As any red-blooded American sports fan knows, Spring Training games began in Florida and Arizona this week. (And if you have to ask, “Spring Training for what?” . . . well, we may not be able to be friends.) Fortunately, there were no politicians involved to foul up things (at least not too much). Even with our divided nation, Blue State friends and Red State friends can put aside any differences long enough to root, root, root for the home team. When your clean-up hitter clears the bases with a Grand Slam, conservative and liberal alike can cheer as one.

With all that camaraderie going for it, you have to wonder why the grand old game of baseball would want to mess with a good thing. Yet, it has. (This may be where the politicians have come into play. I’m not quite sure about that though.)

On Monday’s telecast of the Braves/Red Sox game, the Braves sent six hitters to the plate in the top of the 1st inning. All but one reached base safely. By the time the seventh man came to the plate, the Boston pitcher had thrown 23 pitches – very few for strikes. With the bases loaded, two runs in and only one out in the inning, the Red Sox were allowed to come in off the field. The Braves had to grab their gloves and head to their defensive positions. That was the end of the Braves’ turn at bat.

Apparently, it’s a new rule that for the first two weeks of Spring Training games, if a manager wants to pull his pitcher after 20 pitches, he can do so. And the whole team comes off the field with him. Inning over.

Are you kidding me? What kind of sense does that make? Does the team only have that one hurler that can pitch in the first inning? (Actually, that wouldn’t really surprise me since there are Designated Hitters, and members of the relief pitching corps who only throw to left-handed or right-handed batters, and then only in certain situations or certain innings.)

I didn’t hang around long enough to see the end of Monday’s game. But from what the announcers were saying, it seems teams may elect to play 5-inning or 7-inning games during the initial stages of Spring Training. Again, are you kidding me? Why? Are they afraid somebody might break a sweat or get sun-burned?

If I’d bought a ticket to that game, I’d want my money back. Every major league player on that field is making, at minimum, $570,500, and most are cashing significantly larger checks. And they can’t play a regular 9-inning game?

I thought the whole purpose of Spring Training was to give everyone a chance to get loose, take a few at-bats if you’re a hitter, and throw a few innings if you’re a pitcher. Plus, there are always a couple of spots on any team’s roster that are being contested. Those guys need full games to show their stuff.

The only 5-inning game I ever remember playing was on the field out back of my elementary school on a summer afternoon. Occasionally the kid who brought the ball (and probably the bat) had to be home early to baby-sit his kid sister. Otherwise, we played as many innings as we possibly could. If a bunch of 10-year-olds can play a full game, so can these highly-compensated, highly-pampered creampuffs masquerading as major leaguers, no matter what time of year.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, MLB tried a couple of reforms. Thankfully, the Designated Hitter rule stayed only in the American League. Pitchers still hit in the National. If the teams were tied after 9 innings, the 10th started with a runner on second base. And double-headers were only 7 innings apiece. (Wimps. We played triple-headers as kids, maybe more if our moms didn’t call us home for dinner.) Alas, the latter two changes have stuck around for 2021.

Given those affronts to tradition, I’m surprised the baseball powers-that-be didn’t try out a couple more. Such as:

  • No gloves for outfielders.
  • Only three balls and two strikes to speed up the game.
  • When a team gets up by 10 or more runs, they have to hit from the “opposite side” of the plate.
  • Any fan that catches a line drive foul ball bare-handed gets to play an inning in the field.

Better yet, just leave the game alone. I mean, you’re toying with the great American pastime here. And I shudder to think what’s next. Lady Gaga’s pink and green Oreos instead of peanuts and popcorn at the ballpark? Puhleeze.

 

©MMXXI. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer