BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[frank_ezelle]

On Saturday the Millsaps webcast will be of the two basketball games against Hendrix.  I don't know if there will be any live stats during the day on Saturday.  My guess is that there aren't live stats because the basketball announcer said he would try to get text messages from people at the baseball game so he could pass along the score to the basketball viewers.

The Sunday game is scheduled to be webcast.  As for archived games, that feature isn't available at Millsaps this season.

[tigerfan_2001]

Al Gore still thinks he knows the weather 10 years out!

As far as Hendrix 2009-10 Freshman class, I heard it was more a matter of economics. Last year was a devastating year financially overall and there was an unanticipated late raise in tuition that cost a few new recruits and a few transfer students. Hence the 10% reduction in games this season. I am sure Hendrix will have a sizable incoming 20010-11 class next year to bolster the 2008-09 class. This situation exposes Hendrix potential weakness of lack of depth later in the season. A healthy season can also help this matter! Looking back, it is amazing the number of successful freshman starters Hendrix has had the past 4 years during the building of last year's team. You can't yet discount the few incoming freshman as LHP Tyler Keever allowed only 3 hits for the win in his debut. Don't be surprised as there are a few players that may have multiple roles throughout the season.

Are you talking about Hendrix self-imposed a 10% reduction in games or a SCAC imposed one.  If it is SCAC imposed, that is stupid.  Teams that raise money to supplement their budgets should not be penalized. 

[ILVBB]

Tfan:

The scac voted last year to reduce cost of athletics by reducing the number of games by 10% for all sports and certain other cost cutting measures by sport (reducing the number of umpires at scac games from 3 to 2). I believe that it goes into effect next season.

[jekelish]

I'm REALLY curious to hear what happens coming out of the Trinity/AC series this weekend.  The 'Roos have a ton of solid players coming back from last year, including Andy White (who missed almost all of last year after being a 1st Team All-SCAC shortstop the year before) and Will Chermak, who should be one of the top pitchers in the league, but I think pitching depth might potentially be an issue unless Coach Carl has a few young hurlers ready to contribute.

Offensively, the 'Roos should be pretty solid with White, Jordan Robison, Brian Buehler, Scooter Merritt, Sean Muder and John Reisig all back, and he's got a few young kids who look like they are going to be legit threats.  Just trust me when I say you'll know the talented freshmen when you see them, one in particular (who is going to be an absolute STUD in this conference).

Don't know much about Trinity, but I figure they'll always be one of the more talented teams in the league so this should be a pretty good measuring stick for an AC team that blends lots of experience with some talented newcomers.

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps-Hendrix DH on Saturday has been postponed because of the heavy snow in Jackson Friday--that's heavy by Mississippi standards.  The teams might try to play a DH on Sunday.

Link with a photo of the Millsaps field from today: http://www.gomajors.com/news/2010/2/12/BB_0212104652.aspx

[tigerfan_2001]

Tfan:

The scac voted last year to reduce cost of athletics by reducing the number of games by 10% for all sports and certain other cost cutting measures by sport (reducing the number of umpires at scac games from 3 to 2). I believe that it goes into effect next season.

Stupid, just stupid.  2 man umpire crews for conference.  The umps weren't great to begin with, now they will really suck.  I bet Coach Smith has been working on balk moves like crazy with his staff then.  I know Trinity has done a great job of raising outside money and they shouldn't be punished.  I understand the economy is not where it was and everything keeps getting more expensive, but cutting games isnt a good move, IMO.  If they want to keep it fair, cut the athletic budgets evenly and then not restrict anything else.  Make each team give back X amount of money from their athletic budget.  If that team can then raise that money on their own, they should get to play 40 games or have 3 umps, etc.

[casual_observer]

The 10 percent forced reduction only hurts the student athletes in my opinion. They could have cut costs in areas that didn't rob players of their already fleeting college careers. For instance, a reconstruction of the schedule back to the old "home one year, away the next" would have been much better at saving money. It would have greatly reduced travel costs (buses cost about 5,000 per trip while you would only need to add one more day in a hotel). That money could have then been spent on umpires for an extra 2 home games, and 2 more day trip away games that would have only cost meal money.

Also, 4 games a year adds up to 16 missed games; THAT'S 40% OF A SEASON! There's definitely recruits who turned away from the SCAC and went elsewhere such as the ASC; That's tuition revenue going bye-bye.

Worst of all is that at least one of these schools who lobbied for the reduced schedule, Hendrix, refuses to even think about advertising revenue and won't allow sport specific donations. In other words, they actually have the ability to make up large amounts of their costs but instead take it out on the rest of the SCAC.

I have to agree with the previous post and say that there is no other word to describe this but stupid.

[Bob_Lotts]

Word out of the SCAC is that the 10% reduction has been tabled and will not go into effect in 2011. The Presidents apparently received so much blow back from the student-athletes they had no option but to table it. The SA's at the SCAC schools wrote letters and had petitions signed voicing their displeasure. So, any school that has a 10% reduction in games it is a self imposed reduction, not a SCAC mandate.

