Published: August 07, 2008 12:00 am            

Play-in series could help, harm squads

Call it a snapshot preview of the upcoming 64th AAABA Tournament.

The two-team, best-of-3 play-in series between Chicago Metro and New Orleans will be held Friday and Saturday at Point Stadium. The winner will advance to Monday’s national tournament.

The new format is intended to defray expenses of the two teams that must travel the farthest to Johnstown.

“Regionals were scheduled on Aug. 1 for registration,” said AAABA official George Arcurio III of the Johnstown Oldtimers. “It would be tough to come back up here after playing a regional. They’d have to go back home (because of the Aug. 11 start).

“The easiest way I could foresee for all of this would be to bring them to Johnstown. The winner would stay. The loser would go home.”

Regionals were held in Altoona and Zanesville, Ohio, from Aug. 2-4. Both New Orleans and Chicago were in the rotation to participate in qualifying regionals this year.

Because the national tournament starting date had been pushed back to almost mid-August this year, the New Orleans and Chicago franchises would have incurred extra expenses to return home, then travel back to Johnstown the next weekend had either or both teams advanced through regional play in Altoona or Zanesville.

“In New Orleans’ case, they really haven’t recovered completely from Hurricane Katrina (in 2005),” Arcurio said. “They’ve fallen on tough times but they’ve managed to keep their heads above water. The other concern was the distance that Chicago was traveling. We didn’t want to put any more hardship on the parents of the players, players, coaches and the leagues that they participate in.”

Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. Friday. The second game tentatively will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

A third game, if necessary, would be 30 minutes after Game 2.

“(AAABA National President) Len DiForte talked to some people in Johnstown and hooked it up where we could both play in Johnstown and the winner wouldn’t have to travel,” said Chicago Metro manager Andy Sherwood. “He thought it would be an event for the town. All my kids are looking forward to it. I’m sure the kids from New Orleans are as well.”

The set up does present some challenges.

“You’ve got to throw your one, two and three to get in there,” said former New Orleans manager Joe Scheuermann, now the GM. “It’s a Friday and a Saturday. The tournament starts on Monday. It’s nice that you’re going to be in Johnstown. It’s nice that you’re going to be there if you qualify. But you’ve got to use your top three pitchers to get there.

“You’ve got to play to win to get in there. But at the same time, if you use your best arms, you might not get them back until Day 3 of the tournament. You might be going home by then. If Chicago wins, they’re in the same boat as us. I want to be positive, though, and I do appreciate the fact that they’re doing this for expense purposes.”

Sherwood agreed that pitching, as always, will be the top priority.

“That does present a big challenge. We’ve got to throw most of our top guys,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge just to get in. If we do get in, and I hope we will, we will be at a disadvantage. But you’ve got to go out there and play a normal game, throw your best guys and whatever happens, happens.”

        

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