Is Baseball Due for a Comeback?

[Trueblue25]

Brees, Ben, Eli and eventually Tom have or will start to show more signs of aging and flame out. They’ve been figures in a very exciting era of football.

The NBA’s drama is starting to become taxing and a bit dull to follow imo.

Hockey’s still fun but has taken and obvious back seat to the NBA.

With fun young Red Sox and Yankees teams dominating baseball. Is it a return of the rivalry, and with it likely the MLB’s popularity?

This is the first time in nearly a decade i’ve looked forward to the MLB coming back, and my team sucks. Im a jays fan. I just see Machado and Harper’s off season talks along with how exciting the young talent on big teams has become, and think wow baseball may be fun to follow again.

Thoughts?

 

[chugg21]

Baseball is too boring and regular season games are meaningless given the length of the season. Not sure they'll ever figure out a way to overcome those 2 things given today's limited attention spans.

 

[Trueblue25]

Baseball is too boring and regular season games are meaningless given the length of the season. Not sure they'll ever figure out a way to overcome those 2 things given today's limited attention spans.

I agree that this has been an increasing problem, but baseballs on fire with popularity in the city right now with Judge and the yankees. Just made me think that if the yankees can keep NYC (the center of limited attention spans imo) totally engaged, its possible elsewhere too.

 

[chugg21]

I agree that this has been an increasing problem, but baseballs on fire with popularity in the city right now with Judge and the yankees. Just made me think that if the yankees can keep NYC (the center of limited attention spans imo) totally engaged, its possible elsewhere too.

It might stay popular in very specific areas where you are born into it but don't see it ever really mattering nationally to the current levels of the NBA & NFL. Seems like those 2 are definitely in control year round. Soccer has never made it and who knows if it ever will, NASCAR and NHL both already peaked and returned to being more niche then anything. UFC may have peaked as well. Not sure what sport settles in at #3 but seems like it's MLBs to lose.

 

[CA Monk]

Need to shorten games and create less down time and more action. Relievers don’t need 8 pitch warm ups. I don’t know what to do about 12 pitch at bats with 9 foul balls as batters just try to stay alive and just make contact. Maybe no warm ups between innings except a few pitches for the pitcher who gets himself right out there when the inning ends. Fielders don’t need to be warmed up.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Don't call it a comeback.

 

[Alsacs]

Baseball is so long it’s possible to be into the entire season. You can follow your team really.
It’s become regionalized. It’s not a national sport like football.

I couldn’t name the entire starting lineup for any team outside of the teams in the AL East and Houston.

I follow my team and it’s rivals.
Baseball is too slow. Though needs to pick up pace of play.

 

[chugg21]

Need to shorten games and create less down time and more action. Relievers don’t need 8 pitch warm ups. I don’t know what to do about 12 pitch at bats with 9 foul balls as batters just try to stay alive and just make contact. Maybe no warm ups between innings except a few pitches for the pitcher who gets himself right out there when the inning ends. Fielders don’t need to be warmed up.

The games do take forever but I think the length of the season is a major problem. Teams playing 6 or 7 games every week for 7 months is ridiculous. That alone makes it so that no regular season game every becomes must see TV until maybe the very last day of the season.

 

[chugg21]

Baseball is so long it’s possible to be into the entire season. You can follow your team really.
It’s become regionalized. It’s not a national sport like football.

I couldn’t name the entire starting lineup for any team outside of the teams in the AL East and Houston.

I follow my team and it’s rivals.
Baseball is too slow. Though needs to pick up pace of play.

I set my fantasy lineup each morning while on the can. That is about the extent that I'm paying attention to MLB on a day-to-day basis.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Every year I watch less and less baseball and this year I've watched less NBA.

It's all home runs and strikeouts and all 3 pointers and layups.

 

[CA Monk]

I tape the and watch the games in 20min to 50mins. It's the only way. Especially now that I spend so much time on this forum.

 

[dasher]

I tape the and watch the games in 20min to 50mins. It's the only way. Especially now that I spend so much time on this forum.

I do that with the orange now and have never enjoyed watching on tv more. I have found the Orange more enjoyable in the past but not the way I watch them.

 

[OrangeDW]

Every year I watch less and less baseball and this year I've watched less NBA.

It's all home runs and strikeouts and all 3 pointers and layups.

Agreed! People used to get made fun of playing like that(only care about trying to make the highlight play). Now it’s encouraged. Both sports are definitely worse than ever in terms of style of play right now, in my opinion.

 

[MSOrange]

Every year I watch less and less baseball and this year I've watched less NBA.

It's all home runs and strikeouts and all 3 pointers and layups.

Still a huge baseball guy especially now that my Braves are back in contention. But it's hard to argue that it's all home runs or strikeouts. I don't expect everyone to be Tony Gwynn but I can't stand those 30 HR guys that can't hit above 220.

 

[NateW]

Baseball is great...

You tune and and tune out whenever.

If I only have time to watch the first three innings of the Yankees game, then that’s what I do. If I only have time to watch the 6th inning, then that’s what I watch. My phone updates me with any score changes if I’m away from a TV (telling me how the runs were scored.)

