Wednesday March 14, 2007

Perfect Day; Kopp; First Day in Pads; NIT; Bay Hill

The Perfect March Day
Today could have been the perfect day until the flu hit me. Instead of the ultimate day in the life of a Clemson fan I get stuck in bed sweating but freezing. Today could have looked like this:

6-9 Broadcast from Chick-fil-a in Seneca
10-2 18 Holes at the Walker Course
2-3 Lunch at Esso
3-6 First day of pads of spring practice
6-8 Clemson vs. ETSU NIT Basketball
8-9:30 or so Clemson vs. Georgia Southern Baseball
9:45 Mac's Drive In

The only way it could have gotten any better is if when you stepped on the first tee at the Walker Course you would have been paired with Heidi Klum, Anna Kournikova and Shakira.

Instead, I will be cuddle up with a body pillow lying in a pool of my own sweat. How long can the flu last? At least I can listen to the basketball game on the radio (104.9 FM) and baseball game on the internet (www.wccpfm.com).

Kopp's Big Start
It is not too often when you say a mid-week game against a mid-major opponent is a big game for a program in the top ten in country in college baseball but that is what we have today. Clemson's David Kopp was supposed to be a weekend starter and a steady force the staff could count on. Instead, pitching coach Kevin O'Sullivan has moved the Florida native to the mid-week game in hopes to improve his confidence.

The right-hander has excellent stuff but sometimes lacks command as witnessed by his 1-1 record with a 4.87 ERA. Kopp has made four starts for a total of 20.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 24 hits (.293 opponents' batting average) and eight walks with 18 strikeouts. The Tigers need more than five innings from this guy on average.

There have been times in his career that Kopp has looked dominant but those times have become too far and few between. Consistency is the key and here is hoping that will lead to some of the confidence we have seen in the past. It is very simple that the Tiger staff is not what we thought it would look like back in December because of the loss of Sean Clark and Graham Stoneburner. Clark would have been a weekend starter and thought would have pushed Kopp to the mid-week role. Stoneburner would have been the fifth starter because he was ahead of Josh Thrailkill.

Since Clark and Stoneburner are not there it adds the pressure back on Kopp to live up to his potential. Georgia Southern is not a huge game in the big picture but the future of the rotation could rest on tonight's start.

Spring Practice
I have not been to spring practice yet but I have gotten good reports. I hear a lot of positives but things should be positive when it comes to practices in shorts. Today is a day you dred as a player. I can't think of much worse than a long spring practice in full pads. Today is where some separation will start to occur.

Chris Capote gets his first day in pads as the number-one right tackle today. Other guys who will go through their first will be the freshmen who came in January (Willy Korn, Brian Linthicum, Landon Walker, Xavier Dye and DeAndre McDaniel). It will be the first real test for some young linebackers like Jeremy Campbell, Kavell Conner and Josh Miller who are trying to take advantage of the slip ups of some veterans.

Today will be Byron Maxwell's first chance to impress in full pads for the most part since he spent last season on the scout team. Rickey Sapp will try to impress Ron West today by showing he is ready to become an every down player. Barry Humphries has a shot today to prove to Brad Scott that he is dependable in pads.

The are numerous opportunities out there today and there is nothing to magnify them quite like a long spring practice in full pads.

NIT
On this morning's radio show I said I was not excited about tonight's NIT contest. Don't get me wrong, I am not a front runner who only cares about the team that is winning. I respect hard work and effort of the student-athletes. I like this staff and hope they win by forty. But, I am not excited about it.

I am excited to see if the Tigers can continue to include Trevor Booker in the offense tonight. I saw great things from Booker's freshman season and feel he can continue to develop into a player that you can build around. I say pound the ball inside and make ETSU stop Booker.

I also want to see Cliff Hammonds continue his excellent play. Hammonds has had a great junior campaign and hopefully he can keep it up tonight.

I am excited about the direction of the program. I am excited about the future. I am excited about a team that returns every player but one next season. I am excited about the talented recruits that will be in Clemson next year and the following season.

But if you are honest with yourself you would also say that you are not excited about the NIT.

Kyle Stanley
Tomorrow is a big day for Clemson freshman golfer Kyle Stanley. At 9:49 AM Thursday Stanley will step on the first tee at Bay Hill and play in his first PGA Tour event. The Washington native qualified for the event by winning the Southern Amateur last summer and now gets to play in the special event. It is ironic that Stanley's teammate has already been through what he will go through tomorrow. Sam Saunders, another Clemson freshman golfer, played in last year's Bay Hill Invitational. Saunders is the grandson of legend Arnold Palmer and received an exemption to play in the 2006 tournament.

Clemson head coach Larry Penley and assistant coach Jordan Byrd both feel Stanley and Saunders have huge futures in the sport because of their length. They say that both would be in the top ten in driving distance on the PGA Tour now and think they have incredible futures at Clemson and beyond. Good luck at Bay Hill Kyle.

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