2006 Season Begins In Earnest

Why should I write a new blog?  Seems like we are trying to live by the same script as last year!

I like:

* The way these Hogs are swinging the bats.  Less strikeouts, particularly less 'easy' strikeouts (ie' working the count) and much more pop.

* Continuing, maybe even bettering, the usual Dave Van Horn theory of pressing the other team - stealing, taking the extra base, etc.

* Depth in the outfield - this is almost to a fault, now (familiar)

* This pitching staff. They want the ball.  More often than not, they know what to do with it.

I don't like:

* Injuries.  They seem to always hit where we are weakest.  And we are suddenly quite vulnerable on the middle infield.  

* Mistakes.  3 losses - all started on the downhill slide when we made critical mistakes.  It's so much fun to be on the other end of that candle.

Yes, yes - it's baseball and you can't win them all.  I'm actually much less upset about the losses to Florida than most of the fans seem to be.  It has been pointed out that the loser of that series has finished on top of the SEC the last 2 years.  Danny points out that its better to have this kind of thing now when you have time to get over it and build towards the end of the season.

Very much scrutiny for the games this weekend.  We will probably put too much into the Georgia series, be it good or bad results.  But I missed the first 2 of the La Tech series, and I don't feel like I have seen enough of MY team yet.

Did I mention I don't like so many road games?  I think Van Horn is right on every reason he gives for starting the season like we have, instead of an extra weekend of games at home against a team we are superior to.  But it didn't work out so well at Hawaii, we did all that to play games against a team 5 1/2 hours away.  We are expanding Baum stadium seating after this season yet again, and I think we should be having a tournament towards the first of the year.  I know, the weather here is unpredictable.  But our field drains better than most any weve ever been to, and I think teams of substance would love to come here late Feb / early March.  Minnesota did it, and their Big 10 brethren who suddenly see a cash cow in post-season college baseball on the horizon look at our weather then as tropical.

Enjoy the weekend - this should be great.
Enjoy this season - these guys could be great, they should be really good.
But I hope we can look at hosting a pre-conference tournament - at least every other year - as a priority.