Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2017
Baseball, pace of play and quality
Shivar, Ted Williams
Chances are you will
often hear people com
plain about baseball in this
context: that it’s too bor
ing and too slow.
There’s not enough
constant action like
football and bas
ketball.
This to me has
always seemed to
demonstrate a fun
damental lack of
understanding of
the nuances of the
sport.
Nevertheless,
Major League
Baseball games are get
ting longer (they averaged
roughly three hours last
season) and that has the
Commissioner’s Office
focusing on ways and rule
changes to cut down on
time.
But will any of the ones
set to go into effect this
season and others being
proposed really make a
profound difference and
will they improve the over
all quality of the sport?
One of if not the top
priority of Commission
er Rob Manfred since he
took over in 2014 has been
improving the game’s pace
of play.
Some steps taken since
then have been requiring
hitters to remain in the bat
ter’s box between pitches
and shortening warm-up
times between innings.
But the games have not
really gotten any shorter.
The changes set to take
effect with the start of the
2017 season are shorten
ing the amount of replay
review time, shortening
the amount of time a man
ager has to decide wheth
er to challenge a call and
making intentional walks
automatic.
Let’s take the replay
angle first.
As MLB continues to
expand the replay system,
more plays get reviewed
and while officials would
argue review times are
remaining stable, more
reviews will bog down
games as much as a batter
stepping out of the box or
a pitcher stepping off the
rubber to reset.
As for the automatic
intentional walk, essential
ly a replication of high
school baseball, it takes
away the possibility of
a wild pitch or a hitter
swinging at a ball that ven
tures too close to the plate.
It’s not a big deal for
the intentional walk to be
automatic as it does not
drastically transform the
game, but what kind of
time is that really saving?
According to ESPN,
there were 932 walks
issued last season, or one
every roughly five games.
At most you’re saving a
few minutes on average —
not 30 minutes to an hour.
There are other pro
posed changes in the
works that would require
approval of the Players
Association and have been
met with some resistance
from the players.
Among those are a
20-second pitch clock,
which is already in effect
in the minor leagues, and
the raising of the strike
zone.
Last season, ESPN
notes, more than 30 per
cent of plate appearances,
the ball was not in play
for the defense. There was
either a strikeout, a walk
or a home ran. Tighten
ing the strike zone could
lead to more walks, but
it could also make hitters
more aggressive earlier in
the count and lead to more
balls in play — and more
action for those too bored
to take in.
The concept of a pitch
clock is really an unneces
sary attempt to put a timer
on baseball as if it’s foot
ball or basketball. If one is
put in place, I’ll still watch
the games, but how many
people are going to be
brought back
to the game,
so to speak,
because of a
pitch clock?
What’s
really
making
the game
longer?
For one
thing, replay
has a tenden
cy to bog games down.
MLB officials can say
that the review times have
remained stable, but they
wouldn’t be considering
tighter decision times if it
weren’t an issue.
In theory, replay is a
good concept because it
promotes the ultimate goal
of getting calls right. But
its effectiveness also has
limitations.
I personally have grown
weary of replay in pace
because like football and
basketball, it excludes the
judgment calls by officials
that ultimately have the
biggest impact on a game.
Football games are
often more so dictated by
whether or not holding or
pass interference are called
than rather a ball was fum
bled or caught or dropped.
Basketball games are
often more so dictated by
how tight officials call the
game.
Baseball games are
often more so dictated by
the home plate umpire’s
strike zone and how con
sistent it is.
None of this is subject
to review and even still
plays are not always cor
rected after being looked
at again.
Perhaps there ought
to be a bigger focus on
improving the quality of
officiating in these sports
so they become less reli
able on the need for review.
Getting umpires to
enforce the strike zone
could prove difficult, but
maybe if you’re worried
about more balls being put
in play, use laser technolo
gy in the ball or on home
plate to make ball and
strike calls automatic.
Contributing even more
to the longer game times
— and this is true of all
sports — is the increase
in commercial time, some
thing Manfred does appear
open to addressing.
Whatever dead time
there is with pitchers tak
ing extra time to deliver
to the plate, I can prom
ise there’s even more with
extended breaks for adver
tisement between innings.
This particularly doesn’t
help with playoff games
that start later and later,
especially on weeknights,
to make sure there are
more eyeballs on the tele
vision at the time of first
pitch.
Of course, shortening
commercial times means
a loss of revenue that
would need to be made
up somewhere else. Per
haps, the sport considers
more in-park advertising,
but there’s no doubt com
mercial times are too long.
Another factor in the
longer game times is the
increased specialization
with how the sport is
played today.
I’m mainly speaking
of bullpens and the grow
ing importance of having
dominant middle relief
pitchers as starters aren’t
expected to go as deep into
games anymore.
Relievers are getting
paid a lot more money
these days to have spe
cializations and be used
in certain situations, often
requiring less than an
inning.
It has more and more
managers maneuvering
through even regular sea
son games like they’re
the seventh game of the
World Series. More pitch
ing changes — and double
switches in the case of the
National League — are
being made, which leads
to more commercials and
more dead time.
