You want to see the BEST baseball possible? Expand the rosters, then like football have an offensive and defensive team. Put your best 9 hitters in your lineup, and your best 9 fielders in the field. Best vs Best, gotta be exciting!!!!

Be interesting to see lineups that way, i dont think you would want 9 guys who can only hit homers, you need runners on base for them to knock in with those home runs. But it would be the end of the "good field no hit" player in the lineup, he would be in the field but would be replaced by a good hitter in the lineup. And no more bums in the field because they can hit, they would be replaced by great fielders. Sounds exciting to me!!!

Those are good points, Minor league parks can be really small.

I don't follow Japanese baseball, so I wouldn't know about the whistles. Oddly, that would probably make me get hit. I'd be wondering why the usher was blowing a whistle and pointing at me. I'm also puzzled, if the ball is coming that fast how is there time for the ushers to whistle and point, but not for the spectator to duck?

I don't think it's possible to keep every spectator 100% safe, and that the spectator must bear at least a little responsibility for their own safety.

Pole to pole netting I think might be a bit too much, but Fenway (The one MLB place I know of where it's possible to be closer to the batter than the pitcher) Did extend the nets to the dugouts last year. Not a bad idea, as those seats while a bit farter than the pitcher are very close.

I've seen a few hits/close calls, and even been in a couple.
Pawtucket, Saw a broken bat get into the stands roughly at the far end of the visiting dugout. I was on the home side. Clear view, and Pawtucket has a wall that's a bit shorter than the current net height at Fenway. Totally a freak thing. It actually bounced along a railing for about 15 feet. Not going all that fat, everyone ducked or got their arms up.

The one foul ball I "caught" ...Here in Lowell, at about 250 from home plate. Top of the stands on the far end there's a concession with usually no line. Bought drinks, dogs, pretzels, all in a tray. Turn away after paying, and the batter hits a long foul. Guy in front of me tries for it, clips it a bit it hits my stomach and falls in the tray. Didn't hurt a bit, although it was slightly embarrassing finally getting a ball after a few decades made up for it:)

Close call a week later, sitting in a nearly obstructed view seat in Fenway. Not behind the pole, but sort of next to it. Reserved grandstand, WAY back, but not behind the screen, maybe row 30 counting the box seats, maybe more. Yankee game, one of them hits a foul right back at us. I stand up to catch it and realize I'm again holding the drinks tray, with probably $40 worth of drinks and food. :( Had enough time to think that I didn't have a hand free, couldn't get free without dropping stuff, and that I wasn't sure if the ball would hit me or deflect into me off the post. Ducked at the last second and never figured out where the ball ended up. The guys behind us seemed fine, but they were Yankees fans, so I didn't ask.......:)

Steve B

Box Seats, Line Drives and Darkness
 

True Story

Where: Dodger Stadium in box seats closer to the hot dogs for sale than the hot dogs on the field.

Net Zero: Seats between third base and home but just beyond the home plate netting. The seats were far enough back to be covered by the deck above, which was actually pretty close in height, causing this area to be darker than the seats up by the field.

Then it happened, a foul tip line drive from light into relative darkness coming straight at me. There are situations where you don't stand a chance. I honestly knew it was coming but didn't see a thing.

The guy two seats to my right ducked. The lady two rows behind him didn't. The ball hit her hard right in the mouth. Attendants came quickly as she was spitting up blood and teeth. She needed attention, but resisted initially leaving her seat (and her teeth). A true blue Dodger fan indeed.

The likelihood of a lethal foul hitting that particular seat with the overhanging deck above is probably 1 in 50,000,000. Would an extension of the netting up the foul lines a bit prevented this? Yes, but the netting might be 500 years old before this were to happen again.

I agree that the fans have to share in the responsibility for what happens and no venue is going to be completely safe. Going to a game with 40,000 cell phones bugs the hell out of me, but a cell phone was not in play here.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

...and that story reminds of another way to improve the game:

ban cell-phones - nothing worse than seeing idiots with the best seats in the house continuing to be self-absorbed while you, the viewer at home, is trying to concentrate on the potentially great play right in front of them. They wave at the camera, thereby solidifying their temporary immortality - and really, really impressing whoever is on the receiving end of their all-important digital communication.

People on cell-phones should not be allowed behind any protective netting...let's see how brave they can be...

Every fan sitting behind the idiots that bring signs get 1 free swing with a baseball bat at their knee.

Forget the regular season. Who watches or can afford to go to the ballpark these days. Go straight to the playoffs.

Shoud be able to get three or four seasons done in a calendar year.

And change ESPN's name to the ESPNBA.

Wutup, Frank?