Technical Foul - Illegal Defense

[Frayed Knot]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I sorta disagree with your point about "unfairness". Sorta. Because fairness is often man-made or legislated, created by fiat or proclamation. Whatever the powers that be say is fair is fair. Is the DH fair? What about cigarettes? What the hell is so fair about cigarettes? They sell you something that's powerfully addictive and that destroys you over time. The only thing good about cigarettes is that they make their manufacturers among the most powerful and wealthiest people in the world. And if those masters of the universe don't smoke, they're even better off.

The difference here is that this idea of "gaining traction" (if indeed it really is that) isn't to combat some sort of overall, and yes legislated, unfairness: i.e., pitchers have too much power therefore lower the mound, ban the spitter, shrink the strike zone, etc., but rather is aimed at combatting what some perceive to be an unfairness that this recent shifting craze (which isn't really recent) has on a small segment of hitters, namely slow-footed and dead-pull lefties; against a skill-set, in other words, not an entire category. It's why I termed this whole thing as a solution in search of a problem as it's only a problem in the way that the size of the field and value of extra-base hits discriminates against low-power hitters, or that 90-foot bases are unfair to slow dudes, or that pitching is to the weak-armed.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: I sorta disagree with your point about "unfairness". Sorta. Because fairness is often man-made or legislated, created by fiat or proclamation. Whatever the powers that be say is fair is fair. Is the DH fair? What about cigarettes? What the hell is so fair about cigarettes? They sell you something that's powerfully addictive and that destroys you over time. The only thing good about cigarettes is that they make their manufacturers among the most powerful and wealthiest people in the world. And if those masters of the universe don't smoke, they're even better off. The difference here is that this idea of "gaining traction" (if indeed it really is that) isn't to combat some sort of overall, and yes legislated, unfairness: i.e., pitchers have too much power therefore lower the mound, ban the spitter, shrink the strike zone, etc., but rather is aimed at combatting what some perceive to be an unfairness that this recent shifting craze (which isn't really recent) has on a small segment of hitters, namely slow-footed and dead-pull lefties; against a skill-set, in other words, not an entire category. It's why I termed this whole thing as a solution in search of a problem as it's only a problem in the way that the size of the field and value of extra-base hits discriminates against low-power hitters, or that 90-foot bases are unfair to slow dudes, or that pitching is to the weak-armed.

That, too. The catering to a specific type of player. If basketball rims were 10 feet higher, Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't make a college team.

[Zvon]

omg, baseball today...
What a bunch of whiners. Hit the ball the other way you assholes! Until you do the odds are the shift will get ya, and if you don't start shooting it the other way they will never stop doing it. ADJUST!

An actual ban on shifting is something I won't waste time on with a response. Shifts are as old as the sun. Nothing new there. Todays hitters are simply not interested in adjusting.

[Edgy MD]

They want more offense, maybe they can stop calling almost every flinch of a checked swing a strike.