How much do you miss baseball?

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by too_on_too_out

I haven't watched a pro sports game, live nor televised since I can't remember. So, to answer the question - not at all.

Actually if we think about it we all have our own league which is much better and definitely more fun not to mention cheaper. 😉

[David Watts]

I've learned that I can live without sports. I've also learned that I really miss being able to visit my library. I will always prefer the types of books that don't require a battery charger.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Chomps

The salaries are so out of control.

How are the salaries out of control?
Salaries are proportional to revenue

Professional athletes get paid a lot because people pay a lot of money to watch them

[RchW]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

How are the salaries out of control?
Salaries are proportional to revenue

Professional athletes get paid a lot because people pay a lot of money to watch them

I'm shocked, but I shouldn't be, how little understanding many people have of simple arithmetic. For some reason Baseball players are singled out despite the fact they have the least chance of making it and they have 6 years where on average they are artificially underpaid. The pie is there and the owners don't deserve more of it.

Curiously we rarely see such vitriol directed at star musicians, actors and media personalities who rarely give much value for money spent but rake in as much if not more than many baseball players.

[Erosa]

My sport has always been baseball but surprisingly, I don't miss baseball at all. The game has changed so much since I was growing up.

Watching a game now is difficult because of the frequency of strikeouts and walks. I miss balls being put in play.
Today it's a special event just to see a starting pitcher get past the 7th inning.

In addition, it takes so long to play out now that we have instant replay. Aside from the homeplate
umpire, all the other umpires are becoming pretty much obsolete.

Honestly between OOTP and replays of games from the 70's and 80's online, I don't miss it at all.

[too_on_too_out]

Well, to be honest, I have caught some highlight reels on youtube, from mlb and nhl. I noticed one prevailing theme: everyone seems stronger, faster, bigger and duller. NHL season games are what all-star games were. Lots of crisp passing, play-making, shooting and precisely zero hitting and little imagination. Iow, the game seems perfected, and is dead as a result. Go back 30-40 years, to the scrambling, shoot the puck in, hard hitting, scrappy play of much smaller, less conditioned players and notice how many more times something unexpected would just happen. And that in an era when, due to rapid expansion, many of the players were actually minor leaguers filling rosters of expansion teams. The athletes weren't as good generally, but they did things that were way more interesting.

Next, Mlb. First, there was the batting helmet. Can't go to the plate without that. Next, came all the elbow, forearm, shinguard pads. Hmmm.... looks like some folks are nervous up there. Now - that face guard. And it's not comparable to goalies wearing masks. In hockey, the introduction of the slap shot and later the curved blade created something new: rising 90mph+ pucks at head level. In baseball, nothing's changed in that regard since the end of the deadball era. And you may say 'relievers' but the nature of pitching to the plate hasn't changed, no one is in more danger of getting dinged by a pitch now than they were 100 years ago.

But the batting helmet faceguard is just odd even in respect to injury. Was there a serious increase of facial injuries while batting that required an equipment update ?

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Erosa

My sport has always been baseball but surprisingly, I don't miss baseball at all. The game has changed so much since I was growing up.

Watching a game now is difficult because of the frequency of strikeouts and walks. I miss balls being put in play.
Today it's a special event just to see a starting pitcher get past the 7th inning.

In addition, it takes so long to play out now that we have instant replay. Aside from the homeplate
umpire, all the other umpires are becoming pretty much obsolete.

Honestly between OOTP and replays of games from the 70's and 80's online, I don't miss it at all.

I'm always curious how much of this is actually noticed and by people and how much is "noticed" because we've been told.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by too_on_too_out

Well, to be honest, I have caught some highlight reels on youtube, from mlb and nhl. I noticed one prevailing theme: everyone seems stronger, faster, bigger and duller. NHL season games are what all-star games were. Lots of crisp passing, play-making, shooting and precisely zero hitting and little imagination. Iow, the game seems perfected, and is dead as a result. Go back 30-40 years, to the scrambling, shoot the puck in, hard hitting, scrappy play of much smaller, less conditioned players and notice how many more times something unexpected would just happen. And that in an era when, due to rapid expansion, many of the players were actually minor leaguers filling rosters of expansion teams. The athletes weren't as good generally, but they did things that were way more interesting.

Next, Mlb. First, there was the batting helmet. Can't go to the plate without that. Next, came all the elbow, forearm, shinguard pads. Hmmm.... looks like some folks are nervous up there. Now - that face guard. And it's not comparable to goalies wearing masks. In hockey, the introduction of the slap shot and later the curved blade created something new: rising 90mph+ pucks at head level. In baseball, nothing's changed in that regard since the end of the deadball era. And you may say 'relievers' but the nature of pitching to the plate hasn't changed, no one is in more danger of getting dinged by a pitch now than they were 100 years ago.

But the batting helmet faceguard is just odd even in respect to injury. Was there a serious increase of facial injuries while batting that required an equipment update ?

They should have had helmets 100 years ago

[smiller]

I lost interest in baseball decades ago after being a huge Cincinnati Reds fan from childhood. Every time I watch a pitch or two, just for fun, and see how long it takes, I have no regrets. Surprisingly, I really enjoy baseball through OOTP as my fictional league givers me more pleasure than the real thing. Sports, in general, don't seem that important anymore, but that's probably my senior citizen voice talking.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by smiller

I have no regrets. Surprisingly, I really enjoy baseball through OOTP as my fictional league givers me more pleasure than the real thing.

