While kids across the country pick up basketballs, footballs, and hockey sticks rather than baseballs, it is obvious that Major League Baseball has some major problems to address. Most of the problems require that the game be given returned to the fans, where it rightly belongs. Let's take a closer look at 10 of these issues which need to be addressed to make baseball the national pastime again:
1. Expansion: I will be the first one to question why MLB expanded into Canada in the first place, but why have we neglected our neighbors to the south? Mexico is a hotbed for baseball talent and fans. The winter leagues in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela are immensely popular. Since everything in baseball seems to ride on money expansion to Mexico should be supported on economic grounds if nothing else. The reason the Giants followed the Dodgers out to the West Coast was so the teams wouldn't waste money travelling to California for only one series. It only makes sense to put teams in places like Mexico City which is only a few hours flight from Texas.
2. Schedule: The issue of scheduling must also be addressed by MLB. The number of games should remain at 162, but the season cannot extend from March until November (snowouts?). More doubleheaders should be played. Reinstate the Sunday doubleheader which was so popular in the glory days. By playing more doubleheaders (a fan favorite for sure), the schedule can remain at 162, but can be constricted to an April to October season. This can be accomplished if the owners will take a little loss financially, but cater to the fans' desires. In the long run, by closing the distance in the relationship between the fans and the owners, the game will be better off.
3. Grass: This one is a no-brainer. Grass is the only way to go. Not only is it more aesthetically pleasing (can you imagine savoring the smell of freshly-squeegied astroturf?), but it is safer for the players. In addition to safety, the game is changed by playing on carpet. How many times have you seen a sharply hit grounder leave the infield and then split the gap, shooting to the wall for a double or triple? Or how about a high chopper that bounces 35 feet in the air, leaving the batter standing on first when the ball comes down? Dick Allen had the right idea when he said, "If cows won't eat it, I won't play on it."
4. Salaries: Right now the minimum salary in professional baseball is around $130,000 a year. The average salary is more than $1 million. And all this money is guaranteed. If these players are the best in the world, let them put their money where their mouths are. I propose to have only one-year contracts for the League minimum (most people can live comfortably on that amount), with incentives (both individual and team) for additional money. The players who produce on the field will be rewarded for their play. The production of the players will be the measuring stick, and this will act as a way to cap the skyrocketing salaries, bringing them back to a level to which the public can relate. And without million dollar contracts, a family of four may be able to spend a day at the ball park for less than $150!
5. Postseason: Postseason games should showcase the best MLB has to offer. But how can this be done if the games last until 1:30 in the morning? How are the kids who grow up worshipping superstars like Griffey and Thomas supposed to follow a game whose heroic moments come past their bedtimes? Return the games to the kids, have playoff games start in the afternoon or early evening. Losing some of that prime-time ad revenue will generate a fan base for the future. That is a far more worthwhile investment.
6. Strike Zone: Every Little Leaguer learns that the strike zone is from the armpits to the knees. That's the way it is in the rule book and the way it should be called on the field. It makes for a more exciting game when the hitters go up to the plate looking to swing and the pitchers are not being squeezed by the umpires. Pitchers can only use half of the strike zone in today's ball game with anything above the belt being called a ball. Just call the rule like it is stated in the rule book and the problem of overly lengthy games will solve itself.
7. Designated Hitter: The DH. The one thing in baseball that does more to ruin strategy than anything else. If you don't think that it affects game strategy that much, ask Don Baylor about why he was forced to pinch hit a pitcher in the elimination game of the playoffs because he mismanaged his bench. Although it gives second-life to the over-the-hill ball player, the name of the game is both offense and defense. When a player is no longer able to play both, then it is time to retire. The designated hitter served its purpose; it increased offense in the game at a time when it needed it. That need to put runs on the board to make the game more exciting no longer exists and neither should the DH.
8. Television: There needs to be a Game of the Week on public television to showcase the sport. CBS, which claimed it was the "Baseball Network," couldn't fit baseball into its lineup until after the NBA Finals in late June. Baseball needs to be shown on accessible television more than just during the playoffs and at the All-Star Game to generate new fans.
Cable television cannot have a monopoly on telecasts. Raise the sport's popularity by making it more accessible on television.
9. Interleague Play: Interleague play is ridiculous. It does not make economic sense because it lessens the games played between divisional rivals which are more popular with the fans. Also, there is a chance that the two teams in the World Series will have met during the regular season. This takes some of the mystique and excitement out of The Series because it won't be full of first-time matchups. Once again, this is an example of a decision made without a Commissioner in charge of the integrity of the game.
10. Commissioner: MLB needs an authoritative Commissioner to mediate between the players and the owners and make decisions solely in the best interest of the game. The game of baseball has been in a downward spiral since the death of A. Bartlett Giamatti, SY '60, GRD '64. Until both the players and owners realize that each side relinquishing some power to a Commissioner will benefit both sides, the game will not progress.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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