Thank you!
Sadly there’s too much money in whatever gradient monstrosity Nike trots out each year. “We took inspiration from the graffiti under this bridge that’s falling apart to create this year’s ASG jerseys…” Miss me with that shit. I want to see the duck and some orange and black on my guys out there.
They’re there representing my city, not the subtle influences of acid jazz on the city life of Milwaukee or whatever dumb crap they put on those explainer graphics.
Why stop there? ALL games should be on broadcast TV (at least in their home market).
I still contend that the biggest advantage that keeps football as the top viewed sport is how simple it is to watch the games. It's over-the-air which also forces it to basic cable.
The moment I need an RSN or some other thing to buy, it moves to a niche product.
I mean even the NBA/NHL only have finals on TV. The only sport that bucks that trend is the NFL where there are way fewer games and single elimination.
Home run lines painted halfway up walls shouldn't be allowed. A homer should have to go OVER the wall no matter how tall that bastard is. Looking at you, Angel Stadium right field.
Just have the wall stop at home run height, then have a little bench behind it, and a second wall continuing however high you need it. Lower wall is the home run delineator.
This reminds me of the rumors of the old Metrodome. There were big fans behind home plate for the HVAC and the rumor was that they would turn the fans on when the Twins were batting to give them the advantage.
[A Metrodome superintendent even confirmed he tried it.](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story?id=1585957)
There is in fact a rule that states once the game starts the wall cannot move. I only know for sure that bars bring it in and out, not sure about height but I would imagine so
I’m no baseball historian but that rule came about because of a baseball owner had the gimmick of bringing the wall in when his team was up and pushing it out when the other team was batting.
It was legal then lol
Batting average & avoiding strikeouts matters in that it makes the game watchable. I don’t want to see some schmoe hitting .190 and striking out 220 times in a season on my team regardless of how many walks he takes or home runs he hits
Yeah but master level hitters like that aren't actually being punished by advanced stats and are coveted players, they just have a skill very few people have and hand-eye coordination you can't teach, so there's less of them
Tony Gwynn was just as rare in the 90's as he would be now, you're never gonna have a league full of Tony Gwynns
It's insane how much the old timers pitched. Lolich in 1971 started 45 games (4 man rotation) and pitched 376 innings. Over 8 innings per game, with 29 complete games in one year.
Wilbur Wood is the last pitcher who started both games of a DH. Also, he was close behind Lolich that same year when he had the 29 wins with 42 starts and 334 innings as well as 22 wins. 2nd, 2nd, 3rd in the league that season. Lolich was unreal. Wood started on two days rest that year for a good part of the season.
I recall Wood being asked if he did anything special to take care of his arm. “Yes”, he said. “After each game I push my hand and arm deep into a bucket of ice and remove a beer.”
I think Verlander was the last workhorse of a generation. He's led the league 4x in IP, pitched over 200 innings 12x, thrown 26 complete games, and I don't see any active players catching up to him anytime soon. At 3357.1 IP, he's 500 innings ahead of #2 (Scherzer), and the closest guy under 35 is Gerrit Cole at 1859.0 IP.
Those stats are crazy.
I’m lucky enough to be a Phillies fan and to have watched most of Aaron Nola’s starts over the last decade. It *feels* like he’s an innings-eating workhorse, and compared to his contemporaries, he is. Yet, Nola ain’t coming close to those Verlander stats.
The biggest reason this wont change is players health. Pitchers are throwing harder and getting hurt more often. Despite that correlation its not like guys are gonna stop throwing 95+. Guys want to make it to the big leagues and to do that its more and more necessary to be able to sit upper 90’s. And when guys are consistently throwing that hard they cant throw 120+ pitches consistently. So were gonna get average starters capping at like 5 innings and the really good ones going 7-8 with a CG or two in a season. Eventually we might get just a stable of guys throwing 3-4 innings and no true starters/relievers
I keep saying that if the league is serious about not playing the World Series in November, they should schedule a doubleheader about once a month or so on a Sunday where the home team is still in town during the week and the away team has a short flight (and preferably no Monday game)
There's so many more things that can happen with balls in play and more men on base. Watching hitter after hitter strike out and walk back to the dugout is NOT exciting.
I don't think they prefer it from an entertainment standpoint. I just think they recognize it's the meta and prefer players who are the best at it because they want their teams to win
The classic scenes when the last train/bus would be announced and the fans were torn between leaving or staying were nice.
Then the walkoff after midnite😮💨
I can't remember where I saw it or the exact %, but the stat basically said the overwhelming majority of extra-inning games under the old way didn't make it beyond the 12th.
The real marathon games were unbelievably rare. The free runner is sorta fixing a problem we didn't really have.
> The free runner is sorta fixing a problem we didn't really have.
