Time to get serious

Mentally unstable John Cohen and his band of mediocre bulldogs limp into Oxford this weekend, mostly hoping to give up less than 30 runs over the weekend. the bulldogs hit the ball well - they're 3rd in conference games with a .308 average - but don't pitch or field well, ranking last with a 7.79 ERA and a .959 fielding clip. The pitching staff is so bad, they've given up 74 more earned runs than the Rebels have despite playing one less game. Only Kentucky has given up more steals than the bulldogs have as well.

Good pitching and defense are what wins championships and the Rebels lead the pack in conference ERA (4.09) and rank 2nd in fielding (.959). The .294 average in conference games is not shabby either, ranking 6th. Even if Bittle can't go on Sunday, the bulldogs just don't have enough to win a game in this series if the Rebels show up to play.

While Bianco's overall record against state is just 19-18, this series hasn't been close since 2004, with the Rebels going 16-7 since then. If this team is serious about winning the division and the SEC overall crown, there is no excuse for not sweeping the bulldogs this weekend.

Here's hoping to a cumulative score of 35-15 with Cohen getting tossed out of Saturday's game for general douchebaggery.

* To go along with hammering state in baseball, we'll also get to end LSU's tennis season on their home court. Without digressing into bitterness regarding the regional location, the men will have an added chip on their shoulders this tournament, which may be exactly what they need.

* Just a friendly reminder to go ahead and plan your PTO for next week, as it's Notre Dame week on ESPN. Actually, I'd rather watch around the clock coverage of swine flu paranoia then sit through Fat Charlie trying to justify Notre Dame's relevance.

* Nice quick hitter on ESPN about the leaders that emerged on the defensive side of the ball this spring.