Previewing Conference Play

A quick set of links to get you ready for conference play this weekend.

Illinois @ Penn State
Here's the Illini's press release. There's promotions-a-plenty for Nittany Lions' fans.

Indiana @ Michigan
The Hoosiers' perspective on the trip to A2. Note Alan Oaks moves into the Saturday role on Michigan's press release.

The bloggers get their say on the weekend series, as well. Varsity Blue provides their usual insight and highlights all the Maize and Blue promos. VB then quizzes Behind The Plate about the series. In return, BTP does the Q&A thing with formerly anonymous.

Michigan State @ Iowa
The Hawkeyes SID previews the three-game set. Of coures, the Spartans do provide the Green and White angle on the road trip.

Games 2 & 3 are on the Big Ten Network.

Purdue @ Minnesota
Game notes courtesy of the Boilers' SID. The Gophers are hosting at the dome this weekend.

The Daily Gopher is blogging about Derek McCallum and the weekend visit from Purdue.

Game 1 is on the Big Ten Network.

Northwestern @ Ohio State
The 'Cats view on the stay in C-bus. Alas, the link to the OSU preview appears to have gone south.

Live Blog: BTN's MSU @ ILL

This year is my first with access to the Big Ten Network. Yesterday, I spent more time watching the network than I have in the previous six months combined watching the Michigan State/Illinois conference opener.

Today, BTN is broadcasting MSU's Saturday encounter with the Illini from Champaign. I'll attempt to follow along. This, of course, presumes the game is not affected by the elements. (Right now, we've got swimming. Michigan crushed the rest of the conference.)

4:00pm - Yep, it's raining in Champaign. Great.

4:02pm - We are getting "The Quad" as rain delay filler. Time for me to check for other college baseball action. Hey, I have to vote for awards at season's end. It's a bit better to be a modestly informed voter.

4:03pm - My choices are Alabama at Florida or Mississippi at LSU. I'm leaning towards the latter, but let's be honest -- channel-flipping is on the docket.

4:05pm - For my friend Ian, who may or may not be reading, here's a look at lunch.

This ham sandwich barely fits into the take-out container. This is today's evidence that I don't need Twitter to provide reports on my every mundane action. (Another photo soon. I know you are excited. We are in a rain delay, kids. I've got time to kill.)

4:10pm - Let's review the rest of today's Big Ten action. You can't expect BTN to provide a crawl or a bounce back to the studio for even the briefest of updates.

Iowa 2 Michigan 1
The Hawkeyes' Steve Turnbull got the win (1.1 IP, 1 hit and 2 K's, nothing else) and Mike Schurz got the save (one perfect inning) posted the save, but the story is Jarred Hippen. Hippen went 6.2 innings giving the Wolverines one run on five hits and two walks. Hippen whiffed nine. Justin Toole's two hits and RBI led Iowa. Eric Katzman wasn't awful for Michigan, but couldn't get enough support. Mike Dufek's double and RBI paced the Wolverines.

4:17pm - It's the Rebels and Tigers, for those of you curious which game I am currently watching. (Although, it's more like listening as I type.)

Northwestern 13 Purdue 4
Wildcats' OF Jake Goebbert goes 4 for 4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Chris Lashmet had three hits, including a homer, three RBI and a run scored. Chad Noble also had a three-RBI outing. Joe Muraski went six innings yielding a run on five hits. Muraski fanned eight. Francis Brooke worked the last three innings and got the save. Purdue's Tyler Spilner didn't get a hit, but drove in two runs.

4:25pm - LSU's Lewis (or is it Louis?) Coleman is plain filthy. Ole Miss is not getting a lot of good looks at the Tigers' starter. He's thrown 19 strikes in 23 pitches.

4:30pm - It's looks like all of yesterday's losers are getting revenge today.

Indiana 3 Minnesota 2
Eric Arnett tosses a complete game for IU. The Hoosiers righthander surrenders two runs on six hits and two walks. Arnett struck out ten Gophers. Freshman Alex Dickerson got two hits, with a homer, and two RBI. Evan Crawford also had two hits for IU. Derek McCallum homered and drove in two for Minnesota. A.J. Pettersen had a two-hit game.

4:38pm - The SEC announcers are wondering aloud if the ten-run mercy rule should be put into play during the regular season. The conference (the SEC, not the Big 10) uses it during their tournament. I'm not crazy about it. I guess it depends on what we are trying to accomplish? I realize the odds of coming back from a ten run deficit aren't good. Yet, if we are trying to teach these young adults how to handle life, which doesn't always go our way, wouldn't these kinds of defeats be a teaching opportunity? What do you think?

4:45pm - Well, The Ohio State stops the trend of Friday losers becoming Saturday winners.

