The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
How to add action to the diamond
The fictional Annie Savoy quoted very real poet Walt Whitman at the end of the wonderful movie “Bull Durham” when she said, “I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game.” Indeed, it is our game, and in fact, the quote goes on to say, “It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us.” Thanks Walt, for the excellent early review of a game destined to become our national pastime.
And while Whitman couldn’t have seen COVID coming 150 years later, his words certainly should resonate as people look to get over the last 16 months of being shut-in and hunkered down. Yes, baseball can help heal us, especially as we get outside, get physical, and shake off the nervousness and grumpiness we’re all guilty of. America’s No. 1 sports export may be basketball, but baseball is still our national church, and the game that’s perceived as being the most genuinely American.
But like many aspects of American life over the past few years, it’s become clear that reevaluation and change is needed. Ideas born in the 19th century, no matter how much we want to hang on to them because of tradition or a sense of connection are by their very existence, old-fashioned. Did you know that at one time if a baseball outfielder caught a ball on one bounce the batter was out? Or that during different seasons you might need not four balls but five, six, or seven before a batter could walk to first base? Or that if you got hit by a pitch it counted as a base hit? At one time these were all established baseball rules, but they’ve all evolved as times changed.
That’s part of the beauty of baseball. Tradition allows us to reasonably compare say, Babe Ruth to Aaron Judge* because designed hitters notwithstanding, they each play(ed) by pretty much the same standards that have been in place since America had 46 states. The same defense, the same three strikes and you’re out, the same 90-foot sprint to first base.
*Sidebar: You cannot actually compare Ruth to Judge because, well, that’s insane.
But American tastes and sports options have changed, and so has the American desire to overanalyze nearly everything. And today, a perfect storm of analytics and micromanaging has collided with commercialism and a lack of baseball fundamentals to deliver us longer, duller games with nothing happening. Too many walks,
And today, a perfect storm of analytics and micro-managing has collided with commercialism and a lack of baseball fundamentals to deliver us longer, duller games with nothing happening.
too many strikeouts ... even the home runs are boring. Change is needed, but not in the way the poo-bahs who run professional baseball think.
Prevailing wisdom says we have to “fix” baseball because short attention span fans are tuning out of three-hour games. Phooey. Fans will watch a long game if there’s more action, and walks, strikeouts and homers are not really action. Major league games this April featured 1,100 more strikeouts than hits. Last season, a ball was put into play every four minutes on average, and getting to see a triple or a stolen base remains a rare occurrence. That’s not action, that’s ... awful.
Unfortunately, the burghers of baseball want to offer up gimmicks designed to address the length of games, when what’s needed is not time-saving contrivances, but rather real structural changes that increase the action on the field.
Like what? Start by outlawing defensive shifts that place fielders all over the diamond based on where analytics says the ball might go. Play the positions as Abner Doubleday intended and hits will increase. Eliminate video replay and live and die with human umpires.
While we’re at it, the umpires need to call more strikes encouraging more swinging and hits. Give each team only four timeouts a game to eliminate multiple “mound visits,” managers removing pitchers, and infielders congregating to discuss strategy. And the pitching mound has to be moved back at least a foot to start negating the advantage flame-throwing pitchers have over hitters. More action, less stoppage time, and put the ball in play.
That’s a game we can all watch, even if it’s three hours long.