BB: NCAC: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Spence]

Thanks for the non-response. I think it's a reasonable question and if I were someone from Oberlin, I'd sure as heck want to know the answer.

I suppose with the reported attendance of 20 -- not sure if that includes staff and media or not -- unless Tim Pettorini, Eric Lahetta or one of the umpires reads this board, we're pretty unlikely to get a first-hand answer.

[Li'l Giant]

unless Tim Pettorini, Eric Lahetta or one of the umpires reads this board, we're pretty unlikely to get a first-hand answer.

Fire up Word and send a letter. Nobody here can give you an answer and I doubt ANYONE can give you the answer you want: That it's all part of a conspiracy to aid Wooster.

[Spence]

LOL you probably don't want to get me started. Look no further than the change to the postseason format a couple years back as evidence that the NCAC is protecting its top programs from upset in the postseason. As for what the deal was today...I have no idea.

[Li'l Giant]

LOL you probably don't want to get me started.

You mean the last 3 pages of posts represents your warm-ups?

[woosterbooster]

Spence -

I was at the Oberlin-Wooster game when it was called.  After Trappazano struck out the side in the top of the fifth, BOTH coaches immediately walked towards homeplate and shook hands.  They were apparently in complete agreement about stopping the contest and in their desire to go home. 

Oberlin had alreadly lost three games in absolutely horrible and deteriorating conditions, weather that was every bit as bad as the Indians saw last night, weather that caused the ballgames in Cleveland and Kent State today to be cancelled.  They wanted to be in their vans and out of there, as did the Wooster players.  All had put in a very long and hard afternoon, as had the umpires.  Both teams shook hands, smiling, laughing, and joking, as the ordeal of playing baseball in snowy 26 degree conditions was finally over.

Once again, you've thrown some large bricks at Wooster without knowing the facts.  If you were a journalist of any sort and went about casting such non-subtle allegations without any substantiation or preliminary fact-checking you'd very likely be out of a job or facing a libel suit.

Nobody in this room wants to listen to you anymore, Spence.  You and your tired act have managed to drive away most of the posters and those that remain have seen the conversation shift away from NCAC baseball to your lousy anti-Wooster agenda.  We've simply had enough of you, period.

[Spence]

Props on being one of the illustrious 20.

I don't really care who agreed to it, it still should have been finished, though I would think the Oberlin coach would have wanted to finish it. That shows a lack of a competitive drive on his part and might explain why his team gets drummed every year by anyone good. The one game you've got a chance to win against Wooster and you give it up with 2 innings to go?

I've thrown no bricks at anyone...I just said in light of the conditions not really changing, why was that time chosen to call the game? I made no accusations toward anyone, except maybe the umpires for letting it happen.

I covered all the weather-related arguments in advance because I knew that's what I would get otherwise...crap like "because it was snowing and windy" well duh.

As for "deteriorating" conditions, I already proved otherwise, unless you care to argue that the weather 6 miles away was markedly different from at the ballpark. I've been to Heidelberg and Ohio Northern; I know what bad baseball weather is. Doesn't mean you just up and quit on a conference game, just after it becomes official. John Carroll and Wilmington quit in the 1st of the second game and JCU is in the East Cleveland lake effect snow belt.

I'm not a journalist anymore. If I were and wrote for someone where it would have been an issue, I would find out what the deal was. If I still thought it was BS, well that's what columns are for

How was this question not about NCAC baseball? Are you implying that Oberlin doesn't play NCAC baseball?

Sorry to take the topic away from how Wooster baseball is the greatest thing since sliced bread and never does anything wrong.

Edit: The John Carroll/Wilmington game was at Wilmington. I wondered how the heck they played in east Cleveland today when they were supposed to get lke 6 inches of snow lol.

[woosterbooster]

I'm through wasting my time here.

[Bob Maxwell]

Spence,

From your post where you gave your edit... it seems your involved in weather forecasting.  IF so, and you are a knowledgable baseball fan which seems like it is also true (you post on here regularly..)... then you MUST know that poor weather conditions over a long period of time cause field conditions to deteriorate.

That being the case, I am betting the field was getting to the point where it was becoming slippry and dangerous for the players... and the balls being wet (from the poor field condtions) did the same thing.

Why is it that the game can't be called... I don't know anything in the rules that says a game MUST be finished once started. 

Stop arguing just to argue... games are called all the time.  And in my opinion, most of the ones that are called are called an inning too late...

[Spence]

Spence,

From your post where you gave your edit... it seems your involved in weather forecasting.  IF so, and you are a knowledgable baseball fan which seems like it is also true (you post on here regularly..)... then you MUST know that poor weather conditions over a long period of time cause field conditions to deteriorate.

That being the case, I am betting the field was getting to the point where it was becoming slippry and dangerous for the players... and the balls being wet (from the poor field condtions) did the same thing.

Why is it that the game can't be called... I don't know anything in the rules that says a game MUST be finished once started. 

