MONMOUTH, IL – Monmouth College baseball coach Alan Betourne is a longtime Houston Astros fan. Football coach Chad Braun hails from Chicagoland and pledges his allegiance to the Cubs. Men’s basketball coach Todd Skrivseth is a self-described avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. As one might expect, the three produced precious few unanimous opinions of Major League Baseball’s 2020 micro-season as we hit the midway point this week.
Baseball’s Return
All three Fighting Scots coaches were in agreement that the 60-game sprint was different, and better than nothing. That’s where the unanimous votes ended.
“First and foremost, I’m happy the Major League season is going,” said Betourne, as his Astros sit in second in the AL West behind Oakland. “I’m just happy to have some sports on TV now.”
Braun’s Cubs are riding high atop the NL Central, and the Scots’ gridiron boss is happy to have ANY kind of action. “It’s great that sports are back on TV,” he said. “It’s exciting to see the NBA and NHL bubbles working. The MLB has struggled a little bit, but they’re figuring it out and still going.”
Skrivseth’s Cardinals, closing fast on the Cubs, are one of those teams who struggled at the start with a COVID outbreak, but have come on strong with their restart.
“I’m happy to see baseball back,” said Skrivseth. “Baseball was something we as a nation needed. I know my own experience with my son’s team playing this summer really brought back a level of normalcy for a few weeks. That’s something I know my family greatly needed. The return of Major League Baseball has done that to an extent at the national level.”
The Return of Doubleheaders
Unanimous here, nothing beats a doubleheader, especially when they’re two seven-inning games.
“It reverts back to the old school days of playing doubleheaders,” smiled Betourne. “I’m an old school guy, so that’s kind of neat to see that aspect of the game.”
“I could go for keeping the seven-inning doubleheaders once we get back to normal,” voted Braun.
“From a viewer’s standpoint, I love the seven-inning doubleheaders,” said Skrivseth whose Cardinals have played more doubleheaders this season than any other team in the majors. “You can catch the last couple of innings of Game 1 and then take in all of Game 2 without investing six or more hours.”
And why has St. Louis been saddled with all those twinbills?
“There have been some hiccups with some teams having to postpone or shut down for a few weeks,” explained Betourne of the Cardinals and Florida Marlins need to play catchup. “That’s made for an interesting way of making up those missed games with a bunch of doubleheaders.”
Rules Changes and the 60-game Schedule
All agree, to a point, some modifications had to be made given the current circumstances.
“It’s a sprint to the finish instead of a marathon,” said Braun of the 60-game schedule, more than 100 games short of a regular season. “I think it makes the season more interesting. Last year, the Nationals didn’t have a great start, but came back with a great second half to win the World Series. They might not even be in the conversation this year. This year it’s about getting off to a great start and hanging on.”
“Welcome to college ball,” chuckled Betourne. “They’re getting a lot of games in over a short amount of time where college baseball is spread out over a few months. It’s interesting to see how the Major League managers are approaching the 60-game schedule.”
Uncertain times demand thinking outside the box, said Skrivseth.
“It’s a unique year and the MLB has come up with some unique ideas,” said Skrivseth of the designated hitter for all teams and extra-innings tweaks. “If you’re ever going to try some new things, this is the year to do it. For the most part, I’m on board with the changes. I’m not sure I’d feel the same if the changes were long-term.”
The Designated Hitter for All
Skrivseth and Betourne are on the same team on this topic, Braun not so much.
“I like the strategies without the DH,” said Skrivseth, harkening back to a purer form of baseball. “Coaching with a DH is a lot easier than coaching without a DH.”
“I don’t like it, I’m old school,” admitted Betourne of the designated hitter for all games. “It has been in the making and was bound to come about eventually. I don’t like it, but I think the DH for both leagues will stick.”
Braun was the odd man out.
“I really like the DH for both leagues,” said Braun. “I’m a big fan of throwing a better hitter than a pitcher out there. It’s always nice to see guys who can REALLY hit. It makes it tougher to pitch around guys to get to the pitcher at the bottom of the order. It definitely changes the strategy and makes the game more exciting in my opinion. That’s another change I hope they keep.”
