“South Carolina has got something very, very special going on right now. It seems like they just find a way.” – Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor.

Well, I’m out of rational explanations for this run the Gamecocks are on, so I guess Coach O’Connor’s quote about as scientific as we’re going to get. 

They just find a way. 

“The way” last night just happened to be a little more circuitous than normal, but I guess that makes the journey just a little more enjoyable, right?

Last night began with The Curious Case of Danny Hultzen.  The number two pick in the recent Major League baseball draft came out of the gates channeling Sandy Koufax.  The lefty went through our lineup with ease, striking out eight of the ten Gamecock batters he saw.  

But somewhere beneath his 94 mph fastball and wicked slider a virus was working, causing Hultzen to puke between innings and look a little like the walking dead while he was on the mound.  He was replaced to start the  fourth. 

Good on Brian O’Connor for not risking Hultzen’s first-round bonus money, but why the heck did he stay in the dugout the rest of the game?  Why wasn’t he in the clubhouse lying down, getting an IV, purging his body of evil?  He actually looked quite fresh around the sixth or seventh inning, and was even on the top step of the UVa dugout after Adam Matthews  scored the winning run.  Travis Haney speculated (on some speculation) that perhaps Hultzen was having some elbow discomfort, which for the kid’s sake I hope isn’t true.  He has a chance to be spectacular. 

In any case, the Gamecocks took advantage immediately and scored two runs off of reliever Danny Crockett.  The two runs were a little lucky as Brady Thomas’ double was misplayed by the UVa left fielder.  (Find a way, right?) 

Crockett was money the rest of his four innings of work, and Michael Roth was Michael Roth, as usual.

The real fun began when John Taylor came in to pitch the 8th for the Gamecocks.  An E5 put a runner on for the Cavs, and an uncharacteristic E6 by Peter Mooney allowed the Cavs to tie it up. 

It was as this point the momentum shifted, and you started to feel like maybe our CWS magic was fading.  As Matt Price’s pitch count grew, and we couldn’t find a clutch hit against Branden Kline (also spectacular) with runners is scoring position, I started to think ahead. 

No way we could come back from a loss like this.  UVa would walk over us Saturday night.  Our pitching is screwed, our bats had gone silent, it was just a matter of time before the Cavs would push a run across.  I started to reflect on the past year, and what a great ride it had been.

Then Matt Price wiggled out of bases loaded jam in the 12th with a 6-4-3 double play.  After another scoreless frame for the Gamecocks, Price was back in the soup again in the 13th, this time a bases loaded jam with nobody out.  It would be absolutely impossible to get out of this one. 

Yet he did. 

A strikeout followed by a liner to Wingo turned the absolutely impossible into reality, and as Mooney stepped on second I thought to myself, “OK, win NOW.”

And aided by two bizarre errors by the UVa pitcher, we did.  I would have never guessed a single and two bunts would win if for us, but I guess the old script for this team was thown out a long time ago.

The new script is simply one page. 

In the center of that page are the words “FIND A WAY”.

Before the 2010 College World Series, Michael Roth was a bit player for the South Carolina baseball team.  He was a situational lefty out of the Gamecock bullpen, and occasional pinch-hitter with batting practice power who rarely, if ever, delivered.

When Ray Tanner announced Roth would start against Clemson in the 2010 CWS I thought he had lost it.  I think maybe even Tanner thought Tanner had lost it.  He wanted three solid innings.  Then four.  Then five.  Then six.  When Roth continued into the seventh we knew something special was happening.  And we know how the 2010 story ended.

One year later Michael Roth is a Gamecock legend.  And I don’t use that word lightly.  What Roth has done from June 2010 to June 2011 is bona fide legendary.  From mid-inning bullpen specialist to All-American is simply not believable if we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes. 

The reason I bring this up now is because of the territory Roth crossed into on Sunday night.  He gave up four runs (three of which came on a bases-loaded triple) but all the runs were unearned.  He has not given up an earned run since May 13.  And his ERA dropped below one to 0.97.

That is insane.  A good ERA…check that…a GREAT ERA for a starting pitcher in college baseball with 100-plus innings to his credit is 2.50.  Below two is nuts.  An ERA around 1.50 is reserved for closers who throw a lot fewer innings. 

