Proposed changes for MLB, courtesy of Bob Klapisch

[section314]

In todays Star Ledger on NJ.Com.   He had 6, I cut it to 4.

1) Start season in May........weather in most of country just terrible in late March and April. Would result in shorter season. maybe somewhere between 140-154 games. Have a few scheduled Double Headers before scheduled days off.

2) 10 run rule after 7 innings.............losing team would trigger. Idea is to save pitching staffs. Speaking of which.....

3) Limit staffs to 12 guys, 5 staters and 7 relievers.  Limit pitching changes, speed up games. Average game last year 3hr, 10 minutes. Make starters actually pitch and earn their $

4) Have an enforced 20 second pitch clock, including playoffs and WS. Last 30 years, WS games have ended after 11 PM.

The premise here is to speed up the games and to cut out the crap. Ratings go down every year. People are telling MLB that the games are too long.

All in all, not a bad list. I would have added eliminating Wild Cards, but that's a discussion for another day.?  Let's have at it.

[Lith]

1.  I would not want to wait until May to start the season, but April 15 would work better.  And first week of the season, games should be played where home teams are either warm weather teams or play in domes.  Opening at home in NY on March 31 is ridulous.  Home opener around April 22 shoud be fine.  A few scheduled doubleheaders would be great.  9 inning doubleheaders.

2.  Don't like it, but I can live iwth it.

3.  Would have to know details of how you are limiting piching changes.  I have openers, bullpen games, etc.  Would love to see them find a way to bring the traditional starter back into the game.  I remembere when guys would start 40 games a year and finish 30 of them.  And pitchers seemed healtheir then than now when barely anybody throws 200 innings anymore.

4.  All for an enforced pitch clock.

 

[jago]

20 hours ago, Lith said:

 

3.  Would have to know details of how you are limiting piching changes.  I have openers, bullpen games, etc.  Would love to see them find a way to bring the traditional starter back into the game.  I remembere when guys would start 40 games a year and finish 30 of them.  And pitchers seemed healtheir then than now when barely anybody throws 200 innings anymore.

 

 

i think he means that just limiting number of pitchers on hand forces the issue.

[EM31]

I like pitch clock idea but it is unenforceable unless you have a corresponding don't-step-out-of-the -batters-box on every damned pitch like Derek Jeter used to do.   Single-handedly\y added a ton of time to every game.

[TuscanyTile2]

On 2/6/2022 at 9:20 AM, section314 said:

In todays Star Ledger on NJ.Com.   He had 6, I cut it to 4.

1) Start season in May........weather in most of country just terrible in late March and April. Would result in shorter season. maybe somewhere between 140-154 games. Have a few scheduled Double Headers before scheduled days off.

2) 10 run rule after 7 innings.............losing team would trigger. Idea is to save pitching staffs. Speaking of which.....

3) Limit staffs to 12 guys, 5 staters and 7 relievers.  Limit pitching changes, speed up games. Average game last year 3hr, 10 minutes. Make starters actually pitch and earn their $

4) Have an enforced 20 second pitch clock, including playoffs and WS. Last 30 years, WS games have ended after 11 PM.

The premise here is to speed up the games and to cut out the crap. Ratings go down every year. People are telling MLB that the games are too long.

All in all, not a bad list. I would have added eliminating Wild Cards, but that's a discussion for another day.?  Let's have at it.

1) I'd be good with a shorter season.  I agree with the other poster who said to start the season April 15th.  But they should still shorten the season enough that it would start later but end earlier.

2) Not sure what that means.  If you're down 10 after 7 then the game just ends?  Seems embarrassing for a pro league to do that but okay.

3) I don't love the staff limits nor limiting pitching changes.  My solution would be to not allow a relief pitcher to throw warm-ups on the mound.  Or maybe give them 1-2 warm-up pitches and that's it.  The idea would be that the bullpen should be used for warming up a pitcher. 

4) I don't like having baseball become a timed game.  It's the one sport that isn't timed and I'd like it to keep it that way.  Also, it's a summertime game.  There's no hurry.  If they want to expedite the game, make games 7 innings (or maybe 8?) instead of 9.  It would be a massive change but I can't think of another way to maintain the integrity of the game while shortening it.  Starters go 5 innings now instead of 6-7 so maybe change the game length accordingly.  

I fully agree about eliminating the wildcard btw.  Too many teams make the playoffs.  It's a joke already.  They play so many games in regular season that it needs to matter more than it does.  The Dodgers and Giants won like 107 and 108 games but neither even made the world series.  

