Top-25 NCAA Baseball Rankings 2/19-2/25

1. North Carolina (2-0) vs. Seton Hall (0-2) W 1-0, W 17-2
    (LW - 2) This week: vs. #22 Coastal Carolina (2-0) 2/18, vs. Stony Brook (0-3) 2/22-24

2. Vanderbilt (2-1) vs. Long Beach State (1-2) W 10-4, W 10-2, L 13-9
    (LW - 1) This week: at Belmont (3-0) 2/19, vs. Central Arkansas (3-0) 2/20, vs. Monmouth (1-0)
    2/22-24

3. Louisville (2-1) lost to Indiana (2-1) 2-0, def South Florida (1-2) 10-1, def Purdue (2-2) 9-4
    (LW - 3) This week: vs. Eastern Kentucky (1-2) 2/20, vs. Akron (0-3) 2/22-24

4. Arkansas (2-1) vs. Western Illinois (1-2) W 9-1, W 7-2, L 7-5
    (LW - 4) This week: vs. New Orleans (0-3) 2/19-20, vs. Evansville (2-1) 2/22-24

5. Kentucky (2-0) def UNC-Asheville (1-1) 9-2, def Niagara (0-3) 20-3
    (LW - 6) This week: at South Carolina-Upstate (1-0) 2/18, vs. Elon (1-2) 2/22, at #22 Coastal
    Carolina (2-0) 2/23, vs. Kansas State (2-1)

6. Mississippi State (4-0) vs. Portland (0-4) W 16-1, W 2-1, W 7-1, W 6-0
    (LW - 7) This week: vs. Grambling State (0-3) 2/19, vs. Purdue (2-2) 2/22-23, vs. Samford (3-1)
    2/22-23

7. Oregon State (3-0) vs. Utah Valley (1-3) W 5-1, vs. Gonzaga (2-2) W 9-2, vs. UC-Riverside
    (1-2) W 14-3
    (LW - 8) This week: vs. UC-Riverside (1-2) 2/18, at San Diego State (3-0) 2/21-24

8. LSU (3-0) vs. Maryland (0-3) W 1-0, W 5-1, W 14-3
    (LW - 9) This week: vs. Lamar (4-0) 2/19, vs. BYU (2-2) 2/21, 2/23, vs. Southeastern Louisiana
    (3-0) 2/22

9. South Carolina (2-1) vs. Liberty (1-2) W 4-3, W 8-7, L 3-2
    (LW - 5) This week: vs. Albany (0-2) 2/22-24

10. UCLA (3-0) vs. Minnesota (0-3) L 6-2, W 14-0, W 14-1
      (LW - 13) This week: at Cal-Santa Barbara (2-1) 2/19, at Baylor (0-3) 2/22-24

11. Mississippi (3-0) vs. #10 TCU (0-3) W 1-0, W 5-2, W 5-2
      (LW - 14) This week: vs. Tennessee-Martin (0-3) 2/20, vs. Rhode Island (0-3) 2/22-24

12. Florida State (3-0) vs. Rhode Island (0-3) W 11-5, W 6-2, W 8-6
       (LW - 15) This week: vs. Jacksonville (1-2) 2/19, vs. South Florida (1-2) 2/22-24

13. Oregon (3-0) at Hawai'i (0-3) W 3-0, W 5-4, W 9-5
      (LW - 19) This week: at Hawai'i (0-3) 2/18, vs. Loyola Marymount (2-1) 2/22-24

14. Rice (2-1) vs. #12 Stanford (1-2) W 5-1, L 3-2, W 3-0
      (LW - 16) This week: vs. Dallas Baptist (0-3) 2/19, at Hawai'i (0-3) 2/22-24

15. Oklahoma (4-0) vs. Hofstra (0-4) W 10-4, W 3-2, W 11-10, W 7-4
       (LW - 20) This week: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-1) 2/19-20, vs. Iowa (1-2) 2/22, at Texas
       A&M-Corpus Christi (3-1) 2/23, vs. New Mexico (1-2) 2/24

16. Georgia Tech (3-0) vs. Akron (0-3) W 3-0, W 10-3, W 5-3
      (LW - 21) This week: vs. Georgia State (2-1) 2/19, vs. St. John's (2-2) 2/22-24

