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Friday - February 24, 2006

Game 13: Villanova at Texas

I had to work. Same story. 13th verse. Almost. Not only did I have to work, we had a meeting. So, I was mostly out of my office and away from the radio. So, nothing much to report. Other than the final score: Texas won 8-0. Yes! If they play tomorrow, I will be there and will, hopefully, have more to say 'bout the game.

Posted by Joanna at 4:53 PM | Permalink

Wednesday - February 22, 2006

Game 12: Texas State at Texas

I had to work...so missed yet another game. I did have the radio on and was sorely disappointed by the start of the game as Texas State jumped to a quick 3-run lead. But, Texas came back to tie things up in the bottom of the 2nd. Texas ended up winning 7-4. Good deal. And, the Horns get back up to .500 on the year.

In the post-game show, Coach Garrido spoke about some drills they're using during practice to improve things on the offensive end of things. Sadly, I didn't get to hear the details but it sounds like the drills might be working. I guess we'll see.

Villanova (2-1) comes to town this weekend for the Horns' first home series of the year. And, what's the forecast? Rain. Of course. It's supposed to start clearing up by Saturday afternoon, though, so maybe things will mostly work out.

Not about today's game but there was a nice article in the Daily Texan today about Kyle Russell and that home run he hit against Rice: Monumental home-run won't define russell's career (written by Ricky Treon).

Posted by Joanna at 6:02 PM | Permalink

Monday - February 20, 2006

Game 11: Texas at Stanford

Texas lost to Stanford this afternoon 9-13. You never expect to win a series at Stanford. You hope, but you don't expect it. However, giving up 9 runs in an inning, as Texas did this afternoon in the bottom of the 3rd, pretty much seals your fate. I'm glad to report that the Horns didn't give up after falling behind 4-11 but they got into such a deep hole, there was no climbing out. KVET didn't carry the game...dunno why not. So, I listened for awhile to the Stanford stream over the 'net. I was very busy at work again, though, so didn't really hear much. The line:

RHE
Texas 202 010 112 - 9130
Stanford 209 010 01x - 13142

Randy Boone started and gave up 5 earned runs in 2.1 innings. Kyle Walker then gave up 4 earned runs (he walked 4 in-a-row) in 0 innings. Kenn Kasparek came on and gave up a grand slam...but only 3 earned runs in 2.1 innings. Jordon Street proved to be the highlight of the pitching staff for the Horns. He went 2.1 innings and gave up 3 hits...but no runs. Miles Clauss pitched the last inning for the Horns and gave up one last earned run. Offensive highlights: Drew Stubbs went 3-for-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 2 rbi; Kyle Russell went 2-for-4 with 2 rbi; Carson Kainer went 3-for-4 with 2 rbi; and Brett Lewis went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 1 rbi.

I didn't hear the disasterous 3rd inning but in an unusual move, when the Horns sent Kenn Kasparek in to pitch, they also sent Brett Lewis in to replace Preston Clark at c. Interesting. The bottom of the 3rd went like so: ground out, single, single, passed ball, hit by pitch, change pitcher (Walker for Boone), walk, walk, wild pitch, walk, walk, change pitcher (Kasparek for Walker) and catcher, walk, grand slam (by the guy who started it all with the ground out), strikeout, ground out. Yikes. Not pretty. In fact, very very ugly. Frankly, I'm glad I missed it.

Posted by Joanna

Posted by Joanna at 11:50 PM | Permalink

Sunday - February 19, 2006

Game 10: Texas at Stanford

Texas lost to Stanford 1-5 this afternoon. I didn't get to hear any of the game at all. It doesn't sound like I missed much other than a nice relief appearance by Austin Wood. Here's hoping they cap the series with a win tomorrow afternoon. I'll be at work so will probably miss most of the broadcast.

Posted by Joanna at 7:45 PM | Permalink

Game 9: Texas at Stanford

Texas won the opener 4-2. Adrian Alaniz got his second win of the season and Joey Parigi got his first save.

