The Future Of Baseball

[MongoBoy]

6 hours ago, sevastras said:

I dont watch soccer unless it is the men's World Cup.  I dont like basketball any more.  I am watching less and less football because it has gotten soft.  But I would say I watch on average 100 full games of baseball a year on tv(I dont live close to a professional stadium and I hate going to rookie league games because they are a sloppy mess).  I am 39, so I guess I am getting old.  My wife probably watches 50 or so games a year and she is definitely old, 36.  

 

Time to dump her and get a 35 year old.

[scOtt]

 

[survivedc]

6 hours ago, camdencrush said:

Baseball is very expensive to play and you can't play it that effectively with no equipment and a couple of friends.  With football all you need is a ball 2 people.  With basketball a ball and a hoop and 2 people.  Baseball, unless you're hitting off a tee or throwing into one of those bounce back nets (which gets boring quickly), you just can't do by yourself.  Besides playing catch I guess.  But how much can you do that?  Baseball is going the way of the dodo because it hasn't (and probably won't) adapt to a changing environment.  We can't be mad at people for not being entertained by a sport that was basically the only form of entertainment aside from movies in its heyday.

 

 

Playing baseball with 2 people is just as authentic as playing football with two people. Maybe even more so, if you have a bucket of balls you can reasonably imitate the batter-pitcher experience. In fact, Patterson park near me, I’ve seen significantly more people playing some version of baseball than I have seen playing a version of football.

[survivedc]

I don’t think baseball’s problem is that it’s boring to play, it’s that it is boring to watch if you aren’t involved. Football had turned it into a one day a week event (technically 3 sure) basketball has a continuous loop of explosive plays and dynamic personalities (at least they have convinced most of America they are). 
 

Baseball certainly needs to do a better job of getting less privileged youth involved. The cost to furnish equipment and facilities for a few leagues in each city they are based is a drop in the bucket to teams, and while I know this happens to a degree, I wish they did more.

[Malike]

Part of baseball not appealing to more young kids is likely due to the fact that it's nearly impossible, unlike football or basketball to get drafted and become an impact player right away. The roll of the dice is pretty huge, and some guys would rather try for the millions and play time right away rather than toiling around in the MiL for years.

[DrungoHazewood]

11 hours ago, MongoBoy said:

Main reason, that I see, is that volunteers don't want to deal with parents, especially fathers, who are trying to live their pathetic lives thru their kids and cause problems at every game.  And then, those kids mouth off to the adults cause they see their parents do it and it becomes ingrained in their tiny brains that it's alright.  No discipline from top to bottom.

There is something to that.  I've been lucky and my kids teams haven't had any really toxic parents.  But you hear stories. 

6 hours ago, survivedc said:

I don’t think baseball’s problem is that it’s boring to play, it’s that it is boring to watch if you aren’t involved.

At higher levels it gets more engaging. Younger players often don't have any action, and when the ball finally comes to them they're unprepared and look silly.  And they bat a few times a game and often strike out.

But even at the highest levels, for example, Nick Markakis sees less than two chances a game in the field.

2 hours ago, Malike said:

Part of baseball not appealing to more young kids is likely due to the fact that it's nearly impossible, unlike football or basketball to get drafted and become an impact player right away. The roll of the dice is pretty huge, and some guys would rather try for the millions and play time right away rather than toiling around in the MiL for years.

Is that really a thing?  I find it a little hard to believe that 11-year-olds are not playing baseball because their favorite wide receiver only has to spend 2-3 years in college but a high school shortstop might spend 4-5 years in the minors.  Manny, Harper, and Trout were all in the majors on or just before their 20th birthdays. 

[eddie83]

This article says youth baseball participation is on the rise. 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/40002827

 

I think baseball has its issues like any sport but I don’t think things are nearly as bad as the perception at times is from some.  

