The Great Sports Fix-It Thread.

[The Six]

They make perfect sense. It's an equalizer and without it the other sports would have the same problems that baseball does.

Problems like mid and small market teams routinely winning championships?

And why should there be an equalizer? All teams and cities are not equal. Why artificially make them so?

[Lights Out]

Problems like mid and small market teams routinely winning championships?

Just because the Marlins/Twins/Diamondbacks/etc. sometimes win it all because the playoffs in baseball are a crapshoot doesn't mean the Yankees don't have a clear financial advantage over them. If baseball was a race, the Yankees/Mets/Red Sox/Cubs/Phillies/etc. would start well in front of the rest of the field.

And why should there be an equalizer? All teams and cities are not equal. Why artificially make them so?

So that fans in small markets actually have a chance to see their teams win a championship in their lifetime? Otherwise you might as well only have teams in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Philly, because those would be the only teams winning anything.

[pcgd]

MLB

Problem: Bats break all the time. They're too thin.

Solution: Implement a minimum circumference rule.

Benefit: Fewer broken bats, safer for players and spectators.

Problem: All the throws to first base.

Solution: A team gets two free unsuccsessful throws to first per inning; each one after that adds a ball to the hitter's count. (Successful pickoffs don't count)

Benefit: Base-stealing attempts increase, grown men playing catch almost disappears.

Problem: Umpires grant time outs all the time.

Solution: MLB must direct umpires to only allow time outs for unusual situations, not just so the batter can throw off the pitcher and vice versa.

Benefit: At bats don't take all day. We don't go to the ball park to watch guys adjust their batting gloves or conference with their catchers.

Not sure if you played or not but all 3 of these seem like fan suggestions and not player suggestions.

The solution to the broken bats is stop making maple bats. Ash Bats break but they don't splitter. Maple splitters and then you have it literally impaling players. If you make the bat thicker you change everything. There is already a maximum bat circumference at the barrel (which most everyone uses the max) but if you thicken the handle you greatly reduce bat speed because of the way you hold the bat. Swing a branch where your hands aren't closed and then swing a baseball bat. Your wrist action is greatly affected. Was Ty Cobb a great player that used a bat that more resembled a smooth branch? Sure...do I want to see Albert Pujols slap the ball around the infield like Cobb did? Hell no.

The throws to first base, although can be annoying its not like it happens every single play. Its part of the game. When you have a guy that can steal on first its the pitcher AND the catcher's responsibility to stop him from advancing to second on a stolen base.

Umpires granding timeouts: I agree it gets excessive, however I would only stop granting timeouts when the pitcher is in his motion. Part of the strategy of the game is the pitcher freezing on the mound, or the batter rattling the pitcher. But really don't like them calling time when the pitcher is in his motion.

I pretty much 100% agree with your other sport suggestions though. I'd change your punting thing to make it out of bounds outside the 20's. I think part of the skill of a punter is getting it out of bounds inside the 20 and that's a great part of the game. But when teams kick it out at the 35 to avoid kicking to Hester or Cribbs, I think they should be penalized. Maybe 15 yards from the point where it went out?

I'd also keep the kicking involved in overtime but give both team's an opportunity either by going to something like the college rule (liked the earlier idea of starting at your own 20) or just playing a full extra quarter or shorter quarter (10 mins or so)

[infrared41]

Baseball games are too long. Period. Here are is one idea that might speed up the game.

Once in the batter's box a player must keep one foot in the box at all times between pitches. No more Nomar feeding his OCD between every pitch. No more stepping out, taking three swings, and adjusting between pitches. If the batter steps out between pitches for any reason other than injury or an inside pitch, wild pitch, pick-off attempt, etc. it's an automatic strike call.

Don't allow pitchers to step off and rub the ball or their balls (there, I saved you all the trouble ) between every pitch. Once on the rubber, outside normal baseball plays that cause him to step off, the pitcher must remain there.If he steps off for any other reason, it's an automatic ball. The pitcher will have 15 seconds between each pitch. If a pitch clock is necessary, so be it but I think pitchers can be sped up by simply making the batters stay in the box.

Make the umpires enforce the tempo of the game.

[The Six]

Problems like mid and small market teams routinely winning championships?

Just because the Marlins/Twins/Diamondbacks/etc. sometimes win it all because the playoffs in baseball are a crapshoot doesn't mean the Yankees don't have a clear financial advantage over them. If baseball was a race, the Yankees/Mets/Red Sox/Cubs/Phillies/etc. would start well in front of the rest of the field.

And why should there be an equalizer? All teams and cities are not equal. Why artificially make them so?

So that fans in small markets actually have a chance to see their teams win a championship in their lifetime? Otherwise you might as well only have teams in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Philly, because those would be the only teams winning anything.

