You stay classy, Jack Leggett

Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett doing his best Emperor Palpatine impression

One of the greatest collegiate sports rivalries that very few people outside of South Carolina seem to know much about exists between the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson University Tigers.  We don't have many major media markets down here in the "deep south", which is what I blame for the rest of the world's ignorance on what is a fantastic feud.  The gridiron has served as the most vivid battlefield upon which this rivalry has been contested, but recently the eyes and interest of the fans have shifted to another patch of grass as it has grown to envelope the baseball diamond as well thanks to both schools fielding stellar teams.  But what is a great college rivalry without a few shenanigans along the way?

The Reedy River Rivalry, as it has become known, was played out this year in a 3-game format - one game each in Columbia, Clemson, and Greenville (a neutral site).  By the time the teams reached the third game, both squads had gotten a win in the series meaning that the rubber match would decide the victor, as it should.

An aside to this story is the matter of Carolina using composite baseball bats.  These bats differ from traditional aluminum bats in that they have a graphite core which some believe hampers power hitters from getting the same drive as they could with all-metal bats, yet others feel it improves their chances as the trampoline effect that comes from a batter making contact with the ball is greater thanks to the graphite core.  Regardless, apparently these bats have something in common with small children and women in that they perform better when they can get all snugly and warm, which is why a lot of teams have begun using bat warmers - even teams playing in the south where temperatures are generally more moderate during baseball season.

Before you go searching for an NCAA baseball rule book, I can assure you that as of this writing there is nothing illegal about using a bat warmer as they are actually necessary in certain parts of the country.  At this point, coaches could conceivably install a pottery kiln in their dugouts if they wanted.  The logistics of a hitter, catcher, umpire, pitcher, fans or some combination thereof having to dodge shrapnel coming from a bat that exploded upon contact because it was near frozen isn't something the NCAA wants to have to deal with, needless to say.

In the first inning of game 3 of the series, Gamecock star outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. hit a solo home run to give Carolina an early lead.  After Bradley had rounded the bases, Clemson coach Jack Leggett approached the head umpire Scott Erby to ask him to check Bradley's bat to make sure it was legal.  Leggett felt he had justification for doing so thanks to his catcher, Phil Pohl, having alleged that several of the bats used by Gamecock hitters in earlier games of the series were "hot". (Apparently Pohl spends a fair amount of time checking other men's bats...)

The unwritten rule in baseball has always been that it isn't cheating unless you get caught as players have thought of some rather ingenious tactics over the years to get over on each other including everything from hitters using excessive and strategically placed pine tar on their bats to pitchers using mucus to put an extra slick spin on the ball.  For this reason, it's within Leggett's rights as a coach to call for a bat check but to say he was grasping at straws would be an understatement.  I don't guess you can blame him for trying to fire up his team with this sort of tactic, even though doing so is akin to Clemson football coach Dabo Sweeney complaining to a referee that Steve Spurrier had his equipment manager polish the Gamecocks helmets too highly, causing a distracting glare. (I'm sure the fact that the visiting team's sideline at Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium faces the sun as it sets and gets absolutely zero shade during afternoon games was never considered during construction.)

Bradley's bat passed the umpire's inspection and play resumed with Carolina eventually winning the game 5-4 as well as the series.  Deciding to go with the old adage of what's good for the goose (Er, Gamecock?) is good for the gander, Clemson University has deployed their own, state-of-the-art bat warming technology.

Good ol' "Cow Tech" - leading the way in advancing humanity's usage of manure.