Baseball 2021

 I've watched a couple of Spring Training games and I am hopeful, but not optimistic, that some things might change.  One thing I think will not change is the poor TV coverage; it is already evident that we will not see more of the field or the game.  In the Spring games I have watched so far it more often than not seems as though there  are only three players in the game for long stretches: pitcher, catcher and batter, as well as the home plate umpire.  More often than not when the team on the field puts on a shift we don't even get a shot of it, the reasoning is apparently because they don't want to take the paying ads behind the catcher out of our view.  And of course the common shot of the batter and the pitcher is shot with a telephoto lens from centerfield, totally distorting the distance between the two players. The announcers on the Yankees and the Mets are little help; they are usually too busy talking about their favorite movies and what they are planning to have for dinner.  Vin Scully was right to work alone. 

Okay, so TV is not a good way to see the game, since one actually doesn't "see" much that way.  The question becomes whether we will actually get to see games in person (especially minor league games, which I prefer for their convenience and reasonable prices) and, if so, what will we see.  Will it be another year of homeruns and strikeouts or will the commissioner actually do something to "deaden" the ball and bring back the excitement and beauty of the game, with stolen bases, hit-and-run plays, sacrifice bunts, etc.? I recommend Meredith Wills's piece in Sports Illustrated about attempts to deaden the ball; meanwhile I will suggest, again, a number of other things that can be done:  expand the strike zone to what it was for many years, i.e., the top of the shoulders to the knees; raise the pitching mound back to 15 inches and, most importantly, make the spitball legal again.

I have suggested previously that fair balls hit into the stands be considered outs, or at least foul balls, and that the designated hitter be abolished.  But since these things are unlikely to happen I suggest MLB institute some kind of educational effort so that people, especially young people, can learn the subtleties of the game, as well as its aesthetic beauties, something announcer and former pitcher David Cone has said is being overlooked in the emphasis on analytics.  Why emphasize such dubious statistics as Wins Above Replacement when most fans don't even understand ERA or slugging percentage?