I feel the same way brother. 🥂

[too_on_too_out]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

They should have had helmets 100 years ago

Well I could be wrong though


Curious, how many serious head injuries have batters experienced in history?


Isn't it just a matter of time before a pitcher gets torpedoed? And then, that's when baseball will of course put a protective barrier between the mound and plate OR will install a 9th fielder who will stand before the pitcher (the "mound guard") OR pitching will be automated OR they will switch to sponge balls because we've all gotto be safe 100% of the time no matter what (will be the new pledge of allegiance) UNLESS you are a small town cop. If you are a small town cop you will be lucky if the local Indian Reservation casino chips in to buy you body armor because you sure aren't getting money from the county nor the state BECAUSE often that money likely went into building a brand new superdome to attract a MAJOR LEAGUE sports franchise.



So no, I don't think they should have had helmets 100 years ago in the same way helmets should not have been introduced to football nor hockey BECAUSE helmets were instituted not to protect the player but to protect the image of the game (the owners) BECAUSE blood on the playing surface looks BAD and you can't see concussions no matter how many players suffer from them now due DIRECTLY from helmets.

[zappa1]

And overall attendance keeps dropping every year.

I should cry for Mike Trout? Why? I wish I could make 30 million a year so I could give 5/6 th of it back. Didn't all the owners and players get a BIG Paul Ryan tax break? Boo Hoo. Let me cry some more for them. And another big bailout? Both players and owners are greedy. No wonder a lot of people don't care if they come back or not. For me, they are ruining the game, anyway.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by zappa1

And overall attendance keeps dropping every year.

I should cry for Mike Trout? Why? I wish I could make 30 million a year so I could give 5/6 th of it back. Didn't all the owners and players get a BIG Paul Ryan tax break? Boo Hoo. Let me cry some more for them. And another big bailout? Both players and owners are greedy. No wonder a lot of people don't care if they come back or not. For me, they are ruining the game, anyway.

And someone wishes they made what you do
So, you can donate 5/6 of your salary to someone who makes less

Will you?
I guess you're greedy too

[too_on_too_out]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

And someone wishes they made what you do
So, you can donate 5/6 of your salary to someone who makes less

Will you?
I guess you're greedy too

It's just that money, once you get to that level, is less about financial security (it's got nothing to do with providing for family etc) and more about status. I think it's the same everywhere.

[mitchkenn]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

They should have had helmets 100 years ago

i think Ray Chapman might have agreed .....

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by mitchkenn

i think Ray Chapman might have agreed .....

100th anniversary of his beaning on August 16th, and of his death on August 17th

[Cynical]

Originally Posted by RchW

Curiously we rarely see such vitriol directed at star musicians, actors and media personalities who rarely give much value for money spent but rake in as much if not more than many baseball players.

In fairness, "star musicians" frequently don't actually make that much money. Yes, Taylor Swift has more money than she could ever find ways to spend, but your typical "song gets played on the radio, but isn't a ridiculous smash hit" band is making about $50,000/yr, if they're lucky. And they're living out of the back of a van most of the year while doing it. Same for a lot of "media personalities"; a news anchor for a local network is typically making $30k-$40k/yr, for instance, and a radio DJ is in a similar boat. These sorts of jobs only pay when you hit the very top of the food chain, and there's a bottom 90% (bands that get signed to major labels but never get a song that gets played on the radio; smaller media personalities like "the guy who does voice-over for radio commercials" or "the guy who reads the traffic report") that makes a whole lot less than what's listed above.


There's really no money in being a performer as a whole.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

They should have had helmets 100 years ago

I agree with this, and generally think protective gear is good, but they've got to get batters to stop fussing with it so much. Twenty-five years ago, sure guys were wearing the elbow guards, shin guards, and some were wearing hand/wrist guards on their gloves, but they weren't adjusting every single thing they were wearing between every pitch. Strap it on tight the first time, and leave it, guys!

[Mr. Marlin]

I usually listen to games on the radio while doing other things. I miss that terribly. But OOTP has done a nice job filling in the void. I wish there was a real PbP voice over for OOTP games. A radio style broadcast sort of like APBA had, but better. Maybe someday.

[ThePride87]

Don't miss it one bit. OOTP is all I need. If the players and owners want to hurt the game over $, that's cool. As a fan, neither represents me nor cares about me. I don't understand why some people virtue signal or carry the waterbucket for millionaires/billionaires that expect you to pay $8 for a ****ty domestic beer.

[ThePride87]

Originally Posted by RchW

I'm shocked, but I shouldn't be, how little understanding many people have of simple arithmetic. For some reason Baseball players are singled out despite the fact they have the least chance of making it and they have 6 years where on average they are artificially underpaid. The pie is there and the owners don't deserve more of it.

Curiously we rarely see such vitriol directed at star musicians, actors and media personalities who rarely give much value for money spent but rake in as much if not more than many baseball players.

I understand why players make what they make, and I understand the challenges they face getting to the top. But that is a choice they made...it's their business, not mine. No one is there for you when you have tough times, except friends and family. You have to figure it out, and I see the players and owners the same way. Their fights are on them, I am a fan. I don't care about Snell or Harper, I don't care about greedy owners. I care about baseball. So these people can either be adults and work this out, or be complete morons and kill the season, where everyone loses and, oh btw, hurt your product image because, you know, ppl are dying for sports right now, and you don't care.

You want to feel bad for someone, cool, your decision. I think it's foolish to pick a side. Baseball fans are losing regardless of sides.