Playing in the pool is a lot of fun until someone drowns. In this case it’s the B1G conference baseball championship pool. Twelve teams have been invited to join the party but the pool is stocked with hungry piranha and one shark. That thing floating on top is not a Baby Ruth bar. Only the shark will survive.
It’s really a party which was probably conceived by the teams not invited. In no way can the conference come out looking good. Certainly, the life guards, the pitching coaches, can’t be happy about it. It won’t have much effect on NCAA tournament invitations or seedings, unless perhaps someone other than one of the top four teams turns out to be the great white.
Who starts game one for each team? For the twelve underdogs, it must be the ace on 5 days rest with an outside chance of him going again in the championship game on four days rest. In conference play the Friday pitcher usually has six while MLB pitchers not long in the past did fine with four and sometimes three. Game two is also an easy choice being the normal Saturday pitcher, again with five days to get ready. Going for a second win for one team and survival for the other are necessities.
Now comes the fun. The top seeds start their play on Thursday and will probably face their opponents’ normal Sunday pitcher who hasn’t gone to the hill for a handful of days. Do they start their ace or someone else?
My suggestion is they start their Saturday pitcher. Why? Most of these teams will likely be in NCAA regionals the following week. By moving their number 1 guy to Friday night they set him up to start the opening game in the tournament that really counts with a normal rest period.
In any case, once we get to the semifinal and championship games it gets ugly. None of the hurlers on the bump will be one of the two or three best pitchers on the rosters though you might see one from one of the underdogs come out in the final game in a situation they haven’t faced this season, faking it at having the durability of one of those MLB guys of the past.
Unlike any other championship plan where the teams come out with their best players in every game to prove their point, this one guarantees just the opposite. The conference would be better served with no post season get together .. except in the minds of the bean counters.