How to make baseball the most relevant sport again? Steroids

[Mike in Horseheads]

Then we can have another congressional hearing where Sosa can't speak english and they ask for signatures

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

14 hours ago, Draconator said:

How to make baseball the most relevant sport again?

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour 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.

It's the government inspector (QA) that baby sits the contractor mostly with my organization.😉

 

Go on TDY, storm duty, etc... Someone has to make sure the contractors aren't ripping off the government blind.

[US Egg]

1 hour ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

 

Talk about your double headers. So that’s what Yogi meant when he said “Let’s play two”.

[Mike in Horseheads]

1 hour ago, US Egg said:

Talk about your double headers. So that’s what Yogi meant when he said “Let’s play two”.

That was Ernie Banks that said "Lets Play Two"

[Captain Caveman]

17 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.  

 

You think these guys aren't on steroids?

 

[Draconator]

15 minutes ago, Captain Caveman said:

 

You think these guys aren't on steroids?

 

It's possible, but not like Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, et. al. 

[Mike in Horseheads]

5 minutes ago, Draconator said:

It's possible, but not like Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, et. al. 

Brady Anderson on the Orioles in 1996 never had hit 20 but suddenly popped out 50 lol.  Palmiero must have coached him up

[US Egg]

3 hours ago, Captain Caveman said:

You think these guys aren't on steroids?

I don’t think they are.

[Just Jack]

Put the pitchers on roids also. Let's see some 150mph fast balls. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Just Jack said:

Put the pitchers on roids also. Let's see some 150mph fast balls. 

Put them on meth too.  Worked with the German soldiers in WWII... Well kinda, sorta, maybe... For a little while that is. 😏 

[Mark80]

On 6/19/2025 at 1:49 AM, 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!

 

4+ hours games were no good for anyone.  Boring tv, too late at the ballpark.  I used to time some pitchers who were taking seemingly forever in between pitches, it was literally over 60 seconds consistently between pitches.  In an already low action sport, these guys were killing the game.  2-3 hour games are so much more enjoyable.

[ExiledInIllinois]

29 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

 

4+ hours games were no good for anyone.  Boring tv, too late at the ballpark.  I used to time some pitchers who were taking seemingly forever in between pitches, it was literally over 60 seconds consistently between pitches.  In an already low action sport, these guys were killing the game.  2-3 hour games are so much more enjoyable.

That's what pastime means! 😏

 

 What else do Americans gotta do!😉 

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

That's what pastime means! 😏

 

 What else do Americans gotta do!😉 

 

There is a limit to how much time most people want to pass. It’s slow by nature, don’t let them drag it out. 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

Simple cure for most that ills baseball:

 

Make the strike zone a circle that fits INSIDE the current box. 

 

It's called a strike zone because that's the zone where the ball is supposed to be easy to strike with the bat.

 

That's not the case with those corners and to add insult to injury all these "pitchers" gotta' do is hit the tiniest edge of the box for it to be considered "IN" the strike zone.

 

If you think the hitting sucks now wait until they automate the zone next season and pitchers are allowed to just nail that up and inside pitch that is 99% unhittable but still considered a strike.

 

And that's inside the box.   The  reality is that zone is WAY bigger than the box........it's the box plus a line of baseballs all around it.   A good pitcher really never has to throw a hittable pitch.

 

And if you can run 5 relievers out there every game they never get fatigued regardless of how hard they throw.  

 

The ball is round, the bat is a cylindrical........make the zone a circle.

 

Watch the mph of pitches drop and the number of ridiculous breaking balls decline and watch batting averages return to where they were and A LOT more action.

 

And I will say "most" that ills baseball and not "all" because one problem baseball will always have is that you can't score on defense.   It's the only one of the 4 major sports where you know for a fact you can tune out for 10 minute intervals and not miss your team scoring.    I can usually watch a movie during a baseball game by just not watching my team pitch.

Edited 2 hours ago by BADOLBILZ
had to change all to most

[ExiledInIllinois]

11 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

There is a limit to how much time most people want to pass. It’s slow by nature, don’t let them drag it out. 

 

Quick compared to cricket 🏏...  By nature it's lightning quick,  and was billed as such.

 

It's Americans who have an even  shorter attention span now.

 

 

41 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Simple cure for most that ills baseball:

 

Make the strike zone a circle that fits INSIDE the current box. 

 

It's called a strike zone because that's the zone where the ball is supposed to be easy to strike with the bat.

 

That's not the case with those corners and to add insult to injury all these "pitchers" gotta' do is hit the tiniest edge of the box for it to be considered "IN" the strike zone.

 

If you think the hitting sucks now wait until they automate the zone next season and pitchers are allowed to just nail that up and inside pitch that is 99% unhittable but still considered a strike.

 

And that's inside the box.   The  reality is that zone is WAY bigger than the box........it's the box plus a line of baseballs all around it.   A good pitcher really never has to throw a hittable pitch.

 

And if you can run 5 relievers out there every game they never get fatigued regardless of how hard they throw.  

 

The ball is round, the bat is a cylindrical........make the zone a circle.

 

Watch the mph of pitches drop and the number of ridiculous breaking balls decline and watch batting averages return to where they were and A LOT more action.

 

And I will say "most" that ills baseball and not "all" because one problem baseball will always have is that you can't score on defense.   It's the only one of the 4 major sports where you know for a fact you can tune out for 10 minute intervals and not miss your team scoring.    I can usually watch a movie during a baseball game by just not watching my team pitch.

But you can't tune out forever, especially extra innings.

 

One game without a clock, and they go ahead and put one in.

[BADOLBILZ]

34 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

 

But you can't tune out forever, especially extra innings.

 

One game without a clock, and they go ahead and put one in.

 

I love the pitch clock.   It makes the game more like the pace was in the 70's or 80's when pitchers were taught to work fast and manage effort like you gotta' go nine innings.   The pitch clock shaved almost a 1/2 hour off of games....and while people stay up later than they used to......nobody wants 7pm games ending after 10 pm on weeknights.