roger_that

you kinda have to keep the infield fly rule the way it is. You'd be amazed how violently you'd feel otherwise if the IF rule had never been written into the books. It would simply be an exciting play to watch, as the runners tried to gauge the safest spot to stand in when a dreaded popup was hit, tried to avoid getting doubled- or tripled-up, and as innings turned instantly from "threatening" to "deadly." It would be people's favorite play, and players with a tendency to pop up with men on base would be (rightly) reviled. "Oh, man, I was SO jazzed when we got our first two runners on base, but then that fucker Ordonez hit another of his weak rally-killing popups again, and hit into his sixth triple-play this season. Ya need to find someone who doesn't pop up so much!" But because the IF rule WAS written into the books, the more hidebound among us mistake it for Holy Writ. It's a stupid rule, and the balk rule is even more ill-conceived, both relics of a bad day for whoever invented the rules way back when in the 19th century. It's stupid shit, but we really don't got to live with it.

Edgy MD wrote: Keith making a Grapes of Wrath joke was pretty funny. But generally this broadcast is a reminder that Gary/Keith is the weakest of the potential 3 SNY combos. Yeah, that "stroke out" business was awkward, but not as awkward as Keith twice openly struggling to identify the gender of the ball person. I missed the whole thing, but Jeff Pearlman brought me up to date.https://twitter.com/jeffpearlman/status/1534047769437933568

I just thought he was moved down to the 8 hole because the Mets were facing a lefty tonight

=RealityChuck post_id=95042 time=1654546432 user_id=82] The IF rule makes sense. Why do you think it was instituted?

=metsmarathon post_id=95031 time=1654544107 user_id=83] the stupid extra runner.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=95034 time=1654544672 user_id=68] =roger_that post_id=95032 time=1654544141 user_id=128] You get a little boring sometimes. Anyone ever tell you that?

You get a little boring sometimes. Anyone ever tell you that?

Edgy's arguments are kicking butt here. Just saying.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=95004 time=1654539989 user_id=68] eliminating the IFR will reduce offense significantly. On this, you can't persuade me otherwise.

Alert baserunners would wriggle out of TPs much of the time. It would turn a boooooooring part of the game into an exciting part.

Huh. Somefing's off there with your numbers. Eyeballing baseball games since the 1960s, I'd estimate it was MUCH less than one a game.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=94986 time=1654536875 user_id=68] =batmagadanleadoff post_id=94985 time=1654536377 user_id=68] You'd have a game almost unrecognizable. Triple plays would become common enough that players would intentionally hit grounders. Fine, if that's what you want.The thing about eliminating the infield fly rule is that it would give the defense an enormous advantage. The risks and benefits wouldn't be spread evenly, not even close.

I'm with Edgy on this one. It just makes for more exciting baseball if, to hit into a pop-up with 2 or more men on base, is to run a serious risk of hitting into a tripleplay. Far as I'm concerned, the infield fly rule just mandates duller baseball.

Well, if they're trying to alienate me with all this crap, they're doing an excellent job.

It's a perversion, an abomination, an offense to all that's good and holy. Pete Alonso is all that stands between me and giving up on baseball altogether at this point.

can you split the infield-fly rule into its own thread? IGTs tend to get lost easily.

Well, the HR Derby does involve pitching and hitting of a sort. And as stated, I'd much prefer my scheme about average game times settling the issue, motivating teams to play their games more expeditiously.

Frayed Knot wrote: Or they could just, y'know, play baseball. And that would be my preference. But if they're going to do something to curtail extra innings, I'm trying to point out some ways that would be less damaging and far more fun for the fans to follow.

Another way to settle ties, which would be far more pleasing to fans than this nonsense, would be to conclude batting practice with a Home Run Derby. The way I see it, each team's starting pitcher would conclude his warmups by pitching to his team's designated HR Derby hitter a certain number of pitches, and whichever side had the most balls hit over the fence is that game's winner in the event of a tie. Much more satisfying to the fans, I think.

I've opened a separate thread to discuss such rules outside the IGT if anyone is interested.

As threatened, I would like to discuss the runner on 2nd in extras rule, which i only partly understand but detest nonetheless. In the 6/5 IGT, I offered vaguely other ways of achieving similar ends: the one I like best is to simply eliminate extra innings altogether, and substitute other ways of settling tied games after nine innings. The one I like the best is to track each team's average game time going into the game in question, and awarding the win to that team. This has two separate benefits: 1) it makes teams very conscious of the importance of playing quickly, not dawdling, not wasting everyone's time, since doing so will cost that team a few winnable games each season, and 2) it settles the game in question right quick. In effect, it lets teams know that one team is essentially playing for a tie, which will turn into a victory, and the other team is playing for a win. Let it be noted that I much prefer just getting rid of the ghost runner. But if the goal is to eliminate extra innings, then this also serves the purpose of speeding up the game, and making the PLAYERS responsible over the long haul for doing that. I have other ideas, but first I want to get blasted to hell and gone for proposing this one.

the autorunner is still lame. I see no purpose to it at this point. I never did, honestly, but now it makes zero sense. If they want to do away with extra innings, there are many more fan-pleasing scenarios for doing that (which I'll be glad to discuss at length in a separate thread). But talk about destroying a traditional part of the game--and to what end? As Clipton said at the end of River Kwai, "This is madness. Madness!"

=nymr83 post_id=94906 time=1654489081 user_id=54] Whether Dom is a AAAA player or a major league talent I don't think we really know.

Dudes got a lot of fight in them.

"Thoughts and prayers" always convinces me that the speaker is thinking and praying, more or less non-stop. Just a calculatin' and a God-beseechin' fool, I always conclude.