17. Arizona (3-0) vs. Coppin State (0-3) W 16-0, W 14-1, W 13-9
      (LW - 22) This week: at Long Beach State (1-2) 2/19-20, vs. San Jose State (2-1) 2/22-24

18. North Carolina State (0-1) vs. Appalachian State (1-0) L 6-3
      (LW - 11) This week: vs. Villanova (0-1) 2/22, Wagner (0-0) 2/23, LaSalle (1-1) 2/24

19. Stanford (1-2) at #16 Rice (1-2) L 5-1, W 3-2, L 3-0
      (LW - 12) This week: vs. California (3-0) 2/19, vs. Fresno State (1-2) 2/22-24

20. Florida (2-1) vs. Duke (1-2) L 4-3, W 4-2, W 16-5
      (LW - 17) This week: at Central Florida (2-1) 2/19, vs. Georgia Southern (2-1) 2/20, vs. Florida
      Gulf Coast (1-2) 2/22-24

21. Texas A&M (2-1) vs. Illinois-Chicago (1-2) L 2-0, W 4-2, W 5-1
      (LW - 18) This week: vs. Stephen F. Austin (0-3) 2/19, vs. Texas Southern (3-1) 2/20, vs.
      Pepperdine (4-0) 2/22-24

22. Coastal Carolina (2-0) vs. James Madison (0-2) W 4-3, 8-7
      (LW - 23) This week: at #1 North Carolina (2-0) 2/18, vs. Kansas State (2-1) 2/22, vs. #5
      Kentucky (2-0) 2/23, vs. Elon (1-2) 2/24, vs. Marshall (1-1) 2/24

23. Clemson (2-1) vs. William & Mary (1-2) W 2-0, L 11-2, W 12-2
      (LW - 24) This week: vs. Wright State (2-0) 2/22-24

24. Cal State-Fullerton (4-0) vs. Southern California (1-2) W 3-2, vs. Nebraska (0-4) W 10-5,
      W 9-0, at Cal State-Bakersfield (2-1) W 8-2
      (LW - NR) This week: at Pepperdine (4-0) 2/19, at TCU (0-3)
  
25. Arizona State (2-1) vs. Bethune-Cookman (1-2) W 5-4, 15-7, L 7-6
      (LW - 25) This week: at Tennessee (1-3) 2/22-24

Dropped out of rankings: #10 TCU (0-3)

Also receiving consideration:
Miami-Florida (3-0), Troy (4-0), Virginia (2-0), UC-Irvine (3-0), San Diego State (3-0), Southern Mississippi (3-0), Pepperdine (4-0), Pittsburgh (3-0), Texas (2-1), Central Florida (2-1), College of Charleston (2-1), Bryant (0-0), Indiana (2-1), Mercer (3-0), Lamar (4-0)


Looking: TCU, Florida Atlantic, California, Alabama, Cal Poly, Creighton, Southeastern Louisiana, Richmond, Central Arkansas, Texas-San Antonio, Belmont, South Alabama

My Top 100 Songs That Didn't Make Billboard's Top-10 Chart

A friend, Rich Appel, put this out there for consideration on Tuesday. After about three hours of racking my brain, I came up with these 100 songs that were great radio tunes, but never made it to Billboard's Top-10:

