Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 03.05.10

Griner Receives 2 Game Suspension:  I think I'd be remiss in not even mentioning Brittney Griner's punch to Jordan Barncastle resulted in Griner receiving a mere 2 game suspension.  I've run across a couple of articles this morning about how Griner shouldn't be remembered for that punch, and that's fine, but just 2 games?  What's the difference between Legarrette Blount's punch and Griner's?  This just reeks of Baylor wanting to make sure and Griner available for the NCAA Tournament and that's probably the most disappointing thing about all of this.

Getting Sick:  I tried to stay away from my wife as she started to come down with a cold, which included sleeping on the couch for the two nights prior to last night, but apparently me dodging my wife for two days didn't work.  If DTN production drops off then you'll know in advance the problem.

Houston College Classic
Texas Tech (7-2) vs. TCU (6-1), Rice (5-4) and Houston (2-5)
Location: Minute Maid Park : Houston, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Garrett Totten (So.);
3RD - Nick Popescu (Jr.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

Heading to Houston:  DT's Adam Coleman previews the Red Raiders heading to Houston for the Houston College Classic, where Texas Tech will play against Rice, Houston and TCU.  Here's Coleman on freshman RF Barrett Barnes:

Tech right-fielder and freshman standout Barrett Barnes also is from the Houston area, coming out of Fort Bend Austin High School in Sugar Land.

Being back home in front of family is nice for Barnes, but it’s some of his former teammates from his summer league team that he looks forward to seeing.

"We got four on Rice, two on U of H and five on TCU," he said. "So I know a lot of kids out there. It’ll be fun to see my old friends again. I really want to go out there and beat them all, just to set a statement for Texas Tech and have a good time out there, and hopefully we get three wins this weekend. That’s the goal."

SP Chad Bettis has the tough task of taking on a very good TCU team:

"I know they’re good," Bettis said. "Everyone we’re going to play from here on out is going to be good. I know they made a regional last year and they have a lot of pitching. I know a guy I played with this summer. He’s a pitcher. He’s pretty good. So we talked a lot about their team, how they’re going to get a lot of players back. So I’m expecting them to be ready for me."

Kenworthy Playing Big:  LAJ's George Watson profiles 5'5" SS Joey Kenworthy and his head coach Dan Spencer has this to say about his senior shortstop:

"I would tell you that Kenworthy is the best position player in the league, and there would be a lot of coaches who would vote with me just for all the things he can do," head coach Dan Spencer said. "He hits, he’s a switch-hitter, he draws the walks and makes all the plays. He’s a high-character kid and has good courage. He’s a leader."

And Kenworthy talks about his improved defense:

"It’s huge," Kenworthy said of his experience at the positions. "When I say something they don’t look at me like I’m an idiot. Knowing the other positions on the field and where everyone is supposed to be helps with the cutoffs and relays. And it helps me for my awareness on the field."

Kenworthy struggled with his defense a year ago, making 17 errors for a .940 fielding percentage. But he has gone error-free so far this season and even made a few spectacular plays, none moreso than scooping up a ball from Totten’s glove near second base, stepping on the bag and throwing to first to complete a game-ending double play in Tech’s 14-12 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.

Game Tomorrow
Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-13, 4-11) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (14-15, 5-10)
Time:  3:00 p.m.
Location: Boulder, CO
Television:  Big 12 Network : ESPN360
DTN Preview Tomorrow:  8:00 a.m. :: Open Game Day Thread:  2:00 p.m.

Ending on a Colorado High: DT's Mike Graham writes that the Red Raiders hope to finish with a win in Boulder against the Buffs on Saturday.  Here's SF Mike Singletary:

"It’s just a must-win in all situations," he said. "We want to get rid of the losing streak, we want to get to the NIT, and we want to be playing well going into the tournament. So, in all situations, I think it’s a must-win for us."

Snip.

"I don’t think any of us have looked at the tournament (seeding)," Singletary said. "We just know that we’ve got to win this game and everything else will fall into place after that. We just need to get out of this losing streak and start playing well again."

Darko Fans:  I'm not really going to comment much about this, but here's a piece from LAJ's Courtney Linehan on PF Darko Cohadarevic and his fans.

3-4 Primer:  This isn't so much about Texas Tech, but I thought this was some good information about what is the the defensive tackle technique in a 3-4 defense from Athlon Sports (hat-tip Bob Sturm's Blog):

Talking heads love to throw around terms like "3-technique" or "2-gap" without any explanation following. And judging by their misuse when describing certain prospects, some of those draft gurus may or may not know what they’re actually saying — but it sounds good.

A defensive tackle’s work starts with gap responsibility — which spaces between opposing offensive linemen need to be clogged. The gaps are distinguished by letter — the A-gap is between the center and the guard; the B-gap is between the guard and tackle; the C-gap is between the tackle and tight end; the D-gap is just outside the tight end; and the E-gap is between the tight end and the wide receiver. There are two types of defensive tackles — those with two-gap and those with one-gap responsibilities.

Two-gap defensive tackles are usually bigger and stronger, occupying at least two blockers. This stuffs the running lanes, while also allowing the linebackers behind them to go unblocked, make plays and hog the glory.

In a 3-4 defense, Steelers two-gap All-Pro Casey Hampton (6’1", 325 pounds) has rare athleticism for his size. Meanwhile, 17-year veteran Ted Washington (6’5", 375 pounds) is an immovable mountain who can seemingly be effective by just leaning on two or more opposing offensive linemen. In a 3-4 defense, defensive tackles are better known as nose tackles and almost always have two-gap responsibilities. In order for a 3-4 to be effective, it needs a force of nature at nose tackle, which is very hard to find.