Viewing Habits Suggests Soccer's Rise. Baseball's Decline.

[Neptune78]

Never watch soccer or lacrosse. My favorites are CFB, NFL, CBB, and MLB in that order.

Baseball has made small attempts with pitching length requirements, trips to the mound, 10th inning rules, but it's not near enough. I'd like to see:
--universal DH
--blackout rules revised
--NFL type salary cap
--# of call up trips from minors reduced
-- season start May 1st
-- 142 game season
-- expand roster by 2 players
--rain delays called after one hour
--no warm up pitches after coming in from the pen
--more weekend day games
--three ball/strike challenges per game by video
--all challenges limited to 60 seconds or original call stands
--one pitcher throw per runner on first base
--only visit to the mound is the manager for pitching changes

 

[Gunnerclone]

Never watch soccer of lacrosse. My favorites are CFB, NFL, CBB, and. MLB in that order.

Baseball has made small attempts with pitching length requirements, trips to the mound, 10th inning rules, but it's not near enough. I'd like to see:
--universal DH
--blackout rules revised
--NFL type salary cap
--# of call up trips from minors reduced
-- season start May 1st
-- 142 game season
-- expand roster by 2 players
--rain delays called after one hour
--no warm up pitches after coming in from the pen
--more weekend day games
--three ball/strike challenges per game by video
--all challenges limited to 60 seconds or original call stands
--one pitcher throw per runner on first base
--only visit to the mound is the manager for pitching changes

When I was a kid my favorite players were guys like Ricky Henderson and Vince Coleman, he’ll even Barry Bonds with the Pirates. Stealing bases is one of the most exciting plays in baseball regardless of the result. No one steals anymore.

 

[Cy$]

cricket > baseball

 

[JM4CY]

Never watch soccer or lacrosse. My favorites are CFB, NFL, CBB, and MLB in that order.

Baseball has made small attempts with pitching length requirements, trips to the mound, 10th inning rules, but it's not near enough. I'd like to see:
--universal DH
--blackout rules revised
--NFL type salary cap
--# of call up trips from minors reduced
-- season start May 1st
-- 142 game season
-- expand roster by 2 players
--rain delays called after one hour
--no warm up pitches after coming in from the pen
--more weekend day games
--three ball/strike challenges per game by video
--all challenges limited to 60 seconds or original call stands
--one pitcher throw per runner on first base
--only visit to the mound is the manager for pitching changes

I love you Neptune, my Twins brother, but these would either make no sense or would create an even bigger cluster.

 

[BryceC]

I wouldn't even worry about that. When I was playing sports throughout elementary, junior high and high school I don't think I ever sat down and watched any on TV. Still played them just had other things I rather be watching. Always enjoyed going to watch them live though.

Yesterday when he had some free time he turned on the Chiefs/Bills playoff game and started watching a replay of a game he's seen probably 5 times. It's a soccer thing not a sports thing.

 

[Neptune78]

I love you Neptune, my Twins brother, but these would either make no sense or would create an even bigger cluster.

MLB has to shake things up or the young pups will migrate to 'excitement' of a 1-0 soccer game.
Realize that some of my suggestions would never see the light of the day, but there aren't any that you like?

 

[VeloClone]

Americans can't handle a soccer match that ends 2-1 but have no problem with an NFL game that ends 14-7.

Hint: Both games are 3 score games.

 

[stormchaser2014]

I watch all 162 Brewers games.

 

[JM4CY]

MLB has to shake things up or the young pups will migrate to 'excitement' of a 1-0 soccer game.
Realize that some of my suggestions would never see the light of the day, but there aren't any that you like?

No. I like some. And I like some of the ones I disagreed with and bolded. I just don't see how you can do some of those.

The blackout thing is the stupidest mother ******* thing ever and the main problem. Why the **** they prevent people from consuming their own product is beyond anything I can comprehend.

 

[Kaner04]

Nobody hates baseball more than it’s own commissioner Rob Manfred

 

[somecyguy]

If you're in a relatively wealthy school district baseball is still huge through high school. When I say relatively wealthy I'm thinking West Des Moines, Urbandale, or Cedar Falls. If you live in one of those areas you've probably got several club baseball programs to choose from who will gladly take your $600-$800 for fees, then you need to buy a $300 bat to keep up with the Joneses and a $200 mitt. That bat if you're lucky will last two years before the kid out grows it or if you spent big money on a composite one the damn thing is probably going to crack during one of those cold April tournaments. Then you get to 13U and need a drop 8 bat then again at 14U you need a drop 5 bat and then when he's a freshman you need a drop 3 bat. Maybe you could save some money buying a cheaper glove but then you're probably buying a new glove every year because of the schedule that $80 glove feels like a wet paper towel at the end of the season. If you're a kid from a lower income household you just can't make that work but you can play rec ball and that's a whole lot more reasonable thing but seeing the difference between the two where I live you've got a whole bunch of kids who are unprepared for high school baseball just because their parents didn't have $1500 laying around to drop into their kids making up for the parents athletic failings.

