The future of baseball

[Bellhorn04]

I don't know if it's blind luck or not, but the combination of the new baseballs and the removal of the sticky stuff seems to have worked out just about right. We're still seeing good pitching performances, but offense has ticked back up some.

[mvp 78]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32008079/pitch-clocks-realignment-end-blackouts-mlb-look-were-designing-now

 

1. Shortened Season - reduce season by a month. Fine.

2. Expand and Realign by geography - Eastern League, Western League, 2 divisions each. No.

3. Pitchclock. Yes.

4. Robo Umps. Yes.

5. End Blackouts. Yes.

6. Allow Trading Picks. Fine.

7. Pay MiLB Living Wage. Yes.

8. New Commissioner that Cares About Game not Owners. Yes.

[mvp 78]

The geographic pods within each division are important for scheduling reasons: These will be the most frequent matchups on the schedule. The winner of each "pod" will get a playoff spot, unless that team is the overall division winner, in which case the next-best team in the pod gets to go.

 

The driving force behind all this is regionalization. Build those rivalries, starting in the minors, which have already become more geographically aligned and presumably will only become more so over time. You don't ignore the national aspect, but baseball is already local to a significant degree. The structure of the sport ought to reflect that. -- Bradford Doolittle

 

Shut the f*** up Bradford. Don't make this MORE confusing than it already is.

[mvp 78]

Topps is going to lose their licensing with MLB after 70 f***ing years.

 

f*** Manfred. Motherf***ingpieceoff***ingshit.

[User Name]

I dislike Rob Manfred. That is all.

[moonslav59]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32008079/pitch-clocks-realignment-end-blackouts-mlb-look-were-designing-now

 

1. Shortened Season - reduce season by a month. Fine.

2. Expand and Realign by geography - Eastern League, Western League, 2 divisions each. No.

3. Pitchclock. Yes.

4. Robo Umps. Yes.

5. End Blackouts. Yes.

6. Allow Trading Picks. Fine.

7. Pay MiLB Living Wage. Yes.

8. New Commissioner that Cares About Game not Owners. Yes.

 

So, maybe this...

 

Eastern Atlantic

BOS

NYY

NYM

PHI

BAL

WSH

ATL

MIA

 

Eastern Central

TOR

PIT

DET

CLE

CIN

CWS

CHC

 

Western Central

MIN

MIL

STL

KCR

TEX

HOU

COL

AZ

 

Western Pacific

SEA

OAK

SFG

SAC (from TBR)

LAD

LAA

SDP

 

[mvp 78]

Atlantic League pushed the mound back earlier this month as mandated by Manfred.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/how-mlb-pushed-back-the-atlantic-league-mound-and-pushed-fed-up-players-to-the-brink-of-a-work-stoppage/

 

It was when ALPB president Rick White visited with a team to discuss forthcoming changes to the mound. On Aug. 3, at Major League Baseball's behest, the changes went into effect, with the ALPB moving its mounds a foot further back from their standard location of 60 feet, 6 inches from the rear point of home plate. "He said, 'Oh, you know, when the mounds go back, you pitchers, you're not going to really have to make any adjustments,'" the pitcher told CBS Sports, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid potential retaliation from the league.

 

"And then, the next words out of his mouth were, I swear to God, 'well, you might have to adjust where you release the ball.'" Or, in so many words, the most fundamental aspect of pitching.

 

The players do, however, have big concerns about where the Atlantic League is heading. To them, the pushed-back mound is another example of MLB and the Atlantic League undermining their professional aspirations and toying with their livelihoods. The 61 1/2-foot mound is, above all, an isolated physical reminder of the interlocking issues that have come to define their careers: declining quality of competition and advancement opportunities; potentially increasing chances of injury; and a bevy of other labor-related considerations that players said pushed the league to the brink of a work stoppage ahead of the new mound's implementation.

 

Someday, Atlantic League pitchers might be thanked by their big-league counterparts, or honored as pioneers. For now, they can't shake the feeling they're viewed as fungible guinea pigs. One pitcher, speaking from memory, recited the exact response MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gave when he was asked if an altered mound would lead to injuries: "That's why we're doing it in the Atlantic League."

