Baseball and those in it and just outside of it have become tiring to describe. MLB has discussed to try and liven the game up, and I still have a hard time with it. I don't like the expanded playoffs. I used to be an ideologist, but now I don't mind the DH in the NL. I love a pitch clock, but I don't like the idea of banning the shift. Maybe it's time for me and others to stop picking and choosing and just see what happens.
My fear is that once something is introduced into a sport, it becomes entrenched. I live through 3-on-3 overtime and shootouts in hockey even though they don't make sense. There is an actual, live human being on 2nd to start the 10th and the Manfred Man is still with us. Albert Pujols is the only one. It's more likely that they stick than just pop up for a season or two and then disappear, because whatever rules changes you or I don't like, or experiments in the minor leagues that will eventually make their way to the majors, it's more likely that they stick than
My ears perked up when MLB announced that second base will be moved closer to the pitcher in the second half of the season. I had never considered that the second base wasn't 90 feet from the other side, but Stark did an excellent job explaining why it wasn't here and what this change will do. It will make you wonder why it took so long. The nightmares of geometry class were much quicker to arrive after reading Stark's article.
The result is to up steal, that's what MLB is hoping for. A foot is barely 1 percent of the distance. It doesn't take much to flip a bunch of caught-stealings into stolen bases. Baseball wants more green lights on the basepaths because of bigger bases that bring the base toward the runner and the runner away from gloves trying to apply a tag.
What can these changes do? At least to see? It's not likely that we'll get back to the 80s and teams like the Cards will run wild every game, to the point that field crews would water their infield dirt to the point of mud to try and stop them. It will take time for this kind of change to really bear fruit, as players make their way through the minor leagues, honing their stealing instincts more now that the runways are open.
Baseball needs more action. These days, we don't get to see a lot of stolen bases, but they are action and show off a variety of skills. The bigger bases are meant to fight Javy Baez. The game could use more of the stolen bases action. The pitcher and catcher put a lot of effort into not allowing a player to steal a base. The shooting over a double-team or threading a pass through double coverage of baseball is what it is. Rickey Henderson is perhaps baseball's greatest character.
Baseball's biggest problem is that there aren't enough guys standing on first to try to steal second. Over the past decade, the single has had a wheezing death. There were 25,006 singles in the MLB season last year. The number was 28,016 in 2015. It was 28,418 in 2011. That is a 12 percent decrease in 10 years. There has been a five percent raise in walks over the same period, but you think that those have been replaced by walks.
As part of a package. It's not clear how many line drives over where the second baseman used to stand will be saved because of the ban on shifts. Preliminary evidence shows it might not make a difference.
Baseball has a number of problems that need answers. Maybe some hitters will accept a single if they know they have a better chance of stealing second and third. A pitch-clock might make a difference. They are miles away from figuring out what to do with the baseball and sticky stuff.
The NBA needed to change things up in the beginning of the game. Football needed a combination of pass interference rule changes and how long they could last. Hockey is messing with goalie equipment size, and is cracking down on interference via different methods. It was grabbing and holding. It was hooking. Now it is cross-checking. There is never a magic bullet.
Baseball will find a better environment if assholes like me don't wet themselves when something they don't like is suggested. Baseball needs help, and the problems have gotten deep enough that nothing should be ruled out or not tried. I could point out what could go wrong. Baseball leaving itself alone has gone wrong. The pervading attitude among the players, brass, and fans has to be deep enough in the muck.
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