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Johnny Rosenblatt is my father. Annie Savoy is my mother. And I’m their bastard son.
Welcome to year two of College Baseball Today and my season preview. As I promised you guys, I’ve come out of my cave and sprung forth with the only detailed team-by-team preview of all 301 Division I baseball teams in one place. So go ahead, click the “National Preview” button on the menu to the right. You’re not required to read all 301 of them, but feel free to kick the tires on a few of your favorite teams and conferences. Mi casa es su casa… as long as you stay outta the liquor cabinet and be nice to the dog.
In the meantime, thought I’d go ahead and kick off this season of writings and meanderings with 51 reasons I’m looking forward to this year in college baseball. See if you agree…
1- I look forward to the first pitch of the season and I look forward to the last pitch of the season, but to differing degrees right now.
2- I look forward to seeing if LSU can return to Omaha after all they lost and if Virginia can return to Omaha with all they’ve got coming back.
UNC's Boshamer Stadium after a snow storm hit Chapel Hill earlier this week. Good thing the season didn't start on the first weekend of February.
3- I look forward to seeing if Texas will play as dominant as they did in Omaha or if they’ll play as hither-and-yon as they did at times during the regular season and post-season.
4- I look forward to the way Rice-Stanford and Virginia-East Carolina will open the season a hell of a lot more than the way Centenary-LSU or Duquesne-South Carolina will.
5- I look forward to 35 degree temperatures in Chapel Hill in February and 95 degree temperatures in Austin in June.
6- I look forward to 65 degree temperatures in Irvine in February and 65 degree temperatures in Irvine in June.
7- I look forward to eventually finding out the real story behind Pat Murphy and Arizona State.
8- I look forward to this whole James Paxton thing at Kentucky finally getting straightened out since I sound like I’m guessing if he’ll play or not in my season preview on the Wildcats.
9- I look forward to seeing which three teams in the pre-season Top 25 end up tanking it this year. (You know a handful always do).
10- I look forward to seeing which teams are going to be the marshmallows that race out to 19-0 records, only to be fraudulently exposed when the spit hits the fan and they play real teams.
11- I look forward to bad teams getting good RPIs because of their good in-conference opponents and good teams getting their RPI ruined by bad in-conference opponents. (this is sarcasm)
12- I look forward to college baseball administrators NOT imitating their college basketball brethren by firing five of their head coaches in mid-season.
13- I look forward to my first good beer out at Long Beach State and my last good beer on 13th Street across from Rosenblatt.
14- I look forward to the end of Rosenblatt. (I know that sounds sacrilege, but I’ve come full circle on this and it’s time people)
15- I look forward to re-establishing “Johnny Rosenblatt Day” in Omaha as the billboard in the picture to the right shows here. (The small print says “Every fourth Sunday of every June will be known as Johnny Rosenblatt Baseball Day”. And yes, that’s me in the foreground with my brother next to me and my sister up on the sign).
16- I look forward to the last down-home, rootsy feel of the College World Series before being forced to look forward to it becoming the Corporate World Series in 2011.
(VO: “That previous message was brought to you by TD Ameritrade… where our motto is, c’mon, you can trust us with your money!”)
17- I look forward to Mark Etheridge still being the hardest working writer in college baseball. (Check out Mark’s site at SEBaseball.com and go there often)
18- I look forward, unfortunately, to seeing less and less media coverage of college baseball. (Already this season, Big 12 Hardball and Big 10 Hardball dot com have both gone the way of the buffalo.)
19- I look forward to Coastal Carolina and East Carolina dominating the Carolinas. Without the specter of a monster at UNC and South Carolina still not quite Omaha-ready, this is their chance to break through. Don’t blow it boys.
20- I look forward to Coppin State winning a game after going 0-for-29 last season.
21- I look forward to being a voting member in the weekly Black College Baseball Top 10. (Check out Ruffin Bell’s site at BlackCollegeBaseball.com and go there often.)
