Dom Starsia's formula for success has never really been a secret. Recruit the most athletic players he can find, emphasize hard work and effort, and give them copious freedom to operate. When it works, it's dynamic and entertaining.
Alas for Starsia's less-talented squads, "play smart" isn't a top priority.
This has been eminently on display the past couple weeks. UVA had three times as many turnovers as goals against UNC, and over twice as many against Duke. When we got a peek into the timeout huddle during the Duke game, I thought Dom might suggest, just once, that a handy trick for winning the game might be to observe the fundamentals of passing and catching. He didn't. He did exhort his team to have an extended possession, which might have been a roundabout way of doing so. They must've decided 30 seconds was extended enough, because about that much game time later Duke was merrily clearing the ball and finding a nice easy path to the goal.
Observing the fundamentals of passing and catching has been awfully damn elusive of late. Simply put, this is some horsecrap sloppy-ass lacrosse they're playing. I'd like to blame it on youth, but there was Owen Van Arsdale lazily reaching toward a lazy pass, and missing. There was Tyler German with a laser focus on reaching the corner of the box to complete a clear and no plan at all upon arriving, coughing up the ball as a result. There was Ryan Tucker dodging his way straight into a double-team and freezing, paralyzed with indecision at the gall of the defenders to be defending.
Of course this team went 0-4 in the ACC; it's unrealistic to expect any wins when the offense, supposedly the highly efficient hallmark of this team, keeps shooting itself in the head. I could deal with it if opposing defenses were taking the ball, or their goalie was putting up a stone wall, but what's really frustrating to watch is when two former weaknesses stop being weaknesses, and the strength of the team suddenly turns into brainless mush.
This team will still make the tournament and will probably host a game. For all its irritating foibles, it's still one of the top eight teams in the country. That's pretty amazing after losing to the whole ACC in ugly fashion, but it's taken really good teams to expose UVA's flaws enough to beat them. I mean, at least we're not Hopkins, which just needed two overtimes to beat 3-8 Penn State. The angst here is rooted in not being much of a national title contender. At least if we're gonna be angsty about lacrosse, it's the right kind of emo.
Notes and stuff:
-- Matt Barrett, man. UVA just wasted two of the best performances by a UVA goalie in I don't even know how long. Very often in lacrosse, good goalie play is indistinguishable from bad goalie play until after the fact. It's not like hockey where a bad goal sticks out like a sore thumb; you just sort of start coming to the realization that your goalie has let in too many shots. If that realization doesn't happen, you've been getting good goalie play. That's what Adam Ghitelman was like. That's not what Matt Barrett has been like; he's made stops goalies have no business making. My personal favorite was having his pass intercepted from a foot and a half away - very bad - then making the save from the same distance - even better.
-- Remember how Matt White kept playing midfield when he should've been playing attack and everyone was all "WHY??" It's almost like having Greg Coholan at attack is balancing that out. The only difference is everyone knows why Coholan is playing attack. (No Pannell.) Frankly, though, it's a shame the depth at attack is such that it's preferable to cannibalize the midfield.
-- Stupidball, by the way, has not been limited to these last two games. UVA won the Hopkins game despite taking multiple pages out of the Mike London Textbook of Personnel Management. This included but was not limited to a player entirely forgetting that he was supposed to be on the field and wasting most of an EMO as a result. I bring this old news up to illustrate what a season-long struggle this has been. And the announcers, by the way, made a habit of pointing out a number of bad substitutions on UVA's part against Duke.
-- At least UVA gets a moral victory by not pulling off the Duke game's worst moment. No, that was Duke's befuddling clear attempt in the second quarter, forgetting entirely about the 30-second clock. It was a hell of a lot of fun to watch Duke piddle the whole time limit away for absolutely no reason, spoiled only by the announcers completely ignoring it and carrying on their talk-show conversation about something totally unrelated. You want to know why people don't watch lacrosse as much as you'd like? It's because when little-used rules come into play, the announcers are too busy blathering to explain the odd situation on the field.
-- I said it as part of bracketology yesterday, but it bears repeating: Beat Georgetown and a tourney home game is a lock.
Showing posts with label ghitelman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghitelman. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2015
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
whats the matter?
For weeks now I've been making all sorts of promises about writing a lacrosse season review, so here's the time to make good on that. We'll see if we can't unearth the secrets behind a losing, NCAA-tournament-less lacrosse season, the first in nearly ten years.
OFFENSE
-- Stick skills. This was about the second or third thing that jumped out at me, but in retrospect, probably the actual most important. When I can, I watch Michigan games too - the Michigan team that's gone 2-26 in its first two years of existence - and the thing that always strikes me hardest in the contrast between Michigan and UVA (and the teams of a caliber that UVA's accustomed to playing) is their stick skills. Michigan's just aren't that good; they're often throwing balls off-target or failing to catch the good ones. It's amazing how much harder it is to play lacrosse when passes are that much less automatic.
This year the contrast was a lot less, and Michigan's didn't get better (much). Simply put, the offense turned the ball over far too much, without any help from the defense. Consider the stats: UVA had 62 fewer turnovers than its opposition, but 55 more caused turnovers - which if you juggle the numbers the right way, means UVA had almost as many unforced turnovers as their opponents. That would be fine if every opponent were a Cornell or a UNC, but there are cupcakes on the schedule too. If UVA played its top opponents even in the unforced turnover department, the cupcakes should create the margin. There was no margin - which means far too many unforced turnovers against teams equipped to take advantage.
Two games stick out: both OSU and UNC (the first game) committed just 1 unforced turnover apiece. Even in games where the opponent had more than we did, we never looked quite that good. And even against VMI we had 8. This was part of the reason the offense sputtered.
-- Lack of midfield athleticism. This was reason number two. It was a rare sight this year to see anyone beat his defender off the dribble, as it were. Shamel Bratton used to do this all the time. In retrospect, guys like Colin Briggs and Brian Carroll could do it too. Ryan Tucker and Rob Emery disappointed in this regard. It limited goal-scoring chances mostly to playmaking from the X or fast breaks; generally, a midfielder was only ever able to create when he could catch his defender running at him.
Owen Van Arsdale tends to be sort of a duly appointed scapegoat for the athleticism thing, and it's true he's not the world's most athletic guy, but he's only one of several. And OVA had the second-most assists on the team after Nick O'Reilly, so it might be said that Dom knows what he's doing by having OVA out there. Offense came from the attack feeding the mids, but rarely the other way round, and the lack of balance hurt.
-- Poor shooting decisions. I got awfully frustrated at times when an opposing goalie would prove he could consistently stop a particular type of shot and we just kept on lobbing the same ones in there. Games that stand out in my memory in this regard: Drexel, Vermont, Ohio State, Bellarmine. Others, too, I'm sure, but that's what comes to mind. Typically it was stick-side high - goalies like it when they don't have to move their stick much, and high-to-high stick side is going to get saved eight times out of ten - but in the case of Bellarmine, our attackers often found themselves on the doorstep and tried to toss it lazily into the net as if there wasn't anything in between, and the Bellarmine goalie kept saving them. Duh. It bugged me because our radio guys were gushing about the guy's skills (in fairness, he had a damn .662 save percentage this year, which is nasty good) but I wanted to go YES I KNOW IT'S EASY TO LOOK LIKE AN ALL-STAR WHEN THE SHOTS ARE THREE MILES AN HOUR.
I don't know whether the following is a symptom or a cause of the poor season, but UVA's opponents had both a better shooting percentage and SOG percentage than we did. If you guessed that 2004 was the last time that happened, give yourself a Fig Newton. Those numbers ended up at .264 and .565, respectively, both of which are the lowest since, yes, 2004, except for the .565, which is the lowest in God only knows how long.
Part of this admittedly may be attributed to the new stall rules, which have encouraged teams to avoid stalling, but I noticed our opponents got more accurate, not less, between last year and this.
DEFENSE
-- Goaltending. I mean, it's hard to leave this out when the stats look so bad. Dan Marino gave way to Rhody Heller midyear; Marino had a .455 save percentage on the season, Heller .482. Both are awful numbers. Marino's injury troubles in the fall might've carried over in his play to the spring. Austin Geisler, who transferred to High Point and played there this spring, had a .512 save percentage for the Panthers; given the somewhat (not hugely, but somewhat) easier schedule they play, it's hard to tell whether he would've made a difference, but it would've been cool to find out. You can bet the competition will be reopened in the fall, with incoming freshman Matt Barrett being given as good a shot as any.
The silver lining: Adam Ghitelman had a .497 percentage his freshman year, so Heller - though a redshirt freshman rather than a true one - isn't that far behind that number.
-- End of quarters. Oh gawd. Talk about frustrating. UVA played 15 games - therefore 60 quarters - and in 15 of those quarters, the opponent scored with fewer than 20 seconds left. So on average of once a game, UVA allowed an end-of-quarter goal.
Then, if we make the safe assumption that it's a coin flip as to whether the good guys or the bad guys have the ball at the end of the quarter, that means were 30 quarters when we were defending, which in turn means the defense allowed a goal half the time. More than half, if we take into account that nine games were basically out of reach one way or the other by the 30-second mark of the fourth (thus, nine of 60 quarters don't count since killing clock was the concern rather than feverishly trying to score.)
Not to mention that six of these end-of-quarter goals came after UVA had already scored a goal with less than a minute to go.
The Ohio State game was especially egregious. In the first three quarters, OSU scored with one second left, twelve seconds left, and three seconds left. This, one week after Cornell had scored the game-winner with 13 seconds to go in the fourth - 26 seconds after UVA had tied it up. Lesson: not learned. And Drexel forced overtime (in which UVA fortunately won) with a ten-seconds-left goal in regulation after an eight-seconds-left one before halftime.
Goaltending is partly to blame. In theory, you ought to be playing it pretty safe at the end of a quarter, so any shots are long ones and should be stoppable. That happened sometimes. In reality, the defense did an awful job of playing patient and tended to break down as the attackers got frenetic in trying to score.
********************************************
You'll notice two things that aren't on this list: faceoffs and injuries. I'm not sure that .527 is a real accurate assessment of how actually good our faceoff men were, but them's the stats, and I don't think that's where the season's problems really were. Also, not having Chris LaPierre wasn't the issue. Shocker might've helped in the midfield-athleticism department, but he's awfully unpolished on offense and probably wouldn't be a major playmaker except to maybe set up some of his own stuff.
Anyway, LaPierre's main strength is as an X-factor when two teams are equal. He can tilt the balance in your direction, but he's probably not going to solve your problems if you're facing a talent deficit. Neither can we say that not having top freshman Will McNamara would've helped, because we just don't know. Ask again next year.
Obviously, not everything was a disaster. I think Nick O'Reilly could have 50-some assists if he could rely more on his midfielders to be open for shots. Mark Cockerton isn't notably big, but he plays strong. Very strong. Wasn't uncommon to see him bull his way around a defender to score the goal. And Tanner Scales won the ACC Freshman of the Year award; Scales looked really good on defense and combined with Scott McWilliams to be a turnover-causing terror on the back end. It's a fitting award, since he inherited Steele Stanwick's #6 - who was the last UVA player to win the award. The last UVA non-offensive player to win was goalie Tillman Johnson. Having no way of remembering what number Johnson wore, I looked it up, hoping against hope it was 6. It was, but upside-down. Close enough.
So I think there's every reason to believe UVA gets back to the tournament next year; most of these problems aren't chronic. I'd like to think, for example, that the end-of-quarter issues are the sort of thing that will regress to the mean next year. This is just one of those things, and at least we have company from Baltimore in the "blue bloods missing the tournament" category.
OFFENSE
-- Stick skills. This was about the second or third thing that jumped out at me, but in retrospect, probably the actual most important. When I can, I watch Michigan games too - the Michigan team that's gone 2-26 in its first two years of existence - and the thing that always strikes me hardest in the contrast between Michigan and UVA (and the teams of a caliber that UVA's accustomed to playing) is their stick skills. Michigan's just aren't that good; they're often throwing balls off-target or failing to catch the good ones. It's amazing how much harder it is to play lacrosse when passes are that much less automatic.
This year the contrast was a lot less, and Michigan's didn't get better (much). Simply put, the offense turned the ball over far too much, without any help from the defense. Consider the stats: UVA had 62 fewer turnovers than its opposition, but 55 more caused turnovers - which if you juggle the numbers the right way, means UVA had almost as many unforced turnovers as their opponents. That would be fine if every opponent were a Cornell or a UNC, but there are cupcakes on the schedule too. If UVA played its top opponents even in the unforced turnover department, the cupcakes should create the margin. There was no margin - which means far too many unforced turnovers against teams equipped to take advantage.
Two games stick out: both OSU and UNC (the first game) committed just 1 unforced turnover apiece. Even in games where the opponent had more than we did, we never looked quite that good. And even against VMI we had 8. This was part of the reason the offense sputtered.
-- Lack of midfield athleticism. This was reason number two. It was a rare sight this year to see anyone beat his defender off the dribble, as it were. Shamel Bratton used to do this all the time. In retrospect, guys like Colin Briggs and Brian Carroll could do it too. Ryan Tucker and Rob Emery disappointed in this regard. It limited goal-scoring chances mostly to playmaking from the X or fast breaks; generally, a midfielder was only ever able to create when he could catch his defender running at him.
Owen Van Arsdale tends to be sort of a duly appointed scapegoat for the athleticism thing, and it's true he's not the world's most athletic guy, but he's only one of several. And OVA had the second-most assists on the team after Nick O'Reilly, so it might be said that Dom knows what he's doing by having OVA out there. Offense came from the attack feeding the mids, but rarely the other way round, and the lack of balance hurt.
-- Poor shooting decisions. I got awfully frustrated at times when an opposing goalie would prove he could consistently stop a particular type of shot and we just kept on lobbing the same ones in there. Games that stand out in my memory in this regard: Drexel, Vermont, Ohio State, Bellarmine. Others, too, I'm sure, but that's what comes to mind. Typically it was stick-side high - goalies like it when they don't have to move their stick much, and high-to-high stick side is going to get saved eight times out of ten - but in the case of Bellarmine, our attackers often found themselves on the doorstep and tried to toss it lazily into the net as if there wasn't anything in between, and the Bellarmine goalie kept saving them. Duh. It bugged me because our radio guys were gushing about the guy's skills (in fairness, he had a damn .662 save percentage this year, which is nasty good) but I wanted to go YES I KNOW IT'S EASY TO LOOK LIKE AN ALL-STAR WHEN THE SHOTS ARE THREE MILES AN HOUR.
I don't know whether the following is a symptom or a cause of the poor season, but UVA's opponents had both a better shooting percentage and SOG percentage than we did. If you guessed that 2004 was the last time that happened, give yourself a Fig Newton. Those numbers ended up at .264 and .565, respectively, both of which are the lowest since, yes, 2004, except for the .565, which is the lowest in God only knows how long.
Part of this admittedly may be attributed to the new stall rules, which have encouraged teams to avoid stalling, but I noticed our opponents got more accurate, not less, between last year and this.
DEFENSE
-- Goaltending. I mean, it's hard to leave this out when the stats look so bad. Dan Marino gave way to Rhody Heller midyear; Marino had a .455 save percentage on the season, Heller .482. Both are awful numbers. Marino's injury troubles in the fall might've carried over in his play to the spring. Austin Geisler, who transferred to High Point and played there this spring, had a .512 save percentage for the Panthers; given the somewhat (not hugely, but somewhat) easier schedule they play, it's hard to tell whether he would've made a difference, but it would've been cool to find out. You can bet the competition will be reopened in the fall, with incoming freshman Matt Barrett being given as good a shot as any.
The silver lining: Adam Ghitelman had a .497 percentage his freshman year, so Heller - though a redshirt freshman rather than a true one - isn't that far behind that number.
-- End of quarters. Oh gawd. Talk about frustrating. UVA played 15 games - therefore 60 quarters - and in 15 of those quarters, the opponent scored with fewer than 20 seconds left. So on average of once a game, UVA allowed an end-of-quarter goal.
Then, if we make the safe assumption that it's a coin flip as to whether the good guys or the bad guys have the ball at the end of the quarter, that means were 30 quarters when we were defending, which in turn means the defense allowed a goal half the time. More than half, if we take into account that nine games were basically out of reach one way or the other by the 30-second mark of the fourth (thus, nine of 60 quarters don't count since killing clock was the concern rather than feverishly trying to score.)
Not to mention that six of these end-of-quarter goals came after UVA had already scored a goal with less than a minute to go.
The Ohio State game was especially egregious. In the first three quarters, OSU scored with one second left, twelve seconds left, and three seconds left. This, one week after Cornell had scored the game-winner with 13 seconds to go in the fourth - 26 seconds after UVA had tied it up. Lesson: not learned. And Drexel forced overtime (in which UVA fortunately won) with a ten-seconds-left goal in regulation after an eight-seconds-left one before halftime.
