2010 Bubble Watch

[WuDrWu]

Yeah...but that team was competitive enough to go the CWS for the last 4 straight years...

I'm sorry, but I thought we were picking THIS year's teams?

When your conference has 7 of the tournament players in the regionals, four as #1 seeds, and two as #2 seeds, maybe being the 9th team in that conference isn't that bad.

I didn't say they were "that bad". I said they had their chance, multiple times, and failed. Give someone else a chance that wasn't "given" one (or five) already.

But you must, in my opinion, give value to wins. Wins over bad teams are not worth as much as wins over good teams.

Yes, likewise losses to good teams shouldn't be counted more than wins against not so good teams. THAT'S where you begin to skew things.

And folks can argue its objectivity.

That's the biggest problem. The objectivity again is skewed in favor of the revenue producing whores.

The Gators say..."Hmmm...but in that same period we won 100% of our games against non BCS teams and 73% against BCS teams".

How many of the 100% of the wins were not played in the friendly confines of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? The Gators, like your 'Noles wildly cheat year in and year out. They make Jesse James look like an acolyte. Florida is NEVER going to play Boise in Boise. NEVER. But if the Broncos go to Florida and lose, there will be a chorus of "we told you so" and the loss will hang around ALL non BSC teams like a Scarlett A for seasons to come, as if home field advantage means nothing.

We are playing off of the pro tees while they are teeing up on the ladies tees.

The pro tees also have personal valets, fore caddies, free gold tees and platinum ball washers to use and take at no charge. The ladies tees are surrounded by shark infested water hazards and you are given 1 used, pink, slightly scuffed Titleist DT that has to last you the entire round.

[WSUwatcher]

Missing out

Doc, I have a friend who attended Florida about 40 years ago, and apparently among Gators of a certain vintage, FSU is disparagingly known as "the girls' school" -- not because of the young woman whose picture you provided, which would certainly not be cause for disparagement, but because once upon a time FSU was an all-women's teacher's college. I haven't checked it out myself, but that's what I'm told.

Anyway, I can't see any reason to be upset about WSU's not making the field. I don't think North Carolina deserves to be in either; as far as I'm concerned, a team that doesn't qualify for its conference tournament should be excluded automatically and without question. Period, end of discussion. They've had their chance(s), failed to take advantage, and actually avoided possible further losses (from playing in the conference tournament).

But there's no reason to think that if North Carolina were out WSU would be the next team in. This isn't 2001, when it was widely believed that WSU was the first team out, and if I remember correctly a Houston team that finished .500 -- and was rewarded with a clearly undeserved at-large spot (this was the Cougars, not the Astros) -- was thought to be the last team in. That time, WSU did get the short end of the stick.

But this year, although I believe the selectors could have given more weight to the return of Charlie Lowell, the Shocks were on thin ice because they walked out on it, not because the selectors put them there. What's more, I have no doubt that Wichita State is a familiar baseball name to the committee, or that Tim Weiser at least, is aware that WSU is a revenue generator in regionals within driving distance of home. So even if you do want to compare Carolina to WSU, don't think anyone is under the illusion that more money will be made in Norman as a result of the Tar Heels being there than WSU. There's no way the committee could believe that.

Yes, the RPI works to the advantage of the big-conference southern schools, and yes, there are no doubt times when the committee uses it as an excuse to justify a bad choice such as UNC this year. But there's no reason to think WSU is the specific victim -- and if anything, the ticket sellers in Norman would probably love to trade WSU for North Carolina. They aren't out because of money, or because Carolina is a big name in baseball. The Shocks are out because they didn't win enough. This is one of those years where, as 85 says, the motto (which unfortunately wasn't heeded by the team until it was too late) should have been, Win more, complain less.

[billybud]

The problem with WSU not going on isn't North Carolina getting picked because of their RPI and good wins...it is because WSU wasn't really that good this year and had problems on the mound. (something that I can sympathise with since FSU's three starters have an ERA above 4.50)

WSU lost ugly...19-0, 14-0 during the season...and 17-8 to Ill. St. in the tourney..... and had few good wins. Pitching in the losses was not the Shockers of old.

But, the Shockers have had a shot the last several years.

In the Super with FSU, the first game was 10-7 WSU. Then pitching took over...14-4 and 11-4 FSU's way. (As an aside, FSU's "Sunday pitchers" must be better than their Friday or Saturday pitchers. FSU played 15 Sunday games this year including the ACC Championship game, and did not lose a game on Sunday all year).

Last year. WSU lost two heartbreakers in the regional that could have gone the other way.

It's not like WSU hasn't had a chance lately to show their stuff...

It's hard to differentiate bubble teams, but I can also see some "why" in the decision to not issue an invite WSU.

