BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[DPU3619]

The test of a team is not that it never screw up.  The test of a team is what it does after it screws up.  Rhodes passed that test with flying colors today.

While rather philospohical and thought-provoking, I tend to disagree. 

In general, the tendency is that a team that makes more errors than its opposition loses more often than they win.  What happens when there's a "what it does after it screws up" after Rhodes commits 4 errors or something in the conference tourney against Millsaps?

Holt and Flanagan are great pitchers, but how great are they against top tier D-III teams when they have to get extra outs?

[colonel42005]

The test of a team is not that it never screw up.  The test of a team is what it does after it screws up.  Rhodes passed that test with flying colors today.

While rather philospohical and thought-provoking, I tend to disagree. 

In general, the tendency is that a team that makes more errors than its opposition loses more often than they win.  What happens when there's a "what it does after it screws up" after Rhodes commits 4 errors or something in the conference tourney against Millsaps?

Holt and Flanagan are great pitchers, but how great are they against top tier D-III teams when they have to get extra outs?

I agree with Doc, and what I think he is saying is that errors are going to happen.  Bad days are going to happen.  Good teams rebound quickly and don't dwell on mistakes. That is what Rhodes did by putting an attrocious game behind them and rebounding with a big win.

[FlightofthePetrel]

Another Huge win this weekend as Oglethorpe splits this weekend with Depuaw in which all were close games.  Oglethorpe rebounded after a tough loss in the first game of the double header, coming back after being down 5-0 only to loose it in the 9th.   OU had no sign of a letdown as they scored early and often posting 7 runs on 6 hits in the second inning- giving them all they needed to secure the win.

I'm proud that these guys never gave up during the season and they have ended the year on a high note.  The team has momentum going into the Divisional where they will face a VERY good Millsaps team which will be hard to beat on any day.  I know ya'll won't read this till late tomorrow due to the fact that you were somewhere in Kentucky when I talked to you about an hour ago, but  Good luck!- I'll be watching the live stats and pulling for ya! 

[frank_ezelle]

SW failed to hold on to a 6-1 lead after 3 and lost their final game to Trinity 10-7.  That allows Austin to take the second spot with a 9-6 record compared to the 9-7 of Southwestern.  I'm assuming that Austin and Trinity have no interest in making up their cancelled game since it could only help Southwestern and if that's the case then the crossovers are set:

(West teams listed first and in order from 1st to 4th)
Millsaps vs. Oglethorpe
Austin vs. Centre
Southwestern vs. DePauw
Trinity vs. Rhodes

It can't be stressed enough that this is a new beginning for all 8 of these teams.  It's just like with basketball--if you can be in the top 80% of the regular season play then the records get wiped clean and you are once again tied with everyone as far as winning the SCAC Championship and the automatic berth.  With OU winning 2 at DePauw this weekend I am going to assume that they will be in Memphis thinking they can win 2 of 3 from Millsaps and I'm sure the Trinity team thinks they can knock off Rhodes.  There will be no easy series next weekend.

[Baseball_fan]

Lynx_Fan, Rhodes beating those teams in the other games doesnt say anything about those teams in regards to the meltdown that was game 1.  When Rhodes plays well they can beat anyone, but when they dont they get embarrassed. 

According the the box scores, Rhodes made 20 errors in the span of 5 games.  Hardly what I would call quality defense, or championship calliber.  If this happened early in the year fine, but if they continue to make this many errors, they are going to be 2 and done in regionals.  It might work when you play Rust, but it didnt work against LaGrange and obviously it didnt work in game one against Emory.  I am all for Rhodes going far, I want them to do well, I am tired of the SCAC west being the only side that goes anywhere, but Rhodes needs to get it together if they want to go anywhere. 

So in the end, errors kill, and for that game at least, Rhodes did indeed look like a headless little league team, good teams dont lose because of errors, good teams lose because they get beat.   

[Bob_Lotts]

DPU beat me to the punch...Earlier I predicted a split between OU and DU. Looks like it was a very close series.

The test of a team is not that it never screw up.  The test of a team is what it does after it screws up.  Rhodes passed that test with flying colors today

What about losing 22 in a row then turn around and go 5-2 in your last 7 SCAC games, all on the road! The young Petrels don't give up.....


Should be an exciting weekend in Memphis.

[Lynx Tracker]

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.

[Baseball_fan]

I agree, I have alot of respect for DIII atheletes, but that being said, to be a championship team you have to figure out how to leave your schoolwork and papers behind for 9 innings and go out and play baseball.  If I had to guess, I would assume that no team that ever went far into the playoffs had players who were sitting in the locker room thinking about the fact that they played alot of games lately or that they really needed to go write a paper, they were thinking one thing, win the game.  To win a championship, at least in my mind, you have to put everything else aside, and just go out and play baseball. 