1. "Landslide" Fleetwood Mac
2. "Stairway to Heaven" Led Zeppelin
3. "Into the Mystic" Van Morrison
4. "Tequila Sunrise" The Eagles
5. "Purple Haze" Jimi Hendrix
6. "What a Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong
7. "Changes" David Bowie
8. "Surrender" Cheap Trick
9. "Say You Love Me" Fleetwood Mac
10. "Mainline Florida" Eric Clapton
11. "There's Nothing Better Than Love" Luther Vandross w/Gregory Hines
12. "Tom Sawyer" Rush
13. "The Salt in My Tears" Martin Briley
14. "Just What I Needed" The Cars
15. "She's Tight" Cheap Trick
16. "I Can't Live Without My Radio" LL Cool J
17. "Alison" Elvis Costello
18. "Abacab" Genesis
19. "It Takes Two" Marvin Gaye w/Kim Weston
20. "Black Hole Sun" Soundgarden
21. "Sharp Dressed Man" ZZ Top
22. "Kentucky Woman" Neil Diamond
23. "Hurricane" Bob Dylan
24. "Hot for Teacher" Van Halen
25. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" Sam & Dave
26. "Rhiannon" Fleetwood Mac
27. "Someday, Someway" Marshall Crenshaw
28. "Crazy Train" Ozzy Osbourne
29. "Lady Love" Lou Rawls
30. "Carolina In My Mind" James Taylor
31. "Rock and Roll" Led Zeppelin
32. "Grey Seal" Elton John
33. "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" Paul Simon
34. "Hot Summer Nights" Night
35. "Waitin' on a Friend" The Rolling Stones
36. "Highway to Hell" AC/DC
37. "Workin' for the Weekend" Loverboy
38. "Take This Heart" Richard Marx
39. "I Won't Be Home Tonight" Tony Carey
40. "Love is the Drug" Roxy Music
41. "Jackie Wilson Said" Van Morrison
42. "American-Soviets" C.C.C.P.
43. "Lonely Nights" Bryan Adams
44. "Roxanne" The Police
45. "Barracuda" Heart
46. "Stop to Love" Luther Vandross
47. "Octopus' Garden" The Beatles
48. "Last Child" Aerosmith
49. "More Than You Know" Martika
50. "Big Log" Robert Plant
51. "Slow Ride" Foghat
52. "What I Like About You" The Romantics
53. "Jukebox Hero" Foreigner
54. "Cult of Personality" Living Colour
55. "Fat Bottomed Girls" Queen
56. "Darlington County" Bruce Springsteen
57. "Lights" Journey
58. "Darlin' Danielle Don't" Henry Lee Summer
59. "Itchycoo Park" Small Faces
60. "Killer Queen" Queen
61. "New York Groove" Ace Frehley
62. "Fool in the Rain" Led Zeppelin
63. "Still Crazy After All These Years" Paul Simon
64. "Still a Thrill" Jody Watley
65. "Rock Lobster" The B-52's
66. "Rockin' at Midnight" The Honeydrippers
67. "You're My Best Friend" Queen
68. "Mind Over Matter" E.G. Daily
69. "My Baby Loves Lovin'" White Plains
70. "Heartbreaker" Pat Benatar
71. "Tryin' to Reason With Hurricane Season" Jimmy Buffett
72. "The Longest Time" Billy Joel
73. "Plush" Stone Temple Pilots
74. "I'd Love to Change the World" Ten Years After
75. "Girl of My Dreams" Bram Tchaikovsky
76. "Unforgettable" Natalie Cole w/Nat King Cole
77. "Back On My Feet Again" The Babys
78. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" Def Leppard
79. "Shanty" Jonathan Edwards
80. "Crosstown Traffic" Jimi Hendrix
81. "Don't Pay the Ferryman" Chris DeBurgh
82. "Ritual" Dan Reed Network
83. "Love Spy" Mike Mareen
84. "I Wanna Be With You" The Raspberries
85. "Crazy On You" Heart
86. "Fantasy" Aldo Nova
87. "On the Loose" Saga
88. "Big Electric Cat" Adrian Belew
89. "Lily Was Here" David A. Stewart f. Candy Dulfer
90. "Summertime Blues" Blue Cheer
91. "Now That We Found Love" Heavy D and the Boyz
92. "I Wish I Had a Girl" Henry Lee Summer
93. "Think It Over" Cheryl Ladd
94. "Icehouse" Icehouse
95. "Why Me" Planet P Project
96. "Gypsy" Fleetwood Mac
97. "Turn Me Loose" Loverboy
98. "Mamma Mia" ABBA
99. "Shakedown Cruise" Jay Ferguson
100. "Only Time Will Tell" Asia

Updated College Baseball Pre-season Rankings

1. Vanderbilt vs. Long Beach State (2/15,16,17)
    Led by four pre-season All-Americans, the Dores should be penciled in as a favorite to challenge in Omaha. Catcher Spencer Navin, infielders Conrad Gregor and Tony Kemp and LHP Kevin Ziomek should lead Tim Corbin's club deep into the 2013 post-season and, possibly, clinch the school's second CWS appearance in three seasons.

