I’d be looking for another job in that case.
And, it’s at odds with the way that the game has been played fo the last 100 years. Teams have shifted, even extremely, to their advantage forever. This is more about protecting and promoting one-dimensional aspects of the game thought to be interesting to the casual fan than it is about protecting the integrity of the game.
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Correct. Ask Ted Williams about the shift teams played on him.
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And what does banning shifts do? You want a more consistent strike zone? Ok, I’m with you. You want to speed the game up with pitch clocks? I get it…I don’t necessarily agree, but I get where you’re going. How does dictating fielding positions improve the game for anyone…in any way? Why on earth is that even a point of discussion?
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The idea is that if you ban the shift, you get more incentives for ground balls and line drives, which moves away from the current all or nothing approach. Chicks may dig the long ball but average fans don’t dig strikeouts and walks.
That seems counterintuitive to me. The shift should encourage contact…shorter swings…going the other way…bunts…steals…hit and runs. Defeating the shift means “inside baseball”, not a “let 'er rip” approach.
The shifting is in response to the all or nothing approach, not a root cause of it.
Offense. They want more offense, like making the bases larger.
I think each team should get to put the bases wherever they want, as long as it’s 360 ft total. Want a shorter distance to 1B? Gotta make it harder to get to 2B. Move 2B closer to 1B? Ok, doubles are a thing, but no way in hell you score from 2B on a single.
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Can you cut down all the time between innings?
“We made the bases bigger!”
Really, it’s the biggest thing you could to to reduce time.
“We banned the shift!”
Are you going to actually do anything to grow the game?
“Runs are now florps!”
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“Astros 2022: Now with 20% more bases!”
Now that slogan is one I think we can all support.
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If the bases are larger, do the runs count more?
Since it requires less “non-base” distance to cover, they’ll count less. Games will end 5.67 to 3.14159
In AL action this afternoon Boston defeats Minnesota by a score of Pi to Fibonacci. Minnesota had a chance to get to e but their ghost runner was thrown out at home swimming pool.
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Even though you are being sarcastic… That would be pretty entertaining for a bit
I would think it’s a self-enforced thing in the pitcher’s head. They should have a “batter’s clock” too, then…you can step outside the box for 5 seconds between pitches.
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The Houston Eulers
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Which team already had a ghost win?
That’s ridiculous.
I’ve long advocated that batters should stay in the box unless they’ve injured themselves or, possibly, fouled a ball off. Maybe after strikes or two-out fouls would be good enough. Ball? Keep your butt in the box, son.
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Banning the shift seems about as arbitrary as banning the hit and run or the intentional walk. It is just another strategic maneuver used in an attempt to gain an advantage over an opponent.
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