Lucking out on the schedule

When it comes to covering or officiating high school baseball and softball, the in-game experience can be something of a crapshoot in relation to other sports. And even though I was fortunate to choose the right games to cover this week, a glance at the Section I scores reminded me just how wildly it can swing the other way.

Timed sports—like lacrosse or soccer—are by nature, a known quantity. Regardless of how competitive a game may be, the one thing for certain is that there is a definitive end goal in sight, and the constant action means that, at the very least, there will always be something going on. Baseball and softball, by nature, are different stories entirely.

I can’t begin to express how much the games I covered this week were on the best end of that spectrum; on the baseball side, I had Harrison vs. Tappan Zee, a thrilling, fast-paced 3-2 ballgame with an exciting finish that wrapped up in just over 90 minutes. The following day, I covered a Rye Neck vs. Tuckahoe softball game featuring two dominant pitching performance that hummed from the start, being decided in the late innings by good base running and situational hitting.

Both contests were an absolute joy to take in, from an aesthetic point of view.

But then I looked at the scores from around the section and realized just how fortunate I had been. On Monday afternoon, I saw one of the most bizarre, one-sided stat-lines in my recent recollection, as Ossining baseball topped East Ramapo 44-3.

There’s no way to spin this one; I’m sure it was an unpleasant experience for everyone involved. For the East Ramapo players, sure, but even for the Pride, this one couldn’t have been a gratifying win. And for the umpires? An absolute nightmare.

That’s one of the things about high school sports; depending on the level of the programs, there are always going to be ugly games. But in baseball and softball, these routs are positively interminable.

As I’ve said, I tend to be pretty lucky in this regard. All of the schools I cover field strong, competitive teams and—as I have the freedom to pick which games I report on—I have a general idea of the games I should be avoiding. Officials are not nearly as lucky however, so my hat goes off to the crew tasked with calling Monday’s debacle between the Pride and

Gryphons.

Obviously there are rules in place to mitigate these sorts of shellackings. In 2018, baseball approved a mercy rule, and in other field sports, running clocks can provide fans, players, and everyone else in the auxiliary crew a bit of respite. But no matter how you slice it, a 44-3 baseball game is going to be a slog.

So here’s to quick, competitive games, and to hoping I see more of them this season.

I just hope I didn’t jinx myself.

Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports