On the surface, there are plenty of things that the average fan would change about current the current MLB setup: maybe a salary cap, or eliminating teams that don’t even make an impression on their market. This offseason a few topics have been in the spotlight of hot discussion: an expanded playoff system, realignment, and an expanded use of in-game replay. I propose a few things that I would change:
1. Consistent rules within the leagues: I have never understood how in one sport there could be two different sets of rules for each half set of teams. My team affiliation has always been with the Texas Rangers, but I really just do not like the idea of the designated hitter. Jason Boland (“I don’t believe in anything like the designated hitter” from his song Proud Souls) and Crash Davis (“I believe there ought to be a Constitutional amendment outlawing the designated hitter” from the movie Bull Durham) feel me on this one. My distaste for these different rules really took to a new level this past season. I’ve never liked Ron Washington’s in game management skills, but he really frustrated me in the World Series with him seemingly inability to play National League ball against the San Francisco Giants. He did a fine job of playing better National League style small ball against the American League teams, but was outdone by Bruce Bochey’s home field advantage. Each league is almost playing a different game, and I am not for it. Eliminate the designated hitter and let the pitchers hit.
2. Eliminate alignment: I spent most of the 2010 regular season on the west coast and even then the start times between the Rangers and their western division opponents annoyed me. That aside: I am a firm believer that the best teams from each league should make the playoffs. Fangraphs recently released an article going more in depth with this that I will. They go through the last 15 years and look at what teams should have been in the playoffs but weren’t (under their proposed realignment plan, but still relevant). I however, would rather see no divisional alignment within each league. I can’t imagine that it would increase travel a whole lot for most teams. Scheduling would obviously be changed, reducing performance emphasis on inter-division opponents. One could easily assume that it would create more competition for teams who otherwise would be out of it (see the 2006 White Sox or the 2008 Blue Jays). By taking the 4 best teams from each league, the most deserving teams would be in the playoffs. This would be a little difficult to accommodate inter-league play (since teams wouldn’t be playing the same inter-league teams). I enjoy inter-league play and wouldn’t want it to be dissolved. Instead, I propose that these games be treated as exhibition games of sorts, where they would only count (in terms of playoff record) in case a tie-breaker is needed.
3. Expansion teams: This is one thing that I will admit that I am not too confident in the specifics of. It does make sense to me that by creating two new teams then each league would have a comfortable and even 16-teams each. The concentration of teams out east is already pretty high. I could see another team added in Oregon and Vegas. If MLB disregarded my idea of eliminating alignment then having 16 teams in each league would level out fairly for four teams within each division. I could see this happening before I see the dissolve of divisions within each league.
4. Restructure voting: Between the All-Star Game and the Hall of Fame there are serious flaws in voting. The fans should not have so much weight in the voting for the ASG; else it’s less about performance and more about popularity. I will contest though; I have gained more faith in the bulk of baseball fans over the years, and since Derek Jeter’s 2010 Gold Glove, lost plenty for the managers and coaches being involved in any voting. Not every team should have a representative to the ASG. I know that we want to embrace the kindergarten mentality that everyone is a winner, but… well that’s just bull. Some guys are not All-Stars and are only there because we can’t leave a team behind. I would suggest a weight of maybe 0.6 for a writers vote, 0.3 for a fans vote, and 0.1 for coach and managers vote. This gives more All-Star validity to the guys who are paid to watch every game, a little less to the fans (who focus more on one or two teams and are vastly influenced by emotion), and very little to the coaches and managers who should be paying more attention to in-game happens rather than individual performance over the course a season.
5. For the #5 piece of MLB that I would change about MLB, I will combine some small things that I would enjoy if I were the Commissioner.
• Pete Rose and Joe Jackson are removed from the all-time banishment list.
• No alcohol to be involved with televised celebration: this may be a bit extreme but if I were a father, I wouldn’t want my young son or daughter seeing players they look up to drenched in alcohol. The Angels’ celebration dousing Nick Adenhart’s jersey in alcohol made me sick. Treat it like chewing tobacco. You can do it, just off the field and off TV.
• One network station should not own the rights to every game on any particular day of the week. FOX’s monopoly on Saturday night baseball is ridiculously frustrating. We can all agree that there is nothing worse than a black out.
I didn’t touch on a salary cap or the expansion of replay. I have significant fear over a salary cap and how it could harm the game. There are a lot of things involved with it, the majority of which I have not even thought of. I’ve embraced the human element of in-game calls, and I believe that you win some and you lose some but it all evens out eventually. The umpires haven’t exactly embraced the implemented replay system, so I imagine they would be hesitant for any expansion as well.
I love this game. The game is perfect. The structure and my ideas… aren’t. Any change comes with question and the risk of failure, but at least we are able to strive for perfection and a desire to always improve.
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