Essentially all MLB
teams carry 12-man pitch
ing staffs — five start
ers. seven relievers and it
wasn’t that long ago that
12 was considered a radi
cally high number.
Now the Atlanta Braves
appear poised to go into
this season with a 13-man
staff — eight relievers.
They likely won’t be
the only team to adopt
the approach so get ready
for likely more pitching
changes.
It’s the era of the game
now so how can that really
be policed?
Is ‘longer’ really
the main problem?
In seeking to cut down
on game times, Manfred
wants more millennial
who have shorter attention
spans to keep their eyes
trained on the game, but
it’s fundamentally a dif
ferent sport that requires
a different approach to
viewing.
Honestly, whether a
game lasts three hours and
four minutes instead of
two hours and 36 minutes
should be further down
the list of baseball’s issues
today.
America’s national pas
time, baseball has become
an increasingly more
regionalized sport where
the more traditional fans
are more apt to root for
their hometown team.
You’re not going to
find as many Wash
ington National fans in
Texas because they like
Bryce Harper as you will
New England Patriot
fans around the country
because they’re enamored
with Tom Brady or fans
of whatever team LeBron
James is playing for at that
given time.
The football and bas
ketball system of rooting
for teams is more popular
among younger genera
tions.
Regionalism plays a part
in this as well, but baseball
has also been hurt by its
inability at times to suc
cessfully market its stars.
Players like Angels out
fielder Mike Trout and
Dodgers pitcher Clayton
Kershaw, for example,
are on historic paces, but
how many people on the
national level really recog
nize that?
Keeping young kids,
particularly in minority
communities, interested in
the game is also a chal
lenge the sport continues
to confront. Baseball keeps
getting more expensive to
play and more exclusive
with the pricier equipment
and growing monster that
is travel ball.
MLB has implemented
inner-city initiatives, but it
may take a long time to
tell if they are making an
impact.
And we haven’t even
discussed the amount of
fans who haven’t returned
to the game since the scan
dal of the Steroid Era or
who never even returned
after the players’ strike of
1994.
All of these should be
viewed as way more press
ing concerns than trim
ming a game by at most
10-15 minutes.
Scott Thompson is editor
of the Barrow News-Jour
nal. He can be reached at
sthompson @ barrownews-
journal.com.
scott
thompson
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - This
is the spring home of the Cin
cinnati Reds and has been
since 2010.
A charter member of the
National League, the Reds
were a fixture in Florida
historically, but
found its facili
ties in Sarasota
61 miles South of
Tampa insufficient
by 2009 and left
South Florida for
the Cactus League.
Lately, there
has been an urge
to explore, at least
cursorily, the Cin
cinnati career of
one Ivey Merwin
Shivar, who grew
up in Sylvester
in Georgia’s peanut belt and
played football and baseball
for the University of Georgia.
Football was his best
sport. In 1927. Shivar made
All-Southern and All-Amer
ica and captain of the Bull
dogs.
This was the “Dream and
Wonder’’ team, which won
the national championship
although Georgia does not
claim the title.
Georgia was headed to
the Rose Bowl until losing
in the mud to Georgia Tech
in the finale at Grant Field.
That nauseating loss, how
ever, had a silver lining. Dr.
Steadman Sanford became so
incensed (ole timers of that
era contended that, in addi
tion to heavy downpours that
week that Tech, nonetheless,
watered down the field to neu
tralize the speed of Bulldogs’
fast hallbacks, he vowed to
build the classiest stadium in
the Southland.
That he succeeded is nota
bly obvious.
Baseball, as it was on many
campuses then, was the big
sport, and was the
money sport for
years. Football
had finally gained
traction in the
Roaring Twenties,
but superb ath
letes like Shivar
favored baseball
opportunity in the
play-for-pay busi
ness.
Tom Nash, also
a member of that
’27 team, enjoyed
a “cup of coffee’’
with the New York Giants, but
experienced notable success
with the Green Bay Packers
starting for the NIT. champi
onship teams of 1929,30,31.
Shivar, whose football
resume included a highly
regarded reputation for his
punting expertise, spent time
in the Big Leagues with the
Detroit Tigers in 1931 (anoth
er cup of coffee duration of
two games), but with the
Reds in 1934, he played 19
games, collecting 13 hits in
68 bats for an encouraging
average of .322.
He began to bounce around
the minor leagues after that,
having difficulty hitting the
curve ball, a disease which
has derailed many big league
hopefuls over the years.
By that time, Shivar was a
part-time football coach who
played baseball in the spring
and summers. In 1936. this
routine had him occupying
left field with the San Diego
Padres with the realization
that while baseball was fun,
his future was not in the
Major Leagues.
So. he left baseball to
return home to Georgia to be
a full time football coach in
Savannah. A slender young
outfielder with one of the best
hitting strokes in baseball
then gained an opportunity to
make his debut in profession
al baseball. His name: Ted
Williams.
