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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Things college football should adopt from soccer

Every time I opine about soccer, I get a bunch of e-mails. I don't particularly like soccer. It's just not my thing. This, however, generally leads people to call me as an uncultured fool, a xenophobe that looks down on the world's sport.

Believe me, that's not it. I just don't really like soccer that much. There's nothing more to it than that. No deeper meaning. No hidden agenda. I like watching baseball and golf, sports many classify as boring. Agree to disagree, I guess. I won't take it personally. (I will say that this tweet comparing soccer to the "Twilight" movies is pretty funny, though.)

But I am transfixed by the World Cup. I can't stop watching it, vuvuzelas aside. I like the passion, the energy, the stakes, the organization, everything about it ... just not the soccer. Which makes me wonder: what is the World Cup doing so right that even a soccer-watching novice like myself refuses to turn the channel? Well, a bunch of things, some of which I think can translate well to the world of college football and improve the game. Let's take take a look at some of them, shall we?

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SHOULD ADOPT ...

The red card/yellow card system: Love it. Absolutely love it. It's a great way to police unsportsmanlike behavior in the game. And let's face it, all unsportsmanlike penalties in college football are not the same. An incidental grabbing of the facemask is 15 yards. So is grabbing and twisting until a player's head nearly comes off. I think there should be some sort of accountability for plays like that. If you blatantly hit a player in an unsportsmanlike manner (like, with intent to injure), it should be more than 15 yards. That player should get a yellow card. Get two and you're gone from the game. Keep getting them throughout the season and you can sit on the bench for a game. If Brandon Spikes wants to eye gouge somebody, that's a red card. Enjoy the next game in street clothes, no questions asked. Wouldn't this police some of the chop blocks, late hits and intentional helmet-leading hits that are dirty and don't belong in the game? The NFL can punish its players with fine for illegal actions. What can the NCAA do? It's powerless in that regard. Take it out of the coach's hands, because those decisions are generally blurred by how important the player is to the team.

Unrestrained celebrations: Goals are so infrequent in soccer that when someone scores one, he celebrates like he's been greeted by God and the only way to get into heaven is to dance, dance, dance. After the requisite boogieing and/or gymnastics move, teammates mob him and bench players in their warmup suits get into the action. And on and on it goes, just pure, unadulterated joy. Why is this a problem? Why do we treat our sports celebrations like they are some sort of indication of the moral decay in society? Is jumping around and dancing after doing something exciting really that damaging? Lighten up, people. Let the kids dance. Let them high five. Let them acknowledge the screaming crowd (I'm sure Georgia fans would agree with this). Don't leave it up to a subjective definition of excessive celebration. Each referee has a different idea of what that means, and quite honestly, they have larger matters to concern themselves than being the prudes who have to tell everyone to turn the music down after a touchdown.

Outlandish fan costumes: The above picture is of Argentina fans. You can tell this because ... well, look at them. There is no mistaking who those guys are fans of (unless you guessed Uruguay, which has a similar color scheme). The point is, soccer fans really get into it. If you're at a game, you're wearing the team colors ... and possibly a team scarf ... maybe with your face painted the team's colors ... probably with a festive hat. And everyone else around you is dressed with a similar zeal. Some college football fans go this far, but let's be honest: it's time to step up your game. I realize the shirt and tie/sundress thing is an SEC tradition, but it's a football game, not a yacht club meeting. Dress as such. If a TV camera happens to pass you by, leave no doubt which team you're backing.

Coaches in suits: If Diego Maradona can suit it up, so can you, Gene Chizik. I'm not saying you have to do it for every game. But how about the big ones? What says, "I'm classy" quite like a three-piece suit. Basketball coaches do it all the time. And the well-dressed ones get noticed. Football should follow suit (see what I did there?) and get these guys dressed to the nines.

No commercial breaks: How fantastic is being able to watch a soccer match in two hours? Just continuous action, with no momentum-shattering two-minute stops while a guy with a red hat comes onto the field and says nobody can play. Notice I didn't say no advertisements. You can't look at a soccer field and not see an advertisement. The scoreboard in the upper right-hand corner is clearly sponsored by Sony. Giant Visa ads surround the playing field. I'm sure it's not cheap to advertise that. Why do we need to stop the game to show everyone an ad? Maybe this will cut down on the 3.5 to 4-hour football games that have become so common of late. Nothing is more frustrating that the commercial break-kickoff-commercial break sequence that football loves so much (maybe that's only in the pros; it's maddening nonetheless). Take away the break. Everyone will be happier.

A single-elimination tournament to determine a champion: Even soccer gets it, college football. Why can't you? The World Cup would be kind of boring if, after the qualifying rounds, they determined that, based on the world rankings, No. 1 Brazil would play No. 2 Spain for the championship. Give us a playoff, college football. Every argument for it works. Every argument against it is bogus. There's no denying it.

Relegation: This is not related to the World Cup, per se, but it's a staple of all the major soccer leagues in Europe and around the world. In short, in a relegation system, a small number of teams at the bottom of a league's standings are moved down to a lesser league after each season, while the top few teams in the lesser league are bumped up. It guarantees competitiveness in the highest levels and lets less-talented teams match up against similar competition.

Here's how I think it can work in football: unite the non-BCS conference schools under one umbrella and divide them into tiers. This is football only, since football seems to operate by its own rules in college athletics. Have the teams in those tiers play each other and, on a yearly basis, promote and relegate three teams between the levels. This way, the top tier faces top-notch competition. Teams like TCU and Boise State, whose schedules come into question every season, play a slate of competitive teams. Give the winner of that tier an automatic BCS bid. And, quite honestly, if you're second, you should deserve BCS bowl consideration as well. Look at the top nine non-BCS schools from last year (end-of-season Sagarin rankings in parentheses):
  • TCU (4)
  • Boise State (5)
  • BYU (15)
  • Utah (24)
  • Air Force (35)
  • Navy (38)
  • Central Michigan (42)
  • East Carolina (51)
  • Houston (53)
Have them play each other, just like a regular conference. You mean to tell me whoever comes out of that group wouldn't warrant a BCS bowl bid? By doing this, you 1) let non-BCS teams play their way into marquee bowl games and 2) appease the big-conference teams that think teams like Boise State and TCU don't play tough enough competition to earn premier bowl consideration.

Once the most recent conference realignment is done, there will be 67 BCS teams and 53 non-BCS teams. Split the non-BCS teams into five divisions of nine and one division (the lowest one) of eight. Each division plays eight "conference" games (the bottom group plays seven). The top three teams in a division at the end of the year move up a level; the bottom three move down. Sustained excellence gets rewarded by moving up to higher-tier divisions and greater exposure/bowl possibilities. Plus, the divisions should pit teams against one another that are close in terms of talent. It's a winning situation all around.

(And yes, before you e-mail me to tell me I'm an idiot, I realize this system is completely implausible. But it would be cool, wouldn't it?)

Now, soccer viewing isn't perfect. Naturally there are some things that I'd rather do without, leading to ...

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD COLLEGE FOOTBALL ADOPT ...

Vuvuzelas: It's American sports fandom's biggest scourge since the great Thunderstix invasion of the early 2000's. These vuvuzelas are annoying. There's no getting around it. Keep them away from the football field. Thankfully, the SEC has already drawn a distinction between the soccer horn and a similar noisemaker, the Mississippi State cowbell. Both are kind of irritating. Both are there for the sole purpose of making noise. But only one has historic ties to an SEC school. College football fans can put up with the latter. Introducing the former would help ruin the gameday experience.