22- I look forward to Bethune-Cookman winning another Black College national championship. Though Southern will make it close.
23- I look forward to Notre Dame getting back to its 40-win ways of yore, South Florida joining them there and the Big East becoming a real witch of a conference this season.
24- I look forward to the Atlantic Sun busting out huge with its now “reclassification”-free status of five teams and its incredible star power of players like Chris Sale, Dylan Craig, Chuck Opachich and Paul Hoilman.
25- I look forward to the Sun Belt being the IT conference in mid-major land, behind the directionally-challenged upset machines known as Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. (Oh, and look for big seasons from FIU, FAU and Troy, after they have taken a few seasons off).
26- I look forward to keenly keeping tabs on how San Diego State does without Stephen Strasburg. Though I figure still having Addison Reed around will ease the transition.
27- I look forward to TCU staying at the top of the Mid-Major rankings all season and being a pain in the ass to the big-money conference teams.
28- I look forward to seeing how the Dodgertown Classic turns out at Dodger Stadium with USC, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State… even if it should’ve stayed the “Jackie Robinson Classic” like it was originally named.
29- I look forward to the SEC being as brutal as ever, with the division winners (and national seeds) going to whoever plays the best on the road.
30- I look forward to Florida State finally playing some non-conference games they can be proud of… and winning them. (The payoff will come in the post-season, just in case you’re wondering).
31- I look forward to Miami getting its cajones back.
32- I look forward to Kansas “shocking the world” as the second-best Big 12 team.
33- I look forward to Rice winning Conference USA, thus getting the Earth back on its axis again.
34- I look forward to everyone staying injury free, but particularly the aforementioned Owls, San Diego, Iowa, Auburn, Long Beach State, Wofford and UCLA, who all went through epidemic MASH units last year.
35- I look forward to the powers of the West Coast Conference getting back to being the powers of the West Coast Conference again. That’s you USD and Pepperdine.
36- I look forward to seeing the Great West Conference in its first year of baseball. Sure, it’ll be the 32nd ranked conference in the country, but it’s good to see those teams have a title to play for.
37- I look forward to hearing more rumors of Northern schools dropping the sport. (sarcasm again, sorry).
38- I look forward to the Summit Conference actually getting more and more competitive. Yes, ORU lost nearly everyone from last year and Southern Utah and South Dakota State are going to be much improved.
39- I look forward to seeing my first no-hitter in person… Okay, I’m just wishing out loud here.
40- I look forward to ESPNU televising more games this season, including a good bit of Friday games – at least that’s what has been rumored.
41- I look forward to seeing how Cal handles the toughest four week stretch of of any team in the country when they play Arkansas (3), at Rice (3), at Cal Poly (3) and at Arizona State (3). In the words of Little Richard Great Gosh-A-Mighty!
42- I look forward to another season of the strike zone being from the knees down to the ankles and the high strike being completely ignored again.
43- I look forward to doing another Q&A with an umpire so that angry fans can leave vitriolic comments about him after he calls one of their games… totally bias against their team, of course.
44- I look forward to seeing who has followed Georgia’s lead and switched to Easton bats. (C’mon, I’m allowed one little plug for the sponsors here, right?)
45- I look forward to my newly updated “8 for Omaha” to make it to Rosenblatt in June. They are:
- Virginia
- TCU
- Arizona State
- LSU
- Fullerton
- Florida State
- Texas
and my wild card pick,
- Coastal Carolina
46- I look forward to hearing you complain to me because your team is not on there.
47- I look forward to the second week in Omaha being the matchup of… drumroll… Virginia vs. Fullerton.
48- I look forward to not having another college championship celebration ruined by one of those corny faux confetti showers that have become so popular in every other sport but ours.
49- I look forward to grabbing one last handful of Rosenblatt dirt before I leave Omaha, even though I’m not the sappy ‘goodbye’ type.
