Byrne's new blog on the situation with the MSU/Nicholls St. game this past Sunday.</p>
<font color="#660000">CLOSING THE BOOK ON NICHOLLS STATE</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Never has so much been written, or so much said, about an athletic event that never occurred as what has transpired since this past Sunday. That day, as you know, a baseball game was not played as scheduled between Mississippi State and Nicholls State. We have told you that we believe that it is important that we communicate with you in an ongoing fashion. We have moved past this situation, but because of the inconvenience it caused our season ticket holders and the fans who wanted to follow the game, we believe it is important to fully describe and provide a timeline for what did occur.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Baseball assistant coach Lane Burroughs, who head coach John Cohen has entrusted with communicating with umpires, placed a phone call to the head of the umpiring crew at approximately 9 a.m. Sunday with the express intent of verifying that the crew would be able to make the drive from Birmingham to Starkville to call the game. Despite the fact that it was reported that "the umpires would not be able to arrive due to the weather conditions," Coach Burroughs was assured that the crew would have no trouble arriving in time for the game, that the streets were clear, and the sun was out. Despite the fact that the Southeastern Conference will not permit one of its institutions playing a game under such circumstances, there had been much discussion that high school umpires from the local area would be employed. That was just not true.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">The two head coaches met on the playing field at 11 a.m., two and one-half hours before scheduled game time, to review the field conditions and discuss the upcoming game. Also present at that meeting were Bart Prather, our head groundskeeper, and Jay Logan, who oversees game operations. Bart indicated that there would be no problem having the field ready for play, and Jay said that the game would be staffed by ticket takers and ushers. As a side note, our fans should be proud of the effort our facilities and grounds crews took to have the stadium and playing field ready.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">The Nicholls coach told coach Cohen that he thought he would just take his team home, that it had already been a long week on the road for his team, that they had a conference weekend ahead and that he did not wish to get any of his players injured. At that time - two and a half hours prior to first pitch - the final patches of snow were melting under 40 degree temperatures and a cloudless sky. In all honesty, the field was in better condition Sunday than during the second game of the doubleheader Saturday.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">At that point, the Nicholls coach began moving toward the gate to leave. Our personnel were taken aback. This had never occurred before, and they weren't quite sure how to respond, other than to say that Mississippi State would be ready to play at 1:30 that afternoon. The Nicholls coach's final words were that our team would be the only one on the field.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State officials have made it a point to say that Section 4-2b of the Baseball Rule Book says that only the umpire in charge (UIC), in consultation with game administration, can determine suspension, resumption or termination of a game. That consultation had already occurred via phone, umpires had departed for Starkville, and the game would have been played. The field was not in poor condition, as was demonstrated when our team played an intra-squad game at the regularly scheduled game time. Unfortunately, the Nicholls State baseball team departed Starkville nearly two and a half hours before that time - well before the umpire in charge would have arrived.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State asserts that since games were canceled at Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama, it makes perfect sense that our game should have been canceled as well. Of course, Auburn and Alabama are east of us, the direction the storm was headed, and Ole Miss is nearly 100 miles north of Starkville, hardly comparable locations.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Make no mistake, the game will forever more be recorded as a "no contest." It was our mistake to call it a forfeit. In fact, NCAA rules provide almost no provision for a forfeit under any circumstances. But the spirit of college athletics and the competitive nature of what we do were compromised. I don't think the NCAA ever intended to give a competing institution the option of just leaving the site of play, in which a contract called for a game to be contested, just because it wanted to.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State did not lose by forfeit, nor did Mississippi State lose a game to Nicholls that it should have played. In the big picture, college athletics lost something here this weekend.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">CLOSING THE BOOK ON NICHOLLS STATE</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Never has so much been written, or so much said, about an athletic event that never occurred as what has transpired since this past Sunday. That day, as you know, a baseball game was not played as scheduled between Mississippi State and Nicholls State. We have told you that we believe that it is important that we communicate with you in an ongoing fashion. We have moved past this situation, but because of the inconvenience it caused our season ticket holders and the fans who wanted to follow the game, we believe it is important to fully describe and provide a timeline for what did occur.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Baseball assistant coach Lane Burroughs, who head coach John Cohen has entrusted with communicating with umpires, placed a phone call to the head of the umpiring crew at approximately 9 a.m. Sunday with the express intent of verifying that the crew would be able to make the drive from Birmingham to Starkville to call the game. Despite the fact that it was reported that "the umpires would not be able to arrive due to the weather conditions," Coach Burroughs was assured that the crew would have no trouble arriving in time for the game, that the streets were clear, and the sun was out. Despite the fact that the Southeastern Conference will not permit one of its institutions playing a game under such circumstances, there had been much discussion that high school umpires from the local area would be employed. That was just not true.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">The two head coaches met on the playing field at 11 a.m., two and one-half hours before scheduled game time, to review the field conditions and discuss the upcoming game. Also present at that meeting were Bart Prather, our head groundskeeper, and Jay Logan, who oversees game operations. Bart indicated that there would be no problem having the field ready for play, and Jay said that the game would be staffed by ticket takers and ushers. As a side note, our fans should be proud of the effort our facilities and grounds crews took to have the stadium and playing field ready.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">The Nicholls coach told coach Cohen that he thought he would just take his team home, that it had already been a long week on the road for his team, that they had a conference weekend ahead and that he did not wish to get any of his players injured. At that time - two and a half hours prior to first pitch - the final patches of snow were melting under 40 degree temperatures and a cloudless sky. In all honesty, the field was in better condition Sunday than during the second game of the doubleheader Saturday.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">At that point, the Nicholls coach began moving toward the gate to leave. Our personnel were taken aback. This had never occurred before, and they weren't quite sure how to respond, other than to say that Mississippi State would be ready to play at 1:30 that afternoon. The Nicholls coach's final words were that our team would be the only one on the field.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State officials have made it a point to say that Section 4-2b of the Baseball Rule Book says that only the umpire in charge (UIC), in consultation with game administration, can determine suspension, resumption or termination of a game. That consultation had already occurred via phone, umpires had departed for Starkville, and the game would have been played. The field was not in poor condition, as was demonstrated when our team played an intra-squad game at the regularly scheduled game time. Unfortunately, the Nicholls State baseball team departed Starkville nearly two and a half hours before that time - well before the umpire in charge would have arrived.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State asserts that since games were canceled at Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama, it makes perfect sense that our game should have been canceled as well. Of course, Auburn and Alabama are east of us, the direction the storm was headed, and Ole Miss is nearly 100 miles north of Starkville, hardly comparable locations.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Make no mistake, the game will forever more be recorded as a "no contest." It was our mistake to call it a forfeit. In fact, NCAA rules provide almost no provision for a forfeit under any circumstances. But the spirit of college athletics and the competitive nature of what we do were compromised. I don't think the NCAA ever intended to give a competing institution the option of just leaving the site of play, in which a contract called for a game to be contested, just because it wanted to.</font></p>
<font color="#660000">Nicholls State did not lose by forfeit, nor did Mississippi State lose a game to Nicholls that it should have played. In the big picture, college athletics lost something here this weekend.</font></p>