Diving: Single-handedly the most annoying thing about soccer. These theatrics are just plain cheap and embarrassing and, based on my limited viewing, very effective, unfortunately. (This isn't the World Cup, but it's my favorite example of how stupid this whole diving thing is. The ridiculous part happens about 12 seconds in.) Personally, I wish FIFA would review some of these dives after the fact and retroactively retract cards given out by an egregious dive. In fact, give the diver a card and a suspension. That's how much I dislike this "gamesmanship" aspect of the sport. The closest example in football is the lengths most kickers and punters will go to get a roughing the kicker penalty. If any hittable player tried that nonsense, they'd feel it on the next play.

Extra time: Soccer should know, we have the technology to start and stop a clock these days. The future is now. This ambiguous extra time that only the referee knows about until the very end would not fly in the world of SEC football. Can you imagine the conspiracy theories if Alabama was allowed to score a last-second touchdown to beat Auburn because of three mysterious minutes added to the clock. Reverse the roles or substitute any great SEC rivalry in this situation and you're dealing with an extremely loud and passionate group of people who will cry foul. The point is, we have a clock capable of starting and stopping. Let's continue to use both of those functions, OK?

Ties: A very un-American way of ending things (well, except for the Korean War, I guess). Yes, the SEC has some famous ties in its history, but they're so unsatisfying. Somebody wins, somebody loses. That's how football works. I don't care if we disgrace the game and skew the statistics by having a final score of 122-116 after 15 overtimes, I'd rather have that as an outcome than a tie. This is America. Once you turn 13, only one team gets juice boxes after a sporting event.

Have any thoughts? Comment below. And be sure to follow the blog on Twitter.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Tony Barbee thinks he's put his stamp on Auburn basketball program after only a few months

Tony Barbee has only been on the job for a few months, but Auburn's new basketball coach thinks he's put his stamp on the program in that short time.

"Anytime a new coach takes over there's always a transition," Barbee said during a Monday teleconference. "You've got to make sure it's a fit both ways, for the player and for myself and my staff, my system and how we're going to do things. So I'm pleased with how the current team is shaping up."

Barbee, who got his first head coaching gig at UTEP on the eve of the season, has had substantially more time at Auburn after being hired in March.

That extra time allowed him to make inroads on the recruiting trail. Forwards Josh Langford and Luke Cothron and point guard Chris Denson all signed in the late recruiting period. The other three players in the recruiting class signed under Jeff Lebo's watch.

Of the signees, Langford, Denson and small forward Allen Payne have already enrolled, according to AuburnUndercover.com. Forwards Adrian Forbes, Shawn Kemp Jr. and Cothron hope to be enrolled in August.

Several other Lebo signees have gone elsewhere, including forward Heath Houston, who recently signed with VCU.

Barbee acknowledged he'll be working with a young group next year, one that includes only two juniors. Of those two, guard Frankie Sullivan is the only player who got significant minutes last year.

"We're starting over," Barbee said. "But it's exciting to start over in a way, because you get a chance to mold a younger group of players who haven't been set in their ways of going through a system for several years.

"It's going to be like molding clay. And every day is a different challenge. ... It'll be fun and a little apprehensive at the same time."

Here a few other things he had to say:
  • Barbee sounded very excited to get Cothron on the court. "I think Luke brings a different level of talent that this program hasn't seen in a long time. One of those 6-8, 6-9 hybrid forwards that can score from different angles of the perimeter. He can go out to the 3-point line, is great around the basket. He's got great feet and great hands and has a knack for rebounding. So there's no question he'll bring a lot to the team as a freshman."
  • He didn't pay much attention to all the conference expansion talk, which was mostly driven by football. "As coaches, that's outside of our responsibilities," he said. "I'm kind of glad it is." He said he's a traditionalist and is satisfied with the current order.
  • On improving Auburn's defense: "My philosophy has always been based around defense. That's where we started from Day 1 when I got the job in the limited time we had with the team individual work-wise was molding the team about how we're going to be on defense. Your offense is going to come and go, but defensively you can be consistent with that every night."
  • He said Auburn will have to lean on defense, especially considering how "offensively-challenged" the team might be next year.
  • Auburn shot a lot of 3-pointers last year. Barbee doesn't mind. "I don't think it matters how many you shoot, you better make some of them." He thinks because of the team's lack of size, it might have to rely on 3-point shooting.
  • He's very high on Sullivan, who used to go to camps Barbee would help out with as an assistant coach at Memphis. "He's one of those guys that you want your entire team to play like, with reckless abandon, a toughness that he's not going to back down no matter who he plays against."

Friday, June 25, 2010

Auburn to host swimming and diving NCAA championships, gymnastics regional in 2012

A pair of NCAA women's events will be coming to an Auburn arena near you in the not-so-distant future.

The NCAA announced Friday that Auburn will host the Division I women's swimming and diving championships and an NCAA regional in women's gymnastics, both in 2012. The swimming and diving championship will take place March 15-17 at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center, while the gymnastics regional will take place April 7 at the Auburn Arena.

“We’re very pleased that the NCAA has selected Auburn as the host for these two events in 2012,” Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said. “These championships will be great not only for Auburn athletics and our student-athletes, but the university and community as well. Thousands of coaches, athletes and fans from across the country will be treated to first-class events and Southern hospitality that is second to none.”

It's the third time Auburn will host the swimming and diving championships. It hosted the women's event in 2003 and the men's in 1998.

Auburn is one of six schools to host a gymnastics regional in 2012. It last hosted a regional in 1991, although it held the 2005 women's championships in 2005.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Ranking the SEC's non-conference schedules

Seventy-two. That's the number of days until the start of the football season, which seems like an eternity. It also makes it hard to find blogging subjects in these summer months.

Today, for no reason whatsoever, let's take a look at how each SEC team's non-conference schedule stacks up. I'm normally of the mind that if you play one quality non-conference opponent, it's not the worst thing to line up a few cupcakes for the other three games, especially for a conference that has as many potential landmines as the SEC.

I'll even give each schedule an arbitrary point system to make things seem more official, with opponents falling into one of four categories. Three points for a top-flight opponent (conference contender/top 25 team), two for a quality opponent (decent BCS school/solid bowl team), one for an average opponent (low-tier BCS/decent non-BCS) and none for cupcake (lower half non-BCS teams/almost all FBS opponents).

