This team is for real. All anyone has to do is look at the Regional Al-Tournament Team to see that. All 4 infield positions - Tigers. 2 outfield positions - Tigers. One of the pitchers - a Tiger. Tournament MVP - A Tiger. 8 out of 12 spots went to Clemson. Know why? Cuz they are good!. Let's look through their lineup.

Herman Demmink - DH - Waterbug with pop. Has yard power with leadoff speed. When on base, turn on the burgular alarm, because he can steal you blind.

Brad Chalk - CF - Hits for average, has good speed, leads team in Sacrifices. also plays a mean centerfield

Marquez Smith - 3b - 300 hitter, second on team in HBP, can run. Solid if not spectacular defensively.

Tyler Colvin - lf - leads team in hitting (.359), second in long flies, second in ribbies, 23-27 in steals. Only thing this guys does not do well is sell popcorn between innings.

By the way, the first four guys in their lineup....all four were all regioanl team members. Impressive huh

Taylor Harbin - 2b - Just the MVP of the tournament. SOlid hitter, great on the bases, solid definsive player.

Andy D'lessio - 1b - And the hits just keep rolling on. All regional team. 321 hitter who leads the team in yard balls and rbi's. Also has enough speed or guile to steal 6 of 7 bags.

Stan Widman - ss - Unanimous all regional selection along with D'lessio. Slick fielding shortstop who just gets on base and steals bases. 14 of 14 in steals this year.

DJ Mitchell - rf - one of 2 Tigers to miss out on the all regional team, in this case because he was beaten by a unanimous choice, Mitch Moreland. Still a solid hitter and more than competent in the outfield.

Adrian Cassanova - C - THe emotional leader of the team. This guy has had more ups and downs tha a roller coaster this season offensively. But you will not find a better receiver. Handles pitchers well, good arm, not afraid to block the plate.

Now, after looking thorugh that lineup, if you can find a hole, or think of a way to slow them down, direct all cemments to the ORal Roberts coach, because they are a lineup that reminds me of the Red Sox of the late 70's with Fisk, Lynn, Rice, Miller, Yaz, and Hobson.

Pitching is a whole other story, and one that I can not truly speak to. Seems the Tigers did not show their top 2 pitchers at the tournament. But the 3 they showed, did them proud. LEts look at what we missed, and what we saw.

Stephen Faris - 9-2, 2.34 ERA. Only gave up 13 extra baseb hits in 92 innings. Batters hit below the Mendoza line against this guy.

Jason Berken - 9-3, 2.72 ERA. Only gave up 14 extra base hits, but batters hit him at a .258 clip, if you can call that hitting.

Josh Cribb - Graduate Student - 9-0, 3.09 ERA (Guess he got is GPA and ERA confused huh) 87 innings pitched, 83 stikeouts. Batters hit .222 against him, and he gave up 15 extra base hits.

Not a bad trio, but when you throw in Sean Clark 2-0, 1.71 in 9 appearances, and PJ Zocchi, 6-0 2.88 in 7 starts, you have the depth of a major league staff in your rotation. More than enough for a regioanl, more than enough for Omaha.

Toss in closer Daniel Moskos, 4-5, 2.19, 10 saves and Steve Richards, 0-1, 4.30, 4 saves, and you see a complete staff.

Three intangibles to kep in mind.

1. The field. With the hills and valleys at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, they should rename THIS stadium Death Valley. After watching several MSU and Elon Players run themselves into the ground on the hill, Oral Roberts will have their work cut out for them.

2. The Fans. I was here in 2000 for a Super Regional. They had fans, and they were noisy. THe stadium has ben renovated since then. Now they have LOTS of fans, and they are REALLY noisy. A quick note: Best place to tailgate is behind right field at the end of the practice diamond behind the stadium. Nice trees, great fans will drop by.

3. Jack Leggett and his staff of coaches. Enthusiastic. Energetic. Motivated. Dedicated.

All in all, at least for this season, Clemson will bea nice place to tailgate, but please do not be surprised when they kick your tailgate all the way to Omaha. Just my opinion, but I see them 2-0 against ORU, and in the finals in Omaha.