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Just two weeks ago, Rob Manfred became the 10th commissioner in MLB history. Generally speaking, MLB has never been more successful than it is now, but changes could and should be made.
Here are...................


The Top 5 Things I would do as the New Commissioner


#5: Embrace Fantasy Games and Gambling.............
Over the past ten years, MLB has been much more accepting of Fantasy baseball and they now run some of their own games. I would expand MLB's fantasy footprint; could you imagine MLB running their own Main Event.

But more importantly, I would embrace gambling. For the non-gambler, baseball betting lines aren't as easy to understand as football or basketball's point-spreads, but there is a huge untapped market out there. I would also add prop bets for the players; things like over/unders on batters faced for pitchers, total bases for hitters, or home runs hit by both teams in the first 5 innings. There are a ton of different bets that could be made every game.

#4: End Bench Clearing Brawls............
The NHL effectively ended bench clearing brawls back in 1977 with the "third-man in" rule. Any player that comes off the bench to enter a fight is ejected. I would put the same rule in place for baseball. Anyone coming off the bench would be ejected. Any third player in a fight would be ejected.

#3: Move the Mound..........
We have all heard about the aging pitcher that has lost a foot off their fastball, well I'd have every pitcher lose a foot. I would move the pitching rubber back 1 foot to 61' 6''.
Baseball offense has been down the past couple of years. Moving the mound back would help the hitter. I would even things out a little by widening the plate from 17 to 20 inches. It would cut down on walks and keep the batters swinging. The game is better when players are hitting the ball.

#2: Pete Rose...............
I would reinstate Pete Rose immediately.
He broke the rules, but the landscape of baseball ethics have changed. He has served a 25 year sentence for gambling on the game, that's enough. But gambling on the game still has to be penalized, especially if I'm going to increase the access to baseball betting, so I would change the penalty from lifetime ban to 25 years for any future players.
I would also reinstate all 8 of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and the 7 other players that were banned by Commissioner Landis for gambling. All of these players would be eligible for the HOF and would be voted on just like any other player.

#1: Eliminate the DH...............
I hate it!!!
I would increase the roster size from 25 to 27, but the manger would have to list 2 players to be inactive for each game when they submit the lineup card.

Nice lists Russ! I am enjoying reading them. See you in Chicago!

Alternate #1Shoot the old commissioner.

I hate the DH, but it is here to stay and the days of pitchers hitting in the NL are coming to an end.

Don't like the 27 man roster (from a fantasy point of view). Too much specialization/platooning going on now...more options, more platoons.

Pete Rose deserves to be reinstated and in the Hall based on his playing stats. Pete Rose is an asshole deserves the fleas from a herd of camels to perpetually infest his armpits. Reinstate him, put him in the Hall...posthumously. Do it in the same year with Joe Jackson, so that Rose doesn't get all the thunder.

Man I hate the DH as well and wish they would do away with it.

I heard a suggestion on the radio the other day that seemed brilliant to me and its very much along the lines of what you suggested here.

The rosters are expanded to 27 players from 25, and 2 players are inactive every game, but instead of the manager making that decision, the decision is made for them. Those 2 players are automatically the SP scheduled to pitch the next game and the SP who pitched the previous game. To me that made a ton of sense.

I've never liked the DH but I think the argument for adding DH in the NL makes sense, and is probably the way it will go.

Baseball gets more offense, everyone plays under the same rule set and $200 million pitchers don't get hurt trying to bunt on pitches up and in. Also, defensively-challenged/ old players don't have to be shipped off to pasture in the AL.

KJ Duke wrote:I've never liked the DH but I think the argument for adding DH in the NL makes sense, and is probably the way it will go.

Baseball gets more offense, everyone plays under the same rule set and $200 million pitchers don't get hurt trying to bunt on pitches up and in. Also, defensively-challenged/ old players don't have to be shipped off to pasture in the AL.

I agree. I'm not a big fan of the DH but I hate the current situation even more. Ridiculous in this age of interleague play to have two sets of rules, and to have one team play by its league's rules except for when they play in a team from the other league's ballpark. There is one MLB, so let's have one set of rules. And, if we are going to have one set of rules, I see the NL changing more easily than the AL. It makes more sense that way for the reasons mentioned by KJ. MLB should decide that the NL will use the DH starting in 2017 or 2018, so that the NL teams can manage their payroll and rosters and plan accordingly. Alternatively, if MLB decides it does not want the DH in the NL, then take a few years and get rid of it in the AL. This two-rule system sucks and while MLB could kind of get away with it when the two leagues only played in the World Series, it does not work with interleague play at all.

Mike

JohnP wrote:Nice lists Russ! I am enjoying reading them. See you in Chicago!

Thanks.

And; I haven't been able to log onto the NFFC Boards for some reason, so I didn't get a chance to congratulate you there on your Championship, so I'll do it now.........Congrats!!

Good posting.

#5: Embrace Fantasy Games and Gambling............. AGREE
#4: End Bench Clearing Brawls............ TOTALLY AGREE. Good suggestion.
#3: Move the Mound.......... IT IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN, NOR SHOULD IT
#2: Pete Rose...............TOTALLY AGREE on Pete Rose. Enough is enough. You've got murderers in the MLB and NFL hall of fame....two of the best who ever played - Ty Cobb and OJ Simpson. Rose belongs in the Hall. Paul Hornung gambled on NFL games (and was suspended for a year) and he's in his sport's hall of fame.
#1: Eliminate the DH............... NOT SURE ON THIS ONE. I don't like the DH, but not sure about adding more roster spots simply as a payoff to the players union to get their approval.

It'll never happen, but I've thought about a hybrid DH system that would allow for the best of both worlds.

Innings 1 thru 6 -- games are played by regular AL DH rules, but then...

Beginning in the Top of the 7th Inning thru the end of the game -- the DH is removed from the lineup and replaced by the pitcher so that games have to be managed like the current NL rules with Pinch Hitters/Double-Switches/etc for the remainder of the game.

You could allow teams to put the DH player in the field in lieu of another player and insert the pitcher in that batting slot instead, doing somewhat of a double-switch right away. This occurs currently when teams decide to put their DH into the field midgame.

Again, I never see Baseball doing something this radical, but it would make the game a lot more fun to watch with NL style end game managing, while still having the DH for the first 6 innings. I too see the league going to a full DH setup within a few years, I had said a few years ago when the Astros move to the AL was scheduled that this would occur by 2016, looks like I was probably a few years early, but still see it happening by 2017 or 2018.

CALI CARTEL wrote:
Again, I never see Baseball doing something this radical, but it would make the game a lot more fun to watch with NL style end game managing, while still having the DH for the first 6 innings. I too see the league going to a full DH setup within a few years, I had said a few years ago when the Astros move to the AL was scheduled that this would occur by 2016, looks like I was probably a few years early, but still see it happening by 2017 or 2018.

I'm actually leaning the other way. I think MLB will probably add two more teams in a couple of seasons, and at that time they will eliminate the DH.

I would expect MLB to look at Indianapolis or Charlotte or Portland as possible expansion sites here on the U.S mainland; and maybe Mexico City, San Juan, or maybe even Montreal again outside the U.S.