Errors are going to happen, thats just life, but to be a real contender and a championship team, which I want for Rhodes (Sewannee hopefully one day), they have to set school aside and cut down on the errors, and if they get beat, I hope it is because they actually get beat and not because they beat themselves.  When you are a good team more is expected of you, and that many errors would not matter if Rhodes was .500, but I am sure they do not view their year thus far as a success, I would imagine they want more, but from here on in the teams they play will all be good teams, and errors will kill them.

[DPU3619]

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.

The academia argument holds no water in this forum, friend.  Sorry.  Just about every school in this conference deals with that in every sport.  More schools in D-III are that way than aren't.  It's an even playing field, which is why if Team X hits better than Team Y, commits more errors, can't get anybody out, or strikes out more, it's worth comparision.

The athletes aren't pampered, but they are recruited.  D-III players are pretty good players.  You've got to be able to swing it, pick it, or throw a pretty good breaking pitch to be here.  This ain't the local beer league.  I don't expect the kids to be Ozzie Smith or Brooks Robinson out there, but 7 in one game and over 2/game in April is a bit much, don't you think? 

Rhodes is in the middle of the pack in the conference in errors committed.  It's not like they've committed 112 errors or whatever Hendrix has.  Errors happen.  Sometimes you hemmorhage out half a dozen errors and get your tail kicked.  It happens over the course of a 50 game college season.  Part of baseball.  Most guys go buy a new glove after that.

That said, they've committed more errors at a much more alarming rate since the turn of the calendar to April than they did at the beginning of the year. That would certainly be a point of concern for me if I was Coach Cleanthes.  That stuff works against Centre and LaGrange, but if you're Rhodes, you've got be pretty close to perfect when you suit up against the class of the West.

[Lynx Tracker]

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.

[frank_ezelle]

Hey, I can see where a Rhodes fan would be a little touchy about having someone say Rhodes looked like a bunch of  little leaguers with their head's cut off, especially coming on a weekend where they beat the #3 and #10 team in the country.  And especially after an entire season of winning where many (including myself) have wondered about the strength of their schedule.  Rhodes has to feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of the SCAC right now.

Let's give credit where credit is due.  Rhodes lost two road games to a very good LaGrange team and then they came back winning 2 out of 3 against top-10 teams.  That is impressive.  They had a bad game in the middle, but I saw Emory lose 12-2 at Millsaps and Millsaps recently lost 10-2 to Trinity which just goes to show that very good teams are still capable of having a very bad game. 

The Rhodes games this past weekend were good for Rhodes and good for the SCAC.  I certainly hope that it helps them get an at-large bid into the NCAA Regionals (we are assuming here that Millsaps will win the SCAC Tournament ).

[DPU3619]

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

And what I tried to say is that right now, every other player on every team in this conference is too.  It's not an excuse for inexplicably being unable to catch the ball in April.  You're a ballplayer.  Go play ball.  Go pitch it, hit it, catch it, and throw it. 

My point is actually exactly what Baseball_fan said:

According the the box scores, Rhodes made 20 errors in the span of 5 games.  Hardly what I would call quality defense, or championship calliber. 

If Rhodes plays good defense, they're great.  If they don't, they're not.  When Rhodes doesn't commit errors, you probably won't beat them.  The Rhodes W/L in April shows that clearly.

[Spence]

Splitting with Emory is nothing to be upset about. Even very good teams have bad games. I remember seeing a PLAYER on a good team one time commit 6 errors in a game. It should be noted that that team's strength was offense, but still.

I'm sure they hoped for better than 2-3 from this stretch, but they did show something in battling back and getting the split against a highly-regarded opponent that has beaten some good teams.

[Baseball_fan]

I in no way wanted to belittle the accomplishments of the Rhodes baseball team.  The split with Emory is definatly huge for Rhodes and I appluad what they are doing.  Being a Sewanne fan, I am frustrated I suppose with the West's continued domination of the SCAC, and am very glad to see someone from the East having such success.  With the amazing season that Rhodes is having I suppose I am holding them to a higher standard, but I do not mean to take anything away from the Rhodes players and coaches, and I congratulate them on their amazing season and look foreward to the SCAC tournament.  I think it will come down to Millsaps and Rhodes, but that Rhodes will take it, which would be huge for the SCAC East and hopefully Rhodes can make some noise within the region and bring the spotlight onto the SCAC and help the other schools (such as Sewanee) turn their programs around and accomplish what Rhodes has accomplished.

[HeadingForHome]

Geez, can we get off the Rhodes subject.  They had a bad game on the field.  That is baseball.  The Nay sayers and the Yay sayers will see how Rhodes does in the next two weeks.    With that taken care of

Does anyone have predictions for this weekend?

I've only seen the east teams play this year so I don't have a feel for this weekend. However,  I have noticed that only one team from the west had an .500 winning percentage or better. With that in mind does anyone believe that east can get two or three teams pass the first round. 

The passed three years the west has dominated the tournaments, so it could be nice to see the SCAC become much more competitive between west and east.