National Championship on the line
May
2007
Sitting in the Paper Lion enjoying an end of the tournament dinner it dawned on me - The tournament is not over. After 11 games in three days, only two games on Memorial Day seemed like a well…. a holiday. Those people scoring the game were working hard though as Emory surprised everyone by dispatching both Cortland State and Wisconsin-Stevens Point with an offense as potent as any in the tournament.
The Emory contingent near by my table made sure that I should not call the Eagles a cinderella team. The coach also made that clear well before the hitting came around. How can a 43-9 team be a cinderella team? Personally I am still living down calling the Emory baseball team “likely to disappoint” in the South regional. Yeah likely to disappoint those who don’t believe they can win the Championship Game.
Kean has always been my pick since the start of the season so they are not doing anything unexpected. Their pitching has been fantastic but a strength of the program for a while now.
I am one of those who will watching and enjoying the best Division III can bring. It will be a heck of a game - that I can assure.
May 29th, 2007 at 12:34 am
Could be two heckuva games, so to speak.
May 29th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Jim, over on the tournament message board was a discussion of the current format versus the 2004 format.
Kean can win a Championship in 4 games or even 5 games. For the team out of the losers’ bracket (Emory) they will have had to win 7 games.
I contend that that is too great a penalty to Emory and too great and advantage to Kean (the winners’ bracket) on the final day. Kean can use a rested #1 from Friday. Emory’s bullpen may be doing the “chewing gum and baling wire” thing. And, that the 2004 format reduces the winners’ bracket to only a one game advantage.
Comments please…
May 29th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Ever since they’ve changed the format (for the better in my opinion) in 2004, the “true” championship game is the winner’s bracket final on day three.
If a team can go 3-0 in the World Series against the toughest competition out there, they should be rewarded by having a huge advantage.
May 29th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Good Morning mideastfan,
So you believe that the single elimination (conceding the chance for one “do-over” for the teams in the losers’ bracket) is best for D3 baseball.
The only single elimination formats in major sports are American football and futbol, the latter only after the elimination rounds. Major League Baseball, basketball and hockey (even tennis and golf) have multiple game series to determine the champion.
I contend that the advantage that Kean has today, one day’s rest and a fresh #1 pitcher, is more than adequate to reflect the difference between the teams in the field.
Even if Emory wins the tourney, they will have gone 6-1 in the tourney. Kean will have “royally choked” and ended up only 3-2.
I contend that the two game advantage plus rest for Kean is too much.
I think that you and I have set the debate…other comments appreciated.
May 29th, 2007 at 11:33 am
The old CWS set up was the best. Create 2 4 team pods. Pod A and Pod B. Play a double elim tourney within each pod and the winners face each other in a 1 game, winner take all game.
Another way to do it would be to have 2 4 team pods, with a 3 game round robin format. Then 1 plays 2 and 2 plays 1 with the winners playing each other in the championship.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I would love to see the pod play. Anything that creates interest in the game is fine with me. It would give the teams that lose early a chance to work back and have a chance to win it in the finals (Ignore Emory’s run this year as the exception).
May 29th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
There are a lot of formats that would work… I personally like the existing 8 team double elimination. The advantage for going through the winners bracket is a BIG one, but that is the reward you get.
Pods would be good too…
So would the 2 of three series concept.
The important thing is that everyone knows the format before the season starts… and that is in place.
There are a lot of good debate possibilities with this question… look forward to hearing the ideas.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Good game so far — Ganzer’s done a nice job of settling down after the big hit in the first inning.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
This is an interesting debate, there are a number of ways to slice it. I agree that there is a huge advantage to the team coming out of the winners bracket, especially the day off to rest pitchers. I like the idea of 2 pools of 4 teams playing double elimination and the two winners go into a 2 out of 3 series for the title.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Pitching change: Andrew Cupido in for Kean in the fifth as Emory has loaded the bases with one out.
Our eyes and ears (and sweat glands) on the scene report “sauna” conditions, though the thermometer reads 78 with 70% humidity.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Couple key hits by Steve Bralver and he has become our cover boy for the moment on the front page.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Glushon and Babb warming in the bullpen for Emory. Tie game, 4-4 bottom 6.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Straight from the front page of NCAAsports.com:
“…Emory moves on to play Kean in a best-of-three series for the title…”
Nothing surprises me anymore.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Is there a reason Kean didn’t start either of their top two pitchers in this first game? They both threw on Fri and Sat respectively, and you would think that in a National Championship scenario, you would go with your best pitchers in the first game. They should be rested and ready. I’ve seen guys in the World Series throw on 1 and 2 days rest after complete games.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Bill — put it on the long list of things the NCAASports.com folks have no idea about.
NCAASports.com is run by CBS Sportsline. That copy was probably written by someone there.
Steve Bralver gets his third hit of the day but is stranded. Stretch time in Appleton, 4-4 our score.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Mideastfan — could be because they only have to win one today. If you have an ace on three days’ rest going against a team pitching its 28th-36th innings in a 34-hour span that’s a huge advantage in Game 2.
Kean’s pitching has performed well enough. Only Zimmermann has had more success against Emory.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Pat….I understand your thinking, and I kinda agree. I’ve also seen situations where game one is still in control of the winner’s bracket team (Kean in this case), and if they somehow lose, counting on coming back with their Ace in the 2nd game, things can get tricky. I’ve always been under the philosophy that you pitch your best when he is ready.
In a winner take all game, anything can happen, especially if you gie Emory (a team that’s hot) the idea that they already beat you once today.
just my opinion, but I totally understand the other way of looking at it as well. Who knows, maybe Kean can win without their top 2 pitching today, or score a run and use them to close out game one.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Phew, Ganzer has gotten two big things accomplished through seven innings — he’s kept his team in the game (tied 4-4) and he’s kept the bullpen out of the game. Emory needs as many arms available as possible and Ganzer eating up seven is huge.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
mideastfan — yep, there are definitely good arguments on both sides. But if they beat your ace in the first game and go into game 2 with even more momentum … well, that’s not good either.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
With all due respect, I’m actually hoping Kean’s ace turns out to be … well, let’s just say .. less than an ace if they use him to close game 1 or to pitch game 2. Yes.. I’m from the South… and yes… I’m partial to Southern teams… but a team coming from anybody’s loser’s bracket to take on the undefeated series leader says a whole bunch for the organization.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Ganzer starts the ninth. Rich Babb warming in the pen. Emory gets the first out of the inning.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Ganzer finishes the ninth and we go to extra innings.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
We should note, too, the great job Andrew Cupido has done here in relief for Kean, with 4-2/3 scoreless innings.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Rich Babb indeed to work the 10th for Emory, our folks on the ground tell us.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Errors will kill you. Tough break for Emory in the 10th.
I love the 5 infielders, that’s awesome.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Emory got the groundball they needed with the bases loaded, it just wasn’t in the right place.
Congrats to Kean on their 1st National Championship!!
May 29th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Congratulations, Kean fans. Great series. I can’t say that it wasn’t deserved. Kean had a great regional and a super series in Appleton.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Congratulations to Kean.
The Cougars have had a very good athletic season in 2006-2007 after a rocky 2005-2006. The football team is markedly better and the women’s basketball program played very well in the NCAA tournament.
Seems like a program on the rise.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
On behalf of D3baseball.com, congrats to Kean!