ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
The view from the 10th tee overlooking the fairway during the third round of the U.S. Senior Open on Saturday.
By KATIE MORRISON
I have to admit, I’ve never been much of a golf fan. It was a sport that seemed inaccessible to me; my town didn’t have a course and my school didn’t have a team. I didn’t have any clubs and really didn’t know anyone who played golf regularly.
The few country clubs I’d been to, I’d found a little too proper for my tastes. So I was, perhaps, a little biased against the sport.
That being said, I wasn’t necessarily clamoring to cover the U.S. Senior Open last week. While I figured it’d be fun to photograph, I was nervous that I wouldn’t know what I was doing.
As it turns out, I had a blast at the Open. I was beyond impressed with the hard work put in by the tons of volunteers that turned out to make the event the best it could be. There’s so much that goes into hosting an event on that scale that most of us don’t see; the hospitality for the golfers, caddies, and other visitors, keeping the course and club spotless, providing anything the fans and attendees might need, accommodating the media, running shuttle buses for parking…a lot of people are needed to keep things running smoothly.
I know it’s not the first time Salem Country Club has hosted a USGA championship like this one, but each time, it’s a once-in-a-decade (or longer) chance to showcase the club, the course, the city and the area. Think of how many eyes were on Salem CC over the past week, in person and on TV or online. From what I understand, the folks over at Salem have been preparing for this for the past few years, and I bet everyone who had a hand in making the Senior Open a big success are happy to finally be able to step back, take a breath and be proud of how the club and the city of Peabody were represented.
Part of what I loved about the Open was how different golf championships are from other sports. I followed a group of golfers through about five holes during the third round Saturday before staking out a spot near the clubhouse, and it was interesting to see the different ways fans chose to take in the Open. Some wouldn’t have to go the gym later, having followed certain golfers around all day. One woman I spoke to said she’s already walked 27 holes, and the day wasn’t over yet. Some grabbed a drink and parked their group along the ropes of one of the greens and waited for the golfers to come to them.
All in all, the Senior Open is an event that I likely wouldn’t have ever attended had it not come to the area. But I’m glad it did, and thank you to the people at Salem Country Club for hosting a great event.
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Like I said, golf isn’t really my sport. Baseball, however, is. And while every level of the sport, from Little League to the majors, is my cup of tea, I’m especially drawn to the semi-pro and minor league levels. I love the schtick, the family-friendly feel, the silly entertainment between innings and watching guys who truly love to play the game and are working toward a higher goal.
So, naturally, the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, which includes the North Shore Navigators, is right up my alley. The league has really piqued my interest this year because it’s made some rule changes that mess with one of my favorite parts of the game: extra innings.
The FCBL became the first league in the country to adopt a home run derby format to decide extra inning games. When tied after 10 innings, the game will be decided by a home run derby. The idea is for it to be like a shootout in hockey. The manager from each team chooses up to three players to hit in the first round. Each team gets a three-minute round with two 30-seconds timeouts. After each one of those timeouts, the manager can swap in a new player to hit, or stay with the current hitter. The team with the most home runs wins.
If it’s still tied, they’ll go to a two-minute second round with one timeout. If STILL no winner is determined, a final round with one player from each team will hit for one minute.
Also, like hockey, this means that the league is determining standings off a points system. Once a game reaches the point of the derby, each team gets a point, and the winner will get another point.
Now, the FCBL has some very good reasons for making this change. Unlike in the minors or pros, the collegiate leagues struggle to find enough pitching to last them the entire summer. Extra-inning games can force managers to use pitchers on short rest, and it’s especially crucial to preserve the arms of these young pitchers.
Of course, there’s always another factor at play as well, and that’s entertainment. With the current debate over how to improve the pace of play in the MLB, extra innings have been an area where leagues can chop some time off the game and (hopefully) inject a little more excitement.
For example, in the World Baseball Classic this past March, new rules were tested. Starting in the 11th, each team will start with runners on first and second base. I was vehemently against the rule change; I’ve always loved the close calls and final payoff that come with extra-inning games.
So when I heard about the FCBL’s rule change, I was intrigued, but skeptical. I’ve yet to actually witness these new rules in effect, but the Navs have benefitted so far; they’ve been involved in three derbies, with slugger Alex Brickman powering them to a victory in two of them.
The Navs and the Bristol Blues played a 21-inning game last year that had to be stopped in the 17th and continued on another day because of the league’s curfew. I was spoiled and was there for the conclusion, a win for North Shore at Fraser Field.
And that was a really fun time. But I didn’t have to sit through the first 17 innings, so that’s easy for me to say. But I’m curious, if anyone has been at one of the games decided by a home run derby — what did you think? I’m still on the fence, but I’d have to see it in action and in person to really know how I feel. But if you want to share your thoughts, write to me at [email protected].