Running, all-purpose NCAA baseball super regional thread

With a minimum of effort, you could probably ask him. :

 

Look, the way I learned it in J-school, you get both sides of a story ... or you don't have a story. Period.

 

Can't speak to whether Horton was called or not, but Bertman didn't ask the media in Louisiana not to contact any candidates. He asked reporters not to contact Jim Wells or Mike Bianco. It was very interesting that he didn't just say everybody.

 

All the more reason to contact Jim Wells or Mike Bianco.

And there's no way Horton leaves Fullerton.

 

The Advocate did contact Wells and Bianco. They had stringers at both regionals and got immediate reaction stories the day of the firing.

And yeah, Horton would be crazy to leave Orange County.

 

What about for the June 8 story?

 

There were two June 8 stories: one with the national baseball writers describing where the LSU job fits into the national landscape, and a sidebar in which the same writers (Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball) said -- without prompting -- the best guy available is Horton. I don't think either could be described as pure speculation, unless guys who cover the national scene aren't allowed to inject an opinion into a story in another publication. There were plenty of facts in both stories, I might add, so the no-facts label rings false.

If you'd like to discuss this further, feel free to PM me. If you'd rather not, I can't continue to comment here.

 

The ACC looks to be in good shape after today but it's a good thing Miller had so many strikeouts tonight because Carolina's infield played like the Bad News Bears in the final three innings at Bama.

As far as Horton, of course he'd be a logical candidate, and it's hardly speculation to connect him and this job. He and the guy at Rice are the top coaches in America not at a BCS school. And for the right money, he might leave, why not? Everyone is available for the right price.

 

At Wayne Graham's age, it's probably safe to say he's not leaving Rice for LSU. Garrido has no reason to leave Texas. That leaves Horton as the best available, but LSU would have to knock his socks off, I think, for him to leave the fertile recruiting bed that is California.

Enjoyable games today.

 

Here's one thing I love about college baseball: The top teams nationally aren't the usual crop of BCS suspects.

LSU would have to come up with football or basketball coaching money to get Horton. There's no way that will happen.

 

He made a point at the College World Series (in 2003 or 2004) to mention he was the only coach there from a non-BCS school, and you got the feeling he would listen to an offer to coach at a BCS school in a powerful conference that has a strong baseball tradition. I don't think money would be everything to him, but he'd probably want more than LSU is willing to pay.

 

Speaking of talking to potential candidates for the LSU job, none of the ESPN and ESPN2 announcers I saw today mentioned the coaches at Alabama, Cal State Fullerton and College of Charleston as being among the names mentioned. Maybe Skip Bertman asked them to cool it too.

I'd think the subject would come up at least once in nine innings, even if you don't ask the coach about it. I wonder if it came up in production meetings with the coaches, and the coaches said, "Please, no distractions." It just seems odd to have no mention at all. I'm sure it will be the same way for the Ole Miss series beginning tomorrow.

A national football telecast would include several mentions in similar circumstances, I'm betting.