A lot of things have been written about baseball. Every year more than a handful of masters or Ph.D. students submit dissertations and theses on the game proclaiming it dead, alive, hibernating, pulsing, or suffering the same steady decline as the aging superpower that spawned it. The old guard writes romantically about the fabric of American life, baseball and apple pie. About the sham of Pete Rose’s gambling and the carnival sideshow that the steroid era has brought. As if there weren’t enough voices, over the past decade a new form of baseball writing has emerged. One purely wedded to statistics and computer league play. A brand of writing without loyalty to a particular team or style of play, but devoted to numbers, projections and the standard deviation.

I chose not to focus on these things simply because they are nothing more than a collection of words randomly grouped on paper. They don’t reflect my views or more importantly my feelings about baseball. They don’t reflect the mysticism or magic you feel as a fan or player when a special season or special team plays for the school you love so dear. Baseball is as much about anticipation and appreciation as it is about athletic achievement, and this year’s Michigan Baseball team provided both feelings in abundance.

Irrespective of the Yankee’s 25 World Series titles, baseball is a southern sport. It is meant to be played on a cool summer day when the clouds are driven away by the sun. It requires us to be outside, to take in and enjoy the passage of time with people whose company we enjoy, while we nervously attempt to predict the outcome of each pitch. For those who play, baseball requires hours upon hours of tedious practice, wind sprints, batting practice, and screaming coaches, all for the right to step into the batters box three, perhaps four times in a nine inning game. It also requires that your muscles be relaxed enough to turn on a 94 mile an hour fastball, rather than clinched tighter than a steel rope in an attempt to prevent heat from escaping your body in mid November.

As a result, the southern and California boys have a developed a stranglehold on the College World Series. Their access to sun and warmth provide them with numerous advantages, not the least of which is to play games in their own back yard in the middle of February.

The intrepid Northern team must spend its late winter, early spring on the road. Playing tournaments in places like Boca Raton, Charleston, Shreveport, or Oklahoma City, all the while sleeping in hotel rooms, eating fast food, and missing their friends and their classes. There are only a handful of schools north of the Mason-Dixon that take baseball seriously.  Sadly, these schools do not populate the same conference, so their RPI’s take a beating once conference play begins, as the southern schools bask in the sun and the perceived serious conference competition.

Even before the season begins, Michigan knew the deck was most certainly stacked against them.

But this was a special team. Nearly the same team that made the NCAA’s for the second straight year after a decade of sanctions and mediocrity. The same team that took out last year’s overall No. 1 seed Vanderbilt and the game’s best college pitcher. The same team that gave eventual champions Oregon State its toughest games of the postseason. Something was building.

And because of this, Michigan’s players and fans alike began this season with a nervous anticipation. A feeling in the gut that’s not quite butterflies and not quite excitement. A feeling that something special was there for the taking, but it would not be taken easily.

Michigan’s pre-conference play included three eventual NCAA invitees in Arizona State, East Carolina, and Coastal Carolina; it even included the New York Mets. While some of the results were not what anyone would hope for, you could see momentum building as the Wolverines rolled into conference play.

And once the big blue boulder got rolling, there was little stopping it. Michigan went into hyperdrive once conference play began, amassing a 26-5 record in Big Ten play and setting a new record for Big Ten conference wins. All this despite starting its season on the road, playing out of hotels, and completing their assignments on a greasy Denny’s table while their buddies back home partied ‘till 2.

Once in the tournament they battled through a rain extended opener against Kentucky to earn the right to play 1 seeded Arizona later that day. Then, on a couple hours of rest, were within three inches of toppling the Wildcats.

Though Michigan did not advance to the Super Regionals, this season was a tremendous accomplishment. A Big Ten Conference Championship. A Big Ten Tournament Championship. A new record for Conference wins. Michigan’s first home Regional since the 80’s. And they demonstrated for all to see that the northern boys can play with the southern and the western schools.

As last season rolls into next season, we are left to appreciate the accomplishments of a special group of young men who wore the Maize and Blue. We are also left with a nervous anticipation of the upcoming season. What happens now that Nate, Zach and Chris are gone? Who will replace the gaps in the middle of the field? How will we match up against the Big Ten and start the season?

These are all questions that we never could have anticipated we’d ask five years ago. And now we’re left with a feeling in our gut that’s not quite butterflies and not quite excitement. A feeling that something special is there for the taking, but won’t be taken easily.

For that feeling, I owe my gratitude to Michigan’s 2007-2008 Baseball Team.

In a year where Michigan won its Conference regular season, Conference Tournament, was ranked in the top 25, made the NCAA playoffs and was chosen as a host venue for the College World Series Regional Qualifiers, there was a lot to be thankful for. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, their outstanding season came to a close Sunday with a 12-6 loss to Kentucky. The prior afternoon, Michigan came up just short of eventual regional champion Arizona by a 4-3 margin.

In both games the Wolverines showed character and determination, battling back from early deficits and competing throughout those contests. Maize n Brew extends its congratulations to Michigan's baseball team on an outstanding season.

(Due to real life time constraints, this will be it for today and possibly tomorrow. Posting should resume as usual Wednesday. In the meantime, if you've got thoughts, pictures, or a detailed wrap up of the games floating around your brain, please post them in the FanPosts or FanShot, and do my best to give them their due! - Thanks, MnB Dave)

Despite falling behind early, Michigan roared from behind and withstood a 13 hour overnight delay to top Kentucky 7-5. Michigan faces Arizona in a battle of the unbeatens tonight at 7pm. Chris Fetter will get tonight's nod on the hill.

Zach Putnam improved to 9-0 on the season with five solid innings of one-run ball
before the skies opened up Friday night. When play resumed the Wolverines held on to 5-1 lead, finishing the game 7-5. The only downside was an undisclosed injury to Big Ten Player of the Year Nate Recknagel, who injured his left hand in a collision at First Base when play resumed Saturday morning. Sophomore Mike Dufek replaced him in the line-up and will likely get the start at First tonight.

First pitch is at 7, so if you're in town head down to the Fish to cheer the team on

#95 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor

#95 - Ray Fisher Stadium

via mgoblue.com

In honor of the baseball team being selected as a NCAA Baseball Tournament Regional Host and Michigan's outstanding season, the venerable Ray Fisher Stadium, home of the Maize n' Nine, is number #95 on our Countdown.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well.

Though Michigan's hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament didn't come to fruition, the Wolverines were awarded the right to host their NCAA regional for the first time since 1986. Just goes to show you what winning your conference outright along with sinking a boatload of money into your facilities will do. Michigan is the only northern school to host a regional, one of a handful of northern schools in the tournament, and the only northern school in the top 25.

Michigan draws No. 1 Arizona (Nationally Ranked No. 23, 38-17, 4th in the Pac-10), No. 3 seeded Kentucky (No. 24, 42-17, 4th in the SEC), and No. 4 seeded Eastern Michigan (Not Ranked, 25-32, MAC tournament champ). The full Baseball America Rankings are here. It's arguable Arizona is the weakest No. 1 seed in the tournament, but they did split their season series with No. 4 in the nation Arizona State, including taking 2 of 3 from the Sun Devils during their last regular season series. The same Sun Devils that kicked the holy hell out of Michigan earlier in the year (though neither Putnam nor Fetter pitched). If you're curious, the full tournament bracket can be found here.

The four-team double-elimination tournament starts on Friday, with the first pitch between Arizona and Eastern Michigan scheduled for 2pm at the Fish. Michigan takes to the field for the nightcap with a 7pm start. Ticket information is here. Regardless of whether Michigan or Arizona got the No. 1 seed, the winner of this bracket will likely face No. 1 overall seed Miami in the round. Seeding be dammed. It don't get any easier. If you're wondering how all these selections get made, Corn Nation, whose Corn Huskers are a No. 1 seed themselves, breaks it down in detail from last years tournament.

Looking ahead to Michigan's first game, Kentucky finished the season 42-17, 4th in the SEC, and went 1-2 in the SEC tournament. Though they finished mid-pack in the SEC, this Kentucky team finished with the most wins in Wildcat history. They've got a guy named Sawyer Carroll who is batting .416 with 78 RBIs (21 more than his closest teammate). On the mound Greg Dombrowski will carry the load for the Cats. Rusin, statistically at least, is the better pitcher giving up only 25 earned in 82 plus innings. Dombrowski appears to be more of a power pitcher, gets more K's in fewer innings but gives up a lot of hits, walks and dingers (he's sitting on a 1.532 WHIP).

In terms of common opponents, Michigan and Kentucky played against Oakland, Eastern Michigan, and Purdue. The Oakland series we'll just ignore because the resulting thrashings, but Eastern's in the tournament and Purdue played Michigan tight in the Big Ten this year.

The Wildcats took two from Eastern Michigan earlier this year in convincing fashion and swept a 3 game series from Purdue. Looking at the results between the common opponents, Kentucky and Michigan are evenly matched. The 'Cats pulled a squeaker out on Eastern and thumped them during the second game.
Same for Michigan. The argument can be made Eastern's the weakest team in the tournament though Mt. St. Mary's 21-32 record might give them a run for that title. The Purdue games probably give you your best impression of how the teams will match up and based on the close results for both, I'm guessing this will probably be a 5-4, 6-5 type game. Michigan will role out Fetter or Putnam to start the tournament depending on who is the freshest.

In an effort to get everyone up to speed, A Sea of Blue, SB Nation's outstanding Kentucky blog, and I will be doing a Q&A on Kentucky as the week goes on. More details to follow as they become available. Go Blue!