Unless NAIA schools have changed for the 2007 season, then they play 9 inning games. I cover LC State in Lewiston, Idaho all the time, and they are NAIA and they play 9 inning games all year long. They are also a real good team with a great coach.
Lafmom,
I don’t know if I’d like to see 3 double headers every week for 9 weeks, but when you look at it, you’re really only talking about 6 hours on the field three times a week for 9 weeks. That’s opposed to 4 hours 5 times a week, for 11 weeks. That’s 162 hours vs. 220 hours, and that’s a heap of time that could be much better used for study, sleeping, or just kickin’ back.
I didn’t know NAIAs had JV teams either. Now that is definitely cool, and I can see how they’d easily develop more pitching.
I don’t know if I’d like to see 3 double headers every week for 9 weeks, but when you look at it, you’re really only talking about 6 hours on the field three times a week for 9 weeks. That’s opposed to 4 hours 5 times a week, for 11 weeks. That’s 162 hours vs. 220 hours, and that’s a heap of time that could be much better used for study, sleeping, or just kickin’ back.
I didn’t know NAIAs had JV teams either. Now that is definitely cool, and I can see how they’d easily develop more pitching.
I am the team Doc for an NAIA school and they only play 7 inning games on days that they play doubleheaders (they usually play doubleheaders 3 days per week)
quote:Originally posted by redbird5:quote:Originally posted by Dad0406:
I would suspect that the data regarding "home-field advantage" is greatly influenced by top programs scheduling traditionally weaker programs for home series ONLY!
That plays a part in it but also by playing at home you stay in your same routine of life. That is HUGE.
home-field advantage, not every school does that...and scheduling isn't just pulling a team out of your hat either.
Coastal Carolina has UVA, TCU, Notre Dame, NC State, Old Dominion, and UNC all by the end of this month. SOS also impacts ability to get into the tourney as well.
University of Georgia starts this weekend with a Northern team....Oregon State (I think they played in the last game of the year)..and later this month USC. UGA has had one of the stronger SOS out there.
One other point of bigger schools playing Northern Schools and staying out home....More home games makes money ... SEC 1.5 million fans last season. Also when Northern schools do travel South they also may have some GTD money which helps the Northern school with expense of trip.
I would imagine that any school that travels South knows what they are getting...the chance to play strong competetion, uses it as a recruiting tool, and if the bigger schools stopped inviting the Northern schools down the coaches of those schools would not be happy.
Again thiswhole schedule "unfair" advantage has to do with the major conferences wanting to make sure they get the opportunity to play in the tourney which makes money. It has nothing to do with any of the fine mid D-1's that are scrapping their windshields in the AM through April.
BBscout, what you said about LC State is so true. My wife and I stopped by there -- totally out of the blue just to see the field -- and there must have been a dozen scouts just to watch that team practice. A great program for the worthy! Do you ever make it up to the GSL?
Scorekeeper,
Most of the college players that I know of that have gone pro have returned to finish there degree. A lot of that depends upon the support of the coaches and school a player plays for. I know that at sons school, you are more or less, "pressured" to return to graduate, no matter how long it may take. Mine takes as many credits as he can handle, in case he leaves early, and stayed pretty much to his major as not to lose any wasted credits. He was lucky in the fact that he had a support system early to help guide him through this process. He plans his own scedule now and loads up Mondays (NCAA day off) for classes for a lighter schedule on friday and is able to take online classes (which more schools are offereing now) due to his GPA. This takes great planning and responsibility of the student athlete to be responsible for his own future. In that sense he is no different than any other college student planning for his degree and I know that no matter what happens, he will not let all those hours of classtime go to waste.
Official practice starting feb 1 is not going to change players practice habits. They will still be in the gym, still be in the batting cages, still be long tossing. As a pitchers parent view, this gives a pitcher a longer recovery time from summer/fall to official practice, and I like that. Instead of beginning pens in early january it will be adjusted. It will also give all players more time to prepare, but that is my opinion, not saying it is right or wrong. I think what we need to do, is just sit back and see how it plays out, without panic.
I am glad Dawgfan brought up northern schools traveling to larger schools in warmer climates. The DO not have to do this, but as stated, these school receive part of the gate money collected and this helps in travel and to add to their program (recruiting). Instead of people thinking that the larger schools invite the northern to beat up on them by homefield advantage by hosting, it benefits those schools, they play great competition and get paid for doing it. Years ago you didn't see this happening, but more and more smaller and northern schools are traveling, remember they do NOT have to do this, all they are required to play is their conference schedule. This also helps their SOS and RPI, which gets you to NCAA post season, NOT starting 2 weeks later.
By the way, FYI, any school that prgresses to post season, does get a stipend from the NCAA, it increases as you go forward and if the team has to travel. The school has an option to add onto that from coaches budget.
