Random thoughts, March 4

Baseball is the greatest
If you've taken the trouble to find this blog, you probably won't quibble with my contention that baseball is the greatest sport.

Take Furman's game with Clemson on Tuesday for instance. Clemson took a 2-0 lead and a no-hitter into the ninth inning. In fact, there were two outs and two strikes on Paladins hitter Connor Lind when he hit a Baltimore chop to third base and beat the throw to first to spoil the no-hitter.

So what happens next? Brian Harrison hits the next pitch for a two-run homer to tie the game. The Paladins went on to win 4-2, in 14 innings.

Baseball is perhaps the only sport where momentum can swing that wildly that late in the game. Football or basketball games that can be changed by one late play haven't been dominated by either team.

Granted, Furman was still in Tuesday's game because it was getting good pitching, too. But, the Paladins had given no hint of the pending offensive dramatics during their first 8 2/3 innings.

Baseball. I love it.

Gamecocks fans getting antsy?
Recent University of South Carolina teams have very often lived and died with their hitting.

Early this season,clutch hitting hasn't been coming for the Gamecocks despite a 5-0 start. USC hitters are 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position over the last three games.

That hasn't gone unnoticed by USC fans. Message boards are peppered with threads discussing offensive shortcomings.

The Gamecocks' pitching, meanwhile, has been brilliant. The combination shutout by Blake Cooper and Adam Westmoreland against Georgia State on Tuesday was the third shutout in five games by the USC staff. Last year, the Gamecocks had just two shutouts all season.

Bulldogs working OT
If you want extra innings, try going to a Citadel game. The Bulldogs have played extra innings in four of six games this season, including games of 10, 11, 12 and 15 innings.