Goaltending is partly to blame. In theory, you ought to be playing it pretty safe at the end of a quarter, so any shots are long ones and should be stoppable. That happened sometimes. In reality, the defense did an awful job of playing patient and tended to break down as the attackers got frenetic in trying to score.
********************************************
You'll notice two things that aren't on this list: faceoffs and injuries. I'm not sure that .527 is a real accurate assessment of how actually good our faceoff men were, but them's the stats, and I don't think that's where the season's problems really were. Also, not having Chris LaPierre wasn't the issue. Shocker might've helped in the midfield-athleticism department, but he's awfully unpolished on offense and probably wouldn't be a major playmaker except to maybe set up some of his own stuff.
Anyway, LaPierre's main strength is as an X-factor when two teams are equal. He can tilt the balance in your direction, but he's probably not going to solve your problems if you're facing a talent deficit. Neither can we say that not having top freshman Will McNamara would've helped, because we just don't know. Ask again next year.
Obviously, not everything was a disaster. I think Nick O'Reilly could have 50-some assists if he could rely more on his midfielders to be open for shots. Mark Cockerton isn't notably big, but he plays strong. Very strong. Wasn't uncommon to see him bull his way around a defender to score the goal. And Tanner Scales won the ACC Freshman of the Year award; Scales looked really good on defense and combined with Scott McWilliams to be a turnover-causing terror on the back end. It's a fitting award, since he inherited Steele Stanwick's #6 - who was the last UVA player to win the award. The last UVA non-offensive player to win was goalie Tillman Johnson. Having no way of remembering what number Johnson wore, I looked it up, hoping against hope it was 6. It was, but upside-down. Close enough.
So I think there's every reason to believe UVA gets back to the tournament next year; most of these problems aren't chronic. I'd like to think, for example, that the end-of-quarter issues are the sort of thing that will regress to the mean next year. This is just one of those things, and at least we have company from Baltimore in the "blue bloods missing the tournament" category.
Monday, April 9, 2012
weekend review
I've been afraid to start writing this because the biggest news of the weekend might break AT ANY MOMENT. (AAAAAAAAA) I'm sure what'll happen is, I'll have this nice big writeup about how we're still waiting on pins and needles for point guard T.J. McConnell's imminent decision between UVA and Arizona, and by the time I get done writing it I'll have to erase it and start over.
Yes, we're still waiting, despite some Arizona site (Point Guard U, they're called) jumping the gun and reporting a McConnell commitment to the Wildcats late last night. No such commitment has yet occurred, of course. These people at Point Guard U have been more or less "reporting" McConnell will be a Cat for a couple weeks now, so there's no good reason to consider them the definitive source.
So we wait. Arizona is full enough on scholarship guys that they've stopped recruiting a late 2012 guy by the name of Amadeo Della Valle, but not so full that there's no longer any room for McConnell. (Sean Miller isn't that dumb.) If this didn't happen to be a guy whose family knew Miller from way back, it might already be over by now and we'd have us a point guard. But for now....we wait.
***************************************************
And we talk lacrosse. The Hoos opened one up on North Carolina this week, in what I think was the best three quarters of defense they've played all season. (Not so much the fourth - they looked a little complacent and it's fair to also mention that the offense plays differently when it's desperate. And being down by 7 qualifies as desperate.) I wasn't kidding when I said UNC's offense was dangerous, and the Hoos held them to five goals in the first three quarters.
That means a yeoman effort by the defense, of course, and also by Rob Fortunato. (Let's just come out and say right now what we've all been thinking but not wanting to say: Fortunato has been better than Adam Ghitelman at stopping shots. Unlike with Ghitelman, I'm still a little nervous when Fortunato makes a pass longer than about fifteen yards, but Fortunato has been damn impressive in net. He's making saves that I don't think Ghitelman would've.) But the guys I want to single out this time are the SSDMs: Chris LaPierre and Bobby Hill. An excellent game by both, and Rob Emery has been playing a little two-way ball as well and showed us why when he went coast-to-coast for an early transition goal.
The offense hummed like the proverbial well-oiled machine. Steele Stanwick racked up the numbers as usual, but nevertheless the game wasn't all Stanwick all the time; in fact it was Matt White who made a Stanwickesque pass to Bocklet for the first man-up goal. Offense came from everywhere, and it broke down the UNC resistance; their goalie Rastivo often made the first save but couldn't make the second one.
I think - I am not 100% sure but I think - that we have locked in another date with Carolina in the ACC tournament. If I'm right, it works like this:
-- If we [redacted to appease the fickle lacrosse gods] on Friday, we would be the #1 seed with a 3-0 record, and they'd have to apply a three-way tiebreaker to deal with the 1-2 teams down below. I think the applicable tiebreaker will be goal differential in games between the tied teams, in which Maryland is +2 and the other two are -1. That would give Maryland the two seed, and Duke beat UNC so they're the three, and UNC the four.
-- If we lose to Duke on Friday, then we'd be the two seed, with us and Duke at 2-1 and UNC and Maryland at 1-2. And UNC beat Maryland.
I could be wrong about this, but I'll let you quote me anyway.
***************************************************
In the baseball world, we watched a thrilling sweep, particularly on Sunday. Saturday was a thing of beauty, with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera each going yard (and then going yard again), but Sunday was the real happy time, as the good guys twice came back from a multiple-run deficit in crunch time to broom away the hated.....oops. You want Virginia baseball. I'm kind of puffed-up and happy about the Tigers, too.
Well, it's still going on, as I type this, because of the TV schedule, but it started off just fine. A much-needed series win against Wake Forest is already in the bag, and the Hoos are up 3-2 in the not-rubber game as I write. We'll either be 9-6 or 8-7 in an hour or so, and 9-6 would be interesting because that's the same record as UNC, who happens to be the next opponent. A huge series.
For all the angst over losing three games in Tallahassee, it's worth it to remember that a break or two the other way might've sent us home with a series win - and FSU is now 14-1. They're, uh, good.
But they're also in the other division. Now I don't want to get expectations too high, but finishing off the win tonight and then a good result against UNC could put the Hoos in an outside position to steal the division title from current leader Miami. But a lot would have to go right and I'm not getting my hopes up. Yet.
The bottom line is that a regional 2 seed is still the minimum expectation. The main question remains the bullpen. Artie Lewicki was pulled in the fourth inning tonight, and he's never going to be a guy who goes eight innings anyway, which means they'll be in for plenty of innings in the upcoming weeks. They were excellent yesterday, limiting Wake to 1 run all day after Silverstein was pulled in the fifth. In the end I don't think this team has the pitching to pull off an extended tournament run (meaning: make it to Omaha) but that's a concern for a month from now, not right now.
A final interesting note: this week's Wednesday opponent is George Washington. Perhaps this year one of their players will get to experience Davenport Field from the perspective of a baserunner.
Look at that, I made it all the way to the end of the post and T.J. McConnell hasn't made (or at least announced) his decision. All my worrying for nothing. The conventional wisdom is that the longer it takes after the Arizona visit is a good thing for UVA. I see no reason to question the conventional wisdom. It means the Charlottesville visit stuck. We shall see.
Yes, we're still waiting, despite some Arizona site (Point Guard U, they're called) jumping the gun and reporting a McConnell commitment to the Wildcats late last night. No such commitment has yet occurred, of course. These people at Point Guard U have been more or less "reporting" McConnell will be a Cat for a couple weeks now, so there's no good reason to consider them the definitive source.
So we wait. Arizona is full enough on scholarship guys that they've stopped recruiting a late 2012 guy by the name of Amadeo Della Valle, but not so full that there's no longer any room for McConnell. (Sean Miller isn't that dumb.) If this didn't happen to be a guy whose family knew Miller from way back, it might already be over by now and we'd have us a point guard. But for now....we wait.
***************************************************
And we talk lacrosse. The Hoos opened one up on North Carolina this week, in what I think was the best three quarters of defense they've played all season. (Not so much the fourth - they looked a little complacent and it's fair to also mention that the offense plays differently when it's desperate. And being down by 7 qualifies as desperate.) I wasn't kidding when I said UNC's offense was dangerous, and the Hoos held them to five goals in the first three quarters.
That means a yeoman effort by the defense, of course, and also by Rob Fortunato. (Let's just come out and say right now what we've all been thinking but not wanting to say: Fortunato has been better than Adam Ghitelman at stopping shots. Unlike with Ghitelman, I'm still a little nervous when Fortunato makes a pass longer than about fifteen yards, but Fortunato has been damn impressive in net. He's making saves that I don't think Ghitelman would've.) But the guys I want to single out this time are the SSDMs: Chris LaPierre and Bobby Hill. An excellent game by both, and Rob Emery has been playing a little two-way ball as well and showed us why when he went coast-to-coast for an early transition goal.
The offense hummed like the proverbial well-oiled machine. Steele Stanwick racked up the numbers as usual, but nevertheless the game wasn't all Stanwick all the time; in fact it was Matt White who made a Stanwickesque pass to Bocklet for the first man-up goal. Offense came from everywhere, and it broke down the UNC resistance; their goalie Rastivo often made the first save but couldn't make the second one.
I think - I am not 100% sure but I think - that we have locked in another date with Carolina in the ACC tournament. If I'm right, it works like this:
-- If we [redacted to appease the fickle lacrosse gods] on Friday, we would be the #1 seed with a 3-0 record, and they'd have to apply a three-way tiebreaker to deal with the 1-2 teams down below. I think the applicable tiebreaker will be goal differential in games between the tied teams, in which Maryland is +2 and the other two are -1. That would give Maryland the two seed, and Duke beat UNC so they're the three, and UNC the four.
-- If we lose to Duke on Friday, then we'd be the two seed, with us and Duke at 2-1 and UNC and Maryland at 1-2. And UNC beat Maryland.
I could be wrong about this, but I'll let you quote me anyway.
***************************************************
In the baseball world, we watched a thrilling sweep, particularly on Sunday. Saturday was a thing of beauty, with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera each going yard (and then going yard again), but Sunday was the real happy time, as the good guys twice came back from a multiple-run deficit in crunch time to broom away the hated.....oops. You want Virginia baseball. I'm kind of puffed-up and happy about the Tigers, too.
Well, it's still going on, as I type this, because of the TV schedule, but it started off just fine. A much-needed series win against Wake Forest is already in the bag, and the Hoos are up 3-2 in the not-rubber game as I write. We'll either be 9-6 or 8-7 in an hour or so, and 9-6 would be interesting because that's the same record as UNC, who happens to be the next opponent. A huge series.
For all the angst over losing three games in Tallahassee, it's worth it to remember that a break or two the other way might've sent us home with a series win - and FSU is now 14-1. They're, uh, good.
But they're also in the other division. Now I don't want to get expectations too high, but finishing off the win tonight and then a good result against UNC could put the Hoos in an outside position to steal the division title from current leader Miami. But a lot would have to go right and I'm not getting my hopes up. Yet.
The bottom line is that a regional 2 seed is still the minimum expectation. The main question remains the bullpen. Artie Lewicki was pulled in the fourth inning tonight, and he's never going to be a guy who goes eight innings anyway, which means they'll be in for plenty of innings in the upcoming weeks. They were excellent yesterday, limiting Wake to 1 run all day after Silverstein was pulled in the fifth. In the end I don't think this team has the pitching to pull off an extended tournament run (meaning: make it to Omaha) but that's a concern for a month from now, not right now.
A final interesting note: this week's Wednesday opponent is George Washington. Perhaps this year one of their players will get to experience Davenport Field from the perspective of a baserunner.
Look at that, I made it all the way to the end of the post and T.J. McConnell hasn't made (or at least announced) his decision. All my worrying for nothing. The conventional wisdom is that the longer it takes after the Arizona visit is a good thing for UVA. I see no reason to question the conventional wisdom. It means the Charlottesville visit stuck. We shall see.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
seriously the best weekend review ever
That was awesome and nobody can tell me different. The best way to respond to an ACC championship by the baseball team is to one-up that sucker the next day and win a national title. I doubted it could happen even up to the day before the Denver game. You doubted it could happen. Don't lie, you did. 19 goals to Duke will do that to you.
There's so much to be said about the fifth national title in UVA lacrosse history that it's hard to know which should come first. How about we start with Dom Starsia, since his is the evaluation I seem to have screwed up the most? Contrary to the idea that his career is tailing off, Coach Starsia pulled off what might well be his best season of coaching ever. He changed up his whole philosophy. This year he couldn't out-athlete the competition like he likes to do, so he shuffled players around, implemented a zone defense, and he and his crew of assistants got together and figured out how to change the offense from a one-man-at-a-time show to a working machine. This season I've harped on the unsustainability of having more than half your goals be unassisted; Inside Lacrosse points out that in the four tournament games, 74% of UVA's goals had an assist attached to them. This is more fun to watch by far, more successful, and ultimately the result of a focus by the coaching staff to make a concerted change in the way the offense attacks the net. You could brush that off and claim it was forced upon them by the removal of the Brattons from the equation, but you and I both know that not every coach is savvy enough to know he needs to radically switch gears and talented enough to make it work.
And on top of it, Starsia, as evidenced by his interviews and the things the mike caught him saying to his team ("now go shake their hands, they deserve it") is as classy an individual as any that we have coaching here.
So there's one kind of leadership for you. Then you have the players, especially captain Bray Malphrus, that got their teammates together and demanded accountability. Malphrus is one of the team's captains, along with John Haldy, Adam Ghitelman, and Steele Stanwick. Would this team be here without the leadership they brought? I'd venture to say no. The season would've ended early, probably in the first round, the team would have an unheard of six losses, and the only narrative would be about how the whole thing fell apart after last year's drama. The laid-back Haldy is the perfect foil for the fiery and hyper-competitive Malphrus, and the combination was precisely the medicine this team needed after last year's troubles and another heartbreaking loss to nemesis Duke. Malphrus plans to kick terrorist ass in the military after graduation and I'd say he'll do very, very well in the military environs. Next year's team will have little trouble filling in the gaps on the field left when these seniors depart (and that's meant as a compliment to the rest of the team, not a knock on the seniors) but they'll need to make a very concerted effort to fill the leadership gaps.
If there's one on-field hole to fill next year, it'll be in net. It seems like Ghitelman's been in there forever, and he took some real lumps early on from disapproving fans. But he leaves UVA as the NCAA's third-winningest goalie of all time with 50 victories. In a way I'm especially happy to see Ghitelman get this trophy because it'd be a shame to be that good for four years and come away empty-handed in the trophy department.
Other things I think:
- Steele Stanwick was held almost completely off the scoresheet, but with 20 points in the previous three games, he's made the Tewaaraton voting awfully interesting. There's a school of thought that says no Final Four = no Tewaaraton for you, and Stanwick was the only candidate on the field in Baltimore. That he got there by wildly outplaying the previous prohibitive favorite, Cornell's Rob Pannell, makes it even tougher to vote against him. The trophy will be awarded Thursday. If Stanwick doesn't win it won't be a travesty of justice, but if he does it won't be a shock any more.
- Crystal ball time: In February you learn that UVA will make it to the championship game in Baltimore. (That would've saved a lot of gnashing of teeth in April.) In that game:
- I didn't hear any major horror stories from people in the overwhelmingly pro-Terp crowd in Baltimore. John Tillman seems like a stand-up guy and the Maryland team doesn't seem to act too bad. Admittedly the Terps probably had at least as good a reason for neutral fans to root for them as we did, maybe better. And it was cool to have an all-ACC final. Still, it never hurts to have the occasional reminder that Maryland fans can be the shittiest dickbags this earth has ever seen.
- I'll have a whole separate post on 2012 lax in the not-far-off future. National championships have a way of brightening the future.
*********************************************
It wasn't too bad a redemption story for the baseball team, either, erasing all memory of that final-week sweep by Carolina by winning the ACC title. And not the cheap way, either: a 4-0 weekend. Because of tiebreakers, the Hoos had locked up a spot in the title game against FSU before the Saturday rematch against Carolina, so, as predicted, Danny Hultzen was held back til Sunday and Cody Winiarski pitched against UNC. And won anyway.
Then UVA picked up a 7-2 victory against FSU in a very decidedly non-UVA fashion: by smacking home runs. All seven runs came that way. This caused the FSU Rivals site to go all George Washington on us, mixed in with a little just-a-couple-plays-away Pete Hughes action: their description of the game was, "Three bad pitches." Seminole starter Hunter Scantling echoed the "two bad pitches" line, except what he actually said was "one bad pitch" instead, which I guess means that when John Barr was hit by a pitch to put him on base ahead of Proscia's jack, that was a good pitch.
Proscia was the tournament MVP, by the way, on account of hitting that home run that would turn out to be a game-winner, and going 7-for-16 on the weekend. Kenny Swab and Chris Taylor also made the all-tournament team, and Tyler Wilson was left off for reasons I can only assume involve it not being fair that UVA would have so many players on the team. UNC's Patrick Johnson made it instead, for doing the exact same thing Wilson did (mow down Wake Forest) except without the part where Wilson also burned through Florida State in relief. In the championship game. So that makes sense.