[billybud]

WSU watcher...

Yep...We Noles and Gators hate each other with a life fulfilling passion.

Yep...FSU was a Women's school from 1905- 1947.

But...a lot of folks don't know this, but FSU was established as a men's school at the same time as Florida, and shut Florida out in the first football meetings of 1903 and 1904.

The politicians stopped that by making FSU a woman's school until the returning GI's necessitated a change in 1947.

[KC Shox]

Can anybody name the ten teams with a lower RPI than the Shockers who also didn't get an at large bid?

If the RPI had been 10-15 points lower, a 40-45 rather than 56, I think that WSU would have gone.

New Mexico got in with a #52 rpi (warren nolan) so I guess if our rpi had been 52 instead of 56 we would probably be in.

In other words if we had won one more home game (add one more win and take away the loss) we would probably be in: MOST or SJS pick one.

New Mexico also beat Texas twice at their place and got a win against TCU. Far better than we what we did. Also, their conference was stronger and they were slightly better in their SOS. No arguments here.

[ShockerFever]

Has billybud ever come here to defend WSU in anything or is he assigned to continually rain on everybody's parade?

You don't have to explain your ACC-skewed viewpoints in here because they are in fact skewed and you aren't gonna change many minds around here. Just like a WSU fan going onto the FSU boards and explaining our side. What do you think the reaction's gonna be?

Again, MOST sensible people are not asking for the inclusion of WSU in this year's field. I think MOST have understood the lack of quality wins, the really ugly losses, etc. The point people are making is pretty good though. The BCS schools (in baseball, the southern and western teams) no doubt have major advantages. They can get good RPI games whenever they want because of proximity for one. Would Texas ever be left out of an NCAA Tournament with a 40-win season and a 56 RPI? What about Florida State? Just a what-if. Hell, you could even drop that win total down to 30 and it would likely not make a difference.

Is it WSU's problem for being more geographically isolated? Is it WSU's problem for being in the Valley?

You like to push your biased viewpoints here a lot buddyboy, but you have failed to look anything from the other side.

[billybud]

Don't get your panties in a wad.

Wouldn't it be boring to have everyone agree on everything? That is no discourse...only rah, rah.

Are you the type of fan that only wants to hear opinions that back his particular horse?

[billybud]

Want to talk Isolation? look at New Mexico on the map of College teams at the bottom of this post.

New Mexico did schedule some good teams...Texas Tech, Texas, Arkansas, Southern Cal.

Scheduling a little like New Mexico might help some.

If you look at the map..Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouris, Dallas Baptist...are all about 400-600 miles away.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Cbaseball.PNG

[ISASO]

And about half of those schools refuse to play.

[ShockerFever]

You're a little slow, aren't ya?

Too many softball chants down in Tallahassee to cramp your brain?



There is PLENTY of discourse here. We don't need outside fans constantly being apart of it. You have one clear agenda here and I know my patience is starting to run thin.

Not to mention the scheduling "point" you just attempted made little to no sense.

Go CCSU!

[KC Shox]

Want to talk Isolation? look at New Mexico on the map of College teams at the bottom of this post.

New Mexico did schedule some good teams...Texas Tech, Texas, Arkansas, Southern Cal.

Scheduling a little like New Mexico might help some.

If you look at the map..Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouris, Dallas Baptist...are all about 400-600 miles away.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Cbaseball.PNG

Oklahoma terminated the series with us last season. Arkansas terminated the series with us 2-3 years ago. Resuming a series with these teams is on hold indefinitely until they grow their balls back and decide to schedule us again. OK State finally agreed to play us twice a year and Nebraska only wants to play us once a year.

Missouri and Texas Tech will not schedule us and we did play DBU this year. They are on the verge of joining the Valley in the next couple of years. D1 universities in close proximity to us without baseball programs are Iowa State, Colorado, Colorado State, Tulsa. We just learned this year that Long Beach State has terminated the series with us due to financial reasons. Hopefully we can get them back in a year-or-two.

We have scheduled Iowa, Central Arkansas and Northern Colorado but they are RPI killers and not great games to schedule. We are at the mercy of what is available to us geographically speaking. We don't have the luxury of having 8 plus D1 programs in our own state like you.

We do need to travel more, but it takes the money to do so and we don't have the athletic budget like you.

[WuDrWu]

Florida State played a grand total of 3 non conference road games this season.

NONE were outside the state of Florida.



Real gutsy road warriors.....I wonder why they always get to stay at home?

[shock10]

ISU Red 7-7 in the 10th with SEC Vandy. Valley looking good

[shock10]

7-7 going to the 11

[shock10]

7-7 to the 12