The NCAA’s stupidity is mesmerizing in its depth and consistency.  The latest from Baseball America, in part 1:

 Word came down today that the NCAA will no longer allow blogging from the press box during super-regionals because blogging “is considered a live representation of the game” and all live representations of the games are the exclusive property of the NCAA’s official rights holders.

I called NCAA manager of broadcasting Jeramy Michiaels to inquire about this policy, and he said the NCAA wants to make sure that your eyes are either glued to the television or the live Web feed from the site owned by one of the NCAA’s broadcast partners–not Baseball America or any other media outlet.

Of course, nothing would stop us from staying in our offices, following the games and blogging updates; the NCAA just doesn’t want us blogging updates from the sites. It seems shortsighted to prohibit media outlets from giving college baseball as much quality coverage as possible, and arrogant for the NCAA to spurn those who wish to cover (and thus publicize) games just to appease its partners.

Part two:

The NCAA’s about to find out if it overstepped its bounds in banning any reporters from live blogging from the NCAA Super Regionals. The Louisville Courier-Journal beat writer Brian Bennett was ejected from the press box during the fifth inning of Louisville’s Omaha-clinching 20-2 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday.

Aaron Fitt has already reported on this before the Super Regionals began, pointing out that the NCAA is saying that any reporting during the game on the Internet violates the NCAA’s television contract with ESPN and CBS. But the C-J’s attorney seems ready to fight this one, pointing out that when someone hits a home run or strikes out that’s a fact, something that cannot be kept from being reported. That’s something that courts have continually affirmed. And as Bennett points out on his blog, someone sitting at home can blog away without any problems. It’s just reporters in the press box who are banned by the NCAA’s decision.