By Danny Horne staff reporter In games against Baylor, University of Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, the TCU baseball team faced some of the nation's best competition. But senior pitcher and first baseman Mark Hamilton said none of those compare to the importance of this weekend's three-game series against Fresno State. "Games against Texas and Texas Tech outside of conference are much different because we've got nothing to lose," Hamilton said. "But against a team like Fresno or Rice, the games mean more and have more riding on them. The level of play and intensity definitely goes up." Fresno (25-9, 8-4 Western Athletic Conference) comes in ranked No. 19 in the latest Baseball America poll. "The whole series comes down to pitching," Hamilton said. "We don't really expect to get a lot from our offense, but we know we must play very well defensively and match them pitch for pitch." Matching the Fresno pitching staff pitch for pitch may not be that easy. The Bulldogs have the best team earned run average (3.71) in the conference, have walked just 86 batters in more than 300 innings and have allowed a .256 opponent's batting average. "They are built around that pitching staff," junior pitcher Chris Bradshaw said. "It would definitely be great if we came out and scored five or six runs, but if we don't, we (pitchers) know that we have to work harder to keep us in the game." Hamilton said the Horned Frogs would much rather jump out early instead of trying to come from behind. "We haven't been very good when playing from behind," Hamilton said. "If we got out early on their staff, I think it would give all of us, pitching and hitting, a big boost." Both teams have a .293 batting average which is good enough to lead the WAC. However, the Horned Frogs' 4.97 team ERA is better than only Hawaii-Hilo. TCU plays 12 of the final 18 WAC games at home, and Bradshaw said playing well this weekend could set the stage for the rest of the season. "If we can pull off a sweep or take two out of three, it would be a major plus," Bradshaw said. "We know we have a lot of games left, and most of them are at home, so a good series this weekend should set us up for a strong finish." Game one of the series is 2:35 p.m. today at the TCU Diamond. The Frogs play again at 1:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Danny Horne
Sometimes reading, let alone writing, opinion columns is a tiring task. There is usually no pleasure in scanning the op-ed pages, as eyes and the senses usually become numb after registering the beatings. But then again, most people have some tendencies toward cynicism, and some strains of sado-masochism, so the op-ed page usually remains a popular page. Because there are so many things wrong with the world and its inhabitants, it's easy to point out the flaws in your line of sight. But I once read that the best examples of writing are those taken from life. The lessons within these stories are usually subtle, which isn't true in opinion columns. The moral of those stories are spread-eagled on the page in neon, visible enough for even the densest of minds to see. So what do I see in the world, specifically the sports world? I see spectacular Michigan State seniors Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger celebrating a job well done. A job that took four hard, but ultimately rewarding, years when most college hoop stars usually bolt after one or two seasons. I see Andres Galarraga overcome a year recuperating from prostate cancer to claim a position as the Atlanta Braves' starting first baseman. In case you were wondering, he's an infinitely more interesting and redeeming human being than teammate John Rocker appears to be. I see Sean Elliott overcome a year of recuperating from a debilitating kidney disease to reclaim a spot on the roster of the NBA's defending world champions, the San Antonio Spurs. In case you were wondering, he's an infinitely more interesting and redeeming human being than an NBA-mate, the recently waived Isaiah Rider, who once threatened to have a teammate killed for tattling about his marijuana usage, appears to be. I see Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who's never been accused of choking one of his players but still finds ways to motivate his players to graduate at an impressive rate, empathetically hugging senior forward Chris Carrawell in the waning minutes of Duke's tournament loss to Florida. I see Tiger Woods dominate professional golf like no other golfer since ... Byron Nelson? Ben Hogan? No one? He's also managed to stay magnanimous in victory and the rare defeat. He's also bringing more "Cablinasians" and other minorities to the courses in numbers never seen before. Tiger's impact according to Nike chairman Phil Knight: "Everybody was looking for the next Michael (Jordan), and they were always looking on the basketball court. He was walking down the fairway." I see the good in Allen Iverson when all anyone ever seems to see are his cornrows. I see the humanity in Mike Tyson, Darryl Strawberry and even Bobby Knight, when all anyone ever seems to see are their well-publicized failures. I once drove past a playground where kids who looked no older than 12 years old were shooting at a basketball goal with a chain-link net amidst a neighborhood that sometimes resembles post-nuclear Hiroshima. They appeared to be having fun, although they didn't appear to have shoe deals with Nike, nor television cameras recording their every crossover dribble. I see Amon Carter Stadium, one of the best venues to observe a college football game in Texas, and realize it could possibly play host to TCU's fifth undefeated football team in school history, along with possible Heisman Trophy winner LaDainian Tomlinson. Have you ever stood on the sideline of Amon Carter and watched the sun set and the sky turn purple? Not even George Lucas can create a better special effect. So, I sometimes get out enough to see more than the ugly side of the world and the games people play. But I still have the "power of the pen" on occasion, and I can't let this slide: This was the most boring Final Four in recent memory. Apparently, everyone with a television set agreed with me because it was the lowest-rated championship game since Howdy Doody had his own show. Hey, I never said I was tired of being narrow-minded.
Opinion Editor Joel Anderson is a senior news-editorial journalism major from Missouri City, Texas. He can be reached at (jdanderson@delta.is.tcu.edu). |
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