Baseball shifts are as bad as Free Speech?

freerepublic.com ^ | 6/23/2018 | a little elbow grease

[a little elbow grease]

There is a haunting stirring in the baseball community to establish that fielders defensive “shifts” should be against the rules.

From BusinessInsider.com: “MLB's New Commissioner Is Open To Banning Defensive Shifts To Increase Scoring — Here's A Simple Way To Do It.”

Does this seem to anyone else as more than heavy-handed, almost totalitarian???

Do you suppose that they also will want to impel OUTFIELDERS NOT TO SHIFT, play deeper in the outfield when a power hitter comes to the plate?

Do they suppose to suggest that when a sacrifice bunt is most likely about to be attempted, that the first and third basemen should NOT BE PERMITTED to creep in toward the plate in order to get the ball and throw out the runner at second base for a force play?

Should outfielders not be permitted to shade toward the right field line when a strong left handed pull hitter comes to the plate? My, my.

Baseball has been shifting since Ted Williams and even before that. Now that we realize its effectiveness, we exploit the advantage. Personally, I don't think that this particular strategy EVER should be made illegal.

As a baseball fan said on reddit.com: “People hate the shift when their team hits into it, but love it when the opposing team hits into your shift. It's a part of the game now. Hitters will just have to adjust.

As Wee Willie Keeler used to say, “ Keep your eyes clear, and hit’ em where they ain’t: that’s all.”

I’ll just say this now …………. I find this idea of restrictions on defensive players’ shifts to be about the most ignorant, idiotic, witless, reactionary, vacuous, mindless, unintelligent, half-baked, harebrained, imprudent, unwise, and foolish idea of which I have ever heard.

“If all seven position players want to form a human pyramid behind second base then they should be allowed to.” LOL

________________

LEAVE THE GAME ALONE …………… and hit’ em where they ain’t.

[a little elbow grease]

“I blatantly violated the Eighth Commandment, and I repent,” Tebow told reporters after the game. “It just goes to show that we fall short of God’s glory daily, and rely on His grace to help us move forward after we fail,” he said humbly, shaking his head at his “selfish and brash act of sin.”

_____________________________

LOL...... I thought he was shamed because he stole a base that wasn't covered because of a defensive shift.

;-)

[a fool in paradise]

Whatever will be done to increase the scores of soccer-futbol games??? < /snark >

#ThisAintBasketyball

[xzins]

I was no great ball player and not remotely good enough to get paid for it, but I always looked for the gaps. I was fast and power wasn’t my strength.

[Dr. Sivana]

EVERY level of baseball, from wiffle ball on up, has the outfielders going deep when a slugger gets up.

My son plays in B ball Little League. If shifts weren’t allowed, either every power hitter would get an in the park home run when he doesn’t strike out or walk, or every punch and judy hitter will get doubles routinely.

I don’t think the “having all the infielders 10 feet away” from the bunter thing works, but the coaches sure do.

[BobL]

I barely survived staying a fan with the DH, but once they allowed inter-league play, I was through. Baseball was a great game because they DID NOT change it through the decades...until the Baby Boomers took over.

They can keep it.

[RayChuang88]

The problem is that the heavy use of defensive shifts has created TOO much reliance on the home run, which has made the game very boring. They won't band it completely, but will limit the number of fielders during such a shift. This will encourage more emphasis on singles, doubles and triples and a renewed emphasis on base running.

[a little elbow grease]

"Outlawing the shift will do nothing but encourage the continued development of lazy hitters."

_____________

So true. When I played baseball at a pretty high level, I was humorously known to have "warning track power" (it means you don't hit many homeruns).

Anyhow I loaded up on doubles and triples, and singles, and for years, WITHOUT the homeruns, led my team in total bases.

Hit 'em where they ain't.

;-)

[gwjack]

I’ve read about that game. It had to be a great one to attend. I think television with its commercials and “chatter” have ruined the flow of the game. And not just baseball - television has prolonged football and basketball too.

I remember reading about a World Series game in 1914 that Babe Ruth was the starting pitcher. He gave up one run in the first inning, and no more. His team (the Red Sox) won when they scored a run in the 14th with the score at 1-1. The starting pitchers for both teams pitched all 14 innings. Ruth was quite the pitcher. When he moved to full time position playing in 1919 Tris Speaker said something along the lines of, “Ruth is a pretty good pitcher. He would have a future in the game if he gave up playing in the field.”

[Jim Noble]

Until the Dodgers return to Brooklyn, nothing will ever be right.

[usconservative]

I don't think baseball games need to be sped up at all. All this talk of speeding them up is because the stupid millenials have the attention span of a gnat and baseball is trying to figure out how to pander to them.

I'm so sick and damn' tired of millenials.

[a little elbow grease]

If MLB wants to increase scoring, then maybe they should eliminate half the players on the field. Or maybe they can make everyone play with 50-pound weights chained to their ankles. WTF?

_______________________________

Or........ maybe they should force the fielders to use some of the old equipment/gloves/mitts. That would increase the scoring.

_______

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/8/0/268272080/2018_Official_Baseball_Rules.pdf

Shortstop appears six times.

First Baseman once (Rules for First Baseman’s glove are different than other positions.)

Catcher 166 times. (If a catcher were not required, teams would simply use the catcher as another fielder, unless there were two strikes or three balls, or both. A pitch hitting a batter is a dead ball.)

Pitcher 472 times.

Before the “free pass” intentional walk rule, fielders had to be in there “normal positions” during an intentional walk, or a balk would be called. Otherwise a manager would have two outfielders backing up the catcher, further slowing the game down.

[Alberta's Child]

I think you have it backwards. The shift is a CONSEQUENCE of over-reliance on the home run, not the CAUSE of it.

[Right Wing Assault]

The anti-shifters should have a device imbedded into the field where each defensive player must start. This device would clamp onto the players footwear.

When the ball is hit, a sensor in the bat would send a signal that would release the clamp and the players would now be able to move anywhere they want.

After the batter is out, has stopped at a base, or has crossed home plate, the defense would move back to their clamps to be ready for the next pitch.

Elon Musk is probably working on it right now.

[a little elbow grease]

It's purely a deal about MASCULINITY. Nearly all the players these days want to hit homeruns. It's that simple.

They think they've had their balls cut off to hit a ball to the opposite field to merely get a single and get on base.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Next up, no defense huddle in football.

[a little elbow grease]

Listen!

The biggest and nearly ONLY reason for lower scoring in baseball if it is indeed true (I haven't noticed it at all) is:

All the damn relief pitchers entering the games inning after inning.

Every pitcher these days is told to go throw hard and as long as you can, etc.

Complete games by starters are nearly nonexistent.

Now..... almost every time a batter gets in the batter's box he's facing a DIFFERENT PITCHER.

That is BS!

[dangus]

Not only are you correct, but the shortstop used to actually play in front of the other basement. That’s why he’s called the shortstop. When preventing hard hit balls for making into the outfield became more important than scooping up hunts in dead ball hits is shortstop was repositioned to be parallel to the second baseman

[a little elbow grease]

why should baseball be immune

BASEBALL IS IMMUNE

[a little elbow grease]

"Schemes like this could ruin Baseball. So much of what makes Baseball fascinating is strategy, outmaneuvering the odds. There's already too much interference. Example....in playoffs, long breaks between innings affect the flow and probably even the outcome of the game. I don't even like to watch playoff games because of that."

_________________________

EXACTLY!

I love the way you see this.