Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks, softball begins the super regionals, and the baseball season officially comes to a close. Okay, here we go.
[00:00:53] Okay.
[00:00:55] Welcome to episode 323 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. And what a week it has been, y' all. What a week.
[00:01:13] Just sports, emotionally taxing of a week, you know what I mean? And then you're inching towards Memorial Day weekend. Just light at the end of the tunnel of this week. Just save me grilling outside, sitting by a pool somewhere and enjoying some nice weather, maybe throwing in some golf if I'm lucky. But my gosh, yes. Been a hell of a week and gonna pack unpack all of it here with y' all. It's largely been driven by Gamecock athletics, as we let it do. But got a quick note before I jump into things, so anyone who has followed along for a little bit now, you know that eventually I do switch over to a summer schedule and that is going to be starting now. So with the baseball season coming to a close, that sort of is the marker, if you will. So instead of Monday and Friday shows, it's going to be just Friday.
[00:02:16] So we'll recap all the news that happened from basically the previous seven days. And then the closer we get to football season, I'll ramp up talking about the football team, whether it's position previews, transfers to keep an eye out for, young players to keep an eye out for. And then of course we'll do a schedule and record prediction show series. But yes, so right now, for the next two months or so, let's call it really up until that, that game. So 100 days, basically it'll be just Fridays. But please do stay tuned to my Instagram because any big news in the moment, I'm going to be talking about it, especially following along with softball in the moment. So stay tuned to the Instagram Cox Talking Gamecocks for those more immediate updates. But then for the podcast, going to once a week for the next couple of months. So just on Fridays to end Yalls week with some Gamecock news. But before we jump into the rest of the episode here, we still have our handy dandy Gamecock calendar. Here it is a fact for y' all. Today, the number 34 South Carolina women's tennis team posted a 41 record over 23rd ranked Vanderbilt. In 2023.
[00:03:40] The Commodores were the highest ranked opponent the Gamecocks defeated that season.
[00:03:46] That is Certainly a fact.
[00:03:48] That is a good fact. Shout out to the. To the South Carolina women's tennis team, 2023, dominating a ranked Vanderbilt. Love it. Shout out. Shout out to the. To the tennis team there.
[00:04:02] But. All right, we're going to get into this episode here and I'm going to title this episode. I don't know if I've ever done this before. We're in what year four of doing this show.
[00:04:15] For all y' all who've been following along from day one, appreciate you. I've never titled an episode I'm going to be dubbing this the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
[00:04:26] Very original, I know. So first we're going to start with the good, right? Let's start off with the good here. And we're talking softball. We're talking super regionals, y' all, it is time to get serious in Colombia. The ladies are set to kick things off this weekend at home. And excitement and intent and anticipation for the super regionals is. Is honestly sky high. And it's so cool to see, you know, I would follow along with them and talk to y' all about some of their scores and, you know, highlight some of their accomplishments throughout the season. But it feels like the last few weeks, sort of the end of the regular season and then through the regionals, of course, and up to now is just seeing the joy that the team plays with and the excitement and the eyes and the attention that it has brought from so many extra fans who might not have had been paying attention otherwise.
[00:05:30] Just so cool. And seeing all the excitement and the people filling those seats in that stadium, it's just really special and it's what college athletics is really all about.
[00:05:41] So looking at this weekend here, the Gamecocks are taking on ucla. So interesting with the seeding here. So there was a little bit of debate and speculation as who's going to get that eight seed, nine seed. Right. So you. UCLA is actually the nine seed. So they'll be traveling to Columbia. And they had a very good year themselves. Obviously they hosted a regional that's impressive. They posted a very good record in a Power 4 conference.
[00:06:12] And it must have been a razor thin decision between the eight seed in Carolina and the nine seed in the Bruins there. So the supers is a best of three series winner, of course, punching their ticket to the softball College World Series. So to say that the pressure is high is an understatement.
[00:06:37] Game one, Friday at 1pm that game will be on ESPN2.
[00:06:43] Game two is Saturday, also at 1pm that Game is on ESPN at. And then game three, if necessary.
[00:06:51] We're waiting on the timing and things like that. So it could come down to that where it is a winner take all. Game three. But of course, we're sitting here and hoping that the Gamecocks can go in and continue the momentum that we saw in the regionals.
[00:07:07] For the Gamecocks, I'm looking at this as twofold with the super setting up how they have.
[00:07:15] First, you have to embrace the home field advantage that you have.
[00:07:20] This team has played well at home pretty much all year.
[00:07:24] UCLA has to come across the entire country and I think it's just going to be tough to them a adjust with the travel schedule, heat and humidity. Like they're not used to, just different landscape that they're not used to. It's going to be an adjustment period for the UCLA Bruins.
[00:07:44] So you have to embrace that and you have to embrace that you're going to have those fans behind you and you've played well at home and you have that routine, but at the same time, you have to play your game.
[00:07:59] UCLA is not going to come into this and just roll over because they had to travel.
[00:08:04] You got to continue to to play your game, continue with your strong pitching, continue with your timely hitting and continue with the strong defense. All of those things have carried us so far to this point this year.
