Alt26

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Your back must really hurt from having to bend over so much to disparage the team. Do you get paid for this?

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I’m not disparaging the team. I’m disparaging the perpetual excuse makers…and giving actual evidence to support the response instead of searching for every possible basis to ignore the obvious

IMO, the antics have reached absurd proportions in college baseball. However, with no real fear of "self-policing", the players continue to do it. But bitching about LSU celebrating a walk-off HR is not the spot to complain. There's nothing wrong with raw emotion coming out there.

3 different scenarios:

1. Curiel pumped after driving in the game-tying run in a two out, bottom of the 9th comeback? Go crazy

2. Jones hitting a 500 foot HR to end the game? Go crazy.

3. The Tenn. SS shortstop staring down the LSU pitcher thinking the pitcher was trying to intentionally throw at the head of the worst hitter in the TN lineup on a 3-1 count? You're a tool.

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It would if the returning players remain healthy and emotionally sound.

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That's only 2 guys

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It would if the returning players remain healthy and emotionally sound. The big key would be to land a hammer from somewhere , a Tari Eason or Dalton Knecht type player. Maybe from Australia or another country, a late portal entry . Could be a high school recruit who become available after a coaching change like Tremont Waters.

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The deadline to enter the portal has closed and 90+% of the top 100 players in the portal have already made their decisions. As of today, only 7 of 247's top 100 players remain uncommitted. Even if you expand that out to the top 150, the overwhelming majority of top players have made their choices. Same for the HS recruits.

All of the major conf. coaching changes have been made. There's always the possibility of something unexpected, but that's not likely. Waters, who you referenced, decommitted from Georgetown on April 6th...which was about 2 weeks after Thompson was fired. Is it possible someone great becomes available? Sure...but not highly likely at this stage. The pool of available players is mostly set

In 2022, LSU returned 3 players. A 4 person HS signing class was brought in that was ranked 17th. 6 transfers signed and were ranked as the 11th best class. Combine, LSU was ranked as having the 17th best recruiting class.

Currently LSU is returning 2 players. A 3 man HS class has been signed and is ranked 18th. 5 transfers have committed forming a class currently ranked 11th

Unless LSU unexpectedly signs another highly ranked player (of which there are few available now), the rankings right now mirror the 2022 signing class (ahead of the 22-23 season)

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My beef with it all is narrative floated at end of season that issue was NIL and it would be addressed.

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The narrative was floated to try to justify the poor results. Notice you heard nothing about NIL until the season went to shite and LSU "just so happened" to be playing the only other team as bad as them (South Carolina). If LSU's NIL budget was unreasonably low, that would have been the case well before October (the start of the season). The fact that nothing was said about it until February, when the AD had to find some basis to justify his decision to retain McMahon despite the abysmal record tells you the true reason for lack of NIL "suddenly" becoming an issue.

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McMahon did commendable job in first few weeks of portal, but appears the well went dry pretty early compared to talk NIL would be substantially bolstered.

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LSU didn't have much negotiating leverage given the poor 3 year results. They weren't going to be a high-demand program relative to better programs who were spending similar sum. That meant their best approach was to try to be first in the market with big offers. That's why you saw LSU's transfer class ranked #1 early, before slowing slipping down the rankings (currently 11). When it's all said and done LSU's recruiting class (transfers and HS signees) will likely end up about where it has been each of the last 3 offseason, ranked somewhere in the mid-teens. That's not bad by any means. But it' won't be the significant improvement many thought was coming

What is there to discuss? The batter was pissed like the pitcher wanted to buzz him in 3-1. Jones then tells him to STFU. The umps intervened. Issue over.

I suspect GMs think he’s an average QB who likely comes with too much distraction that outweighs his ability.

On the one hand, Deion is the reason for the undue hype. On the other, he’s the reason NFL don’t want to deal with the headache of having his kid on the team

He was 6th rated QB in the ACC. Not the country, one of the weakest power conferences

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Is there anything you aren't a fricking expert at?

Outside of writing several paragraphs usually on here.

You have all the answers in basketball, and now baseball you appear to be an odds expert.

You are a trip dude...but your buddy Dritz will be here to support you soon.

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You seem to suggest the fact that Tennessee is a favorite seems to be unreasonable. I'm just giving you a reasonable basis as to why the line likely is what it is between two otherwise, objectively, evenly matched teams.

However, I do have to admit, though not intentional, it does humor me how angry you seem to get over anonymous message board banter. Along with the complete inability to see the irony of your comment.

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Looking at both Anderson and Doyle it depends on who shows up.

They’re both pretty nasty at their best and they both have been touched up, Doyle less so than Anderson.

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Anderson has given up 6 and 5 runs, respectively, in his last two starts.

Doyle has given up 2 runs in each of his last two starts.

I suspect that is probably the difference in the line given LSU and Tenn are otherwise pretty evenly matched.