Category: History and More

With the four play-in games now history (the NCAA wants us to call it the First Four, so in the spirit of compromise I’ll call it the First Four Play-In), the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins in earnest today.

By the end of the weekend there will be a couple of blowouts, a couple of upsets, and perhaps one real stunner.

That’s how the first round of the Large Waltz almost always plays out, and one of the reasons it’s arguably the most exciting sports tournament in the world.

What I really like about it, though, is that every school that has a legitimate chance to win the national championship is in the field.

That’s why I always have to stifle a chuckle on Selection Sunday when coaches bemoan the fact that their team was “snubbed.”

And there were quite a few feeling left out and disrespected this time around.

Louisville, for example, finished 20-13, and there was a time not so long ago when leaving an ACC team with 20 victories out of the tourney was unthinkable.

Plus, the Cardinals had a rating percentage index (RPI) of 38.

But this year the NCAA went all mathy and decided to judge teams based on their performances in four quadrants.

Quadrant 1 is home games vs. 1-30 RPI teams; neutral-site games vs. 1-50 RPI; and away games vs. 1-75 RPI.
Quadrant 2 is home games vs. 31-75 RPI; neutral-site games vs. 51-100 RPI; and away games vs. 76-135 RPI.
Quadrant 3 is home games vs. 76-160 RPI; neutral-site games vs. 101-200 RPI; and away games vs. 136-240 RPI.
Quadrant 4 is home games vs. 161-plus RPI; neutral-site games vs. 201-plus RPI; and away games vs. 241-plus RPI.

Louisville went 3-10 in Quadrant 1 games, and that didn’t help their cause.

But guess what?

Louisville wasn’t going to win the national championship this season anyway.

I’m a UAB grad and a UAB fan, so I find myself rooting for Conference USA teams to do well once the postseason begins. I figure since the Blazers aren’t in the field (and sadly, they usually aren’t anymore) I might as well support the league.

It’s a one-bid conference, and Marshall took that bid by winning the CUSA Tournament.

That meant Middle Tennessee, with a nice 23-7 overall record and 16-2 league mark, could only hope for an at-large berth.

They didn’t get one because, you know, Conference USA.

It was still disappointing to the players, their coaches and fans, but the reality is that the Blue Raiders were not going to seize the crown.

Maybe they’d have won a game – even two – and that would’ve been wonderful.

And sure, I get that much of the event is about the journey instead of the ultimate destination. It’s an honor to call yourself an “NCAA Tournament team” and coaches should always advocate for their kids. Still, leaving out Middle Tennessee was not equivalent to leaving out a team that had a realistic chance to go all the way.

From a pure record standpoint maybe the biggest slight is Saint Mary’s, which is 28-5 and finished 16-2 in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels had an RPI of 40.

But …

Saint Mary’s had only four wins against teams in the RPI top 100, and no way was that going to impress the Selection Committee.

Again, though, the Gaels were not leaving San Antonio as the last team standing. In that regard, not having them in the bracket didn’t matter.

Now, would the schools I just mentioned have a better chance of advancing than many who are dancing?

Of course. There are a number of teams that will be clearly overmatched, and that’ll show up on the scoreboard Thursday and Friday.

As long as conference tourney champs get a free pass into the field of 68, that field will always be cluttered with schools punching far above their weight class.

And that’s one of the beauties of March Madness.

However, the team that wins it all will be a no-doubter – one in which there was never any question about its NCAA Tournament credentials.

It might be Virginia, Cincinnati, Duke, Michigan State, or any number of programs with impressive talent and impressive victories.

So for all the schools that feel snubbed, I know it sucks; the main goal at the start of every season is to be one of the 68.

In the final analysis, though, the team that’ll hoist the trophy on April 2 is a team that never had to watch the bubble at all.

OK, let’s get some housekeeping things out of the way.

First and foremost, it’s the National Invitation Tournament, not the National Invitational Tournament.

And secondly, joking that the NIT also stands for “No Important Teams” is cute and all, but it’s a bit harsh.

Now, there is no argument over the first issue … you can look it up.

The second? OK. The NCAA Tournament is the only postseason event that “matters,” but if you like college basketball – and like to watch off-the-radar schools compete in tournaments – the NIT can still be fun.

In the Big Dance, you get to see small schools from small conferences play on the sport’s biggest stage.

In the NIT, you might come across a team you forgot even existed. But sometimes those teams will put on great shows and score victories that are very important for their school.

Last year, for example, CSU Bakersfield stunned California, 73-66, in the first round, while Belmont shocked Georgia, 78-69 and Oakland rallied from a huge deficit to upend Clemson, 74-69.

None of those outcomes altered the landscape of college basketball, of course, but they raised the profile of the winners – even if it was just for a couple of days.

And that made it meaningful for them, even if it’s not meaningful for the person who spent hours filling out their NCAA brackets at work.

But the NIT is more than just a postseason consolation prize nowadays. Thanks to the NCAA, it is also a laboratory.

When it gets underway on March 13, it will be using rules that could conceivably go into effect in May, 2019 – the next time the governing body can officially alter its rules and regulations.

“The NIT is an exciting event with a rich tradition and history, yet it also provides us a platform to consider how the game might look in the future,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball, said in a news release. “We’ve seen the adoption of recent experimental rules and how they have had a positive impact. This track record of the game evolving is a result of us having the flexibility to see if the rules work and are met with satisfaction.”

This year will mark the third time in four years experimental rules have been in place for the NIT, and the four changes this year are pretty big:

​• The 3-point line will be extended by approximately 1 foot, 8 inches to 22 feet and 1.75 inches – the same distance used by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for international competition.

​• The free throw lane will be widened from 12 feet to 16 feet, the width used by the NBA.
​• The games will be divided into four 10-minute quarters and teams will shoot two free throws beginning with the fifth foul of each quarter.
• The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound, instead of the full 30 seconds.

The changes are designed to give NCAAs rules, oversight and competition committees “data and feedback” as they consider changes to the game.

All rules used in the NIT have been on the table before, but this will be the first time for coaches and officials to see them in action.

“The style of play in men’s college basketball is healthy and appealing, but the leadership governing the game is interested in keeping the playing rules contemporary and trending favorably,” Gavitt said. “Experimenting with two significant court dimension rules, a shot-clock reset rule and a game-format rule all have some level of support in the membership, so the NIT will provide the opportunity to gather invaluable data and measure the experience of the participants.”

I think the four quarter format is long overdue. It’s used in virtually every other level of basketball and it just makes sense for the NCAA men to join the party.

I’m also intrigued by the wider lane. While basketball is not supposed to be a contact sport it most certainly is. However, this could make it less so and also increase the number of driving buckets.

It’s a highly significant alteration.

I don’t have strong feelings one way or another about the increased length of 3-pointers, but I am hopeful the clock reset will quicken the pace of games.

The thing is, there’s a chance none of these rules will be part of college basketball come 2019.

But then again, they might.

Sure, the “No Important Teams” moniker isn’t going away; the NIT will always pale in comparison to the NCAA Tournament.

But it still has a place. Hey, maybe going forward we should think of it as the National Innovation Tournament.

 

We’re just over a month away from the start of the 2018 Major League Baseball regular season. And if all goes as planned, fans will be spending less time at the ballpark (and if front of the television) watching it.

That’ll actually be a good thing.

Each February the lords of baseball consider rules changes, and make a tweak here and there when needed. This year the primary objective of Commissioner Rob Manfred and the gang is to speed up the game.

Let’s hope they have better luck this season than last.

Manfred was determined to shave off running time in 2017, too, but even making intentional walks automatic and shortening the window for managers to challenge calls didn’t help.

