Making Baseball not boring and sucky?

[American Gunner]

I don't give a crap about winning championships any more in baseball I just want to finish over .500. The Yankees are in it year in and year out at lease you got hope the rest of us slobs got nothing.

I understand that side of it, I was just pointing out that the big spenders (Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels) haven't done anything when it counts lately. But with the new luxury tax rules, you may see some of the teams stop spending as much. It's just too bad that it won't make small market teams spend anymore and field more competitive teams. Some of the smaller markets do just fine with their home grown talent and know when to trade away a key player to set themselves up for the next few years, but some of them are just content with selling some tickets and being out of it well before the trade deadline.

 

[Jeffg010]

And another thing you can't tell me that you rather have your baseball team spend the least amount of money. Tell me how that going to work out.

 

[Jeffg010]

I understand that side of it, I was just pointing out that the big spenders (Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels) haven't done anything when it counts lately. But with the new luxury tax rules, you may see some of the teams stop spending as much. It's just too bad that it won't make small market teams spend anymore and field more competitive teams. Some of the smaller markets do just fine with their home grown talent and know when to trade away a key player to set themselves up for the next few years, but some of them are just content with selling some tickets and being out of it well before the trade deadline.

What small team knows how to trade away a key player to set themselves up for the next few years?

 

[rcpratt]

I don't give a crap about winning championships any more in baseball I just want to finish over .500. The Yankees are in it year in and year out at lease you got hope the rest of us slobs got nothing.

Please don't bunch the rest of us in with that crappy franchise in Pittsburgh.

 

[American Gunner]

What small team knows how to trade away a key player to set themselves up for the next few years?

Oakland for one, they have always been good at bringing up talented pitching that they either draft or get in trades, and then trade them off for more talent at the end of the contracts. The brewers used to be like this, but I don't follow them so I can't tell you if that's the case now.

 

[Meghan54]

To the OP.....sorry, but baseball needs at least a minimum of an attention span, something not required for watching football, baseball, and basketball.

 

[zinfamous]

the game is perfect.

leave the inferior sports to all the plebs for their mindless entertainment (meaning, all other sports)

 

[PingSpike]

I don't like baseball and I don't think I ever will. But a lot of people do like it so I'm not sure there's much point in changing it to suit my tastes when ever after the changes I in all likelihood still wouldn't watch it.

I can understand why some one would like it, there's so many stats to obsess over. But for me there's to many games that individually don't matter much and are to long with to much standing around during them. And there's no salary cap so the teams end up extra stacked.

 

[rh71]

Ban foul balls, and balls (vs. strikes) for that matter. Just don't allow them and it's all good. In basketball, ban fouls and free throws.

Short answer, it can't be fixed. My team is the Mets and even watching them take a 4-0 lead was snore-fest city last night other than the actual few minutes that it was happening.

Watching it in person is also too slow. Time between innings and all the warm-ups. Batters stepping out of the box to have a moment to themselves so they can predict what the next pitch will be...

We surprised my brother for his bachelor's weekend by going to Fenway for a Yankees game and even then the most fun I had was watching a chick Yankee fan get into it with some Red Sox fan. The chick's bf was a Sox fan and finally had enough and opened a can of whoop-ass on his fellow mate. Was much more fun to watch than the game ending in extra innings. Not to mention, being crammed in those seats beside a complete stranger on one side BLOWS.

The only fun thing about baseball is actually playing it.

 

[Red Storm]

It's boring as shit, but I'm not forced to watch it so what the fuck do I care? There's millions of people who seem to enjoy it so why take the fun out of their lives?

I must have missed the memo that said everything in life must be made for my own personal enjoyment.

 

[zinfamous]

And another thing you can't tell me that you rather have your baseball team spend the least amount of money. Tell me how that going to work out.

it's worked pretty well for the Marlins in the past (then they sell sell sell), and Oakland recently...and of course, in the past.

 

[xanis]

Baseball in-person > Baseball on TV

I love going to Phillies games, but I don't usually watch them on TV.

 

[Jeffg010]

it's worked pretty well for the Marlins in the past (then they sell sell sell), and Oakland recently...and of course, in the past.

You can get lucky for a season but what happens when you have a hot player and his contract is up? They go to the team that is going to pay the most. Until there is a cap baseball is dead to me.

 

[wirednuts]

MY big issues with baseball are:

• each game is 4 hours. it needs to be far less
• 2-3 games a week for 6 months? i lose interest if i try to watch a full season
• the cubs suck
• far to long between each pitch

you nailed it.

Im ok with everything the way it is though.. just shorten the damn season. 80 games would be a HELL of a lot more entertaining.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

The 2013 MLB season is underway. I've never been a baseball fan myself. I like watching almost any other sport besides baseball. It's just much too long and boring for me and the games being played don't matter at all 80% of the time. I could be wrong on this, but I did the math and there are about 2430 MLB games played per season. PER SEASON. Teams playing 162 games per year seems ridiculous to me.

Maybe baseball just isn't for me and people who enjoy it will always enjoy it how it is. After all it's pretty much been the same game for 150+ years, why change it now? I should just stick to what I like and stop complaining about how boring baseball is.

BUT I WONT. There's gotta be something they could do to make the game of baseball less boring and more entertaining. When you compare watching Baseball to say, watching Football, there's just no contest. Football is much more entertaining. A diamondbacks game just went 16 innings...5 hours and 32 minutes. Those poor people!

