The future of baseball

[mvp 78]

Meanwhile the other Billy Bean, also an outfielder, was one of, if not the first openly gay Major Leaguers.

 

I wonder how often these two get confused...

 

I thought he wasn't open until his playing days ended?

[mvp 78]

Bean came out as gay to his parents during his time playing for the Padres. He came out publicly to Lydia Martin of the Miami Herald in 1999. He became the second Major League Baseball player to publicly come out as gay. Glenn Burke was the first to come out to his teammates and employers during his playing days, though Burke did not come out to the public at large until his career was over.[2]

 

I didn't know about Burke.

[notin]

I thought he wasn't open until his playing days ended?

 

He wasn’t. But he has been for a while and is on a very short list of former MLB players who have come out. I think it’s just two...

[notin]

Bean came out as gay to his parents during his time playing for the Padres. He came out publicly to Lydia Martin of the Miami Herald in 1999. He became the second Major League Baseball player to publicly come out as gay. Glenn Burke was the first to come out to his teammates and employers during his playing days, though Burke did not come out to the public at large until his career was over.[2]

 

I didn't know about Burke.

 

I knew Burke had come out, but I didn’t know he did it before Bean or while active...

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I knew Burke had come out, but I didn’t know he did it before Bean or while active...

 

Burke, along with Dusty Baker, invented the High Five, circa 1977. It was a cool thing before PEDs, when zealots started breaking each other's fingers, hands and wrists. Or dislocated shoulders...

[notin]

Burke, along with Dusty Baker, invented the High Five, circa 1977. It was a cool thing before PEDs, when zealots started breaking each other's fingers, hands and wrists. Or dislocated shoulders...

 

That's why they bashed forearms....

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

That's why they bashed forearms....

 

The "brothers" should've just head-butted each other; it would've done less damage.

[mvp 78]

The "brothers" should've just head-butted each other; it would've done less damage.

 

@JoseCanseco

Human being should not be in political power Android should or maybe aliens I would rather have Bigfoot

[notin]

@JoseCanseco

Human being should not be in political power Android should or maybe aliens I would rather have Bigfoot

 

Vote IBM Watson 2024!!

[mvp 78]

Vote IBM Watson 2024!!

 

Alexa will kick IBM's ass.

[Bellhorn04]

The "brothers" should've just head-butted each other; it would've done less damage.

 

Ball bouncing off Jose's bean and into the stands, like Manny's high-five play, should have a place on the Top Ten Baseball Plays of All Time.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Ball bouncing off Jose's bean and into the stands, like Manny's high-five play, should have a place on the Top Ten Baseball Plays of All Time.

 

The fan that caught that ball now uses it as a paperweight, sometimes a doorstop. It transformed from a sphere into a trapezoid as it bounced over the fence.

[mvp 78]

Ball bouncing off Jose's bean and into the stands, like Manny's high-five play, should have a place on the Top Ten Baseball Plays of All Time.

 

Real baseball.

[notin]

The future of baseball is in e-Sports as in MLB: The Show, MVP Baseball, and Mario Superstar Baseball....

[mvp 78]

The future of baseball is in e-Sports as in MLB: The Show, MVP Baseball, and Mario Superstar Baseball....

 

That game hasn't existed in 15 years...

[notin]

That game hasn't existed in 15 years...

 

It's getting ready for a comeback.

 

Other than The Show, what other good baseball video games are there?

[notin]

It's getting ready for a comeback.

 

Other than The Show, what other good baseball video games are there?

 

Maybe RBI Baseball?

[mvp 78]

Maybe RBI Baseball?

 

You can still play the NES "Baseball" on the Switch.

 

The only other current baseball game is Super Mega Baseball, which I haven't played. I think it's more like The Bigs (which I really enjoyed back in the day).

 

All time best baseball games IMO:

 

2004 MVP

RBI Baseball (NES)

Baseball Stars

The Bigs

MLB 2K8

[notin]

You can still play the NES "Baseball" on the Switch.

