Today's Game

[DOUGHBOYS]

There is a lot of pissing and moaning about the 'livelier ball'. Really, I have no opinion in whether the ball is juiced or not.
With almost every player giving an all out swing on every pitch and nobody really trying to put the ball in play, it could be that the ball is 'livelier' because the swings are from every hitters ass.

Despite the negativity about the home run, there is not one person who wants to 'fix it'.
No Commissioner, no Owner, no GM , no Manager, and no player has said they want to do something about the increase in home runs.
If the shoe were on the other foot, and there were fewer home runs, they'd go crazy.
The ball WOULD be juiced, fences would be moved in, new pitching rules would be made.
That has all happened in the past.
But think about it, has there ever been a rule change because there were TOO MANY home runs?

I haven't heard of any fences at any ball park in the recent past, being moved BACK. There is no heightening of the mound. No softer ball.
Heck no.
The truth is that they like home runs. The largest crowd noise coming after a home run is struck.
As in the NFL with long passes and the NBA with three point shots.
Even the most casual of fans know that a home run means scoring.

And because players are swinging from their ass, two things are becoming clear.
Batting averages are going down. Strike outs are going up.
Two quick Billy Buckner stats-
On the day Buckner died, 16 MLB players struck out three times in their games. Buckner NEVER struck out three times in a game.
There are four qualified MLB hitters with less than 20 strike outs, one third of the way through the season. Buckner AVERAGED 20 strike outs per YEAR.)
Even when baseball was conceived in the 1800's, it was known that the harder one swings, the more likely that full contact would not be likely.
Striking out was an embarrassment. Something the batter could avoid while not swinging 'all out'.
Then Babe Ruth.
Ruth cared less about striking out and basked in the glory of the home run.
Still, for other baseball mortals, batting average reigned king.
Then McGwire-Sosa.
Steroids made for easier home run production and the line "Chicks dig the long ball".
McGwire-Sosa led to Bonds and the ruination of traditional home run records in baseball.

Just a few short years ago, Adam Dunn and then Chris Davis and then Bryce Harper and then Joey Gallo were being criticized in their all-out approach to hitting home runs. Strike outs were used as a way to demonize Dunn, Davis, Harper, and Gallo for their actions.
Now, strike outs are a part of today's game as much as wrappers on the field.
Scientific hitting, gone.
Grip it and rip it.
Is it good for baseball?
Not really.
Baseball was much more exciting BETWEEN the home runs in the past.
Now, the two most boring outcomes to a baseball fan, the walk and strike out have to be endured over and over again.
No fielders moving. No crack of the ball on the bat.
Just five or six pitches resulting in a batter walking to first base or walking to the dugout.
Sure, the home run gets the largest crowd noise, but the silence between the home runs, is deafening.

[DOUGHBOYS]

'Today's Game' is boring. Without fantasy baseball, I would be A LOT less of a fan.
That, coming from somebody who has been driven by baseball for life....

There are no more pitch outs because clubs rarely steal.
The hit and run is gone because of playing for three run homers.
Bunts are for pitchers....only
Shifts take away hits and are dull in and of themselves.
Rules have taken bang-bang hard slides away. One of the few 'Action' plays in baseball. Now, a 'curtsie', more acceptable.
'Giving all' replaced by a token trot to first base. 'Charlie Hustle' to 'Manny Chill'.
Grinding, replaced by pitch count.
Managing with your gutand doing what's right for the team, replaced by a lefty-lefty, righty-righty, push buttoned, I'm your Manager AND your friend Manager of today.

Baseball has gone from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson.
The science of hitting replaced by brawling. Keep swinging till you hit something.
Craftiness replaced by MPH.
Trying to put the best team on the field. Gone.
Losing, and telling everybody we're going to lose. Acceptable.

