In case you missed it, the Panthers crossed 13 time zones to Japan in order to play against Gonzaga for an audience of U.S. Marines. The only notable element about the game was two viable Division I programs were willing to compete in a November game.
Most teams are committed to starting the season by scheduling various barber schools and other pick-up teams they find assembling on street corners.
Alas, there was no outcome in Pitt-Gonzaga. Officials called the game after one dicey half. The conditions in the building were hot and humid, which led to a slippery floor that was judged to be too dangerous.
So the players shook hands, interacted with the crowd and went home. Literally. Pitt left the next day, which was Saturday/Sunday depending on the time zone (and they crossed 13 of them again). After flying for most of a day, they had a game on Tuesday. For once, it was a good idea to have a Division II opponent ready to serve as a designated pushover.
The student-athletes presumably had plenty of time to devote to their class work given they were held captive on an airplane for so long. Nobody's music playlist is that deep.
Presumably someone at the university thought the trip itself would be a worthwhile educational experience. But how could it be? The team wasn't there long enough to see much or absorb a different culture.
What they saw was a hotel, a plane, a bus and a gym. How is that much different from their trip to Virginia Tech?
No doubt some yen changed hands somewhere along the way. Coin of the realm -- in whatever currency -- is usually behind dubious decisions in college athletics. Money has given us all-black uniforms, the GoDaddy Bowl and midnight tip-offs.
In the meantime, the players didn't even get a win or a loss. They did come away from the game with a profound appreciation for the effects of severe jet lag.
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--THE HALL CALL
Baseball Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed to voters, and the postal load was lighter this year.
In the first step to what will surely evolve into a total revamp of the system, it was decided that those who haven't covered MLB in the last 10 years shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Actually, given that players have to be retired for five years before they're on the ballot, the 10-year limit for voters doesn't make a lot of sense. But the idea is to trim the electorate and eliminate some of the fossils who haven't been to a game since the Dodgers were in Brooklyn.
With newspapers facing an uncertain future, there will be a day when the Baseball Writers Association of America will lose its stranglehold on Hall voting. It's about time. Writers have no business making news, and it's ridiculous to exclude people as knowledgeable and honorable as Bob Costas and Vin Scully.
Ken Griffey Jr. is the sure bet on this year's ballot. Will he be the first unanimous choice in Hall voting?
Tom Seaver came the closest. He was left off just five ballots.
But there were 23 voters who didn't vote for Willie Mays, 20 who didn't think Ted Williams belonged, and 23 who declined to vote for Stan Musial. Nine didn't think Hank Aaron qualified.
No wonder they're taking a closer look at who gets to vote.
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--NO GIFTS NECESSARY
David Ortiz has announced the upcoming season will be his last.
He'll make "just" $10 million this year (pending incentives), his lowest salary since 2006. But it's OK. He's been paid more than $143 million in his career.
So there's no need for every opposing club to come up with some sort of gift for him. Say goodbye with a scoreboard video and a nice ovation. He doesn't need anything else.
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