Update 7-4-2024

Happy Independence Day

This week’s update is brought to you by the Acme Fence Company. “Our Posts are Better!”

FIXING THE GAME! - Broadcasts

I saw the headline in the Athletic last week and it scared me. The words “Fixing the Game” always make me wonder what the upcoming tinkering will do to a game that must not be entertaining enough to folks under 65. I can live with a pitch clock, bases the size of pizza boxes, and limited mound visits, but how far are the folks who sell the game willing to go to make the “show” more of a SHOW?

Before I get to rule changes, I need to vent about the broadcasts.

Apparently, we have to remove all the dead air from a game whose pace was not only acceptable to my generation but preferred. We pondered what happened and contemplated what might happen next. There was a game going on for Pete’s sake, the “action” on the field does not stop between pitches.

Last week when I had enough manager interviews and celebrities in the booth, I turned off the sound of the Orioles-Rangers game. I wanted to see Heston Kjerstad play, but I refused to listen to the manager answer a meaningless question that began with “How do you feel?”

Unfortunately, closed caption enabled me to see the question posed to shortstop Gunnar Henderson during live action. “If you were stranded on a desert island with one teammate, who would you want that to be?” I missed the answer.

I know some powerful demographic feels the game must fill those seconds between pitches with probing questions for shortstops playing defense. Some longer pauses are valuable and can be sold for spontaneous plugs.

My coffee-drinking buddy Harold tells me the Travs have found a sponsor for pitching changes. “This pitching adjustment is brought to you by the (fill in the blank) Chiropractic Clinic.” Pitching adjustment?

The great Chuck Barrett was forced to say things like, “That foul ball was brought to you by Joe’s Chicken Shack, remember Joe’s fowl is better.” Since that sounds so reasonable, I have to admit I made it up.

I even mute Dave Van Horn who is the best coach in college baseball, but not the most candid interview. “Dave, Smith has struck out six in the first three innings, how do you feel about his game so far?” Did I see a wince from Dave?

Feel free to disagree!

In case you missed it, my post this week included a few words about Heston Kjerstad’s latest big league trial, and some stories about Arkansas baseball in the first decade of the 20th century. Link

Parting thought: Sometimes it takes Kenny Rogers to redirect me from over produced TV games and back to the essence of this great game. You are required to try it at the link below!

Link