Man in the Hat media

It is nearly one of my favorite times of the year: Opening Day in college baseball. The day in my opinion can only be topped by Opening Day in Major League Baseball.  Why? For one, MLB starts in much warmer weather, and you try getting a flat beer and a lukewarm hot dog at a college ballpark for $15. This year team's will look to unseat Vanderbilt from atop the college baseball landscape.  All that hope, all that promise, all at its highest with that first pitch. One thing that makes baseball opening day interesting from a non-sport perspective is the walk up music. Sure, hip-hop and EDM have seen a rise, but not much can send shivers up a batter's spine than a reliever coming in while rock music blares over the speakers.  In truth, rock bands can teach us a little bit about baseball. No, not just the factor chemistry plays a big role, or finding people who have a common vision or sound of how things need to be. Also, the roles and importance of p...

Jordan Burch signed with South Carolina, after an extended hysteria caused by the media. Photo Courtesy Rivals.com National Signing Day has come and gone. One of the biggest media-made events saw the usual major prospect signings, prospects switching at the last minute and the usual "class rankings" to decide who won and lost signing day. I can't hold my nose too high to it. During my time as a high school beat reporter I covered a slew of signing events, where athletes signed to places such as Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina and Wake Forest to little known Divison II programs. It was and remains a huge coverage day on the local level. On the national level, it has helped fuel the creation of the recruiting industry, for better or worse. For South Carolina, the focus fell quickly to Jordan Burch, a national-level recruit out of Hammond, a private, independent school in Columbia who signed with the Gamecocks on February 6. But the story behind that signing too...