(28) Ohio State 12 Penn State 2
Buckeyes' 1B Matt Streng went yard twice, had three hits in total, drove in five runs and scored three runs. Ryan Dew had a four-hit game. Eric Best started and worked six innings giving up two runs on six hits and two walks. Best had four strikeouts. Drew Rucinski (one inning) and Jake Hale (two innings) finished the game by not allowing a run, hit or walk. Hale fanned two. PSU's Jordan Steranka had two hits. Blake Lynd and Bobby Jacobs had the RBI.

4:55pm - The MSU @ Illinois game is the only one left on today's docket. Still "The Quad" on BTN. LSU leads, 1-0. The Tigers' new Alex Box Stadium is very nice. At least, that's my impression from the television coverage.

5:00pm - A quick look at radar indicates that the rain has nearly reached my front door.

5:03pm - Rain is still coming down in Champaign, as well.

5:05pm - The SEC broadcast is interviewing the Ole Miss coach. I don't like these in-game interviews. That's just me, though.

5:24pm - Rain continues in Orange and Blue country. I wonder if they'll get this one in or not? Will the network broadcast the game if it starts late, but at a reasonable hour (like 8:00pm)? They do have a classic football game scheduled for later this evening. Can't preempt that, can they?

5:28pm - Apparently, the Baton Rouge area was hit with a tornado a couple of days ago. The LSU football practice facility received some damage as did the new ballpark. The outfield wall is tied down.

5:30pm - As promised, here's another sandwich photo.


5:35pm - Eight K's for LSU's Coleman in the fifth inning. He's got a different motion. Kind of David Cone-like. Keeping with the Big 10 theme, a bit like Chris Fetter's, but more over-handed. He strikes out his ninth as I typed this paragraph. Now, I'm doing live LSU/Mississippi coverage. Of course, former MSU coach David Grewe is LSU's pitching coach.

5:38pm - I think I'm making myself hungry with the photos. Oh, and it's Louis (not Lewis) Coleman. He's given up just one hit thus far.

6:00pm - I'm expecting an update from BTN shortly.

6:03pm - Wrong, again. We are seeing "Greatest Seasons, 1989". No update beyond the "Weather Delay" logo. I'm taking this opportunity to do other things. Should the game be played, I'll start up the live blog, again.

10:00pm Update - The MSU/Illinois contest was finally postponed. They will attempt to play a doubleheader tomorrow.

BTN Announces Schedule

The Big Ten Network has announced their baseball television schedule for 2009. In addition to the games listed below, the network will also broadcast the conference tournament from Columbus.

3/27 Michigan State @ Illinois 7pm
3/28 Michigan State @ Illinois 4pm
4/3 Penn State @ Michigan 4pm
4/10 Illinois @ Michigan 7pm
4/11 Indiana @ Iowa 2:30pm
4/12 Indiana @ Iowa 2:30pm
4/17 Iowa @ Northwestern 4pm
4/18 Ohio State @ Purdue Noon
4/19 Ohio State @ Purdue Noon
4/24 Purdue @ Minnesota 7:30pm
4/25 Michigan State @ Iowa 3:30pm
4/26 Michigan State @ Iowa 2:30pm
5/01 Michigan @ Ohio State 7pm
5/02 Michigan @ Ohio State 1pm
5/03 Michigan @ Ohio State 1pm
5/09 Northwestern @ Indiana 3pm
5/10 Northwestern @ Indiana 1pm
5/15 Minnesota @ Penn State 6:30pm
5/16 Minnesota @ Penn State 2pm

Columbus To Host '09 Conference Tourney

I didn't see this one coming. Yesterday, the Big Ten Conference announced it's going to hold the 2009 conference baseball tournament at a neutral site. Huntington Park, the home of the Columbus Clippers, will host next year's conference tournament. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Regular readers of BTH will confirm that I've lobbied for a neutral site conference tournament for about as long as I've run this blog. The reasons for my desire for a neutral site venue are numerous, but let me allow Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany's comments from the press release highlight a few of them.

“Moving the baseball tournament to a neutral site will allow the conference office and the local organizing committee to promote this event throughout the season. In addition, playing at an outstanding facility like Huntington Park will enhance the experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We’re looking forward to the first pitch of the tournament in May.”

I couldn't agree more. I can't believe I just agreed with Jim Delany. I must have spent too much time out plowing snow today. Regardless, having the conference's regular season champion host the tournament was a logistics nightmare for all the programs. Knowing where the tournament will be and not placing such a large burden on the host school's athletic department should be warmly greeted by everyone across the Big Ten.

While this seemed like an obvious move to me, and quite a few others, I was told routinely that such a transition wasn't on the horizon. What changed the thinking around Chicago? Here's my guess.

This move was motivated by the conference's new baby -- the Big Ten Network. As the conference now operates a television network, they need live programming. Let me re-phrase that just a bit. They desperately need programming. The conference baseball tournament could be one of those live events, but the conference simply cannot afford to have a university host the tournament when their ballpark doesn't have lights. No lights = no television. That's not an equation the Big Ten Network embraces.