The line:

RHE
Texas 200 100 001 - 4121
Stanford 110 000 000 - 240

Texas took a 2-run lead in the 1st when Jordan Danks hit a 2-out 2-run single. Kyle Russell scored the run in the 4th on a wild pitch. And, Drew Stubbs hit a 1-out single to score Nick Peoples (who'd singled, advanced on a sac bunt, and stolen 3b) for the final run of the game. In the post-game show, Coach Garrido said he thought this was the best game the team had played so far this year.

Posted by Joanna at 12:59 AM | Permalink

Saturday - February 18, 2006

First game of Stanford series postponed

The first game of the Stanford series was rained out last night. The teams have scheduled a make-up game for tomorrow. They'll play a double-header (two 9-inning games) starting at 2 (Austin time). I'm very curious about the decision to have the double-header tomorrow rather than today. It seems that with travel plans, they'll have a tough time getting both games in tomorrow. As I recall, there's some sort of 72-hour rule whereby the teams have to get all 3 games played within 72 hours of the arrival of the visiting team. Maybe that's just for conference series, though. Regardless, it seems strange to put the double-header off an extra day. Unless, the weather is so bad they don't really expect to get even one game in today. Today's game is scheduled to start in just over 30 minutes. Maybe we'll get more info then.

Ah well...just speculating here. It's probably best if y'all just move along, now.

UPDATE: Apparently, the 72-hour rule is not in effect. The Horns changed their travel plans and the teams are now set to play single games on Sunday and Monday...both starting at 3 o'clock (Central time).

Posted by Joanna at 2:25 PM | Permalink

Thursday - February 16, 2006

Alumni News: Brooks Kieschnick retires

After signing with the Orioles in December, Brooks Kieschnick announced yesterday that he's decided to retire. That's too bad. I understand the decision but that doesn't make me any less sad to hear about it. Brooks is still my all-time favorite Texas baseball player. It was just so much fun sitting in the stands watching him play. And, I always expect a little more from whoever happens to be wearing #23. (Do you hear that, Kyle McCulloch? Heh.) The Corpus Christi Caller-Times has a pretty informative article about his decision. Derek Smart at the Baseball Toaster also notes his retirement with some sadness.

Posted by Joanna at 10:15 PM | Permalink

Tuesday - February 14, 2006

Alumni News: WBC Roster Announced

Roger Clemens and Huston Street made Team USA's final roster. Coach Holliday's son Matt also made the squad. Cool.

Posted by Joanna at 11:47 PM | Permalink

Game 8: UT-San Antonio at Texas

As I suspected might happen, I was way too busy today to make it out to Disch-Falk for the game. I didn't even remember to turn my radio on until after 4. Horrors! Heh. Once I did get the radio on, I still didn't hear much. And, just as the post-game interview with Coach Garrido came on, someone stopped by my office so I missed that as well. I do know that the Horns won, though! Final score: 6-1. And, the line:

RHE
UT-SA 000 000 001 - 161
Texas 020 002 11x - 6132

'Looks like the bats came back to life. Kenn Kasparek apparently did a great job in relief in the 7th and 8th...throwing only 11 pitches while getting UT-SA to go down in order in both innings. Cool. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 5:38 PM | Permalink

Sunday - February 12, 2006

Game 7: Texas at Tulane (Houston College Classic)

I went to the women's basketball game against U-Conn this afternoon. It was actually a pretty good game and we had a good time. Texas closed to within 6 with two minutes left and the crowd went wild. Alas, U-Conn hit a couple of 3-pointers and pulled away again to take the win.

In Houston, from what little I heard, the Texas baseball team seemed to be having a tough time coming back from the excitement of their big win over Rice yesterday. They were behind by 4 when I tuned in. They scored 2 in the top of the 8th but went down in order in the 9th. Final score: Texas 2, Tulane 4. The line:

RHE
Texas 000 000 020 - 262
Tulane 010 111 00x - 450

I get the feeling this team is going to be good. At the moment, they seem to be taking things for granted a bit. I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong. But that's how it seems. It's still awfully early in the season. I guess we'll see. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 6:32 PM | Permalink

Game 6: Rice at Texas (Houston College Classic)

Wow! I hope y'all got to see that! Texas won on a walk-off 2-run homer by Kyle Russell. My new hero! Heh. Kyle was pinch hitting for Clay Van Hook with two outs. He fouled the first pitch off. "C'mon, Kyle," I thought, "you can hit a homer. C'mon!" And, he did. To the opposite field. His second at-bat as a Longhorn. Wow. The team was waiting for him at home plate and I'm not sure he actually hit the plate as he dove into the team. How exciting for him. Again, I say: wow!

