if i was in charge of the circus, boy howdy!

I woke up with the CPL Petit Cup Play-Offs on my mind.
Last night's game had started me thinking about it.
As I said in that post, neither team needed the win. The game was just to finish out the schedule established last fall.
In fact, Savannah and Macon have to play each other in two more such games later today - on Macon soil - and tomorrow.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, they will be games full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
It won't be until they face off on Sunday in the South Divisional Championship that the game's outcome will hold any meaning.
(More about that in a minute, okay?
Hey, it's a rhetorical question, so... just wait for it.)

So, what changes would I want in the two just-for-the-heck-of-it bouts of baseball?
First, I would save the top pitchers for the Sunday game, and the games to follow. Those games will matter, but the Friday and Saturday games should be played for fun.
I'm not talkin' 'bout the amped-up circus which surrounds and permeates the fabric of the ball games at Grayson Stadium.
No, most definitely not.
That's a constant in this equation.
I only address those parameters which can be varied.
I'm saying let anyone who thinks they have an arm stand up there on the mound.
I'm saying that players who have hardly played should get their chance on the diamond.
I'm saying to permit the defense to choose other positions to try their glove on.
I'm saying allow the boys of summer who have to return to school soon have one more opportunity in front of a massive crowd.

Sunday's game, though, is going to require some strategy.
Each of the four First Half Champions will play for their Division's Championship that day.
For North, it's the Wilson Tobs versus a not-yet-named contender.
For West, it'll be the Gastonia Grizzlies against an undetermined foe.
For East, the Morehead City Marlins will face the Fayetteville Swampdogs.
For South, as noted before, our Savannah Bananas battling the Macon Bacon.
These are important games, as they are single elimination. In other words, only the winners of their Divisions will be proceeding on Tuesday to the Regional Championships.

Those two games on Tuesday will determine the Regional Champions.
The North Division Champion will appear against the East Division Champion for the Region I Championship.
The South Division Champion will contest the West Division Champion for the Region II Championship.
Provided the Bananas are victorious on Sunday, that latter game will be played here.
I don't know where it will be played if Macon is crowned the South Division Champion.

As for the Petit Cup Championship, those games will have the two Regional Champions facing each other for several games.
Where the games will be held depends on the outcomes of the Sunday and Tuesday games.
I know that the Petit Cup series is a best two-out-of-three variety, so at least two games will be played.
Whether any of those games will be here or not is solely dependent on whether the Bananas win against their opponents in those Divisional and Regional Championships.
That's why I say, let the boys of summer have fun until then.
Those Divisional and Regional Championships are going to be rather stressful and serious.
Meanwhile, let's play ball!