But 0.97?  Again, insane. 

And legendary.

• So, Devonte Holloman was arrested Saturday night for DUI.  Holloman was immediately suspended from the team and the message board debates began to rage ranging from “DUI is unforgivable, kick him off the team” to “it’s his first offense and he’s a good kid”, without much in between.  Look, driving under the influence is a dangerous, stupid thing to do, no doubt.  Holloman deserves punishment, and it should be relatively severe.  He should not, however, be kicked off the team.  I expect a long, hot summer of step climbing for Holloman, and a one to two-game suspension to start the season.
• Phil Kornblut tweeted this afternoon “What does it take to get permanently kicked off the USC football team?”  Instead of asking the twitterverse, he should probably track down some guys with first-hand knowledge like Demetris Summers, Kerry Bonds, Dakota Walker, Quintin Richardson, Moe Thompson, K.T. Mainord or Weslye Saunders.  Short memories some folks have. 
• Speaking of getting kicked off the team, apparently Victor Hampton said or did the right things to Coach Spurrier to get reinstated.  Good for him.  I hope he keeps clean and has a positive impact on the football team.  But chalk him up as another guy with zero chances left. 
• I heard Mark Schlabach on the radio this morning here in Atlanta, and he said he “gets” why some people are picking Georgia to win the East this year.  But he also said he got it a lot more before they lost their starting left and right tackles to injury.  He wrapped up by saying he wouldn’t bet too much on a team relying heavily on the contributions of a true freshman running back and a junior college nose tackle.  Finally, some sense?

Ah, well, while we’re waiting for football season, how about let’s win another baseball title to pass the time.

I’m still getting used to this.  I can admit the University of South Carolina is a national powerhouse in baseball.  Perhaps, at the moment, the best and most stable baseball program in the country.  But still, I doubt. 

I doubted we could bounce back after losing two of three to Florida to close out the 2010 regular season.  I KNEW we were dead meat when we went 0-2 in the SEC Tournament the following weekend.  I was certain our season was over when we lost to Oklahoma in the first game of the CWS.  No way we could beat Arizona State, and certainly not red-hot CTU twice.  UCLA’s pitching was just too strong for us.  So we won the first game, it would still be an uphill climb.  Wingo on third with one out?  We stranded runners on third all the time, why shouldn’t this be one of those times?  Merrifield had looked terrible at the plate all game…

This year Florida was just loaded, no way we could beat them.  Vandy too.  Heck, we lost a series to Ole Miss.  No Matthews?  That hurts.  No Jackie?  No chance.  The NCAA screwed us in our regional draw.  UConn has two stud pitchers, and draft picks galore.  Christian Walker hasn’t hit a home run since April…

Am I sick?  Or just a Gamecock fan?  What’s the opposite of rose-colored glasses?  Because that’s me.       

Crap, the number one national seed is in our side of draw in Omaha.  (Pssst…I like our chances.)

• The dogpile:  you buying or selling?  I love the idea of the dogpile, but after about 30 seconds always look to see if someone is holding a body part in an uncomfortable way.  The one after our second victory over UConn was about as violent as I’ve seen, and only have to think back to UCLA last year to wonder if it’s worth it. 
• Speaking of the UConn center fielder, I can only think of one catch better than the one George Springer made against us Sunday.  Willie Mays?  Heck, no, that’s the most overrated play in the history of baseball. 

  

  The debate about the greatest catch ever begins and ends with one guy:  Jim Edmonds.  (Sorry, the MLB Gestapo apparently has stripped the internet of the greatest catch ever.

• The following theoretical comes from T-bone:  Hyman to Tennessee as AD, Ray Tanner promoted to USC AD, and Chad Holbrooke as new USC baseball coach.  Would you take that deal?  For me, 3-4 years from now, yes.  Today, no.
• Obligatory pile on LeBron James bullet point – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The last few days have been awfully good if you’re a USC fan and CTU hater (guilty!).  The Gamecocks had a little resistance in the Columbia Regional.  Kudos to Georgia Southern and Stetson for being cute, scrappy little ballclubs – but ultimately they were no match for the defending champs and number four national seed.   

