MLB

[Grayhead]

It's been at least a decade since I followed baseball. I've recorded a few Braves games this past weekend. It's a different world for me since any name I was familiar with is long gone at this point.
I see they have made a few changes in the game. Time clocks, counts of throwing at runners on base, Bigger bags.
It's kind of a good weird vibe I'm getting. It takes me forever to watch a games due to my work/church/family schedule. But now the games seem to move quicker. Atlanta has a few horses in the stable, so Iv enjoyed what I have saw so far.
So who's your team?

 

[bluetoe]

It's been at least a decade since I followed baseball. I've recorded a few Braves games this past weekend. It's a different world for me since any name I was familiar with is long gone at this point.
I see they have made a few changes in the game. Time clocks, counts of throwing at runners on base, Bigger bags.
It's kind of a good weird vibe I'm getting. It takes me forever to watch a games due to my work/church/family schedule. But now the games seem to move quicker. Atlanta has a few horses in the stable, so Iv enjoyed what I have saw so far.
So who's your team?

Who's on first.

 

[Grayhead]

Who's on first.

Hilarious skit

 

[tarheel0910]

The new commissioner has turned it into a video game with the new rules. Glad I stopped following it a while ago. I'll stick to college baseball until they bring the dumb rules there.

 

[Grayhead]

The new commissioner has turned it into a video game with the new rules. Glad I stopped following it a while ago. I'll stick to college baseball until they bring the dumb rules there.

Care to expand? The biggest change I've witnessed is it's sped up.

 

[tarheel0910]

Care to expand? The biggest change I've witnessed is it's sped up.

All those changes you mentioned are a joke. I don't understand this movement of speeding up games. Games were just fine for 100 years. Just because a bunch of 20 and 30 year olds have no attention span doesn't mean we should change the games. If it's too long, don't watch.

 

[Grayhead]

All those changes you mentioned are a joke. I don't understand this movement of speeding up games. Games were just fine for 100 years. Just because a bunch of 20 and 30 year olds have no attention span doesn't mean we should change the games. If it's too long, don't watch.

I remember watching some games were it seemed like a minute between each pitch. Bigger bags seems ignorant.

And, "Get off my lawn!" to those 20 and 30 year olds LOL

 

[tarheel0910]

I remember watching some games were it seemed like a minute between each pitch. Bigger bags seems ignorant.

And, "Get off my lawn!" to those 20 and 30 year olds LOL

I mean, I'm 38 so it's my generation being stupid about this stuff. I've just never had anyone give me a logical reason why changing the game to save 10 minutes is a good thing. If it shaved an hour off, then I guess I could understand, but baseball has always been a long game. That's nothing new. Changing the rules to save 10 minutes is dumb.

 

[Grayhead]

I mean, I'm 38 so it's my generation being stupid about this stuff. I've just never had anyone give me a logical reason why changing the game to save 10 minutes is a good thing. If it shaved an hour off, then I guess I could understand, but baseball has always been a long game. That's nothing new. Changing the rules to save 10 minutes is dumb.

Especially if it adds 10 minutes of commercials

 

[gteeitup]

I mean, I'm 38 so it's my generation being stupid about this stuff. I've just never had anyone give me a logical reason why changing the game to save 10 minutes is a good thing. If it shaved an hour off, then I guess I could understand, but baseball has always been a long game. That's nothing new. Changing the rules to save 10 minutes is dumb.

baseball is hard/boring(whatever adjective you want to use) to watch because the defense controls the game…some games were inching up to 3.5-4 hours which is ridiculous for tv and attending, especially in the summer.

now games are 30 minutes shorter on average, batting averages have increased, and more steal attempts means attention from the fans…sitting around waiting for the 3-run homer is terrible.

admittedly i’m not a baseball snob and it hasn’t made me pause everything to watch the braves six days a week, but i’m tuning in more this year because 2.5 hours is a perfect window…but hey, i want them to chop chunks of games off the schedule to make the regular season more impactful, so there’s that.

 

[pooponduke]

I have to talked to several people who love the new rules that cut game times down just because they don't have to dedicate their life to watch a single game. Things had gotten out of hand with the constant stepping out of the box, calling time, etc. The coolest thing about baseball is it's basically the only game without a clock, but that doesn't mean you want the games to last forever.

Much like @andrew jones , I am a fan of the O's and have greatly been enjoying their early season performance because they are actually relevant again and not simply a big question mark as to how many games they will lose over the entire season.

 

[tarheel0910]

Call me when there is some kind of noticable ratings bump. The people who didn't watch a three hour game aren't going to all of a sudden say, wow I love baseball now that it's shorter. This was a solution in search of a problem.

 

[andrew jones]

Call me when there is some kind of noticable ratings bump. The people who didn't watch a three hour game aren't going to all of a sudden say, wow I love baseball now that it's shorter. This was a solution in search of a problem.

