

Every year this happens and every year it kills me. It’s better to look beatable versus the best teams in the land than to crush the dregs of the country. And it’s MUCH better to lose to a dominant team that you’re close to than to lose to, oh, I don’t know… STANFORD AND OSU! I’m sorry, but if you lose to those teams, you don’t deserve to go to the national title game. And that goes for OU if they lose to Colorado or Baylor, or us if we lose to Baylor or Iowa State.

Have I mentioned the Baylor game keeps getting more worrisome because of that quarterback?

Wait. Nebraska is in two weeks, and then Texas. What the hell am I talking about?! Kool-Aid! I must have more Kool-Aid!

Bones. It's not just a noun it's a verb. Not just a nickname, a movement.

by Ridiculous Matt on Sep 26, 2008 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

MATT'S ON BOARD!!

BRING ON NEBRASKA!!!

Rock M Nation
Thrust nunchuk upward!

by The Boy on Sep 26, 2008 8:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

My first thoughts last night

(and this is reflected in my Facebook statuses throughout the night)

-Do we really want to live in a world where OU is No. 1? Ugh. Maybe it’s just because I’m currently living in Oklahoma, but I shudder at that thought.

-There’s a great double standard going on. Ohio State gets blackballed by the media for continually losing the “big game”, yet USC tends to skate by after continually losing the “small game.” My exact thoughts were: “Congratulations, USC: you’re blackballed from the National Title game. Go sit with Ohio State.”

-I do not envy anyone with a ballot right now. I really, really don’t. Honestly, what the hell do you do with USC? While they have an exceptionally bad loss, they have arguably the best win of anyone in the country as well, plus another dominating win over a could-be-decent Virginia team.

After wracking my brain last night, I figured out that all things being equal (teams that should win do so, like Florida beating Ole Miss) a lot depends on the Georgia-Alabama game.

If Georgia wins:
1) Oklahoma
2) Georgia
3) Florida
4) LSU
5) Mizzou

If Alabama wins:
1) Oklahoma
2) Florida
3) LSU
4) Alabama
5) Mizzou
(although Bama might scoot even higher)

But then there’s the possibility of OU struggling and/or losing to a very solid TCU team. What do you do if OU loses to TCU (a slight yet distinct possibility) and Alabama beats Georgia? Are you really prepared to put Florida at No. 1? Because I’m not.

Anyway, I know it’s only week 4, but that’s what was buzzing through my mind last night.

Oh, and the Mets are going to choke. It’s science.

"One man, five scoops." -- shroomer

by ghtd36 on Sep 26, 2008 10:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You may not be prepared to put Florida at #1...

But something tells me there are a lot of voters out there who see TEBOW1!1 HARVIN11!! and want to put them there while overlooking all of their shortcomings (yeah, their defense shut down Miami and Tennessee, but come on…those offenses suck).