Pittenger Asks NCAA To End Playoffs Rule

While the Harvard baseball team competes for the NCAA title in Omaha this weekend, Barron Pittenger, associate director of athletics, will ask the NCAA rules committee to rescind the one-league-one-team re?triction.

Harvard advanced to the District I playoff this spring with a 24-6 record. But theoretically, the Crimson could have reached the New England Championship with a 10-20 season record as long as Harvard won the Eastern League title.

It is conceivable that next year the Crimson could post a 27-3 season record and beat Dartmouth twice but still be forced to sit back and watch a 12-17 Indian squad represent New England and the Eastern League in the World Series.

The NCAA selection committee emphasizes league rather than season record. The Eastern League, which overlaps four districts, has been affected each of the past three years. Two years ago. Cornell and Dartmouth both received invitations to their section's playoff, but District II cancelled its offer to Cornell after Dartmouth won the league title.

In New England that year Harvard, which finished third in the league, had to watch B.U. and Dartmouth. teams which it had beaten during the season, compete for the New England position at Omaha.

But Pittenger faces an uphill battle in his debate with the rules committee. The restriction was originally established so that large leagues in the mid-west and southwest would not dominate the World Series.

And there is sense in the logic of the committee. For example. without the ruling this year, it is very likely that Harvard could have played Dartmouth in the District I Championship and have travelled all the way to Omaha only to replay Cornell. Navy, and Princeton in the opening three rounds of the tourney. Much of the excitement and the idea of creating a national championship would be lost.

Ad Absurdum

Pittenger's logic will have to be that the best teams should be selected for a national playoff regardless of league origin. But carrying his argument to its natural conclusion, Pittenger will find he is also arguing that geographic playoffs and invitations should be eliminated.

If only the ten best teams are selected for the World Series, it is unlikely that there will ever be a New England team selected-and certainly not this year.