PLAY BALL!
This doesn’t have anything to do with my books, but I happen to be an avid baseball fan, and with the sport now in full swing, some thoughts come to mind as to what changes I’d like to make to the game if it were up to me. Just to add my voice to the many others who love the game but at the same time are critical of certain aspects of it, mainly to speed it up and make the
boring parts of it less boring. For what it’s worth, here are my ideas:
1. Eliminate extra innings. Spring training games can end in a tie, and I believe I heard once that Japanese baseball games can also end in a tie. So why not???
2. Limit the number of foul balls a batter can hit before he’s out. This would eliminate the boring practice of hitting foul ball after foul ball after foul ball just to wear down the pitcher.
3. Eliminate stealing. Make it so that the runner must stay on the bag all the time until the next guy either hits or walks. This would eliminate the pitcher’s having to keep an eye on would be base stealers and keep throwing the ball in that direction in hopes of getting them out. Why not just make it so that if the runner gets off the bag even for a second, he’s OUT??
4. Eliminate intentional walks. They’re always a waste.
5. Put a clock on the pitcher, comparable to the shot clock in basketball. Give him a certain number of seconds to make the pitch, and if he takes longer, the batter walks. This would help speed up “slow” pitchers.
6. Eliminate closers and the save situation. Closers usually seem to be the worst pitchers on the team, so why put one in at the end when it’s a close game? What a waste.
7. Eliminate pitch counts and the practice of taking the pitcher out after a certain number of times that he throws the ball. Let the starter get a complete game if he’s doing a good job. Bullpen pitchers should be used ONLY if needed, not automatically after a certain number of pitches. The legendary Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller would have agreed. He thought
today’s pitchers are “soft”, having to be taken out after a particular number of pitches. Which, of
course, they are.
That being said, PLAY BALL!!!
boring parts of it less boring. For what it’s worth, here are my ideas:
1. Eliminate extra innings. Spring training games can end in a tie, and I believe I heard once that Japanese baseball games can also end in a tie. So why not???
2. Limit the number of foul balls a batter can hit before he’s out. This would eliminate the boring practice of hitting foul ball after foul ball after foul ball just to wear down the pitcher.
3. Eliminate stealing. Make it so that the runner must stay on the bag all the time until the next guy either hits or walks. This would eliminate the pitcher’s having to keep an eye on would be base stealers and keep throwing the ball in that direction in hopes of getting them out. Why not just make it so that if the runner gets off the bag even for a second, he’s OUT??
4. Eliminate intentional walks. They’re always a waste.
5. Put a clock on the pitcher, comparable to the shot clock in basketball. Give him a certain number of seconds to make the pitch, and if he takes longer, the batter walks. This would help speed up “slow” pitchers.
6. Eliminate closers and the save situation. Closers usually seem to be the worst pitchers on the team, so why put one in at the end when it’s a close game? What a waste.
7. Eliminate pitch counts and the practice of taking the pitcher out after a certain number of times that he throws the ball. Let the starter get a complete game if he’s doing a good job. Bullpen pitchers should be used ONLY if needed, not automatically after a certain number of pitches. The legendary Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller would have agreed. He thought
today’s pitchers are “soft”, having to be taken out after a particular number of pitches. Which, of
course, they are.
That being said, PLAY BALL!!!
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