“The people who resist change will be confronted by the growing number of people who see that better ways are available,” – Bill Gates
As mentioned here, Major League Baseball has never been more profitable or in better financial shape with all-time record revenues. The tradeoff is that MLB is now a niche sport that has lost considerable ground to the NFL, college football, and even the NBA. MLB remains stuck in its insular culture that is out of touch with the reality of today. Instead of the current total capitulation to the NFL that is currently taking place baseball should fight back with solutions that will increase interest and improve the overall product. Let’s take a look at some of the top ideas to revolutionize baseball and maximize its growth potential.
1-Ten Second Pitch Clock
People are mega busy these days and lead lives that do not have time for baseball games that consistently exceed three hours in length. A big part of the problem in baseball is pitchers who work slowly. Give the pitcher a hard ten seconds to pitch or throw to a base for a pickoff and charge him a ball in the count if he fails to do so. It’s way past time for baseball to jumpstart the pace of the game. Respect your paying customers and TV networks by not wasting their valuable time.
2-One visit to the Mound
There is no greater insult to the customers of MLB than the first of two visits to the mound by a manager/pitching coach. Often times such visits are fraudulent as its actually a shoot the bull session to allow extra time for the bullpen to warm up. A new rule in which a visit to the mound means an automatic pitching change would solve the problem. For that matter ban the catcher and pitcher from chatting at the mound as well. Enough with the waste of valuable customer time.
3-Full Time DH
Get over yourselves Seamheads, most people that watch baseball games are not doing so to split the atom and prove how smart that they are with potential double switches, etc. Fans want action. There is nothing more frustrating than to have a team load the bases and the pitcher come up to bat. And spare me the line about a “complete player.” A pitcher with a .050 batting average is hardly “complete.” Most fans would much rather see a real hitter in the box than a pitcher. And nobody is going to complain about star sluggers having their careers extended a couple of extra years thanks to the designated hitter position.
4-Intelligent Scheduling
Scheduling games in such cities as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, New York, and Boston in April is dicey at best. Front load the schedule in the first few weeks with games in warm weather climates and domes. It is absurd to play baseball in blizzards or in freezing rains when there are locales that can offer good weather and quality games as a result. The tradeoff is that cold weather cities can get more dates in the summer.
5-Day Night Double Headers
Since there is no way MLB will sacrifice revenue with traditional doubleheaders or a shortening of the schedule to a more reasonable 140 games or so, a regular rotation of day night doubleheaders is in order to shorten the calendar length of the regular season is the answer. Use Saturdays for an early afternoon game followed later by a night game. If you did this each Saturday in the summer you could shave two calendar weeks off the schedule.
6-Neutral Site World Series
The MLB schedule is such that the playoffs and World Series now drag out past October. The 2015 projected scheduled has the World Series carrying into the month of November. There have been too many times where the most important and best baseball of the year is played in conditions far more conducive for the NHL Winter Classic. If you are not going to shorten the calendar length of the schedule you can at least move the World Series to a warm weather or domed neutral site like the Super Bowl. It would be a potential tourist boon and the locations could be announced far enough in advance where fans could plan well in advance.
7-Or a Return to Day Time World Series
The World Series has lost most if not all of its national cache. A great way to bring it back and to help offset the cold weather would be daytime World Series action during the week. This retro idea would give baseball the nation’s entire attention and to only play on weekdays would also prevent competition with pro and college football.
Nothing Halts Progress Like Success
Major League Baseball has reported record revenues even as it loses fans and its national stature. It is unfortunate that its insular leadership is penny wise and pound foolish. The ideas listed here could reignite the game back into true National Pastime status.
