If you know anything about me you know I don't hate the NCAA.
That's because, in 16 years of formal education - that includes college, not four years of repeating a grade :) - I've never found the word that I feel accurately gets across how I feel about the main governing body for college athletics.
Hate is too benevolent.
Why, you ask?
For one thing, there's the organization's (I use the term charitably) two-faced stance on Native American nicknames. If Fighting Sioux (North Dakota) and Indians (Newberry) are offensive, why isn't Seminoles (Florida State), regardless of how the local tribal councils feel about it.
And, why just Native Americans? Are no church deacons offended by the Wake Forest nickname and stereotypical garb the Demon Deacon mascot wears? I'm not serving on a deacon board right now, but I don't like the "Demon Deacon" portrayal. And, deacons haven't dressed that way for years, if never.
But, I digress. Concern for how deacons feel isn't politically correct.
Then, there's the NCAA's pig-headed stance of punishing the state of South Carolina because the Confederate flag flies at a monument on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. Last time I checked, a monument is not a place of sovereignty. The NCAA should not punish state venues by refusing to award pre-scheduled championship events (i.e. basketball regionals) because a flag flies at a memorial to Civil War dead.
Say, the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville or Colonial Life Arena in Columbia were to be awarded a regional. Most of the tickets go to fans from participating schools. The average Joe from South Carolina has little chance of getting one of the tickets anyway.
I'll take respect for the state's war dead - regardless of how wrongheaded the state's stance at the time looks in retrospect - over two days of basketball in March once every five or six years, which is what would likely be the optimal rotation if a South Carolina venue were to be included.
And how can I not mention the NCAA's self-stated concern for the well-being of student athletes? They mustn't miss too much class time. Just 40 or so years ago a basketball regular season was less than 25 games long. Now, it's more than 30 - and that doesn't count exempt pre-season tournaments and exhibition games.
In times past competing teams actually went to a regional somewhere reasonably close to a school's location. No more.
So, what's got me fired up now? The NCAA's incompetence at running its baseball tournament.
The handling of Sunday night's Oklahoma-South Carolina game in Columbia was an absolute disgrace. The NCAA official in charge of the event halted the game after the fifth inning because weather forecasts indicated heavy rain was coming.
Now, it had been sprinkling since about the top of the second inning.
Remember, there was no mention of lightning, only the prospect of heavy rain.
So, a dandy 0-0 pitchers' duel between Oklahoma's Jonathan Gray and USC's Colby Holmes was halted, the tarp was placed on the Carolina Stadium infield and fans waited for the coming deluge.
And they waited ... and waited ... and waited.
Instead of the rain intensifying, it stopped. But there was no move to resume play close for 45 minutes. A decision was finally made that play would resume. After a delay of 1:04, the top of the sixth began - and rain began at about the same time. Had play not been halted, there's an outside chance the game could have been over before any heavy rain struck. It took 1:21 to play the first five innings. If one team could have scored a run, whipping the final four innings out in 1:04 wouldn't have been out of the question - particularly if Oklahoma had scored and not needed to bat in the bottom of the ninth.
Play was halted after the top of the sixth and as the rain became a downpour. Less than 15 minutes later it was announced the game had been suspended until 4 p.m. Monday. Less than 10 minutes after the suspension it quit raining. I mean quit. Not a drop. None. Zip, Na-da.
I know because I had to stay in Columbia and get a room (at my expense) so I wouldn't have to make another drive to and from Greenville to cover the game for an Oklahoma newspaper. It still hadn't rained again when I checked in more than two hours after play was called.
I think the NCAA is sometimes over-cautious in its approach to lightning strikes, but I can live with that for safety reasons. But lightning wasn't a factor in Sunday's boondoggle. Play was halted because it was supposed to rain. I remember the days when it was customary to wait for the rain to actually begin falling hard, then pull the tarp.
What makes matters worse, the official who made the call - or at least explained the (lack of; my words) rationale behind the decision -- had a long background as a baseball coach.
He likely robbed thousands of fans of the chance to see the end of a great game.
To draw off former Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia's classic rant about Cubs fans booing his team, 90 percent of Americans work. That means some folks won't get to see the last third (at least) of a classic game they paid post-season prices to watch.
If South Carolina should win the resumed game and punch its ticket for Omaha, those fans won't get to experience the moment in person.
Here's hoping someone connected with the NCAA learns a lesson and takes the necessary steps to prevent another travesty like Sunday's from happening again.
Given the NCAA's track record, I'm not holding my breath. The odds are better than the Federal Government would cut wasteful spending.
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