Clueless in Columbus

The Big 10 Baseball Tournament bracket is out, and Nebraska locked down the fourth seed. The bracket itself is an abomination that rivals the ones crafted by the clueless Nebraska farmers who draw up five-team American Legion district matchups between Dwight and Utica.

First four teams play, then possibly flip-flop sides of the bracket so that the top seed Purdue Boilermakers are rewarded for surviving the gauntlet that is Big 10 basebal by playing the lowest-remaining seed. Then, the higher-seeded winner of the first round of loser's bracket games automatically advances one round further than the lower-seeded winner of the first round of loser's bracket games. Huh?

What ever happened to a simple tournament: Winner's bracket. Loser's bracket. Double elimination. No re-seeding. Has sports gotten so soft that top seeds shouldn't have to suffer the indignity of playing anything but the lowest seed remaining? Isn't that why we like tournaments---the unpredictability and the fact that every team gets its shot at the end of the year??

What more, though, can you expect from a conference that deems the Rose Bowl more than the afterlife? We've got more questions than answers on this one, but we do know one thing. We won't be watching any of the action.