MLB commisioner Rob Manfred has announced that he will retire in 2029. How do you think he has done so far? And what can he do the next five years to further the game of baseball?
Kill the guy on second... The "Manfred Man," The "Zombie Runner," etc... Figure out something better for extra innings. It's almost embarrassing, especially when explaining it to kids and newcomers..
The rule should have been that the batting team in extras gets their first batter in the inning a free IW, and the manager can decline it if they would rather have the guy take his at-bat. Yes, it may lead to more double-plays, but maybe the solution is to build a roster that doesn't hit into so many double-plays.
I'm good with that, as an Orioles fan with Mateo and Mullins on the team... I guess I'm the old bastard on this one, really. I was okay with long games. Last O's game I attended went 13 innings and I got to see damn near the whole team play. I absolutely loved it and wished it went to 33 innings.. I get it, but I love watching live baseball. I hate the ghost runner so much. It reminds me of playing in the yard with just my sister when we were kids.. Doesn't belong in MLB, though. At least in my opinion. I like the choice of an optional intentional, though.. That's not a bad idea, really..
The thing that bugs me the most about the Manfred Runner is that it fucks with the batting order. For 150 years, we've had the notion that three guys are guaranteed to get to bat in every inning. Then Manfred plops an extra guy on 2nd, out of thin air, and if he makes an out then only 2 guys come to bat.
Any solution that would ensure that three guys make plate appearances is better than this.
I agree with that. It just seems so far out or place in baseball the way it is. Sad thing is, there was probably a whole damn committee of executives planning that change.. and probably not a damn single one of em fans of baseball.. Sad, really.. I totally plucked that outta my ass, though. I have no real knowledge of how that decision was really made. But it seems fitting for the way shit's gone the last few years..