They Did It!

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks are NCAA Baseball Champions. And they deserve it. Watching their games as a "non-Gamecock", I could not help but notice that there was something very special, very different, very intriguing about this team. They simply refused to lose. Whether down to a last strike or needing a clutch play in the field, Carolina did what had to be done. They were on the ropes in their home regional and fought back to take it. They could have easily been eliminated at the Coastal Carolina Super Regional and saved themselves with a clutch hit. They lost their first game in Omaha, putting them in the brutal "losers bracket." But they promptly eliminated Oklahoma and Clemson to make the Finals. And there would be no stopping them there. Pitching was great. Hitting was there when needed. Defense was good. But in my humble opinion, pitching, hitting, and defense are not why Carolina celebrates a national championship today. There was just something......was it the tragic death of young Bayler? Or maybe the seances or spirit stick? Was it Jackie Bradley, Jr? Or was it simply that they had the most heart of anyone in the tournament? They had some luck....you must have a few "duck snorts" as Coach Tanner said to win a championship. Are they the best team in college baseball? Are they even the best team in the SEC? Are they the best team in the state of South Carolina? Does it matter? They were the best team in America in the month of June, 2010, and they deserve to be called champions, "dee"-finitively.

Dee Definitely on SC Sports

In South Carolina, there is absolutely, positively no in-between. You are Gamecock. You are Tiger. You are neither "neither" nor "both." Usually your persuasion is "dee"-termined at birth. Actually, in all but the rarest of cases, your persuasion is pre-"dee"termined! How is it that such a small state can feed and fuel such a rowdy rivalry for decades, indeed over a century? Here, where your blood runneth orange or you bleed garnet, in this chaotic rivalry of glorious memories and ugly moments, it is Frank Howard and Danny Ford, John Heisman and Steve Spurrier and the legendary sports figures who dot its history. This rivalry transcends sports. These two could meet in tiddlywinks, and to South Carolinians, it would be a monumental event.

So, against this backdrop, these most bitter of rivals left South Carolina, taking differing paths but both eventually arriving half-way across the country to twice meet and do battle on the hallowed field of Rosenblatt in the College World Series. They battled with dignity. They battled with heart. New legends will be written with names like Bradley, Jr. and Roth.

Twice the Gamecocks prevailed. Twice, they showed superior skill and determination as they won the right to tangle with a Bear. And Clemson fans will count the days until a Thanksgiving tussle in the Valley.....