It’s time to abolish the 10-run rule

This letter is not to diminish the accomplishments of Hermon High School and its baseball program. They deserve great credit for their accomplishment.

However, the Presque Isle High School baseball team was absolutely cheated in the semi-final round of this year’s baseball playoffs. Only in baseball can you stop a game because somebody deems a team unable to recover from an early deficit.

The “10-run” rule is ridiculous. Would a basketball game be stopped after three quarters if a team was up by 20? Would a football game be stopped after three quarters if a team was down by three touchdowns? Absolutely not.

So why in baseball are you robbed of an opportunity to compete after five innings? It’s not fair to the players or the coaches. You work hard in practice only to be told that you aren’t doing good enough and that you can’t compete anymore. Pack up your gear and go home, we don’t think you can win.

This rule needs to be abolished. It serves no real purpose. If a team is getting hammered, why stop the game? Isn’t this a good opportunity to put in some underclassmen that ordinarily wouldn’t play? You see it in basketball and football all the time. If a game is out of hand in the fourth quarter, in with the freshmen and sophomores. Sometimes it’s not the prettiest game to watch, but at least kids who are on the team are actually getting a chance to play.

Baseball strips that opportunity from the student-athletes. To have this happen in a playoff game is even more absurd. It’s high time the MPA take a long hard look at this rule and do the right thing.

No more 10-run rule. Let the teams compete to a finish.

Reg Bamford

Bangor

Parking for ‘Jacks’ games is close and free

NEWS staffer Andrew Neff, had a misleading article (BDN June 8) about the parking situation at the Bangor Lumberjacks baseball games. There are various areas of parking for the games, none of which are the great distance away from the stadium as stated. One is very close.

The campus is not large enough, nor situated so, that any place is a hike. It is all easily accessible. Even the one area at Peabody Hall is not far if you take the paved walk area around the bell tower and not try to walk back around the circle of the roadway.

Where do you park for the Portland Sea Dogs? Parking there is in areas that are blocks away, including hospital parking lots, all of which charge $5. At Husson it’s close and it’s free!

How about an article stating how much fun one can have attending a game. My children, wife, and I love the family fun of between-inning contests, Jack Timber antics, great host announcers, and getting to see outstanding, exciting baseball. All this for low-priced tickets for an inexpensive night out.

Why not ask the 3,000-plus children attending the School Day what a great time it can be. Look around. You can find plenty to enjoy. It’s not hard to accentuate the positive now and again.

Norman McKay

Trenton

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