TIER 1 (6 points)
  • Florida: Miami of Ohio (0), South Florida (2), Appalachian State (1), at Florida State (3) — I debated whether or not to give Appalachian State a point. It is, after all, an FCS school, but it's a good one. Like top-five good. In the end, I gave it the nod. Florida State, in the post-Bobby Bowden era, could be on the rise again, a popular pick to win the ACC Atlantic Division. And South Florida, despite its coaching change, isn't a pushover. Very respectable scheduling by the Gators, even if the Seminoles are a guaranteed opponent every year.
  • LSU: North Carolina in Atlanta (3), West Virginia (3), McNeese State (0), Louisiana-Monroe (0) — I had some internal debate about this one as well. The Tar Heels are a consensus preseason top-25 team, with a stud defense waiting to be unleashed. (Perhaps I could have given bonus points for teams that play on the road or in neutral sites against quality opponents too. Oh well, LSU can settle for three points here.) The Mountaineers I had somewhere between two and three points. Many preseason magazines have them as the No. 2 team in the Big East and a borderline top-25 team. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. This is a team that's won 51 games in the last five years.
  • South Carolina: Southern Miss (2), Furman (0), Troy (1), at Clemson (3) — The Gamecocks get a built-in 3-pointer thanks to state-rival Clemson, who will make the non-conference rounds in the SEC this year. I initially had Southern Miss as a 1-point team until seeing many magazines think the Golden Eagles could win the Conference USA East. Troy's not exactly a pushover either, one year removed from running the table in the Sun Belt.
TIER 2
(5 points)
  • Vanderbilt: Northwestern (2), at Connecticut (2), Eastern Michigan (0), Wake Forest (1) — No real blockbusters for the Commodores but, except for Eastern Michigan, which was winless last season, three decent matchups. Northwestern has turned itself into a mid-level Big Ten team and Connecticut has won at least eight games the last three seasons. Wake Forest isn't great, but Jim Grobe usually puts a competitive team on the field. This smart-school schedule isn't as bad as you would think.
TIER 3 (4 points)
  • Alabama: San Jose State (0), Penn State (3), at Duke (1), Georgia State (0) — If you schedule the Nittany Lions, you can usually get a break on the rest of your schedule. Personally, I'm excited to see the teams with the two plainest uniforms in football square off. Duke, despite its reputation, gets a point after winning nine games in the first two years under David Cutcliffe. The San Jose State and Georgia State games could get ugly, though.
  • Georgia: Louisiana-Lafayette (0), at Colorado (1), Idaho State (0), Georgia Tech (3) —Another built-in 3-pointer thanks to the state-rival Yellow Jackets, who could contend for the ACC Coastal Division title and are close to being in the top-25 in most preseason magazines. Colorado is a 2-point school stuck in a 1-point rut. This matchup probably looked a lot better when Georgia scheduled it.
TIER 4 (3 points)
  • Auburn: Arkansas State (0), Clemson (3), Louisiana-Monroe (0), Tennessee-Chattanooga (0) — Kudos for scheduling Clemson, a matchup between similar programs who seem like they should be playing each other more than the occasional bowl game. Beyond that, there's not much. Despite occasional competitiveness against top-notch competition (Iowa last year, Texas A&M two years ago), Arkansas State doesn't appear to have much going for it this season. Monroe and Chattanooga are fodder to fill the schedule.
  • Tennessee: Tennessee-Martin (0), Oregon (3), UAB (0), at Memphis (0) — The Ducks are a legitimate contender, one that will start in the top-10 of most polls and might be the favorite to win the Pac-10 (provided the rest of the team does not get arrested this summer). Beyond that, you're looking at an FCS school and two bottom feeders from the Conference USA.
  • Arkansas: Tennessee Tech (0), Louisiana-Monroe (0), vs. Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas (2), UTEP (1) — Playing the Aggies in a neutral site game is a boost to the non-conference schedule. Texas A&M is a distant third in the Big 12 South, although most teams would be when stacking up against Texas and Oklahoma. UTEP doesn't seem like a 1-point team, having not had a winning season since 2005 but it can put up some points. The Sporting News even projects the Miners to make the Hawaii Bowl.
TIER 5 (2 points)
  • Mississippi State: Memphis (0), Alcorn State (0), at Houston (2), UAB (0) — A remarkably similar schedule to Tennessee, although the Bulldogs don't have a team the caliber of Oregon as a highlight. Houston has Case Keenum and a high-powered offense, but it's still not in the top-tier of college football. Memphis and UAB we've already covered.
TIER 6 (1 point)
  • Kentucky: At Louisville (1), Western Kentucky (0), Akron (0), Charleston Southern (0) — Rich Brooks might be gone, but his scheduling legacy lives on. The Cardinals, a border rival, slipped tremendously under Steve Kragthorpe, winning six, five and four games in his final three years. I doubt Charlie Strong turns things around in a year. Athlon ranks Western Kentucky and Akron in the 100s in overall FBS teams and Chuck South is an FCS squad. But hey, whatever it takes to get to the Music City Bowl, right?
  • Ole Miss: Jacksonville State (0), at Tulane (0), Fresno State (1), Louisiana-Lafayette (0) — The Rebels had two FCS teams on last year's schedule, so this isn't entirely surprising. Fresno seems to get up for big non-conference games, but the Bulldogs are a middle of the pack WAC team this year. I can't give them more than a point on this one.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Former Auburn, Columbus High pitcher Ty Kelley learning the ropes after signing with Angels

It's been a whirlwind week for former Auburn reliever Ty Kelley. The one-time Columbus High standout went from starting his summer league stint in Amsterdam, N.Y., to signing with the Anaheim Angels in the matter of days.

Now he's in Tempe, Ariz., ready to embark on a professional career with the Angels' Rookie league affiliate.

"It's awesome," Kelley said Tuesday. " It's going to be a great experience getting here and trying to meet everybody and figure everything out."

Auburn fans might not be familiar with Kelley's name. After making 11 appearances and starting three non-conference games in 2009, the 6-foot-4, right-hander pitched only four times last season, posting a 9.64 ERA in 4 2/3 innings. He would have been a fifth-year senior next season.

He joined the New York Collegiate League as a way to get some innings this summer and perhaps catch the eye of major league scouts. The Angels, who showed interest in him out of high school, signed him after he threw four scoreless innings in Amsterdam.

"It just kind of did catch me (by surprise)," Kelley said. "I kind of was hoping for something toward the end of the summer, but not that soon. And they called and then it just kind of caught me off guard and I kind of thought about it and weighed everything. I talked to a lot of different people. Everybody kind of felt like, they told me it was a great opportunity not to let it pass by."

Here's what else Kelley had to say:
(What are you feelings about signing with a major league organization?)
"It just kind of hit me yesterday when I was in the locker room and putting on the Angels jersey, it's just being a part of a great tradition with a lot of people who have been through there and people who have played for the Angels, it's awesome to be able to do that."

(How hard was it not being able to get many opportunities to pitch this year for Auburn)
"You know, it was tough. After a year, last year I threw quite a bit. And this year it was real tough. Especially as much success as our team had. It was awesome. When you're winning, you're happy. But it was tough just not being able to throw as much as I'd like to and not getting as many opportunities as I wanted. But I guess you can't really complain about that."

(After an inactive season, is your arm in shape?)
"I was kind of worried about that. I threw those four innings within a few days and it felt great. And then the next day it was ready, and it wasn't sore or anything. I think it's pretty good. It's not ready to be a starter and go five-plus, but it's good enough to just work my way to that point. Plus, I just got here and they're going to work with me in bullpens. I'll be conditioning and they'll get my arm strength back up. So I'll be ready to throw when they need me."

(What kind of role do you think you'll have?)
"Right away it'll probably be coming out of the bullpen, probably a short relief and then going into long relief. Maybe starter down the road."

(What are you first impressions of how the Angels operate?)
"It's kind of funny. I was thinking, we have a lot of rules, a lot of things you can do and can't do, it's a lot like playing for (Columbus) coach (Bobby) Howard. He gets you real prepared for the next level. A lot of the things we do here are a lot like that. Real instructional. It's not really a big, big difference, it's just a lot more work, because it's a job now, so it's a lot more work. You're at the field for eight hours a day, in the heat practicing and trying to learn new things. It's going to be a big step. The big thing now is the time difference, just trying to get used to everything for me. Everything else, it's something I've always done. So it's not new to me."

