MLB Offseason 2014-15: Wait, pitchers and catchers report WHEN?

[Captain Clark Terrell]

MLB Considers Shrinking Strike-zone

For the love of God! Do these people not understand that the game goes though cycles. Hitters dominated the '90s and the early portion of the last decade. Now, pitchers are dominating. Why is baseball so concerned about making changes in order to increase offense? It's on the hitters to adjust to how they're being pitched; if they can't do that, they shouldn't be playing in the first place. It's not the fault of MLB pitchers that Ryan Howard strikes out all the time. It's Ryan Howard's fault.

--Sran

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, I'm tired about this - particularly since they want to increase the speed of the game. Pitcher's duels are tense, exciting games that are over more quickly than a Football game. That seems ideal. Narrowing the strike zone means we'll get more walks. I don't think any way that's better.

 

[Timby]

MLB Considers Shrinking Strike-zone

For the love of God! Do these people not understand that the game goes though cycles. Hitters dominated the '90s and the early portion of the last decade. Now, pitchers are dominating. Why is baseball so concerned about making changes in order to increase offense? It's on the hitters to adjust to how they're being pitched; if they can't do that, they shouldn't be playing in the first place. It's not the fault of MLB pitchers that Ryan Howard strikes out all the time. It's Ryan Howard's fault.

--Sran

So they'll rewrite a few words in the rulebook. The next umpire I meet who calls the strike zone exactly as the rules dictate will be the first.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Changing things isn't any kind of new thing. In the early 20th century, they kept moving the pitchers mound and changing the height of it.

I wonder how small the strike zone would have to be before Javier Baez would take a walk.

 

[Timby]

I wonder how small the strike zone would have to be before Javier Baez would take a walk.

The strike zone could be the size of a can of soda and he'd still be swinging at pitches in Schaumburg.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Schaumburg isn't that far away really.

 

[Dexter Remmick]

I don't get how shrinking the strike zone goes with their desire to speed up the game. The upswing in BB's would be dramatic, which would lead to many, many visits to the mound.

Hitters are paid to hit the ball. I guess it's too much to ask that they learn their craft. They are still unwilling to learn to hit away from the shift.

My suggestion for more offense would be to bring back the 'juiced' ball.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Really, if they want to improve hitting, they should encourage players to start taking amphetamines. Or they could assume things are cyclical and offense will improve again.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

As far as the speed of the game, walking a batter generally requires more pitches and would slow the game down.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Walking a batter requires more batters, which slows the game down.

 

[Corran Horn]

Schaumburg isn't that far away really.

Now if the Cubs had moved to that parcel of land where they build that stadium that'd be nice.

(yes I know the land was bought to lure the Sox back in the day)

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Schaumburg isn't that far away really.

Now if the Cubs had moved to that parcel of land where they build that stadium that'd be nice.

(yes I know the land was bought to lure the Sox back in the day)

If the Cubs were to ever move out of Wrigley, I'd prefer they stay in Chicago, but go back to the west side.

The area where West Side Parks I & II were is all medical centers and whatnot, but just north of there is the United Center and a lot of open ground. They could share parking & be right off the Ike.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I hate it when they change the rules of the game in order to fit some model of what they think the fans prefer.

NHL wants to increase scoring so they introduce possibly the worst rule in sports history, the 'Point for losing'. At the same time they cripple the defense so they aren't allowed to play physical.

Getting rid of the two line pass was a good idea. Dumb rules should be gotten rid of, but let defenders defend.

No, leave the rules alone. Sports are less fun to watch the more they are micromanaged. Baseball doesn't need any help, and not letting pitchers pitch the way they've been pitching for the last hundred years is freaking dumb.

 

[Timby]

Schaumburg isn't that far away really.

Now if the Cubs had moved to that parcel of land where they build that stadium that'd be nice.

(yes I know the land was bought to lure the Sox back in the day)

If the Cubs were to ever move out of Wrigley, I'd prefer they stay in Chicago, but go back to the west side.

The area where West Side Parks I & II were is all medical centers and whatnot, but just north of there is the United Center and a lot of open ground. They could share parking & be right off the Ike.

The area by the United Center has gotten somewhat better over the past several years but it's still not great in terms of crime. I also don't want to imagine the traffic hell that would happen if the Cubs happened to have a game coincide with a Bulls or Blackhawks game.

It's a moot point because the Cubs decided to put lipstick on the pig that is Wrigley, but I still say they should have bought out Arlington International, burned it to the ground and built a new stadium on its ashes. They still would have been near an interstate and they wouldn't be confined to the prison that is the corners of Clark, Addison, Waveland and Sheffield. (They also would have been near a whole bunch of rich, white people, which is the market that Tom Ricketts so brazenly caters to.)

I hate it when they change the rules of the game in order to fit some model of what they think the fans prefer.

I mentioned this when the league floated its ideas of pacing up the game by doing things like limiting mound visits -- it is very bothersome to me, on a fundamental level, that baseball's chief executive thinks his product is boring. He should be actively championing it as the best in the world, just as the commissioners of football, basketball and hockey do -- not telling the world, "Yo, I think this shit sucks."

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I personally want the pitch clock and not allowing batters to step out of the box. More the keeping the batters in the box, that is the biggest time drain in baseball.

 

[Timby]

The Yankees are set to retire admitted PED user Andy Pettite's No. 46. Remember that Pettite was caught, apologized, then got popped again. In other news, they continue to regard Alex Rodriguez as worse than Hitler and want him to make a public apology.

"I'm sorry for risking my long-term health to entertain you and win baseball games. In 2009, I hit 1.308 in the postseason, so fuck you."

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

If only Hitler had just apologized, eh?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Yankees are also retiring Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada's numbers. They, Pettitte and Willie Randolph are all getting Monument Park plaques

 

[Pondwater]

Yankees are also retiring Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada's numbers. They, Pettitte and Willie Randolph are all getting Monument Park plaques

Posada? Now I feel old.

 

[Corran Horn]

It's a moot point because the Cubs decided to put lipstick on the pig that is Wrigley, but I still say they should have bought out Arlington International, burned it to the ground and built a new stadium on its ashes. They still would have been near an interstate and they wouldn't be confined to the prison that is the corners of Clark, Addison, Waveland and Sheffield. (They also would have been near a whole bunch of rich, white people, which is the market that Tom Ricketts so brazenly caters to.)

I would have preferred this. There's land to be had in that whole area since that Sheraton closed, too. I believe there's a Metra train station not too far away as well.

I hate it when they change the rules of the game in order to fit some model of what they think the fans prefer.

Well, enforcing the rulebook strikezone and other rulebook points on 'pace of the game' would be helpful, I'd say.