Why Don’t They Talk About This Stuff? 

I’ve been watching a lot of the NCAA College World Series the last week.  My school is in the mix and as of now they’re still hanging around, trying to fight their way through the losers bracket to make a third straight title series appearance.  But, no, this entry is not about any of that. It’s about an observation I’ve made on the commentating and something I’ve been hoping they will do for some time now. 

The commentators have a difficult job or at least I think.  Yes, they are only talking but they have to talk the entire time and baseball is a game of non-action.  So there are a great deal or pauses and breaks in the action and the commentators are left to scramble for something to say.  So to avoid an awkward silence between commentator and audience, the commentators, along with the research staff, often look for as many human interest stories within each team as possible.  And college teams are full of them. 

A pitcher for a team may breed Siamese cats in his downtime, a passion he inherited from his mother Brenda.  And they’ll talk about it.  And this player may carry Yankee Stadium dirt around in his back pocket.  And they’ll talk about it.  And this guy on this team my be able to the cello with his feet while he’s cutting his own hair and on and on it goes. 

But their favorite story is to find the hard-worker, the kid who has overcome mountains of adversity to arrive at the College World Series.  This brand of story is good and heart-warming and inspirational.  This brand of story really makes you want to root for the kid even if you aren’t rooting for his team. 

But for once I want the commentators to tell the uninspiring story.  For example, the story of the kid who overcame nothing to get where he’s at.  That would be a good start. Maybe they could also talk about the kid who was given everything and has had nothing taken from him.  Or how about the kid who has no work ethic and is simply riding pure talent to the top of the college game.  I’m sure they could find that one if they looked.  It’s there.  I’m also really itching to hear about the player who can’t read the back of a cereal box but still somehow qualifies academically. 

But sadly for me, I don’t think the ESPN crew will glean the dugouts for stories like these.  They’re kryptonite for ratings and poison for the morale of the viewing public.  But I think it would be funny.  It’s just a thought.