Wanting to keep current fans dialed in for all nine innings matters. Society has changed, and baseball needed to as well. The games are much better this season. For those who don't like the game, they won't no matter how long games are. For those on the fence, this will make it more appealing.

I'm somewhat a traditionalist with baseball. but I love the new rules expect the stupid runner at second to start extra innings rule. That needs to go.

 

[heelmanwilm]

When I was a kid we could emulate all the batting styles of the Cincinnati reds line up. Joe Morgan chicken wing. Rose slouch. There were several really good teams. Orioles with their star pitchers and brooks robinson . Red Sox with yaz, Yankees with Reggie Jackson and Munson, a’s with catfish and rollie fingers, dodgers with Garvey, dale Murphy with the braves. Nolan Ryan….Damn that was the golden age of baseball. Baseball became of victim of its own success. It became super popular in Latin America and those players started taking over the league and frankly….no one wants to watch a bunch of Hispanics who can barely speak english. Yea it’s racist but just calling it like it is. There was A brief resurgence with steroid influenced home run derby’s but now no one gaf.

 

[tarheel0910]

Wanting to keep current fans dialed in for all nine innings matters. Society has changed, and baseball needed to as well. The games are much better this season. For those who don't like the game, they won't no matter how long games are. For those on the fence, this will make it more appealing.

I'm somewhat a traditionalist with baseball. but I love the new rules expect the stupid runner at second to start extra innings rule. That needs to go.

So chase away traditional fans to try to get people who don't like baseball to watch baseball? That's not a sound business model. I'm just trying to figure out how this wasn't a problem for 100 years, but became a problem the last 5-10 years. Did someone look at their watch for the first time? You're just never going to convince me that this is good for the game. Hell, I'm still not happy about the DH in the national league.

 

[andrew jones]

So chase away traditional fans to try to get people who don't like baseball to watch baseball? That's not a sound business model. I'm just trying to figure out how this wasn't a problem for 100 years, but became a problem the last 5-10 years. Did someone look at their watch for the first time? You're just never going to convince me that this is good for the game. Hell, I'm still not happy about the DH in the national league.

No, they are keeping traditional fans is my point. If you love baseball, these changes won't make you walk away. But they can bring in some fence sitters, and make it a better TV product.

It wasn't a problem for 100 years, but has become one over the last decade because batters were constantly stepping out of the box to adjust all the armor they wear, to play games with the pitcher, who would step off the mound, etc. Too many throws to first base with a runner there unlikely to steal, this silly shift, too many pitching changes.

Games were much longer in recent years than even 15 years ago, and certainl 25-40 years ago. Something had to be done.

 

[Grayhead]

It's still taken me 6 days to get thru 3 games and still not finished with the last game.

 

[pooponduke]

So chase away traditional fans to try to get people who don't like baseball to watch baseball? That's not a sound business model. I'm just trying to figure out how this wasn't a problem for 100 years, but became a problem the last 5-10 years. Did someone look at their watch for the first time?

I'm guessing here, but I'd venture that you have never been a huge fan of baseball. The time problem is not that games take awhile or someone suddenly looked at their watch, In actuality, "this wasn't a problem for 100 years". That's just the point. it was the noticeable increase in length that had occurred recently.

No traditionalist or longer term baseball fan is going to stop watching due to the timing related rules. I'd guess a high percentage like them because it's not a constant parade of watching a ratio of 3 tosses to first, 3 times stepping off the mound, and 3 times stepping out of the batter's box for each pitch. That's just not fun to watch for anyone. They are just moving the actual action of the game along. Times have been reduced back to traditional norms of the last 100 years, so the traditional fan should be happy.

 

[Grayhead]

I'm guessing here, but I'd venture that you have never been a huge fan of baseball. The time problem is not that games take awhile or someone suddenly looked at their watch, In actuality, "this wasn't a problem for 100 years". That's just the point. it was the noticeable increase in length that had occurred recently.

No traditionalist or longer term baseball fan is going to stop watching due to the timing related rules. I'd guess a high percentage like them because it's not a constant parade of watching a ratio of 3 tosses to first, 3 times stepping off the mound, and 3 times stepping out of the batter's box for each pitch. That's just not fun to watch for anyone. They are just moving the actual action of the game along. Times have been reduced back to traditional norms of the last 100 years, so the traditional fan should be happy.

I'm going to play devils advocate here. A pitchers concentration on 1st base and the hitter is an icon to me. But only when the runner is a threat. picking someone off at 1st is an art. Now they have 3 shots at it. What's impressive is the runners ability to lead off. To me, that's a hugh part of the game that's been neutered to a degree.

 

[tarheel0910]

I'm guessing here, but I'd venture that you have never been a huge fan of baseball. The time problem is not that games take awhile or someone suddenly looked at their watch, In actuality, "this wasn't a problem for 100 years". That's just the point. it was the noticeable increase in length that had occurred recently.

