Tag: fernando tatis jr

Baseball Needs Someone To Care. The Commish Doesn’t

Hall of Fame player Bill Terry once said “baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it”. Terry was born in 1898 and played from 1923-36, and managed through 1941. However, his words seem to be just as true today.

The latest controversy in the National Pastime is the sticky substances being used by pitchers to gain an advantage. Every sport deals with players trying to get an edge on their opponents, but when taken to extreme measures, the sport has to deal with the problem.

We agree some of the substances being used are giving pitchers a huge advantage. We’ve all seen the pitches which show up on the daily highlights where it appears the man on the mound is throwing a whiffle ball to opposing hitters. Our opinion is those pitches are mainly the result of using super sticky stuff, like pine tar or the latest thing, Spider Tack, to accomplish these results.

We digress.

The real problem with baseball right now is who is taking care of the game? And it might be the fans, and only the fans.

The commissioner and his office serve the owners, who don’t seem to be concerned with the play on the field. In the past year, they have instituted a terrible extra inning rule, putting a runner on second base to start the 10th and any subsequent inning in an effort to get games over with quicker.

They’ve also shortened doubleheader games to seven innings. What would be the reaction if the NFL announced Thursday night games were only going to be three quarters because both teams are likely only getting three days off?

You don’t have to worry about the reaction because it will never happen.

The sport seems to go out of its way to tell you how bad it is. The game’s are too long, there is not enough action, etc.

Baseball’s in-house network tries to promote the young players coming into the game, like Fernando Tatis Jr., Vlade Guerrero Jr., and Shohei Ohtani, but they seem to focus on the teams in the bigger markets and home runs and/or strikeouts. They don’t talk enough about players who play a solid brand of baseball, winning baseball.

It’s not up to the players to care for the game either. It is their way of making a living, and therefore their first thought is making money.

That said, you can tell some of them love the game and want to do what’s right, and want to promote the sport.

This latest issue though just shows the disconnect within the sport. Instead of just banning all substances immediately and proposing suspensions, why not talk to the players and work out an agreement everyone is happy with?

There have been articles that the “go to” mixture of rosin and sunscreen helps the grip but doesn’t affect spin rates and velocity. That’s the competitive advantage, being able to throw with more velocity and wicked movement on that speed.

Or as was pointed out on the Indians’ telecast on Tuesday evening, Terry Francona wondered why MLB just doesn’t do what Japan does. Apparently, the balls already have some tackiness when they are put into play if we understood correctly.

Either way, there could have been a better solution presented with both parties having some input. That way, both sides have skin in the game and feel better about things, instead of one side dropping a heavy handed edict.

The commissioner and by association the owners seem to want to do things their way without paying attention to the players and even more odd, their customers, the fans. It’s an odd way of trying to work things out.

Someone needs to care about the grand ol’ game, that is besides the fans.

Yes, Baseball Has Problems, But So Does Basketball

The other night, Padres’ young superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. swung at a 3-0 pitch with his team winning 10-3, and you would have thought an earthquake occurred.

There was a huge discussion on baseball’s “unwritten rules”, and how the game is stuck in the past, despite a show of support for the San Diego shortstop from Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Reggie Jackson.

Maybe we aren’t reading the right things, but it seems the only people bothered by Tatis’ dinger were the managers of the Padres, and the team they were playing that night, the Texas Rangers.

And remember, the Friars’ skipper, Jayce Tingler used to work for the Rangers and may be friends with Chris Woodward, the Texas manager, and may have just been trying to take heat off Woodward’s caveman comments.

Still, it lead to discussions about the popularity of the National Pastime and why it seems to be dying, in the words of a former pro football player turned media person.

Look, there are plenty of things baseball needs to address. The defensive shifting, which led to the launch angle movement within the game, has led to lower batting averages and more home runs. A commercial once proclaimed “chicks dig the long ball”, and the round tripper is no doubt exciting.

It becomes less so when there are four or five of them in every game.

The emphasis on the home run has also led to more strikeouts. It used to be an embarrassment for a batter to whiff more than 100 times per year. Last season, the World Champion Washington Nationals had six hitters fan more than that.

Without question, baseball needs more action in the game. More baserunning, more stolen bases, more great defensive plays.

However, when people condemn baseball and prop up professional basketball as so exciting, we are here to tell you that’s baloney.

If the halcyon days of the NBA were the times Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan were on the court, the way the game is played today pales in comparison.

Today’s game is dominated by the long range jump shot. Why? One of the reasons is the same reason baseball is suffering a bit in style of play. Analytics have told basketball people three pointers are more “efficient” than two pointers.

Most teams in the league use the three as their primary weapon, and it is accomplished by having one player try to break down the defense, have the defense collapse on him and pass it outside for a long distance jumper.

The shooter is usually open because of the way defense is played today. Defenders aren’t allowed to use their hands to deter movement, so they have to play off the offensive player in fear they could blow past them and get to the rim.

So, while baseball has become a strikeout or home run sport, hoops has become a three pointer or layup game.

The Indiana Pacers took 32% of their field goal attempts from beyond the arc this season. Seems like a lot, right? They shot the least amount of threes in the NBA this year. Half of the shots the Houston Rockets take are three pointers.

Just 10 years ago, Orlando led the league in long range shots, with 35% of their field goal attempts being three pointers. Memphis was last at 15%. The Grizzlies still finished 40-42 that year.

The other reason was the success of the Golden State Warriors, who won three titles in the last five seasons, behind the shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. However, when the Warriors won their first title in 2015, they didn’t lead the league in three point attempts, they were 4th.

The title led to teams copying the style, which is where we are today for the most part.

There is an old boxing term that styles make fights, but it seems like in today’s NBA, most teams play the same style.

The game has marginalized the big man, which was the staple of the game throughout its history. You have to wonder how effective Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be today, or if they could get on the court at all.

Basketball has just as many problems as baseball, but right now, the sport is the darling of the media and the younger generation. Sometimes popularity doesn’t mean good.

The best thing would be for some team to buck the trend and be successful. Then everyone will follow them.

MW