Long Beach State battled back from two four-run deficits, but was unable to grab the lead in a 9-6 loss to Cal on Saturday.
In the last two days there has been 8 hours and 15 minutes of Dirtbag baseball. In case you missed any of Saturday’s game, here are my thoughts on the young LBSU baseball season…
1. Between Friday night’s and Saturday afternoon/evening’s game, the Dirtbags are developing quite a reputation for long games. As a result I have been trying to think of marketing campaigns that Long Beach State should use. For instance: “Dirtbag baseball- you get your money’s worth”
2. Part of the reason for the long games is the Dirtbags starting pitching has been letting them down. In two games against Cal the starters went a combined 4 innings giving up a 8 runs.
3. Notice I didn’t say earned runs. In fact of those 8 runs allowed by the starters 3 of them were unearned. Even worse- in the two games this weekend, the Dirtbags have 7 errors and 4 wild pitches. This is not gonna cut it guys.
4. Ok I just thought of another couple of marketing slogans for them: “Dirtbag baseball- home of the 5 hour game.” Or how about they play on the NBA campaign and go with “Dirtbag baseball- where ‘all-day’ happens.”
5. Although LBSU’s D has been killing them, they still have the typical Dirtbag hustle. I am willing to bet they lead the country in “runs scored on balls not leaving the infield.” Both Friday and Saturday saw them score on infield hits.
6. In Saturday’s game the first 3 innings took 2 hours. The next 6 innings took 1 hr 54 minutes. If you like offense come watch the first 3 innings of a Dirtbag game, if you like defense and pitching show up 2 hours late. “Dirtbag baseball- something for everyone.”
7. Another note about the starters’ problems- the idea of a bullpen can sometimes be cruel. In basketball, subbing out isn’t permanent. In soccer no one gets subbed early unless they’re injured. Even in baseball, if a position player makes an error he knows he’s gonna get a chance at the plate to try and make up for it. But if a baseball starter is struggling early and he turns and sees someone warming up in the pen, it’s like a guillotine. Every pitch just hurts a little because he doesn’t know if it was his last; sometime soon he’s gonna get pulled and there are no more second chances for him that night.
8. Part of the reason for those 20 runs might be Cal’s armbands. If you go to Sunday’s game, watch the first base coach. He doesn’t have the clap-once-means-take, clap-twice-means-hit-and-run kind of signs. No he has a full paper in his backpocket that he pulls out, evaluates, then sends in a 3-digit number; the batter than looks at his armband to find out what that three-digit-number means. Suddenly every Cal hitter is like an NFL quarterback. Frankly, it’s just weird.
9. Yes the Dirtbags have been hurting themselves, but they have also had some just plain bad luck. Both Friday and Saturday, they have had two runners on, and have hit a bullet…ride at the 2nd basemen who catches it and doubles-up the runner on 2nd. These two double plays have just been rally-killers; it’s no wonder they only score on swinging bunts, their line-drives result in double plays.
10. Saturday afternoon, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and going to see a baseball game; it was fantastic and it certainly was hard to remember it was still only February. God Bless Southern California.
11. JJ threw down the gauntlet when he nicknamed Dustin Rasco “the dirty rascal.” I, in turn, have responded by naming Derek Legg “drumstick.” Your move, Fiddler.
12. I’ve got a few more “The Dirtbag games are so long….” jokes. First- the Bob Hope: Dirtbag games are so long…they have to schedule double-headers on separate days. And second- the David Letterman: Dirtbag games are so long…even Dodgers fans see 3 hours of the game.
13. Breaks in a game at the Pyramid are always fun because of the band (if you can’t enjoy a sign along to ‘Sweet Caroline,’ I don’t want to know you.) But I think the PA guys at Dirtbag games do a fine job too (my favorite of the weekend was Elvis’ “Little less conversation” during a long meeting on the mound.)
14. Both in the 5th and the 8th innings of the Saturday game, the Dirtbags gave up runs on wild pitches. I’ve been trying to think of anything else in sports that can match the self-inflicted agony of allowing a run on a wild pitch, the closet I’ve come up with is a 4-pt play in basketball or a roughing-the-passer after a first-down completion in football.
15. “Dirtbag games- they’re 3 hours long… like the tour in Gilligan’s Island.” Or: “Dirtbag games- because 3 hour games are for the Titans.” (my joke for the last one did not originally use “Titans”, but I had to change it because this is a family-friendly website. When you repeat it, feel free to insert whatever word you thought I had in mind.)
16. While the errors have been a theme, the Dirtbags have made some spectacular defensive plays. In last week’s game against USC, everybody came away raving about Drumstick turning a great double play at 2nd base. This week it was Taylor Krick at 3rd- who twice made great plays to get to a grounder at the line then fire it all the way across the diamond, and both times Steve Tinoco made great digs to make the play. (Note- the first time they got screwed and the runner was called safe but both times the play was outstanding.)
17. The box score doesn’t always tell the story. Yes the Dirtbags lost Saturday by 3 runs, but what you might have missed was that in the bottom of the ninth they had 2 runners on, two outs, a full count, with TJ “My on-base percentage is over .700!” Mittelstaedt at the plate. TJ got caught looking and struck out. I guess that’s what happens with young teams- you’ll have ups and downs, mistakes and brilliant plays; but clearly this team is thisclose to being good, and they are definitely fun to watch.