 

The only other current baseball game is Super Mega Baseball, which I haven't played. I think it's more like The Bigs (which I really enjoyed back in the day).

 

All time best baseball games IMO:

 

2004 MVP

RBI Baseball (NES)

Baseball Stars

The Bigs

MLB 2K8

 

What about Earl Weaver Baseball? That game was just flat out awesome if you happened to be sidelined for a month recovering with your leg in a cast...

[mvp 78]

What about Earl Weaver Baseball? That game was just flat out awesome if you happened to be sidelined for a month recovering with your leg in a cast...

 

The glitches sound fun!

 

Players were rated from 1 to 10, but the editor allowed players to effectively go up to 15 (after which it reset.) Players with 15 pitching speed, for example, could reach 100+ mph on their fastballs. Players with 15 running speed were already on second on a stolen base when the catcher's throw was 2/3 of the way to second. Also, any player with a runner rating higher than 10 could never be thrown nor tagged out. This meant that every such player would automatically get an inside-the-park home run on any ground bunted ball.

 

The pitcher never covered the bag on grounders to first. This would result in more infield hits than normal on the PC version. In the Amiga version, the pitcher covered first if the ball was far enough away from the bag, but would still fail to cover first on balls closer to the line, leading to unwarranted infield hits.

 

In some ballparks, especially user-created ones, the AI wouldn't get an outfielder to pursue a shot to a corner. The players would just stand around, snagged on some wall artifact, while the batter rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run. When this would happen, the game would freeze and the user would have to use cheat command of Shift-6 to end the play.

 

With a runner on first and second, a human player could deliberately hit a ground ball knowing that the computer player would never get an out. The computer would throw to third base on every occasion in an attempt for a triple play, resulting in every base runner being safe. This exact same glitch continued in Earl Weaver Baseball 2, as well as many other Electronic Arts baseball simulations for years into the future.

 

If the only runner was on second, a ball hit to an outfielder was not recorded as an out. Therefore, when the ball was hit the runner did not have to tag up so the runner was off on the crack of the bat.

 

If the outfield caught the ball above the outfield fence line, the game locked up.

 

Cal Ripken Jr for SNES was fine though.

[notin]

The glitches sound fun!

 

Players were rated from 1 to 10, but the editor allowed players to effectively go up to 15 (after which it reset.) Players with 15 pitching speed, for example, could reach 100+ mph on their fastballs. Players with 15 running speed were already on second on a stolen base when the catcher's throw was 2/3 of the way to second. Also, any player with a runner rating higher than 10 could never be thrown nor tagged out. This meant that every such player would automatically get an inside-the-park home run on any ground bunted ball.

 

The pitcher never covered the bag on grounders to first. This would result in more infield hits than normal on the PC version. In the Amiga version, the pitcher covered first if the ball was far enough away from the bag, but would still fail to cover first on balls closer to the line, leading to unwarranted infield hits.

 

In some ballparks, especially user-created ones, the AI wouldn't get an outfielder to pursue a shot to a corner. The players would just stand around, snagged on some wall artifact, while the batter rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run. When this would happen, the game would freeze and the user would have to use cheat command of Shift-6 to end the play.

 

With a runner on first and second, a human player could deliberately hit a ground ball knowing that the computer player would never get an out. The computer would throw to third base on every occasion in an attempt for a triple play, resulting in every base runner being safe. This exact same glitch continued in Earl Weaver Baseball 2, as well as many other Electronic Arts baseball simulations for years into the future.

 

If the only runner was on second, a ball hit to an outfielder was not recorded as an out. Therefore, when the ball was hit the runner did not have to tag up so the runner was off on the crack of the bat.

 

If the outfield caught the ball above the outfield fence line, the game locked up.

 

Cal Ripken Jr for SNES was fine though.

 

Hey back then every game had glitches!!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Hey back then every game had glitches!!