So the Hoos get the autobid to the NCAA tournament, I guess, but the #1 seed label means they probably didn't need it. (Y'know....probably.) They'll see some familiar faces in the Charlottesville regional: East Carolina, an OOC opponent the last two years; St. John's, which comes to Davenport for regional play for the second year in a row; and Navy, which actually isn't all that familiar but wutever. You might think that our old buddy Tim Weiser finally did us a solid by giving us the #1 seed, but you'd be wrong: assuming UVA makes it out of its own regional, Weiser handed the Hoos Pac-10 champ UCLA and their rotation of doom (with potential #1 pick Gerrit Cole) as a likely opponent. THANKS DOOD
The baseball win gives UVA five ACC champeenships for the year, which ties us with Maryland for the season's most with five. Our five: men's tennis, rowing, baseball, and men's and women's swimming and diving. This is as good a time as any to brag about Virginia's ACC dominance. In the years since ACC expansion (so, starting with the 2004-2005 season), here's the rundown of schools and their ACC championships:
- In each of the last seven years, only one of them saw another ACC school pick up more championships than Virginia.
- That year was 2006-2007, when UVA had three. That's the lowest total in any of the seven seasons, but every other school has had at least one year of just two or fewer.
- UVA has otherwise picked up at least five in each season.
- UVA's six ACC championships in 2008-2009 and 2007-2008 would be the highest single-season total for any school in the expansion age - nobody else has ever had more than five - but....
- UVA broke that record in 2009-2010 with seven ACC titles.
*********************************************
Busy week coming up, what with overdue recruiting board updates, and I also can't wait for the customary introduction to our latest basketball recruit, Justin Anderson. Justin Anderson is the five-star we stole from Maryland, and I'll probably never get tired of using that phrase and may eventually just abbreviate it TFSWSFM because that is just so damn catchy.
But it's even more important that you know this: June 8 is the official Blog Birthday, marking three years of service to the Wahoo community. That's a week from tomorrow. Around these parts we celebrate birthdays by giving out presents, not receiving them, and that means the 3rd annual Cavalier of the Year Award. In the near future, I'll unveil the 12 nominees that I think are most deserving of recognition as the top Virginia athlete of the year. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll profile each and tell you why they're on the list, and then you the fans will have the privilege of voting on the winner. There's no awards ceremony, trophy presentation, or scholarship donation in the name of the winner (yet - the 20th annual award will be a black-tie affair, you just wait and see.) For now, just a goofy Photoshop. But the voting is fun.
There's so much to be said about the fifth national title in UVA lacrosse history that it's hard to know which should come first. How about we start with Dom Starsia, since his is the evaluation I seem to have screwed up the most? Contrary to the idea that his career is tailing off, Coach Starsia pulled off what might well be his best season of coaching ever. He changed up his whole philosophy. This year he couldn't out-athlete the competition like he likes to do, so he shuffled players around, implemented a zone defense, and he and his crew of assistants got together and figured out how to change the offense from a one-man-at-a-time show to a working machine. This season I've harped on the unsustainability of having more than half your goals be unassisted; Inside Lacrosse points out that in the four tournament games, 74% of UVA's goals had an assist attached to them. This is more fun to watch by far, more successful, and ultimately the result of a focus by the coaching staff to make a concerted change in the way the offense attacks the net. You could brush that off and claim it was forced upon them by the removal of the Brattons from the equation, but you and I both know that not every coach is savvy enough to know he needs to radically switch gears and talented enough to make it work.
And on top of it, Starsia, as evidenced by his interviews and the things the mike caught him saying to his team ("now go shake their hands, they deserve it") is as classy an individual as any that we have coaching here.
So there's one kind of leadership for you. Then you have the players, especially captain Bray Malphrus, that got their teammates together and demanded accountability. Malphrus is one of the team's captains, along with John Haldy, Adam Ghitelman, and Steele Stanwick. Would this team be here without the leadership they brought? I'd venture to say no. The season would've ended early, probably in the first round, the team would have an unheard of six losses, and the only narrative would be about how the whole thing fell apart after last year's drama. The laid-back Haldy is the perfect foil for the fiery and hyper-competitive Malphrus, and the combination was precisely the medicine this team needed after last year's troubles and another heartbreaking loss to nemesis Duke. Malphrus plans to kick terrorist ass in the military after graduation and I'd say he'll do very, very well in the military environs. Next year's team will have little trouble filling in the gaps on the field left when these seniors depart (and that's meant as a compliment to the rest of the team, not a knock on the seniors) but they'll need to make a very concerted effort to fill the leadership gaps.
If there's one on-field hole to fill next year, it'll be in net. It seems like Ghitelman's been in there forever, and he took some real lumps early on from disapproving fans. But he leaves UVA as the NCAA's third-winningest goalie of all time with 50 victories. In a way I'm especially happy to see Ghitelman get this trophy because it'd be a shame to be that good for four years and come away empty-handed in the trophy department.
Other things I think:
- Steele Stanwick was held almost completely off the scoresheet, but with 20 points in the previous three games, he's made the Tewaaraton voting awfully interesting. There's a school of thought that says no Final Four = no Tewaaraton for you, and Stanwick was the only candidate on the field in Baltimore. That he got there by wildly outplaying the previous prohibitive favorite, Cornell's Rob Pannell, makes it even tougher to vote against him. The trophy will be awarded Thursday. If Stanwick doesn't win it won't be a travesty of justice, but if he does it won't be a shock any more.
- Crystal ball time: In February you learn that UVA will make it to the championship game in Baltimore. (That would've saved a lot of gnashing of teeth in April.) In that game:
- You'll see zero goals from Rhamel Bratton, Shamel Bratton, Steele Stanwick, or Chris Bocklet, and the only goal scorers at all will be Colin Briggs, Matt White, and Nick O'Reilly,
- UVA will lose the faceoff battle 12-7,
- UVA will also lose the groundballs battle and be outshot,
- Top defender Matt Lovejoy will be out from shoulder surgery,
- UVA will be shut out in the first quarter
- I didn't hear any major horror stories from people in the overwhelmingly pro-Terp crowd in Baltimore. John Tillman seems like a stand-up guy and the Maryland team doesn't seem to act too bad. Admittedly the Terps probably had at least as good a reason for neutral fans to root for them as we did, maybe better. And it was cool to have an all-ACC final. Still, it never hurts to have the occasional reminder that Maryland fans can be the shittiest dickbags this earth has ever seen.
- I'll have a whole separate post on 2012 lax in the not-far-off future. National championships have a way of brightening the future.
*********************************************
It wasn't too bad a redemption story for the baseball team, either, erasing all memory of that final-week sweep by Carolina by winning the ACC title. And not the cheap way, either: a 4-0 weekend. Because of tiebreakers, the Hoos had locked up a spot in the title game against FSU before the Saturday rematch against Carolina, so, as predicted, Danny Hultzen was held back til Sunday and Cody Winiarski pitched against UNC. And won anyway.
Then UVA picked up a 7-2 victory against FSU in a very decidedly non-UVA fashion: by smacking home runs. All seven runs came that way. This caused the FSU Rivals site to go all George Washington on us, mixed in with a little just-a-couple-plays-away Pete Hughes action: their description of the game was, "Three bad pitches." Seminole starter Hunter Scantling echoed the "two bad pitches" line, except what he actually said was "one bad pitch" instead, which I guess means that when John Barr was hit by a pitch to put him on base ahead of Proscia's jack, that was a good pitch.
Proscia was the tournament MVP, by the way, on account of hitting that home run that would turn out to be a game-winner, and going 7-for-16 on the weekend. Kenny Swab and Chris Taylor also made the all-tournament team, and Tyler Wilson was left off for reasons I can only assume involve it not being fair that UVA would have so many players on the team. UNC's Patrick Johnson made it instead, for doing the exact same thing Wilson did (mow down Wake Forest) except without the part where Wilson also burned through Florida State in relief. In the championship game. So that makes sense.
So the Hoos get the autobid to the NCAA tournament, I guess, but the #1 seed label means they probably didn't need it. (Y'know....probably.) They'll see some familiar faces in the Charlottesville regional: East Carolina, an OOC opponent the last two years; St. John's, which comes to Davenport for regional play for the second year in a row; and Navy, which actually isn't all that familiar but wutever. You might think that our old buddy Tim Weiser finally did us a solid by giving us the #1 seed, but you'd be wrong: assuming UVA makes it out of its own regional, Weiser handed the Hoos Pac-10 champ UCLA and their rotation of doom (with potential #1 pick Gerrit Cole) as a likely opponent. THANKS DOOD
The baseball win gives UVA five ACC champeenships for the year, which ties us with Maryland for the season's most with five. Our five: men's tennis, rowing, baseball, and men's and women's swimming and diving. This is as good a time as any to brag about Virginia's ACC dominance. In the years since ACC expansion (so, starting with the 2004-2005 season), here's the rundown of schools and their ACC championships:
- Virginia - 37
- FSU - 26
- Duke - 25
- UNC - 21
- Maryland - 16
- Ga. Tech - 14
- Va. Tech - 11
- Clemson - 8
- NC State - 6
- Miami - 5
- Wake Forest - 5
- Boston College - 1
- 6 each: Men's swimming & diving; men's tennis; rowing
- 4: Women's swimming & diving
- 3 each: Men's cross country; women's lacrosse
- 2 each: Baseball; men's lacrosse; men's soccer
- 1 each: Men's outdoor track & field; women's soccer; wrestling
- In each of the last seven years, only one of them saw another ACC school pick up more championships than Virginia.
- That year was 2006-2007, when UVA had three. That's the lowest total in any of the seven seasons, but every other school has had at least one year of just two or fewer.
- UVA has otherwise picked up at least five in each season.
- UVA's six ACC championships in 2008-2009 and 2007-2008 would be the highest single-season total for any school in the expansion age - nobody else has ever had more than five - but....
- UVA broke that record in 2009-2010 with seven ACC titles.
*********************************************
Busy week coming up, what with overdue recruiting board updates, and I also can't wait for the customary introduction to our latest basketball recruit, Justin Anderson. Justin Anderson is the five-star we stole from Maryland, and I'll probably never get tired of using that phrase and may eventually just abbreviate it TFSWSFM because that is just so damn catchy.
But it's even more important that you know this: June 8 is the official Blog Birthday, marking three years of service to the Wahoo community. That's a week from tomorrow. Around these parts we celebrate birthdays by giving out presents, not receiving them, and that means the 3rd annual Cavalier of the Year Award. In the near future, I'll unveil the 12 nominees that I think are most deserving of recognition as the top Virginia athlete of the year. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll profile each and tell you why they're on the list, and then you the fans will have the privilege of voting on the winner. There's no awards ceremony, trophy presentation, or scholarship donation in the name of the winner (yet - the 20th annual award will be a black-tie affair, you just wait and see.) For now, just a goofy Photoshop. But the voting is fun.
Monday, May 23, 2011
what's old is new again
Naturally, as soon as Saturday's game against Cornell started, and UVA gained possession, Cornell did exactly what you'd expect from a team that knew its opponent was going to try and slow the game down. They extended their midfield defense all the way out to Siberia and put someone right in the face of not only the ballcarrier, but his passing options too. As it started to work and UVA got very few good looks at any possible way to get the ball moving somewhere, and Cornell started building an early 4-1 lead, I reflected on UVA games past and a time when teams wouldn't dare do that because UVA's athletes would make them pay for leaving all that open space. The old Virginia would've crushed anyone who thought they could have a short-stick defender playing its midfielders at a distance of three inches. Remember, the last time UVA and Cornell met on the playoffs field, Cornell did the exact opposite: they packed it way in, let our attackers pass and run all over the field, but dared them to shoot through the red forest in front of the net. It worked spectacularly, too.
Turns out that being down 4-1 is having 'em right where we want 'em. It also turns out that the old Virginia is the new Virginia. When simply running past overeager defenders isn't an option, there are other ways to take them out of the play. Passing works for these purposes. UVA has discovered the art of the pass again, and on Saturday, ballcarriers found all kinds of passing targets. Some got open the traditional way, which is to run to an undefended spot (a skill that looked forgotten for most of this season), and some got open thanks to an impressive array of screens and offensive sets.
In carving up the normally solid Cornell defense, the UVA offense redeemed two seasons: this year's, and next. Losing to end the season never fails to be disappointing, but getting back to the Final Four is what this season will be thankfully remembered for, not what happened in the ACC tournament. And as for next season, simply remember that the attack squad that did that (to Cornell) was comprised almost entirely of non-seniors. The only player on that starting attack or first-line midfield that won't be here next year is John Haldy, a decent player who is nevertheless replaceable. And in that stunning nine-goal run,** seven different players scored - all of whom will be back next year.
**Seriously: nine goals in a row! I just wanted to type it again to see if it was any more believable. It's not. Nine goals! Seven in one quarter! I'm not interested in looking at every line score from every game of the season, but I will bet that the second quarter was the best-played quarter by any team, anywhere in the country, all year. Seven to nothing in one quarter didn't even happen for us against VMI or MSM. To make it happen against Cornell is mind-blowing.
So, back to the Final Four, where the Hoos will take on Denver in Denver's first Final Four appearance ever, and because of that they'll be everyone's least favorite team in Baltimore. The lacrosse world is pulling for the Pioneers. This is great news. I told you to beware the power of a team with UVA's talent and an underdog mentality. That can be a buzzsaw. It was on Saturday.
*******************************************************
Other ramblings:
- Now, how about Bray Malphrus? Adam Ghitelman played a terrific game, Steele Stanwick had seven points to go with his eight against Bucknell, but the MVP of the game is Malphrus. I will brook no argument. In man-to-man situations, Malphrus was matched up against Tewaaraton finalist and previously-thought-to-be runaway winner Rob Pannell. Pannell had three goals in the game: the first was had nothing to do with the defense, and the second didn't come until two minutes remained in the third period with Cornell already a mile down. His goals had little effect on the game except to pull Cornell to a four-goal deficit instead of five. It's not a stretch to say Bray Malphrus and the zone defense may have taken the Tewaaraton away from Pannell. They certainly ended Cornell's season.
- It's a down year in the ACC and yet the Final Four looks like the ACC tournament redux. Maryland and Duke are on the other side of the bracket. No fair trying to call out all the analysts who bagged on the ACC for a down year, because it was. The losses that ACC teams suffered, like Colgate, Ohio State, and Penn, they happen, but they shouldn't happen all in one year. So it was a down regular season. But it's not a down year any more. And while I have, let's put it very mildly, an extremely strong distaste for Maryland and Duke lax, I can't help but giggle at pissed off Syracuse fans who aren't enjoying the ACC success. The Big East may be a threat one day to ACC lacrosse dominance, but with both the Domers and Cuse falling to ACC squads, that time hasn't come yet.
- Almost all the seeds advanced in the first round, and then the quarterfinals were upset city. Which probably goes to show that the quarterfinals weren't really all that big of an upset-fest after all. There's a distinct difference between the best teams and the not-best teams, but not much of one among the top tier.
- UVA plays on Saturday at 4:00. The championship game, if for some reason we might be interested in that, is Monday at 3:30.
- Despite the mega-jinxitude of this: Bring on Denver. I can't wait.
*****************************************************************
A small announcement and slight confession: I'll be out of town over the Memorial Day weekend so actually, I won't get to see the Denver game, or preview the championship game if there is one for us. That's just as well because all it would say is: we lost to these guys before so let's fuck 'em up this time for revenge. I'll post as normal on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday will be off days. Monday, if I'm in the mood, I'll write something. If there's something fun to write about, you know what I mean?
Turns out that being down 4-1 is having 'em right where we want 'em. It also turns out that the old Virginia is the new Virginia. When simply running past overeager defenders isn't an option, there are other ways to take them out of the play. Passing works for these purposes. UVA has discovered the art of the pass again, and on Saturday, ballcarriers found all kinds of passing targets. Some got open the traditional way, which is to run to an undefended spot (a skill that looked forgotten for most of this season), and some got open thanks to an impressive array of screens and offensive sets.
In carving up the normally solid Cornell defense, the UVA offense redeemed two seasons: this year's, and next. Losing to end the season never fails to be disappointing, but getting back to the Final Four is what this season will be thankfully remembered for, not what happened in the ACC tournament. And as for next season, simply remember that the attack squad that did that (to Cornell) was comprised almost entirely of non-seniors. The only player on that starting attack or first-line midfield that won't be here next year is John Haldy, a decent player who is nevertheless replaceable. And in that stunning nine-goal run,** seven different players scored - all of whom will be back next year.
