Garnet And Black Attack

Weekend Preview: Gamecocks host LSU, fate of SEC hangs in the Balance

2012-05-17T03:50:44Z

OK, so that headline might be a little embellished, but not by much. This weekend your South Carolina Gamecocks (38-13, 17-9 SEC) will host the LSU Tigers (40 -13, 17-10 SEC) in a three-game series beginning on Thursday. Either team could hoist the SEC regular season trophy after this weekend, but they'll have to best Kentucky's SEC-leading 18-9 league record to do so.

Few teams in the country are hotter than the Gamecocks right now. Led by a handful of clutch performances, a softer schedule, and a little bit of good luck to even out the bad, the Gamecocks have won 14 of their last 19 contests -- opponents stole 3 while mother nature claimed the remaining two. They continue to come up with wins in spite of not being particularly extraordinary at any one aspect of the game. The Gamecocks rank 8th in the league in batting average (.275), 6th in slugging percentage (.407), and 7th in on-base percentage (.365). Even the pitching, which has carried the 'Cocks to two straight national championships has been underwhelming. In 462 innings pitched Gamecocks hurlers have posted a combined 3.18 ERA (3rd SEC). However, the one category USC leads the league in happens to one of the most predictive -- opposing batting average at .223. Other than that, this team looks pretty marginal on paper.

In fact, the current iteration of the Garnet and Black is developing a uniquely "Gamecockian" character. While the championship teams of 2010 and 2011 had their well-documented eccentricities, they were grounded with the traditional hallmarks of a championship baseball team -- pitching, defense, and fundamentals. This year, very little of that foundation has remained while the mythos of a quirky team that refuses to lose has taken center stage. The Gamecocks may lead the league in fielding percentage (.980), but that figure doesn't include the numerous, sometimes nightly, base running errors and other mental gaffes that we've seen throughout the year. What's more, the 'Cocks are tied for 6th through 8th in the SEC in double plays fielded (41) when just last year they led the league by a wide margin.

If you're the type of person that can only be comforted by statistics, though, (and believe, I'm one of you), then I would point towards the 'Cocks reverence for the long ball -- both their ability to launch it and their willingness to give it up -- as primary reasons they've been able to claw their way back to the top. USC currently sits at 3rd in the SEC in home runs (38). This is a departure from the Ray Tanner Teams we have grown accustomed to since the end of the so-called "gorilla ball" era three years ago. It's not as if the team has given up on small ball, though. The Gamecocks are 3rd in the SEC in Sac. bunts (50) and 2nd in Sac. flies (30). Alternatively, USC has allowed the 3rd most home runs (32) and sac bunts (32) in the league, but have been extra stingy with Sac flies (8). The team appears incapable of finding the middle ground.

If nothing else, Ray Tanner has leveraged the team concept to the hilt. Star pitcher Michael Roth has come back down to an earthly 2.60 ERA and a 5-0 record after posting 1.06 and 14-3 marks in 2011. Studly closer Matt Price has seen his ERA balloon over prior year, from 1.83 to 3.72. On the offensive side of the ball Christian Walker is still humming along with .343 average and .556 slugging percentage. However, senior Adam Matthews, to whom we were looking to solidify a lineup studded with newcomers, has dropped from a .264 hitter in 2011 to a sophomore-Scott-Wingo level .214. Meanwhile, the team is getting solid contributions from freshman Tanner English (.315 Avg.), JuCo transfer LB Dantzler (43 RBI), freshman Grayson Greiner (31 RBI), and freshman pitchers Joel Seddon (.164 b/Avg.) and Jordan Montgomery (4-1 W-L). It's truly been a team effort this year.

Along the way USC has risen to #2 in Baseball America's rankings and #8 in the NCAA's official RPI. For comparison LSU claims the #9 and #7 spots, respectively. Speaking of the Tigers, they've got quite a specimen in Raph Rhymes (pronounced Raif). This guy has a batting average (.476) that has only recently slipped this side of .500. The Tigers lead the league in batters struck out (470) and runs batted in (318), but also in double plays grounded into (40). For what it's worth, South Carolina ranks 5th (421), 8th (263), and 12th (24) in those categories, respectively.

The Tiger are expected to start Kevin Gausman (8-1, 2.95) and Aaron Nola (6-3, 3.86) against Michael Roth (5-0, 2.60) and Forrest Koumas (2-2, 5.40) on Thursday and Friday, respectively. They'll throw Ryan Eades (5-2, 3.75) on Saturday against whichever Gamecocks pitcher whose arm hasn't yet fallen off. All three games are in Columbia, and all three games are televised. LSU leads the all-time series 29-21-1.

Go 'Cocks!

PODCAST: "I Never Thought Setting Up a Clemson Email Would Be So Hard!"

2012-05-16T22:46:13Z

Lance, The Feathered Warrior, and I join forces for Half Cocked's first ever three host show. Steve Spurrier adds four players to the 2013 recruiting class and Ray Tanner's baseball team splits a three game series with Georgia and Mother Nature, leaving the Yardcocks hoping for bad things to happen to Kentucky during the final weekend of SEC play. Then we answer the ESPN SEC blog's mailbag, play the messages that you left in The Cock Box (312-789-5647 for The Cock Box), go off on a tangent about a potential college football playoff, discuss a possible SEC vs. Big XII challenge, and play a spirited round of "Chad Kelly Tweet or Kanye West Tweet?" To close out the show, the gang name their Velociraptors of the Week and say goodbye with a special Mother's Day edition of "Goodnight, Deborah."

Email the podcast: halfcockedshow@gmail.com

Call in to The Cock Box: 312-789-5647

Subscribe via iTunes or RSS. Directly download this week's episode here. Or stream it using the media player above.

Grayson Greiner named to USA Baseball Collegiate National team

2012-05-16T14:50:39Z

Grayson Greiner named to USA Baseball Collegiate National team

As a freshman, by the way. This is impressive, folks. He joins Christian Walker and Jackie Bradley Jr. as the third Gamecock in as many years to be named to the USABCN team. Grayson struggled a bit early in the year if I recall, but he's been stellar in SEC play and has been a force defensively. Hopefully he continues to thrive on into the postseason.

South Carolina Football Post-Spring Wrap-up: Special Teams

2012-05-15T21:12:46Z

We're in the process of wrapping up our analyses of the state of South Carolina football post-spring practice. Today we're looking at special teams. Here are a few other posts you might want to read, if you haven't already done so: defensive backs, offensive line, defensive line.

Last year was the first time in a long time when we were a bit uncertain in the kicking game, as Ryan Succop and Spencer Lanning had given us legitimately elite performers over the course of their tenure. As their replacements, Jay Wooten proved to be a fairly reliable placekicker (although he had some bad misses on the year, he was money in two of our biggest games, Georgia and Clemson), but Joey Scribner-Howard was inconsistent as the punter. Both are now graduating, and we're again looking at uncertain prospects. At kicker, I don't feel too bad. Adam Yates came in with a solid pedigree, and he looked very solid in the Spring Game, doing some excellent work on kickoffs and then kicking through a 51-yard FG to close out the contest. Landon Ard is another talented kicker who is in the running for both duties. Punter, on the other hand, again looks like a liability. Right now, it appears that Patrick Fish will be our starter. He was shaky all spring and has not proven himself as an SEC-caliber punter. Mike Williamson is also in the mix there. At one time it looked like South Carolina was going to bring in Fort Mill kicker Worth Gregory to do its punting and perhaps placekicking, but Gregory decided to attend Alabama instead. I'll have to admit that I'm worried about our situation at punter. Let's just hope we don't have to punt too much!

At the return man positions, I'll have to admit that I'm a little uninformed about current developments. The depth chart lists Victor Hampton and Damiere Byrd as the kick returners, Ace Sanders as the punt returner. Sanders is almost certainly the guy on punts, particularly now that Stephon Gilmore is gone, and he's been solid so far. However, I'm not sure if Hampton and Byrd are going to hold on kickoffs. Hampton, I feel, is likely to get a lot of opportunities; I liked what he brought quite a bit late last season, and he ended up, in fact, leading the team in return average. To go along with speed and vision, Hampton has the kind of fire when he's on the field that you like to see from a returner--he's the kind of guy you can see breaking a big tackle, not giving up on the play, and getting some big gains. Byrd I'm not sure about. Obviously, he's a burner, but I haven't seen him return many kicks yet, so I'm not sure how well his speed translates on the field. Bruce Ellington and Kenny Miles also saw time on kickoffs last season, with Ellington showing some nice flashes.

