158 replies to this topic

[NewMarketSean]

I think Hyde has taken them as far as they can go. But this second half is on the players. They've been awful offensively and defensively.

[russsnyder]

Thank You. I am 100% in agreement with you. It is the dumbest rule ever put into sports. A tee ball rule in a professional sport, imo.

I know it was put in to reduce the chances of long extra inning games, but really how many games actually went longer than 12 innings before the rule was put into place? I read something a few years ago that around 10% of MLB games actually go to extra innings, and of that 10%, only around 15% go past 12 innings. That's less than 3 games per team per year. I don't see the need to compromise the integrity of the game for that few games.

I get the argument on the other side. It saves bullpens from being exhausted for a week when one of those games happens and it shortens games for the fans. I'm just not in agreement with it. Teams dealt with those rare long extra inning games for decades. This was a covid era rule that should have been left behind with wearing masks at ballparks, imo.

It changes the entire atmosphere of extra innings , which is bonus baseball and the strategy of using the deeper parts of your roster.

I think it was made permanent to shorten games. As you said, there aren't that many extra innings games, so this change is needless.

It's just another way that Manfred has bastardized a beautiful game. That guy is the worst.

[jamesdean]

It changes the entire atmosphere of extra innings , which is bonus baseball and the strategy of using the deeper parts of your roster.

I think it was made permanent to shorten games. As you said, there aren't that many extra innings games, so this change is needless.

It's just another way that Manfred has bastardized a beautiful game. That guy is the worst.

As Pete Rose always says, "I can't understand why everyone is in such a hurry to end a ball game. All the other sports are over 3 hours." I think it's a joke too.  I'm assuming most of the younger fans like it since it hasn't hurt attendance, nor do I get any feeling that the natives are restless and complaining about it. 

[BSLSteveBirrer]

The ghost runner rule is DUMB as rocks. And Ive noted this before. If you don't want regular season games to go so long then just put a cap on the innings if its still tied then call it a freaking tie. It won't make a difference in the standings really. 

[85Knight]

I have a hard time getting over Cano not pitching the 9th. I wonder what Hyde's explanation was or if he even had one.

[Ravens2006]

The ghost runner thing for MLB is ludicrous. You play the 9 standard innings one way, then change how the game is played once you go to extra innings??? Goofy.

 

I like the pitch clock. I'm all in on making pitchers work fast / faster, and keeping batters in the box at the pitcher's mercy. Watching Big Sloppy call 17 timeouts per at bat and stepping out of the box... going back to the dugout to smoke a quick cigarette and eat a donut before his 2-2 swing... made the game largely unwatchable. I know it was a slightly extreme example, but when they started pitch clock stuff in spring training a few years back and someone spliced together two sequences side by side where one whole half inning finished in less time than some small number of pitches in an at-bat the year before (pitcher and batter kept taking turns stepping off or stepping out). That was gold.

 

Work fast, throw strikes, change speeds... batter keep your feet in the box and be ready to go... all good stuff.  

 

Ghost runners that magically appear because it's the 10th inning... gimme a break...

[NewMarketSean]

We lose that game with or without the ghost runner. Not sure what the fuss is about. 

[Ravens2006]

We lose that game with or without the ghost runner. Not sure what the fuss is about. 

 

For me that had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. Just a general observatory rant... 

[NewMarketSean]

For me that had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. Just a general observatory rant... 

 

I'd prefer it go away too. Just not sure how it affected last night's game.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Its an entirely different approach. Its not accurate to say that what happened last night had nothing to do with the ghost runner rule. That assumes that the game is played out the same way and that is not necessarily accurate.

[ivanbalt]

I'm all about a shorter game since the vast majority end in 9 innings.  But if it goes beyond, play the damn game as it should be.

[russsnyder]

We lose that game with or without the ghost runner. Not sure what the fuss is about.

The " ghost runner " discussion has nothing to do with this specific game.

The fuss is that some on here believe that the rule is a bowl of shit.

[BSLSteveBirrer]

The " ghost runner " discussion has nothing to do with this specific game.

The fuss is that some on here believe that the rule is a bowl of shit.

It's one of my main complaints in sports. Different rules fir extra breaking ties. Different travel days for playoffs.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

I was initially against it. Still think they could do an inning or two straight before the ghost runner. Ultimately, these guys play 162 games over 6 months. Its a huge grind. We dont need 15 and 16 inning or god forbid more reg season games. Ive come all the way around. Think it is needed. The only other option is to go to a hockey point system and include ties.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Def against ties. But I see no harm in playing the 10th and maybe the 11th “normally” before going to ghost runner.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Def against ties. But I see no harm in playing the 10th and maybe the 11th “normally” before going to ghost runner.

Yeah I dont really like ties either. Prefer ghost runners over a tie system

[russsnyder]

I was initially against it. Still think they could do an inning or two straight before the ghost runner. Ultimately, these guys play 162 games over 6 months. Its a huge grind. We dont need 15 and 16 inning or god forbid more reg season games. Ive come all the way around. Think it is needed. The only other option is to go to a hockey point system and include ties.

I respectfully disagree.

Some quick solutions to the grind.

Shorten the season to 154 games

Go back to a single game play-in WC playoff game.
(It's more exciting anyway.)

In addition, get rid of the best of seven league series. One, the only best of seven series should be the World Series. Two, the three out of five series are more exciting.


MLB won't do any of this because of the potential loss of revenue. Guys are just going to have to grind through it.

Here's why the "ghost runner" isn't needed:

One, there aren't that many extra innings games to make this necessary.

Secondly, each team involved in extra inning can easily make roster moves to keep their team's fresh if they are involved in a fifteen inning game.

Quick question, if the ghost runner is so necessary, why does it go out the window during the World Series?

I mean, MLB is forcing the two best teams to play differently during their showcase. This might be the dumbest part of all of this. While I hate the rule, don't have teams play differently during the post season.

MLB can't get out if it's own way.

[Mackus]

They've got taxi squads now, I think they should go back to normal baseball in extras and let teams add extra guys off the taxi squad the next day depending on how long the game goes.

Think not having to worry about long games changes how bullpens are managed towards the end of regulation.

[russsnyder]

They've got taxi squads now, I think they should go back to normal baseball in extras and let teams add extra guys off the taxi squad the next day depending on how long the game goes.

Think not having to worry about long games changes how bullpens are managed towards the end of regulation.

Outstanding idea.