 

Nearly all of the pitchers who spoke to CBS Sports said their first time throwing at 61 1/2 feet came within a game. "We didn't get anybody to come in and explain to us why they did it; why we didn't get an All-Star Break; why we're not getting time off to practice," one pitcher said. "It was, you know, you lab rats deal with it. If you get hurt, too bad, we don't give a s***. That's everybody's concern, too: who's going to pay for surgeries when guys blow out? Who's going to be responsible when something happens?"

 

West Virginia Power manager Mark Minicozzi and pitching coach Paul Menhart each made comments to Nick Scala of the Charleston Gazette-Mail suggesting they were being muzzled by the league about the mound move. "We are not allowed to have an opinion, the only opinions that matter are the league office," Minicozzi said, "and if we have an opinion we would be suspended indefinitely without pay."

 

Menhart added: "We've been forbidden to speak about it from [Atlantic League President] Rick White, under strict orders."

 

"With all the rule changes, and the systems that are in place, the league's a joke," a pitcher said. "They've turned it into a complete mockery. It's not baseball anymore. I believe that MLB teams are seeing this, and they're going elsewhere to pick up players."

 

The Atlantic League's quality of competition used to be regarded as Triple- or Quad-A-caliber. The players had to have legitimate professional experience to make it onto the field, they had to be capable of stepping into a Double- or Triple-A situation without missing a beat. The current version of the Atlantic League, in the estimation of one veteran hitter, falls closer to High-A ball. "It's almost felt like summer or college ball sometimes, because the quality is down this year," they said. "It's been frustrating."

[Bellhorn04]

Atlantic League pushed the mound back earlier this month as mandated by Manfred.

 

Brutal.

[Kimmi]

Brutal.

 

Manfred needs to stop.

 

He, not analytics, is ruining the game.

[dgalehouse]

Manfred has done more harm than good with his decisions. Maybe there should be one commissioner for the business side of things and another for the on field issues. Someone who better understands the game.

[redsoxrules]

They need to do something about the playoffs. This new wild card system is garbage. Either go back to what it was before with just 1 wild card or add more teams and go to 6 (2 top teams get byes) or 8 with minimum series of 5 games. A 100 win team having to play a 1 game sudden death is stupid. It's a 162 game season. It should not be decided by one game when you get to the playoffs. This ain't football where that makes sense

[Bellhorn04]

They need to do something about the playoffs. This new wild card system is garbage. Either go back to what it was before with just 1 wild card or add more teams and go to 6 (2 top teams get byes) or 8 with minimum series of 5 games. A 100 win team having to play a 1 game sudden death is stupid. It's a 162 game season. It should not be decided by one game when you get to the playoffs. This ain't football where that makes sense

 

I agree, but they're going to go with the system they think generates the most fan interest and money.

[dgalehouse]

Get rid of the stupid rules like the ghost runner in extra innings. Give the home plate umpire the authority and incentive to keep the game moving at a good pace. Put a stop to tanking and fire sales at the deadline. Promote the players way more than is being done at present. They are the game. And one more little thing that bugs me : No cheat notes in the pocket or the cap. Do your homework before you take the field.

[mvp 78]

Get rid of the stupid rules like the ghost runner in extra innings. Give the home plate umpire the authority and incentive to keep the game moving at a good pace. Put a stop to tanking and fire sales at the deadline. Promote the players way more than is being done at present. They are the game. And one more little thing that bugs me : No cheat notes in the pocket or the cap. Do your homework before you take the field.

 

1. There is no ghost runner, it's a real live runner. A ghost runner is when you are playing baseball with not enough players so you need to use an invisible runner.

2. Umps have the authority, but what kind of incentive? The best means is just a pitch clock.

3. Tanking and fire sales at the deadline are good for baseball.

4. Are we expanding rosters or just instituting forced retirement?

5. Getting rid of cheat notes would slow the game down as coaching staff would have to micromanage the defensive shifts.

[notin]

1. There is no ghost runner, it's a real live runner. A ghost runner is when you are playing baseball with not enough players so you need to use an invisible runner.

2. Umps have the authority, but what kind of incentive? The best means is just a pitch clock.

3. Tanking and fire sales at the deadline are good for baseball.

4. Are we expanding rosters or just instituting forced retirement?

5. Getting rid of cheat notes would slow the game down as coaching staff would have to micromanage the defensive shifts.

 

 

1. Let’s use actual ghosts instead of real live runners.

2. Enforce the pitch clock. Any umpire found to be not enforcing it is subject to a fine (first offense), sterilization (second offense) and the beaten with a bag of wet mice (third offense). Fourth offenders just get fired.