Well you kinda contradict yourself. Baseball doesn't have a cap and those teams don't win every year. Boston and Philly only became winners very recently. LA only won playoff games because they got Manny for free basically. If by Dallas you mean the Rangers, they hadn't even won a series before last year. The millions they spent on ARod won them nothing. And Chicago is obvious.

[Lights Out]

In the second part, I was just talking about sports in general, not just baseball. A salary cap is necessary in sports just so other cities besides those few can compete.

As for the first part, again, the big cities don't always win because the playoffs are a crapshoot in baseball, but they are in the playoffs (in position to win a title) more often than small and mid market teams, based solely on outspending them.

[The Six]

In the second part, I was just talking about sports in general, not just baseball. A salary cap is necessary in sports just so other cities besides those few can compete.

As for the first part, again, the big cities don't always win because the playoffs are a crapshoot in baseball, but they are in the playoffs (in position to win a title) more often than small and mid market teams, based solely on outspending them.

Well if the playoffs are "a crapshoot" in baseball, then the salary cap obviously isn't a necessity.

[Lights Out]

No, it's still a necessity, so that big market teams make the playoffs on their own merit instead of just through outspending the rest of the league.

[The Six]

If they have the money to outspend, that is their own merit. Is the money illegitimate or something?

[Lights Out]

No, but baseball's current system leads to a lack of regular-season parity, which can skew the results of the playoffs. I don't see how this is hard to understand.

[DEAD!]

Problem: jobing.com arena

Solution: Parking lot

[The Six]

No, but baseball's current system leads to a lack of regular-season parity, which can skew the results of the playoffs. I don't see how this is hard to understand.

What hasn't been answered is why the playing field needs to be leveled. Why shouldn't teams be able to spend the money that they have? Why artificially affect salaries? So fans in small cities might not see as many championships. What's the problem with that? Bigger cities have more fans, more revenue, and more overall interest.

It's like saying it's not fair New York gets so many tourists than other cities, so the government should do something about it. "Yeah, New York? How are you. We know that you're popular and all, which is great, but we decided it's really not fair to the midwest. You know that Statue of Liberty thing you had? It's in St. Louis now. We're just trying to even things out."

[yauger72]

Problem: jobing.com arena

Solution: Parking lot

That was too obvious to even bring up.

[Lights Out]

Why artificially affect salaries? So fans in small cities might not see as many championships. What's the problem with that?

Ratings, ad revenue, and overall ticket revenue will improve and overall interest in baseball will increase if small cities have more of a chance.

[IronChefShark]

If baseball was a race, the Yankees/Mets/Red Sox/Cubs/Phillies/etc. would start well in front of the rest of the field.

That head start hasn't helped the Cubs win anything in over a century.

[The_Admiral]

Okay. In my head, I know a salary cap is wrong for baseball, but in my heart, I can't bear to see the Royals and Pirates keep running these shoestring operations with no hope whatsoever. But I do know that the gap between the Yankees/Red Sox and the bottom is getting way, way, way too wide.

[tBBP]

No salary cap in the world is going to help the Pittsburgh Pirates compete until they get an ownership group in place that spends less on bobbleheads and fireworks and more on scouting, farming, developing, and, well, actually assembling a competitive team on the field.

Until then, it'll just continue to be year ________ of the five-year rebuilding plan all over again...

[The_Admiral]

Very true. These organizations would have to meet the league halfway. There's also the fact that a lot of bottom-feeders don't want to field competitive teams because they can profit on revenue sharing dividends alone (hi, Marlins).

The business of baseball is a house of cards, guys.

[Sport]

No, but baseball's current system leads to a lack of regular-season parity, which can skew the results of the playoffs. I don't see how this is hard to understand.

What hasn't been answered is why the playing field needs to be leveled.

Because it's sports and it's more fun when everyone has an equal chance. I'm not saying equal chance to make more money, I'm saying equal chance to compete on the field. Interest in baseball would be much greater if a third of the league wasn't automatically eliminated before the season even begins.

Competitive balance is good for everyone because more markets around the country are involved which induces the fans of those teams to spend more money on tickets/merchandise which is good for the health of the league. Fielding 4 mega-teams in a league of 30 is really only good for 4 markets. I feel like you're intentionally being thick-headed on this issue, or is this more cowboy wisdom?

[TheOldRoman]

Okay. In my head, I know a salary cap is wrong for baseball, but in my heart, I can't bear to see the Royals and Pirates keep running these shoestring operations with no hope whatsoever. But I do know that the gap between the Yankees/Red Sox and the bottom is getting way, way, way too wide.

I probably wouldn't favor a cap, but something needs to be done considering those two teams are so far ahead of everybody else. I know it would never happen, but put in a cap specifically to screw those two teams over. Set the cap yearly to be about $2 million over the #3 payroll and tax the Yankees and Red Sox at 300% for every dollar they spend over that limit.