Leading off today: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello famously asked, "Who's on first?"
The more pertinent question right now appears to concern just what first base will look like in high school baseball beginning next spring.
Last summer, the baseball committee of the National Federation of State High School Associations announced that the double first base will be mandatory beginning with the 2027 season. In its Executive Committee meeting this past February, the New York Public High School Athletic Association gave schools the option to use the double first base in 2026 since it would be mandatory the following season anyway.
Now, the NFHS has given its member associations something new to think about: Beginning next year, schools can use an 18-inch first base or the double first base. The option was approved last month and announced this week.
The 18-inch first base is 44 percent larger than the soon-to-be-obsolete 15-inch bag. The NFHS announcement noted that a larger first base has proven to be effective in reducing player collisions and enhancing safety.
Time will be tight if the NYSPHSAA's baseball committee wants to put the 18-inch first base out there as an option for 2027. There are only three meetings between now and the start of next season, and the matter would need to be brought up as a discussion at one meeting and the voted upon in another after the respective sectional committees have had a chance to weigh in.
Having explained all this, the issue of what to do about first base isn't even the biggest topic the NYSPHSAA baseball committee will be facing. That's because the NFHS also approved several other significant rules changes.
The one garnering the most interest across social media in the past 48 hours concerns bat certification. Beginning in 2028, non-wood bats can meet either the USA Baseball Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (USA Baseball BBCOR) of .50 or the USA Baseball Bat Performance Standard (-4, -5, -6).
So-called "drop 3" bats have been a mainstay of high school baseball. A "drop 6" bat will allow for accelerated swing velocity, helpful to younger players. The concern that has been aired thus far is that additional bat speed in the hands of more physically mature hitters could pose a risk to infielders.
While the concerns being expressed about the bat speed seem legitimate, exit velocity of a ball put in play by the hitter will is also affected by the mass of the bat, and a "drop 6" will be lighter.
"As the game continues to evolve with the adoption of the USA Baseball BBCOR standard, expanding the available drop-weight options provides younger and developing players with additional opportunities to build proper mechanics, confidence and skills while maintaining the safety and performance standards expected in education-based athletics," Elliot Hopkins, director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee, said in the NFHS announcement.
It would be a genuinely good idea for supporters of the impending new rule to show their math to allay the concerns.
In other changes:
• One-way electronic communication between the coach and catcher for the purpose of calling pitches will now be extended to the pitcher as well.
• Eye shade must be a solid stroke and not include words, numbers, logos or other symbols.
• If a game extends into extra innings, each half-inning may start with a runner on second base. The "ghost runner" would be the last scheduled batter in that respective half-inning.
Top football prospect picks Syracuse
Those of us on the outside generally did not know what to make of it when top running backs prospects in the upcoming senior class started decommitting from the Syracuse University football program last month.
The Orange had lined up Xavier Bala from St. Anthony's on Long Island and Sa'Nir Brooks of St. Frances in Maryland, but both suddenly reopened their recruitment, with Bala quickly flipping to Boston College.
Recruiting services had both rated as three-star prospects, which is near the higher end of the talent pool in which Syracuse generally swims these days, so the defections might have been considered near-catastrophic.
But what was happening behind the scenes was crucial. Syracuse.com reported that the football staff actually encouraged Bala and Brooks to decommit because it was in their best interest; the Orange had just locked in Tylek Lewis, a three-star back from Louisiana, and also had one more card to play.
Last Friday, Canisius High star Elijah Kimble, a four-star recruit regarded as the top running back prospect in the state, made his commitment to Syracuse public after having informed the coaches back on June 10 that he was coming.
Kimble, a four-star prospect, rushed 192 times for 1,726 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior and has logged 5,325 career yards, a Monsignor Martin Association record.
A solid last line of defense at Albany CBA
Albany CBA rising senior
Gunnar Felton, who missed much of the 2025 football season following hand surgery, has accepted an offer to attend the United States Military Academy following a strong showing at the Marist College football camp.
That makes Felton the third member of the 2026 CBA secondary to make a verbal commitment. Earlier this year, safety JT Vogel committed to Princeton and defensive back Chase McIntyre picked Fordham. The presumed fourth member of the secondary this fall is junior safety Jack Hulett, who holds offers from Duquesne, Dartmouth, and Colgate.
Felton told The Times Union he has been designated to join the 2027 West Point roster directly rather than starting out at Army Prep like many freshmen landing appointments.
"You look at Gunnar and he is all of 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He can move, he is athletic and he is long,” CBA coach Bobby Burns said. “He is an elite student. They want him right away, which is something he has to do."
AD acquitted of more serious DWI charge
Williamsville East AD Melissa Spada was convicted Tuesday of driving while intoxicated, but acquitted of aggravated DWI for a February crash, the Niagara County District Attorney told
The Buffalo News.
Wheatfield Town Justice Rodney A. Giove sentenced Spada to a one-year conditional discharge, a six-month revocation of her driver's license, and a $500 fine, District Attorney Brian Seaman said.
Spada began a paid leave on Feb. 9. Nick Filipowski, spokesman for the school district, told the paper there has been no change to Spada's employment status. The AD's attorney said he expects the district will begin its own investigation now that the court case has concluded.
Coaching moves
Fairport has appointed
D'Angelo Moraza as its new girls basketball coach. Moraza, who spent the past three seasons on the school's boys basketball staff, replaces Tom Vasey, who retired this spring.
