More on the state of the game.

[LITTLE NELL]

As one who considers himself a baseball purist, I can't say I disagree with what was written.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...me/2047025001/

[Grzegorz]

Originally Posted by LITTLE NELL

As one who considers himself a baseball purist, I can't say I disagree with what was written.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...me/2047025001/

'"I can’t watch these games anymore," Gossage said. "It’s not baseball. It’s unwatchable. A lot of the strategy of the game, the beauty of the game, it’s all gone."'

The problem is that strategy and patience once were part of the game; today's society wants none of the thinking. It's all about feeling.

[harwar]

I don't care for the state of the game, but the young people who are interested in sports, seem to like it . society has changed, and sports has to change along with it . for young people, their phones are everything to them . their pseudo friend and constant companion . many play video games instead of going outside to play sports like old guys like me did when i was young . i read where many young people only have digital friends and rarely interact socially . i suppose that it's just where society is going these days.

[Frater Perdurabo]

I can’t presume to tell other people how to feel.

However, I disagree with the idea that today’s game has no strategy and is based all on feeling.

I find many things interesting and thoughtful about launch angles and exit velocity and spin rates and pitch tunneling. A lot of brain power is going into how to maximize certain skills, and how to deploy those skills to get 27 outs (when pitching) and to score as many runs as possible (when hitting).

I also realize it’s not for everyone, and that’s OK.

Baseball changed when Babe Ruth clobbered homers, and changed again when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. It changed when it started to be played on artificial turf in multipurpose stadiums and domes, and changed again when it went back to grass. Tommy John surgery changed it again, and now advanced mathematics and high resolution cameras are changing it again.

What I like about baseball is that it can change and yet still remain fundamentally the same game.

[I_Liked_Manuel]

Great article, I'm sure one of the pseudo statisticians can put a metric on it to tell baseball fans it's worth

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by I_Liked_Manuel

Great article, I'm sure one of the pseudo statisticians can put a metric on it to tell baseball fans it's worth

You want some cheese to go with your whine?

[I_Liked_Manuel]

Originally Posted by voodoochile

You want some cheese to go with your whine?

How many clicks above replacement does this article get from the average article posted on this board, adjusted for forum?

[thomas35forever]

[Mohoney]

Originally Posted by harwar

I don't care for the state of the game, but the young people who are interested in sports, seem to like it . society has changed, and sports has to change along with it . for young people, their phones are everything to them . their pseudo friend and constant companion . many play video games instead of going outside to play sports like old guys like me did when i was young . i read where many young people only have digital friends and rarely interact socially . i suppose that it's just where society is going these days.

The changes have nothing to do with “kids these days and their cell phones” and everything to do with creating more runs. There is a reason most teams have bought in.

[I_Liked_Manuel]

Originally Posted by Mohoney

The changes have nothing to do with “kids these days and their cell phones” and everything to do with creating more runs. There is a reason most teams have bought in.

The changes are killing the game of baseball. Some get it, it seems a lot don't

[Grzegorz]

Originally Posted by Mohoney

There is a reason most teams have bought in.

Yeah, money. As long as money is cheap I'd expect more dollars being thrown about.

Back to reality: money and quality are two different issues.

[kobo]

Originally Posted by Grzegorz

Yeah, money. As long as money is cheap I'd expect more dollars being thrown about.

Back to reality: money and quality are two different issues.

What? What does any of this mean?

[Chez]

Originally Posted by I_Liked_Manuel

How many clicks above replacement does this article get from the average article posted on this board, adjusted for forum?

Excellent!

[Grzegorz]

Originally Posted by kobo

What? What does any of this mean?

Cheap money is money lent at a low interest rate or any other cost tied to the borrowing.


Rising salaries paid to players with fringe fundamentals means more mediocrity is to come.

[voodoochile]

Originally Posted by Grzegorz

Cheap money is money lent at a low interest rate or any other cost tied to the borrowing.


Rising salaries paid to players with fringe fundamentals means more mediocrity is to come.

But if those are the best players available then it makes sense to pay them more than the competition. Baseball teams are not going into debt to pay these salaries. In fact there are clauses in their agreement with MLB prevents them from taking on high loads of debt.

It's basic capitalism. What the market will bear. Money is pouring into baseball coffers and salaries are on the rise as teams spend it to marginally improve.