Our coverage units were generally decent last year. There was a costly breakdown against Arkansas, but I felt we bounced back nicely from that game and limited the dangerous Florida and Clemson return units. We do lose a key coverage guy in Marty Markett, but the coaching staff has generally been pretty good about identifying guys like that, and we have some good candidates on the current roster.

The other thing to note about special teams is that we have a new special teams coach: Joe Robinson. Robinson is best known for his work at LSU:

Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Robinson spent three seasons as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at LSU. In his award-winning 2010 season, the Tigers' special teams finished in the top 13 nationally in net punting, kickoff return average and punt return average while earning a trip to the Cotton Bowl. In 2009, LSU's special teams combined to rank No. 1 overall in the SEC as the Tigers led the league in both kickoff coverage (44.5 net average) and punt returns (18.9). LSU was the only team in the league to rank among the top three in the conference in four special teams categories. Kick returner Trinton Holliday led the SEC and ranked No. 2 in the nation in punt returns and was selected in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

Not bad. Granted, LSU has been blessed with some phenomenal special teams stars over the years; I would imagine that none of us have forgotten little Trinton Holliday. However, the Gamecocks have some athletes of their own on the roster now, and I'm curious to see if Robinson can recreate some of the LSU magic with this group of players. One thing I'd like to see is more emphasis on setting up good protection schemes as opposed to going all out for the block on punts. Obviously, a block is great, but I tend to believe that in the long run, it's best to set up the return if you have a reliable return man. We do, and I'd like to see him get more opportunities this year.

A Lighter Shade of Garnet: Analyzing SEC Spring Game Attendance Figures

2012-05-14T18:57:01Z

The spring game: an anti-climactic dog-and-pony show that serves as an off-season sniff of the upcoming year. It's no different from a real game, except players don't really play if they're remotely injured, or if they're an important player, or if they're in the game. Basically, it's "Hey, look, the players you cheer for! Wearing pads and helmets and stuff! They're going to run some half-plays for a while. Just keep grilling and we'll let you know if anything worthwhile happens." Indeed, the spring game offers no real conclusions, since it's a zero-sum game. If your offense thrives, it's because your defense sucks. And vice versa. This isn't necessarily true, but every spring game review tosses that disclaimer in somewhere along the line.

The point is, you can't put too much stock into spring game performances. Remember last year when Jimmy Legree and DeAngelo Smith had huge spring game showings? Didn't exactly translate to All-SEC seasons. But I don't aim to be a total killjoy here. I love the spring game. It's a treat for the fans, and a good recruiting tool, too. Southeastern Conference schools in particular have made the spring game into something of a spectacle, so I that I took the liberty of analyzing SEC spring attendance figures. For each SEC school, I list the following:

Announced attendance
A few words about that team
An accompanying song lyric from junkyard-folk legend and occasional character actor Tom Waits that is loosely referential at best. Why? Because it's as absurd and entertaining as the spring games themselves.

We soldier on alphabetically, beginning with Alabama, after the jump...

School: Alabama

Location: "YOU ALREADY KNOW. Tuscaloosa, ALABAMA TITLETOWN ROLL DAMN TIDE!" /holds up Tide-logo gloves and nods confidently

Spring Game Attendance: 78,526

Numbers potentially inflated by Tide fans claiming Bryant-Denny as a legal residence. Still, an impressive tally that proves once again that there's nothing to do in Alabama other than watch football. However, attendance fell by almost 14,000 from last year. What's to blame? The economy? Title hangover? Saban's newfound practice of firing buckshot at walk-ons to assert dominance? I suppose it's not for us to know.

Tom Waits lyric: "The captain is a one-armed dwarf / he's throwing dice along the wharf / in the land of the blind / the one-eyed man is king." -- Singapore

•••••

School: Arkansas

Location: Little Rock--no, Fayetteville. Wait, is it Little Rock? I don't... Anyway, how 'bout Petrino?

