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| Courtesy of USAToday.com |
Free Pete Rose: It's time. Rose has been banished for 25 years and counting for gambling on baseball. He's apologized for his mistakes and let's not forget he always bet on the Reds. That's the kind of manager I would love for my. favorite team. A guy willing to lay his own money on his team to win. Also, Rose is 73 years old; I would prefer that he makes it into the Hall of Fame while his still alive.
Talk to Arte Moreno: "Look you can either be the Los Angeles Angels or the Anaheim Angels-hell I'll even accept California Angels-but for the love of God, this Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crap has to end!"
Instant Replay: The current system is a joke. First, I would expand replay to include any play except for balls and strike. It's 2015 and we have cameras in every ballpark covering every angle. There is no reason for a team to lose a game because of a trapped catch or a umpire blowing a call at first. Secondly, let's speed up the process. Instead of having the crew chief come off the field and meeting up with a odd little man with the headphones in his satchel, we will add a fifth ump to the crew. One that just sits in the control room in the bowels of the stadium and watches the game on 5-6 televisions. If either team wants to challenge a play on the field, the crew chief and the replay ump can radio back and forth, get the call right faster, and continue on with our lives.
Fix the Designated Hitter: Some baseball purists detest the designated hitter because it takes away from the strategy of the game and eliminates the double-switch. Other viewers enjoy the boon in offense that comes from the position. Personally, I would be fine with either; I just think it's ridiculous that a professional sports league has different rules for its divisions. Imagine if the NBA rules dictated that the Eastern Conference games were played without a three-point line. Or if the AFC played with smaller, lighter footballs than the NFC so it was easier to catch and harder to fumble. Wait....
Since there is no way the MLB players union will ever approve of the abolishment of a very lucrative monetary position, I would introduce the designated hitter to the National League.
Introduce the 3B Rule: This one is extremely personal as last year I was forced to watch game after game of Bo Porter switching relievers like he was speed dating. My rule would mandate that relief pitchers have to pitch to at least 3 batters before being able to be pulled. Honestly, if you can't handle pitching to 3 straight hitters, you probably shouldn't be in the majors.
Jersey Advertisements: Before you throw your phone across the room, let me explain. The ads would be small, on the sleeves or on the pant leg. Sponsors would pay big bucks in order to have a visible endorsement for the entire game And when companies pay for full-time advertisement, they no longer have a need to pay for commercial ads. Fewer commercials means less wasted time in between innings which also mean we just sped up the game.
All-Star Week: I'm not just changing the game, I'm changing the entire event. First off, we're expanding from three days to five and taking over from Tuesday to Saturday (using Monday and Sunday as travel days).
Day 1: ???
Day 2: Celebrity Game and Future Game
Day 3: ???
Day 4: Home Run Derby
Day 5: All-Star Game
On day 1, we're ripping a page from the NBA and introducing the Gatorade All-American Game, where MLB will invite the top college players from around the nation to compete in a round-robin tournament. Not only will the game be a perfect scouting opportunity, the tournament will be a great showcase of the future wave of talent.
Day 3 involves my favorite idea of all: the MLB Skills Competition. Who's the fastest from home to first? Which pitcher is the most accurate? Who is the best outfielder at robbing home runs at the wall? Which right fielder has the strongest and most accurate cannon to third base? Winners will get bragging rights and a sweet championship belt which they have to defend the next year. Lose and you have to hand your belt over to the new champ. Hopefully sobbing uncontrollably.
Well those were my plays to change up the game. Do you have any more ideas? Well leave them in the comments section below and together we can make baseball better.
Jersey Advertisements: Before you throw your phone across the room, let me explain. The ads would be small, on the sleeves or on the pant leg. Sponsors would pay big bucks in order to have a visible endorsement for the entire game And when companies pay for full-time advertisement, they no longer have a need to pay for commercial ads. Fewer commercials means less wasted time in between innings which also mean we just sped up the game.
All-Star Week: I'm not just changing the game, I'm changing the entire event. First off, we're expanding from three days to five and taking over from Tuesday to Saturday (using Monday and Sunday as travel days).
Day 1: ???
Day 2: Celebrity Game and Future Game
Day 3: ???
Day 4: Home Run Derby
Day 5: All-Star Game
On day 1, we're ripping a page from the NBA and introducing the Gatorade All-American Game, where MLB will invite the top college players from around the nation to compete in a round-robin tournament. Not only will the game be a perfect scouting opportunity, the tournament will be a great showcase of the future wave of talent.
Day 3 involves my favorite idea of all: the MLB Skills Competition. Who's the fastest from home to first? Which pitcher is the most accurate? Who is the best outfielder at robbing home runs at the wall? Which right fielder has the strongest and most accurate cannon to third base? Winners will get bragging rights and a sweet championship belt which they have to defend the next year. Lose and you have to hand your belt over to the new champ. Hopefully sobbing uncontrollably.
Well those were my plays to change up the game. Do you have any more ideas? Well leave them in the comments section below and together we can make baseball better.