 

https://www.beckett.com/news/1968-topps-game-baseball/

 

This was the best game. As long as you had a stack, you could play for hours. I count 13 Hall of Famers out of 33 cards...plus, Pete Rose (who you can bet hated being a Ground Out, Runners Do Not Advance).

[notin]

https://www.beckett.com/news/1968-topps-game-baseball/

 

This was the best game. As long as you had a stack, you could play for hours. I count 13 Hall of Famers out of 33 cards...plus, Pete Rose (who you can bet hated being a Ground Out, Runners Do Not Advance).

 

I had a copy of this. And it was beyond awesome.

 

http://keymancollectibles.com/Gamestoys/cadacoallstarbaseball.htm

[Maxbialystock]

I am wondering how baseball compares to the other major sports in terms declining popularity/viewership. I think some of it is the sign of our times, in particular, the instant gratification and instant feedback that our younger generation seems to be used to in these technology prevalent times.

 

Are long time, older fans being turned off from the game, or is it more that the sport is not picking up "new fans".

 

IMO, the sport is beautiful and extremely entertaining the way it is. I think the analytics have enhanced the enjoyment and understanding of the sport. I don't like the 2 different rules in the different leagues, and I'm not particularly a fan of the shift, but I don't think those things are ruining baseball. Will robot umps really increase viewership?

 

Making some changes to the sport, as Bell listed above, might help some. But I don't think that is really going to solve the problem, whatever the problem seems to be. Basically, I think that parents, role models, etc. need to instill a love for the game into their children like my parents did with me and my brothers when we were growing up.

 

I am actually amazed that MLB, which is mostly seen on TV or online and not in person, has done as well as it has. I think a huge number of Americans enjoy actually playing the game--t-ball, softball, little league, over-60 leagues, whatever--because we are on the field and involved. To a degree that experience is repeated when we actually go to a ball park to see a game.

 

But on TV we become aware that there's a whole lot of dead time in MLB. Not just all the little quirks and mannerisms of pitchers and batters which delay the game unnecessarily, but even when the ball is in play.

 

I don't have the numbers, but if we assume 240 total pitches are thrown in a game--that's when the ball is in play--less than half involve anyone other than the pitcher, catcher, and batter. Relatedly, it occurs to me that showing that rectangle of the strike zone is probably a neat idea for TV viewing because we can all rant at any call by the ump we don't like.

 

However we react to pitches inside or outside the strike zone, that rectangle keeps us focused on the time-honored confrontation between pitcher and batter and blissfully unaware that the other 7 defensive players are just sort of out there and the other 8 offensive players are just sort of in the dugout. If there are baserunners, sabermetrics now tells all managers to ensure that their baserunners do as little as possible to advance on their own: stealing bases is for dummies only. Oh, and let's not forget that most pitchers will throw to 1B at least once when a baserunner is there, with maybe 1 in 30 resulting in a pickoff.

 

Contrast the above with hockey, football, soccer, and basketball--all sports which involve every player on both teams (within the allowed limits on players on the field or court) throughout the time when the ball is officially in play.

 

I think most fans (like me) who basically only watch games on TV, have to buy into the notion that baseball is centered around that confrontation between hitter and pitcher. On the one hand, most of us remember what Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters ever, said, that hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely is the most difficult skill in all of sports. On the other, we have to appreciate how very, very difficult it is for pitchers to throw hard, throw accurately (about as accurately as a knife thrower from 20 feet) from 66 feet, and throw with a variety of spins and motions. I frankly like that kind of baseball, and it is definitely one of the reasons why I got so mad when Cash pulled Snell. To me the freaking software, like a deus ex machina, had inserted itself into a great game and denied real baseball fans from watching baseball at its finest.

 

Oh, and I do like this thread and it's title. And I had almost no parental influence on my baseball fandom. It was fate: I spent 15 months, two baseball seasons, ages 12-13 in West Springfield MA, while my dad was overseas, and I got to listen to every Sox game called by Curt Gowdy, with baseball cards in hand. 1953-54 were not good Sox years, but 1953 was the year Williams came back from the Korean War in August and ended up hitting .407 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in 37 games and 110 at bats. I did not become a real fanatic until settling, age 60, in N. Virginia and realized I could get all the Sox games on satellite tv (later verizon fios).

