Over-pitched

Last week Boston College played Texas in the NCAA Baseball Playoffs, but this wasn't just a simple 9 inning game.

Nope, this turned into a 25 inning marathon--7 hours long. To date, it is the longest NCAA baseball game ever. 

As I was browsing around the latest releases on MLB.com I took notice to a piece about college pitchers being over worked. It discussed the closing pitcher for the BC vs Texas game for Texas, who had pitched 169 pitches.

Last night Brad Penny was taken out shortly after he pitched just over 100 pitches.

Another pitcher during the game pitched around 139 pitches in 9 innings, an amount he was marked to have never reached.

Last night Kevin Millwood of the Texas Rangers barely made it to 120 pictures.

Arms get tired.

These college kids are def. over pitching, but I think the article I read was concerned for the wrong reasons.

In general, over pitching isn't good for anyone. LIttle leagues even have rules about how many innings a pitcher can pitch. (I think this rule would be better if it was how many pitches a pitcher could pitch). But the writers of the piece on the college pitchers were saying how the college coaches weren't concerned with their guys getting drafted and that the college coaches weren't looking out for the best interest of their player's futures. IE. if a guy is throwing up to 169 pitches, how will his arm fair in the long run for an MLB team that he may never play for? 

My question is, especially at a time when jobs are so slim, would a college coach be MORE concerned with an individuals future in the sport than their ability on the field for them. College coaches, especially football, baseball, and basketball are kept because of their accomplishment of having a winning season, going through the playoffs, and winning a championship--anyone else is on the chopping block.

This of course sounds unfair to the athletes who are--at least thinking about--trying to make it big. But when the guys sign up for college baseball, they sign with a team--they get paid to play for that team through scholarship money (most of them anyway) and it becomes part of their job. They are to represent their team just the way they would represent a team in the job field. Lots of people work more hours than they are supposed to, so throwing a few extra pitches shouldn't be a reason to say that a coach "isn't looking out for its players best interest."

169 pitches would be way too many pitches for anyone though.

However, when you have no one left, by the 25th inning of the game,--who do you put in?