Making Baseball Better

Discuss all things Cardinals Baseball
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CardsofSTL
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Re: Making Baseball Better

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InvincibleCakeEater
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by InvincibleCakeEater »

Not sure where to put this, but if you're wanting to make baseball better maybe don't pull this [expletive].

https://deadspin.com/mlb-presents-a-cha ... 1833663566
https://theathletic.com/888513/2019/03/ ... -industry/
But, oh yes, it’s a real thing, an urban legend dragged out into the light by Marc Carig of The Athletic, who has a must-read piece on MLB salary arbitration. Within we learn that at the end of every season, MLB gives out a $20 pro wrestling–style championship belt to the team that did the most to “achieve the goals set by the industry.”

MLB confirms The Belt’s existence, saying it’s “an informal recognition of those club’s salary arbitration departments that did the best.” The most striking but also maybe the least surprising thing about all of this is that no one in baseball, at any point, said to themselves, maybe we shouldn’t do this.

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Jocephus
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by Jocephus »

this article from a few days ago made me feel gross for liking baseball

https://deadspin.com/how-much-longer-wi ... 1833463105

granted, for me, needing to go to a stadium for baseball isn't desirable at all anyways

tlombard
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by tlombard »

Reading that article made me grateful for the Cards and their policies with things like the Ballpark Pass, being able to bring your own food/beverage and stuff like that.

Sure, the Cards are trying to pry every last cent out of your pocket just like every other team but at least with the Cards you can take in a bunch of games on the cheap. They also mentioned the backpack policy that the Cards implemented in 2017 but even that isn't bad. You can still bring a bag in, it just can't have a million different pockets. I take my laptop bag with me every weeknight game that I go to by myself after work and have never had a problem. As long as they can search it quickly like a purse, you're good to go.

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Big Amoco Sign
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by Big Amoco Sign »

tlombard wrote:Reading that article made me grateful for the Cards and their policies with things like the Ballpark Pass, being able to bring your own food/beverage and stuff like that.

Sure, the Cards are trying to pry every last cent out of your pocket just like every other team but at least with the Cards you can take in a bunch of games on the cheap. They also mentioned the backpack policy that the Cards implemented in 2017 but even that isn't bad. You can still bring a bag in, it just can't have a million different pockets. I take my laptop bag with me every weeknight game that I go to by myself after work and have never had a problem. As long as they can search it quickly like a purse, you're good to go.
Mariners games are super cheap (got tickets for $12 to opening day) but the way they get you is "no concession guys" and so you have to stand in long lines and miss at least an inning and then paying $40 for fish n chips and one tall boy Rainier. A joke.

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Radbird
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Re: Making Baseball Better

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tlombard
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by tlombard »

I saw an idea that caught my attention even though I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it yet. This was related to basketball but the suggestion was to discourage tanking for the best draft picks by instead deciding the top draft picks via a lottery from not the worst teams but the teams who just missed the post season. The idea being that teams would have much more incentive to at least try and win if they are in the middle of the pack instead of just packing it in and tanking so they can get a better draft pick.

Maybe a lottery between the top 8 of AL and NL teams to miss the playoffs (four from each league) for a high draft pick (not necessarily first overall but top 10?) with two of those teams from each league winning picks 6,7,8 and 9? The the top 5 would be the worst of the worst and then from 10 on it would go back to being based on the record as well?

Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about the idea and would love to hear any ideas/tweaks to that idea.

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Big Amoco Sign
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by Big Amoco Sign »

tlombard wrote:I saw an idea that caught my attention even though I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it yet. This was related to basketball but the suggestion was to discourage tanking for the best draft picks by instead deciding the top draft picks via a lottery from not the worst teams but the teams who just missed the post season. The idea being that teams would have much more incentive to at least try and win if they are in the middle of the pack instead of just packing it in and tanking so they can get a better draft pick.

Maybe a lottery between the top 8 of AL and NL teams to miss the playoffs (four from each league) for a high draft pick (not necessarily first overall but top 10?) with two of those teams from each league winning picks 6,7,8 and 9? The the top 5 would be the worst of the worst and then from 10 on it would go back to being based on the record as well?

Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about the idea and would love to hear any ideas/tweaks to that idea.
I think they should start a new kind of standings, the day a team is eliminated from the playoffs, called "draft standings" (win percentage only) where it's based on a W/L record from there forward. That would discourage tanking. I think some rules should be imposed on comp picks too but I haven't formulated my thoughts on that enough to figure how that should play in. Or do both ideas and make it where the best post-elimination win percentage team has the highest draft lottery odds.

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MAGA
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by MAGA »

I like that. Sure it would be gamed, but pretty entertaining idea.

tlombard
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Re: Making Baseball Better

Post by tlombard »

Big Amoco Sign wrote:
tlombard wrote:I saw an idea that caught my attention even though I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it yet. This was related to basketball but the suggestion was to discourage tanking for the best draft picks by instead deciding the top draft picks via a lottery from not the worst teams but the teams who just missed the post season. The idea being that teams would have much more incentive to at least try and win if they are in the middle of the pack instead of just packing it in and tanking so they can get a better draft pick.

Maybe a lottery between the top 8 of AL and NL teams to miss the playoffs (four from each league) for a high draft pick (not necessarily first overall but top 10?) with two of those teams from each league winning picks 6,7,8 and 9? The the top 5 would be the worst of the worst and then from 10 on it would go back to being based on the record as well?

Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about the idea and would love to hear any ideas/tweaks to that idea.
I think they should start a new kind of standings, the day a team is eliminated from the playoffs, called "draft standings" (win percentage only) where it's based on a W/L record from there forward. That would discourage tanking. I think some rules should be imposed on comp picks too but I haven't formulated my thoughts on that enough to figure how that should play in. Or do both ideas and make it where the best post-elimination win percentage team has the highest draft lottery odds.
I like the record after being eliminated being the measure for preferential draft positioning. Only I'd think instead of winning percentage, how about just straight losses where whoever has the fewest losses after being eliminated gets the better picks. That would give teams an incentive to stay in the races as long as they can compared to the first teams to get knocked out just really going in the tank for the rest of the season.

Also tying it to actual losses somehow (where fewer losses are preferred) would avoid teams actively trying to lose the games they play against each other while not making it obvious. Then again, that could be fun too I guess. If losing a game benefits both teams playing it might be pretty entertaining to watch managers make the worst decisions possible to try and lose a game at the direction of the front office.

"We're down by one in the 9th with the bases loaded and nobody out? Which relievers have never had a plate appearance since they were in high school? We're pinch hitting them the next three slots in the lineup." Meanwhile the opposing manager is double switching in the backup catcher and a reliever for his first appearance in the big leagues, only the backup catcher is going in to pitch and the reliever is going in to catch.

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