I can tune in with John and Suzyn if I’m traveling in the car or out on the boat.

It’s like a game of chess - you can play it or set it aside any ol’ time you want.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Brees, Ben, Eli and eventually Tom have or will start to show more signs of aging and flame out. They’ve been figures in a very exciting era of football.

The NBA’s drama is starting to become taxing and a bit dull to follow imo.

Hockey’s still fun but has taken and obvious back seat to the NBA.

With fun young Red Sox and Yankees teams dominating baseball. Is it a return of the rivalry, and with it likely the MLB’s popularity?

This is the first time in nearly a decade i’ve looked forward to the MLB coming back, and my team sucks. Im a jays fan. I just see Machado and Harper’s off season talks along with how exciting the young talent on big teams has become, and think wow baseball may be fun to follow again.

Thoughts?

Few outside of NY/NE care about Yankees/Sox

 

[Trueblue25]

Few outside of NY/NE care about Yankees/Sox

Theres other teams with large fan bases as well

 

[upperdeck]

i dont get the baseball is boring thing.. fball has so many boring moment in a game compared to the other sport.s. but Hockey is by far the most fun to watch

 

[shandeezy7]

I love baseball, so it won't be a comeback for me. I probably watch about 100-120 yankees games per year. Not always intently paying attention or watching every single inning, but it's on most of the summer. They definitely have to solve some problems though, as others have mentioned. 4+ hour 9-inning games are a travesty. The home run or nothing mentality is also boring. As is the fact that no starter goes more than 5 innings these days and there are a combined 10 pitching changes every game.

I fear that the analytics guys in both the NBA and MLB have been a detriment to the sport. Like Cusefan0307 said, it's all home runs and strikeouts in baseball and three pointers in the NBA. Might be good for your team's chances of winning (which is why I get why they do it) but it is really not good for watchability, imo.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Few outside of NY/NE care about Yankees/Sox

And they’re all wrong and irrelevant.

 

[chugg21]

Really interesting proposals supposedly being discussed by the Union and MLB

Not sure what I think about them. I think I'm on board with the 3 hitter minimum for pitchers as I really lose my mind sitting through numerous pitching changes in the late innings though the strategy involved is obviously a great part of the game. The universal DH should probably exist. Fine with expanded rosters and the pitch clock. The single trade deadline is fine too though having it before the all-star game seems a little early, something around game 110-120 seems more appropriate leaving a 1/4+ of the season to go.

 

[Ryand877]

Really interesting proposals supposedly being discussed by the Union and MLB

Not sure what I think about them. I think I'm on board with the 3 hitter minimum for pitchers as I really lose my mind sitting through numerous pitching changes in the late innings though the strategy involved is obviously a great part of the game. The universal DH should probably exist. Fine with expanded rosters and the pitch clock. The single trade deadline is fine too though having it before the all-star game seems a little early, something around game 110-120 seems more appropriate leaving a 1/4+ of the season to go.

I agree with everything but the three hitter minimum for pitchers. I cannot express how much I can't stand the idea. Baseball is baseball because it is baseball. I still HATE the no pitch intentional walk. Three batter minimum would change the whole dynamic of the game, more than not pitching four balls to walk someone. .
Did I mention that I don't like that idea of a batter minimum? LOL.

 

[shandeezy7]

I agree with everything but the three hitter minimum for pitchers. I cannot express how much I can't stand the idea. Baseball is baseball because it is baseball. I still HATE the no pitch intentional walk. Three batter minimum would change the whole dynamic of the game, more than not pitching four balls to walk someone. .
Did I mention that I don't like that idea of a batter minimum? LOL.

How about instead of a 3 batter minimum, you put a cap on the number of pitchers that can be used in a game, barring injury? And if a guy does leave the game with an injury, he is placed on a mandatory 7 day DL.

 

[Bayside44]

I agree with everything but the three hitter minimum for pitchers. I cannot express how much I can't stand the idea. Baseball is baseball because it is baseball. I still HATE the no pitch intentional walk. Three batter minimum would change the whole dynamic of the game, more than not pitching four balls to walk someone. .
Did I mention that I don't like that idea of a batter minimum? LOL.

Fundamentally I agree with you, practically this is where games grind to a halt.

I don't see how the union won't protect the lefty specialist, etc.

The DH thing for the NL is terrible.

 

[Ryand877]

How about instead of a 3 batter minimum, you put a cap on the number of pitchers that can be used in a game, barring injury? And if a guy does leave the game with an injury, he is placed on a mandatory 7 day DL.

Def don't mind the last idea for injury. I like the concept of maximum per game, but lets say a team is down to their last pitcher. Say its the closer and he is the last available pitcher. If he has a bad inning and is up to like 50 pitches (I understand this is unlikely, just a what if guy), are you going to require him to keep going? This seems like it would make people more prone to injury. Edit: Perhaps if a team is down to their last pitcher and this happens, they are allowed to use another if the pitcher gets to a predetermined pitch limit? Kinda like the mound visit rule? IDK