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

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

[A_Former_Democrat]

How bout telling batters to hit to opposite fields?

How much more interesting would THAT be?

[a little elbow grease]

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.

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I hear you.

see # 27

[ThePatriotsFlag]

That’s a strategic part of the game. That could plqy hell with all kinds of century old record keeping. Some people don’t have enough to do so they spend the extra time irdanuzing there to their to their point if view. 9 times out if 10, a “progressive” is driving the change. Churches, football, baseball...damn them! Leave MY world alone!

[a little elbow grease]

"When Ty Cobb attended a game where Ted Williams hit into a shift, he nearly went crazy. He said that if they did that to him, they would never get him out. Williams was an intuitive sabermetrician. He preferred taking a chance on an extra base hit over an easy single."

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Ty Cobb nearly went crazy --- Ty Cobb didn't have far to go.

;-)

[50mm]

A good swinging bunt down the third base line is a double with this defense. Unfortunately, the vast majority of ball players don’t know how to bunt.

[a little elbow grease]

That's hilarious!

[xzins]

I think the overuse of relievers hurts the game and hurts starting pitchers.

[a little elbow grease]

"They won't ban it completely, but will limit the number of fielders during such a shift."

_____________

LMAO ..... just exactly how will that be done? Take your time explaining.

[refreshed]

Baseball being ruined by people who don’t really know baseball (even though they may work in the industry). All this tweaking will result in less viewership. Don’t they see it?

[CommerceComet]

He preferred taking a chance on an extra base hit over an easy single.

I believe it was Ted Williams who responded to those who told him to take the single if the defense was giving it to him: "Why should I do what the defense wants me to do?" That's an interesting point to ponder.

[a little elbow grease]

I once saw a MLB team deploy a rather unusual strategy. The bases were loaded with no outs in the bottom of the ninth and the score tied. The team in the field placed 5 players in the infield to cut down a runner at the plate.

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see post # 4

[a little elbow grease]

“Ruth is a pretty good pitcher. He would have a future in the game if he gave up playing in the field.”

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lol

[a little elbow grease]

That's true........ I loved 'dem Bums yet I was a Pirate fan.

Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Newcombe, Koufax, Sal 'The Barber' Maglie, Carl Erskine, and others............ fantastic team.

[usconservative]

I think that’s true, I also think that pulling a pitcher based on a pitch count is stupid. If a pitcher is still pitching well, leave him in!

[JonPreston]

I haven’t cared about baseball since Curt Flood claimed he was a slave.

[usconservative]

What do you all think of telling defensive players where to play?

I think it's as stupid as telling NFL Defensive players that they have to line up the same exact way every game.

Then again, I haven't watched the NFL for two seasons now so for all I know that's actually happening now. Wouldn't surprise me, the same NFL that adopts the stupid policy letting players kneel during the National Anthem which drives a big chunk of their audience away would probably do something as stupid.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Mooky is wicked smaht.

[a little elbow grease]

"I don't think baseball games need to be sped up at all. All this talk of speeding them up is because the stupid millennial 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 millennial."

______________________

You'r half right. Millennial do have no attention span, but the games are WAAAAAY too long.

Look it up. See how long a regular game took in the 50'-s through the 70's. It's sickening now.

I love baseball, but I almost never watch a full game anymore.

All the mound visits, all the pitcher changes, all the replays......... it's nearly all BS now.

[exPBRrat]

I like baseball just the way it is...esp the pace.

Slow or fast it’s a wonderful game, lovely to go 10 plus minutes without a vulgar indoctrinating commercial.

And finely, it’s totally ridiculous to mess with the fielders position.

[a little elbow grease]

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.

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That's fantastic.