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Weekly Whatup 4.21
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Four wins, 47 runs scored, 19 runs allowed, a sweep in conference play and a game and a half closer to first place in the SoCon. What does that get you in terms of national recognition? Nada.

            I had a discussion Sunday night with some members of what is now unofficially the Blue Crew, and many were adamant the Georgia Southern baseball team would be ranked come Monday afternoon. I, my faithful readers, was not convinced.

            Not that I was crossing my fingers the Eagles wouldn’t show up in the polls — or was I betting the GSU football team will lose on Sept. 12 at South Dakota State like one of the despicable members of the roundtable discussion did later on. It’s just that polls in college athletics, outside that silliness they call the BCS, are meaningless.

            The Eagles, no doubt, should be in the Top 25 in college baseball. But while the come-from-behind win over Jacksonville was great, the RPI is now the best in the conference at 22, the strength of schedule is up 10 spots to 68 — Davidson, the New York Yankees they are not.

            That’s not GSU’s fault. They beat a mediocre team soundly and as coach Rodney Hennon put it — as all coaches will: “It’s a nice honor I guess, but regardless of where we are in the polls, whether we’re ranked or not ranked, we’ve got to stay focused and win ballgames. Our focus right now is getting geared up for this week. I think all that other stuff takes care of itself if we take care of the things we can control.”

            That’s right Yogus, I steal quotes now.

            The Eagles are in good position to make an NCAA Regional already, ranked or not. They need 12 wins in their final 17 scheduled games to get to that magical No. 40 and the brute of the schedule is out of the way. A ranking, at this point, is moot.

            So let’s quit the feudin’ and a-fussin’, just enjoy the ride while we’re on it and hope come the end of May GSU has a 1, 2, 3, or 4 next to their name. That number will be more important than any other.

            After Southern’s 4-0 week — I guessed 5-0, stupid rain — and a 1-0 week for me, now 1-2 for the year.

 

Mmm...draft

            It’s hard to watch a nightly edition of SportsCenter these days without being over-saturated with 30 minutes of NFL Draft scenarios and snippets. Where’s my hockey highlights!

            But you can’t argue with the monster that is the NFL... I guess you can’t argue with a monster to begin with.

            Anyhoo, everyone’s got their mock drafts, and I could give one here. However, I don’t care all that much, and that plays a big factor.

            I will give a couple picks, for the sake of predictin’ stuff. Stafford goes No. 1, Lions still go 2-14. Redskins trade up to take Sanchez, Jason Campbell gets benched after a 3-5 start and Washington still ends up 8-8, misspelling the team’s name on the front of their jersey in the season finale.

            In a wild twist of fate, the Falcons draft Brett Favre, only later to see him knocked cold by a Matt Ryan pass in mini-camp, forcing him to retire a 17th time as John Madden gently weeps.