**Seriously: nine goals in a row! I just wanted to type it again to see if it was any more believable. It's not. Nine goals! Seven in one quarter! I'm not interested in looking at every line score from every game of the season, but I will bet that the second quarter was the best-played quarter by any team, anywhere in the country, all year. Seven to nothing in one quarter didn't even happen for us against VMI or MSM. To make it happen against Cornell is mind-blowing.
So, back to the Final Four, where the Hoos will take on Denver in Denver's first Final Four appearance ever, and because of that they'll be everyone's least favorite team in Baltimore. The lacrosse world is pulling for the Pioneers. This is great news. I told you to beware the power of a team with UVA's talent and an underdog mentality. That can be a buzzsaw. It was on Saturday.
*******************************************************
Other ramblings:
- Now, how about Bray Malphrus? Adam Ghitelman played a terrific game, Steele Stanwick had seven points to go with his eight against Bucknell, but the MVP of the game is Malphrus. I will brook no argument. In man-to-man situations, Malphrus was matched up against Tewaaraton finalist and previously-thought-to-be runaway winner Rob Pannell. Pannell had three goals in the game: the first was had nothing to do with the defense, and the second didn't come until two minutes remained in the third period with Cornell already a mile down. His goals had little effect on the game except to pull Cornell to a four-goal deficit instead of five. It's not a stretch to say Bray Malphrus and the zone defense may have taken the Tewaaraton away from Pannell. They certainly ended Cornell's season.
- It's a down year in the ACC and yet the Final Four looks like the ACC tournament redux. Maryland and Duke are on the other side of the bracket. No fair trying to call out all the analysts who bagged on the ACC for a down year, because it was. The losses that ACC teams suffered, like Colgate, Ohio State, and Penn, they happen, but they shouldn't happen all in one year. So it was a down regular season. But it's not a down year any more. And while I have, let's put it very mildly, an extremely strong distaste for Maryland and Duke lax, I can't help but giggle at pissed off Syracuse fans who aren't enjoying the ACC success. The Big East may be a threat one day to ACC lacrosse dominance, but with both the Domers and Cuse falling to ACC squads, that time hasn't come yet.
- Almost all the seeds advanced in the first round, and then the quarterfinals were upset city. Which probably goes to show that the quarterfinals weren't really all that big of an upset-fest after all. There's a distinct difference between the best teams and the not-best teams, but not much of one among the top tier.
- UVA plays on Saturday at 4:00. The championship game, if for some reason we might be interested in that, is Monday at 3:30.
- Despite the mega-jinxitude of this: Bring on Denver. I can't wait.
*****************************************************************
A small announcement and slight confession: I'll be out of town over the Memorial Day weekend so actually, I won't get to see the Denver game, or preview the championship game if there is one for us. That's just as well because all it would say is: we lost to these guys before so let's fuck 'em up this time for revenge. I'll post as normal on Thursday, then Friday through Sunday will be off days. Monday, if I'm in the mood, I'll write something. If there's something fun to write about, you know what I mean?
Friday, May 13, 2011
game preview: Bucknell
TV: ESPNUVA
History against the Bison: 2-0
Last matchup: UVA 27, Bucknell 5; 4/25/98; Charlottesville
Last game: UVA 11, Penn 2 (4/30); Bucknell 10, Colgate 3 (5/1)
Finally the second season. Tournament time is a fresh start, though it's certainly nice to be entering the tourney coming off of a big feelgood victory instead of a loss or an ugly win. Despite that, the Hoos are a popular upset pick. It hasn't been the greatest of seasons and Bucknell's captured the attention of a lot of pundits and people who think they're pundits by having an outstanding season. Their best ever, in fact. This will be their second tournament game in their history, having last attended 10 years ago.
The huge concern for the Hoos, as always, is defense. Even a two-goal effort in the last game, against Penn, isn't going to quell that concern. UVA continues to be the second-worst team in the country - again, among company like VMI, Presbyterian, Mercer, and St. Joseph's - at getting turnovers on the defensive end. I mean, just pitiful. The national average is about 44% - that is, 44% of post-clear defensive possessions end in turnovers - and for UVA it's just 36.1%. Not only that but Bucknell does a good job of holding on to the ball. So Adam Ghitelman will need to stand tall. Bucknell's offense operates with middling efficiency but they do get good, well-rounded scoring, led by Ryan Klipstein with 30 goals.
Where Bucknell truly shines is on defense. Post-clear, they allow goals on just 25.1% of possessions - that makes them third-best in the coutnry - and they've allowed double-digit goals in only two games this year, both times allowing 11. Caveats about quality of opposition apply since we're talking about the Patriot League, but only to a point. Their four best wins are Villanova, Penn State, and two over Colgate. They're also good at getting turnovers, but that department matches strength against strength - UVA is also outstanding at not losing the ball to turnovers and since we'll be playing sans the Bratton brothers, that's bound to be a place where our performance will be even stronger.
Overall, this is an opponent with a solid, solid game and no major weaknesses. That's what you earn when you drop to the 7 seed. They're good between the pipes - goaltender Kyle Feeney has a .561 save percentage - and good at both ends of the field, especially defense. The fact that their opponents don't score much, and 70% of their opponents' goals have been assisted, suggests that their biggest strength is one-on-one defense on the ball, so it's probably in our best interest to continue the kind of offensive approach we had against Penn. Much (MUCH) better ball movement and motion without the ball, and crisper passing. The way we've played most of the season would probably play right into Bucknell's hands.
On the other hand, if there's one hallmark of UVA lacrosse we should be going back to, it's out-athleting the opposition in the middle of the field. Bucknell's faceoffs, ride, and clearing ability are OK, not great. The best way to win this game will be to unleash Chris LaPierre and some of our better athletes in the middle and try for some goals in unsettled situations - or at the very least, earn more possessions. Both teams can win this one, but UVA's chances will be best if they can get a few lightning strikes.
As a side note, Dom Starsia will be going for the all-time win record on Sunday; he has a chance to tie the record of Jack Emmer who probably-not-coincidentally will be calling the game. A run to the Final Four will give Starsia the record outright.
Monday, April 25, 2011
weekend review of curses and cursebreaking
I know exactly when I crossed over from being a casual, score-checking follower of lacrosse and into full-blown fanhood. It was somewhere in the second quarter of the semifinal game in 2006 against Syracuse, because that's when I found out they actually put the sport on television. Being able to actually watch the games does wonders.
The nice thing about UVA lacrosse is that it's been an embarrassment-free ride. Until Friday. 19-10 is the kind of score we're supposed to be laying on Mount St. Mary's, and yes Duke was running up the score because that's how they roll but certain teams aren't allowed to ever complain about having the score run up on them because they should never be in that position in the first place. UVA is one of those teams.
The charges are as follows: 2nd degree failure to give a fuck about important ground balls. Multiple counts of felonious turnovers caused by hotdog passes which were obviously doomed from the beginning. Failure to clear. Pylonic defense. The charge of felonious faceoff suckage is dropped - surprisingly UVA was 17 of 31, which is surprisingly competent. The problem is that it seems like every faceoff we win is won back to the defensive end of the field and then we have to work on clearing it out, which used to be our #1 strength and has turned into an adventure and a half. And every faceoff we lose is also lost to our defensive end and then its transition goal time. Six Duke goals came within sixty seconds of a faceoff on Friday and four of them came within fifteen seconds of one.
The guy I feel bad for is Adam Ghitelman, because he looks like ass out there and it's not his fault. Transition goals are nearly impossible for a goalie to do anything about, and the man-to-man defense is a complete lost cause. Last year the starting defenders were Ken Clausen, Ryan Nizolek, and Matt Lovejoy, and none of those three are on the field any more now that Lovejoy (always the shakiest of the three anyway) is laid up for the season. We're getting hoist with our own petard now; Duke just put on an athletic one-on-one clinic and served notice that any team who wants to test its own middies and attackmen one-on-one against our defenders should feel free to do so.
So that was probably the season. Ostensibly, the Penn game next week looms large as a real chance to get something done and salvage some kind of tournament seeding - perhaps as a host team - but I don't think it's even that big any more. I'd say with a win we have maybe a 50/50 chance at hosting a game. A loss makes it dead certain we won't. Neither will we get knocked out of the tournament altogether, but do you really like the idea of trying to play a game in the thin air in Denver? I don't. The plus side is that the tournament is a win-win proposition: either we rally and make a nice long run toward recaptured glory, or the misery ends quick and we can focus on baseball.
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Speaking of baseball, baseball is nice. I like baseball because in baseball we've only had to deal with four losses in 44 games. NC State would be the first team to hand Danny Hultzen a loss this season because beating UVA has become NC State's only baseball tradition, but Tyler Wilson turned in a gem in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and the bats came alive on Sunday enough to win the first rubber game we've seen all season.
Other than a little extra chatter on the field (I get the feeling NC State's aware of their usual death grip on UVA baseball) and the complete inability of the Wolfies to defend a stolen base attempt on Sunday, it was kind of a ho-hum series. So let's bulletize the big-picture stuff.
- No, seriously, the way the Pack dealt with UVA baserunners was hideous. Their pitchers - left-handed pitchers at that - repeatedly ignored the guy on first and his huge leads and gave up huge jumps to the baserunner. And catcher Pratt Maynard couldn't hit the broad side of an aircraft carrier with his throws to second. Except for one, which was a great throw but had no receiving end because the infielders forgot to cover the base. NC State's coach pulled his starting pitcher in the middle of a second-inning at-bat because he ignored Chris Taylor on first (who would take three of UVA's six stolen bases) and at the same time hucked a pitch four feet wide of the plate and six feet in the air.
- You know about Robo-Danny's demolition of the school records, especially where strikeouts are concerned (he long ago passed the old career mark set by Seth Greisinger and is 42 away from the single-season record) but he's not the only one rewriting the books. Steven Proscia's next RBI will give him sole possession of the UVA record in that category.
- UVA needs to go just 4-8 in its last 12 games to finish with a top-8 RPI. Naturally they are the RPI top-ranked team, and only Florida also has the luxury of finishing top-8 with a losing record. By this time next week it's possibly UVA has guaranteed itself a top-8 finish.
- Vote for Tyler Wilson! Vote, damn you. You can do it once a day. He's losing ground. Do not let that happen.
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In the other stuff department:
- Two ACC championships over the weekend: rowing and men's tennis. We get a lot of those. There probably isn't a more dominant team at UVA than men's tennis. This is the year it should hopefully turn into a national title. UVA now has four ACC championships on the season, second only to Maryland with five. Only baseball and softball yet to be decided, neither of which Maryland will win. GT is the odds-on softball favorite; we'll see about baseball, which is often subject to the whims of fate.
- Mike London has his second commitment on board. Remember last week when I said something to the effect of commitments coming at this time of year will be surprises? Yeah. Demeitre Brim needed only a few days to decide where he wanted to go to school. It could bear watching because Brim has never been to UVA, had little contact with the coaches prior to his offer, and has just one besides the UVA one. Half the time that's a kid making a snap decision and regretting it later and half the time it's damn near the strongest kind of commitment you can make. Board update tomorrow, which has plenty of good stuff and bad stuff.
- The ACC coaching carousel is done spinning for the year unless someone is caught shoving dead hookers in a trunk, with George Mason's Jim Larranaga going to Miami. Larranaga's a fine coach and all, and this move makes sense for him since Miami is probably stuffing his pockets with good American money, but it might not make much sense for Miami. How much shelf life does Larranaga have at 61? He's an upgrade over Frank Haith, and if Miami gets as many seasons out of Larranaga as they did with Haith (seven) they'll have done well. But that might be the upper limit of what he can give them.
The nice thing about UVA lacrosse is that it's been an embarrassment-free ride. Until Friday. 19-10 is the kind of score we're supposed to be laying on Mount St. Mary's, and yes Duke was running up the score because that's how they roll but certain teams aren't allowed to ever complain about having the score run up on them because they should never be in that position in the first place. UVA is one of those teams.
The charges are as follows: 2nd degree failure to give a fuck about important ground balls. Multiple counts of felonious turnovers caused by hotdog passes which were obviously doomed from the beginning. Failure to clear. Pylonic defense. The charge of felonious faceoff suckage is dropped - surprisingly UVA was 17 of 31, which is surprisingly competent. The problem is that it seems like every faceoff we win is won back to the defensive end of the field and then we have to work on clearing it out, which used to be our #1 strength and has turned into an adventure and a half. And every faceoff we lose is also lost to our defensive end and then its transition goal time. Six Duke goals came within sixty seconds of a faceoff on Friday and four of them came within fifteen seconds of one.
The guy I feel bad for is Adam Ghitelman, because he looks like ass out there and it's not his fault. Transition goals are nearly impossible for a goalie to do anything about, and the man-to-man defense is a complete lost cause. Last year the starting defenders were Ken Clausen, Ryan Nizolek, and Matt Lovejoy, and none of those three are on the field any more now that Lovejoy (always the shakiest of the three anyway) is laid up for the season. We're getting hoist with our own petard now; Duke just put on an athletic one-on-one clinic and served notice that any team who wants to test its own middies and attackmen one-on-one against our defenders should feel free to do so.
So that was probably the season. Ostensibly, the Penn game next week looms large as a real chance to get something done and salvage some kind of tournament seeding - perhaps as a host team - but I don't think it's even that big any more. I'd say with a win we have maybe a 50/50 chance at hosting a game. A loss makes it dead certain we won't. Neither will we get knocked out of the tournament altogether, but do you really like the idea of trying to play a game in the thin air in Denver? I don't. The plus side is that the tournament is a win-win proposition: either we rally and make a nice long run toward recaptured glory, or the misery ends quick and we can focus on baseball.
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Speaking of baseball, baseball is nice. I like baseball because in baseball we've only had to deal with four losses in 44 games. NC State would be the first team to hand Danny Hultzen a loss this season because beating UVA has become NC State's only baseball tradition, but Tyler Wilson turned in a gem in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and the bats came alive on Sunday enough to win the first rubber game we've seen all season.
Other than a little extra chatter on the field (I get the feeling NC State's aware of their usual death grip on UVA baseball) and the complete inability of the Wolfies to defend a stolen base attempt on Sunday, it was kind of a ho-hum series. So let's bulletize the big-picture stuff.
- No, seriously, the way the Pack dealt with UVA baserunners was hideous. Their pitchers - left-handed pitchers at that - repeatedly ignored the guy on first and his huge leads and gave up huge jumps to the baserunner. And catcher Pratt Maynard couldn't hit the broad side of an aircraft carrier with his throws to second. Except for one, which was a great throw but had no receiving end because the infielders forgot to cover the base. NC State's coach pulled his starting pitcher in the middle of a second-inning at-bat because he ignored Chris Taylor on first (who would take three of UVA's six stolen bases) and at the same time hucked a pitch four feet wide of the plate and six feet in the air.
- You know about Robo-Danny's demolition of the school records, especially where strikeouts are concerned (he long ago passed the old career mark set by Seth Greisinger and is 42 away from the single-season record) but he's not the only one rewriting the books. Steven Proscia's next RBI will give him sole possession of the UVA record in that category.
- UVA needs to go just 4-8 in its last 12 games to finish with a top-8 RPI. Naturally they are the RPI top-ranked team, and only Florida also has the luxury of finishing top-8 with a losing record. By this time next week it's possibly UVA has guaranteed itself a top-8 finish.
- Vote for Tyler Wilson! Vote, damn you. You can do it once a day. He's losing ground. Do not let that happen.
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In the other stuff department:
- Two ACC championships over the weekend: rowing and men's tennis. We get a lot of those. There probably isn't a more dominant team at UVA than men's tennis. This is the year it should hopefully turn into a national title. UVA now has four ACC championships on the season, second only to Maryland with five. Only baseball and softball yet to be decided, neither of which Maryland will win. GT is the odds-on softball favorite; we'll see about baseball, which is often subject to the whims of fate.
- Mike London has his second commitment on board. Remember last week when I said something to the effect of commitments coming at this time of year will be surprises? Yeah. Demeitre Brim needed only a few days to decide where he wanted to go to school. It could bear watching because Brim has never been to UVA, had little contact with the coaches prior to his offer, and has just one besides the UVA one. Half the time that's a kid making a snap decision and regretting it later and half the time it's damn near the strongest kind of commitment you can make. Board update tomorrow, which has plenty of good stuff and bad stuff.
- The ACC coaching carousel is done spinning for the year unless someone is caught shoving dead hookers in a trunk, with George Mason's Jim Larranaga going to Miami. Larranaga's a fine coach and all, and this move makes sense for him since Miami is probably stuffing his pockets with good American money, but it might not make much sense for Miami. How much shelf life does Larranaga have at 61? He's an upgrade over Frank Haith, and if Miami gets as many seasons out of Larranaga as they did with Haith (seven) they'll have done well. But that might be the upper limit of what he can give them.