50- I look forward to keeping you guys entertained all year long. I promise it won’t be boring.
and one to grow on…
51- I look forward to seeing UAB upset Mississippi State at Dudy-Noble Field on February 23rd and after the game the Blazers carry assistant coach (and former MSU skipper) Ron Polk off the field on their shoulders… while the Bulldog fans give him a standing ovation.
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waltgreenberg says:
Just an amazing piece of work of epic proportions. Congrats….and a big THANK YOU!!! I make it a habbit to refer back to these previews throughout the year as I prepare my own series previews (and analysis of opponents) on the Rice Board. Also, having already delved into your detailed assessment of at least one conference (C-USA), I can say that your predictions are pretty spot-on.
Hope to finally meet you at the season-opening Rice vs. Stanford series in Palo Alto, presuming this is where you’ll be that first weekend.
Chip Porter says:
Good stuff…thanks.
GordoGill says:
Two words: In. Credible.
more people should have as much fun with writing about college baseball as you seem to. Great sense of the game and way with words. Look forward to the season.
Mark says:
Wow, now that’s a lot of material. Awesome job Eric. That’s bigtime.
irvinebaseballfan says:
Dayum Eric! Have you slept since fall ball?
Tim K. says:
Love the previews (at least the ones I’ve had the chance to read) as well as your list. Do have to take exception to #12, only because my alma mater (DePaul) did that this year and it was definitely merited. Will argue should have been done last off-season but again it was needed so I’m glad it was done.
joe Keathley says:
Yea You Right
rip torn says:
#52 Reading College Baseball Today blog.
Really enjoyed your magnum opus on the entirety of NCAA D1 baseball programs.
Cody Thrasher says:
I’m not sure why I’ve never visited this website, but I’ll be a regular from now on. Great job!
Mike says:
Eric is the best college baseball writer. PERIOD. Get familiar with the site. It is much more insightful and the articles and posts are much more informative than other websites/writers.
Pilly says:
I’m going to agree with Mike on that. Awesome, as always, Eric. Really like the “stitch-head” silhouette too.
Go Army - Go Hoos says:
Okay, seriously…303 detailed previews!!! How large a staff does Easton give you to pull this off? You’re amazing, dude. Thanx for all you do for college baseball.
I feel like the luckiest college baseball fan in the country today. I teach at West Point, so many days as I’m riding my bicycle home, I get to stop off at the stadium about 100 yards from the office, walk in without a ticket (because noone should have to pay to watch college baseball, and noone pays here) and watch the boys throw and bat the ball around. Not only is it free, but Army plays damn good baseball (just ask Texas). And then, when I want something different, I drag my Jeep down to Cville where I remain a season ticket holder, pop up a tent on some land that I own in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and watch the Hoos throw it around a little. No matter if I’m home or away, I get to see some great ball. I have a great life!
Eric, give me a holla when you want some photos or storylines. Enjoy the season.
Guy says:
Eric, get some sleep!
Two weeks from Friday, oh boy, Palo Alto here we come!
Trent Seaman says:
Great job Eric as always. I will disagree with the best college baseball writer in the country however. I will put my vote in for the guy who wrote this article.
Hope you make it back to the Twin Cities this year.
Sean Ryan says:
Eric – great job as always. I’m glad to hear that you did not see your shadow when you came out of the house after a long winter indoors. Spring is on its way.
Hope to see you on the road somewhere this year, or at least in Omaha.