2. North Carolina vs. Seton Hall (2/15,16,17)
    With only one pre-season All-American in 3B Colin Moran, average fans would think that 2013 would be a rebuilding year for skipper Mike Fox. That is hardly the case. North Carolina doesn't rebuild. It reloads. This could be the year Fox and company put the memory of runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007 to bed.

3. Louisville vs. Indiana (2/15), vs. South Florida (2/16), vs. Purdue (2/17) - Big East/Big Ten Challenge, Dunedin/Clearwater/St. Petersburg, FL
    Winning three out the last four Big East titles isn't enough for what could be one of the most powerful lineups this season. Head coach Dan McDonnell has 21 letter winners returning from last year's team, including seven of ten all-Big East players. If the Cardinals avoid the injury bug, we may be witnessing a 60-win team.

4. Arkansas vs. Western Illinois (2/15,16,17)
    The key to winning the SEC and earning an eventual trip to Omaha is pitching. Arkansas is blessed with that precious commodity in right-handers Ryne Stanek and Colby Suggs. Stanek is one of the top starters in the country while Suggs will slam the door in the late innings. Will coach Dave Van Horn have enough offense? In the SEC, there's never enough.

5. South Carolina vs. Liberty (2/15,16,17)
    Sometimes life is unfair. Replacing a legend is never easy, but that's what Chad Holbrook faces as the new skipper of the Gamecocks. With CWS titles in 2010 and 2011 and a runner-up performance in 2012, the bar is set as high as it can get. Holbrook was Ray Tanner's right-hand man through the success and, with a deep team, anything less than an appearance in Omaha will be a disappointment in the capital city.

6. Kentucky vs. UNC-Asheville (2/15), at South Carolina-Upstate (2/16), vs. Niagara (2/17) - USC-Upstate/Wofford Tournament, Wofford, SC
    Skipper Gary Henderson is on a mission in 2013. Not only do the Wildcats expect to win the SEC title, the goal is to make it to the CWS for the first time in school history. With pre-season All-Americans OF Austin Cousino, LHP Corey Litrell and LHP/1B A.J. Reed, Kentucky will no longer be a haven just for basketball, but the grand old game will prove it is alive and well.

7. Mississippi State vs. Portland (2/15,16 DH,17)
    The Bulldogs haven't been to Omaha since 2007. Head coach John Cohen has a team that is primed to make the school's ninth appearance at the CWS. Led by SS Adam Frazier, OF Hunter Renfroe and sophomore RHP Jonathan Holder (0.32 ERA, 9 saves in 2012), the Starkville faithful have legitimate reason to enjoy June baseball.

8. Oregon State vs. Utah Valley (2/15), vs. Gonzaga (2/16), vs. UC-Riverside (2/17,18) - Palm Springs Tournament, Palm Spring, CA
    After back-to-back CWS titles in 2006 and 2007, Pat Casey's team hasn't returned to Omaha. That doesn't mean the Beavers have disappeared. OF Michael Conforto will assure that won't be the case. Offensively, the Beavers should be near the top of the Pac-12. Pitching coach Nate Yeskie will have to turn around a staff that had an ERA of 3.48 to return to the CWS.

9. LSU vs. Maryland (2/15,16,17)
    With two CWS appearances and a championship in 2009, head coach Paul Mainieri expects his Tigers to return to the pinnacle of college baseball. With pre-season All-Americans JaCoby Jones (2B), RHP Ryan Eades and C Ty Ross, fans who flock to Alex Box Stadium will have the same expectations.

10. TCU at #14 Mississippi (2/15,16,17)
    Skipper Jim Schlossnagle, in less than a decade, has created a baseball powerhouse in Fort Worth. The question is: with only one CWS appearance in school history, are the Horned Frogs ready to make the move to the next level? Pitching will lead TCU in 2013 with right-handers Preston Morrison and Andrew Mitchell pacing eight returning arms while the offense will reload with five returning starters among 16 new faces.

