OT: Will the NL adopt the DH soon?

[silvor]

Well, if we standardize the DH, then why not make all the parks universal?

Seem silly center field is 436 at Minute Maid and only 390 at Fenway.

Why does Oakland Coliseum have all the foul ground and Coors field doesn't.

NFL fields are all the same. Why not MLB then?

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Imagine if you will an NFL where in the NFC only a single extra point was permitted, while in the AFC the two point conversion was allowed.

In games between teams from each conferencre, the rule applicable for the home team would be used for that game.

In the Super Bowl the rules for the team that won the coin flip would be used in the first and fourth quarters and the other rules would be used in the second and third quarter.

Think about it. Is there anyone in their right mind, if such a scheme was adopted, who would not think it was created and approved by an idiot, or a rules committee populated by a majority of idiots.

The whole DH thing hasn’t made sense for forty odd years since it was instituted. If you raise your son to become an AL pitcher, you don’t allow him to touch a bat. He can skip then skip tee ball and get his first Tommy John operation before Little League. Fine.

NL pitchers will be culled from Little League shortstops who are clearly the best all around players on their team, whose talent in the batter’s box is gradually lost in college and the minor leagues where DHing is king.

Personally I would eliminate the DH from the AL, but adopting the DH in the NL is far better than the current system, I will concede.

Half the NBA shouldn’t have to play on an ice rink.

Marathon runners shouldn’t have to compete against smart cars at Indy.

How about a cross between golf and whack a mole where the hole is continually moving on the green, or where half the holes are suspended .10 feet off the ground and Tiger Woods Jr. could literally be a chip of the old block.

Disclaimer: This post was written while sober and not in a bowling alley, where the consumption of adult beverages can impact the results of the game. Cheers!

[RichardSimon]

The only proposed rule change that made sense to me was roster size.
26 man roster makes sense now.
In the past, you had 25 man rosters with 10 pitchers. Managers could pinch hit without fear. A strategy was utilized more so than now. With teams now carrying 12/13 pitchers, the benches are very thin.
And limit the Sept. roster to 28, that would make the absurd rule of 3 batter minimum not necessary. With rosters at 28, they could not load up on relief pitchers.

[Orioles1954]

Why not keep the DH separate in the regular season but universal in all ballparks in the postseason? As for strategy....what is more difficult. Facing a lineup of 9 professional hitters or facing 8 players, an automatic out all because of pinch hitting and double switches?

[SteveWhite]

When I was a kid playing baseball the best athlete was always the pitcher. Then when he didn't pitch he played shortstop. Oh and by the he was almost always the best hitter. Its just like the specialization of all sports. If pitchers hit all the time wouldn't they continue to be good hitters. It doesn't seem to hurt Micheal Lorenzen for the Reds.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by SteveWhite

When I was a kid playing baseball the best athlete was always the pitcher. Then when he didn't pitch he played shortstop. Oh and by the he was almost always the best hitter. Its just like the specialization of all sports. If pitchers hit all the time wouldn't they continue to be good hitters. It doesn't seem to hurt Micheal Lorenzen for the Reds.

This was alluded to in my post. The best player on a little league team, who is also a future major leaguer, plays both shortstop and pitcher usually because he is the best pitcher, the best hitter and the best fielder on the team. With the DH for 10 years before he hits the bigs, his hitting skills are truncated if he is groomed to pitch.

Conclusion, you would see better hitting pitchers in the majors if the DH was eliminated from the ground up.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

The only proposed rule change that made sense to me was roster size.
26 man roster makes sense now.
In the past, you had 25 man rosters with 10 pitchers. Managers could pinch hit without fear. A strategy was utilized more so than now. With teams now carrying 12/13 pitchers, the benches are very thin.
And limit the Sept. roster to 28, that would make the absurd rule of 3 batter minimum not necessary. With rosters at 28, they could not load up on relief pitchers.

25 to 26 seems inconsequential to me. Let’s make it 25 to 46. With an additional 20 arms in the bullpen, more specialization based on analytics would be possible, as well as more commercial breaks for pitching changes.

Warren Whiffle could pitch only in the eighth inning with one out and two runners on base to a right handed 32 year old pitch hitter with a batting average between .276 and .282 with a tendency to swing at sliders off the plate 3 inches above his patella. In fact Warren has never pitched successfully to any batter who did not have this profile, believe or not.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by silvor

Well, if we standardize the DH, then why not make all the parks universal?

Seem silly center field is 436 at Minute Maid and only 390 at Fenway.

Why does Oakland Coliseum have all the foul ground and Coors field doesn't.

NFL fields are all the same. Why not MLB then?

Just a bit off center is the deep part of Fenway at 420


They sort of tried building "standard" stadiums in the 70's, and it was dull dull dull.

[silvor]

Originally Posted by steve B

Just a bit off center is the deep part of Fenway at 420


They sort of tried building "standard" stadiums in the 70's, and it was dull dull dull.

Agreed. Just when people talk about standardizing the rules, shouldn't the dimensions be the same? What if one NFL field was 105 yards and another was 85? The quirkiness of the dimensions, DH rule etc is one of the great things about baseball.

FWIW, I like most of the other rule changes.