At this moment it is taking all the restraint I can muster to keep from using a string of expletives to describe my absolute shock and disappointment at the disgraceful vote by the SCAC coaches in robbing the Coach of the Year Award from Jeff Cleanthes of Rhodes College for the second year in a row.

I am sure that Coach Carl Iwasaki of Austin College is a fine man, a good coach and absolutely no disrespect is intended to him.  Sure—congratulations to Austin College for winning the 3-day tournament.  They played well and deserved to win.  But, even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a blue moon!  I could even see it if Austin had not gone "2 and out" in California, and had advanced deeper into the regional tourney.

Personally, I would be absolutely embarrassed to accept this award if I were the coach of a below .500 team—when men with .783 and .761 winning percentages were in the running!  It sounds to me that there is some petty jealousy and vindictiveness among the SCAC coaches. 

In reply to sports 10...

MVP-- Matt Beesley of Rhodes College, the hardest working man in show-business!

Coach-- Jeff Cleanthes of Rhodes College, hands down, period!

Rhodes was listed as the #6 seed in the Central around 3am.

No Frank, you are not alone.  I just stopped by the board to see if last night's cruel "joke" at the expense of the Rhodes Lynx had been commented on...or perhaps had been merely the side-effect of an "undigested bit of beef".  Last night I woke up shortly before 3 am, and in a curious—although hazy moment, decided to check the D-III website to see if the at-large bids had been posted. To my delight—and to the delight of 32 wide-awake young men miles away in Memphis, Tennessee, Rhodes was listed among the Central Regional slots. I went back to bed feeling like a million bucks, only to awake later, finding out that Rhodes was passed over due to a mistake.

Dewey Wins!!!

Oh well, the players at Rhodes and Millsaps can take some satisfaction knowing that few teams paired in the Regionals will boast 71 wins between them...some not even 50. Short of winning the SCAC Tournament—what could these teams have done differently that would have gotten them a bid?

This ain't the local beer league....

I like that!  If you hear "Come on Lynx! This ain't no beer league! Your playin' the class of the West!"next weekend---it will be me!

I was making a reference to sleep deprivation and fatigue, not players "fretting" over schoolwork.

I am in no way disparaging the talent pool in the SCAC by implying that they are "scholars attempting to play sports".  In fact many of them could excel at the Division I level.

Let's look at the "error" situation in another light. The Lynx played six games in seven days. Rhodes College is one of the toughest academic schools around, and at this time during the semester, players have long papers to write and exams to take. Instead of slamming any Division III team by likening them to "little leaguers" I would like to take my hat off to all D-III athletes. They receive no athletic scholarships; they are not pampered, tutored, or housed in athletic facilities. They are not taking business math and basket weaving courses. They play because they are trying to get a solid education while playing the game they love.

Don't pick on teams who commit a string of errors. Go after the poor sports and trash talkers instead.

Attended the Rhodes vs. LaGrange game last night....

Assessment:

Rhodes Pitching—Plenty good to win a college baseball game. Holt should have been out of several innings long before he was. You can't give a good team 4 or 5 outs per inning.

Rhodes Defense—The worst I have seen since 2005.

Rhodes Offense—Did not put the ball in play enough to be considered "offense". Never made the adjustments needed to handle LaGrange pitcher Tim Canady, who had a career game against Rhodes.

Remedy: Pull the plug on the 4 day Easter weekend "pass" for the team. They may be able to win 30 games, but it seems that four days of "wine, women and song" may have put them in a tailspin.

For the record: This was Rhodes' first "away" loss of the season.  The Lynx Cats are Road Warriors! They live for bus rides, crowded motel rooms and cheap Chinese buffets! Shake it off and kick some fanny—you gotta score some runs for Holt, Cat and Flanny!

Freshman Kevin McAlpine, while rehabbing an injury, threw 91 pitches against a Division II baseball team, prior to giving out of gas. He did a good job keeping his team in the game and the offense helped him out. Good for him!