In addition, I can't imagine the conference would want to broadcast their premier baseball event from a glorified junior high school ball field -- with or without lights. It is kind of quaint to see such simple surroundings for college baseball, but as we heard in the marketing days of old, image is everything. I doubt anyone in the Big Ten office really wants the rest of the nation to see just how limited some of the program's baseball facilities really are. (Yes, most are improving, but not all are up to par quite yet.)

The bottom line appears to be this. In order to maximize their product's (both BTN and baseball) visibility and reputation, the conference office conceded to common sense and moved the baseball tournament to a neutral site. Whatever the rationale, it's still a good, long overdue move and one I whole-heartedly applaud.

Now, before the comments and email starting popping up, let me say that this plan isn't perfect. Many will rightly argue that having the tournament in Columbus is a home game for Ohio State regardless of what field in the city they play upon. I can't disagree.

Would I have preferred -- strictly from a perception standpoint -- the tournament being held in Toledo, Dayton, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids or some other slightly more truly neutral location? Yes. However, I'm thinking the Columbus folks might have made a bigger, better pitch for the event than anyone else. Quite possibly, they made the only pitch for the event.

Let's not toss the baby out with the bathwater here. There's no mention of anything beyond 2009, so I'm going with the notion that another host city can be found in the future. Yes, it's in OSU's backyard next year, but that doesn't mean a neutral site championship isn't a good idea.

I also do have concerns about attendance if Ohio State gets eliminated from the tournament early or if, cover your eyes my Buckeye friends, they don't make the field at all. However, that's the case even if the regular season champion hosts the tournament. If the home team is out, attendance drops dramatically. Columbus is centrally located in the conference's geographic footprint, so I'm hoping that will make travel more appealing to fans across the region, thus minimizing some of that affect.

First, the conference disposed of those seven-inning Saturday doubleheaders I disliked in favor of a single nine inning game. Now, after years of my complaining about it, they've opted for a neutral site conference tournament host. The Big Ten has eliminated two of my biggest pet peeves about the way it runs it's baseball schedule. I wonder what should I campaign for next?

Rainy Days And Mondays

Perhaps it's a result of attempting to figure out all the Big Ten tournament possibilities. Maybe it's the ongoing rain. Maybe I've got a bad case of the Mondays. In the end, it doesn't matter, I just need to vent.

PLAYING HOSTS
Most long-time readers here know that I'm in favor of a neutral site for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. It makes sense on every level, but one. Alas, the "one" is a biggie. Baseball is a non-revenue sport. That means the Big Ten Conference office views baseball like we view a colonoscopy -- a necessary evil.

With that dazzling attitude towards the oldest sport on most campuses, the Big Ten is in no hurry to pretend like it cares about baseball. So when the subject of a neutral site arises, they dismiss it with the usual "if baseball has a neutral site tournament, then golf, tennis, soccer, curling and every other non-revenue sport is going to demand the same thing and we just cannot afford that."

Yeah, right. You can operate a television network, but you can't find enough change in the couch to borrow a quality minor league park for five days? Sorry, I ain't buyin' that line.

However, if the conference is determined to stick their head in the marketing sand and avoid a neutral site for the baseball tournament, is it asking too much to hold it in one of the venues suitable for such an event?

By suitable, I mean, acceptable for everyone involved -- players, parents, coaches, school officials, conference officials, media and fans. Here are a few requirements:

The park should have lights. It rains in the midwest on occasion. Sometimes games get postponed. Having lights helps the games to be played. It also cuts down on 9:00am starts. I love breakfast with batting practice, but the general public doesn't. Did I mention many in the potential ticket buying public have day jobs? Lights should be mandatory to host the tournament.

Ideally, there should be access to batting cages. There should also be clubhouses for the home and road teams. Excessive? In 1970, yes. In 2008, not so much. I wouldn't be a stickler for either of these items, but it is a championship event and we do have access to these at some venues in the conference. Why settle for less?

It should have a decent pressbox. The media shouldn't get soggy covering the tournament. Neither should ADs, SIDs and the various other personnel filling the box. No pressbox, no hosting.

It should have concession stands, running water and plumbing. That means bathrooms, not port-a-poddies. I can't see anything wrong with demanding basic facilities for your patrons. As further evidence, I heard an interview with legendary Louisiana State coach Skip Bertmann. Coach was asked what was one of the first things he did to Alex Box Stadium to increase attendance. He said he added diaper changing facilities.

We want people to like college baseball and come back. Help your audience take care of life's essentials. If you can't meet this requirement, you can't host.

I know, I know. Very few Big 10 parks can host the tournament under these parameters. Honestly, I'm okay with that. Would it give some schools an advantage? I suppose it would, but having a quality park gives that program an advantage regardless. Don't you think the folks who have such facilities are going to show them off to recruits, thus giving them an advantage over the other programs long before the tournament ever takes place?

Besides, there's nothing wrong with acting like the tournament is a championship event of some import. That's because it is. The winner goes onto the NCAA Tournament.

