Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres
Posted on 08/16/2018 8:46:22 AM PDT by DFG
One thing you learn from studying baseball history is that people have always predicted the sport’s demise. Over and over, the game weathers every perceived crisis and continues to thrive. More than 70 million fans will attend major league games this season; another 40 million or so will go to minor league games. Countless more watch the sport on television and online.
And yet attendance is down, and more and more balls are being kept out of play. Some longtime observers consider the shifting landscape — hitters swinging for the fences, pitchers throwing everything with maximum effort, fielders standing in unusual spots — and wonder what has happened to their game.
“Keith and I were talking, and I said, ‘You know, our window is probably three years until we can’t work anymore,’ because the game is going to be so different,” said Ron Darling, the former Mets pitcher and broadcast partner of Keith Hernandez, the former Mets first baseman. “I mean, what was fair is foul, and what’s foul is fair.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I have always preached to my sons, keep your eye on the ball and make contact and swing level you will get hits. Swinging for the fences usually produces K’s for the pitcher rather than the home run. I loved to watch Pete Rose make contact, get a single and turn it into a double or a double into a triple with extra hustle.
The major leagues have too many teams and not enough real talent to go around and they don’t play for the game but the almighty $$$. I stopped watching in 94 when they went on strike and destroyed the World Series.
MLB players should take their cue from their NFL brethren and take a knee during at-bats in the batters box… Yeah, that will bring the fans in…
I had the same reaction. Tony Gwynn was knocking on .400 -- .394 through 110 games. The strike denied fans the thrill of seeing if he'd make it. I thought no one will ever come that close again in my lifetime, and gave up interest in the game.
Gwynn's 1994 season is #37 on the all-time single-season batting average. Since then, the next highest is Larry Walker in 1999 with .379 for #99. The previous season that high was Ted Williams in 1941 at .4057
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/batting_avg_season.shtml (click on Year to sort, then look at Rank)
Probably not. It’s a huge step up from high school to college, then three or four huge steps to the majors.
“That wasn’t the cleverest post of the day.”
It wasn’t written to be clever. Actually, I have great respect for the Hispanic people who work in California Agriculture. Try driving through the fields around Salinas, CA and you will see decent people doing a hard job, producing your food. Unlike the a$$holes, irrespective of ethnicity that make a really undeserved living playing some pastime game that gets far too much interest from a public that is disinterested in their country’s future.
=move the pitcher's mound back some
Idiotic fans. Not sure how a “fan” could possibly see a home run as more entertaining then a ball careening around a deep corner of the outfield. Smh.
It has always been boring.
Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres
“My dad took me to Giants games at Candlestick several times a year during the 60s. During high school, my allegiance switched to the A’s, because I lived in the East Bay.”
And because the A’s were way better.
You, apparently, don’t know a darn thing about baseball.
39 for 94 (.415 average), 0 strikeouts
That was Gwynn's career line against Greg Maddux -- arguably the best pitcher of his generation.
“90-100 mph is standard speed for young pitchers today. Take that speed and put spin movement on it. Only a few guys in the world are going to hit it consistently. You have to have the eyes and reflexes of a leopard.”
They should recruit fencers.
To a fencer, that 90mph ball just loafs gently over the plate.
I’m to the point that I get more enthused about three opposite field singles in an inning than a two run homer.
Freegards
“I’m to the point that I get more enthused about three opposite field singles in an inning than a two run homer.”
Ever watch Japanese baseball?
Don’t they call that Nippon league or something? No I haven’t watched it. I have heard of the Ham Fighters.
Freegards
Statcast and GM’s who know nothing about the game are ruining it for the fans
“As far as starters going 9 innings on a regular basis, that may not change. When you are paying a starter tens of millions of dollars per season, management can’t afford to burn them out & no manager wants to be blamed for overusing a pitcher & leading to injury”
It seems (I don’t have the stats to back it up)that more starting pitchers are having season ending injuries than ever. It’s almost mandatory that pitchers have Tommy John surgery or shoulder surgery at young ages.
True
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