Cheers to the start of something great
A sincere thank you
Photo credit: Joshua McCoy - Ole Miss Athletics
A happy Tuesday morning to all of you.
As I write this just after 6 A.M., I’d like to say that I used to think morning people were assholes that couldn’t wait for an excuse to tell you they’re morning people, and I still think I hold that opinion, I have just become one of them. So it goes.
Truthfully, I did not intend to craft a newsletter today. I planned on waiting until I produced more content to link and to give the subscriptions more time to roll in. But the support so far has been so overwhelming and so gratifying, I couldn’t resist sneaking one in. I’d like to give a sincere thank you to all of you that have subscribed so far. Seriously, it’s hard to articulate just how much it means to me. It motivates me to turn this into something you’ll seek out and enjoy.
So with that out of the way, let’s get started. I promise these will begin to look better as we go, both in design and content. I am half colorblind and can barely match my socks to pants, but my girlfriend is incredibly creative, dabbles in graphic design and promised to help make this look suitable. She made the logo, as if that even needed to be admitted. So bear with me. Today, I give you some random Ole Miss Baseball thoughts to ponder.
Adversity strikes:
This word is overused, but in a technical sense, this program was issued its first real dose of adversity over the weekend since it walked off the field in Fayetteville, Arkansas in June of 2019. Losing a series to a preseason top 25 team is quite a small dosage, but adversity nonetheless. Should you be worried? Not really. Here’s why.
As I mentioned a second ago: Central Florida is good. I don’t care what FAU did to them opening weekend (mind you, the Knights were without their coach due to COVID) that team has a slew of quality arms, including a pair of left-handers that stifled the Ole Miss offense. The numbers against lefties are a concern, even dating back to last season. It feels like this has been an issue with Ole Miss teams for nearly a half decade now. At least since 2018. But UCF is an NCAA Tournament club. Take a breath. It happens. You won’t win every series.
A lesson for Bianco
Friday was a learning lesson for Mike Bianco. Ole Miss clung to a 1-0 lead as Doug Nikhazy trotted back out for the 7th approaching 90 pitches. Two solo shots later, he’s ousted from the game and the Rebels trailed 2-1 and never recouped the lead. Message boards melted and a program-record winning streak came to a halt.
Let me offer a defense: I get what Mike was trying to do. Nikhazy threw less than 60 pitches in a rocky debut in Arlington. He needed to stretch him a little and who do you trust more for the next three outs than the most decorated pitcher on your team? Preserve the bullpen for the rest of the weekend, right? Therein lies the lesson. Bianco has never had this type of bullpen depth before. Don’t believe? Name the last team with a minimum of 7 arms you’d trust in any high-leverage spot. I’ll wait. This is going to be a learning process for Bianco that he can be more aggressive in terms of firing bullets early in series. He has depth like never before, and if you haven’t noticed, the fellow named Hoglund on Saturdays is quite good. Plus, your starter on Sunday is going to be better than anyone not named Vanderbilt or Florida. Be aggressive, you have more ammunition than ever before. He’ll learn. As much as people don’t want to admit it, he adapts well.
Speaking of adapting:
This would have become a storyline last season had the whole global pandemic thing not happened: Mike Bianco is entering a second act of a historic career, and one that will be stronger than his first. He’s changed as a manager. Don’t believe me? Ole Miss’ bunt total this year through seven games is zero. I rest my case. But if you need more evidence, look no further than the season opener. Things got hairy in the fifth against TCU. For a man that has been accused of managing too rigidly, Mike Bianco went to his closer for the last 12 outs. He essentially looked at Taylor Broadway and said “enough horsing around, let’s end this shit.” Chances he does that a half decade ago? None.
He’s his managing personality is evolving too. This transformation happened in late May and early June during the 2019 season as his job security eroded and a team loaded with talent looked poised for a nosedive. That team found itself in Hoover that week. They were loose, vibrant and played with an attitude we hadn’t seen from a Bianco club before. You know the rest, they saved their season but fell a game short of Omaha. But Mike learned something about himself and about managing this generation of kids. Just watch his presser from Friday. Does that sound like a guy who just lost a game because of one of his decisions? I promise you, the presser wouldn’t have gone like that 3 years ago. You’ll just have to trust me. Your program is in good hands and you best not take the man who built it for granted.
By the numbers:
Not a huge numbers guy seven games into the season, but this space will become more nuanced as the year goes on. Here’s a couple to chew on for now:
Tim Elko is slugging .150 and Ben Van Cleve is at a .250 clip. That dog won’t hunt. Ole Miss needs them, particularly Elko as I believe Van Cleve is slightly more dispensable at DH. If you allowed me to see two players’ end-of-year stats in an effort to determine how successful this team was, I’m picking Elko and Diamond. The Rebels need Elko to produce. They’re going to have to ride this out for 25 games and let him figure it out. There’s no other option. Yes, of course, if April arrives and it’s still not happening, they’ll do something else. But Elko’s production is vital to this team’s potency as currently constructed. I bet both figure it out and this is just an early season blip.
John Rhys Plumlee’s OPS is 1.833, making him the greatest college pianist that also dabbles in baseball in the history of this fine country. In all seriousness, good on him for hitting a dinger. He’s a good kid that works his ass off. That was cool to see.
The Rebels play Memphis in Oxford today. 4 P.M. first pitch. Go watch Drew McDaniel pitch. He’s worth your time.
That’s all from me today. If you want more baseball analysis, I did a podcast with my old partner in crime Collin Brister. We talked baseball for 90 minutes. Check out here or wherever you get your podcasts.
These won’t always be Ole Miss-heavy. These will rarely be this long and dense. I’ll add in some golf, humor, good writing I come across, and whatever else interests me. Baseball was just on my mind today. Let me know your thoughts, feedback and ideas. This is a work in progress and I need you guys to be my eyes and ears as far as what is working and what isn’t. Start by letting me know if this email delivers.
Have a wonderful Tuesday. Some great content is on the horizon. Thanks for hanging with Rippee Writes.