No traditionalist or longer term baseball fan is going to stop watching due to the timing related rules. I'd guess a high percentage like them because it's not a constant parade of watching a ratio of 3 tosses to first, 3 times stepping off the mound, and 3 times stepping out of the batter's box for each pitch. That's just not fun to watch for anyone. They are just moving the actual action of the game along. Times have been reduced back to traditional norms of the last 100 years, so the traditional fan should be happy.

I'm a huge baseball fan. The fact I'm so irritated by the changes should prove that. I'm tired of going back and forth with everyone about this though. You'll never convince me that this isn't bad for the game.

 

[pooponduke]

So, I don't disagree with your point. The problem was the constant throws over to first base. Even lobs were taking place with baserunners who had almost no ability to steal. That is, it was not an actual pickoff move and had literally no chance of ever get the runner out unless he simply fell down walking back to first. It had nothing to do with the runner or his lead and everything to do with disrupting the batter. Thus, I'd say that the issue may be is some other solution or a tweak to the rule regarding throws to first base. How do you prevent the abuse without the roadblock to which you refer? My favorite pickoff sequence of all time:

That time Tippy Martinez picked off three Blue Jays in one inning during the 1983 playoff race | Sporting News

www.sportingnews.com

 

[pooponduke]

I'm a huge baseball fan. The fact I'm so irritated by the changes should prove that. I'm tired of going back and forth with everyone about this though. You'll never convince me that this isn't bad for the game.

Game times had blossomed to over 3 hours and they've cut out at least a half hour, if not more, down to 2 1/2 hours (and much more in line with historical times). More steals are happening (very much a traditional thing that had been lost) and batting averages are up. I just don't see how that's in anyway shape or form a bad thing. Also, one can be a huge fan and not be a traditionalist where everything has to remain exactly as it was when Mickey Mantle played - just because.

Truth be told, MLB got what they wanted either way: we're talking about it and making it relevant again. No problem agreeing to disagree. All good.

 

[bluetoe]

Especially if it adds 10 minutes of commercials

and that's what it's all about. That's why athletes are paid such an obscene amount of money and why owners need to oblige the advertisers so the players can get paid while giving the owners a decent (or INdecent) margin.

10 minutes won't appreciably speed up the game but ten minutes of commercials will appreciably help pay the bills.

 

[tarheel0910]

That squeeze play by the diamond heels to end the game against moo last night was pure baseball. But you guys go ahead and watch your games with mattress sized bases and shot clocks.

 

[Archer2]

My favorite sport, big Braves fan.

 

[bluetoe]

My favorite sport, big Braves fan.

on the very rare occasion that I watch MLB, it's probably going to be a Braves game. I'm a big fan of sports in general, but for some reason I find it hard to be a baseball fan...and I've tried. Maybe the changes will help. I hear the bases are now so big that a player could jump from one to the other.

 

[bluetoe]

Game times had blossomed to over 3 hours and they've cut out at least a half hour, if not more, down to 2 1/2 hours (and much more in line with historical times). More steals are happening (very much a traditional thing that had been lost) and batting averages are up. I just don't see how that's in anyway shape or form a bad thing. Also, one can be a huge fan and not be a traditionalist where everything has to remain exactly as it was when Mickey Mantle played - just because.

Truth be told, MLB got what they wanted either way: we're talking about it and making it relevant again. No problem agreeing to disagree. All good.

in that line of thought, I was pretty happy that they put in a shot clock in college basketball, in spite of how well we could run the four corners (which I really loved watching Phil Ford in).

On the other hand, I hate the three point shot. It takes away the natural spacing and shot selection that made the game so beautiful, and made an arcade game out of it. Get rid of it and bring back the mid-range jumper. If I was going to tamper with the structure of the game in order to eliminate the congestion under the basket, I would make a ONE point line there.

 

[Archer2]

on the very rare occasion that I watch MLB, it's probably going to be a Braves game. I'm a big fan of sports in general, but for some reason I find it hard to be a baseball fan...and I've tried. Maybe the changes will help. I hear the bases are now so big that a player could jump from one to the other.

As a diehard baseball guy, I love almost all of the new rules. As stated above, I don’t like spotting a player on second base In extra innings.

 

[pooponduke]

Sad day as news has broken that Mr. Oriole, aka The Human Vacuum Cleaner, Mr. Hoover, or mostly just as Brooks, has passed at the age of 86.

bump @andrew jones

 

[andrew jones]

Sad day as news has broken that Mr. Oriole, aka The Human Vacuum Cleaner, Mr. Hoover, or mostly just as Brooks, has passed at the age of 86.

bump @andrew jones

Yes, I saw earlier. Watched pre-game tonight and Jim Palmer got emotional talking about him. Many of us did. The best defensive third baseman ever.

Thank you for posting this.