Monday, June 21, 2010

Craig Stevens, Lee Ziemba named to watch lists

It's officially less than a month until the SEC media days. And there will be plenty of preseason polls and watch lists coming out in that time, just like today.

Auburn seniors Craig Stevens and Lee Ziemba made a pair of watch lists for national awards, the National Football Writers Association announced.

Stevens, a linebacker, has been named too the Bronko Nagurski watch list. The award is given annually to the nation's top defensive player. Stevens was Auburn's co-defensive MVP last year, making 95 tackles (55 solo, 40 assists), eight tackles for loss and 2.5 quarterback sacks. He's started 26 straight games and has 18 career tackles.

Ziemba made the Outland Trophy list. It's given annually to to nation's top lineman on offense or defense. He was a second-team All-SEC selection last year by the coaches and an honorable mention by the Associated Press. He had 67 knockdown blocks, second most on the team. He's started all 38 games of his Auburn career and would break the Auburn school record if he starts every game in 2010.

While we were gone ...

It was a refreshing week of vacation, but the blog is back for the next week and a half. Until, of course, another quick getaway, this time to Minnesota to see the folks. (Such is the life of a sportswriter, needing to cram all allotted vacation hours into amonthlong span).

ANYWAY, some things happened on the beat while I was gone. Let's rattle through them quickly with some belated thoughts.
  1. It will cost $16 million and be privately funded. I don't think Auburn will have any trouble getting donors to chip in.
  2. It'll be 92,000 feet. Sounds big. More importantly, it puts the Tigers on par with all the other SEC schools that have indoor facilities. It's always nice for a program to be on an equal footing with stuff like that, especially when it comes to impressing recruits.
  3. Auburn is sparing no expense with this new coaching staff in refreshing everything about the program. The athletic complex underwent renovations last year. The practice facility will be next. Makes you wonder when the next face lift for Jordan-Hare will take place?
  • The football team got a commitment from Mobile, Ala., defensive end JaBrian Niles last week, shortly after attending Auburn's Senior Camp. Niles is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound three-star recruit, according to Rivals. He had offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. He's the Tigers' eighth commitment for 2011 and their second defensive lineman, joining Bear, Del., defensive tackle Angelo Blackson.
  • As expected, Auburn's baseball stars are starting to sign major league contracts. First baseman Hunter Morris got a $217,800 bonus from the Brewers. Center fielder Trent Mummey got $252,000 from the Orioles. Catcher Ryan Jenkins (Royals) and closer Austin Hubbard (Rays) -- both seniors -- also signed.
  • That leaves quite a few unsigned players for Auburn. The most interesting to watch will be pitchers Cole Nelson (10th round, Tigers) and Grant Dayton (11th round, Marlins), Brian Fletcher (18th round, Royals) and Kevin Patterson (23rd round, Rays). Nelson and Dayton were both taken high enough that you'd figure they would sign, just to minimize the risk of dropping in the draft next year (and, as seniors, losing any signing leverage they might have). Fletcher and Patterson, both juniors, are in the same boat, although both went lower in this year's draft than expected. Would that be enough for them to come back to Auburn for their senior year? I wouldn't bet on it. But if the money's not right, it could be a possibility. Non-senior college players have until Aug. 16 to sign.
  • I also have to point out a well done story on safety Zac Etheridge by fellow beat writer Andrew Gribble of the Opelika-Auburn News. Etheridge hasn't put on pads since the scary hit that nearly paralyzed him last fall, but he's worked on getting his strength back in the weight room. Key date: July 20. That's when he'll find out if he's cleared medically to play his final season at Auburn.
  • And to close things out, here's an artist's rendering of what the inside of the indoor practice facility will look like:

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Time for a little vacation


Now that baseball is over, summer, even if it's not officially here, is here. And that for a sportswriter means a little down time before the SEC media days starts in -- how long is it? -- a little over a month. So the blog regrets to inform you that I'll be on vacation this week.

What are my plans? Well, I don't want to give away too much, but I'm planning a cross-country expedition to "Walley World" in my brand new Antarctic blue super-sports wagon, complete with a CB radio and optional rally fun pack. I haven't checked the "Walley World" website lately, but I'm sure it'll be open.

ANYWAY, short of the conference's completely refiguring themselves and Auburn joining the Big Twelveten I won't be posting much, if at all, next week. But I will be back after that, trying to scrap together some summer stories until football is back on everyone's radar.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Auburn baseball hopes this year was just the start

I wrapped up the baseball season in an article for today's newspaper. Here's how it starts:
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s baseball season had hardly been over for 15 minutes when head coach John Pawlowski started his post-game press conference by thanking his players.

“They worked so hard this year to come this far,” Pawlowski said, saving answers for the team’s season-ending NCAA regional loss to Clemson for later. “I look at the beginning of the season and where we were. I’m just really proud of this team.”

The Tigers’ postseason run might have ended sooner than they would have liked, but it doesn’t change the giant step forward the program made in Pawlowski’s second year.

Thanks to a strong class of juniors recruited by his predecessor, Tom Slater, Pawlowski led Auburn to 43 wins, the seventh most in school history. The Tigers ended a series of droughts, earning an NCAA berth for the first time since 2005, qualifying for the SEC tournament for the first time since 2003 and winning the SEC West for the first time since 1995.

“It means a lot to have the fans believe in Auburn baseball again,” shortstop Casey McElroy said.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Former Russell County standout and Auburn signee Bryce Lane signs with Houston Astros

It didn't take long for one of Auburn's signees to go pro. Former Russell County outfielder Bryce Lane, who spent the last two years at Gulf Coast Community College, signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros, according to the team website.

Lane was a 41st round pick Wednesday in the Major League draft, going 1,233rd overall.

Lane, who signed with Auburn in April, led GCCC in batting (.431), hits (84), runs (79), home runs (26), RBIs (90) and slugging percentage (.981). He also went 2-1 with two saves and a 1.04 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.

Auburn had 11 players and five signees drafted this week.

Just had a chance to talk to Bryce on the phone. Here's what he had to say:
(Why did you go pro?)
"I just wanted to play. I wanted to start my career off. Make my way to the big leagues. Start it now. And the money was right, right enough for me not to go to school and for me to start it. So we got it done. I signed the day I got drafted."

(Who'd you talk to during the signing process?)
"Matt Heath. He coached at Auburn last year, the hitting coach. And I was his first guy that he drafted. It was his first year in pro ball, being a pro scout, and I was the first guy that he drafted."

(You went in the 41st round. Higher or lower than you thought?)
"I actually thought I was going to go earlier. I was projected to go 10th through 20th round and they had a bunch of guys that signed for $1,000, a bunch of senior signs that were done with college and didn't have anything else to do, so they signed the cheaper guys. And then they got to the 41st round and they actually called me in the 20th round and told me they were going to draft me in the next four or five rounds. And then my name slipped because of some senior signs signed for cheaper money than I wanted. And they got to the 41st round and they needed a hitter to go to the New York-Penn League. So they asked if I was still signable and they kept their word with the money they were going to give me in the 20th round. So I actually signed way out of slot. I actually got 15th round money. The money, like I said, wasn't an issue anyways. I wanted to go play. I'm not going to let money stop my dream."

(Did having a good season at Gulf Coast make it easier to go pro?)
"I thought I was ready before the season started. I always have confidence in myself and I think I'm going to make it to the big leagues. I mean, I know I am, because I've got plenty of confidence in myself and I know I'm going to work hard and achieve it. of course, the type of season I had I think helps a lot. It put my name on the boards and put my name on the map and got it done."

(Did you talk to Auburn coach John Pawlowski?)
"He sent me a text message saying that he was happy for me. Then I called coach Foxhall back and he was happy for me that I got drafted. He was disappointed that I signed because he wanted me to go there, but they were happy for me for the most part."
(What's next for you?)
"Actually I leave tomorrow at 11:45. I fly to Orlando and I have mini-camp for four days and then I leave Wednesday night or Thursday morning and I'll be staying in Troy, N.Y., for the Tri-City ValleyCats. That's where I signed my contract to go. It could change, but the chances are very slim. I've done some research and stuff. They play every night at 7 o'clock, 5 o'clock on Sundays. They average 4,000 people a game. It's going to be a treat. Like 75 degrees for the most part, average every game. It's going to be a treat. It's going to be fun."

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The 2004 conundrum: Tuberville says re-vote; BCS says championship will be vacant

There were some developments in the case of the missing 2004 national championship Thursday evening. As we posted before, Southern Cal will vacate its wins from that year, including its Orange Bowl win against Oklahoma.

For starters, Tommy Tuberville, now at Texas Tech, told ESPN's Mark Schlabach he thinks the polls should re-vote to decide the 2004 national championship. A Tuberville quote from the story:
"We never complained when they went by the process the last time, and they should go by the process this time. If they were ineligible, I think they should have a re-vote and let people vote on it and decide who they think was the best team that year. If everybody thinks it was Oklahoma, that's fine. If everybody thinks it was Auburn, that's fine."
Unfortunately, Auburn fans, that ain't happening. This USA Today article quotes a couple of people who suggest nothing that happens is going to give the Tigers a retroactive national title.

It quotes Associated Press sports editor Terry Taylor as writing in an e-mail that nothing changes about the final AP poll that year.
"The 2004 poll stands. The poll is intended to measure on-field performance. If teams are allowed to play, they're allowed to be ranked and USC certainly played in 2004. Plus, it would be impractical to revote. It's been six years, memories have faded and the poll board from that year is no longer intact."
It also quotes BCS executive director Bill Hancock as saying if Southern Cal has to vacate its wins from 2004, including the Orange Bow victory against Oklahoma, the 2004 national title will remain vacant.
"As a procedural matter, the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee (POC) must meet to formally consider vacating USC's championship title and the game records. If the POC takes such action, there would be no BCS champion for the 2004-05 season. The POC will meet shortly to discuss this matter."
So, sorry Auburn folks, no national championship banners will be hung from 2004. You've still got Golf Digest, though.

Does Auburn's football team now have a stronger claim to the 2004 national title?

So, not much going on in college sports right now, huh? OK, maybe not. By tomorrow, the Big 10 might have 12 teams, the Big 12 might (temporarily) have 10 and conference Armageddon might be on the horizon, which really doesn't affect anything in the grander scheme of life other than some sports teams will have longer plane trips.

But then there's this story from Los Angeles about Southern California's NCAA penalties, which include a two-year postseason ban and, more important if you're an Auburn fan, forfeiture of wins from the 2004 season.

Yes, that's the season the Trojans went 13-0, beat Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl and captured the national title, accomplishments that could be wiped clean by the NCAA in the next few hours. The question is: what to do with the 2004 national title?

College football has never had a vacated title before. And only recently did the BCS begin laying the groundwork for taking away any national title recognition of a team that is found of wrongdoing by the NCAA. The BCS's official position, according to the USA Today article, is this:
"When the NCAA or a conference makes a finding of violations … and imposes a sanction of forfeiture or vacation of contests in which an ineligible student-athlete participated, we will presume that vacation of participation in a BCS bowl game is warranted."
Assuming everything goes down like it's expected to, Reggie Bush will be ruled retroactively ineligible for the 2004 season, forcing USC to forfeit any game he played in the 2004 season, including the 2005 Orange Bowl, which was for the national championship. Looks like that crystal football won't reside in Los Angeles for much longer.

As you all know, here's where Auburn comes into the picture. The Tigers went 12-0 during the regular season but were passed up for a spot in the national title game for Oklahoma, which was also unbeaten. Auburn beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl to complete a perfect season. Oklahoma, as mentioned before, got hammered by USC.

So what now? Do any of these teams have a legitimate claim for the national championship that year?

It's a difficult question. Auburn finished No. 2 in the polls that year behind USC. One outgoing AP voter even voted the Tigers No. 1 in the final poll. Would it then make sense that Auburn, which ran the table in the SEC and won it bowl game, has a claim to the top spot? After all, it was next in line when the final polls were announced.

What about Utah? Nobody remember the Utes. This was when Urban Meyer burst on the scene, if you remember. Utah finished 12-0, including a Fiesta Bowl pounding of an extremely mediocre Pittsburgh, but finished fourth in the AP poll, behind USC, Auburn and Oklahoma, and fifth -- fifth! -- in the coaches poll, behind Texas.

And what about Oklahoma? The Sooners, after all, were the BCS's choice to play in the national championship game against what we would learn was an ineligible USC team. Do you take into account the fact that Oklahoma got run off the field 55-19 in that game or do you disregard it because USC shouldn't have been there in the first place? In 1993, Alabama was forced to vacate all of its wins because of improper benefits given to cornerback Antonio Langham. It is reflected in the standings for all the other teams, who were awarded a win if they played Alabama when Langham was on the field. Using that logic, would Oklahoma then be considered a 13-0 team in 2004 and worthy of the national championship?

Maybe the BCS can share the national title. It happens all the time in college football. In the 12 years of the BCS era, there have been five seasons after which there was at least some matter of debate, with a publication or poll offering dissension to the majority opinion. (Note: this does not include Auburn's mythical national title, as awarded by "Golf Digest" in 2004, although maybe it should.) Perhaps that's the most equitable way of resolving this mess.

Or maybe the BCS will just leave that year's national title vacant, which seems kind of hollow, considering somebody has a claim, however nebulous, to each year's national championship since 1869, when Princeton and Rutgers both went 1-1 and somebody figured that's good enough to call them the best in the land.

It's a sticky situation with no clear answer and no real precedent. What does everyone else think?

(UPDATE: The AP says it will stick by its voting of Southern Cal as No. 1. The BCS says if Southern Cal is forced to vacate the 2004 championship, no replacement champ will be named.)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Auburn has SEC record-tying 11 players taken in Major League Baseball draft

All 50 rounds of the Major League draft are over and Auburn had 11 players selected.

The Tigers tied UCLA for the most players taken in the draft. The 11 draftees also tied the SEC record that Ole Miss and Georgia both set in 2009.

Auburn's previous high was seven draft picks in 2005 and 2007. The Tigers also had five 2010-11 signees selected.

Here's the full list of this year's picks, starting with players on this year's roster:
  • CF Trent Mummey, 4th round, 118th overall, Baltimore Orioles
  • 1B Hunter Morris, 4th round, 129th overall, Milwaukee Brewers
  • LHP Cole Nelson, 10th round, 313th overall, Detroit Tigers
  • LHP Grant Dayton, 11th round, 347th overall, Florida Marlins
  • RHP Austin Hubbard, 14th round, 431st overall, Tampa Bay Rays
  • C Ryan Jenkins, 17th round, 509th overall, Kansas City Royals
  • LF Brian Fletcher, 18th round, 539th overall, Kansas City Royals
  • DH Kevin Patterson, 23rd round, 701st overall, Tampa Bay Rays
  • RHP Bradley Hendrix, 30th round, 907th overall, Cincinnati Reds
  • OF Justin Fradejas, 35th round, 1,070th overall, Colorado Rockies
  • RHP Stephen Kohlscheen, 45th round, 1,362nd overall, Seattle Mariners
Of that group, only Hubbard and Jenkins are seniors. The rest are juniors.