Our hillbilly neighbors to the north, however, had a weekend and weekday to forget.  CTU’s regional started off fine enough, with an easy victory over Sacred Heart (how do you even bring yourself to compete with that name on your chest?).  Then they ran into a little trouble against Coastal, but still had the bracket well in hand with a 2-0 record. 

Then along came UConn.  The Huskies rallied, gagged for a second, then finished off the Tigers with a dramatic walk-off win to set up a winner-take-all game Monday night.  It was at that point CTU tied together the shoelaces to their pretty white shoes and went face first into the crushed brick of whatever they call their crappy baseball stadium.

14-1.  Against Uconn.  On their home field.  In a do-or-die situation. 

Come on people, I know a lot of you wanted to see the Tigers at our place this weekend, but you have to admit – that was a freakin’ tasty piece of chocolate-covered schadenfreude we got to enjoy last night.        

• Congrats to JBJr., Matt Price, Scott Wingo, Peter Mooney, John Taylor, Adam Matthews and Bryan Harper for getting selected in the Major League draft.  For most of them their time in a Gamecock uniform is coming to a close (JBJr.’s probably already has), so enjoy while you can.
• By the way, you see who Jackie was drafted by?  A little club called the Boston Red Sox.  Who happen to have a minor league team in Greenville.  Which happens to be close to a little college called Clemson.  CTU fans will get to enjoy MORE Jackie!  I hope he brings his ring…
• Clemson football player/trackster/amateur ninja Joe Craig was suspended from the football team’s summer workouts by Dabo Swinney.  I don’t know, seems a little drastic for a simple assault and battery with intent to kill. 
• As our very own Tbone (a former John Law himself) pointed out last week, it is out of the ordinary to not have charges filed against SOMEONE when there is a scene like the Craig/Wesh bloodletting.  Other law enforcement officials agree.  When contacted, a CUPD official said, “Hey, no disembowelment, no foul.”
• Mark Bradley is surprised Georgia is picked third in the SEC East.  WHY???  They were 6-7 last year IN A DOWN YEAR IN THE SEC EAST (heard that one before?), lost their best offensive player (by far) and their best defensive player (by far).  Are members of the “dream team” recruiting class magicians?  Or hypnotists? 
• The University of Southern California was stripped of their 2004 BCS National Championship, and shortly afterwards a representative for Auburn contacted the NCAA.  Publicly, Mr. Lowder was informed the NCAA was not taking bids for the vacated title.  Privately, he was asked to bring a paper sack filled with large bills to the Gas n’ Sip off of I-20 in Anniston and “we’ll see what we can do”. 
• We should’ve known Terrelle Pryor was up to something by his Sugar Bowl helmet stickers.

Go ‘Cocks, beat UConn.  (don’t think about the bowl game…don’t think about the bowl game…)

So let me get this straight…

On May 22, Joe Craig was involved in an incident described as “assault of high and aggravated nature” with a female track teammate.  You can read about the incident here, but it appears the altercation started at a pool party where some seemingly harmless shenanigans got out of hand.

One thing led to another, and Craig’s teammate, Marlena Wesh, allegedly felt threatend by Craig as he confronted her in “her room”, and slashed Craig’s arm with a serrated eyebrow razor (?). 

Craig, a Division I football player, obviously was concerned for his safety and proceeded to pound the holy hell out of the female track athlete Wesh with a towel bar.  The Clemson University Police Department found a disturbingly bloody scene that included a screaming and hysterical Wesh. 

Fortunately for Clemson fans everywhere, the members of the CUPD were able to calm everyone down and convince Craig and Wesh to not press charges against each other under the guise that “they were ‘teammates,’ that it was ‘bad publicity,’ and that the incident was ‘minor’.” 

Right.  Just another routine spat between teammates involving a razor, a towel bar, and a gallon of blood.  Nothing to see here, according to the CUPD. 

The CTU track coach had the good sense to suspend both players for “violation of team rules”.  But a couple of major questions remain:

Why did an incident that happened on May 22 only come to light on June 3?  And where is Dabo Swinney?  Shouldn’t he at the very least suspend Craig from the football team “until he gathers all the facts”? 

