How to make baseball more interesting

[Moose Milligan]

2 minutes ago, ExileAngelos said:

The shift is killing the game.  I hate to see a rule outlawing it but I have to admit it is probably necessary.

Ok, how is the shift killing the game?

[Redskins Rick]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Ok, how is the shift killing the game?

Putting on my deep, @DrungoHazewood voice.

Shifts have been around baseball since the early 20s.

They used it in the 1946 WS against the great Ted Williams.

 

 

[Sessh]

Most of the changes proposed by people on this are depressing. The game is fine the way it is for the most part. I think replay can be improved (sped up) and fewer commercial breaks would do wonders. The thing that hurt the game more than anything else was all the attention on PED's after many decades of widespread use and the increased performance that came with it. The excitement of the late 90's/early 2000's will likely never be seen again and now everyone wants to know what went wrong. People only want to get the games over with as quickly as possible now eve to the further detriment of the game itself. It's pathetic IMO. The game may be dying, but it's not because of pace of play. It's just not exciting anymore (playoffs aside) and all these changes being proposed would only make the situation worse.

I haven't cared about the NFL in about 14 years now and I feel that baseball is starting to go the same way for me, but it has nothing to do with pace of play or foul balls. Something is missing now that was present for a very long time beforehand and if any of these silly rule changes ever see the light of day, they will just be nails in the proverbial coffin.

[ORIOLE33]

36 minutes ago, ExileAngelos said:

So you can score from second base on a pop up??

That’s what I’m thinking. Lol

[ORIOLE33]

I would definitely get rid of the shift.

[Luke-OH]

The ebb and flow of tactical paradigms (shifts, favored player types, bullpen usage, pitch types, swing type, etc) is one of the most interesting parts of baseball to me. Same with other sports as well. 

[ORIOLE33]

23 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

Putting on my deep, @DrungoHazewood voice.

Shifts have been around baseball since the early 20s.

They used it in the 1946 WS against the great Ted Williams.

 

 

Not to this extent. Eddie Murray was a pull hitter. Do you remember the shift being implemented against him? And I’m not talking about small shifts. I’m talking about these over shifts. 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, ORIOLE33 said:

Not to this extent. Eddie Murray was a pull hitter. Do you remember the shift being implemented against him? And I’m not talking about small shifts. I’m talking about these over shifts. 

I don't understand why folks want to put a limit on strategy.

To me strategy is a good thing.

[ORIOLE33]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

I don't understand why folks want to put a limit on strategy.

To me strategy is a good thing.

IMO, when a hitter hit a clean line drive that lands in front of the right fielder, it should be a hit. Not a long ground out.

[capyy]

Let defenders play wherever they want. The game will adjust. Hitters who can hit the whole field will be valued over guys like Davis. It just takes time because some teams are dumb enough to give guys like Davis 7 year contracts.

[JR Oriole]

I think it is really just a by-product of technology and the smart phone.  People in general (adults and children alike) don't have the same attention spans that they used to.  The instant gratification that comes from communication and information accessible on a phone means people in general are not as patient.  This is obvious to anyone who is driving a car and looks to their left or right when the light turns red.....you will see the driver's head down, undoubtedly looking at their phone. 

Baseball is a game of patience....playing it and watching it.  If you don't have the patience, you won't be able to enjoy it.  Football is different because even though there is actually very little game action in terms of total time over the course of a game, there is still a lot of activity between the actual plays.....substitutions, players moving around, huddles, coaches pacing the field, replays shown on television while the clock runs between plays, etc.  Baseball just seems to afford its viewers with a lot more opportunities during the game to shift their eyes from the field to their phones.  Batters staying in the box and pitchers being ready to throw immediately after getting the ball back would be a huge help.  So would having fewer pitching changes.

[waroriole]

I’m not sure if #5 or non-tendering Bundy is a worse idea. 

The high strikeout numbers are concerning and take away from the enjoyment of the game slightly. But I don’t like over-regulating baseball. It will change as it needs to. 

[scbalt52]

I do think they should limit the shifts. Something like there should be 2 infielders on each side of second base, no crossing over.

[Moose Milligan]

7 minutes ago, ORIOLE33 said:

IMO, when a hitter hit a clean line drive that lands in front of the right fielder, it should be a hit. Not a long ground out.

Or they can try to hit it to the opposite field.

Yeah, seeing what should be a base hit sucks but it's the strategy of the game.  Limiting strategy because ADHD little Timmy finds baseball boring isn't going to make ADHD little Timmy want to play the game.

Let's be clear here, we're kicking around what WE'D like to see.  But we are diehard fans and will watch no matter what, we all spend an inordinate amount of time on here talking about the game.  We aren't going anywhere.  The overriding worry here is that "KIDS DON'T LIKE THE GAME, ITS TOO SLOW AND BORING."

Keep that in mind.

So are the two or three hits (I'm guessing) that the shift takes away in a game enough to dissuade ADHD little Timmy from liking baseball?

If not, what IS keeping ADHD little Timmy away from liking baseball?  Is ADHD little Timmy going to care whether a manager has to walk to the mound for a pitching change or not?  

How do you get ADHD little Timmy into liking baseball?  That's the matter at hand here, not what us old fartknockers want to see.

[TAMC]

I don't think the pace of the game is the underlying problem.  Of course, that is an opinion based on my experience living where I do.  I think that to enjoy baseball, either a 2 hour version or a 3 hour version, you have to have a basic understanding of the game so that you can appreciate the nuances and undercurrents as the game goes along.  I know that football is like that and I suspect other games are also.  Today kids are in a large number of activities with parents rushing from one activity to another.  As a result, even those kids who play Little League or other leagues only play baseball at scheduled practice times and the rest of their lives they are at other organized activities.  I see lots of kids who play a little bit of baseball, never learn much about it, and quit when they are 7 or 8, with a few not even knowing to run to first instead of third when they hit the ball.  This is not a rant against current lifestyles, I just think the attendance problem in baseball (and other sports soon if not now) is more fundamental than small rule changes can address.  That being the case, I would vote for leaving the game alone.  I have always heard baseball being praised for the perfect balance between the distance to bases, the speed of players, and the time to field and throw a ball.  I like the idea of players being forced to at least try to guide hits -- not only to beat a shift but also to hit behind a runner, execute a hit and run, etc.  Just another old codger I guess.