Here are the 2010-11 signees who were taken:
  • RHP Andrew Morris, 16th round, 489th overall, Milwaukee Brewers
  • IF Zachary Alvord, 18th round, 554th overall, Atlanta Braves
  • RHP Brandon Allen, 18th round, 558th overall, San Francisco Giants
  • OF Jay Gonzalez, 27th round, 833rd overall, Boston Red Sox
  • OF Bryce Lane, 41st round, 1,233rd overall, Houston Astros

Auburn makes APR grade in nearly every sport

The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate report Wednesday, and none of Auburn's three major sports — football, men's basketball and baseball — received penalties.

Nearly every Auburn sport made the requisite 925 APR score over a four-year academic period to avoid sanctions.

The exception was the men's indoor and outdoor track teams, which, despite a strong 2008-09 APR score, had a four-year score of 914. Auburn preemptively absorbed the .5 scholarship reduction last year, a school spokesman said.

The NCAA has calculated APR every year since 2005, using academic data for a four-year period to assess a team's ongoing performance in the classroom.

Teams can earn two points per student-athlete, one for retaining an athlete in school and another for that athlete making progress toward a degree. A percentage is calculated on earned points out of total possible points. The decimal figure is then multiplied by 1,000 for a final score.

Teams that fail to achieve a cumulative score of 925 are subject to penalties that can become harsher for repeat offenders. Penalties include public warnings, reductions in scholarships and recruiting opportunities and eventually postseason bans.

Auburn's football team had a four-year score of 935, a number that is down 14 points from last year. The Tigers' 2008-09 APR was 915. A school spokesman attributed the lower score to roster attrition associated with that year's coaching change from Tommy Tuberville to Gene Chizik.

Men's basketball had a four-year score of 916, below the 925 threshold. The spokesman said the Tigers were not penalized because they did not have any "0-for-2" candidates, meaning players who were not eligible and not retained.

Men's cross country, which had a score of 917, was not penalized because of its small squad size.

All 11 of Auburn's women's teams had an APR higher than 925. The highest score was 991 by women's basketball and women's golf.

The women's basketball team was recognized last month for being in the top 10 percentile of all teams in their sport. It was one of 20 SEC teams recognized by the NCAA.

The women's golf and women's soccer teams had perfect scores for the 2008-09 academic year.

Here are all the scores by sport for the last four academic years: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Men's sports
  • Baseball: 932
  • Basketball: 916
  • Cross country: 917*
  • Football: 935
  • Golf: 954
  • Swimming: 925
  • Tennis: 958
  • Indoor track: 914
  • Outdoor track: 914
Women's sports
  • Basketball: 991
  • Cross country: 989
  • Golf: 991
  • Gymnastics: 972
  • Soccer: 984
  • Softball: 966
  • Swimming: 957
  • Tennis: 940
  • Indoor track: 940
  • Outdoor track: 939
  • Volleyball: 941
* -- not penalized because of squad size

Click here for a PDF with all of Auburn's scores.

Here are the APRs of the rest of the SEC's football teams. Figures are for a four-year period:
  • Vanderbilt: 975
  • Georgia: 973
  • Florida: 971
  • LSU: 965
  • Alabama: 957
  • Kentucky: 951
  • Tennessee: 944
  • Mississippi State: 939
  • South Carolina: 938
  • Auburn: 935
  • Arkansas: 930
  • Ole Miss: 921

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Running Auburn MLB draft pick post

I'll keep this up for the rest of the draft and update it as Auburn players get selected. Here are the players who have gone in the draft so far. Auburn has had 11 current players selected, a school record:
  • CF Trent Mummey, 4th round, 118th overall, Baltimore Orioles
  • 1B Hunter Morris, 4th round, 129th overall, Milwaukee Brewers
  • LHP Cole Nelson, 10th round, 313th overall, Detroit Tigers
  • LHP Grant Dayton, 11th round, 347th overall, Florida Marlins
  • RHP Austin Hubbard, 14th round, 431st overall, Tampa Bay Rays
  • RHP Andrew Morris (2010-11 signee), 16th round, 489th overall, Milwaukee Brewers
  • C Ryan Jenkins, 17th round, 509th overall, Kansas City Royals
  • LF Brian Fletcher, 18th round, 539th overall, Kansas City Royals
  • IF Zachary Alvord (2010-11 signee) 18th round, 554th overall, Atlanta Braves
  • RHP Brandon Allen (2010-11 signee), 18th round, 558th overall, San Francisco Giants
  • DH Kevin Patterson, 23rd round, 701st overall, Tampa Bay Rays
  • OF Jay Gonzalez (2010-11 signee), 27th round, 833rd overall, Boston Red Sox
  • RHP Bradley Hendrix, 30th round, 907th overall, Cincinnati Reds
  • OF Justin Fradejas, 35th round, 1,070th overall, Colorado Rockies
  • OF Bryce Lane (2010-11 signee), 41st round, 1,233rd overall, Houston Astros
  • RHP Stephen Kohlscheen, 45th round, 1,362nd overall, Seattle Mariners

Mummey, Morris talk about getting drafted

Just got off a teleconference with Auburn draftees Trent Mummey and Hunter Morris.

While that was going on, left-handed pitcher Cole Nelson got taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round with the 313th overall pick. And left-hander Grant Dayton just went to the Florida Marlins in the 11th round with the 347th overall pick.

Brian Fletcher and Kevin Patterson are still waiting. Both should go sometime today.

In the meantime, here's what Mummey and Morris had to say:

MUMMEY
Fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles, No. 118 overall
(Were you surprised to go that high?)
"Yeah. I was kind of expecting around that round. I was a little surprised at the team that took me. I haven't really talked to them much, so it was exciting they took me."

(What's your reaction?)
"You always dream about playing professional baseball. And this is just one step closer to fulfilling my dream. As a little kid, you grow up watching Major League Baseball and watching all those pro guys play. And you go out in your backyard and dream of being one of those guys. And it's just exciting to have that opportunity. And I'm just ready to hopefully take that step forward and join a bunch of other great Auburn players who have played in the big leagues."

(How did you find out?)
"I was actually watching it online with MLB network. And I was sitting there huddled around the computer with my family at my house and my named popped up and it was a really exciting moment for me and my family. We're all really excited about it. And then about five or 10 minutes after I was drafted, the area scout for the Orioles called me and congratulated me and told me that they would be in touch with me after the draft. So I guess it's a busy time for them right now. But I guess once the draft process is over they'll get in touch with me about all the negotiations and stuff."