Just over 10 years ago an average MLB baseball game took about two hours and 45 minutes to play, which is fine.

In 2017, it took three hours and eight minutes.

That’s not fine.

That’s ridiculous.

As I’ve said before, if I’m going to sit through something that lasts more than three hours, Francis Ford Coppola better be directing it. And now that I’m out of the daily newspaper grind, I can actually watch – and enjoy – big league ball.

(That’s a side effect of being a sportswriter who also has office hours. Unless you cover an MLB team, you don’t actually see a lot of MLB games).

As for the rule alterations, I don’t think any of us wants to see “less” baseball; several years ago the Wall Street Journal did a study that determined the amount of action in an MLB game totals around 18 minutes.

But while we fans are fine with the slow-moving pace of the contest itself, the real time of a nine inning affair could use some streamlining.

Instant replay, endless mound visits and – thanks to TV – long commercial breaks, have turned watching baseball into quite a time investment.

So, if you have some time to kill and want to read them as written (courtesy of MLB.com), here are the changes for 2018:

1. I) Mound Visits 
   Number
   A. 2018 Championship Season. Mound visits without a pitching change shall be limited to six (6) per team, per nine innings. For any extra-innings played, each Club shall be entitled to one additional non-pitching change mound visit per inning.  
   B. OBR 5.10(l). Official Baseball Rule 5.10(l), which governs mound visits by a manager or coach, remains in effect (i.e., a pitcher must be removed on the second visit by a manager/coach in an inning). 
2. Definition of Mound Visit.A manager or coach trip to the mound to meet with the pitcher shall constitute a visit. A player leaving his position to confer with the pitcher, including a pitcher leaving the mound to confer with another player, shall also constitute a mound visit, regardless of where the visit occurs or the length of the visit, except that the following shall not constitute mound visits:
   A. Discussions between pitchers and position player(s) that (i) occur between batters in the normal course of play and do not require either the position player(s) or the pitcher to relocate;
   B. Visits by position players to the mound to clean spikes in rainy conditions;
   C. Visits to the mound due to an injury or potential injury of the pitcher; and
   D. Visits to the mound after the announcement of an offensive substitution.
3. 3. Cross-Up in Signs.In the event a team has exhausted its allotment of mound visits in a game (or extra inning) and the home plate umpire determines that the catcher and pitcher did not have a shared understanding of the location or type of pitch that had been signaled by the catcher (otherwise referred to as a “cross-up”), the home plate umpire may, upon request of the catcher, allow the catcher to make a brief mound visit. Any mound visit resulting from a cross-up prior to a team exhausting its allotted number of visits shall count against a team’s total number of allotted mound visits.
4. II) Inning Breaks and Pitching Changes
   Time of Break. The timer will count down from 2:05 for breaks in locally televised championship season games, from 2:25 for breaks in nationally televised championship season games, and from 2:55 for tie-breaker and postseason games as follows: 

Time Remaining | Required Action
25 seconds: Umpire signals pitcher to complete last warmup pitch.
20 seconds: Batter’s announced and must leave on-deck circle, batter walk-up music shall begin, and pitcher shall complete last warmup pitch.
0 seconds: Pitcher must begin motion to deliver first pitch.

