For good or bad, technology is bound to trickle down to prep sports

Nothing is more frustrating than technology, except maybe a lack of technology.

For decades I’ve waged a personal war with gizmos and gadgets, but in general I’ve rolled with the punches. Although it was a bit freaky to see one of my first Tandy word processors sitting in a “history of journalism” exhibit at the since-shuttered Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Speaking of technology, it goes hand in hand with sports. Which is kind of strange because athletes for centuries have gotten along just fine without it. From the ancient Olympics to Wrigley Field with no lights, somehow we’ve endured.

But if there’s one sport where technology is bashing the aesthetic framework of the game, it’s baseball. And I’m a little worried it’ll trickle down to the high school level.

Whether it’s MLB or college, I watch a lot of baseball on television. One recent change I do appreciate is the technology of the pitch clock that’s helped speed up games.

But guess what’s slowing them down again? That’s right, technology.

No, it’s not the new Automated Ball-Strike System instituted this season. It’s the delays when a player’s earpiece communication system malfunctions.

I can’t even count how many times I’ve watched players fetch replacement earpieces. And for what reason? What’s suddenly changed to necessitate instantaneous verbal communication?

Twenty-five years ago, I remember legendary Naperville Central High School pitching coach Phil Lawler using a three-digit code to relay calls to his pitchers. With an endless supply of numbers, there was no chance of the other team stealing the code.

“Five-three-one,” he’d yell from the dugout. A quick look by the pitcher and catcher at a forearm cheat sheet, and that was it.

It was one of the good things I saw trickle down from the college level.

For practical (and especially financial) reasons, I probably shouldn’t worry about too much technology trickling down. It took 40 years for the basketball shot clock to trickle down from the NCAA to the IHSA, which will institute a 35-second clock starting next season.

Do I expect the ABS System to arrive in IHSA baseball? No chance, unless it becomes remarkably less expensive to implement the 12 high-definition cameras and the staffing required to monitor the system.

Heck, some high schools are still trying to figure out how to pay for extra staffing to run the shot clock at future basketball games. So, no, nothing to worry about there.

Will goal-line cameras be used in soccer? What about in and out calls in volleyball and tennis? And (avert your eyes) video review in football?

No, no and no. It’s not happening. At least not in our lifetimes based on the time it took for the shot clock to arrive.

My trickle-down technology concern hasn’t completely faded, though.

The bottom line is I miss Phil Lawler, who passed away far too early in 2010. And I especially miss him yelling those three-digit pitch codes from the dugout.