ROCK BOTTOM!!!

[circle70]

I never should have posted those nice things about the baseball team a while back. We have been on a downward spiral since that post.

Today we have hit rock bottom!!! Today's opponent was Youngstown State. Overall Record: 4-34; Horizon League Record: 2-16. They were 0 for April, having lost 13 straight games!!!

We had our winningest pitcher (second best ERA) on the mound.

Final Score: Youngstown State 11 UIC 3.

This is Dee's worst team since his 1st season in 1999 and the first year since then that we will have double-digit losses in the HL.

Hey, but at least we have a nice new scoreboard that we can show off in the HL Tournament as we get eliminated in the 1st Round.

[circle70]

And the story gets even worse.

To show that losing to a team with a 4-34 record (2-16 in the HL) was not a fluke, we proceeded to drop a doubleheader to these guys by scores of 9-7 and 9-0. We got ouscored 29-10 in the series by a team ranked 262nd (out of 297 D1 teams)

Youngstown State almost doubled their season win total by playing UIC over the weekend.

I hope Coach Dee and the team are as embarrassed about themselves as I am for them.

[Big D]

Lost another series, at home, against UWM. We have now lost three straught HL series, and even worse, we've lost three straight HL series at home. Anyone know the last time either of these happened?

Awful season for UIC. We're tied for 4th with Butler right now. Ugh!

[circle70]

May 6, 2012 12:32:28 GMT -6 Big D said:

Lost another series, at home, against UWM. We have now lost three straught HL series, and even worse, we've lost three straight HL series at home. Anyone know the last time either of these happened?

Awful season for UIC. We're tied for 4th with Butler right now. Ugh!

This team has an excellent chance to have the MOST CONFERENCE LOSSES IN THE DIVISION 1 ERA!!!

Since 1985, the first year that conference records were posted, the most conference losses was 16 in 1997 and 15 in 1998, the 2 years prior to the dawn of the Dee Era.

Coach Dee's first team went 6-12 in the league, his first and only losing team in conference play UNTIL THIS YEAR. The current team has a 9-14 HL record with 7 (or fewer) games left. We've also lost 16 of our last 21 games.

This horrible freefall by a perennial 1st place team would be tantamount,IMHO, to the Butler Basketball team finishing in 8th place in the HL.

[UICJohn]

And it isn't that this team has / had no talent. Weren't they picked 2nd in the preseason, just behind Wright State?

Disappointing to see. No idea what's going on with them. I just know it doesn't seem like too long ago they were in tournaments and getting kids drafted and now losing to seemingly whoever they play.

[circle70]

This "Season from Hell" continues. Just lost to Valpo 14-2. That makes 8 straight losses and 18 L's in the last 23 games.

This comes on the heels of 6 consecutive wins that at the time put us in a tie for first place. This is just totally mind-boggling.

At least the basketball team was bad but it was predicted to be bad. The baseball team was predicted for 2nd place and plays like this?

Anybody have any contacts within the program to find out what the hell happened?

[mikedee]

Everyone's criticism of our year is valid on face. Although we have had our share of unforseeable problems the truth is I haven't done a very good job this year. We are exceptionally young right now with only one senior but we still should have performed better than this. If you'd like an in person answer feel free to call me at 312-342-4313.

[axaguy]

My measure of respect for coach Dee just went up 1000% with his answer posted here. Though all posters here and at sites like this all over hide behind psydonyms and fake names he has chosen to respond in person, accept criticism and offer contact information. Which is unlike anyone else and probably unheard of other places. We often "suspected" Jimmy Collins of posting in the basketball site but have no real proof.

Have to admit that some of our appraisels can get pretty caustic at times and we have to remember that a real person with real job responsibilites and real feelings is at the receiving point of our anger/disappointment.

Please keep in perspective a couple of things. Most of us have never received puiblic review and visibility of our our job performance in our own worlds. How would WE like it and react to the same if the shoe was on the other foot? Think Mike and others would have a field day evaluating OUR personal performance in our chosen fields in a public forum? So let's remember to be fair and not get personal or trashy with comments or remarks.

We are baseball fans, UIC supporters of all kinds and wish the best for all of our teams. Let's remember that Mike has been at the helm for a while and guided us to some great heights over time and the banners of NCAA appearances in the stadium are his. We all have opinions but I'm sure Mike knows far more "baseball" than any one of US. Mike, also, doesn't make the money that many other higher revenue sports coaches do here or at other schools.

Though I'd like to see UIC at the top of the Horizon League standings all the time, I am confident that coach Dee will respond to the challenge he sees and is aware of. Though he's posted a number to be reached at let's not waste his time with a flooding of phone calls with suggestions and questions that will take his time away from more pressing issues involving baseball.

Yes, it's been a tough and disapponting season, so far, but there is still more baseball to be played and the conference tournament at home this year where we all start 0-0. The staff and players are "living" the season for real.

Coach Dee, you have my support and hope to catch a couple of games before and during the tournament. Don't let the guys give up. Way too much baseball to play yet. Do challenege them to raise the bar on their play and performance and put the best players on the field becasue they earned it.

Go Flames!!!