Great discussion on 'little-10' not being able to compete...

[NavyCrimson]

in college baseball on the C-USA board...

i think a bargaining chip with the bcs-%%^$# just became apparent!!!!!!!!!

but then again - will our whimps just roll over again like the prostitutes they are!

http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/confusa/i ... ntry106956

[EastStang]

sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Gee, you think the Big X schools will start having 1-1 deals with non-BCS schools in football. Nah.

[NavyCrimson]

here's the article:

Last update: June 21, 2004 at 11:37 PM
Big Ten chief seeks level playing field in college baseball
Dean Spiros, Star Tribune
June 22, 2004 UBAS0622




T he crowning of a College World Series champion is being played out in familiar fashion this week in Omaha, with eight Sun Belt schools taking part in the double-elimination tournament. But for the first time in the event's 58 year history a committee has gathered in Omaha to begin contemplating NCAA legislation that could dramatically change college baseball.

College baseball has been dominated for nearly 40 years by Sun Belt schools that have used their distinct weather advantage to reduce the national championship to a tournament for the privileged few. The committee is debating possible changes being pushed by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany that would help level the competitive playing field.

Delany and his supporters are calling for a Feb. 1 starting date for practice, a March 1 starting date for games and the pushing back by at least two weeks the College World Series to allow Northern schools the opportunity to play more games at home.

1960 champsFile Photograph By Paul Siegel/star TribuneNorthern schools also are seeking a change in the criteria used for selecting the 64-team NCAA field and where those regionals are held.

[b]If the proposed changes aren't accepted, Northern schools are considering creating their own playoff, and crowning a separate national champion.[/b]

"We do not believe we can't compete," Delany said. "We do believe we've proven we can't compete in this environment. If no change occurs our people will have decisions to make."

"Number one, we could accept it. Another one would be to ask for legislation that would allow us to explore an alternative type of championships for schools in different climates."

Gophers coach John Anderson said Big Ten coaches are unanimous in their support of Delany's push for change and -- if it comes to that -- the creation of a separate championship.

"The NCAA has in its bylaws that every student athlete should have a chance to compete for an NCAA championship," Anderson said. "That's not happening in baseball. My position all along is that until we show them we have an alternative nothing will change.

"The coaches [from Sun Belt schools] I talk to basically say, 'Where else are you going to play?' "

The Gophers are the prime example of the advantage Southern schools have. Minnesota won College World Series titles in 1956, '60 and '64, at a time when NCAA regionals were based on geography, meaning the Gophers competed against Midwest teams to reach the World Series.

The NCAA now bases regionals on national seeding. The Gophers haven't been to a World Series since 1977, and this year the Gophers were the only Big Ten team to get a postseason bid. Nine Southeastern Conference teams made the 65-team field, and four advanced to the College World Series.

Florida State assistant athletic director Charlie Carr, a member of the nine-person special committee, is aware Northern schools are considering extreme measures.

"I would hope our group could make a decision that is in the best interest of everybody and that it would be respected," Carr said. "I don't know if there is a magic answer for everybody.

"We don't play hockey down here. A lot of schools can't afford to play as many sports as they would like. There are all kinds of fairness sides to it. That doesn't mean we're going to leave or do something on our own."

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi supports a possible alternate championship.

"I don't think that's good for anybody, but if we don't ever feel we have a chance to compete maybe that is what has to happen," Maturi said.

College baseball never has had a uniform starting date for practices or games. As a result, most major Sun Belt programs are out on the diamond in January and play their first games in early February.

Anderson blames the college baseball coaches as a group for allowing the system to st