11. North Carolina State vs. Appalachian State (2/15,16,17)
12. Stanford at #16 Rice (2/15,16,17)
13. UCLA vs. Minnesota (2/15,16,17)
14. Mississippi vs. #10 TCU (2/15,16,17)
15. Florida State vs. Rhode Island (2/15,16,17)
16. Rice vs. #12 Stanford (2/15,16,17)
17. Florida vs. Duke (2/15,16,17)
18. Texas A&M vs. Illinois-Chicago (2/15,16,17)
19. Oregon at Hawai'i (2/15,16,17,18)
20. Oklahoma vs. Hofstra (2/15,16 DH,17)
21. Georgia Tech vs. Akron (2/15,16,17)
22. Arizona vs. Coppin State (2/15,16,17)
23. Coastal Carolina vs. James Madison (2/15 at Florence, SC,16,17)
24. Clemson vs. William & Mary (2/15,16,17)
25. Arizona State vs. Bethune-Cookman (2/15,16,17)


Also receiving consideration:

Cal State-Fullerton, Texas, Central Florida, San Diego, New Mexico, Baylor, Virginia, Miami-Florida, UC-Irvine, College of Charleston, Kent State, Southern Mississippi, Indiana State, Utah Valley, Bryant, Indiana.

College Baseball 2013 Is Here!

After months of waiting, College Baseball is finally back! Well, we're two weeks away. I'll be doing a weekly top-25 ranking of the best teams in the nation as we all try to figure out which eight teams will be heading to Omaha in June.

Week 1 (2/1 - 2/18)

1. Vanderbilt vs. Long Beach State (2/15,16,17)

2. North Carolina vs. Seton Hall (2/15,16,17)

3. Louisville vs. Indiana (2/15), vs. South Florida (2/16), vs. Purdue (2/17) - Big East/Big Ten Challenge, Dunedin/Clearwater/St. Petersburg, FL

4. Arkansas vs. Western Illinois (2/15,16,17)

5. South Carolina vs. Liberty (2/15,16,17)

6. Kentucky vs. UNC-Asheville (2/15), at South Carolina-Upstate (2/16), vs. Niagara (2/17) - USC-Upstate/Wofford Tournament, Wofford, SC

7. Mississippi State vs. Portland (2/15,16 DH,17)

8. Oregon State vs. Utah Valley (2/15), vs. Gonzaga (2/16), vs. UC-Riverside (2/17,18) - Palm Springs Tournament, Palm Spring, CA

9. LSU vs. Maryland (2/15,16,17)

10. TCU at #14 Mississippi (2/15,16,17)

11. North Carolina State vs. Appalachian State (2/15,16,17)

12. Stanford at #16 Rice (2/15,16,17)

13. UCLA vs. Minnesota (2/15,16,17)

14. Mississippi vs. #10 TCU (2/15,16,17)

15. Florida State vs. Rhode Island (2/15,16,17)

16. Rice vs. #12 Stanford (2/15,16,17)

17. Florida vs. Duke (2/15,16,17)

18. Texas A&M vs. Illinois-Chicago (2/15,16,17)

19. Oregon at Hawai'i (2/15,16,17,18)

20. Oklahoma vs. Hofstra (2/15,16 DH,17)

21. Georgia Tech vs. Akron (2/15,16,17)

22. Arizona vs. Coppin State (2/15,16,17)

23. Coastal Carolina vs. James Madison (2/15 at Florence, SC,16,17)

24. Clemson vs. William & Mary (2/15,16,17)

25. Arizona State vs. Bethune-Cookman (2/15,16,17)


Also receiving consideration:

Cal State-Fullerton, Texas, Central Florida, San Diego, New Mexico, Baylor, Virginia, Miami-Florida, UC-Irvine, College of Charleston, Kent State, Southern Mississippi, Indiana State, Utah Valley, Bryant, Indiana.

A Brother Remembers His Sister

For those of you who know me, I'm grieving over the loss of my sister, Michelle, who passed away on the morning of Sunday January 6th at the age of 41. The early indications are that she had a heart attack while she slept, but we're waiting for the medical examiner's findings. Michelle was diagnosed as a diabetic when she was nine years old and, like many in her condition, was on a transplant list for a kidney/pancreas. She was temporarily taken off the list, due to heart issues, but was expecting to be back on the list in March.

I've spent most of today (1/6) thinking about Michelle, her husband, Mike, and her son, Derek. Mike is a great husband and a hard worker who has done wonders in dealing with Michelle's illness. Derek, who is a sophomore at our alma mater (Ponaganset High School - Glocester, RI), is an outstanding student and a fantastic hockey player.

