Here we go with the second installment of Opening Round polls. We'll start the day off with 3 vs. 6, Ryan Ortiz vs. Craig Robinson:
Ryan Ortiz's Grand Slam Defeats UCLA: With the Beavers needing a huge boost to get them into the post-season, Oregon State found themselves down three in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Ortiz hit the first pitch he saw from pitcher Brandon Crawford sharply down the right field line. UCLA right fielder Raul Duran knows he should of caught the ball, but he dropped it, and it was ruled foul. What's funny is that Ortiz was arguing the call on his way back to the plate, oblivious to what he was about to do.
With a 0-1 count, Ryan took Crawford deep to left to end what would become one of the most clutch at-bats in recent Beaver memory. The grand slam put the Beavers up 8-7, and doused UCLA's hope for a series win.
Craig Robinson Hiring: To set the stage, Jay John was dismissed as head coach on January 21. Craig Robinson was hired in early April, at the end of the NCAA tournament. After several prominent coaches turned Oregon State down, the feeling around the program was that Bobby D was starting to get desperate. He wanted a good coach, but couldn't get a good coach to come to Oregon State, which was commenly referred to as "the worst job in the country".
After De Carolis made the hire, the first thing we fond out that Robinson is Barack Obama's brother in law. The second thing we found out is that this guy practically has more experience on Wall Street than he does in the head coaching seat. But the more we got to know him, the more we began to like him. The more we all thought he might work for this program. Craig is a guy who's going to work hard win or lose, get full effort out of his players, and surprise some people.
Vote! Just like yesterday's polls, these will close in a week. Your decision making process is welcome in the comment thread below.