1. The pitcher may take as many warm-up pitches as he desires, but regardless of how many warm-up pitches he has thrown, he must deliver his final warm-up pitch at least 20 seconds prior to the end of an inning break or pitching change. OBR 5:07 will be revised to reflect that pitcher is not guaranteed eight warm-up pitches. 
   B. The umpire shall signal for the last warm-up pitch at 25 seconds, unless a special circumstance (as described below) applies. 
   C. The batter must leave the on-deck circle and proceed directly to the batter’s box when the pitcher throws his final warm-up pitch.  
   D.The pitcher must begin his motion for the first pitch as soon as the batter steps into the box and is alert to the pitcher; provided, however, the pitcher cannot begin his motion for the first pitch more than five seconds prior to the end of an inning break or pitching change so that television is ensured to be back from commercial break. 
2. Special Circumstances. A Player will be excused from following the time limits set forth above if the umpire determines that any of the following special circumstances are present:  
   A. There is a delay in normal warm-up activities during the inning break due to no fault of the Players (e.g., injury or other medical emergency, equipment issues, playing field or grounds crew issues);
   B. The umpire believes the pitcher is at a legitimate risk of injury if he does not receive additional time to throw warm-up pitches; 
   C.The umpire believes the batter is at a legitimate risk of injury if he does not receive additional time to enter the batter’s box; 
   D.Any other special circumstances which, in the umpire’s judgment, warrant allowing the pitcher to throw after the deadline. 
3. Start of Timer for Inning Breaks
   A.Last Out of Inning. The timer shall start on the last out of an inning for an inning break.   
   B.Close Plays/Replay Review. The Field Timing Coordinator shall delay the start of the timer if the final out of the inning is a close play that may be reviewed by instant replay. If the final out of the inning is determined in instant replay, the timer shall start as soon as the out is signaled by the umpire.  
   C. Pitcher or Catcher On Base/On Deck. If a pitcher ends an inning on base, on deck, or at bat, the timer shall reset when the pitcher leaves the dugout for the mound. If a catcher ends the inning on base, on deck, or at bat, the timer will reset when the catcher enters the dugout (and another catcher must begin warming up the pitcher). 
    
   4. Start of Timer for Pitching Changes
   A. Pitcher Crosses Warning Track. The pitching change timer shall begin as soon as the relief pitcher crosses the warning track (or foul line for on-field bullpens) to enter the game. In the case of a pitching change that occurs during an inning break, the timer shall reset if previously started as soon as the relief pitcher crosses the warning track (or foul line for on-field bullpens).  
   B. Relief Pitchers Must Promptly Leave Bullpen. Relief pitchers shall leave the bullpen promptly following an appropriate signal by their manager or coach. During the playing of God Bless America, or any other extended inning event previously approved by the Office of the Commissioner, the timer will begin at the conclusion of the song or event. 
    
   5. Enforcement. Umpires shall direct players and enforce the inning break and pitching change time limits on the field. Players who consistently or flagrantly violate the time limits will be subject to progressive discipline for just cause by the Office of the Commissioner pursuant to Article XI(C) of the Basic Agreement. III. Batter’s Box Rule
   The batter’s box rule that was in effect during the 2017 season will remain in effect during the 2018 season.
4. Video Replay Review
   The following adjustments will be made to the video replay technology:
   A.Install capability for all Club video review rooms to receive direct slow motion camera angles for the 2018 championship season; 
   B. Install new phone lines connecting the video review rooms and the dugout, and monitor the communications over those lines to prevent their use for sign-stealing.

Manfred had hoped to add a 20-second pitch clock as well as a between-batter clock for this season, but the MLB Players Association pushed back on those ideas.

The between-inning breaks might help some, although I can’t see it saving more than two or three minutes, tops.

The best chance to keep the game moving is faster instant replay reviews, although I could do without them altogether.

Nobody wants the guys in blue to determine a game and certainly bad calls suck (especially if they go against your team), but I can live with human error.

It has a certain charm.

The game is, after all, played by humans and those humans make errors all the time (just ask the Oakland Athletics, who committed a league-high 121 errors in 2017).

But unless you play it or coach it, sports is entertainment, and with so many entertainment options, you need to make your sport worth watching.

Length of games has damn near killed my enjoyment of college football, and I don’t want to reach the point where I start getting bored with a baseball game in the seventh inning.

That’s a right exclusive to L.A. Dodgers fans.

But we won’t know how things play out until they play ball, so here’s hoping Major League Baseball can master the under three hours thing in 2018.

I want to become a serious fan again.

It’s up to baseball to make it worth my time.