1 - It's time for another Mizzou 25 competition (http://www.rockmnation.com/story/2008/4/29/7925/88237)! Two things: a) if you haven't submitted your seeding votes, go right ahead and do so, either here or in the thread; and b) as with the initial Mizzou 25 competition, where we pretty much knew it would be Askren vs Daniel in the finals, we can more or less guess who will be in the finals here too. That said, of the more unsung coaches on the list (i.e. not Norm or Pinkel, who will almost certainly end up the #1 and 2 seeds), who do you think deserves a little more attention? Doug, I guess you probably don't have to answer this question, so go ahead and talk smack about KU's win over MU last night.
2 - What's the biggest long-term concern for Mizzou Baseball right now--starting pitching, bullpen, or hitting? They're all pretty much sucking eggs at this point, but surely at least one or two of those three will rebound...right? Ri...right?
3 - Final thoughts about the NFL draft? Exciting? Over-covered and overblown? All of the above? And most importantly, is there any chance we can escape the clutches of Todd McShay for a while now?
4 - Yeah, that's all I've got. Any outstanding issues to discuss? Anyone?
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The Beef: 1 - I replied in the thread, but I put more of a premium on longevity it appears in my voting...also national prominence in your own sport...so I had some folks probably higher than most will. Brian Smith will obviously get a good run going based on where wrestling is right now...I think Dr. McGuire deserves a good run...will see how it goes. I am sure though it will end up GP vs. Norm....not too sure where I fall on that.
2 - My biggest concern right now is hitting. Starting pitching, while not dominant like it was in March is still decent. The hitting though has been atrocious...the LOB and now the not scoring any runs does not put you in any position to win. And yes...we need to rebound here at some point and take advantage of the fact we play a couple of teams in the lower half of the standings before finishing with Nebraska in a couple of weekends. I think we are pretty much out of a shot at hosting a regional, but we can still certainly improve our standing a bit over the next three weeks leading into the Big XII Tourney.
3 - I think the NFL Draft for me is somewhere in the middle. I like watching the entire thing unfold after a team makes a pick between two guys and how everything falls from there. This year, the fact the first round was 3 and a half hours was great...except for the fact we were trying to drink what ended up being about 8-9 beers in that time. I cannot listen to Berman anymore though...he is just unlistenable to me right now...put Wingo in charge of both days instead of just Sunday and leave it at that. As for McShay...oy...I don’t know how he has the job he has, but good for him for fooling someone I guess along the way.
4 - I am guessing this just gets opened up to pictures....
Michael Atchison: 1 - I’ll do the 1 to 16 later (Norm will take up 12 positions). I think Rick McGuire deserves a little extra attention. I think 95% of Mizzou football/basketball fans would give a blank look in response to the question "who is Rick McGuire?" and that’s too bad. Also, on the other drafts I’ve seen, Brian Hoffer seems to be getting too little love.
2 - I went to the Fray at the K last night, and it was a great event with two exceptions: 1) the sucktacular result; and 2) the concessions clusterfrack. From what I saw, it looks like the boys need to start corking their aluminum, because those things were as useless as a Green Party presidential campaign. The pitching all around was pretty solid.
3 - I love the draft because nobody loses on draft day. You can project all future hopes onto the guys your team picks, and they can’t disappoint you until months (or years) later. It’s like putting despair on layaway. And I’ll take more McShay if it means less Chris "Ethel" Berman.
4 - Can any of you dudes punt?
Doug: 1 - Dammit, why wasn't my nominee for Mizzou 25 included? Time plus distance improves all feelings right? Aren't MU fans ready to forgive Quin Snyder? Seriously, though... speaking of the KU-MU game at the K... how did it look? I was working so I wasn't able to go, though I'm pretty sure the attendance did not fill up the stadium, correct? I think a couple years ago, they played a game at Community America Ballpark in KCK... and frankly, I think that would be a better place for a college baseball game. In fact, it could possibly host the Big 12 tournament, though not for the next couple of years since it is now double-booked with the T-Bones and the Kansas City Wizards.
2 - Pass.
3 - First up with the draft... I really wish I had the NFL Network, because ESPN's coverage sucked. Hard. They talked over the Chiefs' pick of Glenn Dorsey, the number 5 pick! With a player in the green room! Unacceptable. Plus, they went on to miss the live coverage of several more picks, including going to commercial break right when Pittsburgh's pick was about to be announced. Just dreadful work on their part. Plus, they now have too many people on air, too many desks and, frankly, too little to talk about. Chris Berman has outlived his usefulness to society and should be put out to pasture. To think he brought an entire broadcast to a halt so he break out the "Hold the Mayo" line was stupid and viewers of ESPN deserve more than that cartoon character can provide anymore.
On the draft itself... I think Kansas City did a really nice job, though I was a bit surprised they did not use any of the 3rd round picks to take another lineman, like an Anthony Collins, who I think went in the 4th. It was also exciting to see four KU players picked, including the Big 12's only 1st round selection this year. And, I really enjoyed the stream-lined format. Those first two rounds flew by and in fact, I think the league can go back to the first three rounds on Saturday and 4 through 7 on Sunday, just because it was so quick.
4 - At KU, we talked about just going to walk-on tryouts as kickers or punters. Of course, that was during the Terry Allen era... so I think we could have gotten a shot.
The Boy: 1 - It was hard for me to balance between those with the highest single level of accomplishment (Pinkel reaching #1 in 2007, Brian Smith reaching #1 in 2007, Jamieson reaching #2 in 2008) versus the longevity of the Joann Rutherfords and Gene McArtors on the list. I ended up going with singular accomplishment, and I assume most others will do the same. That said, it's very hard to quantify the off-the-field accomplishments of Dr. McGuire...he's been as influential as anybody on the list...
2 - The sabermetrician in me says that if you get enough guys on base, eventually you'll drive them in. The problem with that is...well, I think we were quite spoiled early in the season by the fact that we were getting about 18 HBPs per game. A lot of times, a poor average with runners in scoring position is simply due to a small sample size...but in this case, it seems we were so used to being handed first base (via HBP or BB) that when it was time to actually swing the bats and bring somebody home, we weren't very assertive about it. I dunno...it's not like I've seen every game in this 11-12 stretch we're in or anything, but offense is obviously a huge concern. But for me, the bullpen has been pretty wretched recently, especially in clutch situations. The offense wouldn't have to be quite as good if the 'pen could protect a damn lead.
3 - I would wager that the Dolphins lost on Draft Day last year (Ted Ginn), but otherwise Atch is correct. No matter how the draft unfolds, you're pretty much assured that the team will be excited by its picks...and fans of about 95% of the teams will be upset by them! And I also agree that Chris Berman is basically just a caricature of himself at this point. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if he was able to make a pop culture reference that was relevant after 1974, but either way...he's just not enjoyable at all. Not in the draft, not in the home run derby...he's still okay in the studio on NFL Sundays, but only 'okay' and nothing more.
4 - Kentucky Derby this Saturday!! Horse racing is my favorite of the "you only have to care about them 2-3 days a year" sports.
rptgwb: 1 - I'd give some love to Jamieson and McArtor for what they've built, but obviously the timing on giving love to baseball isn't optimal at the moment. I'm a Bryan Blitz apologist after seeing/covering his work this year and seeing where his program is headed, but I can't justify putting him in the Top 5 yet. Pinkel will get a lot of love from me, as will the Kreklows. And, considering part of the description says "most influential," shouldn't Quin be getting WAY higher seeding? He might be the most influential coach Mizzou's ever seen - just in a negative way.
2 - Starting pitching, bullpen, or hitting? Can I just answer "yes" and leave it at that? I think the starting pitching will come back around, but the bullpen is awful and I never know what to expect from Mizzou's batting order.
3 - I am traditionally a huge draft fan. I grew up watching it every year before I really knew anyone else who did, primarily because I was a big college football fan and wanted to see where my favorite players would end up. This year seemed rather boring and overblown to me. Maybe it's because I can't stand seeing Kiper and McShay yelling at each other while Berman prepares to talk over another pick. And if they want to get rid of McShay, can't they pull a Harold Reynolds and have him "hug a co-worker inappropriately?"
4 - Max Scherzer's MLB debut? 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K. Good. God. (Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?...
Michael Atchison: Clearly, Scherzer is baffling hitters with his hypnotic, mismatched eyes. Luke Hochevar appears to be a nice prospect, but it's a little painful that the hometown powder blues passed on Mighty Max.
Doug asked about the game at the K. Nearly 4,000 in attendance (and about 75% of them were Mizzou fans) all tucked in the lower level from dugout to dugout. There was tailgating in the parking lot and the new scoreboard is something to behold (really, the thing is stunning). The stadium, though, was woefully understaffed (the concession lines were longer than . . . well, they were longer than some other very long thing), and a riot was narrowly averted when folks who had waited in line at the main concession stand for 45 minutes were told that the malted beverages were gone and that they have to get into the other very long line at the beer cart.
ZouDave: due to a time crunch for me today, I'll be brief
1 - I know absolutely nothing about Mizzou sports outside of football and men's basketball, and even lately I know nothing about basketball. All I could possibly hope to do here is rank the football coaches from my lifetime.
2 - Not a clue in the world.
3 - Love the draft. Had a great time watching it. Think the Chiefs' first day was brilliant, and because of how brilliant it was I forgive some of the head-scratching picks on day 2. Not that they were bad picks, I just don't understand taking Jamaal Charles when RB is not our big concern. But I guess some people may have it right when they say we were just taking value picks at that point and not basing each pick on a need. I'm absolutely thrilled the Chiefs drafted Will Franklin. First Mizzou player drafted by the Chiefs since Earnest Blackwell, who didn't ever actually play. I feel very strongly that Franklin can start opposite of Bowe from day 1 because I FIRMLY believe he's better than Samie Parker right now.
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Michael Atchison: Will Franklin could hardly have landed in a softer spot. He has a great shot to start. I, too, would have preferred to see another O-lineman taken earlier (and drafting two tight ends perplexes me), but I think you really should draft for value and not need. When you focus too heavily on need, you end up drafting a year at a time. But a successful draft needs to look farther out onto the horizon. I think the big lesson of the Chiefs’ draft this year is that they should have dealt Larry Johnson last year and turned him into a couple of stud linemen. I’d rather pay a great offensive line to work in front of a middling running back than pay a great back to work behind a middling line.
The Beef: Can I mention I am still ticked that the Jets traded UP to get a TE? I mean...the GB G.M. must have done an amazing job convincing them they were going to take him...I mean...the dude must have already done a great job convincing him Bubba Franks had some value since we were kind enough to take him off their hands this year too...ugh