Prep proposal for regionals and final fours make sense

A rainout can be a good thing. Like when it delays the final of the state high school baseball championship.

The weather cooperated in a roundabout way two of the past three years. Postponements meant days of rest for weary pitching staffs and the teams were at their best when Pearl City won in 2011 and Mid-Pacific last month.

Normally, a team playing for a third or fourth consecutive day is put in the position of using inexperienced or mediocre pitchers, or risking the health of aces going on short rest (this can be dangerous even with the rule limiting the number of outs pitched allowed).

After hearing about a proposal to be considered at the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association meeting this week, I know at least one other person got the same idea as me from Mother Nature. Why not purposely set things up so the best pitchers can be at their best for the biggest games?

Chris Chun, the head of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, has drafted the idea of regional play a week before a "final four" in state tournaments involving 12 teams. That means top pitchers would have ample rest to pitch in a state semifinal or championship game.

This set-up — proposed for soccer, softball and basketball in addition to baseball — also evens out home-field advantage and cuts into travel expenses. Top-seeded teams from each league would host regionals, meaning more supporters of the best teams could see them in state tournament play without having to fly interisland.

"All islands can host in every tournament and revenue concerns are addressed," Chun said.

Chun admits there are probably flaws. Hopefully they aren’t fatal, because this sounds like a great idea. Consolation games are lost, but it is debatable how valuable those are, especially considering, again, travel costs.

Chun said perhaps one sport’s tournament will be set up as a pilot for the coming year.

The rest of the meetings figure to be about as exciting as, well, a rainout.

"There are 34 proposals and nine are about bowling," Chun said.

As for pumping Division I football up to an eight-team tournament from six, this logical and money-making change has no one pushing it this year and once again one or two of the state’s best teams will be left out (along with their large ticket-buying followings).

Chun reminded me that Title IX is a stumbling block to adding 120 boys to state tournament competition. Football expansion could get a closer look if, say, a girls sand volleyball tournament is added.

Eight-man football could get HHSAA approval before an eight-team tourney does. Right now only two leagues play it and a third is needed.

The basketball shot clock has no shot. There’s no money, no consensus and no proposal.

But fairness and financial positives dovetail in Chun’s proposal for tournaments split into regionals and final fours.

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.