Monday, April 11, 2011
weekend review
Thank everything for Steele Stanwick and a slippery Klockner field, or this wouldn't be a very fun weekend review in the lacrosse section. The good news in that department: An 11-10 win in which UVA significantly outplayed UNC for long stretches. The bad: Dipshit brainfarts that put the game severely in jeopardy.
Nobody was immune. Adam Ghitelman's decision to heave the ball upfield with six seconds on the clock in the third quarter led to one Carolina goal four seconds later. Rhamel Bratton tried the slick, low-percentage pass toward the net (and copious defenders) when all that was required was to run around the field for three minutes. Chris LaPierre froze in the face of a double team, which naturally dislodged the ball a split second later. All of these led to goals and heightened blood pressure.
The other thing that kept leading to goals was the defense's decision to defend everyone but the ballcarrier in transition. This is probably brain-damaged coaching rather than brain-damaged playing. Yes, I get that we don't want the ball to be passed to one of UNC's actual stars, but once the guy with the ball gets within eight yards, does it matter if it's Billy Bitter or Billy the Clown? They're going to score from that range, and it's not helpful to let them get there.
That said, transition defense was a major struggle but settled defense, amazingly, was not. My first thought was that the defense had improved just enough to allow Ghitelman to make the saves and look like the goalie he really can be. Later I realized that was wrong: the defense improved a ton. It turned Carolina's offense into our own offense at its most frustrating: ball gets passed around the perimeter until it's turned over or shot harmlessly into the goalie's stick. Credit the switch to the zone, a timely adjustment that was probably forced upon the coaches as much as anything by Matt Lovejoy's season-ending (OH GREAT) surgery. UNC clearly didn't expect that.
Overall a pleasant surprise that shouldn't have been a surprise at all (a reminder that this can still be a dominant team, even against quality opponents, when it wants to be) pockmarked by some monumental insanity. Encouraging; dumb mistakes are more easily fixed than the entire system.
It sets up the Duke game next week for an interesting scenario: because of how the tiebreakers work, UVA is either going to be the #1 seed or the #4 seed in the ACC tournament. Not that it ever matters, but that's the way it breaks this year.
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Just to get this part out of the way: the baseball team lost a game. OH NO. We being UVA fans, no doubt by now the meltdown is well underway. (checking to see.) (not finding anything.) (doublechecking.) (still no.) Huh, OK, so, baseball fans are a patient bunch, or more patient than basketball fans anyway. It helps that that was only the third loss in 34 games and that a series win on the road against a top-ten team that's probably second-best in the conference is a good thing, not a bad thing. And you'd expect this patience from a group of people who enjoy a game in which they have to sometimes wait for the pitcher to get done scratching his ass and horking loogies on theball ground before he decides he's ready to deliver again. Gives us time to get another beer.
Anyway, even then it's not entirely rainbows. All three losses have been on Sundays, which means Sunday starter Cody Winiarski is in for some scrutiny, especially after a game that saw his ERA jump up nine-tenths of a point. Every time he struggles and every gem that Will Roberts pitches on Tuesdays increases the call for Roberts to be moved to the weekend rotation. Never mind that Winiarski completely shut down both Poly and Maryland; a bad outing against the team with the seventh-best batting average and ninth-best slugging percentage in the country is enough to bring the doubters out of the woodwork. Explaining to people that George Washington bats .254 as a team and is 245th in the country and Georgia Tech bats .330 and is seventh never seems to have any effect; there's still a crowd that wants to see Roberts "get his chance," as if pitching on Tuesdays isn't a chance and as if that means he'll be forgotten about come the postseason and further as if he and Cody and the rest of the pitching staff hadn't been pitching side by side all offseason under the scrutiny of the coaches. RRGGH. Roberts is pitching wonderfully but Winiarski isn't pitching badly.
Anyway. Georgia Tech. Killed 'em. Danny Hultzen was lights the hell out again, allowing one earned run and one walk and striking out 12 on Friday. The bats came alive late, and Danny had his 7th win of the season. The lineup continued to hammer GT pitching for the rest of the weekend, earning a 12-9 win on Saturday and taking a 10-8 loss on Sunday. Even with the loss and a few extra runs for GT hitting, you are directed to be ecstatic about this: GT's starters are not chumps - they are the opposite of chumps - and our bats chased Mark Pope from what had been a pitchers' duel til the 7th, beat Jed Bradley into submission, and rained hits on Buck Farmer, too.
So: 31-3. Two one-run losses and a two-run loss, up against more than a five-run average margin in our wins. This team has never been out of a game. They're loose, enjoying themselves. They've got that swagger, without swaggering. The last time we saw a UVA team rolling like this was probably during the soccer team's run to the national title (not to put any pressure on.) But soccer is the kind of game where any old fluke at any time can explode all your work up to that point. Baseball can be fluky too but you know you're gonna get your nine hacks, every time, and there's something reassuring about that. There's also something reassuring about Danny Hultzen being on your team. Don't forget that.
Nobody was immune. Adam Ghitelman's decision to heave the ball upfield with six seconds on the clock in the third quarter led to one Carolina goal four seconds later. Rhamel Bratton tried the slick, low-percentage pass toward the net (and copious defenders) when all that was required was to run around the field for three minutes. Chris LaPierre froze in the face of a double team, which naturally dislodged the ball a split second later. All of these led to goals and heightened blood pressure.
The other thing that kept leading to goals was the defense's decision to defend everyone but the ballcarrier in transition. This is probably brain-damaged coaching rather than brain-damaged playing. Yes, I get that we don't want the ball to be passed to one of UNC's actual stars, but once the guy with the ball gets within eight yards, does it matter if it's Billy Bitter or Billy the Clown? They're going to score from that range, and it's not helpful to let them get there.
That said, transition defense was a major struggle but settled defense, amazingly, was not. My first thought was that the defense had improved just enough to allow Ghitelman to make the saves and look like the goalie he really can be. Later I realized that was wrong: the defense improved a ton. It turned Carolina's offense into our own offense at its most frustrating: ball gets passed around the perimeter until it's turned over or shot harmlessly into the goalie's stick. Credit the switch to the zone, a timely adjustment that was probably forced upon the coaches as much as anything by Matt Lovejoy's season-ending (OH GREAT) surgery. UNC clearly didn't expect that.
Overall a pleasant surprise that shouldn't have been a surprise at all (a reminder that this can still be a dominant team, even against quality opponents, when it wants to be) pockmarked by some monumental insanity. Encouraging; dumb mistakes are more easily fixed than the entire system.
It sets up the Duke game next week for an interesting scenario: because of how the tiebreakers work, UVA is either going to be the #1 seed or the #4 seed in the ACC tournament. Not that it ever matters, but that's the way it breaks this year.
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Just to get this part out of the way: the baseball team lost a game. OH NO. We being UVA fans, no doubt by now the meltdown is well underway. (checking to see.) (not finding anything.) (doublechecking.) (still no.) Huh, OK, so, baseball fans are a patient bunch, or more patient than basketball fans anyway. It helps that that was only the third loss in 34 games and that a series win on the road against a top-ten team that's probably second-best in the conference is a good thing, not a bad thing. And you'd expect this patience from a group of people who enjoy a game in which they have to sometimes wait for the pitcher to get done scratching his ass and horking loogies on the
Anyway, even then it's not entirely rainbows. All three losses have been on Sundays, which means Sunday starter Cody Winiarski is in for some scrutiny, especially after a game that saw his ERA jump up nine-tenths of a point. Every time he struggles and every gem that Will Roberts pitches on Tuesdays increases the call for Roberts to be moved to the weekend rotation. Never mind that Winiarski completely shut down both Poly and Maryland; a bad outing against the team with the seventh-best batting average and ninth-best slugging percentage in the country is enough to bring the doubters out of the woodwork. Explaining to people that George Washington bats .254 as a team and is 245th in the country and Georgia Tech bats .330 and is seventh never seems to have any effect; there's still a crowd that wants to see Roberts "get his chance," as if pitching on Tuesdays isn't a chance and as if that means he'll be forgotten about come the postseason and further as if he and Cody and the rest of the pitching staff hadn't been pitching side by side all offseason under the scrutiny of the coaches. RRGGH. Roberts is pitching wonderfully but Winiarski isn't pitching badly.
Anyway. Georgia Tech. Killed 'em. Danny Hultzen was lights the hell out again, allowing one earned run and one walk and striking out 12 on Friday. The bats came alive late, and Danny had his 7th win of the season. The lineup continued to hammer GT pitching for the rest of the weekend, earning a 12-9 win on Saturday and taking a 10-8 loss on Sunday. Even with the loss and a few extra runs for GT hitting, you are directed to be ecstatic about this: GT's starters are not chumps - they are the opposite of chumps - and our bats chased Mark Pope from what had been a pitchers' duel til the 7th, beat Jed Bradley into submission, and rained hits on Buck Farmer, too.
So: 31-3. Two one-run losses and a two-run loss, up against more than a five-run average margin in our wins. This team has never been out of a game. They're loose, enjoying themselves. They've got that swagger, without swaggering. The last time we saw a UVA team rolling like this was probably during the soccer team's run to the national title (not to put any pressure on.) But soccer is the kind of game where any old fluke at any time can explode all your work up to that point. Baseball can be fluky too but you know you're gonna get your nine hacks, every time, and there's something reassuring about that. There's also something reassuring about Danny Hultzen being on your team. Don't forget that.
Friday, April 8, 2011
game preview: North Carolina
Date/Time: Sat, April 9; 12:00
TV: ESPN
History against the Heels: 44-23
Last matchup: UVA 7, UNC 5; 4/10/10; East Rutherford, NJ
Last game: Maryland 12, UVA 7 (4/2); JHU 10, UNC 9 (4/3)
Opposing blogs: no lax ones that I know of
If a rotten first half against Hopkins and an even worse second half against Maryland hasn't turned this into one of those seasons already, a loss here could do it. Desperation can be a fine motivator, but UNC will draw on it too; neither team wants to fall to 7-4 and the NCAA bubble.
HOW WE CAN WIN
- Maintain long possessions. The off-ball defense being what it is (crummy) I still think the team's #1 problem other than faceoffs is short possessions. Goals are rare enough, but worse, there are too many shots that go straight into the goalies' stick, and possessions become short, one-and-done affairs. Unscientifically I'd say at least two-thirds of our shots the past two games resulted in a lost possession, instead of a goal or being backed up behind the net. Since we can't win faceoffs, we have to make up the time of possession other ways, and give the defense fewer chances to break down.
- Ghitelman stands on his head. He's played well enough, but inevitably these games have gotten to the point where either you rail about his ineffective play (if you've decided to be wrong) or you shrug and say if the goalie is hung out to dry often enough, the goals will eventually follow. Ghitelman's made some really nice saves during this losing streak, and I don't recall many, if any, shots that I thought he should have stopped. But it sure would be nice for him to put together a full 60 minutes of tremenditude and steal a game. Obvious addendum: it sucks that the defense has gotten me to the point where I'm begging the goalie to bail them out.
HOW WE CAN LOSE
You know what, I'm not even gonna bother making a list, because if you've watched the past couple games you know the answer already. Faceoff ineptitude, sloppy offense, sacrifice of the team in favor of the individual. The usual.
HOW THE GAME WILL GO
The last two debacles pretty much stripped me of any confidence I had going into this one. Then again, Carolina has been eminently beatable themselves this year. The transitive property of sports is no help as usual: they beat Maryland, which beat UVA; UVA beat Ohio State which beat UNC. The game's at home, so that's something, and in a more appropriate lacrosse atmosphere than Scott Stadium. So that's something too, I hope. I'd be stupid to try and make a prediction, though. We'll win again when we decide we want to. I have no idea whether that's happened or not.
Monday, April 4, 2011
spring game and weekend review
I probably should write this stuff sooner, because the spring game is already floating out of my head. That's what happens when nothing at all stands out. I don't know about the event, but the game was awful. Yes, awful. I blame the lack of receivers; the offenses couldn't open anything up because the defenses had absolutely no trouble covering the bench-warming receivers in single coverage. So the run looked as if it was always going up against an eight-man front.
I'd like to say, for example, that Rijo Walker had an excellent game, and truthfully he might well be ready to leapfrog the competition and join Chase Minnifield as a starter. But how ready is he, really, when the best we've seen is against a sixth-string receiver? So, I don't feel comfortable making any observations whatsoever about the defense.
So we'll stick to the quarterbacks. It was disconcerting watching them flip back and forth between teams. Rosters were handed out that had two on one team and two on another, but what we got was the all-time-QB look that I was afraid of. Did we learn anything, though? Plenty, actually. Mike London will insist from now til September that there's no hierarchy, the depth chart is filled with ORs, that it's a competition to the end. And it is a competition, but one in which Mike Rocco has the clear advantage for now. We know this because Rocco took easily the most snaps in this game. The order looks like Rocco, Strauss, Metheny, Watford.
None of the quarterbacks were consistent. The lack of excitement in the game can be pinned on the lack of receivers, but not the QB inconsistency. All of them, even Watford, showed they can at least be functional if called upon. But most of them had at least one ill-advised throw. Rocco and Strauss each threw a pick that should never have happened, and Rocco would've had at least one more if Steve Greer had any hands. Rocco's inaccuracy on short throws cost at least 20 yards overall, not counting the yards that might've been picked up after first downs that didn't happen. Strauss actually looked like the most accurate thrower, but his pick was also the worst. Metheny didn't make many mistakes, but needed to add zip to his throws.
There were some quality throws, though, too. Everyone but Watford picked up a big chunk of yards on more than one occasion with a well-placed downfield throw. Strauss had the throw of the day, nailing walk-on receiver Johnny Pickett in perfect stride for a big gain. I would guess that the QB situation isn't actually going to be much worse than last year, but with growing pains and the potential to be better by November.
Anyone else catch my eye? Khalek Shepherd was the surprise of the day with some decent gains at running back and a very nice kick return. Clearly outplayed Kevin Parks, who had major ball control issues. Looked like nerves, honestly. But as I've said, there's a ton of playing time at stake at tailback alongside Perry Jones (who looked good catching the ball on the occasions it wasn't thrown two feet away from where it should) and Shepherd just took a big step toward claiming some.
Speaking of Jones, how about the team captaincy in his third year in the program? I think we should expect big things from this kid.
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I have to keep reminding myself that it's only two losses for the lacrosse team (in a row, that is) but it feels like we haven't won all season. That kind of a pathetic second-half effort against Maryland no less will give you that ugly feeling in the gut. Did anyone play well? Adam Ghitelman, for a half, but the off-ball defense is so poor that opposing attackers are so open that no save is even possible, hurting his numbers. On-ball defense wasn't too bad. Chris LaPierre seems to be the only guy not needing a written invitation to get a ground ball.
Other than that, pfeh. There's an ongoing debate that crops up every now and again about whether our years-long inability to win a single damn faceoff is poor coaching or poor recruiting, and with as many faceoff violations as I've seen go against UVA and as few on other teams, I've decided I'm on the "coaching" side.
And don't even get me started on Shamel Bratton. If he's going to get his dumb ass suspended for the second time this season - indefinitely this time - I don't want to see him on the sideline having a merry old time laughing it up. It doesn't take a crotchety old bastard to be pissed off about that. If Shamel's played his last game in a UVA uniform then it might very well be a short season, and that shouldn't mean happy-time.
It sucks to lose, given the expectations this program has built up, but it's not the end of the world. There are at least three more chances to beat someone - anyone - in the ACC, and there's Penn too. It's easy to feel like the wheels are coming off, and they might be. But they might not.
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In case they are, let's ramp up the baseball talk. Now here is a team getting it done. VT apologists - if there are any that still care about baseball given their team's losing record - that the reason for their struggles is because they've lost so many players to graduation. And so they have. I said as much in the preview. But I didn't see Tyler Cannon, Jarrett Parker, Robert Morey, Franco Valdes, Dan Grovatt, Phil Gosselin, or Kevin Arico anywhere in Blacksburg for the series this weekend, and the 37-8 difference in runs is the difference between a program and a fleeting blip.
The UVA nine was so dominant this weekend that Brian O'Connor only threw closer Branden Kline in the ninth inning of Sunday's game for the sake of it. Gotta get the man some work or he'll be rusty. Tech scored just two runs off UVA starters all weekend, and here's the crazy stat: all their eight runs came off home runs, while UVA hit just one all weekend - David Coleman went yard in a 4-for-5, 5 RBI effort on Saturday, three of those ribbies as a result of the moon shot. This is why O'Connor shuns the home run and prefers to play Oakball.
The sweep of Tech gives the Hoos an astounding 28-2 record after 30 games. Everyone - everyone - is playing well. The team is absolutely humming along, just in time for the showdown of the year next weekend in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is 23-6 and tied with UVA at 11-1 atop the Coastal standings. (It continues to be totally baffling as to why there are divisions. They playin' some shit baseball in the Atlantic.)
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News section!
- We got us a hoops commitment on Friday! Score-o. Evan Nolte is a unanimous four-star and one of the top-rated recruits Tony Bennett's ever picked up for UVA. Like Malcolm Brogdon, he's from Atlanta. Nolte is a player very similar to Paul Jesperson, who'll join the program in the fall. That gives us an overabundance of 2-3-maybe-four-ish tweener types (wings, they're often called, but I don't care for thet term because it's overused) but Nolte is the kind of guy you bring in if you can and work the system to make it fit. More about him tomorrow or Wednesday.
- NC State still doesn't have a coach, and their search has officially dragged to the point where it seems obvious that whoever is hired is like the ninth choice. They're not close. Remember, Tony Bennett was announced on March 31, and that was after a week of cloak-and-dagger shit that had the whole fanbase in a frenzy. Shaka Smart turned them down, and who knows who else has? Maryland blogger Testudo Times can be forgiven for being a Maryland blogger for this well-timed (ahem) nugget of info on their search.
- Speaking of Maryland, they just became a little less of a threat on the recruiting trail this year. Perfect timing since we're recruiting against a new regime, which is always tricky. They got bit by the APR bug and will forfeit three football scholarships. Per Testudo Times that'll take effect after this year, meaning the impact is on the 2012 recruiting class. That's not an insignificant thing in a coach's first year when he wants to build a huge class.
- Could this happen? A neutral-site hoops doubleheader in Richmond with UVA, VT, VCU, and ODU? It would be fun right here to bring up Seth Greenberg's sniveling about ODU not being the kind of school that would help VT "grow a brand" but the truth is, such an event would be a much bigger deal for VCU and ODU than for the two ACC schools. Hence the line about "some concerns." If either Tech or UVA want any instate recruits, it's not really in their interest to try to give them the big-time basketball pitch after losing to VCU. I hate to say it but Greenberg, for all his gum-flapping about everything else, is right: Old Dominion would stand to gain a lot more from a game against UVA or Tech than we would. Mid-majors like to complain about the big boys refusing to play them, but the fact is they have to find a way to make it worth the big boys' while to do so - kind of like how Boise State agreed to come to Landover, MD to play VT in football - because you know they'll celebrate like lottery winners if they win, while the big-boy-turned-victim looks a huge fool.
Also a concern: please don't play a hockey game at the Coliseum the day of because our memories of the last time that happened are lousy.
I'd like to say, for example, that Rijo Walker had an excellent game, and truthfully he might well be ready to leapfrog the competition and join Chase Minnifield as a starter. But how ready is he, really, when the best we've seen is against a sixth-string receiver? So, I don't feel comfortable making any observations whatsoever about the defense.
So we'll stick to the quarterbacks. It was disconcerting watching them flip back and forth between teams. Rosters were handed out that had two on one team and two on another, but what we got was the all-time-QB look that I was afraid of. Did we learn anything, though? Plenty, actually. Mike London will insist from now til September that there's no hierarchy, the depth chart is filled with ORs, that it's a competition to the end. And it is a competition, but one in which Mike Rocco has the clear advantage for now. We know this because Rocco took easily the most snaps in this game. The order looks like Rocco, Strauss, Metheny, Watford.
None of the quarterbacks were consistent. The lack of excitement in the game can be pinned on the lack of receivers, but not the QB inconsistency. All of them, even Watford, showed they can at least be functional if called upon. But most of them had at least one ill-advised throw. Rocco and Strauss each threw a pick that should never have happened, and Rocco would've had at least one more if Steve Greer had any hands. Rocco's inaccuracy on short throws cost at least 20 yards overall, not counting the yards that might've been picked up after first downs that didn't happen. Strauss actually looked like the most accurate thrower, but his pick was also the worst. Metheny didn't make many mistakes, but needed to add zip to his throws.
There were some quality throws, though, too. Everyone but Watford picked up a big chunk of yards on more than one occasion with a well-placed downfield throw. Strauss had the throw of the day, nailing walk-on receiver Johnny Pickett in perfect stride for a big gain. I would guess that the QB situation isn't actually going to be much worse than last year, but with growing pains and the potential to be better by November.
Anyone else catch my eye? Khalek Shepherd was the surprise of the day with some decent gains at running back and a very nice kick return. Clearly outplayed Kevin Parks, who had major ball control issues. Looked like nerves, honestly. But as I've said, there's a ton of playing time at stake at tailback alongside Perry Jones (who looked good catching the ball on the occasions it wasn't thrown two feet away from where it should) and Shepherd just took a big step toward claiming some.
Speaking of Jones, how about the team captaincy in his third year in the program? I think we should expect big things from this kid.
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I have to keep reminding myself that it's only two losses for the lacrosse team (in a row, that is) but it feels like we haven't won all season. That kind of a pathetic second-half effort against Maryland no less will give you that ugly feeling in the gut. Did anyone play well? Adam Ghitelman, for a half, but the off-ball defense is so poor that opposing attackers are so open that no save is even possible, hurting his numbers. On-ball defense wasn't too bad. Chris LaPierre seems to be the only guy not needing a written invitation to get a ground ball.
Other than that, pfeh. There's an ongoing debate that crops up every now and again about whether our years-long inability to win a single damn faceoff is poor coaching or poor recruiting, and with as many faceoff violations as I've seen go against UVA and as few on other teams, I've decided I'm on the "coaching" side.
And don't even get me started on Shamel Bratton. If he's going to get his dumb ass suspended for the second time this season - indefinitely this time - I don't want to see him on the sideline having a merry old time laughing it up. It doesn't take a crotchety old bastard to be pissed off about that. If Shamel's played his last game in a UVA uniform then it might very well be a short season, and that shouldn't mean happy-time.
It sucks to lose, given the expectations this program has built up, but it's not the end of the world. There are at least three more chances to beat someone - anyone - in the ACC, and there's Penn too. It's easy to feel like the wheels are coming off, and they might be. But they might not.
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In case they are, let's ramp up the baseball talk. Now here is a team getting it done. VT apologists - if there are any that still care about baseball given their team's losing record - that the reason for their struggles is because they've lost so many players to graduation. And so they have. I said as much in the preview. But I didn't see Tyler Cannon, Jarrett Parker, Robert Morey, Franco Valdes, Dan Grovatt, Phil Gosselin, or Kevin Arico anywhere in Blacksburg for the series this weekend, and the 37-8 difference in runs is the difference between a program and a fleeting blip.
The UVA nine was so dominant this weekend that Brian O'Connor only threw closer Branden Kline in the ninth inning of Sunday's game for the sake of it. Gotta get the man some work or he'll be rusty. Tech scored just two runs off UVA starters all weekend, and here's the crazy stat: all their eight runs came off home runs, while UVA hit just one all weekend - David Coleman went yard in a 4-for-5, 5 RBI effort on Saturday, three of those ribbies as a result of the moon shot. This is why O'Connor shuns the home run and prefers to play Oakball.
The sweep of Tech gives the Hoos an astounding 28-2 record after 30 games. Everyone - everyone - is playing well. The team is absolutely humming along, just in time for the showdown of the year next weekend in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is 23-6 and tied with UVA at 11-1 atop the Coastal standings. (It continues to be totally baffling as to why there are divisions. They playin' some shit baseball in the Atlantic.)
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News section!
- We got us a hoops commitment on Friday! Score-o. Evan Nolte is a unanimous four-star and one of the top-rated recruits Tony Bennett's ever picked up for UVA. Like Malcolm Brogdon, he's from Atlanta. Nolte is a player very similar to Paul Jesperson, who'll join the program in the fall. That gives us an overabundance of 2-3-maybe-four-ish tweener types (wings, they're often called, but I don't care for thet term because it's overused) but Nolte is the kind of guy you bring in if you can and work the system to make it fit. More about him tomorrow or Wednesday.
- NC State still doesn't have a coach, and their search has officially dragged to the point where it seems obvious that whoever is hired is like the ninth choice. They're not close. Remember, Tony Bennett was announced on March 31, and that was after a week of cloak-and-dagger shit that had the whole fanbase in a frenzy. Shaka Smart turned them down, and who knows who else has? Maryland blogger Testudo Times can be forgiven for being a Maryland blogger for this well-timed (ahem) nugget of info on their search.
- Speaking of Maryland, they just became a little less of a threat on the recruiting trail this year. Perfect timing since we're recruiting against a new regime, which is always tricky. They got bit by the APR bug and will forfeit three football scholarships. Per Testudo Times that'll take effect after this year, meaning the impact is on the 2012 recruiting class. That's not an insignificant thing in a coach's first year when he wants to build a huge class.
- Could this happen? A neutral-site hoops doubleheader in Richmond with UVA, VT, VCU, and ODU? It would be fun right here to bring up Seth Greenberg's sniveling about ODU not being the kind of school that would help VT "grow a brand" but the truth is, such an event would be a much bigger deal for VCU and ODU than for the two ACC schools. Hence the line about "some concerns." If either Tech or UVA want any instate recruits, it's not really in their interest to try to give them the big-time basketball pitch after losing to VCU. I hate to say it but Greenberg, for all his gum-flapping about everything else, is right: Old Dominion would stand to gain a lot more from a game against UVA or Tech than we would. Mid-majors like to complain about the big boys refusing to play them, but the fact is they have to find a way to make it worth the big boys' while to do so - kind of like how Boise State agreed to come to Landover, MD to play VT in football - because you know they'll celebrate like lottery winners if they win, while the big-boy-turned-victim looks a huge fool.
Also a concern: please don't play a hockey game at the Coliseum the day of because our memories of the last time that happened are lousy.
Monday, March 28, 2011
weekend review
I've been watching baseball a long time - longer than any other sport I like - and I haven't seen too many series that put the capricious nature of the sport on display like this weekend's series against Maryland. A sweep, by the way. Which looked as if it was going to be in some danger during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
If you're in need of evidence that the baseball gods are the most demanding of all the other sports - perhaps combined - witness the 8th inning of game 2 of the Maryland series. Down 2-1, things were looking dark until Maryland center fielder Korey Wacker caught the final out of the bottom of the 7th and opted against the standard practice of rolling the ball nonchalantly back to the mound for the pitcher to use. Instead he spiked it. Hard. And deliberately. Leave it to Maryland to find new ways to show up the opposition before the game is even over. This violation of the Code was not met by either UVA or the baseball gods with acceptance, and in retaliation the gods turned Maryland's normally sure-handed left-side infielders into Booty the Clown. After they themselves recorded assists on the first two outs of the inning. UVA took advantage by singling home a run to tie, and then brought Kenny Swab to the plate, who hit the pitcher's offering so hard that it bounced past the diving first baseman into foul territory for a base hit - after first ricocheting off the pitcher himself. And who was this hard luck pitcher who saw his infielders twice play an ill-timed game of kickball to put two on with two out and then felt the winning base hit slam into his ankle before he ever saw it coming? Korey Wacker.
UVA scored 22 runs in the series - 17 of them in three innings. The final margin of the third game was provided in the second inning when UVA plated four runs, and the first game saw the floodgates open in the fourth as UVA broke the scoreboard. It doesn't go past nine runs per inning on the line score, see. People arriving late to the game must have wondered how 1 + 2 + 1 + 0 = 14.
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The lacrosse team could have used some luck, because once again they started the game off flat and fell short on their furious comeback. Aiiyy. Oh, and by flat I mean shitty. I might have said this before, but our offense looks like Hokie basketball. One guy runs around a little to see if he can shake his man. When he can't, he passes to someone else, who tries. When he can't, he passes to someone else who tries again. Eventually someone either coughs up the ball or shoots, the latter with mixed results and not often the desired one. Motion without the ball is nonexistent at times, and when finally someone does put himself in position to receive a pass that could actually do some damage to the scoreboard, he lets it fly right past the stick. The ACC schedule is coming up, and it's gonna be awful hard to even go 2-1 if whatever that was makes any more appearances.
Even Adam Ghitelman was less than his usual solid self, but that might be because the defense thinks that other teams run their offense the same as we do.
After two weeks of doing lacrosse bracketology, a few games on TV, and a little over half a season, the lax landscape looks like Syracuse and a bunch of teams separated by nothing. Teams 2 through 10 in the rankings don't seem to be any different from each other, and the next 10 are probably capable of beating anyone in the top 10 as well. So while the good news is we're clearly no worse than any of the other contenders except maybe Cuse (which Villanova demonstrated is not invincible by losing 5-4 in the very last minute of the game) we're also clearly no better unless we figure out how to play more than half a game.
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Other stuff:
- The lady swimmers were 13th and the men a very, very solid 8th at the NCAA nationals these past two weekends. The men were headlined by a second-place relay and the first individual national championship since 2000 when Ed Moses was doing his thing. Matt McLean not only won the 500 freestyle, he blew away the competition by nearly four seconds. Yes, that's an eternity. He's the third swimmer at UVA to win a national title and he beat the event's defending champ en route to it.
- Better cross-pollination is something I wanted to see in the unsolicited suggestion box post I wrote a while back, so I'm pleased about the lacrosse/football extravaganza this weekend. Because Maryland is the lax opponent, Hit A Twerp With A Stick Week is underway and it should be a good crowd for the game. Even more betterer is that the spring game (as well as lax) will be on ESPN3. It's great that the admin is getting on board with the '10s. I'm slightly selfishly annoyed about the ESPN3 thing on account of shelling out $30 for the live video package - part of the attraction of which was the spring game which is now free to all - but regardless, the fact that they have it on the video package is a poor reason not to open it up to ESPN3 if ESPN is willing.
- We're #1 again in 2 of 5 baseball polls. I don't care too much because it puts a target on your back and doesn't get you to Omaha, but some do, so there you go. Annoying siderant: why the hell is ACC baseball broken up into divisions?
- Georgia Tech has a new basketball coach, and hooray it's not Richmond's Mooney or VCU's Smart or anyone you thought might get the job. It's Dayton's Brian Gregory. Gregory's got a decent record at Dayton but this is not the proverbial home-run hire. Instead of swinging for the fences, GT choked up on the bat. Chances are excellent that he's an improvement over Paul Hewitt in the X's and O's department but I'm not sure we'll see GT earning a first-round bye in the ACC tournament any time soon.
If you're in need of evidence that the baseball gods are the most demanding of all the other sports - perhaps combined - witness the 8th inning of game 2 of the Maryland series. Down 2-1, things were looking dark until Maryland center fielder Korey Wacker caught the final out of the bottom of the 7th and opted against the standard practice of rolling the ball nonchalantly back to the mound for the pitcher to use. Instead he spiked it. Hard. And deliberately. Leave it to Maryland to find new ways to show up the opposition before the game is even over. This violation of the Code was not met by either UVA or the baseball gods with acceptance, and in retaliation the gods turned Maryland's normally sure-handed left-side infielders into Booty the Clown. After they themselves recorded assists on the first two outs of the inning. UVA took advantage by singling home a run to tie, and then brought Kenny Swab to the plate, who hit the pitcher's offering so hard that it bounced past the diving first baseman into foul territory for a base hit - after first ricocheting off the pitcher himself. And who was this hard luck pitcher who saw his infielders twice play an ill-timed game of kickball to put two on with two out and then felt the winning base hit slam into his ankle before he ever saw it coming? Korey Wacker.
UVA scored 22 runs in the series - 17 of them in three innings. The final margin of the third game was provided in the second inning when UVA plated four runs, and the first game saw the floodgates open in the fourth as UVA broke the scoreboard. It doesn't go past nine runs per inning on the line score, see. People arriving late to the game must have wondered how 1 + 2 + 1 + 0 = 14.
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The lacrosse team could have used some luck, because once again they started the game off flat and fell short on their furious comeback. Aiiyy. Oh, and by flat I mean shitty. I might have said this before, but our offense looks like Hokie basketball. One guy runs around a little to see if he can shake his man. When he can't, he passes to someone else, who tries. When he can't, he passes to someone else who tries again. Eventually someone either coughs up the ball or shoots, the latter with mixed results and not often the desired one. Motion without the ball is nonexistent at times, and when finally someone does put himself in position to receive a pass that could actually do some damage to the scoreboard, he lets it fly right past the stick. The ACC schedule is coming up, and it's gonna be awful hard to even go 2-1 if whatever that was makes any more appearances.
Even Adam Ghitelman was less than his usual solid self, but that might be because the defense thinks that other teams run their offense the same as we do.
After two weeks of doing lacrosse bracketology, a few games on TV, and a little over half a season, the lax landscape looks like Syracuse and a bunch of teams separated by nothing. Teams 2 through 10 in the rankings don't seem to be any different from each other, and the next 10 are probably capable of beating anyone in the top 10 as well. So while the good news is we're clearly no worse than any of the other contenders except maybe Cuse (which Villanova demonstrated is not invincible by losing 5-4 in the very last minute of the game) we're also clearly no better unless we figure out how to play more than half a game.