That doesn’t even take into account the CUPD’s role in all this.  Their legendary reputation for protecting members of the CTU football team only grows. 

To the parents of recruits, know that your kids can come to Clemson and stay out of trouble.  And if you happen to get into trouble…well, let’s just say you won’t get into trouble (wink).

Stephen Garcia has been cleared to work with the USC football team this summer, and this is good news for South Carolina fans, and even better news for bloggers, radio show hosts and other media types who fashion themselves as college football experts.

For Gamecock fans, the news gives an instant boost to the prospects for the 2011 season – you return your battle-tested Senior quarterback, the third-leading passer in school history, and despite the occasional, ill-timed brain fart, a guy that will sell out on the football field to get victories.

For the blogger/media types, they get to jump on the righteous indignation train during the dead period and ride it all the way to September.   They’ll talk about five suspensions and how if he were a third-team offensive lineman he would’ve been gone a long time ago.  They’ll talk about how Garcia has single-handedly sullied Steve Spurrier’s reputation.  They’ll feign disgust as they talk about how college football needs to be “cleaned up”.

We got a small taste on Twitter from Tony Barnhart (dripped sarcasm when he tweeted he was “shocked” at the news of Garcia’s reinstatement) and David Pollack (called it “a joke”), and there will be much more to come, I’m sure.

And what do I say to that?

Screw ’em.

Wait, that’s not nearly forceful enough.

SCREW. THEM.

There, that’s better.

We possibly have the best football team we’ve ever had coming back in 2011, and we don’t really care if the college equivalent of Ken Stabler had a few too many pops before a bowl game or had the nerve to stand up for himself when being verbally flogged in public.

I rest easy at night knowing Steve Spurrier is at the helm of my program and he’s doing things the right way.  Say what you will about S.O.S., but there are two things you can be certain he is not – a liar or a cheat.

Garcia has pushed Spurrier to his absolute limits, no doubt.  And Spurrier has bent over backwards to give Garcia one more chance.  One more time.  Again.  But Stephen Garcia is no Maurice Clarett, DeAndre McDaniel, or (insert name of any number of Auburn players).  He has committed no violent crimes or shoved anyone down a flight of stairs or showed off a new Nissan 350Z around campus.

Given the nature of Garcia’s “crimes”, I’m perfectly fine with how this situation has been handled.  Now let’s get #5 tuned up for September, shall we?

A few other tusings this evening:

• I am not a Gamecock conspiracy theorist by any stretch.  I think the bozos that think everybody (the conference, the referees, the doo-doo ice vendors) is out to get us only make us look silly.  But this NCAA baseball bracket situation is just nuts.  How in the world do we get Stetson, N.C. State and Georgia Southern, while CTU gets UConn, Coastal Carolina and…this last one is hard to even type…SACRED HEART.  Who is the national seed here?  Garnet and Black Attack does an excellent job of summing up the ridiculousness here.
• My unpopular opinion only – I want no part of CTU in the Supers.  This last year of being able to stick it in the fat faces of their fans that we not only eliminated them from the CWS, but went on to win the National Title?  Pure gold.  If we fall to them in the Supers, which is entirely possible because they have been playing better baseball than us recently…I don’t want to think about it.
• Interesting to hear all these folks talk about “the hammer” that will be coming down on Ohio State once all the investigations into their program are done.  Will it really?  Didn’t “the hammer” come down on Alabama recently, and they turned around and won a BCS Championship?  Most schools seem to be handling NCAA sanctions quite well these days.

Have a good week and be sure to follow us on Twitter @rubrchickens and @thebucksterr.

Proving people will read about and discuss just about anything football-related (guilty as charged), a couple of new �lists� have been released this week: �the top 20 football players USC will face (subscription required, thanks again The State) and the top 20 players on USC and CTU combined (which we�ll get deeper into a little later).

