Game 1's silver lining

Published Oct. 22, 2014 2:35 p.m. ET

foxsports

Yes, it was an ugly Serious opener unless you're a Giants fan.

Still, I was heartened by the appearance of Royals lefty Tim Collins, who spent a big chunk of this season in the minors, throws in the 90s, and ... oh yeah, this:

At 5'7" Tim Collins is tied for the 2nd shortest pitcher in WS history, an inch taller than Bobby Shantz .http://t.co/tlNvnlQLhU
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) October 22, 2014

Two things about this:

One, it's quite possible that Collins is the shortest pitcher in World Series history. As I'm sure you know, listed heights for pitchers are notoriously unreliable. I don't think anyone should be shocked if Collins admits at some point that he's actually 5'6" or even 5'5" in his socks. But of course Bobby Shantz might have been fibbing a little, too.

And two, why doesn't this get talked about more? I might have missed something early in his Game 1 outing, but I didn't catch a single mention of "Tiny" Tim's height. If he'd pitched 30 or 40 years ago, it would have come up again and again during a national broadcast.

Is this an example of our advanced sensitivity to the problems of the vertically challenged? I don't know. Maybe. But we all know that taller pitchers have a natural advantage. Actually, taller people have advantages, too. Isn't there some value in holding up Collins' stature as not just an object of interest and uniqueness, but also as a source of inspiration for all the young pitchers who might not reach six feet?

I get the impression that some people would like to turn Tim Collins into just another generic, hard-throwing, 21st Century relief pitcher.

But he's not one. And I don't think it does anyone much good to pretend otherwise.