Pick Your Battles

 

I'm thinking time between pitches was much shorter 
in this old image with Vin Scully. 

I had to remind myself to just walk away.

This happens from time to time. I see things that I think are -- how I can say this politely? -- foolish or inaccurate or something else. 

Then I climb in.

In recent days the topic beaten into a glue-based pulp has been the pitch clock and how it will impact broadcasters.

This has been raging for a month but, a week or two back, I stepped away. I was the most vociferous of the sounds in the wilderness saying that broadcasters will adjust.

We will. Either that or we're out.

Oh, believe me, there are efforts at times to phase us out or minimize us. Free labor (aka "students and wannabees") has taken jobs from many at a local level. The Los Angeles Angels have dumped on their radio announcers to such a level that they aren't traveling with the team. They're calling road games remotely. The Toronto Blue Jays have done a similar thing.

As broadcasting is a copycat business, it's definitely a concern that it will trickle to other teams.

Somehow, the pitch clock debate -- in MLB's desire to cut down on game times -- has brought up the topic of how our Mr. Vincent E Scully would have survived.

You know my feeling: greatness is greatness. It survives in any era. He would have adapted and done just as magnificently.

Look, I don't need to lay out all of the reasons for this defense, your honor. I will tell you that, for instance, when he called Sandy Koufax's masterpiece on Sep 9, 1965, the time between pitches wasn't what it became in his later years. Yet I still consider the Koufax perfect game the finest example of play-by-play ever. Vinny hardly rushed anything during the eight minutes that the ninth inning took.

If anything, baseball evolved to a point by the time Scully retired that he had too much time for stories. But, again, he adjusted. Vin Scully never wanted to be the star and the attention embarrassed him. Oh, he appreciated it but it humbled him.

He wanted the game to be the star. What a novel idea.

Game broadcasts aren't meant to be intended for readings of "War and Peace." They're intended to be reported and analyzed with nuggets of information and a hint of entertainment.

I'm sure "Story Time with Vin" would have been a lovely TV show but that's not what his work on the Dodgers, CBS, NBC or even briefly on ABC was supposed to be.

He worked within the time restraints given him.

The topic seemed to have died until the great Howie Rose, radio "voice" of the New York Mets, asked a great question as he adjusts to the pitch clock.

It feels almost as though I’m calling a hockey game. That’s how quickly it’s moving along. Hardly an opportunity to take a beat to let the game breathe. Is it noticeable to you? Is it an uncomfortable listen? Would like some input to see what needs to be tweaked. Thanks.

That was then brought into the play-by-play social media world and round two began. Or round three. I've honestly lost count.

Even in minor league ball, all I ever dealt with was "get ball, get sign, throw pitch, repeat."

The thing is, I thought it would all die down after the initial kerfuffle, but nah. Why do that? It reached a point where I was unfriended by the poster of the pitch clock brouhaha. I decided, at that point, to reach out privately and express a level of regret. Not for my opinion (nor will I) but that what had been a "gentlemen's debate" had caused such a thing. Granted, I reached a point where I just started laughing at all of it.

As it reared its head again today, I simply rolled my eyes. Please just let the horse die. Of course, then again, a good group moderator will put out that fire.

My style, more often than not, is to just let people bloviate. I see wrong takes on a daily basis.

Literally. I saw one today and, again, I stayed out of it*.

*In addition to the Scully/pitch clock fiasco.

The struggle for me is I detest inaccuracy. And, to be in sports talk, you have to be ready for debate and be tolerant of all opinions.

But there are times where you simply need to walk away.

I waded into that dirty water and have made my way back out of it again.

I'm better off here on the beach.

And yet, as I finish writing, I notice the war continues to wage and I'm almost gnawing my fingers to bone.

Oh well.

I'm not even going to get into the notion that the women's basketball national championship game was moved to 3:30 today when it was previously a prime-time event. Simply put: the game was moved from ESPN to ABC. There's more to it than that but to say it's "not fair" is just not accurate. The desire was to get the game on national TV versus cable. Well, here it is. And yet there's still griping.

But I know nothing about broadcasting.

Moving on.

We live to fight another day.