In that spirit, I was trying to think of another nonsensical, useless list that might be fun for discussion.� So I came up with�”Ranking the 2011 Gamecock Opponents by Mascot Ferocity”. �Here we go, starting with the least ferocious:

• 10, 9 and 8 – Bulldogs (Georgia, Mississippi State, The Citadel) � the most overrated mascot in the history of athletics.� Bulldogs are fat, slow, and judging by how many UGAs have bitten the dust recently, as fragile as a late-fall oak leaf.� Not nearly as ferocious as legend would have it, either.� Carry a 5-lb. bag of ice around with you and they�ll apparently be your friends for life.

  

• 7 – Commodores (Vanderbilt) � A little fruity if you ask me.� Neatly dressed, funny hat, sheathed sword�doesn�t really seem prepared to battle.� Looks more like an outfit for a gay (not that there�s anything wrong with that) costume party.� Even so, a swift kick from that patent leather boot will put a bulldog in its grave. ����
• 6 – Volunteers (Tennessee) � Strikes me as a bit of a hillbilly redneck Commodore.� You ever shot a musket?� Not exactly high-tech or particularly effective.� And I�m still not sure what they�re volunteering for.� I can just see those beady eyes peering beneath a coonskin cap, �He shore got a purdy mouth, don�t he?�
• 5 – Tigers (CTU) � fierce, scary animals to be sure, but they lose points because they�re trite and oh so boring.� CTU loses a spot because their secondary color is purple.� Still not sure who thought that was a good idea.
• 4 – Tigers (Auburn) � Navy Blue > Purple
• 3 – Wildcat (Kentucky) � Another overused mascot name, but a good one nonetheless.� Anything with �Wild� in it is cool.� Houston Nutt�thought it was so cool he named an offensive formation after it, even though he was coaching the Razorbacks. ��
• 2 – Razorbacks�(Arkansas) � now we�re talking.� These are mean, smelly, nasty, unintelligent animals with no regard for their own well-being.� Kind of like Ed Orgeron if he was not human (provided he is human).� Points for originality and the fact their fan base doesn�t mind being called ��Hogs�.�
• 1 – Midshipmen (Navy) � SEAL Team Six.� Enough said.

Other Tusings:

• Back to the Post & Courier ranking of the best players at USC and Clemson � Tajh Boyd at number seven?� Really? �And seven spots ahead of Stephen Garcia?� That�s a good way to lose credibility in a hurry.� Other surprises � any freshman on the list, and Bruce Ellington, who hasn�t put on the pads for almost two years.
• After a third loss in four SEC games for USC on Friday night, I have to admit I was thought it was the beginning of the end for 2011 USC baseball.� Too many injuries and not enough starting pitching would be our downfall.� But lo and behold, Scott Wingo gave us another highlight-reel moment with a walk-off solo homer on Saturday.� The confidence carried over to Sunday in spanking�arguably the best team in the SEC West.� It�s getting hard to doubt this Gamecock baseball team.
• The Darren Horn to Murray State rumors cracked me up, but I�m not exactly sure why � that he might actually entertain that move, or the fact that I woudn�t be that bothered by it. �Either way, it shows what a steaming pile our program has become.
• The TV series Friday Night Lights is drawing to a close, and if you�re a football fan and a TV fan and you�re not watching it, you�re missing out.� Do yourself a favor and catch up at Hulu or get your hands on the DVD�s.� (Side note:� I chased down Coach Taylor�s wife on a New York City street a few years ago to tell her how much I appreciated her assets the show.)
• Finally, here is an exclusive video clip of a confrontation between Eric Hyman and Stephen Garcia.� Enjoy.� ������

Tusings�have become Wusings (shorter and a day late) this week due to a hectic work week, but here are some things that have crossed our minds:

• The much and oft-maligned Stephen Garcia graduated from college last week, which is more than can be said for a lot of D-I football players that wasted their scholarships.� That has to really stick in the craw of the reporters and bloggers who can�t wait to file their next story about what a screw-up he is.
• The Gamecock baseball team has done a remarkable job of hanging in there all season, but hopefully the series loss at Ole Miss isn�t a portent of things to come.� Without reliable second and third starters, and without more consistency at the plate, it�s going to be tough to hang on to that national seed, and even tougher to make it back to Omaha.� Hopefully Ray Tanner has some more duct tape handy.
• The next �next Herschel Walker� (Isaiah Crowell) just moved up a spot on the depth chart after the previous �next Hershel Walker� (Washaun�Ealey) was granted his unconditional release from UGA. �Of course, the previous �previous next Herschel Walker� (Caleb King) is still in the mix.� This would be a whole lot simpler if UGA would ask its next big running back recruit to legally change his name to Herschel Walker.