CBS' CLOSES EYE TO BASEBALL COVERAGE
Has anyone else noticed that the baseball coverage on the website formerly known as CSTV has taken a nose-dive since the CBS generals have taken over? Their baseball homepage has been almost static for weeks. The photo of the Stanford player hasn't changed in over a month. They appear to have jettisoned friend of BTH, Doug Kroll, while you have to hunt for Eric Sorenson's latest entries. If Kroll was indeed let go, and I have absolutely zero proof of that (I'm a blogger, I'm expected to engage in speculation), Big E's stay at the eye network is probably in danger, too.

Hey, CBS big-wigs. Original content, especially on college baseball, is difficult to find. Don't you want to be different? How about cool? Keep the bald-headed, rock-and-roll, Omaha-lovin' guy around. In fact, find him a couple of cohorts. I hear this Kroll guy knows something about college baseball and might be available.

VOTING IN THE DARK
Do you ever wonder how in the world anyone votes in a college baseball poll? Seriously, if I had to participate in a weekly poll, I'd be in trouble. If I head down to the ballpark, I don't get to see the games on television. If I stay home or put the games on DVR, it's not like I'm guaranteed to see the top teams in the land each weekend.

I currently receive, courtesy of my cable provider and a growing monthly bill, the aforementioned CBS College Sports plus three Fox College Stations -- Atlantic, Central and West. Between the four of them, I get a minimal amount of live college baseball each weekend. I might get one or two top level games, but the majority of games being broadcast, especially on the Fox networks, are often games not affecting the rankings or repeats from weeks ago.

There's also no one providing a quality highlight package, either. It's not a college football Saturday night where you can at least get a taste of what the elite level programs have done that day. College baseball is almost played in a media blackout, nationally speaking.

I can't see how coaches or the media can come to informed decisions about the ranking the programs each week or voting for All-Americans or the Player of the Year awards. We, and, yes, I'm including myself here, are all voting in the dark.

ESPNU Coverage

We learn, courtesy of Baseball America's Aaron Fitt, what ESPN's college baseball broadcast schedule is going to look like. Here it is:

Tuesday, April 1 (7 p.m.): Rice at Texas
Sunday, April 6 (2 p.m.): North Carolina A&T at Bethune-Cookman
Friday, April 18 (7 p.m.): Oklahoma State at Texas
Sunday, April 20 (3 p.m.): UNC Asheville at Coastal Carolina
Saturday, April 26 (3:30 p.m.): St. John’s at Notre Dame
Friday, May 9 (6 p.m.): Portland at Pepperdine

First, let me say something positive about this lineup of games. The network did a nice job of covering almost every region of the country. That's it. On to the less positive stuff.

Six whole games? Wow, that's quite a commitment. How can ESPN afford to give up that much valuable airtime? Oh, that's right. They are all on ESPNU -- a network nobody has.

How many people actually have ESPNU? I'm not sure exactly how many households have access, but I do know it's a small stinkin' number. (Not as small as the number of homes with the Big Ten Network, of course, but still pretty tiny.) This unprecedented coverage will no doubt elevate college baseball to a level it would have had if none of the games were broadcast.

Look, I'm a college baseball guy. I'm happy six more games get some level of television coverage. Really. I am. Yet, I'm disappointment and confused as to why ESPNU couldn't commit to more than a half dozen games. I can understand ESPN, the original, not putting up more than six regular season games, but The U?

There can be only one excuse -- a rights issue. Maybe, just as Big Ten games are the property of good ol' BTN, the ACC, SEC and Pac 10, in particular, have television contracts with other regional networks. That would cut into the amount of games available. Especially, some of the marquee match-ups. However, even if that's the case, televising six games hardly constitutes coverage on a network dedicated to providing exclusively collegiate athletics.

Lots Of Links

A staple here at BTH, a post filled with nothing but other people's work. The good news is that there is steadily more to choose from each season.

The Big Ten's Players of the Week are Northwestern's Mike Kalina and Ohio State's J.B. Shuck.

You can preview Iowa's trip to Nashville.

Michigan tied the New York Mets in an exhibition game on Tuesday afternoon, while the Wolverines' next opponent, #1 Arizona State, might be in a bit of hot water.

Michigan State has a nine game stretch beginning at the Lamar Invitational. A Spartans' baseball preview can be found here.

Time for some DQ. The Minnesota athletic department previews the Dairy Queen Classic.

CSTV's Eric Sorenson rightly implies that I'm a hack (well, all of us internet guys, not just me) and does leave space to mention a couple of Big Ten programs in his Sunday Summations.

It's not directly baseball related, but Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo isn't all that excited about the Big Ten Network right now. (Hat tip to Ian at Bless You Boys for pointing me towards the Detroit News link.)

Happy Valley Hardball does the sabermetric thing and provides hitting stats for the entire Big Ten and the Nittany Lions.

The Buckeye Nine has a Q&A with Ohio State pitcher Dan DeLucia.

