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June 24, 2008

WOW

Cinderella was so close to getting the prince. After all looked lost, at the darkest time Georgia had seen in Omaha this year, the Dawgs seemed to will their way back. Down three runs with six more outs to play in a game where everything broke for Fresno, the Dawgs wouldn't quit.

Gordon Beckham hammered a ball to start the miracle rally in the bottom of the 8th and break the UGA season HR record and score Matt Olson. Cerione doubled over Tommy Mendonca, Fresno's brick wall of a third baseman, to tie it up at 6. Then Joey Lewis hit a ball off second base to put the Dawgs up and cue Joshua Fields. The national closer of the year slammed the door shut, 1-2-3. 7-6 Georgia. It was an inspiring performance by a team that looked done for when the rally started.

(Image: Online Athens)

The game started completely differently. Georgia, rested and ready, looked like the team that had played two games over the weekend. It wasn't that we played bad necessarily, but we gave up runs at all the wrong times. Alex McCree, unhittable in prior relief duty, looked arm weary in the 8th, giving up an RBI double and a towering home run that Matt Cerione took about one step toward before admiring its arc.

Starter Trevor Holder would look like an ace until a Californian would hit one deep into the stands. Our pitchers just gave up big hits in crucial situations. Fresno had six earned runs on only seven hits. All our hitters could do was hit ground balls to Fresno infielders who gobbled them up. It didn't matter that Fresno's pitchers had huge ERAs. They looked loose and ready while we looked frustrated and befuddled.

But down three, we woke up and stole a game. Beckham hadn't been overpowering in the CWS. He was solid, but his star was dim when compared to the other first rounders in Omaha. Maybe he was just saving it for the right moment. It arrived last night. Not only did he get a dramatic home run that led Georgia back from the dead, but he pulled off a slick double play on a line drive that erased a man in scoring position in the top of the 8th. The next batter homered.

Only one more victory stands between Georgia and their second national championship.

See Also (updated):Quinton

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

After the Miami game and the first Stanford game, I had a feeling these Dawgs wouldn't quit. While they weren't getting the hits early on, they were making good contact. I was more frustrated with the lack of patience at the plate. We needed to make the pitchers throw more than 1 or 2 pitches an at bat.

All that said, it was definitely a more exciting way to win with Beckham and Fields shining, as well as Cerione, Poythress, Lewis, etc. Only one more to go, but I don't know if my heart can take it! Let's win this next one 15-1!

Anonymous said...

Tech Sucks

Anonymous said...

Especially happy for Cerione, who's taken a lot of guff from the television coverage for striking out 5 times against Stanford. He was clutch in every sense, and it has to be good for him to feel like a contributor again.

Anonymous said...

The TV coverage has been near unbearable. At one point the commentary feed went to static and I couldn't have been happier. You would never know Fresno was a top 20 team to start the year. No, they are the equivalent of the 1980 US Hockey team, the miracle mets, etc. And they all have torn ligaments and no talent and are playing on sheer grit.
Screw the cinderella story and ESPN, and Go Dawgs.
-- RF

strick9 said...

I totally agree that the coverage has been less that ideal. I give the Fresno team credit for not allowing many runs early, but some of the outs came on balls that were crushed right at people. But that's just baseball. Look at Olsen's bloop in the 8th.

Anonymous said...

RF,

Here's what you missed when the commentary feed went to static:

"Fresno State is playing the role of underdog here today. They're the lowest seeded team in any NCAA sport to play for the national title." "Fresno State is playing the role of underdog here today. They're the lowest seeded team in any NCAA sport to play for the national title." "Fresno State is playing the role of underdog here today. They're the lowest seeded team in any NCAA sport to play for the national title." "Fresno State is playing the role of underdog here today. They're the lowest seeded team in any NCAA sport to play for the national title." "Fresno State is playing the role of underdog here today. They're the lowest seeded team in any NCAA sport to play for the national title."

Unknown said...

I had to listen on the ESPN radio online through the Omaha AM station. I think that was supposed to be a neutral announcer set and it may have been the same feed as the TV feed. It was pretty bad but I didn't notice a whole lot of Cinderella crap once the game actually started. It did feel like someone scratching a chalkboard every time one of the announcers called Coach Perno Coach pur-NO'. I also don't think Mendonca was ever pronounced the same way twice. Is it really that hard to get announcers to learn a little about a team before announcing their games?

Anonymous said...

I like the announcers. They seem to like UGA, and that is refreshing.