(Talk about your time at Auburn)
"After the loss last night, I 've never really had that feeling before in an Auburn uniform. After every year the season has ended it's just always been a disappointment that we didn't make it to the postseason. And after last night, when we lost in front of all our fans, it was really hard to take the Auburn jersey off. We had a lot of expectations this year and we wanted to go out a little further. I twas certainly upsetting last night that we lost. But I really feel like it was a great group of guys that we had on the team who really brought out the Auburn family for baseball. It was probably one of the most exciting times for Auburn baseball. As many games as I've played in that stadium, these last couple games were really great. It was just really special to get to experience that before the season ended. So I feel like we brought back a winning tradition to the Auburn baseball program."
MORRIS
Fourth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, No. 129 overall
(Did you get taken lower than you thought you would?)
"Every part of baseball is a funny thing. No, I'm not surprised. I've been through the process before, having gone out of high school. I definitely had high hopes that it would have happened earlier, but I'm in a good situation with a great organization with the Brewers. It's an exciting opportunity. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future has in store."

(Did you have much interaction with the Brewers prior to the draft)
"Yeah, they had a lot of interest out of high school. I had a lot of good conversations with them this year. I knew they were in the mix. I knew there were a few teams that had some high interest, and they were definitely one of them, so it wasn't really a surprise to me that they were the ones that stepped forward and took me there."

(You're from Huntsville, where the Brewers' Double-A affiliate is. Exciting?)
"That's very exciting. I would like to do everything I can to not spend much time in Huntsville and be in Milwaukee as fast as possible, but yeah, I think I can bring a lot to that part of the organization. A lot of people in Huntsville have been following me and my career for a while now, and it'll be exciting to be back and play in front of those fans here hopefully in the next year or so."

(How'd you find out you got drafted?)
"I was actually driving to my apartment and I was on the phone with my dad. We were kind of sitting there with raised eyebrows, just saying, 'What's going on?' And then all of a sudden he said, 'Congratulations.' I was like, 'What are you talking about?' And he told me that I just got drafted by the Brewers. So we were obviously excited and very relieved for it to be over with. It's behind us now. And it's time to get out and play and continue my baseball career."

(Sum up your time at Auburn)
"You look at the last three years, the trials and tribulations that this team and this group of guys has been put through, for us to finish the way that we did, having such a great year, has had a huge impact on my life. The way that it was such a tight-knit group of guys who have been here, been through the struggles, for us to be able to put that kind of season together, it was so exciting. I've been more pleased with the way things ended up. Obviously I wish we were still playing. But the way that the season shaped up was absolutely incredible."

Hunter Morris taken by Milwaukee Brewers in fourth round of MLB draft

SEC Player of the Year Hunter Morris was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the Major League draft Tuesday with the 129th overall pick.

The first baseman hit .386 with 23 home runs and 76 RBIs this year. He had 46 home runs in his
three-year college career, fifth most in Auburn history.

It's the second time Morris has been drafted. He was taken out of Grissom High in Huntsville, Ala., in 2007 by the Boston Red Sox with the 84th overall pick but did not sign.

Morris was the second Auburn player taken Tuesday. Center fielder Trent Mummey went 11 picks earlier to the Baltimore Orioles.

Morris was the 14th player taken from the SEC.

Trent Mummey selected by Baltimore Orioles in fourth round of MLB draft

Here's a surprise: Center fielder Trent Mummey was the first Auburn player selected in the Major League draft Tuesday, going at No. 118 overall to the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round.

Mummey, a junior, hit .366 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 36 games this year. He
missed the first six weeks of the season with an ankle injury.

Mummey is the highest Auburn player selected in the draft since Josh Donaldson went in the supplemental first round to the Chicago Cubs in 2007.

Mummey was the 10th SEC player selected this year.

Many expected first baseman and SEC Player of the Year Hunter Morris to be the first Auburn player selected. Morris, left fielder Brian Fletcher and designated hitter Kevin Patterson should all be selected at some point today.

MLB draft watch: Day 2

No Auburn player or signee went in the first round of the draft yesterday, but there's a 100 percent chance a bunch of guys go today, considering MLB does 29 rounds today. Things start at noon ET.

Three SEC players went yesterday in the first round and first compensatory round:
  • Ole Miss LHP Drew Pomeranz, Cleveland Indians, No. 5 overall , first round
  • Arkansas 3B Zack Cox, St. Louis Cardinals, No. 25 overall, first round
  • LSU RHP Anthony Renaudo, Boston Red Sox, No. 39 overall, first round comp A
You'd figure SEC Player of the Year Hunter Morris will go off the board soon. He was a second-round pick (84th overall) in the 2007 draft out of high school.

We'll be back with an update whenever and Auburn players gets selected, so check back.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Auburn's season ends with 13-7 loss to Clemson

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn couldn’t find any more magic Monday night.

A day after clinging to life thanks to Creede Simpson’s dramatic, ninth-inning homer, top-seeded Auburn couldn’t capitalize on numerous opportunities in a 13-7 season-ending loss to second-seeded Clemson in the NCAA regional finale at Plainsman Park.

“Any time your season ends, it’s always a disappointment,” Auburn coach John Pawlowski said. “There’s probably only one team that will be happy with its season and that’s the team that wins the national championship.”

Clemson (41-22) and head coach Jack Leggett advance to the super regionals for the ninth time since the NCAA changed the tournament format in 1999. The Tigers will host Alabama in the best-of-three series starting Saturday.

Auburn (43-21), which made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005, missed out on qualifying for its first super regional since 1999.

Monday’s difference was simple: Clemson came up with clutch hits; Auburn didn’t. Auburn finished with 18 hits, four more than Clemson, getting at least one hit in every inning. But it only produced seven runs, leaving 12 runners on base.

The Tigers hit into three double plays, none of which involved the standard force out at second.

“I think those double plays certainly took the wind out of our sails,” Pawlowski said. “Especially when we had a little momentum going but could never really get over the top.”

Clemson battered around all six Auburn pitchers, especially starter Jon Luke Jacobs (0-3), who made his first start since injuring his elbow April 10. He faced eight batters before getting pulled, allowing six to reach base.

Kyle Parker, who was drafted during the game by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th pick in the first round of the MLB draft, hit a three-run homer in the first. Clemson led 6-0 after two.

“We just never really got off to a good start,” Pawlowski said. “And against good teams it’s tough to come back.”

Auburn got as close as 8-6 on Trent Mummey’s solo home run in the fifth, but Clemson answered in the seventh with Richie Shaffer’s three-run double.

Auburn’s final innings were littered with wasted rallies. After Casey McElroy led off the seventh with a homer to cut the lead to four, Auburn put runners at the corners with one out for Mummey. He promptly grounded into a double play, with Simpson getting tagged out at home.

“I thought that was our inning to really come back,” McElroy said.

Hunter Morris, who finished 0-for-5, lined into a double play to end the eighth after a controversial call negated what looked like a sure double down the right field line for Brian Fletcher. Auburn pitching coach Scott Foxhall would get ejected for arguing the play.

With the bases loaded in the ninth, Mummey grounded out to first to end things.

“Those were big plays and their pitchers made good pitches,” McElroy said. “They made plays when it counted and it hurts.”

Clemson reliever Alex Frederick (7-2) gave up two runs in three-plus innings to earn the win. He struck out five. Kevin Brady pitched three scoreless innings for the save.

Pawlowski met with Auburn’s players in a huddle down the third base line briefly following the game. Afterward, the players turned and tipped their hats the home crowd, which gave them a standing ovation.

“It means a lot to have the fans believe in Auburn baseball again,” McElroy said.

NCAA regional: Clemson 13, Auburn 7, FINAL

We'll be blogging as live as the NCAA allows throughout the game, so expect half-inning updates. To get instant scoring updates and other musings, follow the blog on Twitter.

