Comments on: Some simple proposals to fix baseball

By: Charles Bruce Bridging

Charles Bruce Bridging — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:39:34 +0000

Nice way of summing it up.. cheers I like your style … I like your class … but most of all I like your ass

By: Stephen Schemes

Stephen Schemes — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:54:13 +0000

All computers wait at the same speed

By: Timothy Blaine Equity

Timothy Blaine Equity — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:37:20 +0000

This is truly a great read for me!! I love the quality information and news your blog provides. There is night so we can appreciate day, sorrow so we can appreciate joy, evil so we can appreciate good, you so i can appreciate love.

By: Tara Bridging

Tara Bridging — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:10:00 +0000

I don’t work here. I’m a consultant

By: Pharmacy

Pharmacy — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:27:33 +0000

good good…this post deserves nothing …hahaha just joking …nice post

By: Deandra Shearin

Deandra Shearin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:39:06 +0000

Hello there, great article, I really enjoyed reading it. the article gave me the momentum to attempt my own post, please see my blog by clicking my name at the top of this comment, Many thanks

By: SHOE INSERTS

SHOE INSERTS — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:31:11 +0000

Shoe lifts are wedge-shaped blocks that fit in the heel portion of a shoe, with the purpose of adding elevation beneath one or both feet for therapeutic reasons. People who endure foot pain from wearing shoes for a long time. height insoles can alleviate suffering. Heel lifts are also useful for those who want to increase their height.

By: Ceallach Fólki

Ceallach Fólki — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:24:11 +0000

Hey I just wanted to let you know, I really like the composition on your site. But I am utilising Flock on a machine running version 9.10 of Xubuntu and the look and feel aren’t quite proper. Not a important deal, I can still essentially read the articles and research for information, but just wanted to inform you about that. The navigation bar is kind of difficult to use with the config I’m running. Keep up the good work!

By: Sherly Colford

Sherly Colford — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:22:47 +0000

It appears that you have placed a lot of effort into your article and I require more of these on the net these days. I sincerely got a kick out of your post. I don’t really have much to say in response, I only wanted to comment to reply wonderful work.

By: Marilou Henderickson

Marilou Henderickson — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:17:55 +0000

That is some inspirational stuff. Never knew that opinions could be this varied. Thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.

By: Aimbot Downloads

Aimbot Downloads — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:19:08 +0000

A well written article, i’ve bookmarked it so I can keep it for reference.

Thanks for the article again!

By: Hoodia Chaser

Hoodia Chaser — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:11:09 +0000

Wow, I just started, and this content on your site helps a lot, thanks for sharing!

By: Sven-Erik

Sven-Erik — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:53:57 +0000

Leave the game alone. Ditch the remnants of the Reserve Clause, make everybody a Free Agent and the rest will take care of itself.
The owners should have listened to Finley when he said “Make ‘em all Free Agents”

By: The D

The D — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:29:34 +0000

I dont understand why baseball needs to be changed at all. A 3 to 4 hour game makes me happy and all these other things just seem nitpicky to me. And we should never look to football for help, especially shortening the game. It is a game that specifically timed for an hour of play that always take 3 hours to actually occur.
By the way, I’m a liberal and I dont want to take out God Bless America, so the republicans douchebags should shut it.
Intentional Walk: Roberto Alomar stole 3rd on an intentional ball.
DH: I dont have an argument for it or against it, it has solid pros and cons, but what bothers me is that in all the discussion about it no one has mentioned what to me is the most important facet. What about pitchers who want to hit?

By: NYMalcontent

NYMalcontent — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:28:40 +0000

thats the best idea i’ve ever heard to speed up the game. I played in a softball league with that rule and the games flew by.

By: rick

rick — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:51:27 +0000

Actually You are right. I think the NFL should also have designated receivers. When a receiver gets open the play stops and the designated reciever gets to come in and attempt the catch. This will keep the good recievers from getting hurt. Whats even better abt the DH rule is that AL pitchers can hide behind the DH to hit batters or come high and tight at whim? Clemmens, Padilla?? Bob Gibson was famous for this..but then he also had the guts to get in the batters box afterwards. Love watching fat 40 yr old men extend their career by simply walking to the batters box 3-4 times a game.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:00:56 +0000

you were mentioning the DH-rule limiting injuries to the pitcher. if the pitchers of the pre-DH rule era were able to be batters without having injuries, why can’t today’s?