[00:08:19] This team plays with energy. This team plays together and they believe and they're never down. They're never really out in these games. Right. They continue to fight and that is the fan. It's a fantastic trait in any team sport.
[00:08:35] So pressure is on. Let's root the ladies in if you can. Go be there. And let's go. Let's absolutely go. Let's win ourselves a super regional. Let's go.
[00:08:50] So now that we're done with the good, we're going to move on to the bad and the ugly. And I'm just looping them both together here. I'm talking Gamecock baseball, so buckle up.
[00:09:02] The Gamecock season has officially come to an end as the team lost in the first round of the SEC tournament to Florida 11 to 3.
[00:09:12] It's now more times than I can count where it's been an ugly, lopsided score like that with the opposing team putting up double digits, South Carolina putting up barely any runs.
[00:09:25] That loss marks the most losses in a season for program history, and it solidifies the fewest wins in program history.
[00:09:38] I think I saw somewhere that the team expanded to the more robust SEC schedule in the 90s.
[00:09:48] And a team winning six games has only happened, like, 10 times or something like that. I'm botching those numbers, and South Carolina is now one of them.
[00:09:58] So there's a lot to talk about here.
[00:10:02] First, I want to give a shout out to the players because they showed up week in and week out, and I'm going to get into it here. But I think against all odds, they still showed up and put on a brave face.
[00:10:19] Yes, of course, you know, the players are the guys who, they're on the field, supposed to make the plays and supposed to do that. But if you're not given the proper instruction and if you're not inspired to go out and do your job, I think you can only do so much, especially when you're going up against SEC competition. So give a little bit of grace, or maybe a lot of grace to the players on this team who are actually living in that clubhouse week in and week out. So shout out to them.
[00:10:50] They gave it their all. And for those who had been on the roster for a few years and are moving on to greener pastures, whether that's professional level, another program, whatever it may be, shout out to them.
[00:11:07] But the story after this miserable season ended came out that Paul Manieri was to be retained.
[00:11:18] I don't even know where to begin. Like, the more I've thought about this, the more it has upset me. So if you even take a step back immediately after the game, Paul Manieri was asked about, would you make any coaching changes, particularly Coach Rooney, who is the pitching coach, after you just give up 11 runs to Florida and, like a million runs to LSU the weekend before and a bajillion runs to Auburn the weekend before that.
[00:11:44] And he said, no, Terry Rooney's here to stay, not making any staff changes.
[00:11:50] In what world is that okay?
[00:11:52] Like, what kind of pulse do you have on your program that you could have a program worst season in history and sit there and say, nope, we're not going to make any changes. At least give us the dignity and say, you're gonna take some time to evaluate things. At least give us that.
[00:12:15] That means he went into this game with his mind made up that I don't have to make any changes because me and my guys know what's better than everybody out there.
[00:12:27] I mean, I haven't been this animated about a coach maybe ever. And I made it through the must champ years with y' all.
[00:12:35] At least Muschamp would fire guys and moved around assistant coaches, offensive coordinators, strength and conditioning coach. Like, he would at least move pieces around and say, well, losing is not acceptable. Paul Manieri. Nope.
[00:12:51] He thinks he's above it all.
[00:12:55] I mean, it just does not make any sense.
[00:13:02] I think Paul Manneri and Coach Rooney think that they are above it all. I think they have been and are out of touch with the modern player and the modern game of college baseball.
[00:13:17] I think they run away from technology and analytics that is fueling the game now and making players better.
[00:13:27] South Carolina has technology on campus and in that clubhouse and in the bullpens that equates to that of the major leagues.
[00:13:41] And I don't think these guys trust it. I don't think they understand it. I think they think it's icky.
[00:13:48] And I think that's why you saw all of these teams whooping us week in and week out. And I think it's a huge reason why you haven't seen any development whatsoever.
[00:14:02] I mean, to sit there and to say that you're not making any changes after having a horrendous season just goes to show you that he's not willing to look in the mirror or even for him to say, you know what, I, I screwed up this season like I thought I could have got this done. It's going to take more work than I thought and I'm going to come back and be better. Have you heard anything like that?
[00:14:29] No.
[00:14:30] If anything, it's the opposite and he's throwing the players under the bus, which in year one of a program where you're trying to gain trust, that just simply does not make sense to me.
[00:14:45] I think that Paul Manneri hoodwinked Ray Tanner and our entire fan base. I don't think this guy was in touch whatsoever with the modern SEC college baseball. I think he's, he was retired and on his couch and watched a couple of games every now and again and thought he could waltz back in and the old tricks would work.
[00:15:09] No, no, no, no.
[00:15:12] Our roster was different than last year. Yes, it had holes, yes. Guys got injured. Yes. But even before the injuries and before that, you weren't ever going to be able to waltz in and just flip a switch and make this team great. We said that when he was hired.
[00:15:33] You know, I, like many people, tried to convince myself that this experiment could work.
[00:15:39] Clearly it has not.
[00:15:43] And you know, I'm of the mindset that this new athletic administration could look at this and say, okay, well this is really, really bad.
