AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May > 28 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTech’s sin: Cutting it close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech can make an excellent case it should have been invited to play in the NCAA baseball tournament. I have little doubt the Yellow Jackets would win more than they lost if matched head to head against a few of the at-large selections.
At the end of the day, though, doesn’t Tech have to blame itself a bit for getting in a position where the committee could rationalize choosing someone else? Aren’t the Yellow Jackets a little like the guy who goes to sleep with the front door open and wakes to find thieves stole his TV? They didn’t deserve to be robbed (nobody does), but their actions (winning only 32 games overall, finishing a half-game behind N.C. State and 1 1/2 games behind Miami) made it possible.
Tech arguably did enough to earn an NCAA tourney berth; it just didn’t do enough to lock up that berth so tightly a less deserving squad couldn’t get it.
Comments
By KL
May 28, 2007 5:15 PM | Link to this
The committee punished Tech for not having a very good non conference record. Hopefully Danny Hall will finally wake up and realize that the game against Georgia is actually important and will got out and try to win it rather than starting a catcher who has never started a game in his career. When you don’t have a pitching coach who can develop freshmen in a 60 game season, you’ll miss the tournament from time to time.
By jason
May 28, 2007 5:48 PM | Link to this
Tech lost to: Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern (twice) and Georgia State. In their win over Ga. State, they had a grand total of one hit! Yeah, that’s a team that deserves to be playing in the NCAA tournament.
By The Wreck
May 28, 2007 7:26 PM | Link to this
Not much of a sports guy, huh Jason? Baseball teams lose to inferior opponents all the time. Not a big deal, esp. early in the season when we played KSU, GSU, GaSou, and the like. Look at who we beat and who else made the tournament and tell me Tech isn’t one of the 64 best teams. Our RPI was 29 for freak’s sake. But clearly none of that matters.
I think losing 7 of our last 8 (or whatever the stat was) left our fate in the hands of the committee and that’s never a good thing. We are certainly better than more than half of the field, but we all knew that didn’t matter and they weren’t going to let in 8 ACC teams no matter what.
By mtraininjax
May 28, 2007 8:19 PM | Link to this
Pitching was suspect this year. Danny Payne a reliever? Wieters was ineffective and was tagged for the winning run as well against NC State. Hitting was there all year, it was pitching that melted down, and the FSU series showed it. Any series where you let the opponent score 10 runs in the first inning, its tough to come back from it.
Oh, well, better luck next year.
By ben
May 28, 2007 9:08 PM | Link to this
After the voters gave a co-national championship to Colorado (some still consider them the sole champion) after the Buffs lost two, tied one and lost a third except for an official giving them a fifth down, nothing much surprises me when it comes to the disrespect Tech gets. We’re considered dog crap by the powers that be. And that won’t change unless we win frequently enough to earn it. Duke did, so it’s possible. Just not probable.
By jason
May 28, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this
Better than more than half the field? Heck, the RPI actually went down after the ACC tournament. Teams that have high RPIs get left out of the men’s basketball tournament all the time. A high RPI and 50 cents gets you a crappy newspaper on the streets of Atlanta.
You got swept a team ranked #88. You lost to a team ranked #99. You lost at home to a team ranked #171. You lost at home to a team ranked #107. But forget the rankings. The important stat is going 2-8 in the last 10 games. If its basketball, is there even a case for a team that finishes like that?
Guess the AJC isn’t getting a good return on that investment of two full-page ads in the Tech baseball media guide.
By Dan
May 28, 2007 10:11 PM | Link to this
Jason, lay off the retard sandwiches and step away from the computer. You become more ignorant with every post you type.
By gtalum in Huntsville, AL
May 28, 2007 10:49 PM | Link to this
Hey ben, get your facts straight. Colorado lost one (not two), tied one, and had five downs to Missouri. They were co-national champs with us. We could have been sole national champs had we not tied an inferior UNC team that season.
By shepherd18
May 28, 2007 11:30 PM | Link to this
The only argument I have is that Tech’s winning % is better than Wake’s in both the ACC and overall. Not to mention I think we are better than some of the at-large teams like Wofford and Brown. That being said, this wouldn’t even be a question if they had won more games.
By Bundy
May 29, 2007 2:02 AM | Link to this
Here is a “what-if” scenario? I do not blame Coach Hall for starting some of our reserves in the final game of the ACC tourney against NCSU, which we lost 8-7. Win or lose we were not going to the ACC title game. BUT….. let’s say we beat NCSU with our regular line up (That’s not a guarantee) and finish 2-1 in the tourney. That may have been the padding on our resume that would have landed us in the big dance. The conference tourneys are HUGE in basketball. I would imagine they’re a big deal in baseball too. It would have been great to continue this run. Tough to miss the NCAAs after being in the CWS last year. Thanks to the seniors and the other players being drafted soon!!! Go Jackets!!! TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!
By Wrecker1
May 29, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
As much as it pains me to say this, TECH really wasn’t a very good team this year. Oh I don’t mean we were terrible but I just don’t think we had a team worthy of being in the big tournament. In ACC play, including the tournament, we were 8-4 against the bottom 4 teams and only 8-12 against the others. We only had 4 real good solid hitters and the rest were below .300 and most of them well below .300. That won’t get it in big time college baseball. Our pitching staff’s ERA was over 5 and we had 2 starters and one reliever we could count on. Finishing 2-8, admittedly against good teams, was the topping on the cake. This team lost too many heart breakers that good teams find a way to win.
By Wake Forest
May 29, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this
Who is the ACC Football Champion?
Who knocked you out of the ACC basketball tournament?
Who got an NCAA baseball invitation, and who didn’t?
Who is your daddy?
Cry, babies, cry.
By The Painful Truth
May 29, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
Ben: I have to take exception to your statement that “We’re considered dog crap by the powers that be.”
Tech is considered dog crap by everyone that did not attend Tech, and quite frankly by many who did.
By godawg
May 29, 2007 1:37 PM | Link to this
The fact of the matter is Tech’s inability to beat Georgia, again, kept them out. Win those two games and Tech’s in. Georgia was absolutely terrible this year but pushing Tech out of the CWS ends our season on a high note. WOOF!
By Spike
May 29, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
Wake Forest…. Good one!!!
By gtmellon
May 29, 2007 4:02 PM | Link to this
Can’t believe losing 2 out of 3 to Georgia cost us a chance to play in the NCAAs. UGA and Wake, first football and now baseball.
By dowggie
May 29, 2007 4:14 PM | Link to this
A. Georgia eats ‘em up and they’re left behind.
Q.__
By KL
May 29, 2007 10:53 PM | Link to this
Chan Gailey finally got rid of his worthless offensive coordinator and ran him off to Miami. Now Danny Hall needs to get rid of his worthless pitching coach. Only 2 pitchers made improvements this year and everyone else got worse or developed sore arms. Bobby Moranda should go off to Miami and join Patrick Nix.
By Spike
May 30, 2007 3:38 PM | Link to this
Where is Andy Fritchleys’ columnn whining and complaing about this?
By GARY
June 3, 2007 3:40 PM | Link to this
GT didn’t deserve to go, can’t beat UGa, which had a losing season—so how does GT figure they should have gone. Also look for more of the same in football. Cant understand how Gailey is so intimadated by Richt