Great topic! My response is based primarily on something I think COULD be implemented. The suggestions about fewer teams, no teams in Florida or Arizona will not likely happen due to contracts with stadiums, politics, etc.
Suggestions about fewer games has merit but will also likely not happen due to revenue streams.
Speeding the game up is paramount. We live in a fast paced, action packed world and baseball is none of that. Most people accept that because of the great game of baseball itself, but 3-4 hour games in difficult, even for hard core fans. Here are some suggestions to help speed the game up:
1. Batters should stay in the box and pitchers should stay on the mound. Penalties for failing to do that should be enforced.
2. No players should be able to visit with a pitcher on the mound. That is what a pitching coach is for.
3. Replay, while necessary, is adding alot of time to games, and particularly dead time. Have 1 challenge per game, period! Umpiring and bad calls are part of the game, and unless you have unlimited challenging, it just has to be lived with.
Other things I would change:
1. If rosters are not expanded, why not allow players to play the whole game? For example, why is a pinch hitter, pinch runner, etc out of the game? The bench used to be a big part of the game. Now, with as many as 13 pitchers, you only have 3 bench players and if one of those is your extra catcher, you really only have 2 moves you can make. Other sports allow players to leave the game and come back in again.
2. Eliminate inter-league games. Make the world series even more exciting.
3. The leagues should have the same rules. Either DH for both leagues or for neither league. I personally favor the DH as there is simply nothing exciting about watching most pitchers hit. The way constructed now, an American League team is penalized more when they are not allowed the DH in national league parks and national league teams are rewarded by getting an extra hitter that they were not used to having the entire year. In the event national league teams insist that their way is the better way and the DH is not eliminated, then let national league teams continue to bat their pitcher in american league parks if they wish. American league teams should not have to play up to 4 games in the most important series of the year DRASTICALLY different then they played the entire year up to that point.
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