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And now a word from John Smoltz

Benjamin Grimm Sep 20 2018 09:39 AM

Smoltz wants to eliminate the shift (“I think it’s single-handedly killing the game), curtail the relentless use of relievers, stop the exploitation of the disabled list, but most of all, revolutionize the schedule. Smoltz proposes that MLB adopt a split-season schedule, just as they do in the minor leagues, in a move that he believes will create dramatic division races again, reduce the number of teams tanking for draft picks, and make baseball great again in September. Full article: Hall of Famer John Smoltz says MLB needs an overhaul and proposes drastic changes I'm not sure what he means about the exploitation of the disabled list. But doing something about the relentless use of relievers sounds appealing. I can't say I like the idea of a split schedule. The first-half winner could have a significantly different roster by the time October comes.

Ceetar Sep 20 2018 09:47 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

go away John Smoltz.

Fman99 Sep 20 2018 10:21 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Eliminating the shift is stupid. Teach guys to bunt for singles. I think the split season is interesting, personally.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 20 2018 10:33 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

It would have erased the Mets' June, which would have been nice.

Centerfield Sep 20 2018 10:46 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

I'm ok with no rivalries and everyone playing a balanced schedule. Not a big fan of interleague play either, but it does give a nice way for NL fans to see AL parks. I want to see shifts go away. By hitters learning to exploit the holes in the defense they expose.

41Forever Sep 20 2018 10:57 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Fman99 wrote: Eliminating the shift is stupid. Teach guys to bunt for singles. I think the split season is interesting, personally. ' Yup. It's like saying, "The curve ball is too hard to hit." Make them stop. No, learn how to hit a curve ball. Learn how to hit against the shift.

41Forever Sep 20 2018 11:01 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

I like interleague play, and I think playing the division teams over and over and over is boring. But the split schedule thing seems like an artificial way to make more teams competitive, more than the wild cards. You want to be competitive? Figure out how to scout better, develop better, plan better and play better.

d'Kong76 Sep 20 2018 11:09 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

I got an idea, expand the lineup to 11 with three floating DH's (who of course can use aluminum bats) and can be deployed five times per game.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 20 2018 11:15 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Watching them float would certainly be entertaining!

seawolf17 Sep 20 2018 11:37 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

I even hate the *thought* of banning shifts. I'd rather see the DH in the NL than see shifts banned. Don't like it? Then stop fucking hitting ground balls to the right side. Done.

HahnSolo Sep 20 2018 11:45 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

This is so stupid. If shifts are banned, then wouldn't you also have to ban: - playing the infield in with a runner on third and less than two out. - playing corners in in a bunt situation. That's not even considering moving your outfielders either.

seawolf17 Sep 20 2018 11:55 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

And that would *never* fly in any other sport. Football: Can't throw the ball? Well, the other team is going to stick eight guys on the line and stuff the run until you get better. Basketball: Can't hit jumpers? Then hang out there all you want, but we're going to clog the middle so you can't drive to the hoop until you get better.

smg58 Sep 20 2018 12:08 PM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

The shift is single-handledly preventing boring, one-dimensional swingers from completely overrunning the game.

Edgy MD Sep 20 2018 01:09 PM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Smoltz wants to eliminate the shift No. curtail the relentless use of relievers No. stop the exploitation of the disabled list I guess I agree but I'm not sure he and I would mean two different things. but most of all, revolutionize the schedule. I'm certainly for eliminating designated rivalries and so make schedules more fair. As for creating drama with the schedule, I get no support (and Grimm hates it), but promotion and relegation is the answer.

Gwreck Sep 20 2018 09:49 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

The parade of September relievers *is* stupid. There is a real simple fix: you can call up 40 players in September if you want, but only 25 of them can be active for one game. You can appease the union by making anyone on the expanded roster still accumulate ML service time. If you really want to tweak it, there probably needs to be some fix as well so you can't just de-activate your other starting pitchers when they aren't going, so maybe add the rule that if you were the starting pitcher, you also have to remain one of the 25 active players for the next 3 games (unless on the DL).

Fman99 Sep 21 2018 11:44 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Edgy MD wrote: As for creating drama with the schedule, I get no support (and Grimm hates it), but promotion and relegation is the answer. You won't ever see this in an American sport. The disparity in the size of cities makes this an unrealistic choice. Are you going to give Syracuse a MLB team and demote the Atlanta Braves to AAA? I don't think so. This only works in countries where people drive on the wrong side of the road, and wear hats on their feet and shoes on their heads.

Edgy MD Sep 21 2018 11:50 AM Re: And now a word from John Smolz

Fman99 wrote: Are you going to give Syracuse a MLB team and demote the Atlanta Braves to AAA? Sheesh, give me five minutes. Where do I sign up? I mean, you don't want to be standing between me and the signup table at the time. Damn, this would be so great. What's wrong with you?