Spring Game Attendance: 45,250

The feelgood story of spring game season was Arky's impressive showing mere days after the news broke of Petrino's joyride. There's no therapy quite like a fake football game, amirite? Now the healing has begun, via the controlled slide of a hire that is John L. Smith. Arkansas' offense may spend a few weeks resembling a vibrating electronic football game, but at least their coach isn't a jackass.

Tom Waits lyric: "Drag that chain across the state / Her lips are red / she is the queen / she's such a scream." -- Such a Scream

•••••

School: Auburn

Location: THE PLAINS SON.

Spring Game Attendance: 43,427

Auburn's opening against Clemson and is finally off our schedule, so we at GABA endorse any preseason hype the Tiger Eagles may garner. I assume Gene Chizik recruited spring game attendees by placing a hand on their shoulder, maintaining eye contact and offering heartfelt overtures about their importance to the program while slyly tucking a few Bennies in they wasteband, y'all! Wait, it's 2012--are "Auburn pays for stuff" jokes over? No? Splendid.

Tom Waits lyric: "Sometimes the music from the dance / carries across the plains / the places that I'm dreaming of / do they dream only of me?" -- Whistle Down the Wind

•••••

School: Florida

Location: Gainesvull

Spring Game Attendance: 38,100

A hobbled Gator program could make a splash in 2012. Gators faithful saw some inspiring quarterback play from Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett, both of whom struggled to find their feet in 2011. John Brantley also struggled to find his feet, although there's a decidedly more literal undertone in his case. Head coach Will Muschamp was pleased with his team's showing, as evidenced by the relatively low number of graduate assistants he suplexed during the day's events.

Tom Waits lyric: "Pretend that you owe me nothing / and all the world is green / we can bring back the old days again." -- All The World Is Green

•••••

School: Georgia

Location: Twixt The Hedges

Spring Game Attendance: 44,117 ("Suck it, Florida." -- Some bro.)

UGA's football team is getting tons of hype. No, "hype" isn't a new upper-drug you can make from OTC allergy meds, but the palpable sense of excitement for the Dawgs 2012 season. The spring game (G-DAY!) was highlighted by running back play and Mark and Katharyn Richt entering day 133 of their celebratory french kiss.

Tom Waits lyric: "I want to believe that our love's a mystery / I want to believe our love's a sin." -- Kiss Me

•••••

School: Kentucky

Location: Lexington, KY

Spring Game Attendance: 4,500. That is not a typo.

"Dear Wildcat Alumni, We hope this e-mail finds you well. This is to announce a special BASKETBALL MEETING to be held Saturday, April 20, 2013 at Commonwealth Stadium. That is the large stadium-like building on University Drive. I stress that it is a BASKETBALL MEETING of the highest importance. Why is it not taking place at Rupp Arena? We think the fresh air will be nice, that's all. As we will likely be celebrating our 2012-2013 National Championship win, we've contracted an interpretive dance troupe clad in pads and helmets to reenact our tournament run. Please plan on attending this basketball meeting which is STRICTLY ABOUT BASKETBALL WE PROMISE. Signed, ~~J. Phillips~~ J. Calipari"

Tom Waits Lyric: "The train smokes down the xylophone / there'll be no stopping here." -- Town With No Cheer

•••••

School: LSU

Location: Red Stick, LA

Spring Game Attendance: 33,000

A relatively low turnout for a powerhouse, although extra credit is awarded because there's never less than 33,000 people in Death Valley, either. Ever. The fan-favorite tradition of the head groundskeeper pulling Les Miles by the legs at a high speed like some sort of Flintstones lawnmower was the day's high point. After consuming nearly 70 pounds of Celebration Bermuda, Les chuckled and said, "It's a living!"

Tom Waits lyric: "Things are now made of me / The weather vane will say... / It smells like rain today." -- Green Grass

•••••

School: Ole Miss

Location: Oxfordtown, MS

Spring Game Attendance: 25,000

You have to give it to the Rebels. Times are lean for the once-mighty Ole Miss, but the fans still love them some football. Which is why the spring game turnout was surprising, since there's been no trace of Ole Miss football in Oxford for a few years now.

Tom Waits lyric: "A little trouble makes it worth the going / And a little rain never hurt no one." -- A Little Rain

•••••

School: Mississippi St.

Location: Starkville, MS

Spring Game Attendance: 22,604

[write-up overwhelmed by cowbell clatter]

[SEC penalizes Miss St.]

[More cowbell clatter]

Tom Waits lyric: "The train that took my baby / it went clang boom and steam." - Clang Boom Steam

•••••

School: South Carolina

Location: "Columbia, South Carolina: Famously Hot!" (paid for by Columbia Department of Tourism)

Spring Game Attendance: 34,513

On the heels of our best season in history, we brought out a fairly sizable crowd. Not unlike his nipples at a hot spring practice, HBC's giddiness could not be contained. New basketball coach Frank Martin made his first appearance at the Brice, and has since abetted the videoboard replacement process by scaling the north stands and ripping the old board out of its pilings. Thanks Coach! As joyful and exciting an event as it was, it just didn't feel like a South Carolina spring game without Stephen Garcia being suspended for it.

Tom Waits lyric: "I got hair on my chest / I look good without a shirt!" -- Goin' Out West

•••••

School: Tennessee

Location: Knoxvull, TN

Spring Game Attendance: 35, 421

In 2009, the Vols pulled in over 50,000 fans. But since 2010, the number has hovered right around 35,000. I don't know exactly how this is Lane Kiffin's fault, but let's just agree that it is. Highlights of the spring game included a dog, a guy in orange pants, and Tyler Bray's tattoo, which is a highlight of pretty much anything ever. All 35,000 attendees drove home in silence.

Tom Waits lyric: "Beggin' on the freeway's bout as hard as it gets." -- Cold Water

•••••

School: Vanderbilt

Location: Nashvegas.

Spring Game Attendance: 8,500

This is excusable. Why? See "location". Remember what I said about there being nothing to do in Alabama except watch football? This is not the case in Nashville, people. Still, James Franklin wants everyone to know that there's plenty of room on the Vanderbilt bandwagon, which has plush leather seats and is a hybrid. That's fine with us, as long as it doesn't crank up until week 2.

Tom Waits lyric: "I fell in love with your sailor's mouth and your wounded eyes." -- Who Are You

•••••

You'll note I didn't include our new friends Mizzou and Texas A&M. IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT YET. But if you're wondering, they totally didn't draw which is sort of surprising. At least A&M was precise (15,000 on the nose!) We're a few months away from the 2012 season, and only then will we be able to confirm that these spring attendance figures don't tell us anything we don't already know.

Have a nice summer, everyone!

Batting Around: Week 13

2012-05-14T16:07:49Z

1. Kentucky Wildcats (41-11 / 18-9)

A visit from Alabama was just what the doctor ordered for Kentucky, which got its season back on track with a dominant sweep over the Tide.

2. South Carolina Gamecocks (38-13 / 17-9)

You know, if Carolina had played and won Sunday, I would probably have left them at first. However, we'll never know how the Georgia series would have ended, and with Kentucky a half game up on Carolina and sporting a head-to-head sweep, I just can't rationalize keeping us ahead of them right now. The Gamecocks will have a good opportunity to prove themselves this coming weekend, when they play...

3. LSU Tigers (39-13 / 17-10)

The Tigers have the shaky West wrapped up, but losing two games by a run apiece to Vanderbilt over the weekend still has to sting and will likely hurt LSU in the overall conference standings. The Tigers travel to Columbia this weekend to take on the Gamecocks.

4. Florida Gators (38-14 / 16-11)

Florida managed to gut out two wins over what has become a feisty Mississippi St. team. They're still in the conference race, but they need to sweep Auburn this weekend and hope for some help from LSU against USC and Miss. St. against Kentucky.

5. Arkansas Razorbacks (35-17 / 13-14)

Perhaps a bit hung over from the recent tough series against the Gamecocks, the Razorbacks dropped a home series to Auburn. Not good. Still seems like the best of the mid-pack teams to me, though, although they really need to regroup if they intend to do anything in the post-season.