Not wanting to take a "knife to a gunfight", Coach Cleanthes simply put in what seemed to be his best bet—his freshest southpaw, Robert Flanagan.  [Note: In a 1 run game against Christian Brothers earlier this season, Chris "Cat" Catalonotto, a lefty, did well—giving up just 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings.]  Baseball is a game of tendencies. You don't throw a change to a guy who can't catch up to your heater.

True, Flanny didn't have his best outing. But, teammate Chuck Simmons came in and slammed the door on the 30th Lynx win.  Booyah!

For years, Millsaps, Trinity and Southwestern pulled into Memphis, got off the bus, beat the Lynx like a red-headed step-child, yawned and left for home. That was life in the SCAC—then. Today, the prospect of Rhodes getting any recognition— national or otherwise, seems to really antagonize some folks. I find that amusing.

Lynx defeat CBU, Reach 30 Win Plateau
04/03/07---The Rhodes baseball team defeated Christian Brothers University this afternoon 7-6. Robert Flanagan picked up the victory after relieving starter Kevin McAlpine. Flanagan is now 10-0. Charles Simmons pitched the 8th and 9th to pick up the save, his 7th. Senior Daniel Killary was 2-2 on the day with a double and 2 RBIs. Sophomore Brett Miller was 2-4 with an RBI. With the victory, the Lynx improved to 30-4. This is the first time any Rhodes baseball team has reached the 30 win plateau. The Lynx will return to action next Monday night at Lagrange.

Hurd and Catalanotto earn SCAC Player of the Week honors
04/04/07---Junior outfielder Richard Hurd and Junior pitcher Chris Catalanotto have been named SCAC players of the week for games played from March 26th to April 1st. On the week Hurd hit .542 (13 for 24) with 5 home runs, a double, three walks, 10 runs scored, and 16 RBIs. On the mound, Chris Catalanotto was 1-0 on the week, picking up a complete game 12-1 victory over SCAC opponent, Centre College. Catalanotto kept Centre hitters off balance, scattering only 5 hits, with no walks and 11 strikeouts.

Richard Hurd named Division III National Co-Hitter of the Week
04/05/07---The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Richard Hurd the Co-Hitter of the Week for games played from March 26th to April 1st. Highlighted by two multi home run games, Hurd, on the week went 13 for 24 (.542), belting 5 home runs, driving in 16 runs, and slugging an incredible 1.208. For the season, Hurd leads the SCAC in batting average (.450), runs (48), hits (58) and total bases (93). Behind this great effort the Lynx went 5-0 on the week, including a 4 game sweep of SCAC East opponent, Centre College.

See: http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2007/div3players070405.html

Has anyone noticed that every left-handed compliment that the Rhodes Baseball team receives has a "but" attached?

...but they have an easy schedule.
...but they are untested.
...but their depth is questionable.
...but their mother's dress them funny.

For many years Rhodes and Hendrix were considered the whipping boys in the SCAC West. Everyone knew that if the Lynx did not finish in the top 3 in the West Division last year, the cry would go up, "Yeah, but they couldn't make the playoffs until they moved east".  Many, if not most Lynx fans did not want to be moved into the East Division. We wanted the tougher competition—but the choice was not ours.

As my father-in-law is fond of saying, "If ifs and buts were fruit and nuts, we would all have a merry Christmas."

The Rhodes Express steamed into the Bluegrass State this weekend, sweeping a 4 game series with the Colonels of Centre College.  The Lynx Cats improved their overall record to 29-4, and are now the SCAC East Division Champions. On Sunday afternoon the 2007 Rhodes Baseball Team eclipses the school record for single-season wins. Undoubtedly, other school records will be broken by season's end. Hopefully, the Rhodes community will give these student-athletes the recognition they deserve.