Tom at The Baseball Zealot opted for the wrong guest for TBZ Radio's 40th episode. Yes, it's me. I'm blaming all the snow I had to shovel for my rambling performance. Of course, what my excuse it isn't snowing?

BTN Broadcast Schedule And Other Things

Here is an array of news items from around the conference. Hopefully, you'll find something in the group interesting.

The Big Ten Network has released their baseball broadcast schedule for the upcoming season. They won't begin until conference play does, but BTN will make the rounds. If I read the schedule correctly, only a home game at Purdue keeps the network from hitting every program at home once.

It also looks to me like the network gave some consideration to avoiding the cold(er) weather early in the season. Can't say I blame them on that account. Now, if I can only get my cable provider to pick-up BTN before then.

The Big Ten Network's Kara Lentz chats with Michigan head coach Rich Maloney.

Both Ohio State and Michigan have Meet and Greets on the horizon.

The Bucks have also announced their 2008 broadcast schedule with WMNI radio in Columbus. You can also catch games on the internet.

Here are your Buckeye captains for '08.

Ron Kittle will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's University of Illinois Hot Stove Banquet.

Michigan State's First Pitch Dinner is slated for February 19. Drayton McLane, Jr., owner of the Houston Astros, will be awarded as the MSU Baseball Alumnus Of The Year.

Joe Giradi spoke at Northwestern's First Pitch Dinner in January.

Indiana has begun their annual Newcomer Profiles. So far, IU has featured Michael Earley, Tyler Rogers, Anthony Agnew, Jeff Caldwell, Matt Carr and Anthony Cera.

Iowa has issued a 2008 season preview. It gives all my quality information away, but go ahead and read it anyway. Serves me right for not cranking my previews out sooner.

Things I've Been Meaning To Say

I have to admit that I'm not particularly pleased with myself. While this is true for any number of reasons, the vent here is because I didn't post nearly enough about the College World Series. However, for the first time in years, I was a bit let down by the time Omaha rolled around. Oh, I did root for Cal-Irvine, but once they got bounced, my less-than-normal enthusiasm drained even further.

I attribute this decline to two factors. The first was Michigan's post-season run. After dropping #1 Vanderbilt in the regional and watching Zach Putnam toss a one-hitter at Corvallis, it looked like a Big Ten team was good enough to play at Rosenblatt in June. When the ride ended, I crashed. It just wasn't quite the same without a team I watched all year. It was still fun. Some of the baseball was remarkable, those 'Eaters were a tough lot, but my focus was lost.

Combine this emotional let-down with the usual engagements and responsibilities summer brings and I was knee-deep in everyday life the minute Michigan bid adieu to the tournament. I hardly had time to see the first few games of the CWS, so I started behind the ol' eight ball. This combination of events kept me from the keyboard, the twenty-four hour Rich Maloney saga, notwithstanding.

As such, I'd like to take this chance to crank out a few quick thoughts I've had since the CWS began and I stopped blogging at the same rate.

Pesky Beavers
I should begin with Oregon State. Congratulations to the Beavers on their back-to-back championship. They played like a tough, experienced group. Which, of course, they were. Coach Casey deserves tons of credit for filling in the holes after last year's title run.

The Beavers success should continue to be a source of optimism for all northern programs. While Corvallis isn't quite as wet as we think nor do they get as cold as we do here, the Beavers still built a program where no one thought it was possible. Apparently, it is possible. Congrats, Oregon State.

Welcome To The Party
One of the things I find most entertaining about the post-season is the number of media types that find themselves talking college baseball after spending the entire season having not paid a moment's attention to the sport. This is particularly true of announcers. What they know about the two teams in question, and about the season in general, they've learned since arriving at the venue. This lack of knowledge is revealed almost immediately and, usually, repeatedly.

During the super regional game that followed Putnam's one-hitter at Oregon State, I heard the announcer reference the performance saying something like "that Michigan pitcher had a good game today". It was obvious the poor play-by-play guy, who was getting cash to make comments, didn't have a clue who Michigan sent to the hill that afternoon. He didn't study for that super-regional, after all.

This type of ignorance, and I mean that in the nicest way possible, about the college baseball landscape is prevalent. As ESPN brings in their talking heads, it's gets worse. I doubt too many beyond Kyle Peterson and whomever they have in studio -- someone from Baseball America most likely -- have any idea about what's happened during the year. It's not their fault, they've been doing other things, but it doesn't help the quality of the broadcast.

Reflecting the sport's growing popularity, this year's display of ignorance took another giant leap. The ESPN talking heads were at in studio across the franchise. From SportsCenter to Around The Horn to PTI, college baseball got some love. It proved three things. First, ESPN will cross-promote everything. Second, college baseball is gaining some media momentum. Third, very few of these guys and gals have a clue.

I completely understand where college baseball falls on the sports totem pole. It's down there near the bottom, so I don't begrudge the reporters who are getting paid to analyze the premier events. However, to watch Jay Mariotti spout off about Oregon State's great coaching job and how they filled the roster depleted by graduation made me laugh. Does anyone believe that there are more than two or three national media personnel who could have spouted that information off without a rehearsal first? Did Mr. Mariotti, or anyone else enlightening us this past week, know squat about this stuff prior to the first game in Omaha?