My earliest memory of being a big brother occurred around my seventh birthday in 1971, shortly after Michelle was born.  I was walking past my parents' bedroom, where Michelle's crib was located. I happened to peer inside the room to see my baby sister and noticed that she was stuck between the crib mattress and the wooden frame, yet didn't make a sound. I extracted her from the precarious position and placed her gently on the mattress. I kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I'm your big brother. I'll always protect you." I don't think I ever told my parents about that night.

As siblings can be, along with my brother, we fought like cats and dogs all the time. Sure, we said things we didn't really mean and would drop a dime on each other to see how much trouble we'd get into. I wasn't always the angelic brother, but I would drop everything at the drop of a hat to protect her, if necessary. That was my job as a big brother.

I was working at McDonald's in Johnston, Rhode Island when I was 16 and received a call at work from my mother (something that had never happened before). She told me that Michelle was in the hospital and to come by after work. As good mothers are, she didn't divulge all the details on the telephone. Upon arriving at the hospital, I was given the news that Michelle was diagnosed with diabetes and was not in good shape. The long drive home that night brought me to God for the first time, asking simply that He watch over my sister and that she could come home soon. Michelle was able to return to our home soon afterwards and, with proper care via her insulin injections, was able to resume a normal childhood.

Being athletic, Michelle wanted to play basketball and, the year before I entered active duty, I coached her basketball team. She was a natural on-court and for the first time, I noticed that Michelle respected me not only as her big brother, but an adult.

Years later, Michelle fell in love with one of my classmates, Mike Merchant, and was married in 1995. I was honored to be included in their wedding party and had never been so proud of her. Two years later, against the advice of her doctors, Michelle gave birth to her son Derek. Mom and baby were healthy (Dad was probably stressed out) and all looked promising.

At my brother's wedding a few years later, I asked Mike to be my Best Man, as I had proposed to my girlfriend in 2001. Michelle, Mike and Derek, as well as my brother and his son, were all part of our wedding party in 2003. It was the best day of my life and Michelle was stunning in her dress. I treasure that picture.

Eventually, the diabetes took its toll on Michelle and she began dialysis. Shortly afterward, she was put on the waiting list for a transplant. Numerous potential donors, including myself and my brother, were rejected for various reasons. I was so sure that I would be selected, yet I was turned down at the last minute. I was crushed and in tears, yet Michelle's strength shone through to comfort me.

Heart issues forced Michelle to be taken of the waiting list a couple of times, yet she was confident that she would succeed.

Over the last few weeks, Michelle and I talked nearly every day. I left my job near the end of December and she was the first to console me. Over the past week, she was insistent on me leaving Myrtle Beach, where I have lived since 2004, and return to Rhode Island. Saturday night, she was excited as I told her that I would make the move.

It turned out that Saturday night's phone call would be the last time we spoke.

I turned my phone off Sunday morning and, after walking my dog, turned it on shortly after noon. I was shocked to see a half-dozen voice mails from family members. At first, I thought something was wrong with my grandmother. She will be 94 next month and has beaten breast cancer and has has a 60+-year victory over lupus.

When I called my parents, my father gave me the bad news that Michelle had passed during the morning.

I have lost friends, three of my grandparents, all but one of my great aunts and uncles and, this past week, an uncle.

As bad as those situations were, nothing prepared me for losing my precious sister.

Michelle was blessed with having strength that I could never possess. As a brother, I could never imagine the depth of pain that I feel today. I knew the pain would be brutal, but it is a pain knowing I wasn't able to protect her as I promised more than 40 years ago.

I take comfort that Michelle is, now, free of pain and will be with God for all eternity. I pray that He allows Michelle to watch over us and guide us through this difficult time.

God, please comfort Mike and Derek as they have lost the most important person in their lives. I hope He gives comfort to my parents, as no parent should ever have to bury their child. I further ask that He provides care for my brother and his family during this time of grief.

All I ask from God, for me, is to allow me to thank Him. He blessed me by letting me be Michelle's brother.

Michelle: I pledge to honor you, your strength and your memory every day of my life. Your strength inspires me to be a better person. I would gladly give my life to hug you one more time. I miss you.

Michelle Jacqueline Merchant (Juaire)

May 4, 1971 - January 6, 2013