I have seen literally thousands of baseball games in my lifetime. Rarely have I seen such solidarity, heart and true team play as I saw this weekend.  To the Lynx Cats one and all—thank you for a terrific weekend!

The Lynx [a.k.a. the Beast of the East] will resume play on Tuesday at 2:00 pm against Christian Brothers University.

No offense taken Frank!  Just perpetuating the railroad jargon—derail, steam etc.

Lynx supporters, including myself, should have posted sooner about the DePauw game. Simply put, Rhodes' bats were below par on Saturday. We did not execute when we needed to, and hit into more double plays than I can remember seeing in a double-header. Your postings regarding Rhodes baseball are quite insightful and provide an objective perspective that give Lynx fans food for thought.

You are correct about the importance of name recognition. In the past, Rhodes players [and probably others] have been passed over in All-Conference selections, even though their individual numbers surpassed players in winning programs. Does anyone know how the ABCA points are awarded and what they represent?

Anyone who has not listened to Millsaps' ESPN radio broadcast via the internet is missing a real treat.  Their announcer does great play-by-play and color commentary reminiscent of a bygone era.

A few comments on the ABCA poll:

It would have been nice for the hard-working Lynx Cats to receive a little recognition for their accomplishments—but that did not happen. Why not? How can a record of 24-4 be overlooked when several teams on the list are barely playing above .500?  Winning 16 consecutive games. Not easy for any team. Would Rhodes get "points" for having JUCO transfers on their roster? Maybe they should have gone to Iowa over spring break and beat Wartburg like a rented mule.

It has been stated that Rhodes does not have a "very tough" schedule. However, the Lynx invited #11 Millsaps to Memphis, and cut short their spring break trip to drive 530 miles by bus to play #21 Methodist. They beat Piedmont and Methodist, got back on the bus, and drove 525 miles back to Memphis, defeating Illinois-Wesleyan the following day.  

One blog poster said, "DePauw opened up the season by derailing the Rhodes express."  The Rhodes express wasn't derailed—it just ran out of steam...temporarily. DePauw is a quality team.  The Lynx offense simply did not give Holt what he deserved.

Baseball is a game of strict ritual, steeped in an inflexible mindset and unbending tradition. That's why we love it. Sometimes it doesn't love us back.

Found the following interesting, funny and sad:

http://www.aolvideoblog.com/2007/03/15/baseball-player-fakes-getting-hit-by-pitch/

In the fall of 2004 the first group of players recruited by Rhodes' head coach Jeff Cleanthes came to Memphis. Daniel Vanaman, Richard Hurd and Matt Beesley were plugged into the lineup immediately, bringing with them a new work ethic that set the standard for seasons to follow, hitting a combined .339 their freshman year. 

Robert Flanagan, who posted a 3-10 record in 2005, with lackluster defense and offense in support, has worked hard to achieve the status he enjoys today. With "Flanny" on the hill the Lynx Cats of 2007 are tough.  Equally impressive is sophomore Andy Holt, who takes the mound with confidence and tenacity. Comparisons between the two are inevitable.  Lynx fans are delighted that they both wear the same uniform!

Coach Cleanthes has continued to throw young players to the fray, adding J. R. Bizzell, Mason Mosby, Drew Hubbard and Charles Simmons in 2006.  Left-hander, Chris Catalanotto has come on strong and will be a deciding factor in conference and post-season play.  Jeff Mueller will be a big factor for the Lynx, coming on in relief.

Freshman infielders Andy Boucher and Brooks Royer have been a welcome addition to this year's lineup, as have been pitchers Adkins, Chadwick, McAlpine and Gertz.

While a diehard Lynx supporter, a few comments about other programs in the SCAC...  Hendrix baseball is on its way up. Their coach and young players are to be commended. Congratulations to Millsaps' Nick Crawford on the amazing 17 on-base streak. Tim Ernst of Oglethorpe set a school record for hits during the Rhodes-Oglethorpe series. He does everything well.  Ernst and Crawford will be missed next year.