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Other stuff:
- The lady swimmers were 13th and the men a very, very solid 8th at the NCAA nationals these past two weekends. The men were headlined by a second-place relay and the first individual national championship since 2000 when Ed Moses was doing his thing. Matt McLean not only won the 500 freestyle, he blew away the competition by nearly four seconds. Yes, that's an eternity. He's the third swimmer at UVA to win a national title and he beat the event's defending champ en route to it.
- Better cross-pollination is something I wanted to see in the unsolicited suggestion box post I wrote a while back, so I'm pleased about the lacrosse/football extravaganza this weekend. Because Maryland is the lax opponent, Hit A Twerp With A Stick Week is underway and it should be a good crowd for the game. Even more betterer is that the spring game (as well as lax) will be on ESPN3. It's great that the admin is getting on board with the '10s. I'm slightly selfishly annoyed about the ESPN3 thing on account of shelling out $30 for the live video package - part of the attraction of which was the spring game which is now free to all - but regardless, the fact that they have it on the video package is a poor reason not to open it up to ESPN3 if ESPN is willing.
- We're #1 again in 2 of 5 baseball polls. I don't care too much because it puts a target on your back and doesn't get you to Omaha, but some do, so there you go. Annoying siderant: why the hell is ACC baseball broken up into divisions?
- Georgia Tech has a new basketball coach, and hooray it's not Richmond's Mooney or VCU's Smart or anyone you thought might get the job. It's Dayton's Brian Gregory. Gregory's got a decent record at Dayton but this is not the proverbial home-run hire. Instead of swinging for the fences, GT choked up on the bat. Chances are excellent that he's an improvement over Paul Hewitt in the X's and O's department but I'm not sure we'll see GT earning a first-round bye in the ACC tournament any time soon.
Friday, March 25, 2011
game preview: Johns Hopkins
Date/Time: Sat., March 26; 2:00
TV: ESPNUVA
History against the Jays: 28-54-1
Last matchup: UVA 15, JHU 6; 3/23/10; Charlottesville
Last game: UVA 14, OSU 11 (3/19); Syracuse 5, JHU 4 (3/19)
Opposing blogs: none
Best UVA rivalry outside the ACC in any sport? Probably between this and Syracuse, and this one has the benefit of proximity, recruiting overlap, a much longer history, and a trophy. Hopkins got the Michigan State Honorary Invite to the NCAA tournament last year, reserved for severely bubblicious teams with royalty in their names, and then proceeded to be the victims of the worst thrashing in the whole tournament aside from UVA's 18-4 demolition of autovite Mount St. Mary's. They avoided the 18-4 fate by losing 18-5. This year they're much better, and will eventually be legitimately tournamenty, if not quite at the level a Hop fan would be hoping for.
HOW WE CAN WIN
- Score....somehow. I've been on record saying UVA needs to play much better team offense in order to be a real threat to win the national title. It so happens that Hopkins has the best scoring defense in the country right now, and I've been going back and forth in my head as to whether that means we need the team offense to win this, or whether the best way to get past that kind of stingy defense is just go athlete-on-athlete and may the best man win. So yes, this is a cop-out bullet. But I lean toward the former. Sure, UVA also has the best scoring offense in the country, but MSM and VMI are skewing the numbers a bit. 12 goals a game without those two included isn't too shabby either, but still - it ceases to be #1 by quite a long shot.
- Stay disciplined on defense. Penalties this year haven't been a huge problem, but - and maybe this is just confirmation bias speaking - they all seem to come at the absolute worst of possible times. Hopkins can be shut right down by a decent defense; Princeton held them to three goals and Syracuse to four. Princeton's 1-4 this year but not for lack of defense. Adam Ghitelman's played well in net and the defense hasn't disappointed this season. It's not suffocating but it's good enough. Don't give the Hop too many extra-man chances and they probably won't be scoring much.
HOW WE CAN LOSE
- Faceoff boogeyman. Good showings in the past two games doesn't mean this problem has gone away. Hopkins has won fully two-thirds of their faceoffs this year - including 10-of-14 against Syracuse and 8-of-15 against Princeton so this isn't a result of crappy competition - so this is a terrific test. I will exhale a little bit on the faceoffs if we can even win 45%. But the only way Hopkins gets into double digits on the scoreboard is by killing it at the faceoff X, especially on unsettled breakaways.
- Pierce Bassett stands on his head. Which he's been doing all year. Part of the reason Hopkins has such a great scoring defense is because Bassett has an astounding .683 save percentage in net. His insertion into the lineup during our game last year was the turning point in Hopkins's season, and he's establishing himself as worthy of the title "fucking damn good." Even the best-laid offensive plans can be stopped by a hot goaltender, and our individual style means not a lot of shots are of the kind that's unstoppable because they're within five yards.
HOW THE GAME WILL GO
UVA hasn't failed to score double digits in any game this year, but what with Bassett, Hopkins's eminently stoppable offense, and our faceoff misery combined with their faceoff prowess, there's a terrific chance neither team will reach 10 goals. I'll go ahead and say Hopkins almost definitely doesn't, and it's at least 50/50 we don't either. Due to the likely defensive struggle, this is one of JHU's best chances in years at breaking the six-game win streak we have against them. In the end, the UVA athleticism will probably be too much for Hopkins and we'll see a seventh straight win in the series - but by no stretch of anyone's imagination will it be easy or anything but close.
Monday, March 14, 2011
weekend review
Eventful weekend. Always is. Good news, too. Except for the tournament selection show. We got snubbed again. Totally ridiculous. If 16-15 doesn't get you in the tournament, then it's time to expand to 96. Or 128. Whatever it takes. Got my hopes up and everything. To assuage our hurt feelings, let's have our yearly laugh at Seth Greenberg, the whiniest bitch alive:
Not that there aren't Hokies with perspective and a sense of humor. The comment section here is what you want. You'll know what you're looking for when you see it.
Now for the boring stuff, like all those wins our baseball team piled up this weekend.
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Actually, first lacrosse and Cornell. I did say we needed to shut down Rob Pannell, and not doing so made a closer game out of what didn't have to be. That and the hibernating offense. If the game of lacrosse hinged entirely on individual players making plays, UVA would destroy everything in sight. Defenses are smarter than that, though. I'm going to slap myself for saying this, but this lacrosse team reminds me of a way more talented version of VT basketball. A guy gets the ball and he tries to make an individual play for a goal. If he decides he can't, he passes it to someone else who tries again. And so on. Passing isn't used to set up an offense, it's used so that different players can try for a highlight. I'm not saying the team is selfish, even though it sounds like I am; I'm saying the offense is individualized and stagnant. I wish there were more motion without the ball. If we didn't have phenomenal athletes we'd be 3-3.
Fortunately, the defense is coming together well and Adam Ghitelman continues his frankly outstanding play in net. Ghitelman saved 13 of 21 SOG, bringing his SV% up to .590. Good stuff. Excellent stuff.
The team also won a majority of faceoffs and was actually 12 of 17 in the first three quarters, but I'll wait for that to happen more than once before I call it a trend and get excited about it. Still, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.
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Even better than the lacrosse result is the baseball result. Three wins for the price of one! Debate exists as to whether Clemson - the victim of the sweep - deserves the top-5 rating they've been given (I lean toward not really) but it doesn't matter. They are a likely tournament team, and the sweep was on the road. The bats were alive; Steven Proscia picked a perfect time to hit the first home run of the season, to give UVA a lead in the Sunday contest and went 6-for-12 on the weekend.
Danny Hultzen had 14 strikeouts on Friday. 14, in 6 2/3 innings. Sheesh. He started this season eighth on the UVA career list with 230; he's now second with 50 more on the season and will pass Seth Greisinger's record of 290 either next Friday or the week after. That record is a goner. But there'll be a Danny Hultzen K Watch in this space anyway, as Hultzen takes aim at Tim Burcham's single-season record of 146. If he keeps racking them up at the pace he is now, he'll beat that easily. He has a shot at 200. Hell, he has a shot at making his 2011 season be good enough for a top-ten career, which would require 214. ACC competition makes it a longshot, but we're gonna find out week-by-week just how long it is.
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Football spring practice begins this week, which is pretty cool, I guess. Don't forget about the roadshow: a practice in Hampton this coming Saturday and in Alexandria the week after. Especially don't forget about them if you happen to be a big-time recruit, OK?
To commemorate, the depth chart has been updated. Spring practice is when I push the graduating seniors off the edge of the map and bump the freshmen into the picture. Keep in mind the only freshmen actually in camp are David Watford and Daquan Romero. Here are the changes, most of which are per the Sabre's press conference tweets:
- Linebackers are shuffled big time. They didn't list Ausar Walcott as a starter like he used to be, presumably because he's suspended so hard for being a punk in Harrisonburg. Nominally, for now, your starters are Aaron Taliaferro, Steve Greer, and Laroy Reynolds, with the backups being Tucker Windle, Henry Coley, and.... Daquan Romero? Though the comment about Romero being "behind" Reynolds might easily have meant "more than one space behind," at least we now know where exactly Romero is ticketed.
- Players who aren't participating fully are in purple. Was gonna make them red but red means out for the season and I didn't want to scare you.
- Miles Gooch is now a WR. Big surprise.
- A few additions: Former academic casualties Billy Cuffee and Buddy Ruff have worked their way back onto the team, but not in a scholarship status.
- And a few subtractions: Academic casualty Torrey Mack, injury casualty Aaron Van Kuiken, and one that I don't think I ever saw mentioned anywhere: Jared Detrick. It's totally possible I spaced out and missed the latter. But he's not on the roster at the moment, so subtracted he is, along with backup punter Logan Spangler, who's also not on the roster. Let's hope Jimmy Howell has a healthy senior season because he's the only one left.
By my count, the team is now three over the scholarship limit of 85. Hmm, there were three players arrested in Harrisonburg. I'd be sweating it out if I were them.
I do really wish, by the way, that Kris Burd were participating in spring drills, which he's not. Not because he needs it, but because there aren't that many veteran receivers in camp, and the quarterbacks will really need consistency from their receivers as they battle for position.
**********************************************************
That would be the end, but I feel compelled to address the wackiness emanating from Utah. Somebody out there got the idea that Tony Bennett was reaching out to Utah expressing interest in their now-vacant coaching job. (Kind of like Jeff Capel was angling so hard to get the UVA job in order to get back to the ACC. Hint - no he wasn't.) I wouldn't bother, because this is dumb, but it's out there so what the hell.
Streaking the Lawn does a pretty good job of laying out why this is a stupid rumor, but they're a little too equivocal for my taste. How about this: There's no fucking way Tony Bennett ends up in fucking Utah, and their fans are delusional as fuck for thinking it's possible. Even Washington State fans think it's nucking futs. I wish I could find where this originated, but supposedly Bennett was even in Utah today. Pretty damn hard to do when you have a radio show all day, which he didn't exactly skip.
This must have been what UVA fans sounded like two years ago. I hope we weren't as ludicrously uninformed as the guy who's never heard of Dulles Airport, but regardless. Remember "Rick Barnes was spotted at a 7/11"? Remember when we were totally, definitely hiring Tubby Smith? Now I know how Minnesota fans felt, except not really because the UVA job is a step up from Minnesota by virtue of being in the ACC and in better recruiting grounds. Among other reasons.
So. Dear UVA fans: Stop worrying, because Tony Bennett isn't going to Utah. Dear Utah fans: Hands off our coach, who isn't going to Utah, and yes he'd be a home-run hire but that's what we thought Tubby Smith was going to be and we didn't get Tubby Smith, we got a guy none of us had ever heard of and two years in he's someone else's wishful thinking already. You'll find your prince, just not in Charlottesville.
"Just disappointed. You almost wonder if someone in that room has their own agenda and that agenda doesn’t include Virginia Tech. Just plain and simple. I totally wonder it, if someone in that room has an agenda."Probably not, but could you blame the committee for submitting the bracket and then starting their traditional when-does-Greenberg-flip-out pool? Hard to see how anyone could have an agenda against such a likable guy.
"I guess they even brought up our non-conference schedule. Kansas State, Purdue, Oklahoma State, UNLV, Penn State, St. Bonaventure that was supposed to be big and Mississippi State that was projected to win the SEC."You don't get to take credit for the games you lost, you dumb fuck. You gotta love taking credit for beating teams that were supposed to be good but in fact sucked. (I don't know who said St. Bonaventure was supposed to be any good, but whatever.)
"They didn’t beat an Oklahoma State. They didn’t beat a Penn State. They didn’t beat a Mississippi State. We chose to go on the road to Kansas State."And also chose to lose by 16. I think the committee noticed. God I love that VT isn't in the tournament because of UVA. Twist the knife a little.
Not that there aren't Hokies with perspective and a sense of humor. The comment section here is what you want. You'll know what you're looking for when you see it.
Now for the boring stuff, like all those wins our baseball team piled up this weekend.
**********************************************************
Actually, first lacrosse and Cornell. I did say we needed to shut down Rob Pannell, and not doing so made a closer game out of what didn't have to be. That and the hibernating offense. If the game of lacrosse hinged entirely on individual players making plays, UVA would destroy everything in sight. Defenses are smarter than that, though. I'm going to slap myself for saying this, but this lacrosse team reminds me of a way more talented version of VT basketball. A guy gets the ball and he tries to make an individual play for a goal. If he decides he can't, he passes it to someone else who tries again. And so on. Passing isn't used to set up an offense, it's used so that different players can try for a highlight. I'm not saying the team is selfish, even though it sounds like I am; I'm saying the offense is individualized and stagnant. I wish there were more motion without the ball. If we didn't have phenomenal athletes we'd be 3-3.
Fortunately, the defense is coming together well and Adam Ghitelman continues his frankly outstanding play in net. Ghitelman saved 13 of 21 SOG, bringing his SV% up to .590. Good stuff. Excellent stuff.
The team also won a majority of faceoffs and was actually 12 of 17 in the first three quarters, but I'll wait for that to happen more than once before I call it a trend and get excited about it. Still, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.
**********************************************************
Even better than the lacrosse result is the baseball result. Three wins for the price of one! Debate exists as to whether Clemson - the victim of the sweep - deserves the top-5 rating they've been given (I lean toward not really) but it doesn't matter. They are a likely tournament team, and the sweep was on the road. The bats were alive; Steven Proscia picked a perfect time to hit the first home run of the season, to give UVA a lead in the Sunday contest and went 6-for-12 on the weekend.
Danny Hultzen had 14 strikeouts on Friday. 14, in 6 2/3 innings. Sheesh. He started this season eighth on the UVA career list with 230; he's now second with 50 more on the season and will pass Seth Greisinger's record of 290 either next Friday or the week after. That record is a goner. But there'll be a Danny Hultzen K Watch in this space anyway, as Hultzen takes aim at Tim Burcham's single-season record of 146. If he keeps racking them up at the pace he is now, he'll beat that easily. He has a shot at 200. Hell, he has a shot at making his 2011 season be good enough for a top-ten career, which would require 214. ACC competition makes it a longshot, but we're gonna find out week-by-week just how long it is.
**********************************************************
Football spring practice begins this week, which is pretty cool, I guess. Don't forget about the roadshow: a practice in Hampton this coming Saturday and in Alexandria the week after. Especially don't forget about them if you happen to be a big-time recruit, OK?
To commemorate, the depth chart has been updated. Spring practice is when I push the graduating seniors off the edge of the map and bump the freshmen into the picture. Keep in mind the only freshmen actually in camp are David Watford and Daquan Romero. Here are the changes, most of which are per the Sabre's press conference tweets:
- Linebackers are shuffled big time. They didn't list Ausar Walcott as a starter like he used to be, presumably because he's suspended so hard for being a punk in Harrisonburg. Nominally, for now, your starters are Aaron Taliaferro, Steve Greer, and Laroy Reynolds, with the backups being Tucker Windle, Henry Coley, and.... Daquan Romero? Though the comment about Romero being "behind" Reynolds might easily have meant "more than one space behind," at least we now know where exactly Romero is ticketed.
- Players who aren't participating fully are in purple. Was gonna make them red but red means out for the season and I didn't want to scare you.
- Miles Gooch is now a WR. Big surprise.
- A few additions: Former academic casualties Billy Cuffee and Buddy Ruff have worked their way back onto the team, but not in a scholarship status.
- And a few subtractions: Academic casualty Torrey Mack, injury casualty Aaron Van Kuiken, and one that I don't think I ever saw mentioned anywhere: Jared Detrick. It's totally possible I spaced out and missed the latter. But he's not on the roster at the moment, so subtracted he is, along with backup punter Logan Spangler, who's also not on the roster. Let's hope Jimmy Howell has a healthy senior season because he's the only one left.
By my count, the team is now three over the scholarship limit of 85. Hmm, there were three players arrested in Harrisonburg. I'd be sweating it out if I were them.
I do really wish, by the way, that Kris Burd were participating in spring drills, which he's not. Not because he needs it, but because there aren't that many veteran receivers in camp, and the quarterbacks will really need consistency from their receivers as they battle for position.
