Time To Start Demanding Excellence
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, February 01, 2008
Over the last eight years - since the start of the breakthrough 2000 season – the USC baseball team has won a remarkable 71.5 percent of its games and has registered the fourth highest win total in the country (388-155) in that span.
USC has won 40 or more games in each of the last eight seasons, and is one of only two teams to advance as far as the Super Regional Round in seven of those years.
Yeah, they expect to win.
In fact, I would say Ray Tanner and the Gamecock coaches and players they have an arrogant confidence about them.
To paraphrase Michael Douglas in that old movie about Wall Street, a little arrogance is good. Especially when it comes to college athletics.
When baseball players arrive at USC, they know they’re going to win a lot of games over the course of their career and have an excellent opportunity to make it to Omaha for the Holy Grail – the College World Series.
But here’s the kicker – USC baseball fans expect the same thing. They show up at Sarge Frye Field by the thousands to see the Gamecocks prevail in another ballgame. Even when USC trails late, many fans remain confident the Gamecocks will rally
There’s almost a stunned response when the Gamecocks drop a game at home.
The baseball team has set the bar so high, what would the response be among Gamecock fans if USC went 28-28 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament this upcoming regular season?
Isn’t 28-28 and not going to the NCAA’s the same thing as the football team finishing 6-6 and failing to earn a berth in a bowl game? I think it’s fairly comparable.
Yet, I think the USC fan base would react with more anger towards the baseball team. The football team hasn’t proven it can sustain success for a lengthy period of time, certainly not for more than two or three seasons in a row.
The USC fans that show up regularly at Sarge Frye Field demand excellence from the baseball team. Hey, you get what you ask for.
Most of the time, Tanner delivers.
Have there been a few head-scratching losses over the years? Sure, just as there are with every program. But for the overwhelming majority of the time, USC has beaten inferior teams.
Let’s put it this way: there haven’t been many humiliating losses like the 17-6 setback to Vanderbilt suffered by the football team this past season.
Losing to Vanderbilt in baseball is one thing. Losing to them in football, and looking pathetic doing it, is quite another.
How many Gamecock fans attend a game at Williams-Brice Stadium and demand excellence from the football team? Not enough, that’s for sure.
I hear a lot of reasons why the USC football team hasn’t consistently produced winning seasons. Geography. Politics. Recruiting. Coaches. Facilities. Conference.
On and on it goes. There are a million excuses out there.
But, in my opinion, the program won’t truly turn around until the USC fan base, as a whole, rises up and demands excellence from the entire program.
And that includes Steve Spurrier, the assistant coaches, the players, the trainers, the administration. Everybody.
It happens at Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn and LSU. It’s about time it happens here at USC.
I get the impression from talking with USC fans and reading e-mails that some are reluctant to say anything. Well, get over your stage fright. Take a stand.
Of course, I don’t expect USC to play in a BCS Bowl game every season, but a New Years Day bowl every two or three years would be nice. Let’s start with that.
In short, the program must start to sustain success.
And for the fans to demand excellence.
I’m not talking about seven-win seasons either. USC has been there, done that. It’s time to take the next step up the ladder.
It seems to work in baseball.
Let’s try it in football, too.
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The start of baseball practice Friday for South Carolina reminds us again of the canyon-size gulf between expecting to win and hoping to win.
Over the last eight years - since the start of the breakthrough 2000 season – the USC baseball team has won a remarkable 71.5 percent of its games and has registered the fourth highest win total in the country (388-155) in that span.
USC has won 40 or more games in each of the last eight seasons, and is one of only two teams to advance as far as the Super Regional Round in seven of those years.
Yeah, they expect to win.
In fact, I would say Ray Tanner and the Gamecock coaches and players they have an arrogant confidence about them.
To paraphrase Michael Douglas in that old movie about Wall Street, a little arrogance is good. Especially when it comes to college athletics.
When baseball players arrive at USC, they know they’re going to win a lot of games over the course of their career and have an excellent opportunity to make it to Omaha for the Holy Grail – the College World Series.
But here’s the kicker – USC baseball fans expect the same thing. They show up at Sarge Frye Field by the thousands to see the Gamecocks prevail in another ballgame. Even when USC trails late, many fans remain confident the Gamecocks will rally
There’s almost a stunned response when the Gamecocks drop a game at home.
The baseball team has set the bar so high, what would the response be among Gamecock fans if USC went 28-28 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament this upcoming regular season?
Isn’t 28-28 and not going to the NCAA’s the same thing as the football team finishing 6-6 and failing to earn a berth in a bowl game? I think it’s fairly comparable.
Yet, I think the USC fan base would react with more anger towards the baseball team. The football team hasn’t proven it can sustain success for a lengthy period of time, certainly not for more than two or three seasons in a row.
The USC fans that show up regularly at Sarge Frye Field demand excellence from the baseball team. Hey, you get what you ask for.
Most of the time, Tanner delivers.
Have there been a few head-scratching losses over the years? Sure, just as there are with every program. But for the overwhelming majority of the time, USC has beaten inferior teams.
Let’s put it this way: there haven’t been many humiliating losses like the 17-6 setback to Vanderbilt suffered by the football team this past season.
Losing to Vanderbilt in baseball is one thing. Losing to them in football, and looking pathetic doing it, is quite another.
How many Gamecock fans attend a game at Williams-Brice Stadium and demand excellence from the football team? Not enough, that’s for sure.
I hear a lot of reasons why the USC football team hasn’t consistently produced winning seasons. Geography. Politics. Recruiting. Coaches. Facilities. Conference.
On and on it goes. There are a million excuses out there.
But, in my opinion, the program won’t truly turn around until the USC fan base, as a whole, rises up and demands excellence from the entire program.
And that includes Steve Spurrier, the assistant coaches, the players, the trainers, the administration. Everybody.
It happens at Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn and LSU. It’s about time it happens here at USC.
I get the impression from talking with USC fans and reading e-mails that some are reluctant to say anything. Well, get over your stage fright. Take a stand.
Of course, I don’t expect USC to play in a BCS Bowl game every season, but a New Years Day bowl every two or three years would be nice. Let’s start with that.
In short, the program must start to sustain success.
And for the fans to demand excellence.
I’m not talking about seven-win seasons either. USC has been there, done that. It’s time to take the next step up the ladder.
It seems to work in baseball.
Let’s try it in football, too.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.