[LA2]

It might help baseball in the new pandemic epoch that during the greater part of a game all of the players except the catcher are already usually socially distanced. A modification of his mask would solve the catcher's problem and batters and runners would wear replaceable flip-up or -around masks at the plate or on the bases. Ditto for fielders when about to head into close-proximity or contact situations such as converging on a flyball or a stolen base attempt. Players would become as adept at mask-flipping as they used to be with their shades.

Alternatively, the masks could be remote-controlled by either infield and outfield coaches or a local sports health official in a great seat.

Pitchers would work more quickly and batters decrease average pitches per at-bat to minimize time in the high-risk batter/catcher/umpire sector, thereby making the game less boring. Less pitches, Ks, BBs, and probably home runs, less dawdling by either pitcher or batter between pitches: we'd be back to the classic game albeit by unanticipated means.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, LA2 said:

It might help in the new pandemic epoch that during the greater part of a game all of the players except the catcher are socially distanced. A modification of his mask would solve the catcher's problem and batters and runners would wear replaceable flip-down or -around masks at the plate or on the bases. Ditto for fielders when about to head into close-proximity or contact situations such as converging on a flyball or a stolen base attempt. Players would become as adept at mask-flipping as they used to be with their shades.

Alternatively, the masks could be remote-controlled by either infield and outfield coaches or a local sports health official in a great seat.

Pitchers would work more quickly and batters decrease average pitches per at-bat to minimize time in the high-risk batter/catcher/umpire sector, thereby making the game less boring. Less pitches, Ks, BBs, and probably home runs, less dawdling by either pitcher or batter between pitches: we'd be back to the classic game albeit by very unanticipated means.

They need to outlaw the shift to promote social distancing on the right side of the infield.

[Moose Milligan]

4 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

 

Is that really a thing?  I find it a little hard to believe that 11-year-olds are not playing baseball because their favorite wide receiver only has to spend 2-3 years in college but a high school shortstop might spend 4-5 years in the minors.  Manny, Harper, and Trout were all in the majors on or just before their 20th birthdays. 

Yeah, that's really a thing.  Maybe not 11 year olds but as they get older towards college and need to pick a sport to pursue...if you get drafted by the NBA, you're going to be on the team in the fall...and now you only have to go to college for one year before you get drafted...and some players are even skipping that, playing a pro season overseas or going to the NBA development league.  Same with the NFL, unless you don't make it through training camp.  But you WILL at least be at camp.  High chance if you're drafted in the 5th rounder or higher, you'll make the team.  

Manny, Harper and Trout were all in the majors before their 20th birthdays but they're the exception and not the rule.  

The path to MLB is significantly harder than it is for the NFL or NBA as those two leagues essentially use college as their minor leagues.  I mean, look at Kyler Murray.  Dude was going to have to spend a few years in the A's system even though he was drafted 9th overall.  Enters the NFL draft and gets picked first and is the starting QB for the Cardinals in week 1 and won Rookie of the Year.  

[DrungoHazewood]

11 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yeah, that's really a thing.  Maybe not 11 year olds but as they get older towards college and need to pick a sport to pursue...if you get drafted by the NBA, you're going to be on the team in the fall...and now you only have to go to college for one year before you get drafted...and some players are even skipping that, playing a pro season overseas or going to the NBA development league.  Same with the NFL, unless you don't make it through training camp.  But you WILL at least be at camp.  High chance if you're drafted in the 5th rounder or higher, you'll make the team.  

Manny, Harper and Trout were all in the majors before their 20th birthdays but they're the exception and not the rule.  

The path to MLB is significantly harder than it is for the NFL or NBA as those two leagues essentially use college as their minor leagues.  I mean, look at Kyler Murray.  Dude was going to have to spend a few years in the A's system even though he was drafted 9th overall.  Enters the NFL draft and gets picked first and is the starting QB for the Cardinals in week 1 and won Rookie of the Year.  

Okay, so maybe that's a thing for high-end prospects.  But I don't think that's anywhere in the decision making process for kids trying to figure out if they want to play football or soccer or baseball or (more likely) sitting on the couch eating Cheetos playing Fortnite (admitting only the olds think Fortnite is still a thing).

