The Airing of Grievances, Part 4

The Southern Conference last week announced some cost-cutting measures for the 2009-10 school year designed to save the league office about $120,000 and member schools an undetermined amount.

What bothers me is reducing the three-day baseball series to a two-day series.

I can't fault the intentions. I suspect every sport in the conference is being affected in some way, and other than cutting out two league series -- one road and one home -- I'm not sure what else could be done in baseball to accomplish the cost-saving goal.

Let me also say that I understand cost-cutting. The husband of the woman I sleep beside every night is about to go on a five-day unpaid "out of the office and unavailable (as it is to be called in public)" stretch himself. That makes for more time for going to baseball games, but less money to buy tickets -- or pay bills -- with.

Nationally, the NCAA treats baseball like the red-headed stepchild at a family reunion already when it comes to scholarship limitations and roster directives.

I fear the SoCon's plans will only further damage the sport.

Plans are for a doubleheader one day of the two-day series and a single game the other.

While attendance at most SoCon home baseball games is modest when compared to the higher-visibility conferences, I suspect baseball outdraws any other spring sport by a considerable margin.

It seems like we're talking about saving one night's hotel expenses, plus one day's meal expenses, for most of the series.

Losing five home dates (one per home series) will certainly impact the budget of The Citadel and Georgia Southern, both among the top 50 nationally in home attendance last season.

And, how much -- in the big picture -- does it cost either College of Charleston or The Citadel for that third ride across the peninsula, or for Furman or Wofford to make one more trip on I-85?

Baseball junkies may love doubleheaders, but the casual fan isn't likely to want to sit through 14, 16 or 18 innings of baseball in one day. They might do it over a two-day span.

And, will compacting the use of pitchers for three games into a two-day span impact the pitchers' availability for other games before or after the series?

A story in Thursday's Greenville News indicated Sunday could still be reserved as a makeup day in case of rainout. Doesn't that defeat the cost-cutting purpose of going to a two-day series?

Oh, well. If the economy bounces back, maybe the problem will be resolved by the 2010-11 school year.

Tell me what you think.

SoCon cost-cutting measures