For the good of baseball?

Question

If I had it in more power I would make the following changes to MLB. What do you think?

1.Eliminate the stupid desgnated hitter rule.

2. Eliminate interleague play. You don't play enough games against teams in the other division of your own league.

3. Eliminate All-Star winner deciding which league gets home field advantage in the World Series. You have alot of players who won't even be playing in the World Series deciding home field advantage. Go back to the old way opf alternating leagues.

4. The playoffs are too long. Divide each league into two divisions and the division winners (no wild card) play for the right to go to the World Series.

I'm a baseball purist and don't like the way Selig and the owners are destroying the game

Answer 1

I gotta disagree with some of these points.

1) No. Keep the DH. I enjoy not seeing pitchers hit. Sure, some of them can hit, but most of them can't. Besides, the DH is a major reason the AL has beat the NL so many times in recent years. I prefer AL baseball, so leave the DH alone. In fact, I'd like the NL to adopt the DH so there's uniformity and so I don't have to watch a pitcher kill a rally for the umpteenth time.

2) I think interleague play is all right. It should be scaled back some (namely, there should only be three games between cross-city and cross-state rivals instead of six), but I think it's brought interest to the game. They should also maintain a regular rotation Like, how do the Yankees play the Padres in one series and then play the Reds and Pirates? Keep it AL East vs. NL East and maintain a regular rotation of playing the next division.

3) I do agree with eliminating the "it counts" thing with the All-Star Game. It should be decided by best record, though. Keep it real.

4) Nope. Keep the Wild Card. It's made things more interesting and added more intrigue to September. It gives teams more hope to make the playoffs.

Answer 2

dissagree with everything..

Answer 3

so basically, you want to go back to the way baseball was in the 1960s?

i think 19 games is plenty against your divisional opponents, and i think interleague play is great for the fans since it breaks up the monotony of playing the same teams again and again, and i think the wild card is also great for the fans as it gives them another race to follow...i agree with you about number 3 however, the all star rule is absolutely ridiculous and is nothing more than a ploy to increase ratings for fox

Answer 4

The first three, no question.

#4.  I've come to accept that there is a wild card spot, but I think something ought to be done about the fact that there is no real advantage to winning your division over the wild card.  One home game?  Maybe, only let them have one home game in the series.

Answer 5

1. Agreed. And sorry, the argument that it lets a payer play a few more years when he can't field anymore is not a valid reason to keep it. When a player loses his abilities, he is forced with a decision, as his the team he plays for. Does his ability to hit the ball make up for being a defensive liability? And why then don't we argue for players who perhaps can't hit as well anymore, but can still play the field, to have a DH for them as well? And, although historically pitchers are not very good hitters, the reason that someone like Pedro, or any other AL pitcher looks so pathetic at the plate is that they don't ever do it anymore. They have the DH in college, in the minor leagues, then in the AL. Perhaps if they were forced to hit, they'd at least learn to take the bat off their shoulder. And I'd bet that most of the pitchers in the majors played other positions as well as kids. And I'd bet a good number of them were pretty good hitters.

2. Agreed. Sorry - but the rivalry between the Mets and Yankees, the Cubs and White Sox, or any of the other huge "rivalries" between teams from different leagues is only created by the media and fans who don't have the sense to know that these games are incredibly unimportant. I'm a Cubs fan, and the White Sox are the least of my concerns. Important games to me are - Division games first, National League games second, and inter league a distant third. Games against the White Sox are no important then any other league game - that is, very little. For every series that does create excitement (false though it may be) you get 4 series like the Pirates vs. the Royals, or the Mariners vs. the Astros.

3. Also agreed - and feel that the leagues should just alternate. Then there's no argument - the schedule would basically be set for eternity. And although the AL is the dominant league, the All star game results should not be considered proof of that fact. No single game played by only about 30 players per side can possibly determine which league is better overall.

4. Disagree. I have no problem with the playoffs as they are. The only problem you have with having 3 divisions is if you have an incredibly weak division. This year the NL west is pretty awful. But, if whoever wins that division gets hot, they very possibly could win the World Series after being below .500 for the season . (the Cards came mighty close to it) Instead, perhaps we go back to the way it wabefore 1969 - that is, have a balanced schedule acroos the entire NL and AL - that is, play each team the exact same number of times. Eliminate the divisions completely, and simply have the best 4 teams form each league qualify. Seed them by records only - best team vs. 4th best, 2nd vs. 3rd, with the higher seed having home field advantage. And continue the seeding into the next round - again, best record gets home field.

About the only things I might add would be to install a salary cap, but also have a MINIMUM salary. (with a limit on what percentage can be spent on any one player - I don't want a team spending $20 million a year on one guy, then having 24 players at the league minimum) I would also like to see a limit placed on the length of players contracts. Sorry, but 10 years is way to long for a baseball contract. Make them 5 years max. Go ahead and allow extensions, but never for more then 5 years in the future.  Finally, I would have the national broadcast rebid every season. You may not make quite the money you will with a long term deal, but it would be interesting to see networks bid more frequently. This would also save us from the pain and suffering that comes with having to listen to Buck and McCarver or Miller and Morgan for the rest of our lives.

Answer 6

i semi-agree with #3 but i find everything else correct

Answer 7

Sorry, but I disagree with everyone of your points.

The DH allows for great hitters who can't field to have a place in Baseball and also allows for that 9th spot in the line up not to be an automatic out. I mean come one Pedro Martinez doesn't even move his bat when he has an AB.

Interleague play is an interesting facet to the game today. Old rivals who normally wouldn't get to play each other get a chance too. Such Examples of this would be Cub's V. White Sox, yankee's V. Mets, Dodgers V. Giants, rangers V. Astros exct...

The All star winner rule gives incentive and reward to the best league in MLB. I would be OK changing it to best interleague record, but not the alternating...

And the playoffs are perfect the way they are.  Nothing is better than coming home to watch your team battle is out with the best there is, plane and simple.

Just my opinion....

Answer 8

1) I agree 100% on the DH rule, abolish it, it's useless.

2) I like interleague play and believe that it should still be a part of baseball, it's nice to play teams from another league that you don't see too often if only the DH didn't come into play.

3) Agree on getting rid of the All-Star winner determining homefield advantage in the World Series also.  Why not just  let the team with the better record have homefield for a few games?

4) Wild Card should still exist because even though the 3 division leaders get into the playoffs (east, central, west), a wild card team may have a better record than one of the division champs.  For example as of right now the Arizona Diamondbacks have a under .500 record, yet the lead the division.  The Milwaukee Brewers hold the wild card and have a record of 58-43, they deserve the playoffs as well.  Plus without the wild card, how do you match up teams?  One team would be left without someone to play...