9TH INNING
Clemson 13, Auburn 7: Auburn pitching coach Scott Foxhall got tossed between innings arguing the call on Brian Fletcher's non-hit. He sprinted onto the field after getting the heave-ho too, getting in first base ump Randy Bruns' face. Definitely got his money's worth. Once the inning started, Clemson added some insurance. Wilson Boyd lined a two-run double to left-center off Cole Nelson to make it a six-run game. Auburn loaded the bases but didn't score. Trenty Mummey grounded out to first to end things. Here's the quickie story. Back with more later.
8TH INNING
Clemson 11, Auburn 7: A rare 1-2-3 inning for Auburn. Michael Hurst got the job done on the mound. Auburn had a rally die quickly. Dan Gamache hit a leadoff double. Brian Fletcher looked like he might have had extra bases down the right field line, but the ball was ruled foul. John Pawlowski argued to no avail. Fletcher ended up striking out and Hunter Morris lined into a double play to end things.
7TH INNING
Clemson 11, Auburn 7: Clemson broke things open. Richie Shaffer hit a three-run double down the left field line, just out of the reach of a diving Dan Gamache. He did it off Cory Luckie, who replaced Zach Blatt on the mound. Luckie threw 89 pitches in a no decision against Jacksonville State on Friday. Michael Hurst came in to get out of the inning, but the damage was done. By the way, between innings Clemson RF Kyle Parker was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 26th pick in the first round of the MLB draft. Casey McElroy hit a solo home run to make it 11-7 and Auburn put runners at first and third with one out. But Trent Mummey hit a sharp grounder to first that Shaffer fielded and stepped on first. He then fired home to get Creede Simpson out on a tag play for an inning-ending double play.
6TH INNING
Clemson 8, Auburn 6: Nothing for Clemson. Zach Blatt pitched around a one-out single, striking out Mike Freeman looking to end the inning. He's gone three innings and given up one run on three hits. Auburn still couldn't get anything going with the middle of its order. After a Brian Fletcher single, Hunter Morris struck out on a ball in the dirt. Fletcher got thrown out at second trying to advance. Ryan Jenkins followed with a strikeout to send things to the seventh.
5TH INNING
Clemson 8, Auburn 6: The zeroes didn't continue. Jeff Schaus ripped a leadoff double into the right field corner and scored on Brad Miller's single up the middle. Auburn looked like it was going down quietly, but Trent Mummey skied a solo homer to right field to make it a two-run game. Mummey now has 17 homers this year.
4TH INNING
Clemson 7, Auburn 5: And we have our first scoreless inning. Zach Blatt set down Clemson in order before Clemson reliever Alex Frederick pitched out of a jam, striking out Casey McElroy and Creede Simpson to strand two runners on.
3RD INNING
Clemson 7, Auburn 5: Sean Ray can't put up a zero. John Hinson takes him deep to center for a solo homer. It's Hinson's 15th this year and his third of the regional. Auburn gets two back, getting back-to-back doubles by Ryan Jenkins and Casey McElroy to start the inning. Justin Bryant added an RBI single. Dan Gamache grounded out with two on to end the inning. Auburn's 5-9 hitters are 6-for-10 with three doubles, five runs and four RBIs so far.
2ND INNING
Clemson 6, Auburn 3: And that's all for Auburn starter Jon Luke Jacobs. A leadoff walk by Richie Shaffer and an RBI double by Wilson Boyd end Jacobs' night after eight batters. Six reached, four had hits, two walked and one hit a pretty long home run. LHP Sean Ray relieved him but gave up a two-run single to Jeff Schaus with two outs. Jacobs' final line: 1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 0 K, 2 BB. But Auburn stormed back for a few runs. Ryan Jenkins hit a leadoff double off Scott Firth and scored on Justin Bryant's single. Justin Fradejas followed with an RBI single to end Firth's night. RHP Dominic Leone came in and committed an error to load the bases before walking Dan Gamache to force home a run. But Leone got Brian Fletcher swinging and Hunter Morris to fly out to center, stranding the bases loaded. BIG missed opportunity there for Auburn.
1ST INNING
Clemson 3, Auburn 0: Kyle Parker got Clemson off on the right foot, skying a three-run homer to right-center field to give the visiting Tigers a 3-0 lead. That's Parker's 20th home run this year. Keep in mind, he might get taken in the first round of the MLB draft today too. It's going on as we speak. Auburn pitchers have given up 12 first-inning runs in five NCAA regional games, by the way. Jon Luke Jacobs threw 27 pitches. Left-hander Sean Ray has already gone to the bullpen. Nothing for Auburn. Dan Gamache hit a one-out single and moved to third on two wild pitches, but Brian Fletcher struck out and Hunter Morris popped out to end the inning.
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We're coming to you LIVE from Plainsman Park for the Auburn regional finale between top-seeded Auburn and second-seeded Clemson. Why are we here? This pretty well sums it up:



So tonight's game at 7 ET is a winner-take-all matchup for the right to face the winner of Georgia Tech and Alabama in the super regional.

Let's get to the lineups. Auburn is the home team. State are AVG-HR-RBI:

NO. 2 CLEMSON (40-22)

DH Will Lamb (.301-4-36)
2B Mike Freeman (.332-8-55)
LF Jeff Schaus (.307-15-78)
RF Kyle Parker (.358-19-60)
SS Brad Miller (.364-7-40)
3B John Hinson (.336-14-66)
1B Richie Shaffer (.323-4-24)
CF Wilson Boyd (.302-5-42)
C Spencer Kieboom (.258-0-4)

RHP Scott Firth (2-1, 3.16 ERA)
NO. 1 AUBURN (43-20)
DH Trent Mummey (.372-16-53)
3B Dan Gamache (.362-8-36)
LF Brian Fletcher (.356-22-75)
1B Hunter Morris (.393-23-76)
C Ryan Jenkins (.358-7-38)
SS Casey McElroy (.319-8-41)
CF Creede Simpson (.303-5-31)
2B Justin Bryant (.309-5-30)
RF Justin Fradejas (.358-3-32)

RHP Jon Luke Jacobs (0-2, 6.06 ERA)
Some items of note:
  • Mummey, despite his little outburst after being pulled last night, is in the lineup, but he'll be DHing. I guess it's hard to keep someone who went 5-for-9 with four doubles and a home run in one day out of the lineup.
  • Simpson, Sunday's hero, will play center field in Mummey's place.
  • With Mummey being the DH, there's no Kevin Patterson in the lineup. That's a big bat missing, especially against the right-hander Clemson is throwing. Patterson had 16 home runs this year and was an All-SEC first-teamer. That gives Auburn Patterson and Tony Caldwell to use off the bench in a pinch-hitting situation, though.
  • Justin Bryant is still in the lineup for Justin Hargett at second base. Can't really argue with that one. Auburn is 22-3 with Bryan in the lineup this year.
  • Jacobs has not started since April 10, when he injured his arm in a start against LSU. He's thrown five innings of relief since coming back, giving up four earned runs on five hits. In five starts, Jacobs is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA.
  • Auburn got a pep talk from former Tigers stars Tim Hudson and David Ross today. The current Atlanta Braves called in to give some words of motivation.
  • Auburn will try to keep its luck going by wearing orange again today. Clemson looks like it'll wear purple.
  • Keep an eye on the SEC tonight. South Carolina and Florida are already in the super regionals. Auburn (vs. Clemson), Alabama (vs. Georgia Tech), Vanderbilt (vs. Louisville) and Arkansas (vs. Washington St.) could all make it too.