Some things are happening in the world of sports that have left me wondering why:

Hinch Flinched

Why did Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch not put in Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning of the seventh game of the World Series with his team leading 2-1? Cole is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He was available to pitch -- heck everyone is available in Game 7 with everything on the line. If you were going to relieve Zach Greinke at that point -- which I question as well since he had only thrown 80 pitches, allowing just two hits -- why wouldn't you put in Cole? What other situation could possibly warrant saving Cole for a different situation?

Hinch said he ultimately decided that his regular relievers would be more effective than Cole on two days rest and no previous experience in relief. That part of his reasoning was somewhat acceptable. But when he added he only wanted to use Cole at the start of an inning, that defied my logic. This is the definitive moment of the last game of the season -- situational baseball, standard rest, analytics are all out the window. All decisions should now be based on who do I want determining the outcome of the game -- which one player. For Hinch, he chose an average reliever in Will Harris over the best pitcher in baseball, Gerrit Cole.

We all know what happened. Harris got lit up and the Astros ended up losing the game and the Series. I like Hinch, but I think he mismanaged at the most crucial time.

Scared Bear

Why did Chicago Bear coach Matt Nagy not try for more yards last week with 43 seconds left in the game, his team behind by one and the ball on the Chargers' 21-yard line?

“I had zero thought of running the ball, taking the chance of fumbling the football,” Nagy said after the game. “They know you're running the football, so you lose three-four yards.”

Why not pass then, perhaps a short flare, a wide receiver screen -- a safe pass that can net five or six crucial yards? “There was zero chance of us calling a pass play at that point,” said Nagy.

So he had his quarterback take a knee and ran the clock down for a final field goal attempt. Let's not forget that it was windy and his kicker already missed from 33 yards earlier. Not surprisingly to anyone who understands that 40-yard field goals are by no means automatic, the kick was no good and the Bears lost. For the record, 31 field goal attempts from 40-49 yards have been missed so far this season -- 35 percent.

Can you imagine Bill Belichick or Sean Peyton playing that scared? Nagy will shortly be back in the assistant ranks if this is the way he intends to coach. If you can't rely on your quarterback -- the No. 2 pick in the draft -- to pass the ball when the game is on the line, then you are going nowhere as a coach. The players feed off that mistrust and you can't win in the NFL if the team feels you don't believe in them.

Pick It Up

Why didn't Colin Montgomerie have to hole out to win a playoff against Bernhard Langer on the Champions Tour?

Montgomerie was safely on the 18th green about 20 feet away for birdie. Langer's approach ended up in a nasty lie towards the back of the right bunker. His third shot hit the bank of the bunker and rolled backed in. His fourth shot did the same. His fifth shot sailed about 15 feet past the hole. Montgomerie putted about two feet away and Langer simply picked up his coin, motioning Montgomerie to do the same, essentially conceding the playoff. Montgomerie picked up his coin and never holed out.

I was under the impression in a stroke play tournament, everything had to be holed out -- even a playoff when the other player fails to finish the hole. This has happened before and players were informed by rules officials on site to make sure they complete the hole. This did not happen with Montgomerie.

The only way Montgomerie could be declared the winner in a stroke play tournament without completing every hole would come via Decision 33-6/3 in the Rule Book which states that, “if there is a stroke-play playoff between two competitors and one of them is disqualified or concedes defeat, it is not necessary for the other to complete the playoff hole or holes to be declared the winner.”

So in essence when Langer picked up his coin, he conceded defeat and Montgomerie was the winner at that point. He didn't have to putt out.

Ken Cohen brings 30 years of publishing experience, many covering sports and working for sports companies. A National Newspaper Assn. first place sports column writer, “Further Review” appears every Tuesday.