Major League Baseball (Part 1)

Baseball being boring is a feature, not a bug. It’s nice having a sport that doesn’t demand your full attention at all times. I love to crack open a cold one, grab a few articles to read, and put on some baseball in the evening. Of course that isn’t popular in the NOW NOW NOW YESSS COCAINE NFL Redzone smartphone culture. A Trumpkin I know who’s massively in debt to NFL betting doesn’t like baseball and hates soccer because “there’s no scoring,” which is ironic b/c he’s a huge Panthers homer.

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There has to be a rule on requesting baseballs. Each baseball only lasts one or two pitches nowadays. Completely ridiculous.

usually if i go to a game in person I barely watch the game and still have a blast.

when I worked a job that was long and monotonous, turning on the baseball game on the radio was wonderful. didn’t require close attention

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Not recently

Good Lord, no! I think some ideas sound good in theory, but you have to think of how they will work in practice. Do we want games or even exciting innings ending on a foul pop-up that goes into the seats? “Pop up, foul on the 3rd base side, and the game is over!!!” Same problem with pitch clocks. Bases loaded, two outs in the 9th and the game ends on a pitch clock violation? Are there adjustments to the proposed rules that would cover these situations that I haven’t heard about? Because just forcing a ball for any and all pitch clock violations seems like a bad idea.

In the somewhat competitive beer league softball league I played in for 10+ years you started with a 1-1 count and got “one to waste”. So if you hit a foul ball when you had 2 strikes it was an out. Was always hilarious to see new players reactions that didn’t understand that rule and then realize they struck out in softball because they hit a foul ball. Great way to get 7 softball innings done in an hour. Would be terrible for all the reasons you mentioned in MLB.

Separately, I went to a couple double A games this year and the pitch clock was glorious. I think both times there were like 10 total runs scored and the game took under 2:20. Fantastic idea there.

I guess I’m okay with pitch clock in general, but I don’t think the minor leagues can really duplicate the majors in terms of drama in a packed 50,000 seat stadium. We’ve never seen what the pitch clock looks like in that situation. I just think if a pitcher walks in the winning run in a really important game because he was caught in a pitch-clock violation, that it would be an extremely lame way to end a ballgame, especially a post-season game.

In a statement Friday, the Major League Baseball Players Association explained why players on the competition committee voted unanimously against the implementation of the pitch clock and banning of the shift.

“Player leaders from across the league were engaged in on-field rules negotiations through the Competition Committee, and they provided specific and actionable feedback on the changes proposed by the Commissioner’s Office,” the statement read. “Major League Baseball was unwilling to meaningfully address the areas of concern that Players raised, and, as a result, Players on the Competition Committee voted unanimously against the implementation of the rules covering defensive shifts and use of pitch timer.”

Will be interesting to see if the players make a concerted effort to sabotage the chit out of this come spring training.

What’s wrong with that?

Rules of sports should not depend on the in-game situation.

It’s boring. How exciting will the replay of the end of the game be? On Sports Center should we see the entire pitch-clock violation from start to finish, or just the last five seconds of it? Games would end with people standing around, and not with a pitch being thrown.

Fine. Just the first 6 innings or something.

Oh there’ll definitely find ways to game the system.

Curious to see what video Baseball Doesn’t Exist releases on this.

I suppose they could do something like if it’s a save situation or tie in the 9th, the pitch clock goes away.

Which is the original meaning of the word ‘sabotage’: the deliberate withdraw of cooperation by working folk. And indirectly, the source of Sabo the dog’s name. That said…

I can’t imagine MLB players taking such actions. They’ve never done anything like that before. And, they are aware they already bargained away this issue when they caved to the lockout.

the date of that article is june and it’s pretty dumb, balls don’t go as far in colder weather is why june beats april/early may

but since you asked Dead Ball Tracker | Ballpark Pal

it’s still down 16% overall for the last month or so and 25% overall

I’m sure a game has ended on a balk. Also, just uh throw the ball before time runs out.

i’m sorry but the nothing happening drama of playoff baseball fucking sucks and you lose very little by making them throw the damn ball

They should just create a baseball that grows larger when it is in the pitchers hand.

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Or our new robot overlord umpires could have a strike zone that starts a couple of inches bigger than the rule book strike zone and starts shrinking.

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LOL at MLB. Their #6 seed is better than their #5 seed.