(Of course Arin Andrews, while she's obviously better looking than Orel Hershiser, grates me with that voice and her endless supply of no-sleeve turtleneck sweaters.)

Helluva game for the Dawgs. Loved seeing Cerione pull through after his tough night the other night. These guys won't quit; they are a lot of fun to watch. Wish them the best of luck tonight.

Anonymous said...

Fresno State in baseball = Hawaii in football. And we ALL know what happened there. Media was hyping Hawaii so hard up before the Sugar Bowl, and THAT game was over in the first 5 minutes. The CWS will be over tonight.

I was watching in HD when the audio went to crap, they had to switch back to NTSC to get the audio back. I would have rather watched the game in HD with no audio considering how the guys in the booth were rooting for Fresno State.

Unknown said...

I also like how Mike Patrick calls Fresno State's center fielder Cerione , he did the same thing in the Stanford game. Unbelievable! Anyway, it's my 18th birthday today, so hopefully the Dawgs can finish it out tonight! GO DAWGS!

saleebydawg said...

I believe that was possibly the dumbest person Warren Buffett has ever spoken to in person. Anyone else agree?

Will said...

@saleeybdawg

The end of that "interview", where she awkwardly patted him on the knee/thigh and all but begged him for free jewelry may be a new low for "sideline reportage".

Smitty said...

Yeah when she hit him up for free jewelry he said "Your credit is good".

Anonymous said...

Last night's comeback was the best thing that could have happened.

It's in Fresno State's heads now.

No matter what we do, Georgia is never going away...

Anonymous said...

I am amazed that you have TVs that do not have a mute button or that you cannot turn off the sound. That must be an old TV set.

As I was listening, I kept thinking "all the folks on the blog will be whining about how pro-Fresno State the announcers are". (Yeah, the cinderella underdog theme got old).

Unknown said...

Ski,

I kinda thought the same thing. I actually have no beef with Orel or Patrick. And I think most these clowns talking about Erin Andrews not being hot have hooked with much, much, much, much worse. But that's neither here nor there.

I like the way Orel talks about pitching and in game strategy. However, I do think that it's a fair criticism that everyone involved in the telecast was hurting for story angles other than Cinderella, Beckham's 2006 visit to Omaha, Fields throws hard, etc.

UGA fans got tired of listening to the Cinderella stuff for the same reason that the rest of the planet got tired of hearing about David Pollack and David Greene having gone to middle school together.

No one said that Patrick was a world class story teller. He's no Ron Franklin.

But he calls a good game. I'm actually enjoying the broadcast.

ALTHOUGH -- Erin's bit about jewelry to Buffet was beyond silly. It just made her look like a clown.

PWD

National Freedom of Information Coalition said...

I was sort of liking the Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs thing until I saw some imbecilic CSF fan with a sign that said: "Real Dogs Live in California" or somesuch. I wanted to puke.

Real Dogs? They were a friggin' figment of some legislators' imagination when UGA was celebrating its bicentennial.

Anonymous said...

Bah. Let me keep my hatred for ESPN. It keeps me warm.
-- RF

Anonymous said...

PWD,

I guarantee you I've hooked up with women more attractive than Horse Andrews. You keep using that grade-school comeback; believe me, it's not the case.

Whatever makes you feel better, though.

Anyway, Dawgs are all that matter today. Hope the weather holds out for us...

HotDawgette said...

As a woman who actually loves and understands sports, I am appalled that they allow Erin to speak in public. Her bit about the ice cream named after her and the begging for jewelry from Warren Buffett were ridiculous. She is an embarrassment to all women with brains in their heads across the globe. All I have to say is GO DAWGS (the true Dawgs!) Clinch this thing tonight, bring home a Championship and give me a break from stupid chatter from Erin!

Anonymous said...

Erin's not gross, but she's absolutely not "hot." And I'm no clown, PWD. I married a KD from UGA, so there goes the theory that anti-Andrews people only "hooked up" with "much worse." To the contrary, those of us who can see her for what she is (i.e., below average) have better to compare her to. If Erin's "hot" then so is Rachel Dratch.

The point isn't that Erin is attractive or not -- it's that her voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and her interviews are childish.

Yet she keeps getting chances.

If only they used her for Nascar or something else I didn't like.

This may be YOUR blog, but I'M right.

Unknown said...

Anons -- I never said your wives were ugly. I never said you had never hooked up with more attractive women.

I said, I bet most of you have hooked up with worse.

lol.

I also never said she was a brain surgeon or insightful.

PWD

 
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