Tag: Texas State

On Texas State Baseball Beating Texas And Why I Still Care

On May 17, 2016

The streak is over.

Don’t worry, Shocked Undertaker Guy: I don’t want to give you flashbacks. After all, I was in the Superdome with you on that fateful day in 2014 when The Undertaker was pinned in the center of the ring by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. I’d say I was shocked, but not nearly as flabbergasted (Good word, right?) as you were.

The streak to which I am referring is this one…

BOOM. Texas State 3, Texas 2. The Bobcats snap 24-game losing skid against the Longhorns. First win since April 27, 2005.

— Joe Vozzelli Jr. (@JoeVozzelli) May 18, 2016

You read that right. It had been 11 years since Texas State beat Texas in baseball.

I lived in San Marcos, Texas for a little more than six years (December 2007 until July 2014) and never saw the Bobcats upend the Longhorns. It was borderline maniacal how many times Texas State got within centimeters of beating Texas, just to watch a game slip away in the final innings.

https://twitter.com/tylermayforth/status/732759699683057664

Both of those games were one-run losses.

The first was a 6-5 loss in the Horns’ first trip to San Marcos in the history of the series and that was arguably the best team the Bobcats ever fielded with the top of the lineup consisting of Texas State greats Tyler Sibley, Bret Atwood and Paul Goldschmidt. That loss stung Bobcat fans since a few calls by the umpires swung momentum of the game, yet Ty Harrington’s team still had chances to win.

The second came the next year in Austin where first-year pitcher Carson Smith (who is now a member of the Boston Red Sox) started one of his first games in a Texas State uniform. Smith, who admitted after the game to not knowing about the Bobcats’ past struggles against the Longhorns, twirled a gem. The pitcher with a three-quarters delivery struck out eight and held Texas without a run for 6 1/3 innings. The floodgates unfortunately opened when Smith tired and the bullpen couldn’t stem the tide. The Longhorns scored one run in the seventh to make it 2-1 and answered Texas State’s solo run in the eighth with three of their own to make the final score 4-3 and to add another one-run loss to the Bobcats’ tally.

Now some of you are probably wondering why I just typed 340 words about a team I haven’t covered since 2014. That’s ages ago in the sports-writing world and even longer in my career arc (I have since moved twice — from Texas to Athens, Georgia and then again from Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana where I am currently working for the USTFCCCA).

I guess I can’t get Texas State completely out of my system. When you spend nearly seven years of your life in one location covering one program, you get attached in a way you never thought you would. Not only to the people, but the town. That’s why I had to collect myself as I drove away from San Marcos on Highway 80.

Well done, Bobcats. Enjoy this one. Don’t riot too much on The Square.

Spidey Senses: Bad for Journalists, Great for Fans

By Tyler Mayforth

On May 16, 2015

In Journalism, Sports

Work in an industry long enough, you begin to develop “Spidey Senses.”

This goes for any line of work, but journalism is one of those where those senses are honed and trained, because something can change in less than a moment’s notice.

Such was the case Friday night in the Athens Banner-Herald sports department.

Two hours until deadline I let the sports editor know our centerpiece had to change since the original art wasn’t good enough. I could create an element, but good art is good art and good art pulls a centerpiece together and draws readers to the page.

A quick succession of texts set Plan B — Hawks-Wizards Game 6 — in motion (“OK. Cool) and put my “Spidey Senses” on high alert (“Hawks are up big”).

At the time, Atlanta led Washington by 10 or more points in the third quarter. But if you paid attention to the series at all, Game 3 and Game 5 were decided on the final basket while Game 4 turned on a missed shot, so Game 6 would likely follow suit.

With 30 minutes until deadline, I turned on the TV to see the Hawks squander a five-point lead with less than five minutes left. Then, as if I knew it would happen all along, the Wizards had a chance to send the game to overtime. I turned to a fellow desker and told her, “Watch this. One shot is going to destroy my front. I know it.”

Paul Pierce received a pass from John Wall, dribbled into the corner and fired up a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Swish! If it held up on replay, the game would be tied.

I started to move elements around to centerpiece Plan A.

Referees concluded the ball left Pierce’s fingertips a split-second too late.

Atlanta celebrated. Washington was in shock. My centerpiece survived.

If you’re a fan of basketball, the Hawks or Wizards, Friday night was a treat.

If you were on desk or writing about the game, your “Spidey Senses” got a workout.

How about some other instances in which my “Spidey Senses” went into overdrive?

Back in 2009, Texas State led Southeastern Louisiana by 24 points early in the fourth quarter of a Southland Conference football game. Like a fool, I started to write my game story — then stopped. I turned to a colleague and told him the game was far from over. Sure enough, the Lions scored three consecutive touchdowns and added the ensuing two-point conversions, sending the game to overtime. Southeastern Louisiana scored first in the extra period. The Bobcats answered and missed the extra-point attempt.
I wrote about this before, but late in Texas State’s win over Denver in the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament, I heard the players chanting something on the bench. After the game, I asked what it was and the head coach told me “No comment.” That sent my “Spidey Senses” off in a good way, which led me to an award-winning angle.