MLB 2022: The Long and Winding Thread

I watch the Tigers and the playoffs
Like most of the Tampa Bay area, I don’t give a shit about the Rays

 

Didn't the "Moneyball" A's do exactly that, after a fashion, with their emphasis on OBP and walks, etc.?

There are solutions. Restrict the # of pitchers on a roster to 10 or 11. Eliminate the shift. The expedited pitch clock will help.

Football, hockey and basketball all made significant rule changes to enhance the offense and make for a better game. Baseball should be no different.

 

The Guardians are the team you are looking for, but as you noticed, that only got them so far.

 

True, but it only gets you so far. PNC Park is a wonderful place to watch a game. It is also very easy to get in and out. If I still lived in Pittsburgh, I would be going to a few games every year just for that experience. Even with that, attendance is poor because the franchise is a joke. The franchise is a joke because the owner is a cheap asshole who exploits the system in MLB to line his pocket while not giving a damn about the team.

 

Correct: If you love the game you love the game, all its warts and problems.

 

I can still love the game but not want to pay to see it, especially if the team I grew up supporting makes decisions that show nothing but disdain for the fans.

 

Here's the question you have to ask yourself: Say you have a crowd of 18,000 at a PNC Park game. And say the owners are doing everything in their power to put a winner on the field. How much is that attendance number affected? 27,000? 21,000? 18,001?

MLB ownership gambles on that every day, every game. The Angelos family has straddled that line for decades, knowing that the venue itself was going to put X number of fannies in the seats regardless of how much they ignored franchise needs.

And there's probably a different answer to that for every franchise.

 

Mets too. The game has swung so far in the other direction--power or bust--that while a team can do very well over 162 games by identifying the market inefficiency, it's almost impossible to win with small ball in a short series.