A Boy Named Seo Dec 06 2018 11:01 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Not a lot in this article and I don't pay for the Athletic, but sounds like there is momentum gaining to flush the shift in some form anyway --> https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb- ... port-says/ Changes to the way teams line up -- and are allowed to line up -- defensively could be coming to Major League Baseball. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has received "strong" backing from baseball's competition committee to try to "put something in place" to limit shifts, The Athletic's Jayson Stark reported Wednesday.

cooby Dec 06 2018 11:28 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

I like all his ideas

Mets Willets Point Dec 06 2018 11:31 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

MLB has always been very conservative - in the sense that its resistant to change - and I think Edgy's promotion & relegation proposal would actually help address problems like overuse of the shift. Think about, the infield shift first came into practice in the 1920s and was employed against Ted Williams in the 1940s, but it didn't achieve widespread adoption until the past decade or so. That is a long time for an innovation to gain widespread acceptance. Now that every team uses the shift, MLB's innate conservatism would seem to have them all stuck using the shift for the foreseeable future, and fans are going to be disgruntled about that. The Minor Leagues would seem to be a place to innovation, but since the Minors are focused on individual player development rather creating winning teams, there is very little reward for a minor league manager to come up with a program for something like hitting against the shift. But, if instead you had lower division teams hoping to win games and gain promotion to the top division, then some genius is going to come up with a way for their team to hit against the shift, and if it helps them win, other teams will adopt it as well. And them some other genius will have to innovate a way around the new system. The problem of every team doing the same thing and baseball getting stuck in a rut is resolved.

cooby Dec 06 2018 11:38 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

I think Smoltz means using the shift as often as it is used today, not just as a tool against the occasional batter

Edgy MD Dec 06 2018 11:54 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Willets Point, come collect your prize.

Nymr83 Dec 06 2018 12:40 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

cooby wrote: I think Smoltz means using the shift as often as it is used today, not just as a tool against the occasional batter Who gets to decide when to use it then? Maybe we can have manager's challenges and more instant replay! Calloway can come screaming out of the dugout "THEY CAN'T SHIFT AGAINST HIM, HE IS ONLY HITTING .279!!"

Benjamin Grimm Dec 06 2018 12:59 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

I guess they could paint lines on the field and specify that each fielder has to position himself within his designated zone. Banning the shift is an awful idea, but this is one way to implement it.

batmagadanleadoff Dec 06 2018 01:03 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

And what's next after that: a curve ball ban?

Benjamin Grimm Dec 06 2018 01:08 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Shorten the distance between the bases to 60 feet and have the batters hit from a tee.

HahnSolo Dec 06 2018 01:20 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I don't see how this is entirely different from: - pulling the infield in with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs - playing corners in on a bunt situation - corner infielders guarding the lines in late game situations - moving your CF ten steps to the left or ten steps to the right depending on the batter These are all "shifts" to a certain extent.

Edgy MD Dec 06 2018 01:26 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Ban the NO DOUBLES outfield alignment!!

cooby Dec 06 2018 01:27 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Nymr83 wrote: cooby wrote: I think Smoltz means using the shift as often as it is used today, not just as a tool against the occasional batter Who gets to decide when to use it then? " The team manager, Smoltz, and me, by conference call

seawolf17 Dec 06 2018 01:54 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Fuck. That. Shit. You want to shift? Go for it. I'm going to teach my guys to bunt so you cut it the fuck out. "Banning the shift" is fundamentally changing the game, and it's a load of crap.

Mets Willets Point Dec 06 2018 02:07 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Edgy MD wrote: Willets Point, come collect your prize. I think the prize is getting Edgy's appreciation while everyone else thinks I'm a nutter.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 06 2018 04:52 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Promotion and relegation would be kinda awesome... but it doesn't work when nearly every team in the minors is beholden to/a direct feeder for a major-league overlord. This shift-banning would probs have to see some trials in the minors first, no?

Nymr83 Dec 06 2018 08:07 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: This shift-banning would probs have to see some trials in the minors first, no? Yeah. If they are going to introduce dumb ideas like stopping the shift, or the pitcher being a big baby who doesnt bat, they should relegate it to the minor league in the Bronx.

Edgy MD Dec 06 2018 09:45 PM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Already suggested above.

bmfc1 Dec 08 2018 08:47 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

"A SS can move a little to his left... but not that much... wait, let me get a ruler... dammit Angel, it was your turn to bring the ruler!"

smg58 Dec 08 2018 09:02 AM Re: And now a word from John Smoltz

Will it be too confusing if they have to use feet here and meters in Canada?