Playoff format change is a hit

TOM ERVIN / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD American Heritage's Nick Castellanos (8) is greeted by teammates after homering against Chaminade-Madonna.

It was near-unanimous: After years pushing to change the state's regional playoff format, Florida's high school baseball coaches got what they wanted -- a best-of-3 series, with a doubleheader on Friday and an if-necessary game on Saturday.

And they liked what they got.

''I think it's the best idea,'' Chaminade-Madonna coach Mike Moss said.

''I thought it was good for baseball,'' Miami Southridge coach Ed Doskow said.

''I love the best-of-3,'' Highlands Christian coach Bruce Charlesbois said.

In all, eight of the nine South Florida coaches whose teams participated in this year's regional finals told The Miami Herald they liked the change at least somewhat, preferring a series to one game.

They called it a fairer format. They said it favors the ''best team,'' showcasing depth -- especially pitching -- over schools that might have a dominant ace who could abruptly end an otherwise-stellar team's season.

And this showed, at least in part, as six of 24 regional champions lost the first game before taking the next two.

But that doesn't mean the system is perfect. After the fact, nearly every coach saw plenty of problems.

Chief among them: the doubleheader.

''Everybody thought that was absolutely ludicrous,'' Flanagan coach Ray Evans said. ``You can't sit there and think you're going to get the best team when you've got a catcher catching 14 straight [innings].''

It didn't help that, at least in South Florida, this year's finals fell on one of the hottest days in 2008. So, after weeks of seven-innings-or-fewer nights, each team played double that, with only a 30-minute break in between games.

Even some of the winners found that to be a little much.

''[The other team's] kids and our kids are wore out,'' American Heritage coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said after sweeping Chaminade-Madonna -- including one game that was ended after five innings because of the 10-run rule.

``[That's] a lot to ask of kids right there.''

The main solution: spreading the series over three days.

However, that brings up its own issues, FHSAA baseball administrator Paul McLaughlin said.

One of them is travel. Five of the 24 series involved schools at least 300 miles apart.

COST CONCERNS

Changing those to home-and-home (as one coach suggested) increases the cost for both teams. Spreading them to three days (most coaches' preferred outcome) could mean an extra night for long-distance travelers, or another bus trip for teams located closer together.

''You're adding cost to the visitor,'' McLaughlin said, ``and you're getting kids out of school longer.''

That is true, McLaughlin said, even if the doubleheader is moved to Saturday. In fact, that is the way it first was proposed, but it was changed because it would virtually guarantee an overnight stay for the visitor.

Other problems coaches had with the format include:

• Overall scheduling. All teams had a week between regional semifinals and the start of the finals. ''They don't need that much time,'' Charlesbois said.

Also, teams from 2A and 5A played their semifinal the following Wednesday -- which, if rain extends regional finals in future years, could be a problem, coaches said.

NEUTRAL SITE FAILED

• Venue. One coach proposed a neutral-site final. The problem, McLaughlin said, is they tried that in basketball years ago. ''Total failure,'' he said. ``Nobody came from either side.''

• Why regional? Some coaches wondered why the regional championship got the series, and not the state title at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. ''That's the whole thing -- to get [to Sarasota],'' McLaughlin said. As for changing the state final to a best-of-3? ''Not as long as we have six classifications,'' McLaughlin said, citing time constraints during the weeklong event.

Still, the format is far from set. McLaughlin said the baseball coaches' advisory committee will meet in September to discuss changes. And if the South Florida coaches speak for all of Florida, the system is here to stay.

''I think it's good for high school baseball,'' Nova coach Pat McQuaid said. ``I think it's going to take a year or two to tweak it and see how everybody feels.''