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Mizzou Links, 2-20-12

By Bill Connelly
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So about a week and a half ago, I had myself a pretty impressive chest cold, complete with cough and Barry White sexiness. Last week it began to melt away ... and then yesterday, it came back. Not sure that's ever happened to me before. I blame Rally Baby.

Mizzou Basketball Links

  • Yay!
    KC Star: Former MU coach Norm Stewart enjoys what he's seen this year
  • BOO!
    Post-Dispatch: Ex-coach Anderson still pulls hard for MU

    Returning to the scene of such success was attractive. But to get to Arkansas, Anderson left a bad feeling with many in Columbia. He indicated his plans to stay at Mizzou before taking the Arkansas job. He said he understands some of those feelings that developed after he left.

    "Those kids are part of my family. They will be for the rest of my life," he said. "Obviously they were hurt and even when you talk about some of the fans. Why? When I got there, there was not a lot of empathy about the program. Now there are feelings about it and I understand that. But I'm so excited for those guys. They're going to do great things."

    When Haith was hired, he had a friend who could answer every question. And while much of the country expressed shock about Haith, Anderson wasn't among that group.

    "Do you think that's just a coincidence?" he asked without elaboration.

    He was pulling for his friend all along.

  • Recruiting
    PowerMizzou: Tiger legacy talks Border War

Other Basketball Links

Mizzou Football Links

  • 2012 Recruits
    The Trib: MU football recruit throws weight around

    That's three verbal commitments for Missouri's 2013 class, all from in-state prospects. Jefferson City linebacker Joe Burkett and CBC receiver/defensive back Aarion Penton committed last weekend after attending MU's Junior Day event in Columbia. Missouri is well ahead of last year's pace for securing early commitments. Of the 17 high school recruits who signed with Missouri earlier this month, the earliest any of them pledged a verbal commitment was March 1 of their junior year. That was Staley tailback Morgan Steward. The Tigers later picked up two pledges in May, two in June and one in July.

    Missouri's 2011 class took longer to get started, too. Quarterback Corbin Berkstresser committed to MU shortly after his sophomore year at Lee's Summit, but MU secured one pledge in February 2010, three in March and one each in April, May and June.

    According to Rivals.com, Missouri has already extended scholarship offers to 11 in-state prospects for 2013 — the same number of Missouri players Gary Pinkel's staff offered for the 2012 class.

    Among the top-rated in-state recruits with MU offers are running back Ezekiel Elliott (John Burroughs), linebacker Nick Ramirez (Lee's Summit West) and running back/defensive back Chase Abbington (Fort Zumwalt South).

    The Missourian: Missouri recruit places second at state wrestling finals
    KC Star (Campus Corner): Florida tight end could be late addition to '12 recruiting class
  • 2013 Recruiting
    The Trib (Dave Matter): Recruiting: Tigers getting early in-state results
    KC Star (Campus Corner): Staley star wants Missouri offer, but is his future at quarterback?
    PowerMizzou: Big Missouri LB checks out Huskers on Saturday
    PowerMizzou: Chase Abbington talks visit, leaders

Other Football Links

  • Playoffs
    Daily Oklahoman: College football playoff hopes have bigger problems than getting Big Ten's blessing
    CBS Sports: BCS founding father Kramer in favor of amendment to system

SEC

Mizzou Softball Links

Last year, despite ranking eighth in the country, Mizzou slipped up against unranked Fresno State on the season's opening weekend; Lindsey Muller and Nicole Hudson combined to allow six earned runs in the loss and proved that in softball, not every loss is created equal. If you aren't pitching either your ace or your No. 2, it almost doesn't count.

The same type of loss happened to Mizzou early Saturday morning; the Tigers led off the second day of the tournament after winning the evening's final game the night before, and it was all freshman Bailey Erwin's show. Kristin Nottelmann had battled through an iffy first-game win over Ball State (a win that include nine walks), and Chelsea Thomas was dominant against Troy in the nightcap, and Ehren Earleywine was not going to pitch either one against Eastern Kentucky unless forced. Erwin looked pretty good, taking a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning, but EKU scored three two-out runs to take a 4-3 lead. Freshman Corrin Genovese tied the game with an RBI flyout, but eventually Mizzou fell in the 10th.

Here's something I didn't know about softball: at certain times (I'm assuming early-season tournaments where they don't want games going too long), games contain a rule in which you place a runner at second base to start every extra inning. Thomas finally relieved Erwin midway through the eighth inning, but she "allowed" a run in the ninth on a bunt and a single, then, after Mizzou tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, "allowed" another run on a bunt and an RBI flyout. It's kind of a cruel way to lose, but it does show you how little emphasis should be put on the loss, I guess.

  • Mizzou 3, Ball State 2
    Mizzou 4, Troy 0
    MUtigers.com: No. 5 Tigers Win a Pair on Opening Day
  • Eastern Kentucky 6, Mizzou 5
    MUtigers.com: Mizzou Falls to EKU in Extras, 6-5
    The Missourian: Missouri softball loses for first time in new season
  • Mizzou 9, East Tennessee State 3
    MUtigers.com: No. 5 Tigers Defeat ETSU, 9-3
    The Missourian: Missouri closes tournament with win
  • KBIA Sports Extra: Mizzou softball seniors leading the team by example

Mizzou Baseball Links

For all intents and purposes, one bad inning prevented Mizzou from potentially pulling off a thrilling road sweep of Auburn to begin the 2012 season. AU scored three runs off of Blake Holovach in the seventh inning of Game One to give them a 5-2 win, but Mizzou jumped out to a 4-1 lead on their way to a 6-4 Game Two win, then unleashed some dramatics of their own in the final inning of the rubber match. With the game limited to seven innings due to travel, Mizzou struck for three runs on three walks, a single and two sac flies in the top of the seventh. Auburn put the tying run on second with just one out, but Jake Walsh logged his second save of the day, and Mizzou took the series.

The Mizzou offense wasn't particularly amazing over the weekend, but it didn't have to be. The Tigers batted .261 (24-for-92) with three home runs (two by Dane Opel) and 12 walks, but they won the series by taking advantage of opportunities (Auburn left 31 men on base, Mizzou 23), and relievers Jeff Emens, Walsh and Dusty Ross combined to allow zero runs in a combined eight innings. No. 1 starter Eric Anderson looked good on Friday (six innings, two runs, seven hits, four strikeouts).

Other Mizzou Links

  • Mizzou Women's Basketball
    MUtigers.com: Tigers Shine at Border Showdown
    The Missourian: Missouri earns first conference win of season at Kansas
    KBIA Sports Extra: Christine Flores leads Mizzou past Kansas, 13 game losing streak ends
    Lawrence Journal-World: Missouri women pick up first Big 12 win with 70-65 victory over KU
  • Mizzou Gymnastics
    MUtigers.com: Gymnastics Records Season High Against Sooners
    The Missourian: Missouri positive after loss to Oklahoma
    The Trib: MU gymnastics finds one more freshman sensation
  • Mizzou Tennis
    MUtigers.com: Mizzou Slides 6-1 Past Illinois State
    MUtigers.com: Tigers Sweep Saint Louis 7-0 At Home
    The Missourian; Missouri tennis sweeps Saint Louis University
  • Mizzou Swimming & Diving
    MUtigers.com: Mizzou Occupies All Lanes in Missouri Collegiate Challenge
  • Mizzou Golf
    MUtigers.com: Cuartero Leads Tigers at John Burns Intercollegiate
  • Mizzou Rec Center
    Greatist.com: The 21 Most Innovative Gyms in the U.S.

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