What one thing would you change about MLB?

stretch · Post by **stretch** » March 23 07, 5:23 pm

No DH.

Fat Strat · Post by **Fat Strat** » March 23 07, 5:30 pm

Fat - I don't know if some of those rules for moving the game along would work,

I don't know if they would either. I didn't put a lot of time into figuring out how to make them work. But, there's no reason why a pitcher can't stand up there firing away and batters should be ready to go.

Secret Weapon · Post by **Secret Weapon** » March 23 07, 6:25 pm

I'd change the format of the playoffs...

3-1-1 Division Series
3-3-1 League Series
2-3-2 World Series

Would give teams with the better record a greater advantage to get to the WS. And after proving themselves during a 162 game season, I believe they earn the advantage.

ZigZagCardsFan · Post by **ZigZagCardsFan** » March 23 07, 6:42 pm

Move the Royals to the NL Central. Move the Pirates elsewhere.

PujolJunkie · Post by **PujolJunkie** » March 23 07, 6:51 pm

I completely agree that instant replay should NOT be implemented. Baseball is a game of human error. If it's a blown call, it's a blown call. Do I think that maybe ONE coach challenge a game should be allowed? Yeah, sure. That wouldn't hurt anything. But to put it in a game that is already moving a slow pace.. I don't think so.

And if they do give them 1 challenge per game, then it has to be on a bang-bang play, a close homerun call or a fair/foul call. Not strikes and balls.

Other thoughts:

Make hitters STAY in the box. The NFL has a rule where you can't call time outs on back to back plays. That should be implemented in the MLB. A hitter gets maybe one or two time outs in the at bat and can't step out every single pitch unless his intent is to get a sign.

The call where the pitchers fake to 3rd and go to 1st is rediculous. That play never works and everyone screams balk when it happens. A pitcher should not be allowed to do all that crap. And he should only be allowed to step off a certain number of times per at bat or per inning.

Home field advantage should NOT be decided in the ASG. Horrible decision. If you have the Braves and the Mets, for instance, battling for the division.. and the All Star Game comes around, Andruw Jones at the plate with the game on the line and he smokes a double, NL wins. Then, the Mets run away with the division and make the World Series WITH home field advantage. Their division rival just got them home field advantage back in July. Make sense to anyone else?

Plus.. what does that do for teams that are out of playoff contention by the deadline? It does nothing for them. There should be something to the All Star Game.. but what? I don't know exactly.

The DH should be abolished or make equal for both teams. If the AL gets a DH, why shouldn't the NL? That's just dumb.

Schlich · Post by **Schlich** » March 23 07, 7:00 pm

PujolJunkie wrote:I completely agree that instant replay should NOT be implemented. Baseball is a game of human error. If it's a blown call, it's a blown call. Do I think that maybe ONE coach challenge a game should be allowed? Yeah, sure. That wouldn't hurt anything. But to put it in a game that is already moving a slow pace.. I don't think so.

And if they do give them 1 challenge per game, then it has to be on a bang-bang play, a close homerun call or a fair/foul call. Not strikes and balls.

Other thoughts:

Make hitters STAY in the box. The NFL has a rule where you can't call time outs on back to back plays. That should be implemented in the MLB. A hitter gets maybe one or two time outs in the at bat and can't step out every single pitch unless his intent is to get a sign.

The call where the pitchers fake to 3rd and go to 1st is rediculous. That play never works and everyone screams balk when it happens. A pitcher should not be allowed to do all that crap. And he should only be allowed to step off a certain number of times per at bat or per inning.

Home field advantage should NOT be decided in the ASG. Horrible decision. If you have the Braves and the Mets, for instance, battling for the division.. and the All Star Game comes around, Andruw Jones at the plate with the game on the line and he smokes a double, NL wins. Then, the Mets run away with the division and make the World Series WITH home field advantage. Their division rival just got them home field advantage back in July. Make sense to anyone else?

Plus.. what does that do for teams that are out of playoff contention by the deadline? It does nothing for them. There should be something to the All Star Game.. but what? I don't know exactly.

The DH should be abolished or make equal for both teams. If the AL gets a DH, why shouldn't the NL? That's just dumb.

nice thoughts, but good luck getting the fake to third/throw to first move changed. It's been a rule since baseball was invented as far as i know of.

ghostrunner · Post by **ghostrunner** » March 23 07, 9:39 pm

When a batted ball hits the runner, the runner ain't out. The defense will just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Da Rocket Sauce · Post by **Da Rocket Sauce** » March 23 07, 10:10 pm

is the talent in mlb really that diluted? there were a lot of crappy players in the golden years too.

cardsfansince82 · Post by **cardsfansince82** » March 23 07, 10:31 pm

PujolJunkie wrote: Plus.. what does that do for teams that are out of playoff contention by the deadline? It does nothing for them. There should be something to the All Star Game.. but what? I don't know exactly.

Nothing against you, I just don't see why people think the ASG needs to mean something. In every other sport it's simply an exhibition of the best players in the league, nothing more. Fans of the sport will tune in to watch but there isn't anything you can do to get non-fans to tune in. MLB thinks having homefield on the line will boost ratings but I suspect that the same people would tune in regardless.

jim · Post by **jim** » March 24 07, 6:30 am

Fat Strat wrote:
Fat - I don't know if some of those rules for moving the game along would work,
I don't know if they would either. I didn't put a lot of time into figuring out how to make them work. But, there's no reason why a pitcher can't stand up there firing away and batters should be ready to go.

Go stop by a high school field someday and see how those umps work. Batters can't step out of the box for no reason, alot of them will make him keep one foot in the box when taking a sign. The pace of the game would improve dramatically if hitters weren't allowed to step out every pitch and adjust everything before getting back in.