Times, they are a-changin’

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports April 26, 2021 #845 Up next… Times, they are a-changin’

After further review… If you were around in 1964 when Bob Dylan wrote and performed “The Times They Are a-Changin’” you will surely remember how times were changing! The Vietnam War was raging. The US was still adjusting from JFK’s assassination. Free speech pods were springing up on college campuses. As an inner-city high school principal, we were trying to help kids grow, yet understanding their fears and uncertainties. Then along comes Bob Dylan supporting the many changes that were happening. Do we need Dylan now?

In sports, many changes happened in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some local schools just finished a shortened football season  (it’s April!). Now as we begin the 2021 Major League Baseball season the suggestion has surfaced that the MLB move the pitcher’s mound!

What in the name of Abner Doubleday is going on? The MLB game is “a-changin’.” They recently changed the extra-innings rule to place a runner on second base to start an extra inning in order to prevent the game from going through several extra innings to get a winner.

Now they are moving the pitcher’s mound back a foot – from 60-feet, 6-inches to 61-6.

What in the name of Abner Doubleday is baseball, which has traditionally held to its time-old standards, doing? Well, MLB is concerned that the 60-6 is too close when pitchers are consistently throwing in the high 90s MPH and many at or near 100. Moving the pitching rubber 12-inches reduces the speed of the pitch 1.5 MPH and gives the batter one one-hundredth of a second more time to decide whether to swing or not. Will the home run rate jump off the charts?

MLB says this “test” will start on Aug. 3. Test? You will recall that MLB lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 inches in 1969 to help the hitter. The mound is still at 10 inches! It’s all about helping the hitters and increasing the offense. As the Zen master says: “We’ll see.”

Will the NBA follow MLB? Raising the basket from 10 feet to 12 feet has been suggested since I was in high school, but no action so far. NBA players now, and have been for some time, play their game above the rim. Will raising the bucket to 12 feet hurt the smaller players? Does it matter to Steph Curry at 6-foot-3 whether it’s 10 feet or 12?  Are you kiddin’ me?

Will you log-in on about changes you’d like to see in professional sports?

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Jim’s books “On the TunneySide of Sports” as well as “Chicken Soup for the Sports Fans Soul” are full of baseball stories. Each sells for $20. However, as a 2021-year special if two are bought, a third is included free of charge. All autographed with no tax and free shipping. Mail to: Jim Tunney Youth Foundation (501c3) P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953  Be well!

See the website for all products.

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Cancel Culture?

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports April 19, 2021 #844 Up next… Cancel Culture

After further review… The decision to move the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star game because of the new Georgia SB 202 law, which changed the way voting ballots were to be collected in the future, has caused a firestorm. MLB remained opposed to the Georgia law and moved its 2021 All-Star game, now scheduled for July 13, to Coors Field in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies. The Georgia law also caused several nationally-known sponsors, who call Atlanta their home, to withdraw their support. Coca-Cola, founded in Georgia, Delta Airlines, Hartsfield-Jackson Airport whose home base is Atlanta, and others have abandoned their allegiance to the city and state.

That Georgia law has also brought to life the term “cancel culture,” which to me and many others had not made much sense. Cancel culture, as Robert Henderson wrote in the CityJournal, is “an indulgent, dopamine-feeding activity practiced on social media until its cruel practitioners, ultimately bored, follow the algorithms  elsewhere.” Huh?

What in the name Abner Doubleday does this relate to in baseball and/or sports at all? Did SB 202 bring the cancel culture to a renewed life? Did MLB have to remove that All-Star game from Truist Park?

There are probably more reasons than this simple explanation on renaming Sun Trust Park; but Sun Trust Bank had a 25-year naming rights agreement when it merged with BB&T. While it still is the Braves home about 10 miles from Atlanta, Truist is actually in Cumberland, Georgia located in Cobb County. It is stated that Truist will build 10 youth ballparks as a tribute to Hank Aaron, the Braves legend who died in January.

Many political leaders have been critical of Georgia Law 202 which is said to restrict voting rights to minorities by not allowing ballots to be sent to voters rather than the state government-approved one. This is not a complete description of SB 202.

What this new law did was to draw approval or criticism from all walks of life especially via social media. This is where the term cancel culture comes in. In today’s world, the use of Twitter and other methods of social media makes it so easy to be critical of decisions made by anyone and, unfortunately, without accountability. The issue is one of accountability!

Will you log in your thoughts about accountability with one’s use of social media?

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Jim’s books “On the TunneySide of Sports” as well as “Chicken Soup for the Sports Fans Soul” are full of baseball stories. Each sells for $20. However, as a 2021-year special if two are bought, a third is included free of charge. All autographed with no tax and free shipping. Mail to: Jim Tunney Youth Foundation (501c3) P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953  Be well!

See the website for all products.

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Exhibits Of Unity At NCAA Tournament

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports April 12, 2021 #843 Up next… Exhibits Of Unity At NCAA Tournament

After further review… Perhaps you noticed the word “Unity” painted on the floor at Lucas Oil Stadium during the semifinal game of March Madness between UCLA and Gonzaga. Surely, if you watched that game, you also noticed that both teams played with excellent unity to the point that, in the opinion here, neither team lost – only at the end Gonzaga had 3 more points than UCLA. Credit must go to each team for an exciting game.

You probably noticed the unity and excellent work of the CBS announcing crew of Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, and Bill Raftery, along with the CBS camera crew to capture all the exciting action. Allow me to add that the officiating crew of the three-game officials allowed the players enough latitude to perform well. Another example of unity. Allow me to also point out that official Ron Groover made a courageous charging call against a Bruin dribbler in the overtime that gave the ball to Gonzaga. The charging/blocking foul is the most difficult to call in all of basketball.

Surely you noticed the buzzer-beater shot by Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs that bounced off the glass, then the front rim and dropped through as time expired, which was the margin of victory. It was one of the most exciting finishes in March Madness history!

However, did you also notice Gonzaga coach Mark Few as the buzzer-beater dropped through? He got up, turned to his left and walked toward Mick Cronin, UCLA’s head coach to offer his condolences and congratulations on a great game. Coach Few didn’t run on the court to celebrate with his players, but his first gesture was of concern for a colleague who had just lost a heartbreaker. Pardon the pun, but there are “few” who would do that.

It is important to mention that the final game of the NCAA Women’s final four produced another winner for Tara VanDerveer, head coach of the Stanford Cardinal who won her first championship since 1992. Coach VanDerveer is of the same sportsmanship (oops, change that to sportwomanship) as Mark Few.

My point in Unity is that we can have competition – striving to win – without name-calling and animosity. We must remember that we are all in the same activity. Then unity can happen!

Will you strive for unity in every aspect of your life?

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Jim’s books “On the TunneySide of Sports” as well as “Chicken Soup for the Sports Fans Soul” are full of baseball stories. Each sells for $20. However, as a 2021-year special if two are bought, a third is included free of charge. All autographed with no tax and free shipping. Mail to: Jim Tunney Youth Foundation (501c3) P.O. Box 1440 Pebble Beach, Ca. 93953  Be well!

See the website for all products.

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment