July 28, 201412 yr I grew up a huge baseball fan, had bushel baskets full of baseball cards rubber banded by team...but even though I still watch Baseball, I pretty much only watch it when nothing else is on or when Chapman is pitching in the 9th. All Sports have issues but, Baseball is the worst... Unfairness of Competition -Dodgers TV deal $280M per year Brewers TV deal $12m per year as an example -No Hard Payroll Cap, rich teams can afford to exceed cap and pay Luxury Tax without ever thinking. Hypocrisy of fans and writers -Get caught and Admit to PEDs and get welcomed back with open arms (Pettite and Braun) -Never test positive to PEDs and refuse to admit to doing them and be shunned forever (McGwire, Clemens others) Stupid Unwritten Rules -It's not OK to steal with a lead but it's OK to swing for the fences -Running too fast or too slow on HR Trot will likely get you beaned next at-bat, then middle reliever for batters team beans a utility infielder on the pitchers team and so on and so on. -Really too many of them to list Ambiguity of Officiating -Balls and Strikes should be Balls and Strikes regardless who is Pitching, Batting or Umpiring. -Rookie hitters and pitchers deserve honest calls as much as a 10 year vet does -Hate hearing "Well this umpire usually gives a couple of inches on the outside but calls the inside tight" Umpires should call the stinking strike zone, it's not up to interpretation. Hall of Fame Voting -No one has been a 100% vote, that is crazy. There are many many players that should have went in with 100% of the vote. -Writers use personal agendas when voting for Baseball Excellence :no:
July 28, 201412 yr I rank baseball 2nd, behind the NFL. The NBA is last for me. All of these sports, especially baseball, has things they need to resolve to keep interested or draw in younger audiences. If we don't get some younger kids watching baseball, the cable deals will fall through and salaries for players will decline. Not sure what those guys would do if they made 15M instead of 20M per season.
July 28, 201412 yr Purely subjective, obviously. It is sad on many levels because it once was the most popular and probably considered "best". Outside of a handful of places it is a regional sport and MLB has not been able to make it a national game. The NFL now practically runs the sport's calendar outside of a few weeks during the calendar year. MLB's major draws come during the playoffs which is in the heart of the NFL season. The numbers reflect that outside of these handful of teams (Yankees, Red Sox) it does poorly in the ratings.
July 28, 201412 yr I grew up a huge baseball fan, had bushel baskets full of baseball cards rubber banded by team...but even though I still watch Baseball, I pretty much only watch it when nothing else is on or when Chapman is pitching in the 9th. All Sports have issues but, Baseball is the worst... Unfairness of Competition -Dodgers TV deal $280M per year Brewers TV deal $12m per year as an example -No Hard Payroll Cap, rich teams can afford to exceed cap and pay Luxury Tax without ever thinking. Hypocrisy of fans and writers -Get caught and Admit to PEDs and get welcomed back with open arms (Pettite and Braun) -Never test positive to PEDs and refuse to admit to doing them and be shunned forever (McGwire, Clemens others) Stupid Unwritten Rules -It's not OK to steal with a lead but it's OK to swing for the fences -Running too fast or too slow on HR Trot will likely get you beaned next at-bat, then middle reliever for batters team beans a utility infielder on the pitchers team and so on and so on. -Really too many of them to list Ambiguity of Officiating -Balls and Strikes should be Balls and Strikes regardless who is Pitching, Batting or Umpiring. -Rookie hitters and pitchers deserve honest calls as much as a 10 year vet does -Hate hearing "Well this umpire usually gives a couple of inches on the outside but calls the inside tight" Umpires should call the stinking strike zone, it's not up to interpretation. Hall of Fame Voting -No one has been a 100% vote, that is crazy. There are many many players that should have went in with 100% of the vote. -Writers use personal agendas when voting for Baseball Excellence :no: I could take the unwritten rules and the officiating and say it's the same in the NBA. If playoffs started today 3 of the 4 highest payroll teams wouldn't make the playoffs.
July 28, 201412 yr Author I could take the unwritten rules and the officiating and say it's the same in the NBA. If playoffs started today 3 of the 4 highest payroll teams wouldn't make the playoffs. NBA Officials are pretty bad as well. The unwritten and player enforced rules in basketball pale in comparison to MLB where the players seem to be looking to be offended with every twitch the opposition makes. Your playoff point is well taken, but that's not because the high dollar teams aren't trying to buy the best talent each year. It just means some aren't good at it!
July 28, 201412 yr I agree with whomever stated recently that baseball has local pockets of interest, but it is failing on a national interest scale. Baseball has done a poor job promoting it's stars to a nationwide audience. That said, it's still in better shape than NASCAR, which in 10 years has gone from knocking on the NFL's door in popularity to obscurity.
July 28, 201412 yr Author I agree with whomever stated recently that baseball has local pockets of interest, but it is failing on a national interest scale. Baseball has done a poor job promoting it's stars to a nationwide audience. That said, it's still in better shape than NASCAR, which in 10 years has gone from knocking on the NFL's door in popularity to obscurity. I watched the last 20 laps of the Brickyard and was shocked at how many empty seats there were. I remember going to the first one 21 years ago and being packed in there shoulder to shoulder.
July 28, 201412 yr I watched the last 20 laps of the Brickyard and was shocked at how many empty seats there were. I remember going to the first one 21 years ago and being packed in there shoulder to shoulder. Crazy, isn't it.
July 28, 201412 yr I agree with whomever stated recently that baseball has local pockets of interest, but it is failing on a national interest scale. Baseball has done a poor job promoting it's stars to a nationwide audience. That said, it's still in better shape than NASCAR, which in 10 years has gone from knocking on the NFL's door in popularity to obscurity. I wonder how much of it has to do with lack of American stars? I am not thinking a lot, but it has to play somewhat of a role. And chicks love the long ball. Purist guy will watch no matter, but casual guy is not intrigued each night with what seems to be another no-hitter on the horizon.
July 28, 201412 yr YepI am not sure what lesson you can draw other than you must be in-tune with your audience and adjust accordingly. The NFL now has RedZone, promotes fantasy, adjusts rules, etc. Baseball is pretty much the same sport with the same customs it has gone by for the past 100+ years. Purist love that, and there is a cool side to that, but the generations that follow are not embracing of it.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.