Reader Mail

Here are a few comments from alert readers during the past month. Also included are my responses to each.

Anonymous: I think it was a shame coach did not play Molly more than a few minutes. I don 't understand how someone could be so thoughtless when a woman is sitting there, knowing it is her LAST game, and not give her a CHANCE to shine. Even if it is only one game. It’s not like the championship was on the line. Some people have to learn to develope FEELINGS and maybe the team chemistry would be better.

I agree with you that it would have been nice to see Molly play more in her final game. Despite limited playing time and injuries over her four years, she never gave in and hung it up. Instead, she battled and gave it her all. Where is the reward for that?

Anonymous: I agree totally, all these girls (women) KNOW how to win, they have done it in HS. OK college ball is different but everyone else adjusts. Look at Millersville, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and even Cheyney this year.
What is wrong with KU??? Is it team chemistry? Coaching? Selfishness? Someone should soon figure it out, I'd be nervous if I were the coach.

I'd imagine Coach Malouf has decent job security, but I'm not about to elaborate on that. Only AD Greg Bamberger and company know that for sure.
As for why we can't seem to manage a year of dominance like Millersville, ESU, West Chester, Cal, Edinboro, Shippensburg, etc. have in the last few seasons, I don't have an answer.
Fortunately for the athletic program, KU is growing fast which will hopefully lead to even more talent (nothing against the current crop of course) and even more success for women's basketball.
Only time will tell, but your concerns, my friend, are certainly legitimate.

The Truth: Mike, true, there will be alot of new faces in the lineup, but I don't see it as a rebuilding year.
The GB's will obviously go through some struggles trying to find their identity, but with the talent Blum has amassed and the kind of production that a few of these guys gave last year, i'm almost certain that the team will do well. Maybe not 49 wins well, but I think they could put up a good 30+.
Kulbacki should be nasty this year, same with Lightcap.
But the guy I see improving the most out of everyone this year is Riggins. Why the hell hasn't he broken out yet? Really? He has all the tools that are necessary, but he's never put up a great year. With the guys available for Blum, Riggins is due. Mike, you know as well as anyone that baseball is a numbers game. Percentages are what make baseball what it is. Odds of Riggins breaking out? Let's just say, eh, 75% (Although 60% might be more fair.)
Pitching wise, same can be said with Cassidy. Fall semester I saw that kid in the weight room nearly every day. Of course, he probably wanted to see his gf half the time, but mix in a little lifting during the time spent there and you've got yourself a good worker committed to getting better in '08.
And it's not like he had a bad year in '07. With so many guys in front of him in the rotatin, dude never had the opportunity to show the stuff he had on a consistent basis. Probably will get that this year.
Nice preview, though. I'm looking forward to baseball season in general--Phillies and Orioles.
But obviously, I have a soft spot for KU baseball.

I suppose they could be "reloading" rather than "rebuilding", but I think it too early to make that call. We're just going to have to see.
With that said, I think we both know enough about the game to know that you can't throw a bunch of new faces together and expect them to gel right away. I think 2008-09 will be a learning experience and the next few years will be the ones where they really excel.
Don't get me wrong-I agree there is talent here, but show me a baseball team that doesn't need chemistry and experience to succeed and I'll show you a tee ball team.

Anonymous: 10th in Nation. What a great start to the season. Where did that girl learn how to HIT ?????? Its amazing, usually at this level no one is that good. And the pitcher is great also, funny they are both not at D1 schools.

I'm assuming you're referring to first baseman Steph Denlinger and starting pitcher Kait Arbogast. Both are outstanding as you mentioned and still have more than one season left here at KU. Props to Coach Lawes for the top-notch recruiting.

Anonymous: This team is GREAT...I have been following the online results, this coach, evidently, knows how to recruit!!! What a dream team. Is anyone in the division "better " than this? Does Lock Haven still have that good pitcher, and do they have hitters like this?

As mentioned in my softball preview, this team should be a national contender. Coach Lawes has done a superb job recruiting, especially by breaking new ground for the PSAC in Canada.
Lock Haven does still have Kristin Erb, who is in her junior season.

Mo: See, I still have qualms about the statement that KU baseball is "clearly in rebuilding mode."
It's very evident that KU baseball is retooling this year with its youngers players. But rebuilding, to me at least, is a scenario where a team gives up hope of doing anything substantial in the season and just tries to develop its younger players while exiling its older group.
KU isn't doing that. The Golden Bears are 7-9 and several of their losses have been by 3-runs or less.
That means the talent is there, and with a few errors or swings going in KU's favor, you might have a 10-6 record instead.
The sign of a very good system is when a team like KU wins game that maybe it isn't supposed to win, considering its young core.
It just goes to show what kind of talent is there at this juncture and what it can do in the next couple of years.
But even this year, PSACs aren't out of the question. If I'm not mistaken, it is the top three teams from each division that make the playoffs. KU is chillin' at the three-spot.
Rebuilding implies no chance at playoff.
The GB's aren't out of it yet.

I'm not sure where you got your definition of "rebuilding", but we clearly got it from two different places.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that this is a down year by KU standards. Keep in mind that the baseball team was number one in the nation last season, but isn't even going to be ranked this year. They lost almost their entire starting lineup and most of their top pitchers. It is clearly a rebuilding year, whether you want to admit it or not.
I never claimed the rebuilding effort was without talent. Most teams (at any level) who lost as much as KU did would be struggling to win even a few games, but the talent pool brought in by Coach Blum has allowed them to compete despite the youth and experience.
The Golden Bears are 7-9 this year as you mentioned. They went 49-7 last year, 43-13 in 2006, 39-18 in 2005, 37-16 in 2004, and 25-15 in 2003. Notice a trend? Coach Blum built up a top team and rode them to their climax last season.
This year is obviously a down year and a time for rebuilding. A losing record is by no means an acceptable record for a program that generally competes nationally. You can bet they will be back to contending in a year or so, but not in 2008.
You mentioned they will likely make PSACs. I agree 100%. But, will they contend with 17-2 West Chester? Unlikely.

The Gaming Guru: Have any of the KU baseball guys from last year made it to the pros or anything yet?

Kyle Sadlowski is with the Cardinals, Matt Maradeo with the Cubs, Jason Mills with the Orioles, and Mike McCardell is flying through the Twins system. All four are pitchers.