Final score: Texas wins 5-4.

Rice scored one in the 3rd. Texas answered in the bottom of the 3rd and scored two to pull ahead in the 5th. The Horns seemed to be cruising along until the 7th. Kyle McCulloch, who started the game, got into a bit of trouble with two outs in the top of the 7th but worked his way out and was replaced in the 8th. He threw a nice game: 7 innings, 5 hits (1 double), 1 earned run, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts, and 2 hit batters.

That's when the scary stuff started happening. Kenn Kasparek came on in the 8th and got two quick outs. Okay. That wasn't scary. That was nice. But then he got into trouble. He gave up a single, a walk, and another single to allow Rice to pull within one. The situation: runners at 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, full count to the batter (Bramhall). So, the runners were on the move as Kenn threw the next pitch. Bramhall hit it to the left side. Bradley Suttle came up with the ball and threw across the diamond. Chance Wheeless wasn't able to dig it out. Batter safe. The runner from 2b scored easily since he was already at 3b by the time Bradley threw the ball to 1b. Texas sent Kyle Walker in to pitch. He got a strikeout for the final out of the inning. Whew. In the bottom of the 8th, Texas went down in order.

In the top of the 9th, Kyle struck out the first batter but hit the next two. Yes, really. He struck the next batter out, though. Whew. But, wait. The situation: runners at 1st and 2nd, 2 outs, 0-1 count to the batter (Savery). Savery hit a chopper to the third baseman. Yes, again. Bradley fielded it with a bit of trouble but had time. However, he overthrew (!) Chance Wheeless. The runner from 2b scored the go-ahead run. The runner from 1b and the batter were stopped at 3b and 2b because the ball went out of play. Kyle struck the next batter out (looking) on three pitches. Texas behind 4-3.

In the bottom of the 9th, Preston Clark struck out swinging. Bradley Suttle up. He walked. Bryan Herrera went in to pinch run. Preston Pehrson pinch hit for Brett Lewis. He struck out. Then, Kyle Russell did the pinch hitting thing for Clay Van Hook. I sure do hope this Freshman gets to do this sort of thing again and again. It's a lot to live up to over the next few years, though. Poor kid. Heh.

One final note: yes...there are three players on the Texas team named Kyle. And, yes, they all played today. And, yes, they were all instrumental in the win. A couple of years ago all the players were named Ryan or Jason. Now it's Kyle. Hmmmm...

Posted by Joanna at 12:34 AM | Permalink

Saturday - February 11, 2006

Today's game on TV

Thanks to Ruby I just found out that today's game will be broadcast on FSN Southwest. I don't know how I didn't see this anywhere. The game is just about to start. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 8:05 PM | Permalink

Friday - February 10, 2006

Game 5: Texas at Houston (Houston College Classic)

Texas beat Houston 3-1 tonight at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Houston scored one in the 1st. Texas answered with 3 in the 2nd. And, that was it as far as scoring went. Adrian Alaniz went 7 for the win (he gave up 1 unearned run on 5 hits with 1 strikeout, 1 wild pitch, and one hit batter) and Kenn Kasparek pitched the final two innings for his first save (no hits, two walks, and 1 strikeout). Drew Stubbs made 3 spectacular catches to help keep the Cougars off the bases.

The Horns continue in another evening game tomorrow against Rice. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Alumni News: Kieschnick, Hubele, and Dunn

I already noted that Brooks Kieschnick was invited to spring training by the Orioles. 'Just wanted to point out that Ryan Hubele will also be among the Orioles' non-roster invitees. Best of luck to both of them.

