My One Sports Fix
The air's warm, the sun shines down on the crowd, and out in the field the stars of today toss balls about, getting ready for a game.My local paper ran a "commentary" on how baseball could be improved with 12 simple steps. And since I've always been a fan (though I rarely see it played, except when my childhood favorite team is in the playoffs--and that's on TV), here's my take on the author, Tim Dahlberg's ideas:
His case: "games last forever, pitchers don't last at all, and everything is run from spreadsheets. Meanwhile, the sacrifice bunt is almost extinct, the shift ruins the basic concept of outs, and complete games are rarer than scheduled doubleheaders."
His prescriptive answers (and my comments):
Go Shiftless: The problem here is that baseball is a game of statistics. Change the rules, and suddenly the hitter whose balls are typically hit to the right of second base (hence, the shift of infielders to the right) is much more productive. I say leave the game's rules alone, unless its an overwhelmingly good idea.
Instant Replay: Ok, do away with the time it takes to examine the taped evidence, and have umps on the field make the call. +++
Fewer Commercials: Good idea. The fans in the stadium should be more important than the TV channel raking in $$. +++
Three's The Charm (minimum three batters pitched to, for each pitcher). This would make spot relief pitchers much less valuable. Plus, a pitcher having a bad outing could suffer terrible damage, statistically. So, no, leave it alone. ---
Ohtani Effect. Named after a pitcher who can also hit. Means starting pitchers must be in line-up more often than they pitch--like Babe Ruth. Probably too disruptive. Especially if you're a recently signed rookie pitcher that didn't worry about developing your hitting skills.
Bullpen Carts. Getting rid of carts (that carry the reliever in from the bullpen) seems so trivial that it should be left up to individual teams. Who cares?
Fix The Baseball. Right, make the actual balls used consistently bouncy; though crowds probably prefer more big hits. +++
Sacrifice Bunt. Suggestion is to give players credit for a hit if they're successful with these. I'll make an exception here. Sure, change the rule, since statistics could always be adjusted retroactively (when comparing players from different eras). +++
Strike Zone. Agreed, umps should be calling more strikes, which'll mean pitchers throwing more strikes. This shouldn't alter statistical comparisons too much, since pitching is also about mixing pitches, and not just enticing batters to swing at balls out of the strike zone. And this isn't a change, just a matter of being consistent. +++
Fewer Relievers. Suggestion is to limit the number of relief pitchers on a roster. Probably too arbitrary; though it might make starting pitchers who finesse their pitches, rather than blow out their arms, more valuable.
Team Chefs. Huh, teams have chefs these days? Have them eating hot dogs like everyone else? Not going to happen. ---
Doubleheaders. Basically, the idea is to play a minimum number so as to allow the season to begin and end when good weather is still likely. I'm okay with this. +++
So I'm 6-for-12. What I like has a green +++ after it. If I'm a firm 'no', there're red --- s (only two of those). So I could live with these ideas.