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:55:14 +0000

THANK YOU!!!! i know how u feel. it drives me nuts the way the game treats pitchers these days. especially when it comes to the joba chamberlain case. the yankees are almost ruining his chances of being an ace by coming up with these stupid Joba Rules. you’d think they think he’s not a human & he’s made out of porcelain or somethin. but jeez if he’s gonna be a starter then let him throw, let him adapt to pitching deep into games & throwing alot of innings. to be honest i dont know if today’s pitching coaches know a thing about pitchin. it’s almost like everyone thinks a pitcher’s strentgh & ability has to do with how many innings he doesnt throw. if a young pitcher wants to learn how to be great, he’d be better off learning from the greats themselves. another thing, i wish everyone would quit acting like strikeouts are such a big deal. You see pitchers these days trying to strike hitters out & eventually they end up walking hitters & getting into jams. But really they should take the “here it is, hit it” approach. Letting hitters make contact (not too much of course) mostly uses less pitches & preserves strength for the later innings

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:40:45 +0000

roy halladay & cliff lee could teach too

By: Mr. Z

Mr. Z — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:06:47 +0000

Get rid of Tony La Russa

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:44:35 +0000

Craig, jonny5 does have a very good point regarding the “wave the batter to 1st on an IBB.” That’s a silly suggestion. Off the top of my head, I can think of two game-changing plays which occured during IBB sessions: 1) Roger Clemens overthrowing the catcher and allowing the eventual winning run to score (while on the Yankees) and 2) Miguel Cabrera reaching out and poking an IBB pitch into right field for an RBI single, also a game-winning hit. Yes, these things both happened in the past 6 or 7 years, but they were both thrilling, odd moments. You’re taking away part of the game by removing the process. It’s not a given that the balls make it to home plate. Remember that there are way too many different factors in baseball — wind, grip, etc. — that are part of the game.

By: tzzen

tzzen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:44:32 +0000

Fascinating
There are two respondents to this thread whose names indicate that they are female, and the only truly nasty responses to anyone’s comments during this thread are yours, to one of those females. (and trust me I recognize that commenting on this is likely to elicit some kind of vitriolic response from you regarding the fact that I am clearly a dumb bitch who just needs to get some and should otherwise sit down and shut up, but this is just so interesting to me I can’t resist pointing it out) – Other than the tobacco stuff, Ladyfan’s comments were essentially no different than anyone else’s, and frankly as someone who is claiming you want the “tradition”, I should think you would agree with them (i.e. All Star Game shouldn’t determine home field advantage, players shouldn’t be coming up wearing armor, and interleague play blows). She also was unfavorable towards the World Classic seeing it as something that ruins the real season, which again, seems like a sort of traditional point of view. Yet you find her opinions not only completely stupid, you manage to play the Nazi card to insult her while you run her down. And people wonder why women so often tend to hide their identities on the internet.
Oh, and for the record, I have no particular issue with the amount of time a game takes, I don’t think they should change IBB, I think there should be an umpire in the booth to correct RIDICULOUSLY bad calls, I think interleague play should go away, and I think the DH is a bad idea. And on that last issue, I speak as someone who grew up watching AL baseball and never questioning the DH, but as someone who now watches the NL, I like it so much better with the pitcher hitting. If nothing else, I think if you’re going to hit someone with a pitch, you ought to have to get up in that batter’s box yourself at some point

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:19:40 +0000

Managers should be allowed to manage their roster and change pitchers as strategy dictates and as frequentlt as they see fit.
LaRussa will retire someday and this problem leaves with him. No minimum batter requirements per pitcher.
There should only be one allowed mound visit per pitcher before the 2nd visit triggers an automatic replacement (catcher, infielder, coach or manager’s visit, it shouldn’t matter)
Regarding these pitching changes, managers should be required to jog to the mound, they should have only 15 seconds to “discuss things” with the pitcher (not the entire infield..stay at your position or have the outfielders in and bring out water bottles too!), umpires should meet the manager at the mound instead of waiting until he takes “too much time” discussing things before they slowly walk out there and tell them to move things along, relievers should be required to run in from the bullpen (no menacing walks), they should be limited to only 3 warm up pitches when they reach the “game” mound. Between innings they should get only 3 warm up throws too (not 8) and catchers really do not need to throw down to second (and then around the horn)after the last warm up.
Best thing baseball can do is mike and earpiece the pitcher, the manager and the catcher. No more signals. Pitcher wants to throw a fastball high vs a curve..he TELLS the catcher (into his glove)..one… up… If the catcher wants something different, he can tell the pitcher…no..two! (10 times per game?)
If the Manager wants to pitch carefully to a guy, he TELLS the pitcher who (into his glove) TELLS the catcher. Heck, mike the basecoaches and the batting helmets too and they wont be flashing bunches of nonsense either. Signals have gone into QBs and Linebackers like this for years.
For an intentional walk make the pitcher yell “I can’t get you out, so I am not worthy of pitching to you”. IBBs will surely decline.
All star game should be meaningless. Best record gets homefield.
All for 8 doubleheaders per year and 4 more off days! This will shorten the season by a week, get more games into the daytime and force the playoffs back into October
Replay should be used, including strike zone! Why not?
Speed the game up by eliminating G-d Bless America. 7th inning stretch should be Take Me Out To The Ballgame only!
Also battter’s box rules are a joke. Umpires do nothing to keep the game moving. Call a strike if they don’t stay in or call a ball if the pitcher steps off and wanders after each pitch. Make the Umps accountable for time between pitches.

