Hogwired.com: Alabama Wins Series with 9-5 Victory Over Hogs
Emeel Salem’s seventh-inning two-run home run put a stake in No. 8 Arkansas on a smoldering afternoon in front of 4,206 fans at Sewell-Thomas Stadium as Alabama handed the Razorbacks their first SEC-series loss on the road this season.
Also:
- Hogwired.com: Box Score (PDF)
- Vernon Tarver: Trouble In Tuscaloosa, Stroup Makes Spot Start Count, Hogs Drop Another Road Series
- Rick Fires: Topsy-turvy Tide handles the Hogs
Updated 5/14/07 7:35 a.m.
Tipster and Sunshine,
What are your thoughts on our team right now? I was excited about 4 weeks ago. Not so excited right now.
The pitching has been less than expected from almost everyone lately. From a hitting standpoint, it seems we have fallen in love with home runs. It appears to me we either hit a home run or we're OK with going to sit on the bench. We have lots of strikeouts and long fly balls.
Let me play the not so enviable straight man for Tipster and Sunshine and bait the hook, but let me preface all this with remembering that Dave Van Horn aka "Earl" has a unique capacity for bringing out the best in his ball players when the chips are down – somehow he finds a way. So with that said here are a few "nuggets" to chew on – Tipster & Sunshine -
- your ace of the staff is really struggling and for some odd reason is hitting the bat pretty regular
- a usually sure handed backstop has a 4 passed ball game
- a couple of veterans get benched
- this late in the year you have not solidified a Sunday starter
- your bullpen has become thin
- you have become error prone — 8 against Bama
- your DH goes 0-14 against Bama
- Homers are up quite a bit because Hamblin is tied or leading the SEC now after a slow start. You don't complain here…
- you hit a combined .252 against Bama – 26 for 103 – you can “whine” here.
In Baseball you throw it, you catch it and you hit it – it's a simple game huh? What is not so simple is putting all three together in the same 9 innings. Therein lies the rub of late.. There is a "peak" that you just gotta hit on the way to Omaha and you have got to do that right about NOW – no better way to do this than to slam dunk Ole Miss, go take care of "just enough" business at the SEC tournament, blow through your Regional and your SUPER and enjoy the plane ride to Omaha. It's a "simple game".
Personally I'm going to fill my Baum season seats, enjoy the "peak" as it finally arrives and I'll see you in Omaha.