Btw, I think analytics have changed the game in a way that, while logical, have made the sport less interesting.  For example, the shift makes sense but look at the effects.  We now have the "3 outcome game" (HR, K, BB).  It's so boring watching everyone try to be Rob Deer (shout-out to T0mShane for mentioning that name not that long ago).  Also, the game is losing the human element.  Managers used to have more of a say and they used to have personality.  Nowadays the stat nerds tell the manager how to handle the team.  Sports are supposed to be fun.  Now they're so "clinical".  There's no judgment anymore about letting a starter stay in the game because he's "feeling it" that day.  Or a hitter on a red-hot streak getting benched for his "regular rest", etc.

[section314]

13 hours ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

1) I'd be good with a shorter season.  I agree with the other poster who said to start the season April 15th.  But they should still shorten the season enough that it would start later but end earlier.

2) Not sure what that means.  If you're down 10 after 7 then the game just ends?  Seems embarrassing for a pro league to do that but okay.

3) I don't love the staff limits nor limiting pitching changes.  My solution would be to not allow a relief pitcher to throw warm-ups on the mound.  Or maybe give them 1-2 warm-up pitches and that's it.  The idea would be that the bullpen should be used for warming up a pitcher. 

4) I don't like having baseball become a timed game.  It's the one sport that isn't timed and I'd like it to keep it that way.  Also, it's a summertime game.  There's no hurry.  If they want to expedite the game, make games 7 innings (or maybe 8?) instead of 9.  It would be a massive change but I can't think of another way to maintain the integrity of the game while shortening it.  Starters go 5 innings now instead of 6-7 so maybe change the game length accordingly.  

I fully agree about eliminating the wildcard btw.  Too many teams make the playoffs.  It's a joke already.  They play so many games in regular season that it needs to matter more than it does.  The Dodgers and Giants won like 107 and 108 games but neither even made the world series.  

Btw, I think analytics have changed the game in a way that, while logical, have made the sport less interesting.  For example, the shift makes sense but look at the effects.  We now have the "3 outcome game" (HR, K, BB).  It's so boring watching everyone try to be Rob Deer (shout-out to T0mShane for mentioning that name not that long ago).  Also, the game is losing the human element.  Managers used to have more of a say and they used to have personality.  Nowadays the stat nerds tell the manager how to handle the team.  Sports are supposed to be fun.  Now they're so "clinical".  There's no judgment anymore about letting a starter stay in the game because he's "feeling it" that day.  Or a hitter on a red-hot streak getting benched for his "regular rest", etc.

Great post. I honestly don’t know what I despise more, Wild Cards or Analytics. I guess MLB is trying it’s best to mirror society….participation trophies for all and taking away your ability to think for yourself. And we didn’t even tackle the biggest threat in the room, Rob Manfred. Anyone know how to get in touch with Jack Bauer??

[Jetsfan80]

Sounds like the Universal DH is a done deal.  So long, National League Baseball.  

Hopefully the Mets still use deGrom as a pinch hitter from time to time....

I'll always remember this great moment in baseball history, the likes of which we'll never see again:

 

 

 

[section314]

Every time I rewatch it, you swear Gary and Ronnie are going to need medical attention.? Bartolo clocked that pitch.

[chirorob]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:20 AM, section314 said:

In todays Star Ledger on NJ.Com.   He had 6, I cut it to 4.

1) Start season in May........weather in most of country just terrible in late March and April. Would result in shorter season. maybe somewhere between 140-154 games. Have a few scheduled Double Headers before scheduled days off.

2) 10 run rule after 7 innings.............losing team would trigger. Idea is to save pitching staffs. Speaking of which.....

3) Limit staffs to 12 guys, 5 staters and 7 relievers.  Limit pitching changes, speed up games. Average game last year 3hr, 10 minutes. Make starters actually pitch and earn their $

4) Have an enforced 20 second pitch clock, including playoffs and WS. Last 30 years, WS games have ended after 11 PM.

The premise here is to speed up the games and to cut out the crap. Ratings go down every year. People are telling MLB that the games are too long.

All in all, not a bad list. I would have added eliminating Wild Cards, but that's a discussion for another day.?  Let's have at it.

1)   Start later, but not May

2)  No.  

3) How do you limit pitching changes?   If you say starters have to pitch more innings, they are just going to get hurt, no way the players go for that.

4)   Yes