[00:15:54] I didn't hire you. This was sort of a out of the box hire, experimental. You came out of retirement. It's not working. We're just going to. We're mutually going to part ways here.
[00:16:05] And it comes out that that's not going to happen. But it's a fair point to bring up that this is not Jeremiah Donati's full call.
[00:16:16] You know, South Carolina has to answer to the board of Trustees, which time and time and time again makes us sit on our hands.
[00:16:26] And it's not athletics people making these athletics calls. They're looking at numbers, they're looking at contracts, and they're not looking at the product on the field and they're not caring about the fan base, the alumni base, the impact that that will have in the greater Columbia area. Less people going to the games.
[00:16:50] I mean, it's just so frustrating.
[00:16:53] This guy should not have a job like this is the most blatant I've spoken about a coach at usc.
[00:16:59] He should be fired.
[00:17:01] Program worst loss, bad optics all around.
[00:17:09] And it just makes no sense. And we have to sit on our hands because the board of trustees, this board of Wizards, it might as well be, is deciding our fate that we're gonna. That we're supposed to just sit around here and hit our head against the wall for the next few months and then into next spring and expect any different results is just banana land to me.
[00:17:31] There's like a 4% chance that we'll be proven wrong and this team can just magically turn it around next year. And it would. And it's because it's going to look 100% different. We're going to see a mass exodus here.
[00:17:45] You know, there is some honest and hard reporting out there that is tough to read as a fan, but I think it's important to read it to get the word out. That's by John Whittle of 247-Sports. It's a behind the scenes look at what went wrong this season. Some of the stuff I just cited, I learned from that article running away from technology.
[00:18:12] And I just think that the culture in that locker room was one where they were just on completely different pages. And I think Paul Monary and his staff alienated themselves from the players.
[00:18:30] And again, I think Paul Manieri pulled a fast one. I think he thought, he thought in his head genuinely he could come in here and do this.
[00:18:39] But you know, the conversations with Ray Tanner in that process were I'm in tune with the game, I know the SEC baseball inside and out, I know your roster, etc. Etc. I think it was a lie.
[00:18:53] And him saying at his press conferences early on the opening press conference that he wants to protect the players.
[00:19:01] He wants to develop and win. None of that happened.
[00:19:06] You know, I.
[00:19:08] I don't think it's a guy that cares about South Carolina baseball. I think he wanted to maybe just get back in the game. For him to get some more wins on his record, it's just he's not the fit. He's not for the game. Now the game has passed him, and it's okay. He's a legendary coach when he was doing it right, doesn't take away from his accomplishments.
[00:19:34] If he were to go back into retirement tomorrow, this season is a footnote on his record.
[00:19:43] I just don't think his heart is in this.
[00:19:46] And now what's happened is this program is in the gutter and it's a massive rebuild. And if he truly is retained, which I don't know why this would change course.
[00:20:00] It would take seemingly like a miracle to bring this team back to the postseason and make it attractive for people once again. Like, yeah, you can pour some more nil money into this thing.
[00:20:12] You can go out and get some transfer portal guys. But do those guys know what South Carolina means? You had players on this roster now who came to South Carolina to play and fight for South Carolina.
[00:20:24] Now you have a coach who just wants to make it. LSU of 8 years ago doesn't like technology. A pitching coach who doesn't know what relievers are warming up. You got guys who are pushing through injury miscommunications, mishandling practices.
[00:20:45] I mean, it's just crazy. I'm not going to go on a long list and spoil John Whittle's article. If you have access to that, go find it. It's eye opening. And my mind was made up already that this was a mistake. I posted it on Instagram a day or two ago, but, boy, it just.
[00:21:06] Enough was enough. You know, I was reviewing these series with y' all week in and week out, and it was just off the rails. You just kind of threw your hands up and you're just like, man, like, this stinks. But now that it's over and this man decides he's not going to change a damn thing and that it must be the players and not the coaches. In college, when These kids are 18, 19, 20 years old, they need guidance, they need a teacher, they need someone to believe in them.
[00:21:37] That's the modern athlete, that's the modern workplace.
[00:21:41] Doesn't necessarily make you soft. Like, yeah, you got to be tough in coaching. You got to tell some hard truths.
[00:21:48] But these kids were on their own and these players want to win. Make no mistake about it. They want to win more than anybody else.
[00:21:57] But they did not have the support in that dugout and in that clubhouse after the games or whatever it may be.
[00:22:04] They had a man who was trying to break them and didn't really know how to pick up the pieces afterwards.
[00:22:10] So that's the state of our baseball program.
[00:22:13] And it's just not exciting. It's not fun. It's past apathy for the fan base.
[00:22:19] You know, I talk to our fans, social media, friends, family, you know, going to games, like, it's just a lot.
[00:22:32] So that's my rant. End of rant for now, I guess.
[00:22:37] But with that, y' all, that wraps up this episode. Oh, that was a lot. Please follow me on social media, Twitter, or X is coxtalking Gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Be turned. Be sure to tune into that Cox talking Gamecocks on Instagram.
[00:22:56] Please, like, subscribe and review the podcast. Remember the summer schedule. Fridays only until football season. I appreciate all y' all. Go Cox.