Also of note, the Angels re-signed Scott Dunn to a one-year contract. Go, Scott!

Posted by Joanna at 6:35 PM | Permalink

Thursday - February 9, 2006

Game 4: UT-Pan American at Texas

Quick note: I wrote this yesterday but my web hosting service picked yesterday to migrate my web page to a new server. So, I didn't have access to my blog software until this afternoon. So, on with the post...

The Horns came out swinging this afternoon and beat UT-Pan American 15-2. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it out to the park (things are busy at work) but I made it. The weather was gorgeous: 73 deg F with no wind and a nice sunny sky.

A few random thoughts (as I watched the 2006 Horns for the first time):

A couple of comments from Coach Garrido in the post-game show (as best I could catch them, and completely paraphrased):

I wrote an extended game report if you want more details. Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 5:01 PM | Permalink

Sunday - February 5, 2006

Game 3: Texas at San Diego

This has not been a good start to the 2006 season for the Horns. I really am surprised that Texas did not manage to come away from this weekend with a win. This is not the team we've all been reading about. Is it a matter of the Longhorns putting too much pressure on themselves? Is USD really that good? I wasn't there so have no first-hand knowledge but I get the feeling it's probably more of the former over the latter. After watching Augie Garrido teams over the last few years, it's hard to believe one of his teams failed to respond to losing the first two games of a series. For the most part, though, the team didn't just roll over and give up. They kept fighting. Except for the bottom of the 5th, things went fairly well for the Horns today. Alas, that bottom of the 5th made all the difference. Offensively, the Horns were much better today than they were in the first two games. Here's hoping the pitching and defense catch up in the next couple of games.

Comments from Coach Garrido in the post-game show (as best I could catch them):

I hope to make it out to the park for Wednesday's game. Things are pretty busy at work, though, so chances don't look very good at the moment.

UPDATE. Hmmm...I forgot to include the score. 'Guess I'm in a wee bit of denial, eh? I did post it to the schedule and results page so it's not like I competely fell asleep at the wheel. At any rate, Texas lost 8-12 as San Diego swept the series.

Posted by Joanna at 6:56 PM | Permalink

Saturday - February 4, 2006

Game 2: Texas at San Diego

I missed the first half of the game. If it was anything like the last half, I don't guess I missed much at all. Sadly, the Horns were shut out 0-6. So far, it doesn't sound like the team's doing much of anything well. Hopefully, it's just a matter of settling down. I do hope they manage to salvage something from this series and win tomorrow's game.

By the way, in the post game interview Coach Garrido gave all the credit to San Diego for how well they're playing. He says they're ahead of the Horns on how they're playing at this point in the year.

Posted by Joanna at 5:47 PM | Permalink

Friday - February 3, 2006

Game 1: Texas at San Diego

After all was said and done, I forgot to tune into the game. I was working away and lost track of time. Thankfully, my mother called and reminded me to turn my radio on. Thanks, Mom!

Alas, the game did not have the outcome I'd hoped for. Final line for Texas: 2 runs, 5 hits, 1 error. For USD: 4 runs, 9 hits, 0 errors. See what I mean? Better luck tomorrow. Hook 'em!

Some of Coach Garrido's post-game comments (as best I could catch them):

By the way, radio coverage for tomorrow's game will be joined in progress after the Women's basketball game against Tech.

Posted by Joanna at 7:01 PM | Permalink

News Links

Now that the 2006 season is upon us, lots of people are writing about Texas baseball:

Also, of note: Phil Seibel has been invited by the Red Sox to Spring Training.

Posted by Joanna at 2:34 PM | Permalink

Thursday - February 2, 2006

Alumni News: Huston Street

Sometimes, you just have to post the funny stuff. On April 16, if you're one of the first 15,000 fans to enter McAfee Coliseum for the A's game against the Rangers, you will receive a (an?) Huston Street bobblehead doll. I sure do wish I was gonna be in Oakland on April 16th. Heh heh.

Posted by Joanna at 1:24 PM | Permalink

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