How to make baseball the most relevant sport again? Steroids

[Draconator]

Think back to the 90s. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, all players who juiced, and most of us were on the edge of our seats waiting for the bomb into the stands (or McCovey Cove) that was about to happen. 

 

What if baseball allowed players to juice legally? There would be homerun battles year after year. Imagine Ohtani and Judge hitting 70 plus HR's a year, or more! Think baseball fans wouldn't go nuts over that? 

 

Something to at least have some fun discussing.  

[Royale with Cheese]

I honestly agree.  But I would make the pitchers wear a hard helmet.  A roided up slugger is going to hit missiles at 90 feet.  These hitters are even better.

[Draconator]

4 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I honestly agree.  But I would make the pitchers wear a hard helmet.  A roided up slugger is going to hit missiles at 90 feet.  These hitters are even better.

Agree. Pitchers would need something in a form of protection. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

Aluminum bats.

 

No 'roads needed...

[US Egg]

I’m back to loving baseball.
 

The guy I’m watching bat right now is a big reason…..I’ve come to accept that he’s now a Dodger.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, US Egg said:

I’m back to loving baseball.
 

The guy I’m watching bat right now is a big reason…..I’ve come to accept that he’s now a Dodger.

 

I have always embraced it.  I don't get the hate.  The pitch clock is stupid too.  One game without a clock AND they ruin it. Only in America!

[Augie]

They called to invite my son to play All Stars one year when he was young. They offered him 2nd base and lead off hitter. I told them I would ask. My son’s response was “Do I have to? Half the guys are standing around, and the other half are sitting.” From the mouths of babes. He went on to play sports with a bit more action. 

 

I will say it can make some nice background noise. Even my baseball loving college buddy agrees that the pitch clock has helped move things along. He was All State in high school, and he felt it was too slow moving. 

[Gregg]

7 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I have always embraced it.  I don't get the hate.  The pitch clock is stupid too.  One game without a clock AND they ruin it. Only in America!

 

What I don't like is if the game is tied after 9 innings, then starting in the 10th inning each team has a base runner starting at second base before the first batter of that inning comes up. This is stupid just like the NHL shootout in hockey to determine a winner. 

[Simon]

10 hours ago, Draconator said:

Think back to the 90s. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, all players who juiced, and most of us were on the edge of our seats waiting for the bomb into the stands (or McCovey Cove) that was about to happen. 

 

Honestly, I think the whole HR derby thing just makes the game even more boring to watch.

I'd much rather watch guys raking balls into gaps, good gloves, aggressive base-running, big throws on plays at the plate, etc.

[SoTier]

10 hours ago, Draconator said:

Think back to the 90s. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, all players who juiced, and most of us were on the edge of our seats waiting for the bomb into the stands (or McCovey Cove) that was about to happen. 

 

What if baseball allowed players to juice legally? There would be homerun battles year after year. Imagine Ohtani and Judge hitting 70 plus HR's a year, or more! Think baseball fans wouldn't go nuts over that? 

 

Something to at least have some fun discussing.  

 

I don't think that baseball making steroids "legal" would do much to make baseball more "relevant".  I think it would raise all kinds of issues that could make things worse, especially giving the sport a deserved rap for rewarding players for taking potentially dangerous drugs with long-term health consequences. 

 

I think the best way for MLB to regain "relevance" is to institute some kind of salary cap to increase competition as the NFL did.   Wealthier owners/teams can buy their way to pennants and world championships because they can outbid less wealthy teams for FAs while teams without the ability or willingness to spend tons of money to bring in big time talent frequently become virtual farm teams for the big money teams: they find and develop young players but lose them when they become stars in their own right.  Giving teams like the Brewers or Pirates or Padres real shots at winning the WS every once in a while because they have a similar talent level as the Dodgers or Yankees would really fuel interest in local teams and in MLB in general.   Everybody loves a winner, and bandwagon fans are better than no fans.

Edited 9 hours ago by SoTier

[US Egg]

6 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I have always embraced it.  I don't get the hate.  The pitch clock is stupid too.  One game without a clock AND they ruin it. Only in America!

Pitch clock is a reason baseball is at the forefront for me again. Just hope the looming ABS doesn’t muck it up. Baseball was 1st as the sport we played collectively growing up and being in Yankees country made it all the more appealing. I could watch the worst MLB teams play, unlike football.

 

1 hour ago, Augie said:

They called to invite my son to play All Stars one year when he was young. They offered him 2nd base and lead off hitter. I told them I would ask. My son’s response was “Do I have to? Half the guys are standing around, and the other half are sitting.” He went on to play sports with a bit more action.

First off half standing around is as American as apple pie as evidenced by the crews of public workers on any job site. Secondly, can your kid senselessly chew and spit sunflower shells in these other sports? Apparently, it’s quite the stress reliever from the pressures of…..having to stand around? 🤷‍♂️

 

7 minutes ago, Gregg said:

What I don't like is if the game is tied after 9 innings, then starting in the 10th inning each team has a base runner starting at second base before the first batter of that inning comes up. This is stupid just like the NHL shootout in hockey to determine a winner. 

