For anyone who didn't click the highlight package, having watched it live I think it's worth recapping the white-knuckle amazingness of Wright's ninth inning against Vandy:
-- up 5-1 entering the inning, WSU issues three walks (!) to load the bases with one out
-- 3rd Raider pitcher of the inning forces a pop-up for the 2nd out, but next Vandy batter hits a 2-RBI single. 5-3, runners 1st and 2nd
-- next batter crushes one into the right-field gap to tie the game ... except that the ball takes a huge hop off Vandy's turf field and clears the fence. Ground-rule double, runner from first forced to stay at third, Wright miraculously still leads 5-4. (The ESPN announcer seems pretty calm about this outrageous turn of events, considering the stakes?)
-- next batter up is poor Vandy CF RJ Austin, who is 0-4 on the day and in fact 0-for-the entire regional. He flies out to end Vandy's season and give Wright the win
My favorite sports thing since the last post is LSU-Shreveport baseball -- it's such a cool, unbelievable thing, and my dad (a D2 and NAIA ump) was crew chief for the Shreveport opening round of the tournament.
My other favorite thing is the Roland Garros women's matches in the past couple of rounds being so narrative-y and good. Lois Boisson! World #1 vs Olympic champion on this court! 4-time RG champion playing herself back into form after a rough year! (And narrowly avoiding having to play her nemesis!) Hilariously honest teenager! Ukrainian married to a beloved French player who has come back even stronger after having a kid! All of that is on the narrative side but I promise the tennis has been SO FUN too. Anyway, it's all been great and exciting and why would you not want to showcase this, ahem FFT and tournament administrators.
The Concacaf Champions Cup that Cruz Azul won is far more significant than the Club World Cup play-in. The new Club World Cup is a ridiculous cash grab that brings together teams that won their continental titles in totally different years and may have totally different players now. It has no logical basis to crown a world champion. Not enough fans realize that the original Club World Cup, which takes place every year with just the champions of that year, still exists but has been renamed the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. That tournament is the true club world championship, and Cruz Azul will play in it later this year with PSG and the other 2025 champions.
Oh absolutely. Kinda just wanted to cover the weirdness of the whole thing. CWC has rancid vibes. (And they even gave the old CWC trophy to the “new” intercontinental tournament!)
The championship streak--I heard an announcer call it "the Norman Conquest"--is over, but it's too soon so say the dynasty is dead. OU lost seven starters from last year's team, plus their two best pitchers, and they still made it back to the World Series' semifinal this year. This year's team has one senior in the starting nine (and the best pitcher is a senior); most of the rest are first and second years.
IOW, you might be hearing a lot of Boomer Sooner next year.
For anyone who didn't click the highlight package, having watched it live I think it's worth recapping the white-knuckle amazingness of Wright's ninth inning against Vandy:
-- up 5-1 entering the inning, WSU issues three walks (!) to load the bases with one out
-- 3rd Raider pitcher of the inning forces a pop-up for the 2nd out, but next Vandy batter hits a 2-RBI single. 5-3, runners 1st and 2nd
-- next batter crushes one into the right-field gap to tie the game ... except that the ball takes a huge hop off Vandy's turf field and clears the fence. Ground-rule double, runner from first forced to stay at third, Wright miraculously still leads 5-4. (The ESPN announcer seems pretty calm about this outrageous turn of events, considering the stakes?)
-- next batter up is poor Vandy CF RJ Austin, who is 0-4 on the day and in fact 0-for-the entire regional. He flies out to end Vandy's season and give Wright the win
whew
My favorite sports thing since the last post is LSU-Shreveport baseball -- it's such a cool, unbelievable thing, and my dad (a D2 and NAIA ump) was crew chief for the Shreveport opening round of the tournament.
My other favorite thing is the Roland Garros women's matches in the past couple of rounds being so narrative-y and good. Lois Boisson! World #1 vs Olympic champion on this court! 4-time RG champion playing herself back into form after a rough year! (And narrowly avoiding having to play her nemesis!) Hilariously honest teenager! Ukrainian married to a beloved French player who has come back even stronger after having a kid! All of that is on the narrative side but I promise the tennis has been SO FUN too. Anyway, it's all been great and exciting and why would you not want to showcase this, ahem FFT and tournament administrators.
Watched BOISSON take down Pegula the other day. Seeing the whole crowd behind a French player was so good
The Concacaf Champions Cup that Cruz Azul won is far more significant than the Club World Cup play-in. The new Club World Cup is a ridiculous cash grab that brings together teams that won their continental titles in totally different years and may have totally different players now. It has no logical basis to crown a world champion. Not enough fans realize that the original Club World Cup, which takes place every year with just the champions of that year, still exists but has been renamed the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. That tournament is the true club world championship, and Cruz Azul will play in it later this year with PSG and the other 2025 champions.
Oh absolutely. Kinda just wanted to cover the weirdness of the whole thing. CWC has rancid vibes. (And they even gave the old CWC trophy to the “new” intercontinental tournament!)
Boomer Sooner.
The championship streak--I heard an announcer call it "the Norman Conquest"--is over, but it's too soon so say the dynasty is dead. OU lost seven starters from last year's team, plus their two best pitchers, and they still made it back to the World Series' semifinal this year. This year's team has one senior in the starting nine (and the best pitcher is a senior); most of the rest are first and second years.
IOW, you might be hearing a lot of Boomer Sooner next year.
It's Purdue Fort Wayne, they dropped the I in 2018. I just looked up that date and saw they cut baseball and softball last week.