Observations

[bamajake]

I may get flamed and this post may get deleted for what I am going to say, but I have reached the point that I really don't care. What happened last night at the Joe was absolutely embarrassing. Not just the fact that we lost or the margin by which we lost or the fact that we lost (yet again) to a team that we should beat 9 out of 10 games that we play them. The most embarrassing, frustrating, infuriating aspect is that not a single person in the Alabama dugout appeared to give a rat's ..... about the game. Not a single coach. Not a single player. Not a single person. I simply cannot understand how a player or coach can put on a jersey that has "Alabama" on the front of it in any sport and not go out and show some pride and bust his tail to try to win. That is exactly what happened last night. I did not see a single player or coach that wanted to win. Correction; I did not see a single player or coach in crimson and white that wanted to win. I did see a bunch wearing green, gold and gray that wanted to win. That explains the outcome. UAB does not have better players than Bama. What they have is players with desire. They have direction from their coaching staff. We are sorely lacking in both respects.

After this past weekend, I thought that maybe, just maybe, this team was turning a corner and could end up making a little noise. Boy, was I wrong. The only noise we made was a loud thud when we fell flat on our faces last night. I have been a season ticket holder for about 15 years. Before then, I went to games on single game tickets. I have seen a lot of baseball at the Joe. The last time I saw such a miserable excuse for baseball was in the final couple of years under Barry Schollenberger. Unless some major changes are made, we are headed for another stretch of that nature. I do not look forward to it.

I, for one am tired of this crap. I am issuing a challenge to every player and coach on the team: Step it up. Show some leadership. Quit making excuses. Quit saying that the breaks have gone against us. Quit saying that the game will even things out. Quit whining and show a little enthusiasm and bust your tails during the games and at practice. Do you know what might just happen if you do that? You might just win a few games. If you don't quit that crap, the rest of the season will end up just like the first part (or worse).

I am also issuing a challenge to Mal Moore and the rest of the powers that be: Demand changes or make them yourselves. Make a commitment to baseball. Every other school in the SEC has done so. Even Vanderbilt, which doesn't have an athletics department, has made a commitment. Look where it has gotten them. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that the University of Alabama cannot have a baseball program that competes for a trip to Omaha every year. However, the way things are now, the only way our team will ever get there is to buy tickets.

 

[BamaBriar]

Perhaps Vanderbilt is not the best example. Vanderbilt baseball is 13-19 this year, 4-8 in the SEC. I had decided they were going to be the team I pulled for if we didn't make it to Hoover, then I looked at their record - not much different from ours.


Every game counts, but the ones that really count are on the weekend.

 

[crimsonkelly]

Perhaps Vanderbilt is not the best example. Vanderbilt baseball is 13-19 this year, 4-8 in the SEC. I had decided they were going to be the team I pulled for if we didn't make it to Hoover, then I looked at their record - not much different from ours.


Every game counts, but the ones that really count are on the weekend.

This is an abnormal year for Vandy by their standards. Granted look at thier non-conference schedule, probably the hardest of any team in the country. Stanford (20-7), Oregon (22-9), San Diego (26-8). Not to mention they have played UF, USC, MSU, and UGA in the SEC already.

 

[JoJoforHeisman]

There was still a decent chance to stay close in last night's game until Turnbull was lifted and Gaspard proceeded to manage the game as if he wasn't even trying to win. Down one run and he gives the ball to a guy who has demonstrated over and over this season that he is simply incapable of pitching at the Division I level. Predictably, he serves up a two-run bomb, and that was all she wrote. Eight appearances and a 15.75 ERA, 14 hits allowed in 4 innings, and a .560 opponents' average (SEC play: ERA of infinity). I'm sorry, but this is not the type of pitcher you use in a close, winnable game (or any game, for that matter). Once that move blows up in his face, he turns to a pitcher who cannot find the strike zone with a GPS. Two walks, two hits, and three runs later, and we're buried even deeper.

I'm not calling out the players - only the person who put him in that position. The lack of effort described by bamajake is disturbing, yet in a way, one can almost understand how easy it is to get discouraged when you're constantly subject to such incompetent management.

 

[BamaBriar]

On a bright note, after the damage was done, Jason Zylstra pitched the final two innings last night and he did not allow a hit or a walk and he struck out 2.

Also, just saw that tonight's game at SE La has been cancelled for inclement weather.