When the NBA tried new basketballs, the response was so negative that the league switched back to the old balls. If you're a baseball fan, you'll probably recall that the ball bounced less, it cut players' hands, and was more slippery when wet than its predecessor.
Thankfully, the NBA's sleeved jersey fad went the way of the experiment that was widely panned. The response to the new baseballs has been very negative. My coworker Sam Fels wrote about the balls being deflated again, and the Mets took exception to it over safety concerns after three batters were hit in a game on Tuesday night.
Chris Bassitt, a New York pitcher who took a line drive to the face, accused the MLB of being negligent.
He doesn't say what's wrong with them. The new balls are harder to grip to the point that pitchers are getting away from them. Pete Alonso has been hit in the head twice this season.
The Mets have been hit by more pitches than any other team. There is a problem when players and managers are more upset with the balls than the guys hurl them, because opponents are annoyed that the Mets actually appear to be good.
Buck Showalter and catcher James McCann were both critical of the new equipment, with the catcher suggesting the league works with the players to figure out a solution.
Don't take opinions from people who aren't on the mound. Don't talk to someone who isn't trying to stay in the box when a guy is throwing 100 miles an hour and doesn't have a feel for the ball. Talk to the players and see what the best result is.
It's not a lot of time to dial in carry rate and seam height during the middle of the season. The NBA was brought up because they went back to the old ball when they realized that the roll out was a failure. Baseball doesn't have a single old ball, they have at least a few old balls, so it's hard to figure out which one they're supposed to bring back.
Max said he felt like he was throwing a ball after the cold night in San Francisco. There has been a number of variations in recent seasons, and a new experiment is not unusual for the pitcher.
The ball has been changing for five years. Who knows what the ball is going to be. It has been times it has been livelier, who knows. Mistakes are always going to get hit for me because we all have to deal with it. You are still paying for it even if it is a home run. You have to be on top of your game and worry about what you do with the baseball.
It makes sense that you should worry about not making mistakes and live with the outcome. When the issue becomes more than how far a ball flies and how far it travels, a change is needed. If you want to play out the rest of the season with a better option, take your pick.
There are a lot of archaic rules in baseball, but perhaps the most egregious is that there is no standard for the ball. We talk about them in eras like the 3-point line or the forward pass. This is the only aspect that should be constant.
Imagine if the National Football League implemented one of those Nerf footballs with the tails on it. Everyone would lose their shit. There was a report that the MLB switched balls in the middle of the season. The league doesn't know what it wants, its desires are subject to change more than a child walking through a toy store, and often dictated by logic.
I agree with the idea that the players and the league should work together to find a standard. I agree with his take on foreign substances. If the MLB is going to insist on this unpredictable orb, at least allow pitchers to use products naturally occurring in baseball like sunscreen androsin to get better command.
Bring in a group of veteran pitchers, batters, and catchers and give them a variety of choices to choose from. No one has a better feel for what should or shouldn't be a home run than the players.
A group of people trying to figure out which basketball is best for a game of pickup are able to come up with a winner after a few dribbles and a couple jumpers. I know baseballs are a different topic, but if a bunch of people who are paid to figure out which baseball is ideal can do it in less than 150 years, then baseball can be played in less than an hour.
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