3. Deadline fire sales are great for MLB. Agreed.

4. No roster expansion ever!!

5. I’m cool with cheat notes.

 

Also - games are 9 innings weather permitting. No other exceptions.

Lose the 3 batter minimum.

Bring back Sunday double headers.

Eliminate Luke Voit.

[mvp 78]

Using real ghosts in a corporate environment would certainly have no repercussions.

 

Why you gotta be so rude to those mice. That's messed up.

[moonslav59]

Eliminate Luke Voit.

 

Brett Gardner, too?

[notin]

Using real ghosts in a corporate environment would certainly have no repercussions.

 

Why you gotta be so rude to those mice. That's messed up.

 

I only use evil mice, like the ones that scared away Sylvester and then tried to execute Porky Pig…

[Bellhorn04]

I only use evil mice, like the ones that scared away Sylvester and then tried to execute Porky Pig…

 

Jerry is a very evil mouse.

[mvp 78]

Jerry is a very evil mouse.

 

More evil than Pinky and the Brain?

[notin]

More evil than Pinky and the Brain?

 

Just the Brain. Not Pinky, however…

[Kimmi]

They need to do something about the playoffs. This new wild card system is garbage. Either go back to what it was before with just 1 wild card or add more teams and go to 6 (2 top teams get byes) or 8 with minimum series of 5 games. A 100 win team having to play a 1 game sudden death is stupid. It's a 162 game season. It should not be decided by one game when you get to the playoffs. This ain't football where that makes sense

 

I agree that the Giants or the Dodgers possibly being eliminated in a one game WC playoff is kind of whack, especially considering how far behind the other wildcard teams are. That said, I like having the 2nd wildcard team and I think teams have to have some kind of incentive to win the division. Outside of the extreme lopsidedness that we will see in the NL game this year, I kind of like the one game playoff. I wouldn't mind a 5 game series, but then the other teams would have to sit idle for about a week.

[Kimmi]

Get rid of the stupid rules like the ghost runner in extra innings. Give the home plate umpire the authority and incentive to keep the game moving at a good pace. Put a stop to tanking and fire sales at the deadline. Promote the players way more than is being done at present. They are the game. And one more little thing that bugs me : No cheat notes in the pocket or the cap. Do your homework before you take the field.

 

The cheat notes don't bother me that much, but as a teacher, I would be happier if the players did their homework before taking the field. That said, people don't remember anything anymore. It's all at their fingertips.

[Kimmi]

Also - games are 9 innings weather permitting. No other exceptions.

Lose the 3 batter minimum.

Bring back Sunday double headers.

Eliminate Luke Voit.

 

I have always disagreed with you about the 3 batter minimum, but I would hire you as commissioner based on your last statement alone.

[moonslav59]

Salvador Perez hit #46, today.

 

He broke Bench's HR record by a catcher. Yes, he hit some as a DH, but it's still impressive.

[dgalehouse]

MLB and the pencil neck geek commissioner demonstrating once again that they have neither the ability or the desire to do anything to generate and maintain fan enthusiasm for the game.

[Bellhorn04]

MLB and the pencil neck geek commissioner demonstrating once again that they have neither the ability or the desire to do anything to generate and maintain fan enthusiasm for the game.

 

I don't disagree. But one could argue that the fans let them get away with it. No matter how many times these negotiation breakdowns hurt the game, the fans keep coming back, keep paying more and making the owners and the players richer.

 

We're suckers, in other words.

[moonslav59]

MLB and the pencil neck geek commissioner demonstrating once again that they have neither the ability or the desire to do anything to generate and maintain fan enthusiasm for the game.

 

I’ve never agreed with you more, at least in recent memory

[moonslav59]

I don't disagree. But one could argue that the fans let them get away with it. No matter how many times these negotiation breakdowns hurt the game, the fans keep coming back, keep paying more and making the owners and the players richer.

 

We're suckers, in other words.

 

Yes we are. They have us hooked like nicotine.

 

I’ve all but boycotted all of MLB except the Sox.

 

The Sox are my binky.

[Kimmi]

MLB and the pencil neck geek commissioner demonstrating once again that they have neither the ability or the desire to do anything to generate and maintain fan enthusiasm for the game.

 

I don't disagree either. IMO, the Players Association is equally at fault.