Deciding what to do about rampant rumours of Houston Astros cheating isn't simple. But one of baseball's best teams needs to be punished
“I’ll take Baseball for $800, Alex.” “The answer is: paint your fingernails bright colours.” “Alex, what is, ‘What does baseball think is the best way for a catcher to signal pitches to the pitcher?’” That’s pretty much the sophistication level of a 21st-century sport being governed by 19th century technology. And, as a result, teams…
From disputed strike zones to goal-line uncertainty to bloody high-sticks, major-league officiating can't seem to embrace high-tech
It’s Game Three of the 2019 World Series and the Washington Nationals hope to extend their surprising 2-0 lead in games over Houston. The Nats have revival project Anibal Sanchez on the mound to give Washington fans their first home-field win in a Series since 1933. But the Astros are off to a quick lead.…
Giving young players a chance to grow? More like a salary dump that turned into a dumpster fire. Too many MLB teams won't even strive for mediocrity
It’s always exciting to watch history, to see once-in-a-lifetime performances. A show so notable you’ll tell your grandkids, “I saw them play.” The list should include the 1976-’77 Montreal Canadiens, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 2017 Golden State Warriors … the 2019 Detroit Tigers. The what? The Detroit Tigers? What’s that all about? To paraphrase…
It’s time for MLB to put protective netting up from home plate to the foul poles
I’m a big baseball fan. I played through college and I follow the game very closely. Occasionally, usually through a friend or colleague, I get the opportunity to sit close to the field, not too far above one of the dugouts. What an awesome view. You can really see the pitcher, hitter and catcher interact.…
The Ball Four author was a significant social activist, speaking out about apartheid, and exposing small-town government and media corruption
Jim Bouton died this month at age 80. The plethora of Bouton obituaries and tributes since have focused on his pitching career, which included winning a couple World Series games with the New York Yankees, and the blockbuster book Ball Four he wrote about his 1969 season. But Jim Bouton was also an influential sports…
It’s time for players and managers to grow up and get rid of the ego-based false machismo that ruins the game
I love baseball. But the ego-based false machismo that is the foundation of the Stone Age unwritten rules of baseball (aka The Code) drives me nuts. The latest example comes from a minor league game between the Hartford Yard Goats and the Trenton Thunder. Hartford had a combined no-hitter (between four pitchers) going in the…
Injury research through analytics should be priority one, since baseball owners spent $745,769,319 on injured list players in 2018 alone
Baseball has an injury problem. It’s a big one. And an expensive one. As but one recent example – albeit an extreme one – the New York Yankees had 13 players on the injured list by the end of April, just one month into the 2019 season! Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises are filled with…
The U.S. senator is using baseball to decry the inequalities that crop up in capitalism. That’s just nonsense
Somewhere in heaven, baseball pioneer Curt Flood is smacking his forehead with his palm. The reason for Flood’s exasperation? Comments from avowed socialist and Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. On the stump, the Vermont senator is using baseball to decry the inequalities that crop up in capitalism. “If we are a nation that can…
Only the purity of competition assures that the resulting data has relevance and application in a sport
Some call it analytics. Some call it statistics. Some call it trivia. Others call it a waste of time. But collating and interpreting the reams of data generated by pro sports teams is now an integral part of sport. On one hand, analysis of data is how players get paid the vast sums they receive.…
We can't go back to spitballing the big calls. For the teams and the fans, too much depends on getting it right
Yogi Berra is notorious for saying “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” Yogi was warning about jumping to conclusions in close contests. But he never foresaw a contest that never ended. For reference, consider the he 145th running of the Kentucky Derby. That race will probably never be over for those who participated in or…
“I’ll take Baseball for $800, Alex.” “The answer is: paint your fingernails bright colours.” “Alex, what is, ‘What does baseball think is the best way for a catcher to signal pitches to the pitcher?’” That’s pretty much the sophistication level of a 21st-century sport being governed by 19th century technology. And, as a result, teams…
