Scheduling matter: It’s time to PLAY BALL

Updated: May 11, 2011 9:52PM

In case you’re not aware, the IHSA allows baseball teams a maximum of 35 regular-season games every spring.

While Mother Nature has made it a challenge to reach that allotment this spring — and I have compassion for most programs — some teams have no one to blame but themselves for failing to reach the 35-game mark.

They had the opportunity to fill their schedules. But some of those highly regarded public school squads didn’t want to play Catholic League Blue studs Providence, St. Rita, Mount Carmel, St. Laurence and Brother Rice.

And that’s a shame on multiple levels.

Of course, the publics have their reasons.

Some decline to schedule private schools in fear of losing the game and, in turn, losing junior high prospects to the privates, on the theory that, for example, an Orland Park kid watching Mount Carmel beat Sandburg would rather join the Caravan than the Eagles. Other coaches in smaller classes, say 3A, don’t see the benefits of playing Catholic Blue teams, all of which are 4A. The rationale is that the teams never will see each other in the playoffs, so what’s the benefit of playing in the regular season.

And there are other instances where the refusal to play has become personal — coaches not liking the other.

But guess who suffers from these scheduling decisions?

The players and, on a grander scope, high school baseball.

“Personally, you want to play the best teams, whether you’re going to win by 10 runs or lose by 10, to get ready for the playoffs,” said Lemont coach Joe Rodeghero, whose Indians have played Providence (twice), Mount Carmel and Joliet Catholic this season. “I want my kids to see what good baseball is all about and what it takes it takes to get better. I’ll play anybody, any time.”

I wish all coaches felt the same way.

Oak Forest’s Tim Barry, the state’s all-time leader in career home runs, never will get the chance to test his skills against Catholic Blue competition. Because of that, some fans consider Barry’s homer record to be tainted, that he set it against lesser competition.

While I understand those claims, let me state that, next to Thornwood grad Cliff Floyd, Barry is the greatest hitter I’ve covered during my 21-year career.

But it sure would have been exciting to watch him dig in against St. Rita’s Joey Filomeno, Mount Carmel’s John Kravetz, Providence’s Brandon Magallones or St. Laurence’s Charlie Naso.

Oak Forest pitcher Kyle Funkhouser will suffer the same skepticism as he piles up wins and strikeouts. While the junior has already committed to Louisville, skeptics point to the Bengals’ schedule as a stat builder.

“I don’t want to play the 4A private schools,” Oak Forest coach Thad Gatton. “I’ll play JCA and Illiana (Christian). They’re in our (3A) sectional. What does playing 4A do for me?”

It serves a few purposes: Kids such as Barry and Funkhouser deserve to compete against the elite. Those are the games they’ll remember. Those are the local games that would draw big crowds and media attention, which in turn prepares your team better for the pressure of playoff baseball.

Additionally, those are the games that provide optimum exposure for the game.

“We don’t have the (pitching) staffs that Catholic League schools have,” Gatton said. “We’re throwing our No. 4 or No. 5 because we’re in the middle of our conference.”

If that’s the case, teams should schedule only two games, not five, against top competition.

A few years ago, Richards swept St. Laurence, St. Rita, Brother Rice, Marist and Providence.

Richards’ campus is surrounded by private schools. The Bulldogs theoretically have the most to lose if you buy the notion that losing games to privates means losing kids to them as well.

“The outcome doesn’t matter. Kids and families have already decided where they’re going to go to school by that time,” said Richards coach Brian Wujcik, whose Bulldogs beat Mount Carmel, Marist and Rice this season. “I have two reasons I play private schools: No. 1 is travel. If I have a chance to get on a bus and travel to Rice or get on a bus and travel to Crete-Monee, it’s a no-brainer for me.

“The second reason is I want to prepare my kids for the playoffs. Playing the best tests your skill.”

Ultimately, it’s up to the coach. However, I have one question for the coaches who refuse to play the Catholic Blue teams: If you asked your players who they wanted to take on, would it be a whole new ballgame?

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.