Steven M. Sipple: They don't come any better than Alex and Joe
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One need not search hard to find things to appreciate about this Nebraska baseball team.
For my money, I look first toward the left side of the infield.
The left side is Nebraska's best side, its most athletically gifted side, its most consistently amazing side.
The left side is the Huskers' right side.
On Nebraska's left side, there is no down side.
OK, perhaps there is one down side: Third baseman Alex Gordon and shortstop Joe Simokaitis will sometime during the coming week end their Husker careers.
Memo to coach Mike Anderson: Good luck finding a left side with this much up side.
Some players are considered irreplaceable. The Reds will never have another Johnny Bench. The Orioles will never have another Brooks Robinson. The Giants will never have another Willie Mays.
The Huskers might never have another third baseman as valuable and uniquely gifted as Gordon.
As for Simokaitis, it's difficult to imagine finding another shortstop with his fielding prowess and overall athleticism.
Nebraska has never before and might never again be this blessed on the left side of the infield.
Those who follow Husker baseball regularly continue to appreciate Gordon's precision and raw power at the plate and his strong arm at third.
Devoted Husker fans long have been impressed with Simokaitis' defensive wizardry — indeed, show me a better college shortstop — and his ability to get hot with the bat in the clutch.
Those just getting on board the Big Red baseball bus might be amazed by what they see in Gordon and Simokaitis.
In Gordon, they see a future major leaguer, pure and simple.
In Simokaitis, they see a magician making plays at shortstop that average guys can't make.
Gordon and Simokaitis are in that ridiculously rare — less than 1 percent — portion of the population that can make difficult baseball plays with stunning ease.
Simokaitis hasn't committed a single error in the last eight games — amazing, considering the intense nature of the postseason — and has only eight this season at a difficult position. At one point, he went nearly two months between errors.
Perhaps you saw Gordon on Friday night charge hard and field a sixth-inning Arizona State bunt. On a dead run, and with only a snap of his wrist, Gordon zipped the ball across the infield to first base.
Gordon would say it was no big deal; I would say don't try this at home.
Gordon was 0-for-2 against ASU and is now only 4-for-16 (.250) since the start of NCAA Tournament play two weeks ago. He's hitting .377, down from .403 a month ago.
That Nebraska has captured 11 straight postseason games despite Gordon's rather ordinary production at the plate bodes well for a Husker squad that appears poised to make some significant CWS noise.
Think how dangerous Nebraska becomes if Gordon's bat springs to life again.
"To be honest with you, we're still leaning on Alex," Anderson said Saturday. "In terms of numbers, that may not be happening right now. But teams still have to prepare for Alex. For teams to have to go through that preparation, and for pitchers to understand he's on deck, he's still productive in our lineup.
"He's still doing things we want him to do, and he's going to get a big knock here and there."
Said Simokaitis, "Just Alex's presence makes a world of difference for us."
Among those picking up the offensive slack is Simokaitis, who's hitting .420 (21-for-50) since the start of the Big 12 Tournament. The senior from St. Louis, a career .286 hitter, was 2-for-3 with a run scored in Nebraska's 5-3 triumph Friday, the Huskers' first-ever CWS win.
"It's kind of what we've been doing all year — if one guy doesn't step up, someone else does," Gordon said.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Simokaitis, a Division I-A football recruit in high school, said he's trying to savor his final few days as a college player.
Same goes for the 6-1, 215-pound Gordon, also a fine high school football player and the No. 2 overall pick in last week's major league draft by the Royals.
Following Saturday's practice at Millard South High School, Nebraska's lethal left-side tandem was showing its patient side.
Gordon obliged a steady stream of autograph-seekers, and Simokaitis posed for pictures with young fans — snapshots of a season that's developing into a classic, one for the ages.
Nebraska (57-13) will try to create more magic tonight against Florida (46-20), the Southeastern Conference regular-season champion and winner of six straight games.
If you're a Husker fan with qualms about Gators, look on the bright side.
Nebraska can always lean on its left side.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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