Again, I'm not looking to hammer Mr. Mariotti or anyone else. Writing, contrary to popular belief, ain't all that easy. These ladies and gents aren't getting coin for sitting in frozen ballparks (without pressboxes) to cover teams that may not even finish in the top half of their conference let alone make an Omaha appearance. They are getting paid to share commentary on sports the masses crave. I'm good with that. In fact, I welcome them to the fun that is college baseball.

Yet, that's not going to get me to stop chuckling when I hear the nation's top sports writers (or a broadcast team thrown together in the last week) toss about college baseball data as if it were common knowledge, when they didn't even know it a week ago.

Michigan Baseball Hits The Blogosphere
Today, when I visited friend Ian's blog, Sweaty Men Endeavors, what do I find? A post about Rich Maloney's new contract at Michigan. This is the latest in a number of Maloney related posts in the Michigan blogosphere. If the administration needed anymore evidence that Michigan baseball is gaining some much needed support and coverage, you needed to look no further than Maloney's brief flirtation with Tennessee.

It bears noting that blogs such as MGoBlog, MaizeNBrew and Michigan Sports Center gave the Maloney saga some attention. Not only that, but the story got ink at the Detroit Free Press, as well. The same Freep that barely provides scores during the season was on top of the rumored move to Knoxville. Suddenly, someone other than the Ann Arbor News, Michigan Daily and me are writing about college baseball. I can guarantee you that wasn't happening ten years ago. It might not have been happening three years ago.

What I find most encouraging is the bloggers' response. If these diehard Michigan football fans care about retaining their baseball coach, something is up. When these same big guns of the U-M blogosphere take time to write about baseball at their university, there is ample evidence to suggest an attitude change underway on Maloney's watch. Baseball is slowly making strides on campus and off. If Maloney can keep the winning going, always a difficult proposition, he might see one of his dreams fulfilled -- a packed house each night.

The Big Ten Schedule
You may have heard that the Big Ten is considering moving from their current four game weekend series to a three game set. I'm not sure if the change has been approved, but nearly everyone feels it's going to happen. The change might occur as early as 2009.

The reasons for the change include taking stress off of pitching staffs, aligning the Big Ten with the same conference format as most major conferences and, in the view of some, giving the schools a chance to increase their RPI or strength of schedule.

Those who promote that last notion feel that adding another midweek game against higher ranked non-conference opposition will do more to improve the conference's (and each programs') RPI than another seven inning affair against a lower rung Big Ten program.

An emailer asked me my thoughts on this after I mentioned this in an interview I did (more on that in a minute). I'm going to have to ask smarter people than myself about the affects, but I think it's a circular argument. I guess a majority of the programs could play two midweek games against higher RPI teams from the Mid-American Conference, as an example, and up their SOS and RPI. However, what happens if they don't win? Sure, their RPI won't fall so far, but playing better competition increases the odds of losing, doesn't it?

If Big Ten programs don't get close to the forty-win plateau is a better RPI or SOS going to offset that? What about programs like Minnesota and Iowa that struggle to find quality, RPI friendly competition within a reasonable driving distance now? Who are they going to play in the midweek to up their RPI? How far will they or their opponent have to travel?

As to the conference portion of the revised slate, if you need two really good starters to compete for the regular season conference title instead of three, doesn't that bunch up the field and create more losses? Will we have more Cinderella teams and take away the advantage depth creates? Does the conference really want Cinderellas instead of their best teams advancing?

Like every other change, there's an upside and a downside. I'd love to see Michigan State or Ohio State play two midweek games against programs like Louisville and Kentucky. Both close by, both having success in recent years (UL in this year's CWS and UK last year's SEC champs). I'm just not sure those kind of match-ups are going to result from the change in scheduling. I also dislike those Saturday seven inning double headers, so their departure I greet with a hearty "Good riddance".

Again, if this change becomes official, I'm sure I'll post more about it. I'll also start quizzing folks around the conference about their opinions and see what they think. More to come in the months to follow.

CornNation Interview
I believe I failed to mention that I did an interview at Corn Nation. The Nebraska site does a fine job of covering college baseball, Jonathon actually wrote about the CWS, and asked me to join an illustrious group of previous interviewees. If you are interested, here is the link to my blathering.

Big Ten Television Network

According to a published report, the Big Ten will announce tomorrow the creation of it's own cable television network. The new network will begin in 2007 and it's coverage will probably be comprised mostly of non-revenue sports.

I think it's safe to assume this means Big Ten baseball might get some consistent air time. Of course, the baseball programs will be vying with softball and other spring sports, but it's still an opportunity for additional exposure.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this proposed network. I clearly excited about the possibility of getting to see some additional games without a road trip. It would make covering the conference easier. Of course, it might make the ol' blog obsolete, but only time will tell.

