The CT Sports Editor sounds off: JONATHAN SAYS

MLB

Bud Selig and Major League Baseball
need a mulligan. It’s taken me a week, but
I’ve finally decided I’m angry with baseball.
Usually this happens around the all-star
break when the season seems to have
gone for eight years. This time, however,
it’s happened before the season truly has
kicked off. If you haven’t guessed, I’m angry
at the opening-“day” (in some parts of the
world) games that took place in Japan
this past week. Japan has its own baseball
league. The United States and Canada have
Major League Baseball. MLB games belong
in MLB stadiums. Getting past the fact
that the game was played in Japan, why
in the world was the game played so far
in advance of everyone else’s first game?
I checked ESPN.com the following day
trying to get some Atlanta Braves scores
– and, boom – I realize that nobody else
starts playing for another week. Come
on, baseball-opening day is opening
day. When the season starts, the season
really should start (in the United States,
of course). Get it right next time!

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Since I’m already complaining about
things, I’ll now turn my attention to the
NCAA. This year’s men’s NCAA Tournament
has been filled with bad decisions.
The enormous vinyl stickers at midcourt
of the first- and second-round sites were
ridiculous. Anyone taking the time to tune
in already knows who sponsors the event
-and if they didn’t know already, then the
large patches on every team’s jersey should
have been enough. The stickers wouldn’t
have been so much of a problem if they
meshed well with the floor. The vinyl very
quickly became slippery during the game,
causing many players to slip and fall. Is
advertising revenue really more important
than a potential career-ending injury? The
NCAA did a good thing in bringing in its
own floors with the logos painted on the
court for the final four rounds, but why
not do it for the entire tournament?

Secondly, the conditions of the Sweet
16 and Elite Eight games held in Houston
and Detroit were absolutely ridiculous. I
understand the NCAA thought a good way
to make even more money was to hold
games at Reliant Stadium and Ford Field.
However, if it comes at the cost of playing
on raised courts, count me as a naysayer.
I know it sounds like a small thing, but
courts well above actual floor level always
have bugged me. What happens if a player’s
momentum carries him off the stage? What
happens if a player falls down the stairs
attempting to get off the court? Heck .
what happens if the floor collapses? Maybe
these concerns seem like something out of
a book of worst-case scenarios, but I’d like
to see the answers.