If you could change any rules in baseball.......

[Kevin Seitzer]

For those who like the dh I suggest it go further. Base ball can platoon like football. No more 2 way players. Teams will use a team for fielding and another made up of unathletic goons just to hit. We will see 9 David Ortiz's hitting. The hitters won't even run they will have designated runners standing next to the batters box who will run once the ball is hit. Nobody will be forced to see bad hitters, bad fielders or bad runners.

Personally, I think that a player's all around game doesn't qualify him to participate in all aspects of the game then he should retire.

I don't agree with but don't begrudge your opinion against the DH.

However, sitting in draft prep meetings right now, I can tell you that what you suggest is not true. There are very few players who can hit at a major-league level who do not have a job in major-league baseball. Very, very few. Teams will find a place to put Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, etc., even if they don't have a DH spot. There are thousands of players who can field at a major-league level but who cannot cut it enough as a hitter to have a job in the lower levels of pro ball, much less the major leagues.

[Pauly]

For those who like the dh I suggest it go further. Base ball can platoon like football. No more 2 way players. Teams will use a team for fielding and another made up of unathletic goons just to hit. We will see 9 David Ortiz's hitting. The hitters won't even run they will have designated runners standing next to the batters box who will run once the ball is hit. Nobody will be forced to see bad hitters, bad fielders or bad runners.

Personally, I think that a player's all around game doesn't qualify him to participate in all aspects of the game then he should retire.

Maybe every team should just have a "staff" of specialized guys who just pitch.

[onejayhawk]

Maybe every team should just have a "staff" of specialized guys who just pitch.

How about specialized people that just coach?

J

[OaklandA's]

I think I agree with you here, but I do have a couple of questions:

1. What was the rationale behind the "complete game" rule to begin with? Did it have anything to do with concerns about not being able to re-start the game exactly where it stopped, because of who was pitching, who was on the roster at the time, etc?

2. Don't the umpires have tools at hand with which to keep a team from stalling? They can make the pitcher pitch, they can make the batter get in the box, they can limit trips to the mound, and if you bring in a new pitcher, he has to pitch to at least one batter. I realize baseball can be pretty slow, but are there a lot of stalling tactics available? (When I was playing high school basketball, we had a guy who would "lose a contact" if things needed to slow down a little. That was back in the day when contacts were permanent and expensive.)

1) Those concerns were probably the reason why, but those are the same problems that occur when a tie game is suspended after 5 innings.
2) I've seen a team "intentionally" strike out on three pitches to try to end an inning faster. And for the losing team, multiple pitching changes in an inning.

It really doesn't happen often, but there seems to be no good reason for it. There was a game a few years ago where a player hit his first Major League home run, but the game was later cancelled after 3 or 4 innings.

[mgwiz22]

I don't agree with but don't begrudge your opinion against the DH.

However, sitting in draft prep meetings right now, I can tell you that what you suggest is not true. There are very few players who can hit at a major-league level who do not have a job in major-league baseball. Very, very few. Teams will find a place to put Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, etc., even if they don't have a DH spot. There are thousands of players who can field at a major-league level but who cannot cut it enough as a hitter to have a job in the lower levels of pro ball, much less the major leagues.

I have no problem with teams finding a spot for people who can hit but let them absorb their defensive deficiencies as well. If after they are forced to field the players are deemed to still be worthy of a spot in the lineup more power to them. Not everyone has to be Ozzie Smith.

[Sour Masher]

For those who like the dh I suggest it go further. Base ball can platoon like football. No more 2 way players. Teams will use a team for fielding and another made up of unathletic goons just to hit. We will see 9 David Ortiz's hitting. The hitters won't even run they will have designated runners standing next to the batters box who will run once the ball is hit. Nobody will be forced to see bad hitters, bad fielders or bad runners.

Personally, I think that a player's all around game doesn't qualify him to participate in all aspects of the game then he should retire.

When I lived in Louisville, I took my wife to 5-6 Bats games a year for five years. She just enjoyed the concession and a day at the park, but never really got into the games. It wasn't until year 4 that she realized the same players who were hitting were also fielding

She assumed it was like football, with different players playing offense and defense.

[Lucky]

lucky, driving to the hoop ...

Pretty accurate rendering of me (all the way down to the uniform number), but I was the only white guy on the team. I can no longer elevate, due to multiple knee and back surgeries.

[Mithrandir]

Eliminate the "vulture" wins, if you blow the lead, you should not be able to get credit for the win.

Addison Reed says hello....he blows a five run lead and gets the win today...