A big hat tip to Ian of Sweaty Men Endeavors who gave me the heads up on this one.

So Much To Type, So Little Time

There is a great chance that I won't be checking in here again until Sunday, yet I have so much I want to address. There is simply no way I can get to everything I would like to. However, let's see how much I can review before other responsibilities call me away from my computer.

I guess I can begin with midweek games. I saw Michigan beat Western Michigan courtesy of Comcast Local, 10-5. The contest was pretty typical of midweek fare. The Wolverines jumped out to a big lead and held on to win. The television coverage, always a popular subject here, wasn't as good as the last CL game I watched, but it was acceptable.

Of course, the broadcast was hindered greatly by the fact the audio was running behind the video. The guy would be standing on first after a single when you heard the "ping" of his bat and the announcer make the call. Annoying. It was a problem on the channel after the game as well, so the production crew doesn't lose any points from me for the audio difficulities. I did learn something during the game, too.

Apparently, Ray Fisher Stadium is about to undergo a major renovation. I believe ex-coach Geoff Zahn mentioned a $9 million figure. I can't say I completely understood the specifics of the upgrades but it sounds like they are going to build an indoor hitting facility, rebuild the dugout and the pressbox. They also made mention of the seating changes. It sounded like they might be adding either box seats, a second deck or both.

This was the first thing I've heard about updating Michigan's baseball structure. There have been rumors about an entirely new ballpark, but I had not heard anything this concrete about pouring new concrete at the old yard. While I won't have time to Google this tonight, I have yet to see anything this definitive about Fisher Stadium from any other source. (More work I don't have time for right now.)

I have to admit that I am surprised that the university opted not to tear down the current diamond, thus creating space for either parking for football and hockey or building a practice facility for the basketball team. However, I am happy to hear that yet another baseball program is getting some revenue towards facilities.

On that note, Penn State announced the their new yard, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is nearly complete.

As for other midweek games, Lars Davis hit a walk-off homer powering Illinois over St. Xavier, 6-4. Iowa's game with Western Illinois got cancelled. (Rain? Nope. Snow?! Nope. Scheduling conflict? Yes. Does this happen in college football?) North Dakota State thumped Minnesota, 7-3. Apparently, John Anderson's side didn't exactly bring along the entire team. Northern Illinois beat Northwestern, 8-6. (That sound you hear is NU's and the conference's RPI falling.) Ohio State beat Eastern Michigan, 5-2.

This weekend's Big Ten action looks like this: Ohio State travels to Michigan State in a battle of the top two offensive teams in the conference. Purdue hosts Penn State. Iowa is at Indiana. Minnesota visits league leading Northwestern and co-conference leader Michigan is in Champaign to take on Illinois.

Michigan State's Ryan Basham got some ink from Green and White.com.

Ohio State got some love from CSTV. Here is a video look at the Buckeyes. (Assuming I did the video link correctly. My apologies, if I didn't.)

Speaking of CSTV, Kellen Kulbacki of James Madison is this week's leader in CSTV.com's Player of the Year balloting.

Iowa released information about pitcher Casey O'Rourke, his ongoing battle with cancer and his effect on his teammates. While it's clear the struggle continues, I was glad to hear that the Hawkeye pitcher is cancer free. The Hawkeyes season has been bumpy, to put it mildly. Here is Ryan Long, of the Daily Iowan, explaining all the difficulities Jack Dahm's squad has had to endure in 2006.

I think that's it for now. And probably tomorrow, as well. I might try to sneak back in here Saturday night, time permitting. Enjoy the weekend action.

Back To Conference Play

After a less than stellar midweek (I know, I know. You wonder just how long am I going to lament that?), Big Ten sides return to conference action this weekend. Here's is what is on tap.

Indiana is heading to face a Penn State club close to conference tournament eligible. First place Northwestern travels to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. Ohio State is hosting Purdue in a critical match-up of teams still hoping to claim first place in the regular season. Illinois looks to get back into the conference tournament race at Minnesota. Michigan and Michigan State split hosting their important four game series. Friday and Sunday are in Ann Arbor. Saturday's doubleheader is at Oldsmobile Park in East Lansing.

For those in Michigan and, perhaps, elsewhere, that get Comcast Local, the Michigan/MSU games on Saturday and Sunday will be televised. Antoine Pitts of The Ann Arbor News previews the Blue vs. Green baseball clash. Did I note that Michigan State beat the you-know-what out of Toledo, 23-4?

Sunday's Illinois at Minnesota game gets TV time, too. Fox Sports North is picking up the contest.

Multi-Media Observations

I failed to mention that I saw another Comcast Local college baseball production last week. It was Notre Dame hosting IPFW. The coverage was significantly better than their previous effort. Everyone involved in the production had a better game than the IU @ MSU affair I witnessed prior. If I'm going to hammer them when they do poorly, I should offer praise when they improve. Nice job, CL.

