Fix the baseball playoffs, please

Share this: Email | Facebook | X

This is my yearly rant about too many teams in the playoffs. - I have all the respect in the world for Bruce Jacobsen and the Douglas Tiger baseball team, but I'm sorry 6-14 doesn't deserve to make it into the playoffs under any circumstances. Ditto for Ray Charles and his 9-11 Reed Raiders.

When are the coaches and whoever else decides these things going to get it right. Six is the right number to make the playoffs in an 11-team league. I'd be open to eight if all eight teams were at .500 or better.

If that held true, Douglas and Reed would be out, and the top two finishers would get first-round byes.

When I worked in the Bay Area, the North Coast Section imposed a mandate that for a team to make the post-season in basketball, it had to have a .500 record or better in league play.

One year, and I think it was at the top (4A) level, only six teams qualified in the scenario that I just set forth, so the original 12-team bracket had to be redrawn for fewer teams. It wouldn't take a lot of work to fix that. I'm for teams making the playoffs IF they deserve it.

• • •

And, while we're on the subject of playoffs, let's go back to the old system when the playoffs are held at 4 and 7 p.m. each night and the games are at Carson and Reno.

The lights at Carson and Reno are very good, and it gives more parents a chance to attend games. Kids, too. Let's face it, how many kids will you see at a 1 p.m. game?

Bishop Manogue has a nice facility, but has no lights.

I'm sure parents all around Northern Nevada would love not to half to take a vacation day or personal leave time to attend a game when it could be avoided.

• • •

Former Carson High softball star Moriah Lane attended Saturday's Carson-Douglas softball game.

Lane, who attended Lewis & Clark in Portland this year, has decided to come back to the area. Rumor has it that she will attend Feather River College in the fall.

• • •

As most of you know, unless you've been hiding under a rock, Nevada is joining the Mountain West Conference.

Now, local football fans will get a chance to ask veteran coach Chris Ault what he thinks about the conference change and next year's Wolf Pack team when the Nevada Football Caravan comes to Dick Campagni's Carson City Toyots & Scion on May 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Please RSVP to 775-682-6961 by May 14 if you plan to attend.