The Top Ten Things I Currently Dislike About Baseball

This Week’s Question:Would went on the DL to allow Hank Aaron to be called up & what average did Aaron hit that season?

10. The Five Minute High Five In The Dugout

Some of the greatest feats in baseball has been done by the most gracious ball players.  Then you have a guy that gets a solo homer in the third inning in a six to nothing game and he acts like it was the end of the cold war.  That type of celebration is way too much!

9.  Time Of The Game

Baseball has taken some measures in correcting this problem.  I do not mind a one to nothing ballgame that takes two and a half hours.  I just hate the games that are prolonged by pitchers that take a tour of the mound after every pitch and batters adjusting their batting gloves and helmets even when they watch a pitch go by. (Nomar)

8.  The Shift

You can make all the changes in the world on defense but here is my opinion.  By doing that you are forcing your pitcher to throw the ball where the batter wants it.  Smart?  And it seems to me every time a grounder is hit it would be right at where the second baseman should already be at.

7.  New Ballparks

They are great, they look nice, they bring in a ton of money and they make baseball so different than most other sports.  They should not build them to specify one hitter on your team  This is one of the main reasons people want replay in baseball.  The walls are so different and they have such crazy angles and corners that even the umps don’t know what call to make.

6.  Pickoffs

Not the normal throw to first.  I hate the fake to third and fake to first move.  Can anyone remember the last time that worked?  If you fake to more than one base that should be a balk.

5. Schedules

I said before I think a third grader is in a dark room throwing darts at a schedule.  I say no more two game series and no more interleague.  You are taking away time with your respective league.  Not to mention the whole world series thing.4. All Star Game

4. All Star Game

Suppose to be an exhibition between the best in both leagues voted by the fans.  Then our friend Bud makes it count by awarding the winning league home field advantage in the world series.  If they end in another tie who gets it then Bud?  How about the winners get extra sunflower seeds in the dugout.  I know since the fans put the teams together give them something.  Obviously they did better putting a team together than over half of the general managers in their careers.

3.  Ticket Prices I say the real fan only makes about 30000 to 40000 a year.  Tickets for a good seat start at about thirty right here in Atlanta.  Don’t forget about parking and food prices.  If you out price yourself the game will look a lot better on that HDTV you got at your house.  Why charge more for the games on Friday and Saturday, are the teams going to put better players on the field than say Monday or Tuesday?  I can tell you no on that one especially in Atlanta.

2.  Day Night Doubleheader

Doubleheaders use to be the best thing in baseball, until lights and greedy owners came along.  The first game usually starts about twelve or one o’clock, everyone is at work so who is going to show up?  How about the real fan, yes the guy who cannot afford a good seat is usually in the nose bleed section screaming his lungs out on the close play at first.  Then you want to clear the stadium wait an hour or so and do it again and charge twice.  How about the first game be charged ten bucks and let it be a first come first serve on all seats and give a nice discount on the “nightcap.”  That may smooth things over with the average Joe.

1.    Designated Hitter

Since the start of the 1973 season I have hated this rule.  Well I would if I was alive since the start of it.  A team over pays for their star pitcher, he plays once every five days and he plays half of those games?  Oh yeah and to pick up that mess you have to pay millions for a guy to sit and drink water or Gatorade, stick gum on someone’s cap, light a teammates shoe lace on fire and finally come in and hit?  I always thought pitchers were athletes too.  Only in half of Major League Baseball!