I remain confused about the programming choices at the three Fox College Networks, though. I'm still seeing games repeated countless times. We are getting high school coverage far too often and just plenty of non-baseball coverage all the way around. I even think the softball ladies are getting overlooked. (Although, I'm going to pull a Keith Hernandez here and say I think there have been more live softball games on FCS stations then baseball.)

One other media thought. XM Radio has about six stations dedicated to either Big Ten or Pac 10 coverage. Instead of broadcasting commercials or telling me that nothing is on these stations currently, why not pick up some live baseball audio? If I can get college radio feeds online, why don't the conferences take advantage and broadcast the signal worldwide on XM? Does it cost that much?

More TV Coverage Ranting

This time, I'm not the one ranting. Nope, this time devoted Texas baseball blogger and college baseball fan (and dare I say friend of Big Ten Hardball?), Joanna, apparently is just as up in arms over college baseball's television coverage as I am.

TV Coverage

I mentioned in an earlier post that I saw the Indiana at Michigan State game on television Sunday. The contest from East Lansing was broadcast on Comcast Local. Now, as I am thrilled to see more college baseball on the tube, especially of the Big Ten variety, it pains me a bit to complain, but I must.

The broadcast wasn't, well, see, it wasn't very good. The director and/or his (or her) technical director did not have a good afternoon. Nor did the camera people. As an example, there's a runner on first. We see the generic shot from the centerfield camera. We see the pitcher's back and the batter, catcher and homeplate umpire awaiting the offering. This is where things went astray.

The pitcher turns and throws to first. However, the director (or TD) punches up a shot of the batter. The announcers make some indication as to what has happened to the play at first ("Oh, that was close" or "He made it back safely".), but we see the hitter who is looking at the play or the coach at third. Suddenly, the camera shot changes to the play at first where the runner is dusting himself off and the ball has already returned to the pitcher. Basically, it's our second straight look at nothing of note. Alas, this type of sequence occurred on several occasions throughout the game.

The crew just had trouble keeping up with the ball all day long. (Let's just say the camera people didn't have their best day, either.) It gave the impression that those in and out of the production truck didn't seem to have much feel for baseball. I believe it was the Comcast Local's first game of the season, so I'll give them some slack. They didn't spend a month down south warming up for the Big Ten opener. Besides, there is plenty of time for improvement, gang. We all have bad days at work, just most of ours go unnoticed. I really do appreciate your hard work, as I know how difficult producing a quality broadcast can be.

In addition to the Comcast Local coverage, I saw about three or four other college games over the weekend. All were on one of the three Fox College Stations. Now, the Fox coverage puzzles me to no end, as well. It seems whatever the station is broadcasting does not correspond to what the on screen guide indicates is on. That means it says college baseball, but I get softball. Or gymnastics. Or high schools sports. (I'll skip wondering why there are HS sports on Fox College Stations for now.) That makes it just a bit difficult to figure out what is on and what's going to be on next.

Then there are the games themselves. I saw one of the USC vs. Oregon State games three times, minimum, over the weekend. It was the same game each time. Not the Friday night game, one day and then the Saturday game, the next. Nope, it was the same dang game every stinking time. What's up with that? No other Pac 10 game was taped over the weekend? Forget another conference game, was no other USC/OSU game taped? (Update: I just learned that the OSU @ USC series wasn't even played this past weekend. Which is even worse as they are running repeats--three times over--of games over a week old. Is there nothing live going on?)

Well, to be accurate, at least one other Pac 10 game was taped. I saw the Arizona vs. Arizona State game twice. Once on Sunday and again on Monday. They did play other games out west this weekend, right? Does Fox know about that?

Then there is the regional breakdown of FCS--Atlantic, Central and Pacific. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, if I told you that the Florida vs. Ohio State game was going to be on, which of the three channels would you guess it would appear? Yes, you guessed it. FCS-Pacific. A game that was already over a week old between a Southeastern Conference school and a Big Ten institution was on the FCS-Pacific. Makes perfect sense to me.

I know I should not complain. I'm lucky to have any college baseball on television, but I really do want to watch and it's just a bit challenging when I can't figure out where, when or on which channel I'm supposed to look.

TV Time

While watching this evening's contest between Tulane and LSU, I learned that the first night game in the history of Michigan's Ray Fisher Stadium is going to be televised by ESPN. Friday night's game between the Wolverines and arch-rival Ohio State is being covered by ESPNU and broadcast on ESPN. The national television coverage has pushed the start time back to 7:00pm. Here is the Michigan press release.

ESPN is already running promos for the game on their "Bottom Line" feature at ESPN2. I know the university was hoping for a record crowd and they are pre-selling tickets at their website. I encourage all Michigan, Ohio State and baseball fans to attend. (I, unfortunately, had to cancel my plans on attending due to a surprise party.)

It's great to see college baseball make a return to ESPN and cable television in general. It's even better to see the Big Ten get some airtime. Hopefully, the schools will put on a good show.