**********************************************************
That would be the end, but I feel compelled to address the wackiness emanating from Utah. Somebody out there got the idea that Tony Bennett was reaching out to Utah expressing interest in their now-vacant coaching job. (Kind of like Jeff Capel was angling so hard to get the UVA job in order to get back to the ACC. Hint - no he wasn't.) I wouldn't bother, because this is dumb, but it's out there so what the hell.
Streaking the Lawn does a pretty good job of laying out why this is a stupid rumor, but they're a little too equivocal for my taste. How about this: There's no fucking way Tony Bennett ends up in fucking Utah, and their fans are delusional as fuck for thinking it's possible. Even Washington State fans think it's nucking futs. I wish I could find where this originated, but supposedly Bennett was even in Utah today. Pretty damn hard to do when you have a radio show all day, which he didn't exactly skip.
This must have been what UVA fans sounded like two years ago. I hope we weren't as ludicrously uninformed as the guy who's never heard of Dulles Airport, but regardless. Remember "Rick Barnes was spotted at a 7/11"? Remember when we were totally, definitely hiring Tubby Smith? Now I know how Minnesota fans felt, except not really because the UVA job is a step up from Minnesota by virtue of being in the ACC and in better recruiting grounds. Among other reasons.
So. Dear UVA fans: Stop worrying, because Tony Bennett isn't going to Utah. Dear Utah fans: Hands off our coach, who isn't going to Utah, and yes he'd be a home-run hire but that's what we thought Tubby Smith was going to be and we didn't get Tubby Smith, we got a guy none of us had ever heard of and two years in he's someone else's wishful thinking already. You'll find your prince, just not in Charlottesville.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
game preview: Syracuse
Date/Time: Fri., March 4th; 6:00
TV: ESPNUVA
Record against the Orange: 14-12
Last matchup: UVA 11, Cuse 10; 3/7/10; Charlottesville
Last game: UVA 22, VMI 6 (2/28); Cuse 11, Army 9 (2/27)
Time for a clash of titans. It's like Duke vs. Kentucky in basketball. UVA and Syracuse are co-#1s, the first meeting in history between two such teams. This game, as per usual, is for the right to be #1 outright, though usually it's a 1 vs. 2 thing. It's also historically a close matchup. The typical UVA-Syracuse game is decided by a single goal. Sometimes two. The last game between these two teams at Syracuse's dark, cavernous Carrier Dome drew over 16,000 fans. Yeah, it's big.
HOW WE CAN WIN
- Win a few face-offs. Yup, the old bug is back, and worse than before. UVA's face-off men are winning less than 50% of their draws, even going just 17-for-30 against hapless VMI, and getting killed, as usual, by Stony Brook. It's a testament to the quality of everything else UVA does that they're undefeated despite being so rotten on face-offs. Cuse has played two games against quality opponents - Denver and Army - and is winning 66% of their draws, an excellent number. If we only let them win 66% on Friday, even that poor showing should help us out, because the offense is efficient enough to make good on its chances. Get beat 75-25 and major problems will start happening.
- Dominate the fourth quarter. Because these games always go down to the last whistle, the fourth is where it's at. Dominating the fourth is what won the Drexel game; getting dominated in the fourth is what almost lost the Stony Brook one. Syracuse's opponents have outscored them in the fourth 7-3, mostly thanks to Army's furious 5-2 rally.
HOW WE CAN LOSE
- Holes in the defense. There can be none. Cuse gets very good, balanced scoring. Their attackmen - Tim Desko, Steven Keogh, and JoJo Marasco - are the stars of the team, but they have a very experienced offensive midfield that will absolutely burn anyone who thinks they can win the game by keeping the attackmen off the board. Our defenders, particularly the short-stick defenders, will need to stay very disciplined, and Adam Ghitelman will have to stand on his head once or twice in net.
- Get swamped early. Big, hostile crowd - and Cuse has been outscoring the opposition 13-3 in the first quarter. That's not just some small sample size fallacy - last year they outscored their opponents 54-16 in the first quarter, as opposed to 133-95 in the other three. In other words, by 38 in the 1st and by 38 in the last three. After the first 15 minutes is when the opposition has gotten their chance to crawl back into the game. Survive the first 15 minutes and things should be OK, but UVA can't let itself get blown out in the first quarter.
HOW THE GAME WILL GO
Close, duh. Like I said - it is every time. I won't condescend to predict anything beyond that. Anyone who does is either crazy or ordered to by their editor. I am the editor, so nobody's making me say anything that I'll get blamed for later. I think our team has some serious questions left to be answered if we're going to be in contention for the national title - namely, FACEOFFS, but I think the defense needs to get settled as well. This game should help answer them, hopefully with answers we like.
Monday, February 28, 2011
weekend review
So it's back to the grind. Losing by 19 to Boston College, if nothing else, serves to remind us of the cavernous talent (and more importantly, experience) chasm separating this basketball team from the rest of the ACC. Various game reports opened by wondering what to point to in order to explain the blowout - or more specifically, the total lack of ability to play either offense or defense in the second half. The answer is simple: the implicit conclusion from last week's column that this team has been playing way over their heads. At some point that has to be expected to catch up to you.
You are now forbidden, for your own health, from uttering the word "NIT." I suppose it doesn't especially matter what happens for the rest of the season, but since Tony Bennett is still Tony Bennett it's not like the team is going to agree with that. Worse teams than this one have made the CBI, and even if that's the only tournament we get invited to we should accept. It's probably a money-loser, but this is the most profitable athletic department in the conference and what good is making all that money if you don't spend it on something like that? This team needs to cram as much basketball into its gullet as possible. And even if the only thing we have to look forward to this year is three more losses to end the season, we'll always have Paris, where "Paris" is code for "sweeping the Hokies right the hell out of the arena."
Speaking of the Hokies: Fuck you, Duke. Seriously. You run roughshod over the entire conference for three decades and then the one time I want you to actually take care of business and crush someone, you choke like Monica on the President's cigar. I hope when Coach K retires you hire Matt Doherty.
*****************************************************
OK, now that the profanity is out of the way let's talk about things that make us happy, like lacrosse and baseball.
I don't know whether to worry or not about the start of the lacrosse season. Yes, 3-0 is a good thing, and Drexel is no slouch of a team and Stony Brook is potential final four material, so beating them is great. Beating them without the suspended Bratton twins is pretty incredible.
That said, why the rash of suspensions? First Ghitelman and now both Rhamel and Shamel, and both for games of importance. Let's hope this is Starsia's way of reacting to the problems of last year and clamping down on stuff that he wasn't clamping down on before. And let's hope the team gets the message.
Discipline problems aside, this why there's such a thing as Steele Stanwick. Five goals against Stony Brook, including the OT game-winner, should tell you who the team sees as their go-to guy, especially when last year's second-line midfield of Haldy, Briggs, and Emery is suddenly the first-line midfield. The Brattons got the preseason hype and they'll be creating all the highlight goals, but Stanwick might well be the irreplaceable one.
The Stone-Age lack of TV means I'm still at a loss for individual observations, and tonight's VMI game won't add anything to what we know. Fortunately, it's Syracuse on Friday.
*****************************************************
I might be waffling on the lacrosse team, but not the baseball team. Despite losing on Sunday and allowing East Carolina to avoid the sweep, the start to the season has been fantastic. Danny Hultzen, of course, sparkles as the Friday starter. Fifteen strikeouts and top-notch work with the bat earned him National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball. (Seriously, read that article. Hultzen's pitching on Friday was as dominant as you can get short of throwing a perfect game.) Hultzen's dominance is to be marveled at, and should result in all kinds of recognition, gaudy numbers, and Friday evening victories as the season goes on.
But we've kind of been counting on that. The same for Tyler Wilson's excellent job on Saturdays. Wilson's an excellent pitcher too, and we knew that. Even though Cody Winiarski took the Sunday loss with one bad inning, I'm more encouraged by his play than by that of anyone else so far this season. Winiarski has struck out six in each of his two starts, almost doubling his K rate from last season. A weekend rotation without a hole in it means lofty ACC expectations; this is probably the top rotation in the conference and should result in a solid 20 conference wins and maybe then some. This is an awesome development. This is how you live up to people calling you "one bad machine."
I was going to get moving with a full-out preview of the season this week, but actually it'll probably have to wait til next week when the basketball regular season is done.
*****************************************************
And now, the rest of the story:
- Ralph Sampson, Hall-of-Famer. My initial reaction was this would've happened fifteen years ago if Sampson were a Dookie. Instead he played for lowly - which wasn't at all lowly at the time - Virginia. After all, Sampson is a member of a three-time-NPOY club that includes just two other players - Oscar Robertson and Bill Walton. Screw the man, man. Then I remembered that the NCBHOF is only like four or five years old, and Sampson wouldn't have been part of the (absolutely enormous) founding class because he's not in the big HOF on account of a mediocre NBA career. Still, how does Ralph Sampson, Three-Time-National-Player-Of-The-Effing-Year Ralph Sampson, have to wait behind Christian Laettner for his turn? Oh, right: Duke, and Not Duke.
Anyway, justice is done. The fact that a College Basketball Hall of Fame could exist as an institution with a building and everything and not have Ralph Sampson inside it was silly. Now it's not.
- Swimmers rock. The men's team, as predicted, made it two-for-two at the ACC Swimming & Diving championships. The meet, as not predicted, wasn't even close. 232 points separated UVA and 2nd-place UNC, which is more points than four of the competing teams achieved at all.
The meet's MVP was distance swimmer Matt McLean for the third time in four years. Other event winners: sprinter Scot Robison and butterflyer Peter Geissinger. The tone of the meet was pretty well set in the first individual event - the 500-yard freestyle - where Virginia swimmers took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th. For those keeping score at home, the meet's over so you can put your pencils away, but that's still 92 of the event total 155 points. In one event UVA scored more than Boston College or Miami combined.
Nationals are next, where hopefully top-10 finishes await both the men and women.
- Can't let this go without a recruiting board update. But first, something even better. A map. I put together a Google Map of the recruiting board. It's color-coded and everything, although the red is kinda pink. And the orange looks red if you don't have the pink near it to compare it to. Blame Google's pastel coloring. Anyway, the link will have a permanent home on the recruiting board page so you can check it out whenever.
Now, the update:
- Added RB Kye Morgan and WR Drakar Harvell to yellow. Both might be green, but for a couple mitigating factors: Morgan lives almost literally in the shadow of Rutgers The SUNJ, and Harvell needs an offer. Harvell will eventually get one, I think, at which time he'll be instabumped to green or blue.
- Moved DT Korren Kirven from yellow to red.
- Moved ATH Cyrus Jones from red to yellow. Jones hails from Gilman - Darius Jennings's alma mater.
Full schedule this week (that's code for "I don't have to pull anything from my ass this week"): I'll preview the NC State game, and lacrosse's Syracuse game. I don't know if I'll preview the Maryland game, as we're destined to be killed by a team we match up with exceedingly poorly. As much as I enjoy this very likable version of our basketball team, I am really looking forward to spring sports.
You are now forbidden, for your own health, from uttering the word "NIT." I suppose it doesn't especially matter what happens for the rest of the season, but since Tony Bennett is still Tony Bennett it's not like the team is going to agree with that. Worse teams than this one have made the CBI, and even if that's the only tournament we get invited to we should accept. It's probably a money-loser, but this is the most profitable athletic department in the conference and what good is making all that money if you don't spend it on something like that? This team needs to cram as much basketball into its gullet as possible. And even if the only thing we have to look forward to this year is three more losses to end the season, we'll always have Paris, where "Paris" is code for "sweeping the Hokies right the hell out of the arena."
Speaking of the Hokies: Fuck you, Duke. Seriously. You run roughshod over the entire conference for three decades and then the one time I want you to actually take care of business and crush someone, you choke like Monica on the President's cigar. I hope when Coach K retires you hire Matt Doherty.
*****************************************************
OK, now that the profanity is out of the way let's talk about things that make us happy, like lacrosse and baseball.
I don't know whether to worry or not about the start of the lacrosse season. Yes, 3-0 is a good thing, and Drexel is no slouch of a team and Stony Brook is potential final four material, so beating them is great. Beating them without the suspended Bratton twins is pretty incredible.
That said, why the rash of suspensions? First Ghitelman and now both Rhamel and Shamel, and both for games of importance. Let's hope this is Starsia's way of reacting to the problems of last year and clamping down on stuff that he wasn't clamping down on before. And let's hope the team gets the message.
Discipline problems aside, this why there's such a thing as Steele Stanwick. Five goals against Stony Brook, including the OT game-winner, should tell you who the team sees as their go-to guy, especially when last year's second-line midfield of Haldy, Briggs, and Emery is suddenly the first-line midfield. The Brattons got the preseason hype and they'll be creating all the highlight goals, but Stanwick might well be the irreplaceable one.
The Stone-Age lack of TV means I'm still at a loss for individual observations, and tonight's VMI game won't add anything to what we know. Fortunately, it's Syracuse on Friday.
*****************************************************
I might be waffling on the lacrosse team, but not the baseball team. Despite losing on Sunday and allowing East Carolina to avoid the sweep, the start to the season has been fantastic. Danny Hultzen, of course, sparkles as the Friday starter. Fifteen strikeouts and top-notch work with the bat earned him National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball. (Seriously, read that article. Hultzen's pitching on Friday was as dominant as you can get short of throwing a perfect game.) Hultzen's dominance is to be marveled at, and should result in all kinds of recognition, gaudy numbers, and Friday evening victories as the season goes on.
But we've kind of been counting on that. The same for Tyler Wilson's excellent job on Saturdays. Wilson's an excellent pitcher too, and we knew that. Even though Cody Winiarski took the Sunday loss with one bad inning, I'm more encouraged by his play than by that of anyone else so far this season. Winiarski has struck out six in each of his two starts, almost doubling his K rate from last season. A weekend rotation without a hole in it means lofty ACC expectations; this is probably the top rotation in the conference and should result in a solid 20 conference wins and maybe then some. This is an awesome development. This is how you live up to people calling you "one bad machine."
I was going to get moving with a full-out preview of the season this week, but actually it'll probably have to wait til next week when the basketball regular season is done.
*****************************************************
And now, the rest of the story:
- Ralph Sampson, Hall-of-Famer. My initial reaction was this would've happened fifteen years ago if Sampson were a Dookie. Instead he played for lowly - which wasn't at all lowly at the time - Virginia. After all, Sampson is a member of a three-time-NPOY club that includes just two other players - Oscar Robertson and Bill Walton. Screw the man, man. Then I remembered that the NCBHOF is only like four or five years old, and Sampson wouldn't have been part of the (absolutely enormous) founding class because he's not in the big HOF on account of a mediocre NBA career. Still, how does Ralph Sampson, Three-Time-National-Player-Of-The-Effing-Year Ralph Sampson, have to wait behind Christian Laettner for his turn? Oh, right: Duke, and Not Duke.
Anyway, justice is done. The fact that a College Basketball Hall of Fame could exist as an institution with a building and everything and not have Ralph Sampson inside it was silly. Now it's not.
- Swimmers rock. The men's team, as predicted, made it two-for-two at the ACC Swimming & Diving championships. The meet, as not predicted, wasn't even close. 232 points separated UVA and 2nd-place UNC, which is more points than four of the competing teams achieved at all.
The meet's MVP was distance swimmer Matt McLean for the third time in four years. Other event winners: sprinter Scot Robison and butterflyer Peter Geissinger. The tone of the meet was pretty well set in the first individual event - the 500-yard freestyle - where Virginia swimmers took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th. For those keeping score at home, the meet's over so you can put your pencils away, but that's still 92 of the event total 155 points. In one event UVA scored more than Boston College or Miami combined.
Nationals are next, where hopefully top-10 finishes await both the men and women.
- Can't let this go without a recruiting board update. But first, something even better. A map. I put together a Google Map of the recruiting board. It's color-coded and everything, although the red is kinda pink. And the orange looks red if you don't have the pink near it to compare it to. Blame Google's pastel coloring. Anyway, the link will have a permanent home on the recruiting board page so you can check it out whenever.
Now, the update:
- Added RB Kye Morgan and WR Drakar Harvell to yellow. Both might be green, but for a couple mitigating factors: Morgan lives almost literally in the shadow of Rutgers The SUNJ, and Harvell needs an offer. Harvell will eventually get one, I think, at which time he'll be instabumped to green or blue.
- Moved DT Korren Kirven from yellow to red.
- Moved ATH Cyrus Jones from red to yellow. Jones hails from Gilman - Darius Jennings's alma mater.
Full schedule this week (that's code for "I don't have to pull anything from my ass this week"): I'll preview the NC State game, and lacrosse's Syracuse game. I don't know if I'll preview the Maryland game, as we're destined to be killed by a team we match up with exceedingly poorly. As much as I enjoy this very likable version of our basketball team, I am really looking forward to spring sports.
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