The New York Times has possibly the greatest article ever written in the history of mankind.
Let’s start here…
Take the starting pitcher. He’s the guy who draws you to the ballpark, the TV, the gambling app. He’s disappearing, and that’s a major problem. In 2011, there were 39 pitchers who worked 200 innings. A decade later, there were four. The starter is baseball’s most marketable position; fewer dynamic starters make for a less appealing game.
Now I have proposed for a few years now that the Opener be outlawed. We will do this as follows….
- The first pitcher of the game (aka the “Starting Pitcher”) is ineligible to pitch in the next four games (three in the postseason) but must use up an active roster spot. The player can play another position, pinch hit, pinch run, but cannot pitch. So if you start JDG on Opening Day, he can play RF in game two but he can’t pitch. If you use an opener on Opening Day that guy also cannot pitch until Game 5.
- The Starting Pitcher, like all pitchers, must face three batters. This is to eliminate some nonsense where some manager let’s their 3B pitch to one batter and then brings in a “Seconder” – so if you want to cowboy this Rays then your 3B is going to have to face the first three batters of the game.
The Times also brings up the thing that will save us all – GAMBLING. You are more likely to get all excited to bet on Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Max Scherzer (check his bio) than on an opener.
Next up, let’s tackle the Baseball Mafia who shouts me down and tells me the game is fine.
But, hey, at least it lasts longer than ever. Baseball achieved two dubious records last season: longest average game time (3 hours 11 minutes) and most pitchers used per team (4.43 per game, tied with 2020). The average time between balls in play was about four minutes. Teams averaged nearly nine strikeouts per game, while stolen bases (0.46 per game) plunged to a 50-year low.
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Per-game attendance reached an all-time high in 1994 (an average of 31,256 per game), and took 12 years to return to that level. Now it is falling again: In 2019, the last season with full capacity, the average crowd was 28,203, the fourth consecutive year it had dropped.
Baseball has been propped up financially by regional sports networks, but that model is severely threatened as more households alter their viewing habits and drop cable. The most pressing issue for the sport’s leaders should be finding a new broadcast paradigm and a better game to pitch to it.
But hey, what do I know, I am old and stupid. Keep playing four games. Play the postseason ones at 8pm Eastern so the Los Angeles Based Sports Fans can see it while the East Coast heads off to bed. Start an opener for a competitive advantage.
It’s all fine. The baseball mafia says so.
What’s actually most likely to save the game is this news from yesterday that MLB has stopped testing for steroids. Maybe we will coincidentally see a generation of amazing power hitters and we can all play dumb. This time though, the record book was already destroyed, so nobody will be upset if someone hits 75 Home Runs…..the baseball mafia will be pleased.