3 umps or 2 umps...honestly it doesn't make a difference. Teams play nonconference with 2-man crews, and some of those games are just as important in regional rankings as SCAC games.

[svbbcoach]

I did not intend to wake the masses about cuts and reductions. Living a couple thousand miles away, this message board is my main source of information. I trust that the information posted here is somewhat reliable or corrected fairly quickly.

I have no knowledge as to who if anyone, imposed a reduction. I heard about it here on the message board last year shortly after the SCAC baseball championships. This year Hendrix has a 36 game (+ Alumni game) schedule instead of a 40 game schedule. Coincidence, maybe, but a 10% reduction regardless. I am not pointing fingers nor care to get worked up about it. Personally I would like to see the teams in the East Division a couple times a year rather than play our own division on 2 different weekends. Since I must travel half way across the country to see any games, the old 4 game weekend benefited me best by getting 12 games in 3 weekends of travel.

All I know is that far more knowledgable people that have all the facts and reasons for making changes will make the decisions that best fit the big picture and not one sport, school or group of people. We just have to deal with it! I don't think the players care as long as they are playing the games. Just my opinion!

[frank_ezelle]

Trinity takes two from Austin this afternoon.  I watched some of the last game which was won by Trinity 12-9.  Never heard the score on the 1st game but my impression is that Trinity won that game by a wider margin.

Evan Jones had two home runs today--he is off to a very hot start this season.  The Trinity hitters in general are off to a hot start.

[tigerfan_2001]

Trinity takes two from Austin this afternoon.  I watched some of the last game which was won by Trinity 12-9.  Never heard the score on the 1st game but my impression is that Trinity won that game by a wider margin.

Evan Jones had two home runs today--he is off to a very hot start this season.  The Trinity hitters in general are off to a hot start.

TU won the first game 15-3.

Jones had his two HR and did not make an out in either game.  5-5 on the day.  Calbick, Early, and Pappas each had a HR.  TU had 30 hits and scored 27 runs on the day. 

[ILVBB]

Six games does not make a season. But you sure gotta love  a team batting average of .406. With the 3-5 hitters hitting a combined .563, with a slg% of .958 and 6 hrs (not to mention, 6-2b and 2-3b)amoung them.

It is sure fun to watch offensive baseball (as long as you are a TU fan).

[Patriot_Pride]

As for archived games, that feature isn't available at Millsaps this season.

In the two years Millsaps has had a webcast, they've never archived. Fans, parents, recruits, etc., really need that option. I think it's time for Millsaps to nut up and pay for the archived feature, or think about going to another provider that offers it as part of their package. I really enjoy ATW Sportscast (because it's free of course) but there are several other good sites that offer archives (like Stretch Internet that MS College uses). I'd be willing to pay $50 for a subscription if that was available, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I've heard tons of baseball parents over the years talk about that.

Frank, anyone you could ask on the athletics staff about that?

[frank_ezelle]

I think you hit the nail on the head with "I'd be willing to pay".  It would be interesting to hear from some of the pay-to-view schools and their fans on which they would prefer.  And let's keep in mind that while ATW might be free, Millsaps pays for the equipment, the announcer, and his travels.  There is definitely an expense involved in providing this service to the fans.

I don't know how much it would cost to use a system that includes archiving.  If it's not much, then maybe it's a question of enough people making the request so the school will know that this is something parents and fans want.  If it's a lot, then I'd prefer to see that money covered by donations rather than a fee to everyone.  These Millsaps athletes deserve all the recognition they can get and charging to see the games on the internet would definitely cut down on the number of people watching them play.

[svbbcoach]

There are companies that provide the equipment and bandwidth for free. The company charges consumers for the feeds daily, monthly or annual. There are a number of high schools using this system. With the fee comes the archiving.

Where Milsaps and Trinity separate themselves from the rest is their announcers. Derrel (Milsaps) and Bob (I think) (Trinity) do an outstanding job. When you watch Hendrix feed, there is no announcer. Hendrix now has an individual broadcasting his wit and personality via Twitter.

The video feed is not for the locals and would not take away from the fan base. It is for the parents, alumni and fans that are out of the area, state or across the country. Trust me, 2 years ago I waited for a phone call at the end of the day to hear how the game(s) went. In this day of communication, there is no reason that every school should not have some form of live stats, video, broadcast, twitter, text updates, etc... This is a promotion of the school, sport and players.

The Twitter situation used at Hendrix is done by a volunteer and is the only answer to Austin and Southwestern that have no broadcast information to my knowledge. This is not intended to be a slam on any school, just information that this technology is out there for everyone with minimal knowledge or expertise required. It probably isn't as big of a deal for parents of students from the local area, but parents of the athletes that chose to attend those schools from out of state are excluded otherwise.

Milsaps and Trinity do it right! Sometimes conflicts between sports are inevitable. Hendrix is on the right track. Would just like to see Austin and Southwestern without having to travel 3 hours on a plane. And yes, I know it was a choice to attend an out of area college. Just trying to make the world a little bit better!