With MLB All-Star Game festivities concluded and no baseball for the next few days, now it's time for what's become my annual look at the state of baseball:
John Sterling had a great idea about how you improve baseball on a recent Yankees broadcast. Tell the fans why.
Like when a player looks like he’s safe at second base, but they call him out, then the team at bat doesn’t challenge for replay. Why not put up on the scoreboard where a guy was tagged? Or, maybe he was out of the baseline? There are 40,000-50,000 people at every major league baseball game and only the few by home plate can see an umpire’s gestures to the official scorer. Even fewer know what they mean.
Why not on plays at home plate have an imaginary area behind the plate where a base runner can swipe his hand or foot to avoid injury? It’s ike the two bases at first base to avoid collisions in Little League and softball. It’s not like this concept doesn’t exist already.
Relief pitchers- after warming up in the bullpen do you really need to spend another 3-4 minutes warming up again? Let him throw two pitches and move on.
Realign the divisions to make it more interesting. In the AL East Toronto, Boston, Tampa, New York, Baltimore is a little boring to be honest with you. Combine the leagues and have four divisions that are strategically set up. I’d like to see the Yankees play the Mets 20 times, that would be interesting. The Phillies, Orioles…think about it, that would be great!. Everything is a train ride away. Truly Old School.
Playing 20-30 straight days, teams/players should automatically have a day off. Play scheduled day-night doubleheaders again so you can throw in that extra day. And, I already see some of the teams moving their getaway games to a 3 or 4pm start time instead of 1pm so people don’t have to miss a whole day of work or school.
I also think there should be a clock on the time a team can decide to challenge a play (i.e. the new replay rules). I think you should have 60 seconds…better yet, 30. Otherwise everybody’s going to the monitor anyway, regardless of whether they do challenge, and they’re wasting time. Play the game!
I also think they should get going with the netting already. Too many people are getting hurt. Bats, wild throws, etc. It’s just too dangerous. It should be from 1st to 3rd base all the way around. You see it in college baseball right now and it works.
Those are my thoughts. What would you change?
There should be a time limit on rain delays. Some are too long.