Here's the deal. My name is Jeff and I am young journalist currently between jobs. I worked in Guam for a year as the assistant sports editor of the Pacific Daily News. Bonus points to those of you who can tell me where Guam is. If you think it's near Guatemala, time to take another geography course.
In this blog I will post my random thoughts about sports, my dog Yigo (pronounced gee-go) and pretty much everything that I find interesting, funny or stupid. There will also be posts about what is going on in my head, which might scare some now, but 10 years from now people will be talking about what a great idea it was and they wish someone had done it 10 years ago. OK, so that last part is probably not true. I also will try to end the blog with a song and artist that I think you should listen to.
So here is one of those ideas. In baseball, there is the dropped third strike rule. If the catcher does not catch the third strike, the runner can try and get to first base if no one on his team is already there. It is scored a strikeout, but could end up with a runner on first.
I like this rule, but I want to go a step further. Why is it only a dropped third strike? I think a batter should be able to make a dash for first on any pitch. I get annoyed when I see a pitcher put a breaking ball in the dirt three feet in front of the plate and the catcher just watches it roll by. A runner should be able to take advantage of this mistake no matter what the count is. Of course, first base would still have to be open.
This new rule would create a new stat that we'll call base on passed ball, or BPB for short. it will be scored like a walk and will not count as an at bat for the batter.
Baseball purists will hate this idea, but I think it will make the game more fun to watch.
Athena - The Who
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ReplyDeleteWouldn't this technically mean that any time the catcher dropped the ball with first base open he could throw to first and the batter would be out?
ReplyDeleteI really don't like the rule that is in place to begin with. I guess the rule is in place to penalize passed balls, but why reward a hitter for looking foolish and swinging at a ball in the dirt?
I like your idea, but I have to agree with Greg - no batter should be rewarded for lacking discipline at the plate.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, pitchers should be penalized whenever they hit batters. Instead of the way things are now, a batter who is hit by a pitch should be given two bases. If there are runners on first and second, they would automatically advance to the next base. And if there are runners on second and third, they, too, would advance with the runner on third scoring. The same would apply with loaded bases.
Solid point about the catcher being able to throw to first, Greg. It is definitely something I didn't think of. I still think it could work though. The batter can't run until the ball crosses the plate, and the runner has to make a "baseball move" to first base. Remember when the NFL said that is how you determine whether a receiver actually has possession?
ReplyDeleteWhat would a rule like this do to the overall use of a breaking pitch? A 0-2, 1-2 breaking pitch is supposed to be thrown in the dirt, looking for the batter to chase it. Letting a batter run would shift the balance to hitters in more ways than one. Just something else to think about.
ReplyDeleteBatter needs to hope the catcher misses it. If he takes off and the catcher blocks it, it's an easy out. My main point here is I don't understand why it's only a dropped third strike? I think it should be an all or nothing deal. And I think the all version would be more exciting to watch.
ReplyDeleteI think I needed to make it clear in the original post. I think a runner should be able to run be it a ball or strike. All he needs is the ball to pass the plate. Not sure if that was conveyed clearly. But if it is 0-1 and the pitcher just wings one over the catchers head, then I think the batter should be able to take advantage of this and run to first.
ReplyDeleteRickel, definitely the first time you've ever called me Greg but I guess it is my user name.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of something that pisses off baseball purists, I suggest that you watch this amazing video about the Disco Demolition night at Comiskey Park 30 years ago.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4322315&categoryid=2378529
looks like you've got a blog going Jeffery. But you're right about me not knowing squat about baseball. Sounds like an interesting rule though, kind of evens the playing field between pitcher and batter in a sense? Gotta love that 8hr. time zone difference
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