MLB trying to wussify the nation’s pastime?
From the outside, it looks as if Major League
Baseball is trying to wussify its own game.
It’s come to my attention that MLB will outlaw collisions at second base. This closely follows not allowing collisions at home plate. Thank goodness the league tabled the discussion about having a designated hitter in the
National League.
What’s next? Tossing a pitcher out of a game for coming high and inside? Or maybe banning a player for a game for tossing his bat more than 12 inches into the air? Seems like there was nothing wrong with the game before the rules-makers started with all of this foolishness.
Hither & yon
Florida is having a Chinese fire drill at its quarterback position. Last year’s sometimes starting quarterback
Treon Harris has been moved to wide receiver. I assume that opens up a full-blown competition among Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio, Purdue transfer Austin Appleby and freshman
Feleipe Franks. … The five college coaches with the longest tenure right now are Bob
Stoops at Oklahoma, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, TCU’s Gary Patterson, Utah’s
Kyle Whittingham and Ohio University’s Frank
Solich. … Tennessee’s famous rock on its campus now has a mural of
Peyton Manning painted on it to honor the Super
Bowl- winning QB. … It should be exciting to see two five-star quarterbacks enter as freshmen in the SEC next fall —
Shea Patterson at Ole Miss and, of course, Jacob
Eason at Georgia. … And speaking of Georgia, the
Bulldogs have already met their goal of raising $15 million to build their indoor football facility. …
The Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart’s hiring of offensive coordinator Jim
Cheney was brilliant. Cheney’s offense that he brings with him is the same that Eason ran in high school. … South Car
olina has hired former football coach Steve
Spurrier as Goodwill Ambassador. And said Spurrier about his untimely resignation in the middle of last season: “I missed my expiration date.”
Trivia
Strange days in college basketball — the top five are Villanova, Maryland, Oklahoma,
Iowa and Xavier. Where
are Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina? … And speaking of strange, after South Carolina beat LSU in men’s basketball this week, the Gamecocks are tied for first in the SEC. …
And by the way, the
Argentina Tennis Open
is going on right now and the tournament is experimenting with using dogs as ball boys. …
One of the plum jobs in the NBA has opened up as the New York Knicks fired Derek Fisher. Luke Walton may be the next coach. …
If you were wondering, the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers are the early favorites to make the Super Bowl next year. … The shoe company Adidas is offering a $1 million check to any player at the NFL combine who can break the existing 40-yard dash record of 4.2 seconds, set by running back Chris Johnson. …
And finally, the NFL has done something that I agree with. The league has forbidden anyone from being invited to the combine that has a felony conviction in domestic violence, sexual assault or a weapons conviction.
Out & about
Roy Williams, the North Carolina men’s basketball coach, collapsed on the sidelines during a win over Boston College and had to be helped from the floor. Wil- liams has suffered from vertigo for years. … When college basketball changed its shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds, it helped increase scoring five-plus points per game and increased possessions by each team by 7 percent. …
The SEC is crying foul to the NCAA concerning Michigan’s plans to hold one week of its spring football training in Bradenton, Florida. … The rumors have turned into fact that Ole Miss is indeed being investigated by the NCAA for infractions both in football and in other sports. … A question to ponder: Why can’t LSU’s Les Miles recruit a top quarterback? …
I’m sure college recruiters threw up their hands when they read this: Oklahoma signee and top linebacker Caleb Kelly chose to sign with the Sooners by drawing their name out of a hat. … Alabama sports talk radio host Paul Finebaum called Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh the Donald Trump of college football.