Oregon @ USC (series currently tied 1-1)

[BillM]

Sums it up perfectly . . . we're not a bad team, we're just not very good.

1-11 with runners in scoring position and 11 left on base. My biggest gripe is once we make a mistake, we compound it with two or three more. How many games have we given away with 8th innings like today? Walks, HBP, Passed Balls, Errors, Misplayed Balls . . . when we hit and play clean, we're not so bad, but we make some of the most mind-numbing, inexplicable errors. Frustrating year as you never get too up because you always feels like the implosion will come the next inning. Too bad as our starting pitchers have been pretty good this year.

[oregontrack]

1-0 Oregon, top 3

Serna doubles, Pulfer singles him home.

Pulfer is 2/2 already today, and after going 5/5 yesterday, is 9/11 for this series.

[cordy02c]

1-1 after 5 ducks loaded bases with 1 out in 5th and couldn't score pulfer k'd with bases loaded

[Coastal Duck]

Peterson strikes out w/runners on 1st and 2nd. 1-1 to the bottom of the 8th.

Gotta get some clutch hitting!!!

[Coastal Duck]

Side note: I know Jerry Allen is a nice guy, but come on - the guy has no business in a PAC-10 booth - he continually makes mistakes and has to correct them. I can't think of any other announcer who would be able to keep his job given the plethora boo-boos Allen makes - EVERY GAME!!! And it happens in all three sports he is involved with - sad.

[oregontrack]

Well, a really good afternoon by Kuedell looks like it's going to be wasted. SC gets two in the 8th, now we have to rally, something we're seemingly allergic to.

[greenyellow]

This team just can't hit this season. Pulfer seems to be the only consistent hitter this season. The team is just too young to really do anything this season. Plus, can Horton move Marder from catcher already?

[BillM]

They can't hit when we've got guys on base. We were something like 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position in the last two games and left 20 on base. The 8th inning is again a killer for us . . . start with a walk, balk, and passed ball before giving up a double and the winning run. Our #3 class of freshmen are going to be good the next two years, but they must have bought into the hype like everyone else did. Amazing that the beavs were picked 8th (not in the country, but the conference) and I don't see anyone who is going to beat them. All that talk of Omaha was obviously premature.

Things I DON'T want to hear next year: We are ranked in 5 preseason polls and picked to host a regional, NIKE has designed special uniforms for postseason play. and Horton promising a trip to Omaha. It all looks pretty embarrassing now.

[greenyellow]

I think that the depth of the relief pitchers is also suspect too. I wonder if losing so many of our top pitching signees is starting to take its toll now.

[oregontrack]

Horton didn't actually promise a trip to Omaha, I'm sure. I believe he's been quoted as saying that he EXPECTS to be there, to which I support 100%. I love that he wasn't satisfied with a 40-win season and a regional berth last year.

[greenyellow]

Horton didn't actually promise a trip to Omaha, I'm sure. I believe he's been quoted as saying that he EXPECTS to be there, to which I support 100%. I love that he wasn't satisfied with a 40-win season and a regional berth last year.

And that's what you want from a coach. The coach should have high expectations for his team, especially coming off what they accomplished last year.

[BillM]

I'm all for high expectations from your coach, but we might have been better off with Chip's mantra WTD. With so many young guys, maybe we needed to be more realistic and win one game at a time. Even Danny Pulfer admonished the guys last week and said too many guys were too focused on Omaha when we were a long, long way away from getting there.

If we overachieved last year, we are definitely underachieving this year.

[oregontrack]

I had always assumed there was a balance involved. If Pulfer said guys were too focused on Omaha, then yeah I can't help but agree. Horton's incredible attention for detail had always led me to assume he has no problem with putting the programs overarching goals out on the table, but he sees the value of every pitch along the way.

Anyway, I do agree it's been an underachieving year. I've used this team's youth as a crutch before, but I don't mean that it's been the excuse for all of our problems. Inconsistency aside, we've blown a lot of game we certainly should have won.

Looks like I was dead wrong about Anderson. I must have been looking at a much older mock, apparently he's projected as an EASY mid first rounder. So he's gone at the end of the year.

[BillM]

We've had a bunch of injuries too . . . too many broken hands that have no doubt slowed us down. Youth and inexperience has got to factor in too as we play a ton of freshmen. But aside from our hitting woes and bullpen problems, we make some of the most mind-numbing, inexplicable mistakes at crucial times and never seem to just make one. We have to compound one mistake with two or three more until we literally give the game away. 28 LOB over 3 games in LA is just sad.

[greenyellow]

We've had a bunch of injuries too . . . too many broken hands that have no doubt slowed us down. Youth and inexperience has got to factor in too as we play a ton of freshmen. But aside from our hitting woes and bullpen problems, we make some of the most mind-numbing, inexplicable mistakes at crucial times and never seem to just make one. We have to compound one mistake with two or three more until we literally give the game away. 28 LOB over 3 games in LA is just sad.

Look at the outfield. It's been manned for most of the season by 3 freshmen at any one time (Sabol, Jones, Hoffman, Garlick and Thomas) due to an injury to Piazzisi and Packard leaving for a mission after last season. The only true freshman that should really be playing is probably Jones, with Sabol as a capable back-up. They've been real consistent out in the field, but at-bat, have been missing-in-action in Pac-10 play, as have most of the team. It may be hard seeing the results they're producing now, but the experience they're gaining now will help in the future.

As for the mistakes in the field, it's surprising that a lot of them are being made by our experienced starters. You would expect true freshmen to make simple fielding and baserunning errors, but to have players like Pulfer, Serna, and Altobelli make them is a little concerning. It seems like the success from last year got to their heads a bit and aren't concentrating on the small details that made last year's team so good.