Tag Archives: Bucknell

Off With A Crack: Diamond Spiders Open with Wild Weekend at Duke

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Baseball season is upon us.

It opened last Friday on a warm, sunny 50+ degree day in Happy Valley, and continues today on a snow, wintry (but still sunny!) day in Happy Valley.

The rare East African Diamond Spider

In the interim, the Diamond Spiders (kinda sounds like an actual species, no?) went 1-2 at Duke, with three games not short on theatrics. Coming off a 24-28 season a year ago, and with only one winning season (2007, 32-28) in the last six campaigns, UR needs something to get the blood flowing early and get people (fans, players, recruits) feeling good again.

Spider baseball gets a special spot on the ‘wagon. Call it personal bias: I love baseball. I also lived in Marsh for a year with the constant ping of bats echoing spring semester. While the ping may be gone, the need to watch this spring team might finally be back.

Despite dropping the season opener Friday in 6-5 walk-off fashion, the young UR squad showed some moxie to rally back from an early 6-0 deficit to pick up the season’s first win, 9-8.

And yes, the Doooookies rebounded themselves to shut out the Spiders in the rubber match, but sophomore Jacob Mayers still finished off a strong enough weekend to snag A10 Player of the Week honors. Mayers put up your basic 7-13, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R performance. And oh yeah, he also threw 6 in., 2 ER, 4 K in Friday’s loss. That’s excellent.

My top take away from the weekend, however, comes from (injured?) junior shortstop Adam McConnell, who chimed in via twitter with a little mid-game analysis of freshman Andrew Brockett (6 in, 2 ER, 5 K) Sunday. McConnell noted Brockett was sitting at an “expeditious” 92 with the fastball. I believe I’ve mentioned before my affinity for colorful commentary to describe sports? That’s very well done. Consider it repeated.

While the hoopsters take the week off before a final, desperate spring to Madness, baseball starts rolling downhill with a 10-game homestand. First up: ODU today at 2:30 (Editor’s Note: NOW!), Coppin State tomorrow afternoon, and Bucknell in for the weekend. Speaking of the Bison, as revenge for the Laetnering, I have to link to their weekend in Harrisonburg. Yikes. Ouch. And BU opened last Friday with a hide-the-women-and-children.

But back to Richmond. All of this foreplay just brings us to the best part of baseball season: free, live games on SpiderTV!

Take me out the ballpark!

Don’t Call It a Comeback

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Merry Christmas, Joyful Kwanza, and prosperous New Year!

Dr. Spider and I made the rounds for two weeks to families and friends, but are back now just in time for the beginning of conference play. The Spiders had productive winter break too before messing themselves in the OOC finale against Bucknell (1-8 from the line in the last 3:00). Thoughts to recap the holiday season:

Free throw shooting. After watching the Bucknell game it’s obvious, but the team fiasco at the line is seriously starting to make my head ache. Dr. Spider and I listened to the GT game on the radio. I was still twitching 30 minutes after the final buzzer. GT with 29 free-throw attempts!?!?! (Shoulder twitch.) Just excruciating to listen to, and I’m guessing it’s no better watching in person. The win over Wake was great– beating any BCS conference team by double digits is something– but allowing ten more free-throw makes than Spider free-throw attempts is a miserable trend. (For the record, that difference was 13 vs. GT. Double ugh.) Both the Bucknell and Iona loses never should have happened. The conference POY needs to make the big ones when it counts. So much for momentum heading into the A14 schedule.

Hey! UR had more made free-throws than Bucknell had FTAs! Somehow that rings hollow.

Does this team miss Gonzo’s end of game fire and focus? I say, DUH. Free throws at the end of games is pure concentration.

Dr. Spider came in for the last minute of the Bucknell game. Official take: “I may kill someone at the bar watching this team in the NCAA Tournament.” So noted.

Bad or no, the win over Wake was nice. Once ACC play starts, that’ll be a nice boost to the opponent SOS. Ditto for the GT loss.

Iona’s now 8-5, including a 6-point loss to Syracuse, and leading the MAAC early. They’re #21 in the nation in scoring 80.5 PPG, and #6 in assists (18.5). That’s not a bad team. Also of note: Purdue’s currently 13-1 two games into the Big 10 schedule. The one loss, of course, being…

Of future A14 opponents, I think Dayton’s 41.5 rebounds per game (12th in the nation) still scares me more than their 313th ranked FG% (39.5).

Fact: Every time the Spiders play in Tempe, AZ they go to the Sweet 16. You can look it up.

I kept shaking my head when checking the A14 out of town scoreboard, but the heavies in the league seem to have emerged okay. Dayton and Temple should both be in the run for the Dance, and X somehow may survive a brutal fall with a good January/February. And UMass seems to have reverted to form after the paper tiger start.

Marquee OOC wins around the league seem to be UR’s over Purdue, Temple over Georgetown, and Fordham over St. John’s (it at least got people talking).

The more I see, the more I think Charlotte’s W over Tennessee says more about UT than Charlotte.

Anyone know why Fordham’s game against Georgia Tech on 12/27 was cancelled? Snow? Weird.

Free Derrick Williams! Man Child’s taken four DNP-Coach’s Decisions. He’s played 2% of the team’s minutes, and yet has over 8% of the team’s FTM and over 3% of the team’s rebounds. This team is starved for boards and FTs. Free DWill!

After heavier minutes early, freshman Cedrick Lindsay seems to have settled into about 15 minutes/game over the last week. Seems about right for a freshman and back-up PG. He was one of the brighter spots against Bucknell (along with FCM and Duinker- who showed me something). I’d just wish the assist numbers were higher in those minutes.

That’s all I can stomach now. I need to forget about the collective FT-fart I just watched and gather myself for A14 play. Not a good way to return to the team after some time off.

Remember dismantling VCU in the first half? Ahhh, the good ol’ days.

The captain’s turned on the fasten seatbelt light, this ride’s getting bumpier.