Stop arguing just to argue... games are called all the time.  And in my opinion, most of the ones that are called are called an inning too late...

It just seems like they called it after 4 1/2 innings because it was an official game and because it was cold and snowy when it had been cold and snowy all day. Snow generally doesn't cause nearly as much moisture on the ground as rain unless it is very heavy and very wet; recall the 1/10 ratio that doesn't always work, but is a pretty good guideline. If this had been rain, it would have been barely enough to notice.

If someone had said the reason they cancelled was something like "because the pitcher needed ice skates, the bats had icicles on them and a Moon Pie truck crashed into the back of the press box," then I would have been like "ok I get it."

I really don't think I've been that argumentative on this thread. I simply ruled out false reasoning before it could be given. We had one of the 20 true diehards in attendance (seriously, given the opponent and the weather, I probably would have stayed inside and listened to it on the radio lol) on this thread and while he said conditions were horrible -- which we knew when the day started -- he didn't give any concrete examples of conditions being demonstrably dangerous in a way they weren't earlier.

Mostly I feel bad for Oberlin's players and program. There's simply no way I could ever understand agreeing to call the game at that point. We've played at Heidelberg when it snowing and in the teens and played both ends of the doubleheader. Neither team ever asked about calling it early to my knowledge.

I'm good with calling an end to this conversation unless someone else has some additional info. I'm sorry if anything sounded like I was trying to start a fight; I wasn't. The whole thing just really looked strange to me and didn't look any less strange after I checked out the local weather observations.

[ScotsFan]

Mostly I feel bad for Oberlin's players and program. There's simply no way I could ever understand agreeing to call the game at that point. We've played at Heidelberg when it snowing and in the teens and played both ends of the doubleheader. Neither team ever asked about calling it early to my knowledge.

From listening to the games yesterday on the radio, it's my understanding that Oberlin didn't even want to be there in the first place.  Ken Nemeth (Wooster's play-by-play announcer) said that Oberlin's coach had called Pettorni and asked him if it was even worth if for them to make the drive down and Pettorini basically said that they were going to try to get the games in.  The games were on the schedule and needed to at least be given a shot at getting them in. 

From the sounds of it, the demeanor of the Oberlin team wasn't good from the opening pitch.  Nemeth described the Yeomen as looking very uninspired and like they had no desire to be there from the minute they stepped off the vans.  That being said, I find it really hard to believe that one could say that Oberlin were somehow made to call the game early against their will.  Seems pretty obvious by the description of Oberlin's demeanor durning both games that they were more than willing to oblige and get out of the elements as soon as the game became official.  Yes Oberlin had their ace on the mound and they were only down 4-1 at the time the game was called.  But Wooster also had their ace on the mound and he had just struck out the side.  And it's not like Oberlin's offense was showing any signs of suddenly coming to life based on their lack of it in the 1st three games of the series. 

Bottom line is, I would wager to bet that Oberlin wanted to get out of there early just as bad, if not worse, than Wooster did!

[Spence]

Well I guess the state of Oberlin baseball could hardly be explained better. I can see disagreeing with playing the games under those conditions though (I don't think anyone else in northern Ohio played, at least that I'm aware of).

In all honesty and seriousness, I don't really understand why Oberlin has an athletics program. They don't make money, they're not very good, and no one seems to mind that too much. Academically it's one of the best schools of its kind in the country and would have little trouble attracting qualified applicants, with or without sports.

Interesting that you refer to Trapuzzano as their ace and not Samson. Not saying I disagree, just figure most people would have figured Samson was.

[WLCALUM83]

Final just in:  Denison 3, Muskingum 2  (10 innings)

[countyroad]

Wooster's game with Kent State for today has been postponed as well as tomorrow's date with Otterbein.  No make-up has been scheduled yet.

[Spence]

The extended forecast isn't looking too good in Ohio for Saturday and Sunday either. Depending on which model you believe there might be a chance for Sunday, but Saturday is looking bad anywhere you turn.

[ScotsFan]

Wooster was able to get a game in yesterday against Case.  They broke the school record for consecutive wins at 24 in a row with a 17-0 trouncing of an undermanned Case.  Adam Samson got the win  facing the minimum through 5.  He struck out six and only gave up one single.  He is now 5-0 on the season with an era of 1.66 

While it would have been sweeter breaking the record with a win over Kent St, it's still an impressive feat by the Scots.  Congrats on breaking the record!

Wooster will be in action again today (weather permitting ) once again against Case.  While Case isn't the most competive challenge for the Scots, at least its some live game action and better than no games at all.

As for the rescheduling of the KSU and Ott games, I haven't heard any word on the Ott game.  It was removed from the schedule, so it looks like that game won't be rescheduled.  From what I've read in the paper, it looks as if the only date KSU has available is on the same day the Scots are scheduled to play Musky, and it sounds as if Wooster would like to get with Musky to work something out so they could get the Kent game in.