Observer44 says:
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Simply Can’t say enough about the effort and the results in this review…Pretty ****ed impressive if you ask me…and much appreciated by fans of all the teams, but especially for teams who get no props anywhere else…teams whose own SID”s ignore them…I was able to check up and get an excellent read on numerous teams that my boys friends play for…again thanks so much. Additionally I Was absolutley floored to see both mine mentioned, I get more from you about them and their teams than I do from them…Again thanks for filling in one of the major gaps in college baseball coverage. I am a real fan of the site now…
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bbfan says:
you just got moved up to the top of my “bookmarked favorites”
PhxTitan says:
OVERLOAD! Stitch, ever consider finishing a conf report and hitting the publish button… then start on the next conference & so on? All that matters is that they’re all out prior to play ball time. Great work, but I GUARANTEE you … you now have less eyeballs actually reading your stellar work than if you dripped this GREAT stuff out. Call it human nature, CB read burnout, canned attention spans, whatever. Many college professors now testify (PBS: Frontline) they can’t assign books over 200 pages to today’s crop because the digital age has shrunken capacities for long reads. I see all the conf reports I want to read…. then basically throw my mouse in the air and say… what’s the point… I’ll never get thru all these great reads; why start. Liked your WCC, however! I’m sure the others are just as great!
Why were you sitting on this stuff till your hard drive ran out of space???
If you’re going to keep doing this… at least throw in some of your classic video music or cheerleader .jpg’s finds in between the conferences! Which btw helps makes your blog so unique and enjoyable. Keep up the great work, but pace yourself. Er, um… no… pace US!!
PS Loved your “Mr. No More Breadcrumbs” breadcrumbs bait! It worked.
Husker Chico says:
Man, I remember the “Johnny Rosenblatt Sign”. The CWS was my babysitter for 2 weeks every summer. Sitting out behind the left field fence with Mississippi State players warming up and waiting for the pervious game getting over. We should get a CBT tailgate for this year as it will be the ‘End of an Era”.
College Baseball Rules!
Johnny Gardner says:
Awesome stuff. I am excited about the season and am glad that I found this site. Good work.
Johnny Kav says:
OK….let me just say AMAZING work. I’m in awe of you’re college baseball knowledge. I consider myself a fanatic, but you are off the charts.
KC says:
How about another one for the list: I look forward to ESPN moving Kyle Peterson from the field during the CWS to where he belongs- in the booth doing commentary on all the games.
I’m so sick of having to listen to guys like Steve Phillips, Orel Hershiser, Barry Larkin and Mike Patrick during the College World Series. It’s painfully apparent that they haven’t been following college baseball during the season and don’t know the players or the teams. Most of their time is spent talking about players’ pro potential rather than what they are capable of at the college level, or rehashing old stories from their major league days.
Peterson is insightful and does a great job explaining the college game and needs to be in the booth every day. As a side benefit, we might get to see more of Erin Andrews on the field.
Stitch-head says:
Husker Chico… Not a bad idea on the End of an Era tailgate. I see ya’ workin’ there.
The two Johnny’s… checks are in the mail. Really, thanks mucho for the kick-ass comments. It’s as if I paid you to say them. Cool of yous.
KC… THAT is one memo I will surely sign brother. I dig KP’s sideline work and all, but the dude belongs in the booth. I talked briefly with him about that last year in Omaha and he said he would love to do the color commentary, but there has been no talk as of yet of that happening. Good No. 52 addition to the list though.
Steve says:
I totally agree on Kyle Peterson. Hershiser is absolutely terrible. How the heck he got a job at ESPN is beyond me. You shouldn’t get within 100 yards of a booth to call a game EVER. Robin Ventura actually isn’t bad. I think he should stay in the booth. Sean Mcdonough is better than Patrick. Patrick is just too old. He gets confused with which players play on which teams due to just simply being old. He should retire. Of course, more Erin Andrews. That is obvious.
Stitch-head says:
I like your passion there Steve. But I can’t agree with everything you wrote. For instance, Mike Patrick may not be everyone’s favorite announcer, but I love the dude. Great voice. Great energy. Some of the best CWS moments have been with his call accompanying them. I don’t care if he’s 20-years old or 80-years old, the dude is good. I will admit, he doesn’t always know everything about each team and that can be frustrating at times, but that’s what we get with no full-time college baseball announcers in this world.