Fix Baseball

[Dave Gray]

You're the commissioner of MLB.

How do you make it better?  What changes do you implement?  Is everything perfect?

[jtex316]

Fire Sparano, Fire Ireland, and draft a QB in the first round.

Oh, wait, sorry...wrong thread

Instant Replay is priority #1. F the "purists". Every other major sport, including tennis, uses instant replay and it's about time the MLB gets on that.

[Dave Gray]

Some ideas -- add instant replay for certain things.  In bounds, catch/no catch/home runs/outs at the basae -- not on balls/strikes.  Same rules as NFL.  Keep an ump in the booth to determine to overrule the call on the field, if needed.  There is no call to the booth.  They call down if they want to.

Shorten the season.   I don't know if you can get it in half...but maybe 3/4.  120 games or something.

More interleague play.

Expand the playoffs to include a couple of more teams.  Playoff baseball is fun.  Regular season is tedious down the stretch if things are already decided.

Don't allow players to step out of the box once they enter (without specific umpire permission for a reason).  This will speed up the game.

[Sunstroke]

Three words: "Hard Salary Cap"

Aside from that, I wouldn't change a thing...

[Dave Gray]

Yeah....agree on the hard cap.

[masterfins]

I like baseball the way it is, don't think it needs much changing.  Season could be shorter, but that would ruin all the record tracking.  No more teams in the playoffs, that just waters things down.  I would agree with a hard salary cap, I think it would actually help the Yankees because they have a good minor league system.  The one thing I don't like is the late season trades - teams not bound for the playoffs empty their high priced players to teams heading to the playoffs, which changes the whole dynamics.

[Cathal]

Speed the game up.

[Dave Gray]

^ Great.  How?

[Cathal]

I have no idea. Maybe a clock in between pitches? I mean, why do they have to adjust themselves and spit sunflower seeds after every pitch.

I don't watch baseball, mainly because of that, so I don't really know. It just needs to be faster, with more going on.

[MaineDolFan]

Instant Replay is priority #1. F the "purists". Every other major sport, including tennis, uses instant replay and it's about time the MLB gets on that.

They use this already.  What, specifically, do you want to see changed with that?

[Sunstroke]

Speed the game up.

^ Great.  How?

* Limit the number of times a catcher, the manager, or random infielders can visit the mound.

* Reduce the number of warm-up pitches at the beginning of each inning.

* Pitchers currently are only allowed 12 seconds between pitches with the bases empty. Start enforcing that rule, especially when guys like Boston's Beckett and Buchholz (two of baseball's elite slowpokes) are on the mound.

and...on a not-completely-serious note:

* No more live renditions of The Star Spangled Banner. During pregame ceremonies, play the record at 78 RPM, and have the umpire shout his "Play Ball!" call about halfway through the "...home of the brave" line.

* Once you get to two strikes on a hitter, only allow them to hit two foul balls...and the third foul ball after two strikes is reached = a strikeout (call this the Bobby Abreu rule)

[SportsChick]

Eliminate interleague play

[Dave Gray]

Why eliminate it?  I like it?  How does it hurt the sport?

It seems that it would help, because you'd want to see different teams come to town...get a chance to see all of the superstars.

[bsfins]

Get rid of the DH....

Be able to trade draft picks....

I don't mind the replay,on just about everything,except the balls and strikes....Enforce the strike zone as it's written in the rulebook...

I don't mind shortening the season,I love the hard cap,and restricting late season trades...

[EDGECRUSHER]

1) Greater use of Instant Replay. Not for balls and strikes, but for any close play that they want to review. For all you Yankee haters, if this had already been in place, the Yanks probably don't win the 2009 World Series as they benefited from a lot of calls in their favor.

2) If you want a hard cap, you have to have a hard floor. No more receiving $30 Million checks for luxury tax/revenue sharing and then fielding a team with a $29 Million payroll.

3) DH to the National League. I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that David Ortiz batting as a DH isn't right for the game while Randy Johnson swinging a bat is. They are both extremes, but I would rather go for the one that isn't a guaranteed out and kills rallies.

4) No more playoff teams. 8 is enough. Let's not be the NBA where more than half the league gets in.

5) Ability to trade draft picks.