Take one on first round

By ADAM VANKIRK - The Independent

May 19, 2008 11:51 pm

— Let me give you a quick take on the district baseball tournaments, which are underway this week.
They’re backwards. Literally.
The blind-draw format used by all the 16th Region districts except one forces coaches to take a skewed approach to winning a district championship. And that’s just not good for anyone.
In order to make the region tournament, all a team has to do is win one district game, leaving the district championships as leftovers.
The way it is, no one plays for the district. And no one should - it’s meaningless. You may as well not even play a district championship if it’s going to be the way it is.
Let me break it down a little better for you.
The 16th Region has four districts (61st, 62nd, 63rd and 64th) and each district has four teams.
So each district, aside from the seeded 62nd (East Carter, West Carter, Elliott County and Morgan County), will have two opening round games, with those winners advancing to the region tournament. The losers stay home for the region.
Better put, why should anyone care who stakes claim to the district titles? Ask any coach in the region and he’d tell you the first round of districts are more important than a potential title — pitching matchups are proof to that point. In fact, that’s exactly why it is what it is.
The format is in place per voting each season by each of the districts’ schools. It take a majority vote to overturn the format in place (a winning vote needs to be 3-to-1 to overturn).
I’ve never really heard a good reason not to seed, and I doubt I will any time soon. I do, however, have three really good reasons why there should be seeding.
One: We would, with the luck of the draw eliminated, consistently have better district championship matchups.
Two: It would make the regular season a little more meaningful.
Three: Add one and two together and that equals more fun for the fans.
A one-game blind-luck playoff to determine whether or not you’re going to the region tournament makes zero sense to me. Especially in baseball, and after a 30 plus-game regular season.
Besides, every postseason is supposed to start with the best against the worst to make it in. Like it or not, It’s just the way of sports.
That’s my take.
Anyway, if you want to see your team’s district championship, you better get out their today for the opening round.
Rain, rain, go away
Today’s schedule is now even more packed after rain forced the 63rd District openers back a day. The 64th and 63rd both have doubleheaders scheduled.
Russell and Lewis County got through three and a half innings before being washed out in the 63rd on Monday night. In a 7-7 tie, they will resume their game at 5 p.m. Greenup County and district host Raceland will follow.
In the 64th at Boyd County, Ashland takes on Fairview at 5:30 p.m. Boyd County and Rose Hill will play the nightcap.
It’s a lot of baseball, but unfortunately there’s more rain in the forecast for today.