Ugh, as a parent of a soon to be 14yo, I feel your pain. The endless bat changes, lost count of how many expensive gloves he's gone through. And you didn't even get into the outside training that you feel pressure to sign up for. 90% of his team are members of one of the batting clubs. That's another ~$60/month just to start, then of course the clinics they offer on top of that.

My kid will never be a great baseball player. He's been playing since he was 8yo on USSSA teams and we've gone through all the internal political crap, the coaching cliques, fighting the organization board to ensure resources are distributed fairly...it's exhausting. But he loves playing and I've never pushed him, so I guess it's worth it.

All that said, I'll bet outside playoff games, he watches less than 10 games a season.

 

[Neptune78]

No. I like some. And I like some of the ones I disagreed with and bolded. I just don't see how you can do some of those.

The blackout thing is the stupidest mother ******* thing ever and the main problem. Why the **** they prevent people from consuming their own product is beyond anything I can comprehend.

Got it. Didn't scroll down on your post referencing the bolded.
I do think that some type of ball/strike challenge is needed as we can now see every game (with the TV box) how bad some notorious umps are at their job.

 

[JM4CY]

Got it. Didn't scroll down on your post referencing the bolded.
I do think that some type of ball/strike challenge is needed as we can now see every game (with the TV box) how bad some notorious umps are at their job.

That hits on another problem, no need to delay the game there, just fire the problem and hire a competent ump.

 

[Neptune78]

That hits on another problem, no need to delay the game there, just fire the problem and hire a competent ump.

I'll remember that when the Twins closer doesn't get the obvious low, inside corner game ending call, and the newest Yankee$ version of frickin Bucky Dent hits the next pitch out to win the ALCS!

 

[CloneJD]

I like baseball and soccer. I can watch my favorite EPL team start to finish but it's pretty rare I can watch a full Cubs game. With EPL I know the game will be no longer than two hours but with baseball I've got at least three hours with a ton of down time. It's harder to watch baseball attentively.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I like baseball and soccer. I can watch my favorite EPL team start to finish but it's pretty rare I can watch a full Cubs game. With EPL I know the game will be no longer than two hours but with baseball I've got at least three hours with a ton of down time. It's harder to watch baseball attentively.

I also like the times of EPL, Bundesliga, and Champions League in the states. There’s no competition. I would have given anything as a kid in the 80’s and 90’s to have sports on TV starting at 6am every Saturday.

 

[JM4CY]

I'll remember that when the Twins closer doesn't get the obvious low, inside corner game ending call, and the newest Yankee$ version of frickin Bucky Dent hits the next pitch out to win the ALCS!

You’re a b*stard.

 

[Neptune78]

You’re a b*stard.

You know that Bert, the greatest Twin ever, agrees with me that no great, sweeping hook call should ever be missed.

 

[Clonefan32]

Americans can't handle a soccer match that ends 2-1 but have no problem with an NFL game that ends 14-7.

Hint: Both games are 3 score games.

I don't think it's quite apples to apples there. I just feel like so much of soccer is spent with wasted action. You play for 90 minutes for maybe a combined 4-5 minutes where a goal could be scored. At least with football there is a potential for a score on every play. And there's smaller wins/losses that occur with trying to get first downs.

To me soccer is like if you took the shot clock away from basketball. You could just pass the ball around and hold it and take advantage if an opportunity arises. No one would want to watch that (I'm looking at you, IHSAA...).

 

[Gunnerclone]

I don't think it's quite apples to apples there. I just feel like so much of soccer is spent with wasted action. You play for 90 minutes for maybe a combined 4-5 minutes where a goal could be scored. At least with football there is a potential for a score on every play. And there's smaller wins/losses that occur with trying to get first downs.

To me soccer is like if you took the shot clock away from basketball. You could just pass the ball around and hold it and take advantage if an opportunity arises. No one would want to watch that (I'm looking at you, IHSAA...).

But every play total is like 20 minutes. The rest of the 4 hours is just talking and commercials. Lots of commercials.