Thoughts after Tuesday's Central Section baseball semifinals:
** The Clovis East @ Clovis semifinal, in one night, nearly matched in attendance (2,000) what the Fresno State softball regional drew in three days. Meaning? Once again, on the Valley sports interest radar, it's Bulldogs football No. 1 and Tri-River Athletic Conference pick-your-major-sport No. 2.
** Mark Evans, as a second base umpire uninvolved in a third-base appeal play, had no business ejecting Clovis coach James Patrick in the sixth inning.
** Clovis' David Rohm (10-1) threw in relief Tuesday, but Patrick will give him the ball Thursday at Stockale.
The Cougars have faith in part because the Mustangs have averaged 3.5 runs in two playoff games against TRAC pitching after averaging more than 10 runs a game in the regular season. And, yes, that did include a 5-4, 9-4 season-opening sweep at home against the Cougars.
** Playoff justice: North, with a gift No. 2 seed (should have been No. 6 at best), losing 6-0 at home to No. 3 Mt. Whitney.
** Message can't be more clear to Washington coach Mike Curran after going 2-2 as a No. 1 seed, with two sweaty wins against No. 8 seeds, in two post-seasons: Nonleague wins against Laton, Le Grand and Firebaugh are worthless. Play somebody while you still have Andrew Rich and a few other ponies in the stable.
** Remember when Fowler blew a 22-point halftime lead at home and eventually lost 35-34 in overtime to Bakersfield Christian on Nov. 23 for the section D-V football title? The same teams return to the same campus Thursday for the D-V baseball crown. Think Josh Poytress -- Fowler's quarterback in the football game -- is going to let this one go? Negatory.
Playoff injustice: South (enrollment over 2000) and McLane (enrollment over 2600) being allowed to play for the Division III championship. Why can't baseball be like basketball? Enrollment should be the criteria. Then the schools like Washington Union will not have to have a schedule that requires them to be ready to beat schools that should be competing with the TRAC or other Yosemite Divisions.
I sent you a e-mail a few weeks ago about my son's baseball team, Granite Hills (enrollment 1400+), being eliminated from Division III last year by McLane. The football team was eliminated from Division III by Foothill (enrollment 2400+) I have nothing against these two programs, but really, does it seem fair to you? If it does, then you and Jim Crichlow should get along well together, as well as the CIF that allows such wrongs to continue to be perpetrated on legitimate Division III schools and players. I realize that it is difficult for schools like McLane and Roosvelt to compete against schools their size, but must the legitimate Division III schools be the ones that reap the punishment?
One last question, can it really be true that the Central Section of the CIF is going to allow McLane to move to Division IV next year? Preposterous
Clovis and their six coaches micromanaged that championship game to a victory for Stockdale. They had thier outfielders against the wall to prevent a double, but instead balls that would have been caught fell for hits.