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Okay, so maybe that's a thing for high-end prospects.  But I don't think that's anywhere in the decision making process for kids trying to figure out if they want to play football or soccer or baseball or (more likely) sitting on the couch eating Cheetos playing Fortnite (admitting only the olds think Fortnite is still a thing).

Cheeto dust on a PS4 controller is hell.

I think you are correct, it's a thing for high end prospects but as kids get more and more advanced I think it's a thing for younger kids as well.  I mean, I don't think Bryce Harper had any interest in putting on shoulder pads or soccer cleats when he was playing baseball as a teenager.  It's not like it was when we were growing up, younger kids are in developmental leagues, showcase leagues, select leagues for different sports.  My buddies daughter is about 10, she plays lacrosse all year round and seemingly has tournaments to go to every weekend.  Is she going to go to UNC or Loyola on scholarship?  I dunno, but that's what the other girls in these leagues are aiming for.  

[DrungoHazewood]

1 minute ago, Moose Milligan said:

Cheeto dust on a PS4 controller is hell.

I think you are correct, it's a thing for high end prospects but as kids get more and more advanced I think it's a thing for younger kids as well.  I mean, I don't think Bryce Harper had any interest in putting on shoulder pads or soccer cleats when he was playing baseball as a teenager.  It's not like it was when we were growing up, younger kids are in developmental leagues, showcase leagues, select leagues for different sports.  My buddies daughter is about 10, she plays lacrosse all year round and seemingly has tournaments to go to every weekend.  Is she going to go to UNC or Loyola on scholarship?  I dunno, but that's what the other girls in these leagues are aiming for.  

Parents and kids aim for all kinds of stuff.  My kids are both on travel soccer teams and that doesn't mean they're even going make the high school team, and only a handful of kids on the good high school teams play college soccer.  The vast majority of 10-year-olds will peak in middle school or maybe high school.

I'm not going to convince anyone to be realistic, especially not the parents screaming at the ref and the coaches in a U11 league.  But making sports decisions for 10-year-olds based on how quick you can get to the top level is like putting down a deposit on a house in Baltimore when you're playing in the Gulf Coast League.

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, DrungoHazewood said:

Parents and kids aim for all kinds of stuff.  My kids are both on travel soccer teams and that doesn't mean they're even going make the high school team, and only a handful of kids on the good high school teams play college soccer.  The vast majority of 10-year-olds will peak in middle school or maybe high school.

I'm not going to convince anyone to be realistic, especially not the parents screaming at the ref and the coaches in a U11 league.  But making sports decisions for 10-year-olds based on how quick you can get to the top level is like putting down a deposit on a house in Baltimore when you're playing in the Gulf Coast League.

I don't disagree at all.  

Maybe I was naive back then but I don't think it was this serious when I was growing up.  

[DrungoHazewood]

7 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I don't disagree at all.  

Maybe I was naive back then but I don't think it was this serious when I was growing up.  

I don't think it was.  But you can see how the progression worked.  Years ago people formed all star teams.  Then the all star teams played each other, and the coaches said "hey, why don't we make a whole league of just all star teams?"  And a few decades later you're not taking Johnny's and Suzy's future as seriously as the other parents unless you're driving seven hours to a tournament in North Carolina every three weeks.  Someone is always willing to be just a little crazier, and that ratchets the whole thing upwards.

When my boys were in rec soccer and little league I was perfectly fine with them doing that.  Then they tried out for RecPlus just for anyway, and they both made it.  As a parent you're like "that's cool, maybe my boys are pretty good."  Then the oldest makes a travel team, and you think "Huh, my kid is a travel soccer player.  He's pretty awesome." It's easy to get swept up.  Although it helps that they're on teams with good, sane coaches and really good parents and kids.  If they were on these sadistic teams that are laser focused on college and pro development I'm sure they'd have already quit.