Georgia’s first big leaguer
was Claud Derrick, an infield
er from Clayton, who was a
member of Connie Mark's
world champion A’s in 1910
and 1911. Derrick was the
centerpiece of another inci
dent of a Bulldog being
involved in an historical
celebrity circumstance.
Babe Ruth was just get
ting into pro ball, playing
for his hometown team, the
Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore
offered the Babe to Cincinna
ti, but the Reds chose Claud
Derrick and George Twombly
over Ruth.
The Falcons traded Greg
Favre. nobody in the old
Southwest Conference want
ed Terry Hoage. The “rest
of the story’’ has made many
happy, others left with egg on
their faces.
This is not a latent thing.
Loran Smith is a sports
columnist for the Barrow
News-Journal. He is co-host
of the University of Georgia
football radio pre-game show.
The madness of ‘March Madness’
It’s that time of year where
the craziness of college basket
ball fans is amplified 100 times
over.
It’s that time
of year when
people who
don’t know Roy
Williams from
Mike Krzyze-
wsld or where
Gonzaga Uni
versity is locat
ed (Spokane,
Wash., if you
were curious).
Yes, folks.
The NCAA
March Madness basketball
tournament has arrived.
If you aren’t familiar with
what March Madness is, the
NCAA takes 68 college basket
ball teams places them bracket
style by seeding (1-16) with
higher seeds playing lower
seeds in the first round.
Also, teams are divided even
ly among four regions: East,
West, Midwest and South.
From there, the single-elimina
tion tournament takes you on
a roller-coaster ride. It takes six
wins to become the national
champion.
If your team loses, there are
no do-overs. If you fill out a
bracket, it truly can be busted
without notice.
With 68 teams (two play-in
games take place before the
actual tournament), the rounds
are divided out over the next
three weeks: the round of 64,
the round of 32, the Sweet 16,
the Elite Eight and the Final
Four. The final game is the
national championship game.
What makes March Mad
ness so much fun? I believe it is
the unknown. I previously refer
enced filling out a bracket. You
may ask, “What is a bracket?’’
So, to make things fun for fans
and casual fans alike, different
sports outlets from ESPN to
FOX Sports to Bleacher Report
all have printable versions of the
bracket, so you can fill them out
ahead of the tournament and
see how many games you pick
correctly.
You can fill out as many
as you want, there’s no limit,
unless you are submitting it to
online pool, then you may be
limited to one. But for yourself,
there’s no limit
That’s the fun of it You could
fill out 100 brackets and possi
bly still not get the champion
right, let alone the entire Final
Four or Elite Eight. But I can
only imagine what a thrill it
is to pick the national
champion right.
It could mean brag
ging rights at the office.
It could mean bragging
rights among family and
friends.
To set the stage, these
are who I deem to be
the contenders: Villano
va, Duke, Kansas, North
Carolina, Gonzaga,
Kentucky, UCLA, Lou
isville, Michigan and
Arizona. Three teams
(North Carolina, Kentucky
and UCLA) are all in the same
region of the bracket. Four of
those teams are No. 1 seeds for
their respected regions (North
Carolina, Villanova, Kansas and
Gonzaga).
The reigning national cham
pion, Villanova, is the No. 1
overall seed. They looked in
control at the Big East Tourna
ment. Picking them may be the
smartest play.
Picking all the No. 1 seeds
to make the Final Four may not
be a bad strategy. Keep in mind
Gonzaga has never been to the
Final Four, Michigan is a seven
seed but playing well at the
moment and UCLA may have
the best player in the country in
Lonzo Ball.
Also with March Madness
comes “Cinderella.” Yes, from
time to time a team finds the
glass slipper and makes it fit.
George Mason in 2006 comes
to mind. Butler made it to back-
to-back national championship
games in 2010 and 2011.
Who could this year’s “Cin
derella” be? I mentioned Mich
igan as a favorite, but that’s
just because of the momentum
they’re carrying. Being a seven
seed in the Midwest region, that
makes them a sleeper in the
tournament.
Wichita State is a definite
sleeper. The 10-seeded Shock
ers are seeded lower than they
have been in past years. They
play Dayton in the first round,
who they should beat. If that
happens, then Kentucky is next
Talk about David slaying Goli
ath. To get to the Final Four, the
Shockers would have to beat—
if all goes to plan—North Car
olina, Kentucky and UCLA.
That’s a true underdog.
Prediction: The Final Four
will be Villanova vs. Arizona
on one side and Michigan vs.
North Carolina on the other. Vil
lanova and North Carolina will
advance to the national cham
pionship game for a rematch
of last year’s title game. But
the result is the same, Villanova
makes it two in a row.
Charles Phelps is a reporter
for MainStreet Newspapers. He
can be reached at Charles @
mainstreetnews.com.
770-867-9026
www.maynardrealty.com
$2,500 CASH REIHUD
For information leading to
the arrest and conviction of
person or persons who took a
YAMAHA 660 GRIZZLY
FOUR WHEELER
dark green in color. Offer
good until March 31, 2017.
It was taken from
ARCADE GA,
HUNTING CLUB.
Call Ron Hamilton @ 706-207-3600