  

• It looks like Russell Wilson might wind up at�Wisconsin?!?� Despite the success of the Heisman winner last year, I guess one-year quarterback rentals have failed to catch on as the rage for 2011.
• Don�t look now, but it appears Clemson is a football basketball baseball track & field women�s lacrosse GOLF school!
• Prepare to be upset ye merry sports fans, for the Miami Heat are (is?) going to win the NBA Title. �In other news, the NBA playoffs are going on right now.� In other other�news, the NBA still exists.� I know because I saw it on ESPN looking for the Delaware State spring football game.

The TRC�crew will be participating in its annual spring bass fishing tournament this weekend, so if you�re not following us on Twitter (@rubrchickens), please do so.� We�ll be sending periodic updates and possibly lunker photos.� DOESN�T THAT SOUND EXCITING!!!!!

Over the weekend we learned that Russell Wilson had been released from his scholarship at NC State and essentially is now a college free agent.� The two schools being tossed around pretty consistently as possible transfer destinations are South Carolina and Auburn.� (Not sure why Ole Miss is not the number one option here, but maybe the Right Reverend Nutt is playing it cool, or maybe Wilson has made it known he wants to go somewhere where he can contribute AND win.)

One thing I feel is certain � if Stephen Garcia is reinstated (#freegarcia) then there is no reason for South Carolina to entertain the thought of bringing Wilson in.� Garcia has now been at South Carolina and in Steve Spurrier�s offensive system for approximately twelve years, and despite his bi-monthly foibles is unquestionably the guy to lead the offense in 2011.� Plus, Garcia is highly durable and doesn�t give up snaps to back-ups easily.� I�m sure Wilson doesn�t want to spend his final year of football holding a clip board, and the USC staff is not interested in any distraction and/or controversy that would follow.�

If Garcia is NOT reinstated (and apparently the guys at FitsNews are the only people who think this is a possibility), then the Wilson option becomes more viable.� However, how many of these one-year, D1�transfers have actually worked in the past?� (The guy who played for Auburn last year doesn�t count � he was a JUCO, and a freak of nature.)� I�m thinking Jeremiah Masoli at Ole Miss and Sam Keller at Nebraska as recent examples.� Good ideas on the surface that didn�t work out so well.

I believe Connor Shaw is more than capable in the absence of Garcia, and bringing in Wilson (who by all accounts is a good guy) could turn into a major headache for everyone involved and create a chemistry disaster in the locker room.���

Some other Tuesday musings:

• Joe Person still has a way with words�a way of even making a charity kickball game negative and depressing.
• I was much more shocked that CTU�had seven player drafted than I was that USC only had two.��To paraphrase�what�Spurrier�said about UGA in the Ray Goff days�- they keep getting all these good players, and I don�t know what happens when they get there.�
• I feel bad for Tori Gurley, and I�m not sure I understand why a South Carolina fan wouldn�t.� The guy is 23 and probably wouldn�t improve his draft stock by coming back and playing beside Alshon Jeffery again.� He took a calculated risk, and it didn�t pay off.� He didn�t screw us, didn�t betray us, didn�t turn his back on us.� I hope he catches on as a FA and kicks some ass.�
• Same hope goes out to Garrett Chisholm and Jarriel�King � those two guys have gone through quite a lot in their short lives. �Last but not least, Pat DiMarco is going to make some NFL team very happy.
• Baseball continues to chug along despite losing an outfielder a week.� Have you ever seen so many guys go down on one team in a season?� Despite all that, they continue to find ways to win and ease closer to a national seed.� Amazing job by Ray Tanner, and an amazing team effort by all the kids.
• By the way, are we saving Jose Mata for the postseason or something?� Where the heck has he been?

God Bless America.