DIAMOND INSIGHTS SHAPING UP

We have added our first two "Diamond Insights" on our audio page of collegebaseball360.com. I had fun talking this week to Kipp Schutz from Indiana, and Steve Detwiler of Fresno State. Both had great stories to tell about their college experiences so far. Interestingly, they played against one another last year in Fresno. The Bulldogs took two of three games from the Hoosiers. (IU also beat another CWS team-LSU.) The Bulldogs accomplished what every college player dreams of last year, and the Hoosiers are looking to make a move of their own in the Big 10 standings this season. Both teams have a lot of offense back from 2008. We're looking forward to bringing college baseball fans more Diamond Insights this season.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

The preseason dinner has become a popular trend around college baseball. Many teams use the event, set a few weeks before the start of the season, to draw interest toward their program with a big name guest. Teams also use the event as a fundraiser, season ticket sales generator or both.

Here is a quick sampling of schools with preseason dinners this year along with their guests:

Baylor: Former Baylor and current Texas Rangers pitcher Jason Jennings.

Boston College: Boston Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino.

Cal St. Fullerton: LA Angels of Anaheim broadcaster Jose Mota, who played for the Titans' 1984 National Championship team.

Georgia Tech: Atlanta Braves outfielder Jeff Francour.

Illinois: Former Major League All-Star pitcher Andy Benes.

Iowa: Major League Umpire Tim McClelland.

LSU: Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry.

Louisville: New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

Michigan State: Former Spartan and MLB great Steve Garvey.

Mississippi State: First year Bulldog head coach John Cohen.

North Carolina: Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

NC State: Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Notre Dame: Former Irish pitcher and wide receiver and current Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.

Oklahoma: 1989 Big 8 Player of the Year (at OU) and former big leaguer Darron Cox.

St. John's: Former New York Mets All-Star and St. John's alum John Franco.

Tennessee: UT alum and former MLB player and manager Phil Garner.

Virginia: Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Virginia Tech: Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer.

If you know of any we missed let us know, and we'll add it to the list. Just email us at: sean@collegebaseball360.com.

Big South Preseason Poll Released

The Big South is the latest conference to release its preseason poll. To see all of the preseason polls that have been released so far go to "360Notes" at www.collegebaseball360.com.

2009 Big South Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes) followed by total points

1. Coastal Carolina (7) 97
2. Liberty (2) 86
3. Winthrop (1) 78
4. VMI 74
5. Radford 53
6. High Point 46
7. Gardner Webb 43
8. UNC Asheville 38
9. Charleston Southern 22
10. Presbyterian 13

ACC Preseason Poll Released

The ACC released its preseason coaches' poll today. To see other preseason conference polls go to "360Notes" on the collegebaseball360.com web site. Here's the ACC poll:

2009 ACC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll (first-place votes in parentheses)

Atlantic Division
Team, Points
1. Florida State (8), 67
2. Clemson (4), 61
3. NC State, 50
4. Wake Forest, 33
5. Boston College, 25
6. Maryland, 16

Coastal Division
Team, Points
1. North Carolina (12), 72
2. Georgia Tech, 56
3. Miami, 49
4. Virginia, 34
5. Duke, 24
6. Virginia Tech, 17

Overall champion: North Carolina (10)

The Mayor Hangs it Up

After 12 seasons with five teams, Sean Casey is retiring from baseball. This blog is primarily about college baseball, but I thought Casey's retirement was worth mentioning. Casey got his nickname "The Mayor" because he was know as one of the most friendly players in the game. In fact, his MLB peers voted him "the friendliest player in baseball" in a 2007 Sports Illustrated poll. The Red Sox signed him last year as much for his left-handed bat off the bench as for his clubhouse presence. (Too bad it didn't rub-off on Manny). Casey didn't have a Hall of Fame career, but he's the kind of guy the game will miss. Baseball fans won't be without him long though. Casey is going directly from the clubhouse to MLB Network.

OK, now to tie this in with the college game: Casey led the nation with his .461 batting average in 1995 with the Richmond Spiders.

Is It RBI or RBIs?

This has to be one of the most hotly debated subjects in baseball. It's one that divides broadcasters, sports writers and fans alike. If you've read any of our preseason team capsules, you know where I stand on this subject. I prefer the "s" at the end of RBI. As in "Jones had fifty RBIs last year". I know, you sticklers for grammar will say the "s" does not belong there, because RBI actually stands for "run(s) batted in", making the extra "s" redundant.

However, I would argue that "RBI" is less an abbreviation and more a word unto itself. We don't need to spell the whole thing out. It is a rare statistic that can make that claim. For example: If you and your friend are talking about last night's game would you say "How many "Rs" did Ramirez score last night? Did he hit any "HRs"? How many "Hs"? "SBs"? Did he get "HBP" or draw a "BB"? Odds are, you wouldn't say any of that, but you would ask how many RBIs...or even "ribbies"-NOT "ribby" he had.

I think ESPN's Tim Kurkjian makes the best analogy when he compares the RBI debate to POW. Would you say "There are 28 POW in the prison", or "There are 28 POWs being transported to the base"? I have never heard "POW" referred to in the same way "RBI" is referred its plural form.

The best thing about the whole thing is, there really is no right or wrong answer (unless you ask an English professor). It's not like safe or out. You can say RBI with or without the "s" and be alright either way. But for you "s" adders, the next time somebody corrects you for adding that extra consonent ask them how many POW there were in Stammlager.

JUST ONE MORE MONTH

The start of the college baseball season is now exactly one month away. There are pros and cons to the uniform start date, but I think it's good for college baseball. Having a single starting point to the season gives every one of the 300+ DI teams in the country the same single day on the calender to point to. Unlike Major League Baseball, pretty much every team will play on that same day as well. Teams in the north and south alike are on somewhat equal footing. The players who are in locales blanketed in snow are building their calluses indoors, while teams farther south break their sweats in the sun. The "pings" are just a month away!