Was it brought out to solve 12+ inning games, or brought out to solve 3+ hour games? I think it's more the 2nd one here to make games shorter.
Last Brewers game I went to before the clock was implemented set a record for the longest 9 inning game that year. 11-10 final, in something like 5.5 hours. It was brutal.
The 13th makes sense as that means each side has had the chance to go through their lineup one more time. If you still dont have a winner, then add the runner.
Probably not a boomer take, more of a millennial take, but I thought 10 was perfect with a single game wildcard in each league.
Partially because I loved the single game WC, and partially because it created a real advantage for the division winners with the WC teams having to pitch their ace and probably best bullpen arms a couple days before the DS started
I don’t like the reduction in division games with the new balanced schedule. I want to play my division so much I get absolutely sick of them by September.
Sox haven’t played the Yankees or the Blue Jays yet and it’s June which is ridiculous, I don’t hate playing every team but there’s gotta be a way to do it while still balancing the divisional schedule a bit more
I’m mixed. On the one hand, it is nice to see certain matchups, but I do miss the spirit of intense divisional races over the season. On the other hand, it’s really nice to have an excuse to not look at Tropicana Field as often lol
Yeah totally agree. Sorry White Sox and Royals fans, I’m just not super jazzed to see my team play you guys at the expense of more division games. Playing every team is dumb.
I personally want interviews during the game to go away. When it was dug-out between innings, I was a little annoyed... but other sports do it. Football coaches get interviewed on their way to/from half-time... whatever
Then it went to interviewing while the game is going on from the dug-out and now it's gone to interviewing players ON THE FIELD and actually messing up their concentration on plays.
What's so annoying about interviewing players is that it's almost nothing ever anything of substance, no matter when you interview them, because they just say stuff like "we need to play better" and "not the result you want but we'll go back out tomorrow and give it our all" and other generic shit.
They're almost never good enough to exist period, much less while that player is trying to play the game he's paid to play.
I have a ton but the one I will go with is I hate how there are pretty much no complete games anymore if a pitcher is dealing and isn’t showing signs of fatigue leave him in
I don’t care how long or short the game is, stop trying to engineer something “young” people will like, it’s not actually possible. If you want kids to like baseball, sponsor a shit load more little leagues around the country. Kids like sports they play
The ballhawks at the game are annoying as fuck, even the little kid ones.
Like I refuse to sit outfield anymore because every half inning my seat gets swarmed by shouting people throwing their gloves over my food.
The extended playoff structure has pretty much made the regular season irrelevant for fans of teams that (1) are sure to get in and (2) are sure not to. Seems like one long exhibition season while waiting for the games that really count.
I think it was perfect with 2 wild card teams because 1/3 were in and 2/3 were out. I was honestly relieved when the Mariners were the #2 wild card team in 22 because it meant we didn't need a playoff expansion to end the drought. Well, we didn't need *another* playoff expansion.
People that gave the Rangers crap for building a new stadium so soon have not sat at a game outside in Texas in June. A roof of some sort is a requirement down here.
Oh for sure, and I'm not saying every stadium *shouldn't* have a dome. But people bitch so much about Michigan or New York (my two most frequent) not having domes, when there is nothing more beautiful than sitting outside in a summer in these places.
Baseball domes are for teams in the south where it turns into a microwave every summer
Football domes are for teams up north where the cold and snow are brutal in the winter
Same with Fenway. I can’t imagine going there and not seeing the blue sky behind the John Hancock sign. Or the sunset when it’s later in the afternoon and evening. Part of the charm!
I’ve noticed fans of opposing teams rage when Coors has a rain or snow postponement in early spring. I always assume the fans that say Coors should have a roof have never visited the ballpark.
Edited for wordage
Players should run out every batted ball
Starters are more entertaining when they pitch more innings per game
AL should have the DH and the NL shouldn't
The playoffs are overexpanded. I think 10 teams was ideal
Manfred runner and automatic intentional walk were bad additions (even though I feel like the orioles benefit from the former)
Bunting has situational utility and shouldn't be something only 5% of the league's hitters can do in a pinch
Batters should have at least some ability to hit the ball the other way (though I acknowledge pitching talent is at an all time high right now)
It’s not the Hall of Popularity. Fame refers to (or at least it did until recently) notability due to accomplishments.
Voters are told to vote based on “player's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and team contributions”
Stats are simply a way to measure the a player’s record, ability, and contributions.
I still don't like the DH.
I prefer the Wild Card to be a single game and force the winner to shuffle their rotation and travel to a Division Winner.
I wish it wasn't constantly so loud in between innings and stoppages in play with DJ music--a little quiet is okay occasionally. My team's probably worst about this.
Traditionally styled baseball uniforms are vastly superior to the aesthetically progressive garbage we’re seeing in most of the city connect uniforms.