By: Steve S.

Steve S. — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:49:17 +0000

First of all, let’s make it 3 balls, 3 strikes per batter. Do we need 4 balls to draw a walk? Secondly, have a cap on the number of foul balls hit by any batter..say, limit 3 and the next one is an automatic strike and if there’s 2 strikes already, it becomes an out! I agree, eliminate the 7th inning singing of God Bless America. How about something else to take up the time for the fans? As for commercials as someone stated above, this won’t happen, not in today’s money hungry world! Besides, commercials are timed fairly well with inning changes. Last but not least…rainouts. Why keep fans waiting over 2 hours in many cases to complete a game? Reschedule it if at all possible. Why subject players to wet outfields, unlike the infield is always covered. This could cause more injuries.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:04:45 +0000

What I can’t believe is that no one in baseball has decided to eliminate the possibility of anything undesirable happening during an IBB by using a rule that’s already in the book. Rule 8.02(a)(1) – The pitcher shall not Bring his pitching hand in contact with his mouth or lips while in the 18 foot circle surrounding the pitching rubber.
There is unfortunately the bit in the penalty stating that in addition to being called a ball, repeat offenders will be fined…
Also, there’s no real need for new rules about the batters box. If the 12 second rule were enforced, we’d save a ton of time. Also, if it were enforced, it would be easy to impose a limit on the batter calling time. If the pitcher does pitch within 12 seconds, there’s no reason for the batter to call time.

By: R. Snyder

R. Snyder — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:02:17 +0000

I’m with you.

By: DAve

DAve — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:59:21 +0000

If I wanted to watch a clock, I would go to a football, basketball or soccer game(gag, choke,puke). I go to watch a game that I enjoy and could care less if it takes 3+ hours per game. So I spend an extra hour at the ballpark. I could think of worse things.

By: rje49

rje49 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:07:29 +0000

YES! It used to be just Nomar, but now many more do that same ritual. Do those straps loosen so easily that that won’t stay tight for a single pitch – even if the batter doesn’t swing? Maybe better straps, huh?

By: Jay Sigler

Jay Sigler — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:53:02 +0000

The obvious weakness in any attempt to inhibit intentional walks when there are no baserunners is that the catcher does not have to even try to react to the first 3 “wild” pitches, Ball 4 can be blocked in the dirt or maybe really tight inside, perhaps even plunking the batter.
Of course, the umpire still has the power to eject the pitcher, if he rules the batter was hit intentionally. In that case, awarding the batter 2 bases would be an aditional discouragement.
Other ideas to shorten games:
1) Extra innings limited to 1. Ties not made-up.
2) Balls and strikes both 3.
3) Max time between last out and first pitch of next inning to be specified and enforced. Fault? Penalty?
4) All non-game activities permitted only prior to game time.
5) DH for both leagues.
6) Ask Alexander Cartwright for his suggestions.
Of course, any discussion about shortening the length of games flies in the face of concession sales and broadcast advertising revenues. Ain’t gonna happen.

By: Jay Sigler

Jay Sigler — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:40:33 +0000

The problem with a “clearly unhittable ball” is that it is a subjective decision on the part of the umpire beyond his current authority to decide balls and strikes. It requires the umpire to devine intent rather than to describe reality.
Suppose the pitcher mis-steps in his delivery or the ball slips from his grip, then a truly accidental wild pitch would be penalized unfairly.
My proposal is designed to discourage intentional pitches well outside a batters swing range by restricting the catchers ability to react. The pitcher could still throw a “blooper” giving the catcher time to react once the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, but stolen bases would be a counter-acting risk.
With no baserunners, if the pitcher throws 4 such “bloopers” the batter would be awarded 2 bases, thereby discouraging intentional walks.