Took me a bit to get use to it, thought the better teams would be the bigger beneficiaries but that’s not the case. It’s pretty much a 50/50 split between home and visitors.

[Draconator]

13 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Honestly, I think the whole HR derby thing just makes the game even more boring to watch.

I'd much rather watch guys raking balls into gaps, good gloves, aggressive base-running, big throws on plays at the plate, etc.

Living in the Bay Area when Bonds was on his homerun rampage, all the local stations would break in for a Bonds at bat if he was about to tie/break a record. The whole area (except for Oakland fans) was glued to the Giants and Bonds. More so than the 49ers or Raiders at the time. 

[Simon]

10 minutes ago, Draconator said:

Living in the Bay Area when Bonds was on his homerun rampage, all the local stations would break in for a Bonds at bat if he was about to tie/break a record. The whole area (except for Oakland fans) was glued to the Giants and Bonds. More so than the 49ers or Raiders at the time. 

 

As a (former) Pirates fan I was required by law to hope that Bonds would get plunked in his fat head every time he stepped to the plate.

[US Egg]

2 minutes ago, Simon said:

As a (former) Pirates fan, I was hoping Bonds would get plunked in his fat head every time he stepped to the plate.

The time Bonds was exposed as prima donna he truly was:

 

[Doc]

Hookers and blow. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

52 minutes ago, US Egg said:

First off half standing around is as American as apple pie as evidenced by the crews of public workers on any job site. Secondly, can your kid senselessly chew and spit sunflower shells in these other sports? Apparently, it’s quite the stress reliever from the pressures of…..having to stand around? 🤷‍♂️

Ha! EXACTLY!  LOVE THIS!  Excellent reply!

 

This is lost on many people today!

 

🤣 

 

Efficiency is overrated... Only causes the wheels to come off and throw a rod through the block.  Nervous chill is our birthright!

[US Egg]

1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Ha! EXACTLY!  LOVE THIS!  Excellent reply!

 

This is lost on many people today!

 

🤣

 

Efficiency is overrated... Only causes the wheels to come off and throw a rod through the block.  Nervous chill is our birthright!

I should apologize for singling out public workers since so many projects are bid out to contractors. Many think the workers on roads and sewers are their municipality employees standing around. They all look the same in their neon green t-shirts and reflective vests.

[Draconator]

4 minutes ago, US Egg said:

I should apologize for singling out public workers since so many projects are bid out to contractors. Many think the workers on roads and sewers are their municipality employees standing around. They all look the same in their neon green t-shirts and reflective vests.

Honest mistake. 

[US Egg]

19 minutes ago, Draconator said:

Honest mistake. 

Like with McGwire, Bonds, Sosa and Clemens. 

[May Day 10]

I can go on about this subject...  I do think the recent rules are an improvement: Clock, ghost runner (regular season only), bigger bases, Minimum batters for reliever, limiting pickoff moves, etc.   I do like pitchers hitting, but I understand why that has been legislated out.  I also wish we could go back to locked-in starting rotations with pitchers who regularly finish games, but I get the evolution.

 

I HATE steroid ball.  I stopped paying attention throughout the steroid era.  I would much rather watch a crisp 2:40 game that ends in a 3-2 score.  I think there is plenty of star-power in MLB without the roids (or at least detected): Ohtani, Tatis, Guerrero, Judge, Betts, Soto, Acuna, De La Cruz, etc.  

 

 

To me, baseball has cut off its legs a bit.  All MiLB have capitulated into a purely developmental/scrimmage leagues.  Furthermore, MLB has culled dozens of professional baseball teams out of communities across the United States.  I think that is a big, long-term mistake.  People across the country become baseball fans watching their local team compete.  I remember "big" Bisons games and some intense moments, including huge brawls.  Now, it looks like the players are practicing and don't want to be there.

I used to be able to travel short distances with my dad and attend professional baseball games in Welland, Niagara Falls, St Catharines, Jamestown, Elmira, Batavia, and Geneva.  Each ballp[ark had their regulars and actually decent crowds consuming baseball.  All wiped out.  

 

I believe the economics of baseball are also getting to a breaking point.  There has always been a history of the Cardinals and Yankees of the world spending, and the A's, Senators, Phillies (long ago), White Sox) developing and selling/losing players to the big spenders.  But with a society who struggles with attention spans, you have like 75% of the markets who cannot retain their biggest stars into their prime.  This is not good, and will be poison to future nostalgia for fans in many regions.

 

 

 

IMO, the greatest thing that can happen, (I realize many things would need to be reset in the way of finances, contracts, CBA, etc), would be a full-on, 4 to 6 tier Promotion/Relegation system.  Restore competitive baseball that means something to all corners of North America.  Force teams to compete or be relegated.  Allow a wealthy mogul in a market like Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, or even Buffalo to make a splash and try to build to be promoted to the highest level.