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Texas NOT accepting second place at CWS.

Posted: June 29th, 2004, 9:09 am
by ham55
Texas head coach did not allow his players to take the field for the honors ceremony, I dont know the whole reason behind this so maybe somebody can help me with more info on the whole situation.

Posted: June 29th, 2004, 2:19 pm
by LionPride
From ESPN web site:

ESPN.com news services
OMAHA, Neb. -- That his Texas Longhorns were heavy favorites to win the College World Series but finished second was tough enough to stomach.

Now, coach Augie Garrido is defending the program and his players after catching flak for not returning to the field Sunday to accept the second-place trophy after the Longhorns were swept by Cal State Fullerton in the best-of-three series.

Garrido said that a lack of communication was to blame. Following a report that the Longhorns chose not to return to the field after NCAA officials made two requests for them to do so, Garrido told the Dallas Morning News that CWS tournament coordinator Dennis Pope gave no ultimatum regarding acceptance of the trophy.

"We didn't have clear directions from tournament directors on what to do," Garrido told the Morning News. "It certainly wasn't a lack of sportsmanship on our players' behalf.

"When they asked me if we were going to pick up the award, if we had a rep to get it, I said, 'Who do you want? We'll do anything you want us to do.' [Pope] said, 'It's optional.' "

The newspaper did not say if it tried to contact Pope.

The Longhorns remained in the dugout for 10 minutes during Fullerton's on-field celebration before heading to their locker room. Garrido told the Morning News that at no point during that time in the dugout did tournament officials approach him about accepting the award.

On talk radio, the aftermath overshadowed Fullerton's first national title since 1995. One commentator labeled Garrido as classless. The Morning News ran a fan poll, and while some defended Garrido, others offered "trophy" comments ranging from "arrogant" to "unsportsmanlike" to "childish."

Garrido told the newspaper he expected the second-place trophy to be mailed to the university.