Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Why Baseball Is In Trouble

Things that are actually wrong with major-league baseball today:

1. Play is too one-dimensional, even boring.

2. The games are way too long.

3. Going to the ballpark costs way too much.

4. Viewing games on television costs too much.

5. Starting pitchers have trouble throwing even five innings.

6. Too many of the players are arrogant, oblivious jerks.

7. Too many of the owners are arrogant, oblivious jerks.

8. There is almost incessant, crazy-loud noise at the ballpark.

9. There are almost incessant, repetitive ads even during innings of televised games.

10. Baseball is not being played or promoted in enough places, at all age levels, in America.

11. The umpires can no longer follow pitches accurately.

12. Video replays are much too long.

13. Teams throw millions of dollars at 16-year-old Dominicans they cannot possibly evaluate with any accuracy.

14. Many players are obviously still juicing.


What "MLB" believes is wrong with baseball:

1. The players make too much money.

2. MLB does not have a major gambling deal in place.  Yet.

3. There is no advertising on player uniforms or the field itself.  Yet.

4. There are too many marginal minor leaguers, soaking up those minimal salaries.

5. There are not enough luxury boxes.

6. Baseball has not become a major, universal sport like basketball or soccer.

7. Taxpayers still aren't building ballteams enough free stadiums.

8. Teams occasionally still have to pay taxes.

9. There aren't more gimmicks in place like "Field of Dream" games, or series in European capitals.

10. Vestiges of the old American and National leagues still remain.

11. There isn't another round of playoffs. Yet.

12. Dewy-eyed new draft picks are allowed to play the game, instead of first being subjected to months of schooling in "analytics."

13. There still aren't enough games to generate the sale of gimmicky new, alternative uniforms.

14. There are too few home runs.
 








13 comments:

13bit said...

Oh my god, Hoss. It's true...it's all true...he said as he ran towards the edge of the cliff.

I clearly have no answers.

Carl J. Weitz said...

Bingo!
Good Job!

Anonymous said...

Hoss,

Right on! Send this to Manfred. Seriously. Or to a friendly Gammonite.

Or even better...

Do a Martin Luther and nail it to the door at MLB HQ.

Unless it is a glass door, in that case using tape would be fine. Don't hurt yourself.

Just a couple of quick comments...


3. Going to the ballpark costs way too much. (Seriously, why should parking cost more than a really good seat five years ago? Why should a beer cost what a ticket cost five years ago?


4. Viewing games on television costs too much.

(I don't understand this one. I pay $110 so I can watch the Yankees in CA. it's like 50 cents a game. In NY it's free (well as part of cable - but freeish. Not nit picking just don't understand.)

5. There is almost incessant, crazy-loud noise at the ballpark.

(I hate this. And not because I'm old. It's because I like to talk and to listen to the people I came with and the people sitting near me. It's part of the joy of being at a game.)

9. There are almost incessant, repetitive ads even during innings of televised games.

(The key word is repetitive. I got sick of seeing Charlize Theron. How fucked is that?)

12. Video replays are much too long.

(Why do all the umps have to come in from the field? Also why don't they just show the head ump a replay and if it's totally obvious, as at least 75% of them are let him make the judgement. If not, then they can bother the head office. Seriously, it could be 30 seconds. "Oh yeah his foot is off the bag. Safe!"

13. Teams throw millions of dollars at 16-year-old Dominicans they cannot possibly evaluate with any accuracy.

(Ah, give em the money. AND pay the guys in the minors more. and lower prices and give us a break as well.)

14. Many players are obviously still juicing.

(Yes!!!! Yes they are! And suffering freak injuries a result.)


What "MLB" believes is wrong with baseball:

These are so dead on I am speechless.

Go downtown. Make copies at a Kinko's. Stand in front of MLB HQ wearing your old Yankee hat and carrying that Yogi Berra Louisville Slugger you got on bat day (WHEN THEY GAVE US REAL BATS!)and hand them to everyone you see entering and exiting the building.

Well done!

Doug K.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Thanks so much, guys! Really appreciate it.

And Doug K., I have a soft spot in my heart for those DR kids, too. I just worry that this approach doesn't do them any good. I fear a lot of them will blow through the money in no time, and fall victim to false expectations, their own and others.

Plus, the simple fact is that most guys signed, from anywhere, won't make it. What do they do then?

I think a better approach might be to give them some kind of retainer, while insisting they finish high school and not start playing pro ball until they're 18. Then the money could be distributed over a few years, with free counseling on what to do with it.

But yeah, better them than the owners!

Anonymous said...

This is FANTASTIC and oh so true!
Brett

el duque said...

Dead on!

ranger_lp said...

Spot on Hoss!

Anonymous said...

GENIUS HOSS!

TheWinWarblist said...

I will become truly wrathful if things don't improve.

Anonymous said...

Posi-loot-ly right on, Hoss! Great entry, could hardly be more pertinent. LB (No J)

Austria's Only Baseball Fan said...

15. The vast majority of the population of the EU has a genetic defect which prevents us from even the slightest comprehension of this thing you call "baseball." Rare carriers of the "baseball" gene can be identified in Scotland, the Netherlands, and Austria.

Anonymous said...

@ Doug K. The cost of a cable subscription can be around a $120-150 a month. So multiply that by 12 and you have the cost for a year. Roughly $1,500 to $2,000 a year. Lots of people don't bother paying for tv. They just an antenna and get their tv for free. Of course, no YES network on free tv though. And this is where major league baseball went wrong in the '80s. We went from getting around 40 games on year on free tv to around 20 games these days. All or at least 40 or 60 of the local teams' games should be broadcast on free tv. All playoff games should be on free national tv. And the stupid MLB execs wonder why MLB is losing out to the NFL. All local teams' NFL games are on free tv, including the playoffs. Compared to MLB, the NFL executives are genius level.

The Hammer of God

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