Are, we the fan, buying into 'Today's game'?
Not really.
Attendance, whether by a little or a lot of fans is down in 25 of 30 cities.
It is up, appreciably, in Philly and San Diego, thanks to hype about the Harper and Machado signings.
Quickly, they are giving their fans many more reasons NOT to watch them than go out of their way TO watch them.
Attendance is also up a little at Mets, Rangers, and Dodgers games.
Mets fans bought into big changes, Slowly, their attendance has slowed.
Rangers fans are enjoying their games without 100 degree temps.
The Dodgers are worth going to see.

Cleveland has lost about 7,000 fans a game.
Their message received loud and clear when telling all that they were in sell-mode.
Like Cleveland, San Francisco fans are losing patrons big time. Really, is there an attractive player on that team any longer?
Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City, and others are also losing at the gate.
The word is out. They don't do everything to win and, on the whole, baseball has become a boring sport, especially to the younger generation.


Here are attendance figures for each club....


Average Attendance......

.........................2018- 2019
1 LA Dodgers......47,042- 47,092
2 St. Louis.........42,019- 41,933
3 NY Yankees......42,998- 39,884
4 Chicago Cubs....38,793- 36,576
5 LA Angels........37,286- 36,020
6 Philadelphia.....27,318- 35,709
7 Boston............35,747- 34,380
8 Milwaukee.......35,195- 34,240
9 Colorado.........37,233- 33,440
10 Houston..........36,796- 32,478
11 San Francisco...38,965- 32,401
12 Atlanta...........31,552- 30,007
13 San Diego........26,837- 29,117
14 NY Mets..........28,164- 28,459
15 Washington......31,620- 27,628
16 Texas.............26,013- 27,363
17 Arizona...........27,687- 26,013
18 Seattle...........28,388- 22,695
19 Minnesota........24,489- 22,079
20 Toronto...........29,066- 20,744
21 Cincinnati........20,115- 19,060
22 Oakland..........19,427- 18,931
23 Chi White Sox...20,110- 18,309
24 Cleveland........24,083- 17,639
25 Kansas City.......20,556- 16,831
26 Pittsburgh........18,786- 16,820
27 Detroit............23,212- 16,700
28 Baltimore.........20,053- 16,262
29 Tampa Bay........14,258- 14,240
30 Miami.............10,013- 9,667

[DOUGHBOYS]

I was told that I was "bitching about the good old days when in actuality the game was worse"...

Everybody has their opinion.
This really isn't an illustration of one generation's game being better or worse than another. More so, it is a snapshot of how baseball has changed.
Earl Weaver was famous for playing for the three run homer. At the same time, Billy Martin liked 'Smallball'.
We don't have contrarian views in todays game.
Now, close to EVERY team plays to the home run.
Here are some incredible statistics.....

10 franchises are on their way to setting franchise records for home runs.

The Twins are on their way to busting the home run record for a team by almost 50 home runs

15 franchises, or half the teams could conceivably set new home run records for their teams this year.

Meanwhile, batting averages have fallen to their lowest point ever.

And look at these fielding stats for the lack of action on the field due to the K/BB/HR three true outcomes way of today's game....

We are on our way this year, to setting a record for the lowest amount of assists in the live ball era....

Along with that, we are also setting a record for the lowest amount of double plays in the live ball era.

There is no question, today's athletes are the best of any generation. No question.
At the same time, we see less of these skills on the field with less balls put in play.

A friend of mine says he prefers College Basketball to the Pro game.
He says that the Pro game is more like a circus event than sporting event. That the athletes may be even TOO good for him to watch on a regular basis.Inside dunks and outside three pointers dominating the game. Always shown on highlights.
He said that the College game was filled with athleticism along with the mistakes we like to see as well.

Is today's game better than that of the past?
I don't know.
It all depends on your taste.
One thing for sure, the game now is definitely different than at any time in its history.

One last thing completely off subject.....
I am in mourning that Drew Pomeranz has been removed from the starting rotation for the Giants.
In Pomeranz, Bumgarner, Samardzija, Anderson, and Rodriguez as possible rotation pieces, it made for the longest names of a full rotation in all of baseball.
Add in Melancon, Crawford, Longoria, and Sandoval, and new outfielder, Mike Yastrzemski, the Giants are short in ability. but long in name.....