Ouch! come on Dave, didn't you read the sarcasm there? I've been to many a professional baseball game since I was a kid. Even got to talk to Roberto Clemente after a game at Forbes Field as he was the on his way home. Walked with him from the field exit to his red Cadilac convertible just the two of us, never forget that. How about this view of the game from season tickets, first base side for Cleveland games. Doesn't get much better. Oh and I should add to my sarcastic post, what are they going to do about rain delays and rain cancelations eating up TV network time, I got it make it so all baseball games are played in inside fields or stadiums. This rain delay with my son and I there ended in early AM and I had to go to work the same morning but CLE won with a come from behind Grand Slam I have a nice video memory of. Okay back to the insults and "((((((((PLAY BALL))))))))"

Oh and I don't mind the length of the game, it gives me a chance to spend a long day with my wife and son, family or just friends, now they're going to take that away too just for giant TV networks airtime. Just wait for the arguments about the "clock". Go to some other sport and screw up decades of history on how the game is played. If you don't like how long the game is going GO HOME or turn the channel. Just record it and run through the parts you don't like just like watching Graveyard Carz

Now where did I leave my derby hat and pocket watch?

Mike

This never gets old:

I was going to post another photo of A&C but it has the old Cleveland team name big and bold above the jumbotron and I would have had to blur it out........yeah that part of the game was changed too "for the better"

What are the penalties for these new rules like the 15/20 second delay of game clock........-5 yards like football? or is it an automatic "ball" call? This will be interesting.

As far as bigger bases, they said that is to decrease injuries, especially at 1st base. There are a lot of injuries with the runner going up the line and the throw coming to first baseman, usually from catcher or pitcher and the runner and 1st baseman trying to avoid each other and a collision, or twisted ankles or knees most to runner when he hits the edge of the bag.

One warning, second is ball on hitter. As far as you not minding the length of the game; when you're talking being at the game in the park, that's different. But 99.9% are not at the park and the complaints are when watching on TV for three hours or more and too large of a percentage is no action. And that's the problem A12, people have been turning the channel. Players created this problem. MLB didn't use to be like this. Pitchers got the ball, stayed on the rubber, and fired their next pitch. Slowly started the meandering around the mound, the adjusting the hat, adjusting the cup, rubbing the ball, circling the mound again. And then the hitter stepping out after every single pitch! The greats of the past didn't do this. That's why the average MLB game time has increased over the past two decades The fans have spoken. MLB is reacting.

In 1968 the average game was 2:27

In 2021 it was 3 hours, 3 minutes

See a problem here?

If a hitter had kept stepping out on a pitcher like Bob Gibson for example, back in 1968, he'd have knocked them on their azz.

I'm looking forward to to the pitch clock. I'm also a fan of eliminating the shift and the limitless throws over to first with a runner on.

Are you guys watching any of the WBC?? Columbia - Mexico was a heck of a game earlier today. The American lineup is absolutely loaded this year.

My least favorite aspect of baseball. A grown man gets his feelings hurt and responds by standing 60 feet away from the grown man who hurt his feelings and throwing a ball at him, and this is somehow viewed as tough or macho.

Slightly off tangent here, I've always said pay players a teacher's or cop's salary and see who REALLY plays for the 'love of the game', THEN I might be interested.

Anyways, back to topic...........................

Oh yeah, I forgot about eliminating the shift! I'm a big proponent of that too! It had gotten ridiculous with how often it was used! Enough already with the shift.

The salaries drive me nuts too John but they do have caps on teams and revenue sharing. If a team goes over they pay a fines and the money is distributed to other teams. I don't know what the answer is to lower salaries other than fans going away and that won't happen entirely. The only reason I still watch MLB cannot be mentioned here. It'd have to go in the unmoderated section. But I can say MLB has not gone the way of the NFL which I have completely abandoned.

I remember when the push to end alcohol sales in late innings began. I think it was the 90's. A fan came down onto the field and if IIRC punched the first base umpire. That kind of was the last straw after a lot of violence in stadiums involving a-hole drunks.

The games have been so much better and much more like games of the past. None of this standing around the mound adjusting the cap, stepping off the rubber repeatedly. And no more of the hitters re-adjusting batting glove ten times as part of a ritual and walking around outside the box. The game moves now.

I get it but remember this started way back before the DH and that pitcher had to step in the box himself, and still does in the National League. Also it was usually a response to something that had happened such as the opposing pitcher hitting or throwing at one of his teammates. Nobody is for head hunters but sending a message around the waist when called for is different. Even an occasional sticking one in their back pocket if their pitcher has been head hunting. Hopefully it is infrequent!

Yes but the only player on the field that has that power is one player, the pitcher! I think the batter should be allowed to let the bat fly out of his hands back at and over the head of the pitcher once in a while to even things up (just kidding)

I went to a Cubs game for my birthday last Sunday and have this to say about the new rules. You have to pay attention much more now, things move fast! Also there is no cash at the fields now, all on cards and the vendors come by much less than the used to. I stopped at my buddy's bar across the street before and afterwards and he said that the vendors are not happy as they have less time to sell beer and hot dogs which means less money for them, and all the fru-fru foods available at the concourse have cut into their profits too. I did learn you can still tip them with cash though and they will come back to you more often if you do that...

On eliminating the "shift" why can't these professional hitters beat it by going the other way? With the whole let side of the field open a routine groundball to short would be a double or triple. That would eliminate the "shift" really quick.

There is a DH in the national league now also. There is only one pitcher left who still gets in the batters box.

I thought they were going to eliminate the DH in AL? I was hoping for that instead. I haven't watched an NL game this year. I'm a Tigers fan and there hasn't been interleague games yet. I guess Otani is the only one stepping in the box.

azblackhemi, I wish most were talented enough to beat the shift a majority of the time but I guess the percentages showed they weren't and it was not enjoyable to the fans. To me stacking infielders on one side was no different than a base runner going way outside the base path to avoid a tag.

quote

azblackhemi, I wish most were talented enough to beat the shift a majority of the time but I guess the percentages showed they weren't and it was not enjoyable to the fans. To me stacking infielders on one side was no different than a base runner going way outside the base path to avoid a tag. [/quote]


I'm a tigers fan too and it's gonna be a looong summer. I wish too they would have got rid of the DH but they instead dug in and made it worse, even if they don't hit well they need to be in there to keep em honest. Regarding the shift it was far more fun to me watching the third baseman chase a bunted ball way down the line while the batter was racing from home to 2nd or 3rd than a homerun... the bunt double and bloop triple were some of the most fun ever in a baseball game, they should have never eliminated the shift. There has been plenty of interleauge play already (rays spanking Nationals along with tigers and A's, they have literally played the 3 absolute worst teams in all of baseball, heck even boston sucks).