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Baseball is on ESPN, quite regularly in fact.
I agree that baseball needs to change, but not in all of the ways you've suggested. Really, all they need to do is shorten the season. Baseball is rather exciting in the later months of the season.
Look I'm not a fan of baseball---I think it's a very slow, very boring game with little entertainment value, but I just can't help but notice that I'm far from being in the minority here. I think it's obvious that if baseball ever wants to become popular again, then it's going to have to make MAJOR changes, and since I've seen the issue raised recently on ESPN and other networks, I was just going to propose my own solutions, and see if yall agree with them.
1) For the love of God make the games go faster. I don't care if you have to cut 2 innings. Not even baseball purists want to watch 3 1/2 hour games. Casual fans will certainly never get involved with the sport if the games continue to be this long. If you're trying to attract new demographics, then the length of the games is by the far the biggest issue.
2) Shorten the season. 162 games is wayyyyyy too long. It serves to almost completely devalue the regular season and with so many games there's no lasting sense of good feeling associated with the teams. They play too much and the losses pile up. If you have 80 games, and a 60-20 team, then there's a real sense of accomplishment from the fan base. But when you play 162....and your team goes 100-62.....ehh not so much.
3) Fundamentally change the game. Yeah, this one will probably never happen, but you can't just have 9 guys just standing out there on the field for 3 1/2 hours not even moving. We watch sports to see great athletic feats. Not an outfielder scratch his ass for 3 hours. Somehow baseball has got to make their game more entertaining. It can't just be the pitcher and the batter dueling it out 95% of the time during the game. Maybe have the other team on the field trying to disrupt the other team from making a play on the ball and getting outs? I don't know. They have to do something.
4) Get on ESPN!!!!!!!!! Nobody watches Fox. Fox is boring. ESPN is young and hip. Young people watch ESPN. Old people watch Fox. I know ESPN has a Wednesday night baseball game, and a Sunday night baseball game, but that's nothing. , College football has 16 games on ESPN networks alone every Saturday during the season. Even if ESPN pays you half of what Fox or other networks that nobody watches pays you---take it! Popularity is everything. The money will come later.
I know, I know. Baseball is never going to change their game. They'd rather suffer the embarrassment of empty stadiums and low TV ratings rather than change. But one of these days literally 0 people will show up to a Miami Marlins game and they'll have to eventually address the games flaws. Or they can just fade quietly away as they've been doing for the last 20 years. Their choice.
Baseball is on ESPN, quite regularly in fact.
I agree that baseball needs to change, but not in all of the ways you've suggested. Really, all they need to do is shorten the season. Baseball is rather exciting in the later months of the season.
LOL someone who doesn't like the sport wanting a change. outta here.
Baseball purists have been, not only watched full cover to cover baseball for decades but also encourage the act.
I consider myself a casual fan and even I watch the games in its entirety the time I watch them.
The problem with shortening the season is that the off season would seen too long. Only way that works is if they move up opening day.
hyping that network ESPN.
Thank god for Fox Sports 1.
I can watch 162 games of baseball, start to end, and not be bored for a single minute of it.
OP = got
I would watch Baseball more often if I had Red Sox coverage here.
The biggest change that needs to be made is for that senile, out-of-touch got Bud Selig to retire or be booted out by the owners, tbh....
After that, a salary cap and salary floor ought to be put in.... the salary floor is especially important to prevent s -of-the-Earth owners like Loria from scamming any more taxpayers and destroying any more franchises....
Finally, eliminate the designated hitter.... if you're too fat, lazy, or incompetent to play defense, you don't belong in the major leagues (pitchers excluded from that criteria of course)..... the DH also prevents managers from having to strategize at all in the AL, making AL baseball boring as .....
^ You're already contracting yourself.
Cant have one without the other.
If you have a beef with fat, lazy s, a fat lazy pitcher should not be exempt.
I'm mainly just saying if you can't catch, play defense, or pitch, you don't belong in the majors, tbh.... obviously pitchers shouldn't be lazy either, but I'm talking about position players....
The OP probably never played baseball or was never any good at it.
I would like if they limited the timeouts in baseball. Games seem like they take so much longer now than they used to in the 80s. I mean why does a batter have to step out of the box after every pitch?
I don't mind teams who "try to buy championships." That method will fail, and the teams who do that end up regretting it pretty quickly. You win by developing your farm system and a few low risk trades/signings. Plus all the good players get locked up by their original teams. The game is fine as it is other than giving the team who wins the play in wildcard game the first 2 games at home. That better not happen again.
Well I see I stumbled upon a lot of baseball lovers here who think there's nothing wrong with the game. Figures.
You guys are in denial. You may enjoy it. The casual fan does not. That's why baseball has empty stadiums and low TV ratings. That was my point. Either change or get left behind. Right now baseball is getting left behind.
You guys are honestly okay with where Baseball stands right now and where it's going? Hockey is even becoming more popular...Come on. They've simply got to do something. At least shorten the season. Speed up the games. Get on ESPN. At least do that. At least try to appeal to the younger generation and casual fans.
I don't mind the DH. But I think it puts AL at more of a disadvantage when playing in the NL. They both should have the same rules. IMO, the DH should be in both leagues. Pitchers should have no business batting. Having a guaranteed out in the lineup every 9 batters is much more boring and pointless IMO.
Pitchers batting adds challenge to the game and forces managers to strategize around that instead of being glorified cheerleaders like they are in the AL, tbh.....
Yeah it can. That's the heart and soul of baseball. Furthermore, 95 mph fastballs, breaking balls, and sliders are "great athletic feats," which happen anywhere from 10 to 30 times an inning, but sadly ESPN has convinced your plebeian brain that "athletic" feats only come in the form of jumping real high and running real fast.
Last edited by midnightpulp; 05-31-2013 at 11:00 AM.
I don't disagree. But I would rather my pitchers focus entirely on pitching.
This. People who appreciate the game, knows just how amazing some of the stuff pitchers do, and how difficult it is for hitters to try to figure and predict pitchers.
Hate the DH. Get rid of it. This will speed up the game some.
Replay needed on all scoring plays (HR and Safe/Out at home, only), but not other safe/out, fair/foul, ball/strike, and is determined by a replay ump independant of the game. Coach comes out to challenge, and the call goes up stairs for quicker review.
The rest is just fine.
I'm cool with random strike zones, ump errors, 162 3+ hour games.
I do think every team should have a minimum of 40 weekday home games a season (mostly during summer months), and at least one double-header a month. Love these.
Basically what CN said. Eliminate the DH and bring in some type of salary cap.
Agree with this.
I don't care about whether or not the DH/pitcher hits but it should be the same in both leagues. The fact that it's the 21st century and certain teams play by different rules than others seems pretty re ed.
agreed
until then, stoops needs to get dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn
Never got people who think baseball is easy or boring. I agree that not every game is exciting, but damn there is so much athleticism involved with playing.
That throw from third to first is hard as , plus on some grounders the infielder will make an off target throw and most of the time the first baseman will stretch out and make the catch like it's nothing. They make all that look so routine when really it's incredibly difficult.
Plus you have outfielders making crazy catches and cutoff throws, all these guys have laser arms. And have you ever tried to hit a 95 mph fastball? It's almost impossible for most.
I do think they need to get rid of the All Star game World Series rule where the winner automatically has homefield in the Fall Classic. The best win/loss record should ALWAYS determine that.
yeah I like how Bud Selig implemented that after the Tie in 2002 as if it would magically solve the 'running out of pitchers' predicament
The WS home field rule is dumb. That can go.
I don't like the DH. Never have. Learn defense or punch hit as a bench player.
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