NBC World Series introduces innovation, concludes with familiarity

As tournament director of the 82-year-old National Baseball Congress World Series, Kevin Jenks walks the line between tradition and evolution.

Baseball ’Round the Clock and red, white and blue bases are staples of the tournament that likely aren’t going anywhere. Pool play, television opportunities and the Kansas Stars are novelties that Jenks hopes become just as familiar.

The Stars, a team of former major leaguers organized by Adam LaRoche and Nate Robertson, reached the semifinals this year and drew unprecedented attention and attendance to the tournament. Santa Barbara defeated Hays 6-2 in Saturday’s championship.

“The mission is to get the best talent on the field and to make it as enjoyable for the fans, and for the players, as possible,” Jenks said. “There are a lot of pieces that go into that. This year we were fortunate to have Adam and Nate bring in those guys. That happening again next year, that’s a boost to us.

“But we can’t rely on that happening. We have to find these talented summer collegiate teams that are out there and find ways to get them to come to Wichita.”

The tournament’s change to the pool-play format this year to earned favorable reviews but mixed results. Every team in championship-week pools either won or lost their first two games, and the third games were either meaningless or carried only quarterfinal seeding at stake.

Jenks scheduled each team’s pool-play games in advance, in part to have a set schedule for the Stars. Next year, Jenks may schedule those games on the fly, putting the 1-0 teams and the 0-1 teams together for the second pool-play games, meaning at least one final game in each pool would have a quarterfinal bid on the line.

“There’s that tradition part of the NBC where we reserve the right to play a game at 7 o’clock or move it to a 2 o’clock game just based on what we feel is going to bring out the most fans,” Jenks said. “We don’t shy away from that. We’re non-profit, and 95 percent of our money raised for our budget is during these 16 days.

“With that all being said, we also want try to be fair the best way we can.”

The tournament ended in a game between two of the NBC’s most historically visible teams. Santa Barbara captured its record-tying sixth championship while Hays finished second for the fifth time.

The Stars created the buzz for the tournament, selling out their first three games, but their elimination by Hays in the semifinals allowed for a game, televised on ESPNU, between teams that played all summer.

“The NBC has been trying to get back to pure amateurs, and they did,” Santa Barbara manager Bill Pintard said. “Then when the MLB stars came with the opportunity to get those guys here, you’ve got to have them. It’s a thrill for all of us.

“But at the end of the day, these are the guys that play day-in and day-out since June. They bust their (butts), they make long road trips. Sleepless nights, playing six days a week.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2016 at 4:04 PM with the headline "NBC World Series introduces innovation, concludes with familiarity."