Betourne posed the question of MLB watch-ability to his Current Issues in Baseball class.
“I asked the non-baseball kids in my class last week, ‘What would get you to watch the game more?'” reported Betourne. “They all said ‘More runs.’ Then I asked ‘Why don’t you watch now?’ and their answer was ‘The games are too long.’ Well, if you score a bunch of runs, you’re going to have a long game. A 1-0 pitchers’ duel will only take two or two-and-a-half hours. You just can’t have it both ways.”
Extra Innings, Man on Second
Softball has long used the international tiebreaker in extra innings. The practice of starting each extra half inning with a runner at second (the run would be unearned) amps up the need to play error-free and get back to basics.
A baseball purest, Betourne actually is in favor of the practice, a sentiment shared by Braun, but not by Skrivseth.
“I wasn’t excited about the extra inning rule at the beginning of the season,” admitted Betourne. “As I got to watch more extra-inning games, I’ve found it to be really exciting. Again, though, I’m old school so it’s nice to see teams trying to bunt someone over or hit a ball to the gap. Sometimes, I think too much is put into stats and analytics. You just have to play the game, get the guy to third and make contact. If the visiting team can do that and score, that’s a decisive advantage going into the bottom half of the inning. I think as the MLB season moves into the second half, we’ll see managers do more old-school, small-ball stuff. It will be interesting if the major leaguers can actually execute and get a bunt down. That part of the game is becoming, if it already isn’t, a lost art.”
“I love putting a runner at second in extra innings,” chimed in Braun. “I’ve seen it with my own kids’ games and it makes the games super-exciting. It shortens those marathon extra-inning games, especially in the Major Leagues where you could have a position player pitching by the end of the game. I hope they keep it.”
“I understand the reasoning for extra innings of putting a man on second, but it just seems a bit ‘little-league-ish’ to me,” explained Skrivseth. “Again, it’s one of those things that the situation this year dictates the changes.”
Piped-In Crowd Noise and Cardboard Cutouts
Another split decision, but Betourne’s “bonus” opinion may resonate with more fans than we’d like to admit.
“I love the cardboard cutouts,” said Betourne, finally embracing something new. “It’s cool and hilarious at the same time. We’re seeing pictures of fans, their kids, even their pets. My personal favorite is the Bernie cutout from (the movie) Weekend at Bernie’s behind home plate (at Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium).”
Betourne also secretly admits he chuckles just a bit when a foul ball takes out a cardboard fan or the giant teddy bears the Oakland A’s have enlisted to fill some of their seats. It’s slapstick comedy without anyone really getting hurt.
“Nothing beats having real fans in the stands,” said Braun. “But the teams are getting creative with the cutouts. They’re making the best of the situation.”
“I’m not a huge fan of the cardboard cutouts,” admitted Skrivseth. “They’re kind of corny, but I do like the piped in crowd noise. I think that gives the TV viewer a sense of normalcy.”
World Series Winner
Regardless of the number of teams in the postseason field, the Dodgers are a 2-1 favorite here, with an unintended disclaimer.
“The Dodgers, the Dodgers will win it,” said a confident Braun. “They’ve got too much hitting, too much pitching, too much talent. They’re due to win it. They’ve had some bad luck in the playoffs recently, but I think they’re destined to win in 2020.”
“The Cardinals are fresh right now after having to sit out a couple of weeks, but all those doubleheaders are going to catch up with them,” said Betourne. “I think I’m going to have to say the Dodgers. They’re hitting a ton and probably have a chip on their shoulder from getting knocked out early of the last few playoffs and losing to the wild card Nationals in the NLDS last year. Oakland has been doing well in the American League and the Yankees are always tough to beat, but I’m going with the Dodgers over the Yankees in six.”
“The Cardinals, of course!” said Skrivseth, while admitting under his breath the Dodgers have been red hot and are the odds-on favorite.
So that’s it. Three coaches agreed to disagree on most of baseball’s topics, but they all agree on one thing and Braun said it best: “Hopefully, we’ll have a vaccine soon and get fans back in the stands.”
***Story courtesy of Monmouth College***