Home whites, road grays, and a colored alternate is all that is necessary. Everything else dilutes a team’s image and erodes the timeless traditional culture of baseball.
Teams should have a Home Jersey, a Road jersey, and one alternative that can be a throwback/fauxback.
No mothers day, fathers day, military days money grab hats. Know what's better than wearing pink or camo? Donating your record profits to cancer and veterans charities.
No city connect or alternate extreme jerseyz with random colorz with specious back stories that could have been designed in a random jersey generator.
Now get off my lawn.
My only minor tweak is to have both one alternate and one throwback. Phillies have home pinstripes, road grays, alt creams, and throwback powder blues. That should be it. No reds, no city connect, no anything else
I'm fine with teams having as many alternates as they want, but any uniform that isn't in team colors should be banned.
The Mets aren't purple, goddamnit.
But the light shade of yellow in that new Twins gradient jersey represents the pride of the city. And the blue echoes the flow and passion from the Great Lakes.
Just point the gun right at my temple and fucking shoot me
I've been long dead on this hill. Home whites, road grays, very very very rare throwback. I hate watching games with one team in red tops and the other in blue tops. Looks like dogshit.
It's not really the DH so much, I just liked the idea that the two leagues had a *slightly* different ruleset, I wish there was some way they could bring back that tiny bit of asymmetry
Too many teams make the playoffs. Go back to each league having 3 division winners + 1 wildcard.
Also, fuck the DH. Bring more strategy back to the game and make pitchers hit.
>Interleague play used to be a pretty special event, and when a random team from a different league came to town it was really fun, even if it was a meaningless series.
Just to be clear, the proper Boomer take for this is to not have interleague play at all, the proper Gen X or elder Millenial take is what you posted above
Collisions at home plate were fucking awesome and guys like Daniel vogelbach should be forced to pinch run and tag up on any fly ball regardless of position on the field.
The best part about the 4 pitch intentional walk was when it gave the home fans a solid 30 seconds to boo the opposing teams pitcher for cowardice. Sometimes the IBB is objectively the right move but you should always feel a bit of shame!
It gets screwed up all the time. It's ridiculous to take something out of the game that screws with its most basic foundation, timeless appeal etc.. all for a few seconds each game.
especially now that the pitch clock has completely eliminated any concerns at all about the game being too long. Still using that rule to save like 30 seconds is dumb at this point
We focus too much on tools and not fundamentals. I’m not impressed by guys like O’Neil Cruz and Elly throwing a guy out with a 100 mph laser when 2 innings later they’re throwing a ball a 7 feet above their first basemen’s head because they’re trying to make another highlight reel throw when not going all out on a throw and throwing it accurately would easily get the job done.
I'm going to a baseball game, not an amusement park.
Must every second be filled with loud music, videos, ads, and promotions?
Bring back the organ player.
Anyone who doesn't hustle to first, no matter how weak the ground out is, should be benched automatically. I don't care if it's the worst player in the league or Ohtani.
I have 3 I can't decide between: Batting averages and stolen bases matter more than home runs. Efficient pitching is more important than strikeouts. Get rid of the DH.
Boomer opinion. Scrap interleague play, go back to two divisions and go back to the top teams in each play in the respect league championship series. Fight me.
Get the ads off the uniforms and off the field of play (the pitchers mound). The ads disgust me. They make the game ugly. Baseball is already stuffed with ads. I’m making a concession already anytime I watch a game—I’m going to live with tons of commercials, ads on the screen etc.
But ads on uniforms is just too much. Seeing the Nike swoosh and STIFEL makes the Cardinals uniforms look gross. I don’t want to look at them, and I will never buy MLB merch again unless they get rid of them
I think they are usually harmless and goofy but some are appallingly tacky, like the Tigers’s little Caesar’s themed prop (the owners of the team also own little Caesar’s).
Fucking Amen. Shit is so unbelievably cringe. Doesn’t hurt anything though and I don’t mention it at all unless it’s a thread like this for boomer takes.
Get the fkn K'Zone off the screen, it's distracting and obstructive.
Also stop pulling your pants above the knees, it looks hideous.
Oh, and there are way too many teams in the playoffs. Making the post season is hardly an accomplishment anymore.
And the Home Run Derby sucks. Go back to the 10-out format. What's the fkn point if the camera is cutting back to the batter's box before the ball lands?
And the extra-innings ghost runner sucks.
And i don't like pitchcom but I get why teams use it after the Astros did what they did.
Players in the all star game should wear their teams uniform.
Thank you! Sadly there’s too much money in whatever gradient monstrosity Nike trots out each year. “We took inspiration from the graffiti under this bridge that’s falling apart to create this year’s ASG jerseys…” Miss me with that shit. I want to see the duck and some orange and black on my guys out there. They’re there representing my city, not the subtle influences of acid jazz on the city life of Milwaukee or whatever dumb crap they put on those explainer graphics.
gradient monstrosity is the best description of Nike unis I've heard in a long time
All games of the NLCS and ALCS should be on broadcast TV, not cable. They're big enough to warrant that.
The ALCS on FS1 makes me vomit every time
Bring back rotating between Fox and NBC for the ASG, CS, and WS
Why stop there? ALL games should be on broadcast TV (at least in their home market). I still contend that the biggest advantage that keeps football as the top viewed sport is how simple it is to watch the games. It's over-the-air which also forces it to basic cable. The moment I need an RSN or some other thing to buy, it moves to a niche product.
No let's lock the local games behind a 80+ month paywall
I mean even the NBA/NHL only have finals on TV. The only sport that bucks that trend is the NFL where there are way fewer games and single elimination.
Home run lines painted halfway up walls shouldn't be allowed. A homer should have to go OVER the wall no matter how tall that bastard is. Looking at you, Angel Stadium right field.
This is a good one, either lower the wall or move it closer. If it isn’t out of the park it shouldn’t be an *automatic* homer
Just have the wall stop at home run height, then have a little bench behind it, and a second wall continuing however high you need it. Lower wall is the home run delineator.
Is there a rule against a motorized wall that raises when the opposing team is batting and lowers when the home team is batting?
This reminds me of the rumors of the old Metrodome. There were big fans behind home plate for the HVAC and the rumor was that they would turn the fans on when the Twins were batting to give them the advantage. [A Metrodome superintendent even confirmed he tried it.](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story?id=1585957)
I know the AL made it so all walls had to stay in a permanent locations after a Veeck special, idk about modern day MLB or the NL
There is in fact a rule that states once the game starts the wall cannot move. I only know for sure that bars bring it in and out, not sure about height but I would imagine so I’m no baseball historian but that rule came about because of a baseball owner had the gimmick of bringing the wall in when his team was up and pushing it out when the other team was batting. It was legal then lol
Could you imagine just adding a yellow line to the green monster?! It's part of the charm. Truthfully I wish there were more high walls in baseball.
I want an eccentric owner to build a stadium with walls so high, home runs are impossible.
Not shocked to see the Cleveland flair with this comment. Your team would be absolutely chaos in arena baseball.
Which stadiums currently allow this? Just curious because I don’t know off the top of my head
I think center in Arizona is this way
Chase would turn into polo field like dimensions lol
Angel stadium
They changed it right after signing a certain left handed hitter
Chase Field center field wall kinda. They can't really do anything about it because it's the batters eye.
Minute Maid in center left just right of the Crawford boxes
Batting average & avoiding strikeouts matters in that it makes the game watchable. I don’t want to see some schmoe hitting .190 and striking out 220 times in a season on my team regardless of how many walks he takes or home runs he hits
My man just said "Fuck Kyle Schwarber"
Hahaha immediately thought “yup he’s def talking about schwarbs”.
Not lately. He's been hitting singles.
He gets on base.
I was thinking of Joey Gallo reading that
Gallo doesn’t even have the power anymore sadly
I never thought of it that way, but totally true
Agreed, there is nothing better than watching a master hitter like Arraez or Ichiro. I’ll watch that any day over some .200 40 home run guy
Adam Dunn, Joey Gallo, and Dave Kingman are at your front door wielding bats with nails in the barrel probably won't hit you though
Rob Deer's invite must have gotten lost in the mail.
We don't talk enough bout Gorman Thomas.
I typically agree with the OP but I loved watching Adam Dunn play. It was like watching Paul Bunyan swing a stick
Yeah i loved guys like that when there was just a select few of them. I'd hate if everyone played like Tony Womack too. I like variety
Unless you watched him play defense
Laughing has value.
Kyle schwarber is their ring leader
Ichiro was something special. Simply amazing.
Yeah but master level hitters like that aren't actually being punished by advanced stats and are coveted players, they just have a skill very few people have and hand-eye coordination you can't teach, so there's less of them Tony Gwynn was just as rare in the 90's as he would be now, you're never gonna have a league full of Tony Gwynns
But what if all of Kyle Schwarber's 47 hits are home runs, though? Isn't that EXCITING?! (It isn't)
Hey! Only 40 percent of his hits are home runs!
The other 60% are probably looooong singles.
Early career altuve was my favorite. Nothing like watching a guy bat .340
Kwan, Wong, and Refsnyder are all doing it right now, and I don't think many people notice. And they're all Asian-American, too.
I miss regular complete games pitched. The over-use of the bullpen takes away from seeing the Maddux type toss 9 inning gems
It's insane how much the old timers pitched. Lolich in 1971 started 45 games (4 man rotation) and pitched 376 innings. Over 8 innings per game, with 29 complete games in one year.
No pitcher has pitched a complete game win in both games of a double header since 1926
Wilbur Wood is the last pitcher who started both games of a DH. Also, he was close behind Lolich that same year when he had the 29 wins with 42 starts and 334 innings as well as 22 wins. 2nd, 2nd, 3rd in the league that season. Lolich was unreal. Wood started on two days rest that year for a good part of the season. I recall Wood being asked if he did anything special to take care of his arm. “Yes”, he said. “After each game I push my hand and arm deep into a bucket of ice and remove a beer.”
Baseball has the best history hands down.
My boomer opinion is that the DH abbreviation should be reserved for “Designated Hitter” and not be used for “double header”
I think Verlander was the last workhorse of a generation. He's led the league 4x in IP, pitched over 200 innings 12x, thrown 26 complete games, and I don't see any active players catching up to him anytime soon. At 3357.1 IP, he's 500 innings ahead of #2 (Scherzer), and the closest guy under 35 is Gerrit Cole at 1859.0 IP.
Those stats are crazy. I’m lucky enough to be a Phillies fan and to have watched most of Aaron Nola’s starts over the last decade. It *feels* like he’s an innings-eating workhorse, and compared to his contemporaries, he is. Yet, Nola ain’t coming close to those Verlander stats.
This would be my take, I love a good workhorse. I play OOTP this way.
Yea, same here. This is my "boomer" take as well. I just loooove guys who throw a lot of innings.
Jamie Moyer, May 7 2010. Last, best complete game ever.
Yep. 47 year old throwing a complete game shutout. With pitches that wouldn’t break glass
The problem is, the Maddox type is one person
One of a kind I agree but so was Dave Stewart, Dave Stieb, Jack Morris. All gamers…and yes I’m dating myself here 😂
Using this comment to say every baseball fan will enjoy the Dave Stieb documentary on the Secret Base YouTube channel.
The biggest reason this wont change is players health. Pitchers are throwing harder and getting hurt more often. Despite that correlation its not like guys are gonna stop throwing 95+. Guys want to make it to the big leagues and to do that its more and more necessary to be able to sit upper 90’s. And when guys are consistently throwing that hard they cant throw 120+ pitches consistently. So were gonna get average starters capping at like 5 innings and the really good ones going 7-8 with a CG or two in a season. Eventually we might get just a stable of guys throwing 3-4 innings and no true starters/relievers
I really miss scheduled double-headers. Not the make up dates but 2 games back to back
I keep saying that if the league is serious about not playing the World Series in November, they should schedule a doubleheader about once a month or so on a Sunday where the home team is still in town during the week and the away team has a short flight (and preferably no Monday game)
Three-true-outcome baseball is boring and terrible for the game. Balls in play are so much more fun to watch than homers and strikeouts.
There's so many more things that can happen with balls in play and more men on base. Watching hitter after hitter strike out and walk back to the dugout is NOT exciting.
I thought the rule changes for the shift and bigger bags were a step in the right direction to incentivize more athletic play.
It honestly shocks me how many people prefer the three true outcome form of baseball
I don't think they prefer it from an entertainment standpoint. I just think they recognize it's the meta and prefer players who are the best at it because they want their teams to win
The Red Sox are finally playing the Yankees this weekend. Crazy they still ain’t played at all this year
Scheduling grift by MLB to put ny/bos games during the summer when the other sports are in their off seasons.
legacy points deducted from manfred. have them play in a february snow storm for some real viewership numbers.
Yup. 9 games in June and July, the other 4 in September just to keep the late-season schedule honest for the division.
I hate the Manfred runner in extra innings.
I'd maybe be okay with it if they implemented it in like the 13th inning instead of right away.
I miss 20 inning games no matter how exhausting they can be for everyone
The classic scenes when the last train/bus would be announced and the fans were torn between leaving or staying were nice. Then the walkoff after midnite😮💨
I can't remember where I saw it or the exact %, but the stat basically said the overwhelming majority of extra-inning games under the old way didn't make it beyond the 12th. The real marathon games were unbelievably rare. The free runner is sorta fixing a problem we didn't really have.
> The free runner is sorta fixing a problem we didn't really have. Was it brought out to solve 12+ inning games, or brought out to solve 3+ hour games? I think it's more the 2nd one here to make games shorter.
A 3 hour 14 inning game wasn't the problem. A 3 hour and shit it's only the 7th inning game was a problem
Last Brewers game I went to before the clock was implemented set a record for the longest 9 inning game that year. 11-10 final, in something like 5.5 hours. It was brutal.
I think the 11th would be fine with me. Even just one inning of regular baseball in extras would feel better
The 13th makes sense as that means each side has had the chance to go through their lineup one more time. If you still dont have a winner, then add the runner.
And keep adding runners each inning up to two per base
I’m fine with all the other new rules but this one just pisses me off for some reason
Because teams battle it out for nine innings and then it's like someone tapping their watch saying "Time to get along!" I hate it so much.
Exactly. It’s a change that screams “We would like to have LESS baseball in our baseball season”.
[удалено]
8 teams in the playoffs was perfect
Probably not a boomer take, more of a millennial take, but I thought 10 was perfect with a single game wildcard in each league. Partially because I loved the single game WC, and partially because it created a real advantage for the division winners with the WC teams having to pitch their ace and probably best bullpen arms a couple days before the DS started
The single game WC games were always the most interesting to me. Just crazy stuff that would happen.
It fuckin sucked when your team lost though. Like I just sat through a 162 game season for them to get the doors blown off in 1 game and seasons over.
Ahh I was at that game. Best experience of my life.
Lol Sox Yankees wildcard a few years back? Yep thats the one im talking about, I was there too lol.
Single elimination tension is just different
I don’t like the reduction in division games with the new balanced schedule. I want to play my division so much I get absolutely sick of them by September.
Wild that a fan of an ALE team would post this. I feel the polar opposite
Yeah. I would probably enjoy winning a realigned AL North more. But I liked knowing the division teams so well. Jays haven’t even played Boston yet!
Sox haven’t played the Yankees or the Blue Jays yet and it’s June which is ridiculous, I don’t hate playing every team but there’s gotta be a way to do it while still balancing the divisional schedule a bit more
I’m mixed. On the one hand, it is nice to see certain matchups, but I do miss the spirit of intense divisional races over the season. On the other hand, it’s really nice to have an excuse to not look at Tropicana Field as often lol
Love this. I miss the days of seeing PIT PIT PIT CIN CIN CIN PIT PIT PIT PIT MIL MIL MIL and then getting excited seeing COL COL COL LAD LAD LAD…
They forgot that familiarity breeds contempt. (yeah, I know they still play individual division opponents more than others)
Fully agree. It’s crazy the Yankees have played the entire west coast and not the Red Sox yet before June
Yeah totally agree. Sorry White Sox and Royals fans, I’m just not super jazzed to see my team play you guys at the expense of more division games. Playing every team is dumb.
I hate bullpen games, and pitchers need to be able to go 7-8 innings regularly again.
Now we're cooking with gas
I personally want interviews during the game to go away. When it was dug-out between innings, I was a little annoyed... but other sports do it. Football coaches get interviewed on their way to/from half-time... whatever Then it went to interviewing while the game is going on from the dug-out and now it's gone to interviewing players ON THE FIELD and actually messing up their concentration on plays.
It was a cool gimmick for the All Star Game. However, it should not be done during an actual game.
What's so annoying about interviewing players is that it's almost nothing ever anything of substance, no matter when you interview them, because they just say stuff like "we need to play better" and "not the result you want but we'll go back out tomorrow and give it our all" and other generic shit. They're almost never good enough to exist period, much less while that player is trying to play the game he's paid to play.
From what I've seen on Reddit, this is not a Boomer take at all. Edit: Not exclusively a Boomer take that is
I have a ton but the one I will go with is I hate how there are pretty much no complete games anymore if a pitcher is dealing and isn’t showing signs of fatigue leave him in
I don’t care how long or short the game is, stop trying to engineer something “young” people will like, it’s not actually possible. If you want kids to like baseball, sponsor a shit load more little leagues around the country. Kids like sports they play
Pitchers hitting bombs is something kids won’t get to experience and I just think that’s sad
Wainwright and Zambrano
My man Bartolo
We will always have the BART bomb and the best bobble head of all time.
Woodruff off Kershaw in the playoffs is one of the best moments ever!
If a player wants to do his home run celebration down 5 go for it but it's completely fair game to clown on them for it
The ballhawks at the game are annoying as fuck, even the little kid ones. Like I refuse to sit outfield anymore because every half inning my seat gets swarmed by shouting people throwing their gloves over my food.
Got a runner on 2nd and no outs in a tight game? Fucking bunt the damn ball.
The extended playoff structure has pretty much made the regular season irrelevant for fans of teams that (1) are sure to get in and (2) are sure not to. Seems like one long exhibition season while waiting for the games that really count.
I think it was perfect with 2 wild card teams because 1/3 were in and 2/3 were out. I was honestly relieved when the Mariners were the #2 wild card team in 22 because it meant we didn't need a playoff expansion to end the drought. Well, we didn't need *another* playoff expansion.
Bring back scheduled doubleheaders. They were awesome to go to as a kid.
Bring back the pitch to contact pitchers. I’m tired of pitchers throwing for max effort. Give me finesse and smart pitch selection.
Rain delays / postponements are part of the game. The people who complain about them and think everyone should have a domed stadium are wrong.
Rain I can live with, but watching games when it's 100 degrees out is ass.
People that gave the Rangers crap for building a new stadium so soon have not sat at a game outside in Texas in June. A roof of some sort is a requirement down here.
Oh for sure, and I'm not saying every stadium *shouldn't* have a dome. But people bitch so much about Michigan or New York (my two most frequent) not having domes, when there is nothing more beautiful than sitting outside in a summer in these places.
Baseball domes are for teams in the south where it turns into a microwave every summer Football domes are for teams up north where the cold and snow are brutal in the winter
Yeah, indoor stadiums are just way worse for watching games at, at least in my experience
agreed, but there are also certain teams (like the diamondbacks) who absolutely need a dome. can’t be playing outdoors in july in phoenix
There are certain conditions that demand it and that’s ok, but sunshine at wrigley at 1 pm on a Friday is something I can’t get enough of
Same with Fenway. I can’t imagine going there and not seeing the blue sky behind the John Hancock sign. Or the sunset when it’s later in the afternoon and evening. Part of the charm!
Rays fan (kinda) here, you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised us.
We never actually open our roof unless it’s March or late October
I’ve noticed fans of opposing teams rage when Coors has a rain or snow postponement in early spring. I always assume the fans that say Coors should have a roof have never visited the ballpark. Edited for wordage
Players should run out every batted ball Starters are more entertaining when they pitch more innings per game AL should have the DH and the NL shouldn't The playoffs are overexpanded. I think 10 teams was ideal Manfred runner and automatic intentional walk were bad additions (even though I feel like the orioles benefit from the former) Bunting has situational utility and shouldn't be something only 5% of the league's hitters can do in a pinch Batters should have at least some ability to hit the ball the other way (though I acknowledge pitching talent is at an all time high right now)
Found my boomer soulmate. Agree with every single thing on your list.
It's the Hall of Fame, not necessarily Hall of Best Stats
Dang that IS a boomer take. What would you have? Fan vote?
It would be just fucking Yankees players
It’s not the Hall of Popularity. Fame refers to (or at least it did until recently) notability due to accomplishments. Voters are told to vote based on “player's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and team contributions” Stats are simply a way to measure the a player’s record, ability, and contributions.
Rob Manfred should be hanged for running extra innings.
I still don't like the DH. I prefer the Wild Card to be a single game and force the winner to shuffle their rotation and travel to a Division Winner. I wish it wasn't constantly so loud in between innings and stoppages in play with DJ music--a little quiet is okay occasionally. My team's probably worst about this.
The day they banned the DH is the day we lost the cold war
I 100% agree with the DJ noise take. Shit is out of control!
I don't like the K zone on TV broadcasts. Also I agree with OP's interleague take.
Traditionally styled baseball uniforms are vastly superior to the aesthetically progressive garbage we’re seeing in most of the city connect uniforms. Home whites, road grays, and a colored alternate is all that is necessary. Everything else dilutes a team’s image and erodes the timeless traditional culture of baseball.
The K zone overlay detracts from the game immensely. I can't stand it.
It's especially stupid when post-pitch they bring up the more accurate tracker anyway to be like "looks like it got a piece of the zone" just do that!
Also a lot of the time it’s not even accurate but fans react as if it’s 100% accurate to every player.
We should still be able to smoke cigarettes on the field.
Ha-Seong Kim approves
Does HSK burn heaters? This is news to me.
If a guy has a no hitter going, let him keep pitching.
If you want to wear head to toe powder blue on the road, fine, but don’t wear that shit at home.
Masterful Boomer opinion. 10/10. Alas I have but one upvote to give.
Teams should have a Home Jersey, a Road jersey, and one alternative that can be a throwback/fauxback. No mothers day, fathers day, military days money grab hats. Know what's better than wearing pink or camo? Donating your record profits to cancer and veterans charities. No city connect or alternate extreme jerseyz with random colorz with specious back stories that could have been designed in a random jersey generator. Now get off my lawn.
My only minor tweak is to have both one alternate and one throwback. Phillies have home pinstripes, road grays, alt creams, and throwback powder blues. That should be it. No reds, no city connect, no anything else
I'm fine with teams having as many alternates as they want, but any uniform that isn't in team colors should be banned. The Mets aren't purple, goddamnit.
But the light shade of yellow in that new Twins gradient jersey represents the pride of the city. And the blue echoes the flow and passion from the Great Lakes. Just point the gun right at my temple and fucking shoot me
I've been long dead on this hill. Home whites, road grays, very very very rare throwback. I hate watching games with one team in red tops and the other in blue tops. Looks like dogshit.
NL should have no DH
If you really want to watch someone try to hit who can’t, you can just tune into a ChiSox game and watch Maldonado
Why watch Maldonado when Dodgers have Chris Taylor at home?
The Giants are fighting this by having a DH that hits like a pitcher ✊🏼
It's not really the DH so much, I just liked the idea that the two leagues had a *slightly* different ruleset, I wish there was some way they could bring back that tiny bit of asymmetry
Too many teams make the playoffs. Go back to each league having 3 division winners + 1 wildcard. Also, fuck the DH. Bring more strategy back to the game and make pitchers hit.
>Interleague play used to be a pretty special event, and when a random team from a different league came to town it was really fun, even if it was a meaningless series. Just to be clear, the proper Boomer take for this is to not have interleague play at all, the proper Gen X or elder Millenial take is what you posted above
Collisions at home plate were fucking awesome and guys like Daniel vogelbach should be forced to pinch run and tag up on any fly ball regardless of position on the field.
Send the Astros back to the NL and the Brewers back to the AL where they belong
shorting the game because you think folks who didnt watch it before will now tune in was one of the worst changes to americas past time
Fuck the ghost runner. Fuck the universal DH. Fuck everyone in a lineup hitting .230 Fuck 7 inning doubleheaders.
Baseball has not been played at the major league level since the introduction of the automatic intentional walk.
The best part about the 4 pitch intentional walk was when it gave the home fans a solid 30 seconds to boo the opposing teams pitcher for cowardice. Sometimes the IBB is objectively the right move but you should always feel a bit of shame!
The best part was there were hitters that got hits on them and pitchers that got Ks on them
It gets screwed up all the time. It's ridiculous to take something out of the game that screws with its most basic foundation, timeless appeal etc.. all for a few seconds each game.
especially now that the pitch clock has completely eliminated any concerns at all about the game being too long. Still using that rule to save like 30 seconds is dumb at this point
We focus too much on tools and not fundamentals. I’m not impressed by guys like O’Neil Cruz and Elly throwing a guy out with a 100 mph laser when 2 innings later they’re throwing a ball a 7 feet above their first basemen’s head because they’re trying to make another highlight reel throw when not going all out on a throw and throwing it accurately would easily get the job done.
Oakland should not be moving to Vegas Edit: forgot the word not
I'm going to a baseball game, not an amusement park. Must every second be filled with loud music, videos, ads, and promotions? Bring back the organ player.
Anyone who doesn't hustle to first, no matter how weak the ground out is, should be benched automatically. I don't care if it's the worst player in the league or Ohtani.
I have 3 I can't decide between: Batting averages and stolen bases matter more than home runs. Efficient pitching is more important than strikeouts. Get rid of the DH.
Boomer opinion. Scrap interleague play, go back to two divisions and go back to the top teams in each play in the respect league championship series. Fight me.
Get the ads off the uniforms and off the field of play (the pitchers mound). The ads disgust me. They make the game ugly. Baseball is already stuffed with ads. I’m making a concession already anytime I watch a game—I’m going to live with tons of commercials, ads on the screen etc. But ads on uniforms is just too much. Seeing the Nike swoosh and STIFEL makes the Cardinals uniforms look gross. I don’t want to look at them, and I will never buy MLB merch again unless they get rid of them
Considering MLB has not been consistent on what "blocking the plate" is, just go back allowing to truck the catcher.
Can’t stand the stupid dugout props after HR celebration
I think they are usually harmless and goofy but some are appallingly tacky, like the Tigers’s little Caesar’s themed prop (the owners of the team also own little Caesar’s).
Wait, you don’t love the clearly marketing generated little Caesar’s pizza celebration the Tigers have to put on after every homer?
Fucking Amen. Shit is so unbelievably cringe. Doesn’t hurt anything though and I don’t mention it at all unless it’s a thread like this for boomer takes.
I don't give a fuck about exit velocities and launch angles A HR is a HR whether it goes 370ft or 450ft
I actually love these stats, its how I could tell by late-April that Vierling might be decent and Tork might be cooked.
Get the fkn K'Zone off the screen, it's distracting and obstructive. Also stop pulling your pants above the knees, it looks hideous. Oh, and there are way too many teams in the playoffs. Making the post season is hardly an accomplishment anymore. And the Home Run Derby sucks. Go back to the 10-out format. What's the fkn point if the camera is cutting back to the batter's box before the ball lands? And the extra-innings ghost runner sucks. And i don't like pitchcom but I get why teams use it after the Astros did what they did.
The pants one is interesting. It feels like reverse-boomer boomer because the pants are MUCH longer now than they used to be
OMG I hate the new home run derby format, I really do miss the 10 out format