Replies

Great thread. Thanks for posting.
Mariner is spot on.
Think about your playing days. How many times did you exhort your teammates to “make that hurt” or “make them pay” for a mistake (error, missed cutoff, failure to keep the force play intact, walk, etc.). Mistakes. Turn the opposition’s risk into a mistake by hitting against the shift.
However, the game is no longer about “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in. Manufacture of runs is no longer in vogue during the age of launch angle.
And yes, it is an attempt to get millenials interested in a what they perceive as a boring game.
Why don’t millenials like the game? Partly, it has become inaccessible. Gone are the days of pickup games with the other kids in the neighborhood. Everything is organized with travel teams, etc. Highly competitive and excludes the marginal players who’ll be not be likely to develop skills with age and physical ability improvements if they’ve already been told they don’t make the cut.
Additionally, and particularly on the big stage of playoffs, games start late - no more day games. Most playoff games last until after midnight. Baseball would rather sell advertising during prime time than during an afternoon game. Good for the bottom line, not so much for cultivating young fans.
Finally, IMHO, baseball is a thinking man’s game. However, we live in a culture that no longer rewards “thinking”.
Just my two cents - thanks for posting. Placing the bags ninety feet apart is one of man’s greatest accomplishments.

Think about your playing days. How many times did you exhort your teammates to “make that hurt” or “make them pay” for a mistake (error, missed cutoff, failure to keep the force play intact, walk, etc.). Mistakes. Turn the opposition’s risk into a mistake by hitting against the shift.

However, the game is no longer about “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in. Manufacture of runs is no longer in vogue during the age of launch angle.

And yes, it is an attempt to get millenials interested in a what they perceive as a boring game.

Why don’t millenials like the game? Partly, it has become inaccessible. Gone are the days of pickup games with the other kids in the neighborhood. Everything is organized with travel teams, etc. Highly competitive and excludes the marginal players who’ll be not be likely to develop skills with age and physical ability improvements if they’ve already been told they don’t make the cut.

Additionally, and particularly on the big stage of playoffs, games start late - no more day games. Most playoff games last until after midnight. Baseball would rather sell advertising during prime time than during an afternoon game. Good for the bottom line, not so much for cultivating young fans.

Finally, IMHO, baseball is a thinking man’s game. However, we live in a culture that no longer rewards “thinking”. Just my two cents - thanks for posting. Placing the bags ninety feet apart is one of man’s greatest accomplishments.

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Perfectly said.

*****

ps ---- lol, there was a poster a while back on this thread who actually suggested that baseball would be better if they took 2 feet off the distance between bases.

LMAO!!!! (I'll try to find it if I have time.)