The All-Weekend Team

I'm giving up some very valuable television viewing time (and possibly a quality nap) to live up to my promise. Here's the All-Weekend Team for last weekend. (When I can start giving you the the All-Weekend Team prior to the weekend in question, it's time to stop blogging and start playing the lottery.) Anyway, here are the Big Ten players who merited the oh-so-coveted title of BTH All-Weekend.

Catcher - Dusty Napoleon, Iowa (4 for 8, 1 run, 6 rbi)
Catcher - Jon Fixler, Indiana (5 for 14, 2 runs, 6 rbi)
Firstbase - Ryne White, Purdue (7 for 14, 2 hr, 3 runs, 6 rbi)
Secondbase - Kyle Reesing, Purdue (6 for 10, 2 hr, 4 runs, 6 rbi, 3 bb, 3 sb)
Shortstop - Shawn Roof, Illinois (4 for 9, 1 run, 4 rbi, 2 sb)
Thirdbase - Tony Kennedy, Ohio State (3 for 13, hr, 3 runs, 2 rbi)
Outfield- Andrew Means, Indiana (7 for 14, 6 runs, 4 rbi, 4 sb)
Outfield - Travis Sweet, Iowa (3 for 11, 4 runs, 4 rbi, 2 sb)
Outfield - Matt Angle, Ohio State (5 for 12, 5 runs, 2 rbi, 2 bb, 3 sb)
Outfield - Jordan Comadena, Purdue (7 for 12, hr, 5 runs, 2 rbi, 4 bb)
Designated Hitter - Antonio Mule, Northwestern (4 for 6, hr, 3 runs, 3 rbi, 3 bb)
Utility - J.B. Shuck, Ohio State (4 for 10, 1 run, 3 rbi, sb, 7.0 IP, 6 h, 3 r, 3 er, 2 bb, 7 k in W over Dartmouth)

Starter - Matt Bashore, Indiana (8.1 ip, 4 h, 3 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 9 k in W over FAMU)
Starter - Josh Lindblom, Purdue (8.0 ip, 4 h, 1 r, 1 er, 2 bb, 8 k in W over Samford)
Starter - Craig Brookes, Michigan State (6.0 ip, 5 h, 1 r, 0 er, 3 bb, 6 k in ND at Oklahoma -- MSU won game.)
Relief - Mike Schurz, Iowa (3.0 ip, 2 h, 0 r, 0 er, 1 bb, 5 k in W over Dallas Baptist)

I admit it's my usual uneven assortment of players and positions. You didn't expect that to change because it took me longer to post the team this week, did you? There are simply no rules on who makes it and who doesn't. It's completely arbitrary. What's the point in having my own blog if I can't act on a whim? (This type of technique keeps up and I'll land a mainstream press job yet.) However, as always, feel free to drop me a line or make a comment about how ridiculous, self serving and capricious the whole thing is. Or you can just tell me who I missed and, perhaps, I'll alter the squad.

Yes, it's beginning to look like the Purdue Invitational on offense each week. However, there's no denying that the Boiler bats have been, well, boiling. Comadena and OSU's Shuck are currently leading the BTH Player of the Year sweepstakes. Reesing had to have finished second in the Player of the Week voting to Means. Mule, Roof and Sweet each managed only two games played over the three days, yet I felt their efforts merited inclusion.

The pitching staff was tough this week. I wanted to add conference pitcher of the week, Matt Bischoff of Purdue, but his terrific start was not on the weekend and his relief performance was good, but not better than a couple of other I left off. Schurz not only got a W, but was about the only pitcher to not get hammered that game on either side.

As I've spent a while on this post, I probably won't get to post a weekend preview today. You are a fairly intelligent lot, so I'm guessing you know where to look to find out who is playing who this weekend. I'm tentatively planning a road trip out to Ann Arbor this weekend. However, the forecast is dicey at best. Rain is on the docket all three days. Saturday is my best chance at getting to The Fish, but if the weather looks good tomorrow afternoon and I can slide out of work ......

Enjoy the weekend and get out to your local college and support the baseball team.