San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
MLB needlessly chipping away at true work of art — baseball
Sez Me …
Clearly, there aren’t enough pounds of Houston Astros f lesh to presently feed the other ravenous-and-some-howhygienic players and the Unsocial Media masses.
But, soon enough, that buffet line will close and what will be left are a few, forgotten bits of spoiled meat and bitter fruit. Another tattoo on the filthy underbelly has been exposed. More to come. Money has its costs.
But, has Major League Baseball not been shamed enough, banging the trash cans slowly — and incessantly, to the point reverberating through our national sporting synapses?
No. Despite being a profitable enterprise, it seems to feel the best way to dress its wounds is with change, negligence, indifference and an aversion to the history that made it what it is.
Baseball is taking a sledge and machete to the Michelangelo creation of games. Hammering away at David and the Pieta, hacking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
MLB now changes rules more often than it does managers. It’s trying to appeal to youth, speed up a game never meant to be fast, but savored. To be sipped, not gulped.
On line for 2020 is a change that will require all pitchers to face at least three batters — or until the end of an inning before removal.
So what’s to keep a pitcher who just gave up back-to-back dingers to complain of some ailment? They fake injury in football. They do cheat in baseball.
Managers will have 20, not 30 seconds to challenge a play. Umpires have no clocks — even worse, they don’t care about rules or strike zones (a major issue not being addressed). Ten fewer seconds? Now that will have games racing by.
There are other things I don’t care about, such as a 26-man roster (which is good), a two-way player having a separate designation, a position player only taking the mound in extra innings. Big woo.
What’s on the horizon, however, is problematic. The DH is coming to the National League. Soon. I hate the DH as much as I hate The Shift.
But also coming is the demolition of the regular season.
The MLB wants to move from five to seven playoff teams in each league by 2022. Clubs with the best record in each league would draw a first-round bye and travel directly to the Division Series. The other two division winners and the wild-card clubs with the best record would host all three games in the wild card round.
But then — THEN — the two division winners with the second-best record would get to “pick their opponent” against the lower wild cards in the next round.
All for reality TV. There would be a selection show with GMS or whomever making the picks. “Oakland, come on down!”
This isn’t baseball, but TV wants more postseason games with many possibilities. And a show for dogs and ponies. Under this system, 14 out of 30 teams make the playoffs.
Of course it will have to be collectively bargained, but it will happen because of the money. All that matters.
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