6. Mississippi Rebels (34-18 / 14-13)

The Rebels used a sweep over Tennessee to get their heads back above water. They're now at 20th in the RPI and could use some more momentum as we approach tourney time.

7. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (31-20 / 13-14)

There's no shame in losing in Gainesville, but State would have really liked to have taken that series. It's been trending in a positive direction of late, and one more win against the Gators would have really helped.

8. Georgia Bulldogs (29-22 / 13-13)

Georgia missed out on Game Three against the Gamecocks, which may or may not have been a blessing, depending on who you ask. The Dawgs have a good chance to finish above .500 in the league with a trip to Tuscaloosa on deck. You have to wonder if two losses in that series would do David Perno in.

9. Vanderbilt Commodores (26-25 / 13-14)

One of the conference's hottest teams, Vandy picked a good time to get out of its funk. Unfortunately, that funk lasted most of the season, and the 'Dores were in a pretty deep hole when they decided to start playing well. However, with an RPI of 38 and rising, Vandy, despite the ugly record, may have a better chance than you think of getting into the post-season, where it could likely wreak some havoc if it keeps playing like it is currently.

10. Auburn Tigers (28-23 / 12-15)

Nice series win over Arkansas. This season may not be quite done for the Tigers.

11. Tennessee Volunteers (24-27 / 8-19)

It probably is done for these guys.

12. Alabama Crimson Tide (18-33 / 7-20)

It's definitely done for these guys.

Gamecocks Baseball Weekend Wrap-Up: Gamecocks Split Two Games with Georgia; Finale Canceled

2012-05-14T01:30:27Z

After Georgia and South Carolina split the first two games, Sunday's finale was canceled due to weather. It's unclear who got the better end of that deal; Dawg Sports believes that Georgia likely would have lost and that the Dawgs caught a break courtesy of Mother Nature (by the way, Happy Mother's Day to any moms reading this blog), but considering that we would have again been without Colby Holmes, it's hard to say. Forrest Koumas pitched well in place of Holmes last week, but Koumas has had a shaky year, and there's no guarantee that he would have had good stuff today. We also went deep into our bullpen on Friday and Saturday, which might have come into play. Regardless, it is what it is, and the game won't be made up.

Fans were treated to good baseball the first two nights. Friday night's game was a pitcher's duel, with Michael Roth and UGA ace Alex Wood delivering anticipated gems. The Gamecocks finally got to the Dawgs in the seventh with L.B. Dantzler's solo home run and later added a couple of insurance runs before Matt Price came in for the save in the 3-0 win. South Carolina gave up only five hits on the evening. Saturday would be different. Georgia starter Michael Pallazone delivered another good start for UGA, but Jordan Montgomery was shaky again, giving up five runs early and leaving the game in the fourth inning. Carolina's middle relief kept things close, which gave Carolina the opportunity it needed to tie things up in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings. However, Price wouldn't come through this time around, and Georgia won on a walk-off single in the tenth.

If there's one thing to take away from the weekend, it's that Carolina has some questions on its pitching staff. First of all, Montgomery had another shaky outing, and you have to wonder if Ray Tanner isn't going to consider pulling him from his weekend starting role in favor of Koumas once Holmes returns. Second of all, Price also struggled over the weekend, giving up a couple of hits in Friday's save and then letting Georgia walk off on Saturday. Price's numbers are still impressive in some regards, so perhaps it's premature to begin questioning him, but it goes without saying that we need him pitching better than he did this weekend.

Since the Gamecocks and UGA will have played one less league game than the other teams in the conference, the championship could be decided by a half game. Currently, Carolina is 17-9, while Kentucky is 18-9 after sweeping 'Bama and LSU is 17-10 after losing its series to Vandy. (Florida is 16-11, so they're still in it for the East but would need a lot of help.) Needless to say, whatever happens, Carolina needs to win the series against LSU. If it only wins two of three, Carolina then needs some help from Mississippi St., which hosts UK. If both teams go 2-1, then Kentucky wins by a half game. That may seem a bit unfair, but then again, we had our chances to take one of those games in Lexington, and it may come back to bite us now.

Gamecocks Baseball Weekend Open Thread

2012-05-11T22:57:06Z

Go 'Cocks!