By not allowing defenders to play where they want, you make getting a hit easier. Nothing in sports should be made easier IMO.
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What do you want, an "X" for them to stand on? There's a pitcher and a catcher, and 7 other guys. Those 7 guys play defense and they get to stand wherever they feel they can play defense best. They're either right or wrong. If hitters can pull the ball they'll be strolling home while the ball rolls to the fence. I don't see an issue.
Yeah, and one of those statements actually follows the well known parameters of the game to most folks, but I see your point none the less. Its a matter of personal preference ultimately.
I would argue robot umps would have a greater effect on the game than steroids did. Walk totals would increase probably 50%. Strikeouts would plummet. The game would get more boring as players just straight up refuse to even try and protect the plate by fouling off borderline pitches and just wait for a walk. The excitement of a 10 pitch at bat battle would disappear.
No, there should be some flexibility, but I tend to draw the line when shit like this happens:
Attachment 269493
5 fucking infielders!
Hit the ball in the air and laugh.
I hope the irony of a guy with "live free or die " as his tag at the bottom arguing for defensive inflexibility isnt lost on everyone.
As the sox fan in jeans says, there are 7 defensive players, put em where you want.
Lots of times over the years SS or 2b have been basically 4th outfielders
As for hitters?
Hit em where they ain't
Yeah because that statement totally applies to baseball. According to that argument there should be no rules at all.
I don't think saying having 4 infielders within 40 feet of each other being stupid is outside the realm of public opinion. I am obviously not alone in this given it is an issue currently being talked about by the commish as it is.
The game has got to change somehow. You think teams are being stingy with contracts solely out of greed? Players are often vastly underpaid compared to their true value. (You think the Red Sox lost money on Ortiz over his career?) No they see the writing on the wall that TV contracts aren't going up next renewal because the game is a snooze fest. We've all seen the empty ballparks on TV. The shift is just one reason why.
Right now they are rolling in dough sure, but those times are over within a decade if shit doesn't change.
There are rules, and they are followed.
Pitcher starts with foot on rubber. Catcher n the catchers box.
Rules.
Followed. The rest are traditions & best practices, changed when needed.
& yes I think saying Live Free or Die , except when i want new rules in a very old sport for my delicate aesthetic experience is funny
"The rest are traditions and best practices, changed when needed"
I think that change is needed, you don't. There isn't a right or wrong answer here.
I do find it interesting it is primarily old dudes who are against these rules changes, and mostly younger guys who seem open to it. We'll see where the game ends up.
While the shift is extreme, there have always been defensive adjustments based on situation. Infield in, in certain situations. 1B/3B rushing towards home when a player squares to bunt. CF playing super shallow (Andruw Jones), Infielder playing almost as a 4th outfielder.
The dramatic shift is fairly new, but hitters will adjust. Minor leauguers will be taught skills to take advantage, and then the shift won't work as well.
I'm all for looking at things to change, but eliminating the shift seems silly to me. It will require them to create specific designations of players (i.e. they will no longer be "fielders" but teams will have to designate each one as a specific position) and there will have to be some markings (visible or not) to define how far a player can stray from his designated position.
it’s not that much fun when your 100 win team loses to someone that just scraped by and demeans the point of the long season. they also created the wild card to have dramatic races to the finish, but in many instances it has led to teams sitting on their hands since they’d get in anyway. not to mention the fact that races would have been more dramatic and closer with four divisions as it used to be.
expansion was a mess.
this time it counts was a mess.
luxury tax just makes the owners richer.
manfred and selig before him just suck.
It actually was an advantage to the offense.
I used to be scared to death of putting one within the batters reach or lobbing it over the catchers head on an intentional walk call. A pitcher dislikes any disruption to their rhythm and having to lob 4 pitches so far off the strike zone, is just that. Then facing the next batter you were out of sync for a couple pitches. Some guys really had trouble with this.
Didn't Vlad crack one once on an intentional walk attempt? That was pretty awesome I must admit.
Most of these seem like sour grapes, but I think the luxury tax thing is interesting.
It is no different than a salary cap, only I actually like that in baseball you can blast right on through it if your willing to pay the tax. Several teams have proven already that they will from time to time.
I could see them moving to more of a NBA type structure with Bird rights and mid level exemptions, but otherwise you end up like it was in the 90's with the Yankees spending 50% more than anybody else. Or I guess now it would be the Sox, Yanks and Dodgers. In any league you have guys who will just cash checks like in Pittsburg and KC rather than pay players, but the luxury tax also brought in minimum roster spending as well if I'm not mistaken.
http://www.stevetheump.com/Payrolls.htm#98_payroll
I think your memory is misleading about the 90s teams, the Yanks are in second place after having to pay to keep talent that came up through the system.
All luxury tax does is suppress free agent salaries. Competitive balance is the same as it ever was. The owners are making more than ever and spending less on payroll. I haven't seen ticket prices go down, either.
If you like the wild card, that's fine, it has just made baseball so different than what it is in the regular season that I find the entire postseason to be a little diminished.
That is a super interesting link. My memory was indeed off, it was the 2000's where there were the largest gaps.
In 04 there the Yanks opening day payroll was almost 50% or 60 million more than the Sox, who were second. 2003 the Yanks were 35 mill over the no. 2 Mets. 2002 17 million over the no. 2 Sox again.
Then we get to 2005 where they spent 85 million more than the next team. 2006 74 million, 2008 72 million, 2009 66 million.
That all being said, the luxury tax was instituted in 2002 so didn't really change things and actually made them worse in terms of parity. In 2015 the Astros had a payroll of only 22 million, which was only 9% of the Yankees. That is incredible.
Yeah woops. Pretty amazing either way as they are now one of the top 3 teams in the league.
i am shocked to learn that ellsbury will not be making it to the start of spring training.
Geez i just saw an article on him a couple days ago about how he was all pumped up and ready to compete for an everyday spot. Guess not.
edit: The natives are getting restless: Ellsbury's New Injury Is Ridiculous