perception vs. reality

It’s all relative, really. Tougaloo’s season ended Wednesday with a loss in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs went 2-47. And yet, they made progress. They won a GCAC game for the first time ever and were competitive in more games. They’ve upgraded their talent. There’s cause for optimism. Then there’s Delta State, which is nationally ranked and has won 34 games, including two of three from the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II just a few days ago. But all is not well in Cleveland. The Statesmen went 0-2 in the Gulf South Conference Tournament — at Ferriss Field — by blowing late leads both times. They may miss the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Not good. DSU fans have high expectations. Which brings us to Mississippi State, another proud program. The Bulldogs have had a disastrous week already. They got bombed by Ole Miss in Starkville on Sunday, completing a sweep by the Rebels. They were humbled by Jackson State on Tuesday, getting just three hits in a 3-1 loss. Stuff happens in baseball, but an SEC school losing to a SWAC school in that fashion should expect fan backlash, which State has received in abundance. Another humbling loss to Southern Miss on Wednesday fueled the fire. State is 20-25 and has won just five SEC games. Bulldogs coach John Cohen keeps saying that this is a rebuilding year, or the second of two rebuilding years, which may be true. But fans don’t care. They want wins. And they’re not getting them, which makes them angry. That’s the only reality here. Don’t forget that Cohen wasn’t former coach Ron Polk’s choice as his replacement. So for some fans, he had a strike against him before he ever got to the plate. So what’s the count now?
P.S. Former Mississippi Brave Brandon Hicks made his big league debut — he’s No. 44 on the alumni list — and scored the game-winning run for Atlanta on Wednesday. Relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, another ex-M-Brave, is with the big club now, eager to become No. 45 on the alumni list. … Lest there be any lingering doubt about how tough it is to hit home runs at Trustmark park, consider this: Current M-Brave Cody Johnson hit five home runs on a 10-game road trip that ended Monday. He has one homer in 11 home games, and that came on opening day. This from a guy who hit 32 bombs in A-ball in 2009. … Give it up for Fred Lewis, who had three hits on Wednesday to raise his average with the Toronto Blue Jays to .273. Unwanted in San Francisco, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast CC star from Wiggins has been rejuvenated with the Jays, who are hitting him leadoff.