The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Inside Michigan Big Ten Could Lead Baseball Overhaul ATHLETICS play 62.5 percent of its 56 games this season on the road and 68.8 percent of its non-conference contests away from Ann Arbor. Meanwhile, LSU plays 23 of its 26 non-conference games at home (88.5 percent) and 38 of 56 games over- all in its own stadium (67.9 percent). Such is life in a college baseball sys- The Michigan baseball team will tem that greatly favors the Southern schools and penalizes the Northern programs with a regular season that begins in mid-February and ends in late May. However, the Big Ten is looking to change the dynamics. Minnesota coach John Anderson is suggesting the con- ference break away from the NCAA altogether to play summer baseball while Purdue's Doug Schreiber is pitching an idea that would allow for sanctioned NCAA regular-season games to be played in the fall. "I think the frustration for [Big Ten commissioner] Jim Delany and for all of us in the Big Ten is the playing field isn't level — it's unevenly tilted to one segment of the country more than any other sport in college athletics," U-M head coach Rich Maloney said. "For the amount of money that we have invested in our programs, in our facili- ties, and to consistently receive just one bid to the NCAA Tournament, and to have no real opportunity, seems ter- ribly unreasonable for an institution that is supposed to be about fair play." If the Big Ten were to pursue the rad- U-M head coach Rich Maloney said, "Right now, we spend our first five weeks playing in Southern states, spending a lot on our travel budgets." isn't the first choice, but if you do that and get three or four other leagues to come together, and have your own World Series … there is just so much that makes sense about playing our season during the summer," Maloney said. Of course, the more likely goal is to force the NCAA's hand to create a bet- ter model that doesn't punish based on geography. "Right now, we spend our first five PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS able conditions. It gives you a chance to attract more fans and it would be great for Big Ten Network program- ming, which we can use in recruiting." Schreiber's formula would allow the ical idea of seceding from the NCAA, it would seek to unify a number of Northern conferences to join its cause, potentially forming separate Northern and Southern enterprises. Under this scenario, Big Ten teams would likely begin their seasons in late spring, April or May, and play into August, provid- ing a greater opportunity to their play- ers and their fans. "That would be a bold move, and 12 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 weeks playing in Southern states, spending a lot on our travel budgets — how many games does LSU play away from home during the same time span [two of 18 games]?" Maloney asked, rhetorically. "If we waited until the spring, we wouldn't have to do that. And if we played more home games, where you have a better chance of suc- cess, you'd win more, and your RPI would go up, and it would increase your chances of making the NCAA Tournament. "Playing throughout the summer also gives your kids a better chance be- cause they're competing in more favor- Big Ten to schedule non-conference games in the fall, when weather in the Midwest is still conducive to baseball, hoping to attract the SEC, ACC, Pac-12 and other Southern schools that want no part of the Midwest in March and April. Maloney isn't sure Stanford or North Carolina or Arizona State would cooperate, but if the option is available the Big Ten could play 14 non-confer- ence games in September or October, giving each program the freedom to begin again in mid to late March. At the moment, the conversation remains a hypothetical, discussed among the coaching staffs and in the commissioner's office. No plan has been formally presented, but momen- tum is building for change. "Just imagine if Brady Hoke's pro- gram was forced to play 65 percent of its games on the road — imagine the uproar," Maloney concluded.