[mvp 78]

MLB hopes to bring back seven-inning doubleheaders and the runner-on-second-base extra-inning rule, writes USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The league is advocating for a continuation of these rules specifically for fear of the coronavirus continuing to affect the schedule. The league also seems to be in favor of keeping the universal DH and expanded playoffs, though those issues are still being discussed. No rule changes are made official, of course, until the league comes to an agreement with the MLBPA. The debate around expanded playoffs seems particularly challenging right now, as a greater playoff field, in some minds, actually de-incentivizes teams from spending in free agency since they have a greater margin for error. Reduced spending on free agents is a hot button issue right now, and it’s going to be the lens through which the players view many of the topics under discussion for 2021. Nightengale notes that there’s at least a chance that MLB ends up with the same rules in 2021 as in 2020, with the exception of roster sizes dropping back down from 29 to 26.

[Kimmi]

MLB hopes to bring back seven-inning doubleheaders and the runner-on-second-base extra-inning rule, writes USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The league is advocating for a continuation of these rules specifically for fear of the coronavirus continuing to affect the schedule. The league also seems to be in favor of keeping the universal DH and expanded playoffs, though those issues are still being discussed. No rule changes are made official, of course, until the league comes to an agreement with the MLBPA. The debate around expanded playoffs seems particularly challenging right now, as a greater playoff field, in some minds, actually de-incentivizes teams from spending in free agency since they have a greater margin for error. Reduced spending on free agents is a hot button issue right now, and it’s going to be the lens through which the players view many of the topics under discussion for 2021. Nightengale notes that there’s at least a chance that MLB ends up with the same rules in 2021 as in 2020, with the exception of roster sizes dropping back down from 29 to 26.

 

I have grown warmer to the 7 inning double headers and the runner on second base rule. When I first heard about starting extra innings with a runner on 2B, I thought it was the stupidest rule I'd ever heard of. Having seen it in action, it's not bad. I kind of like the extra strategy that comes along with it. I think I would still prefer not to have it once we get back to 'normal' times (for me, there's something to be said for those 15+ inning marathons), but if they did keep the rule around permanently, I would not hate it.

 

I could also live with the 7 inning double headers. I will say, however, I never quite got used to it last season. The game would come to an end, and I would always be thinking that there were still 2 more innings left to be played.

[a700hitter]

I have grown warmer to the 7 inning double headers and the runner on second base rule. When I first heard about starting extra innings with a runner on 2B, I thought it was the stupidest rule I'd ever heard of. Having seen it in action, it's not bad. I kind of like the extra strategy that comes along with it. I think I would still prefer not to have it once we get back to 'normal' times (for me, there's something to be said for those 15+ inning marathons), but if they did keep the rule around permanently, I would not hate it.

 

I could also live with the 7 inning double headers. I will say, however, I never quite got used to it last season. The game would come to an end, and I would always be thinking that there were still 2 more innings left to be played.

How about an extra inning shoot out Home Run Derby like in Hockey. Each team sends a BP pitching coach to the mound for five batters who get one swing each.

[Kimmi]

How about an extra inning shoot out Home Run Derby like in Hockey. Each team sends a BP pitching coach to the mound for five batters who get one swing each.

 

Ha. That's actually a somewhat interesting idea. I wouldn't do it after 9 innings, but perhaps after 15 innings or something like that.

[mvp 78]

@Rotoworld_BB

MLBPA reject plan for DH, expanded playoffs

[notin]

How about an extra inning shoot out Home Run Derby like in Hockey. Each team sends a BP pitching coach to the mound for five batters who get one swing each.

 

I was annoyed they did not end the tied All Star game this way. Much more fun than making it matter, which was the stupidest decision by a Commissioner in the history of organized sports in the USA...