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Five ways to improve baseball
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It’s kind of dead in Halo-land this weekend, so let me take the opportunity to propose five ways to improve the game of baseball.
Delete 14 games from the regular season
Major League Baseball needs 162 games like Hideki Matsui needs more porn. Now that MLB has cracked down on steroids and greenies (but not HGH), players are going to break down more often. The elimination of two-plus weeks of regular season games would help keep players fresh for the games that really matter. And besides, don’t we really know who the best teams are after 148 games anyway?
Begin the playoffs in mid-September
The earlier start time would move up the pennant races and increase fan and media attention at a time when sports fans are clicking over to pro and college football. More importantly, it would eliminate late-October World Series games in bone-chilling weather. And it would hopefully eliminate the bone-headed idea of playing the Fall Classic at a neutral site.
Contract four teams—or more
Fewer teams means more quality players and better overall competition. It would also eliminate the need for deadwood like Nomar Garciaparra, Livan Hernandez and many other washed-up players who exist only to fill out rosters. Goodbye to the Marlins, Rays, Royals and either the Nationals, Athletics or Pirates. You won’t be missed.
Use the DH in the National League
The American League is a much better watch than the National League—period—and not just because of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. For every slugging pitcher such as Carlos Zambrano and CC Sabathia, there are hundreds who look like they’ve never held a baseball bat. Contrary to what baseball purists believe, the DH increases strategy because you now have nine legitimate hitters in the lineup instead of eight and a ninth who can’t do anything but bunt. The DH also allows the likes of Jim Thome and David Ortiz to play every day—you know, players people would actually pay to see.
Start throwing a baseball early and often
Baseball pitchers, with their fragile arms and low pitch counts, have replaced golfers and mascots as the biggest wimps in sports. In my opinion, they aren’t throwing enough in their formative years. They are wasting time playing Guitar Hero and meeting their regimented schedules set out by their parents and schools instead of playing pressure-free pickup games with friends. I’m not sure how MLB can address this problem, but boys need that crucial development period to build strength in their arms. I am not armed with scientific evidence, but I believe the modern era of fragile pitchers is a corollary of the first and subsequent generations of the video game/digital age. Sorry, but Grand Theft Auto and the joystick don’t develop young pitchers.
Another problem for youngsters is the development of bad pitching mechanics. Former big league pitching coach Rick Peterson, along with Dr. James Andrews, has outlined a plan (for purchase) to prevent pitching injuries. Maybe it’s a beginning step in developing a new generation of workhorse pitchers.
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