I'd like to hear your suggestions to make Baseball more watchable, more entertaining, more fast paced perhaps. Accepting both serious well-thought out arguments and crazy/silly ideas alike.

another question would be, will there be any major changes made to baseball in the next 10 years due to the shorter attention spans of new generations?

You know nothing, and your opinion on baseball is unwanted. Go invent a sport that entertains you. Leave baseball alone (except for the DH, get rid of that pussy bullshit).

 

[dabuddha]

And another thing you can't tell me that you rather have your baseball team spend the least amount of money. Tell me how that going to work out.

You mean like the Athletics?

 

[D1gger]

Land mines in the outfield. Michael J. Fox manning a sniper rifle in the upper deck to give the batters a fighting chance.

I'd add in random baseballs that explode when hit. Maybe two to three a game.

 

[Midwayman]

-Catching a fly ball is no longer an automatic out. You can either get an out by
1) Hitting the batter with the ball ala dodge ball.
2) Getting the ball to the base before the batter. However batters are allow to body check the person on base and are only considered out if the baseman retains the ball and is not knocked off base.

 

[fustercluck]

I think waggy is on the money

MY big issues with baseball are:

• each game is 4 hours. it needs to be far less
• 2-3 games a week for 6 months? i lose interest if i try to watch a full season
• the cubs suck
• far to long between each pitch

This is at least a good start. I never said the game needed to be changed drastically to become watchable, just need a few things to speed up the game and get more action. Also the boobs idea works for pretty much anything.

Also: Having no salary cap is kinda lame. Compare the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise to the Pittsburgh Steelers and see how the salary cap makes a huge difference in leveling the playing field.

Maybe get a walk at ball 3 instead of ball 4?

Make it more like Blernsball!

We only have 7 years to invent baseball playing robots and have Super Baseball 2020 - Classic game

 

[phucheneh]

Have not read all of thread yet. Okay, I haven't read most of it.

But I've always said the solution is simple. After a play is done, or a batter is struck out or walked, the next guy has like five seconds to get in the box, at which point the pitcher may keep pitching until that batter is done. If the batter steps outside of the box, he is out.

Or, alternatively, a midget runs out of a small door in the backstop and punches him in the dick. I think...I like this idea better. The entire Yankees franchise would be out with dick injuries.

I know it's cliche, but it's true. The Yankees are the primary blame for the current (nd long-standing) MLB trend of prima donna power-hitters (or 'striker-outers'). HEY, THANKS FOR TAKING NINE MINUTES AND TWELVE SWINGS TO STRIKE OUT, YOU PINSTRIPED DOUCHEBAG.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

1. let the batters keep the bat as they run the bases

2. profit

 

[Ayrahvon]

Enforcing the time between pitches would be a huge improvement. There is a trend right now in baseball towards higher strikeouts, this could be because teams are favoring pitchers with higher strikeout rates versus groundball pitching, or because big hitters are all the rage right now and most of them aren't patient hitters (players like Bautista are an exception).

More than likely it is a mix of both of these, but at this point you're seeing some very low batting averages in the big leagues which does not make for exciting games. Baseball really isn't a TV sport until the playoffs. If you hate watching it, listen to the radio. Your local radio commentator is about 500x better than the national tv commentator that knows nothing about the team.

Want to enjoy it more? Play fantasy baseball! Want to enjoy it even more? Play in a Saber league.

The best way to enjoy baseball is still far and away just going to live games. I suggest getting a scorecard and keeping score yourself if you find the game is tedious.

Also, drink beer. (Then complain endlessly about how much of a ripoff said beer is, because it is a complete ripoff. Fuck you stadium prices.)

 

[dabuddha]

Enforcing the time between pitches would be a huge improvement. There is a trend right now in baseball towards higher strikeouts, this could be because teams are favoring pitchers with higher strikeout rates versus groundball pitching, or because big hitters are all the rage right now and most of them aren't patient hitters (players like Bautista are an exception).

More than likely it is a mix of both of these, but at this point you're seeing some very low batting averages in the big leagues which does not make for exciting games. Baseball really isn't a TV sport until the playoffs. If you hate watching it, listen to the radio. Your local radio commentator is about 500x better than the national tv commentator that knows nothing about the team.

Want to enjoy it more? Play fantasy baseball! Want to enjoy it even more? Play in a Saber league.

The best way to enjoy baseball is still far and away just going to live games. I suggest getting a scorecard and keeping score yourself if you find the game is tedious.

Also, drink beer. (Then complain endlessly about how much of a ripoff said beer is, because it is a complete ripoff. Fuck you stadium prices.)

http://www.thebeerbelly.com/Beerbelly_Deluxe_p/kit-item.htm

 

[randomrogue]

Going to games is fun. Unless you're a huge fan it's tough to watch sports with little scoring on TV. It's just a snooze fest. I can't watch Baseball and Soccer I turn on at the 87th minute.

If you go to Baseball games and have the same seats each time you get to see the same people and games get far more interesting. Between the beer, the heckling, the game, and some hot women I would really recommend buying some tickets each season.

 

[kalrith]

I agree with the others that watching baseball in person is great, but on TV it sucks. A pitching clock would be the best fix IMO. The time between pitches is my least favorite part of the game.

Instant replays might be better for getting the calls right, but would most likely lengthen the game. It seems that many college (American) football games are 20+ minutes longer than they were before instant replays.