NCAA Pans EIBL's Plan

The Eastern League's attempt to persuade the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee to allow more than one team from a league to participate in the College World Series was unsuccessful last week in Omaha, Neb.

The EIBL thinks that given the unequal strength of various leagues and the fact that some stretch over more than one NCAA region, the NCAA should drop its rule of one bid per league. It sent Baron Pittenger, Harvard's associate director of Athletics, to argue the position.

Pittenger is sure that any change of heart by the NCAA is far in the future. "The baseball people are not going to buy any plan that would permit two teams from the same league to come to Omaha," he said Tuesday. The College World Series was held there this year.

Within the next two weeks, Pittenger will write a report on the matter to the league and recommend a new tack. "I think there's a sensible solution to the problem," he said, "and I'll see if I can't get the league to agree to that solution." He refused to discuss his idea.

The EIBL is especially concerned about this issue because in recent years it has been strong and well-balanced and has felt that more than one of its teams should have been invited to regional playoffs.