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Posted by Scipio Tex on May 31st, 2009 under Baseball
What a great weekend of baseball.

Clark bunts over the wall!
We score 8 runs in the ninth after a key bases loaded double by Brandon Loy to tie it up followed by Preston Clark’s sacrifice bunt that travels 370 feet over the wall for a grand slam and the win.
You have to tip your cap to Army, who played with great heart and effort. You can just see those guys soaking up every moment of big-game atmosphere as well as relishing the opportunity to be around attractive co-eds in warm weather. Any good Texas girl should offer herself up to the cadets tonight; if not, she wants the terrorists to win and should be targeted for speedy rendition.
The clutchy clutchness of Austin Wood, Brandon Loy and Preston Clark aside, I want to win the national championship. So take these comments in that vein:
Over-bunting continues to be a governor on this offense. It’s not just about the fact that it mocks the importance of an out – and outs are the most important thing in baseball – but those who pretend it’s a ticket to automatic runner advancement didn’t pay a lot of attention this weekend. We missed out on a lot of runs this weekend because we had people batting with bases loaded with two outs. Like every other inning. Guess where those outs came from?
If you point to 14 runs as your retort, I may have to give you a powerpoint presentation on the concept of maximization and make you rewatch the buntless 9th.
We will face TCU (winners over Oregon St, 5-4) in next week’s super regional. We should be able to handle them. Let’s hope our pitching holds, Austin Wood’s arm regenerates, and we let our batters swing their sticks. Cameron Rupp, Kevin Keyes, Brandon Belt, and (of late) Preston Clark all have a little pop. Let’s let ‘em show it.
Hook ‘em.
SizzleChest said:
May 31st, 2009 at 7:29 pm
HenryJames is dogshit as a photographer.
And dogshit in general.
nativehorn said:
May 31st, 2009 at 7:31 pm
This has been a truly pleasing weekend of baseball. I’ve been watching UT for a long time and I’m as proud as I’ve been in a long time. Enjoy it while we can.
Scipio Tex said:
May 31st, 2009 at 7:32 pm
He thought actually capturing Clark at the plate after the home run was too jejune. He preferred him rounding 1st base with several ghost-like white blurs sprinting about.
ATXHornsFan said:
May 31st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
That was 34 innings of fun baseball in 27 and a half hours. The comeback tonight was incredible, but Austin Wood last night was one of the great individual performances I’ve ever witnessed in Texas sports. Let’s hope we can roll over the frogs and get back home to Omaha.
Scipio Tex said:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Facebook User said:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Weeeeee!!! It’s fun to swing the bats!
Oh fuck yeah. Look at Wood shittalking the backwards K in the BC game.
And yes, hard to root against Army. No surprise they are a squad full of heart.
Good stuff here.
Facebook User said:
May 31st, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Chooky said:
June 1st, 2009 at 4:30 am
HenryJames’ shutter speed once lost a footrace to B.J. Johnson.
In his defense, few photographers have captured the elusive aurora borealis at Disch-Faulk. Props.
Texoz said:
June 1st, 2009 at 5:11 am
To me, that first pic is a work of art.
I see two interpretations:
-The masses are raising their arms in jubilation as three angels descend from the heavens to anoint the victors.
-Three spaceships are beaming down aliens. Apparently, our bunt signals have reached deep space and they’re an open invitation to perform anal probes.
Eskimohorn said:
June 1st, 2009 at 6:11 am
Isn’t that bigfoot in left field?
HenryJames said:
June 1st, 2009 at 6:51 am
I will have you know that none other than Mathew Brady has complimented my work!
Texoz said:
June 1st, 2009 at 7:20 am
“Isn’t that bigfoot in left field?”
Close, but not quite. I’ve enhanced the image to get a better look.
Facebook User said:
June 1st, 2009 at 8:29 am
Facebook User said:
June 1st, 2009 at 8:39 am
Peter King says f Scipio. (h/t BON)
Abe Zapruder said:
June 1st, 2009 at 10:40 am
Nice work, HJ.
Patches O'Houlihan (not Hotlips) said:
June 1st, 2009 at 10:47 am
The UFO in leftfield is clearly a Peter Ullman autographed volleyball.
ed said:
June 1st, 2009 at 11:51 am
Amen to let ‘em hit. The problem is, THEY CAN’T.
Three runs on an Army team made up of non-scholarship players (opening round), three in TWENTY FIVE INNINGS on the seventh-place team in the ACC . . . OK, so they busted loose for 8 on the No. 121 RPI team in the country in one decisive inning on Sunday night.
I agree with the no-bunt strategy. Problem is the hitters, bless ‘em, can’t hit even when the shackles are taken off.
intellectual type said:
June 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
They hit as well as most schools, they are just always hampered by giving up a free out. In many situations where we had RISP, we usually had two outs. If we hadn’t given up that free out, we statistically would have a better chance at having just one out and two chances to push the runner across. I understand it does put the pressure on the defense to perform, but overall I agree that we can’t continue to give up the free outs.
Smiling Faces/Undisputed Truth said:
June 1st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Parfois, vous avez a faire ce qui est necessaire.
Huckleberry said:
June 1st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
ed -
We’re not claiming that we’d bust out with 8-run innings every time we aren’t forced to bunt. But the simple fact is that Augie used the bunt strategy pretty much every time we had a runner on and it was feasible this weekend until the end of the game last night.
We scored 10 runs in the first 39 offensive innings of the regional with our bunt every time strategy. We scored 10 runs in the last 3 offensive innings when we abandoned that strategy and didn’t bunt. Well, we bunted in the 7th after Keyes’ bomb and it predictably resulted in our scoring zero runs for the rest of the frame.
Texas girls mean business said:
June 1st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Hey Scipio-I don’t let this orange pussy loose for nothin’! I only put out if you can offer me a diamond ring and commitment-and it better not be some fake from the bottom of a Barking Cracker Jack box!
Hawkman said:
June 1st, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I also thought the “bunt every time we get the leadoff runner on first” strategy bailed out the Army pitchers when they were struggling and it would have been helpful to work the count and make them throw more pitches.
Stuck in MN said:
June 1st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
So, the Big 12 is blessed with both Austin Wood and Austin Box. Is there a young Austin Taint out there to continue the legacy?
dick said:
June 1st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Austin is Tant Shephard’s real first name. Close enough.
Art Vandelay said:
June 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Doesn’t small ball make even less sense with an aluminum bat?
I don’t have any data to back this up, but isn’t it harder to effectively bunt when you have a “trampoline effect” with aluminum?
When you factor in the higher batting averages and higher slugging percentages with aluminum (assumptions on my part), why would you bunt at all – except for obvious situations?
Brandon Loy's Helmet said:
June 1st, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Come on guys, give credit for UFOs where credit is due.
NAU said:
June 1st, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Please keep HJ far from cameras. Viewing this hurts.
Vasherized said:
June 1st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Holy.Fuck.!!
(from what seems to be the only Internet connection in New Zealand)
NateHeupel said:
June 1st, 2009 at 9:39 pm
On the other side of awesome, OU got absolutely futtbucked to the tune of 11-0 by Arky in the fortress that is L. Dale Mitchell Park where over 50 vehement OU baseball fans came to show their undying support…and earn priority points for better football seats.