Most of the college players that I know of that have gone pro have returned to finish there degree. A lot of that depends upon the support of the coaches and school a player plays for. I know that at sons school, you are more or less, "pressured" to return to graduate, no matter how long it may take. Mine takes as many credits as he can handle, in case he leaves early, and stayed pretty much to his major as not to lose any wasted credits. He was lucky in the fact that he had a support system early to help guide him through this process. He plans his own scedule now and loads up Mondays (NCAA day off) for classes for a lighter schedule on friday and is able to take online classes (which more schools are offereing now) due to his GPA. This takes great planning and responsibility of the student athlete to be responsible for his own future. In that sense he is no different than any other college student planning for his degree and I know that no matter what happens, he will not let all those hours of classtime go to waste.
Official practice starting feb 1 is not going to change players practice habits. They will still be in the gym, still be in the batting cages, still be long tossing. As a pitchers parent view, this gives a pitcher a longer recovery time from summer/fall to official practice, and I like that. Instead of beginning pens in early january it will be adjusted. It will also give all players more time to prepare, but that is my opinion, not saying it is right or wrong. I think what we need to do, is just sit back and see how it plays out, without panic.
I am glad Dawgfan brought up northern schools traveling to larger schools in warmer climates. The DO not have to do this, but as stated, these school receive part of the gate money collected and this helps in travel and to add to their program (recruiting). Instead of people thinking that the larger schools invite the northern to beat up on them by homefield advantage by hosting, it benefits those schools, they play great competition and get paid for doing it. Years ago you didn't see this happening, but more and more smaller and northern schools are traveling, remember they do NOT have to do this, all they are required to play is their conference schedule. This also helps their SOS and RPI, which gets you to NCAA post season, NOT starting 2 weeks later.
By the way, FYI, any school that prgresses to post season, does get a stipend from the NCAA, it increases as you go forward and if the team has to travel. The school has an option to add onto that from coaches budget.
quote:Years ago you didn't see this happening, but more and more smaller and northern schools are traveling, remember they do NOT have to do this, all they are required to play is their conference schedule
So Northern schools should open their seasons at the end of March - first of April?
Getting a portion of a gate while paying for 30 round trip plane tickets and 4 day/3 night room-n-board is not a "get-rich" proposition for these schools. While the gate offsets some of the costs of a Northern team and allows them to play good competition the "power" Home team potentially reaps many statistical benifets. It is not being done out of the goodness of their heart IMHO.
TPM,
I hope you don’t think I’m dissing anyone! I have nothing but the utmost respect for any kid who plays baseball for his school, starting in HS, because it’s a load!
I just don’t think your experience is what would be considered “average”. You just don’t know how much you’ve been blessed.
I’m not quite as sure as you are that things aren’t going to change. Like it or not, this rule change is a big deal for a lot of schools, and I don’t see how there can’t be some pretty significant changes. But I’m not gonna panic in any case because it doesn’t have anything at all to do with me or mine.
I honestly feel bad that I don’t see everything through the same rose colored glasses you do, and I’m not trying to bring you down in any way. How about we leave it at, your experiences are vastly different from mine, and we can agree to have differing opinions?
I hope you don’t think I’m dissing anyone! I have nothing but the utmost respect for any kid who plays baseball for his school, starting in HS, because it’s a load!
I just don’t think your experience is what would be considered “average”. You just don’t know how much you’ve been blessed.
I’m not quite as sure as you are that things aren’t going to change. Like it or not, this rule change is a big deal for a lot of schools, and I don’t see how there can’t be some pretty significant changes. But I’m not gonna panic in any case because it doesn’t have anything at all to do with me or mine.
I honestly feel bad that I don’t see everything through the same rose colored glasses you do, and I’m not trying to bring you down in any way. How about we leave it at, your experiences are vastly different from mine, and we can agree to have differing opinions?
TPM,
I hope you don’t think I’m dissing anyone! I have nothing but the utmost respect for any kid who plays baseball for his school, starting in HS, because it’s a load!
I just don’t think your experience is what would be considered “average”. You just don’t know how much you’ve been blessed.
I’m not quite as sure as you are that things aren’t going to change. Like it or not, this rule change is a big deal for a lot of schools, and I don’t see how there can’t be some pretty significant changes. But I’m not gonna panic in any case because it doesn’t have anything at all to do with me or mine.
I honestly feel bad that I don’t see everything through the same rose colored glasses you do, and I’m not trying to bring you down in any way. How about we leave it at, your experiences are vastly different from mine, and we can agree to have differing opinions?
I hope you don’t think I’m dissing anyone! I have nothing but the utmost respect for any kid who plays baseball for his school, starting in HS, because it’s a load!
I just don’t think your experience is what would be considered “average”. You just don’t know how much you’ve been blessed.
I’m not quite as sure as you are that things aren’t going to change. Like it or not, this rule change is a big deal for a lot of schools, and I don’t see how there can’t be some pretty significant changes. But I’m not gonna panic in any case because it doesn’t have anything at all to do with me or mine.
I honestly feel bad that I don’t see everything through the same rose colored glasses you do, and I’m not trying to bring you down in any way. How about we leave it at, your experiences are vastly different from mine, and we can agree to have differing opinions?
We all do have different experiences. And often it is through that filter of our experience that we view things.
One of the great things about this board is the vast variety of experiences that people bring.
One of the great things about this board is the vast variety of experiences that people bring.