How Should Major League Baseball Be Run

[TMC1982]

In other words, if you were the commissioner, what would you do to try to improve MLB? How would you address the following issues:
Postseason scheduling (in relation to start times)

Instant replay

Expansion and contraction

Interleague Play

World Series home field advatange (for example, should MLB continue with the stipulation that the winning league of the All-Star Game get home field advantage in the World Series)

Division Series (should the League Division Series be expanded to a best-of-seven series)

Length of the regular season (and the effects on the postseason)

Competitive balance

I don't want to go into the steroid/performance enhancing drugs issue because to me, that has really become played out.

 

[FaT_tONle]

I say instant replay for all balls that go out of play that are questionable, for HR's and ground rule doubles.

I have already announced the changes I would make to post season scheduling in the MLB thread, which would include tweaking the home and away format to avoid needless off days while maintaining solid prime time ratings.

I don't mind the All-Star game deciding homefield.

I say cut the regular season to 154, but since they won't do that, try scheduling games more tightly. I like Interleague but if you want to get rid of it to shorten the season fine, but you'd be losing WAY too much money so I don't recommend that.

Go to 5 playoff teams and a best of three wild card series in both leagues.

Add a stiffer luxury tax that is equally shared among small market teams for any team over a 150 million dollar payroll or so. Yankees should pay even more than they pay now.

 

[Kurosawa]

Postseason scheduling (in relation to start times)

Need at least one day WS game, and they need to have less days off. The WS should already be over-well it really is since CC is a loser, but I mean completely over.

Instant replay

I'd give managers one challenge for a safe/out call or a fair/foul call and they get to challenge again if they are right.

Expansion and contraction
Contraction is not gonna happen due to the union, so it's not worth discussing. They don't need to expand

Interleague Play
Keep it as is I guess. I don't have a real opinion yay or nay.

World Series home field advatange (for example, should MLB continue with the stipulation that the winning league of the All-Star Game get home field advantage in the World Series)
I don't mind this, losing one game at home nullifies HFA anyway.

Division Series (should the League Division Series be expanded to a best-of-seven series)
No. Playoffs take too long as is.

Length of the regular season (and the effects on the postseason)
154 games isn't happening.

Competitive balance
Luxury tax is fine as is, but there needs to be a minimum salary so teams like the Pirates etc don't just stick Comrade Bud's Yankee money in their pockets and not invest it in their teams.

 

[Kingfish]

Postseason scheduling (in relation to start times)

Get rid of the needless off days during the postseason. Schedule the end of the season so you can start the postseason after only one off day (thanks to the tv contracts). The CS and WS start after one off day following the end of the previous series. No off days between games 4 and 5. None of this will ever actually happen though.

Oh, and if it's an all West coast series, start the games at 7 so the people who live out here (i.e. the ones who actually care about such a series) can see the damn game.

Instant replay

Fifth ump in the booth for the postseason. One manager challenge per game the rest of the season. Nothing to do with balls and strikes.

Expansion and contraction

No need.

Interleague Play

Works as is.

World Series home field advatange (for example, should MLB continue with the stipulation that the winning league of the All-Star Game get home field advantage in the World Series)

Best overall record. Deciding it by the All Star Game is idiotic.

Division Series (should the League Division Series be expanded to a best-of-seven series)

Yes. An entire season shouldn't be marginalized by one short series. Get the extra time back by actually starting the season at the beginning of April again.

Length of the regular season (and the effects on the postseason)

Not changing from 162, so just quit wasting days. There's no need to start the season on April 7th and take extraneous days off during the postseason.

Competitive balance

The Luxury Tax doesn't work in its current state. The Yankees don't care about paying it, and other owners just pocket the money. Bud Selig can tout parity all he wants, but there are still teams that just can't or don't compete. I don't support a salary cap, but there really doesn't seem to any other way around this issue.

 

[TMC1982]

Postseason scheduling (in relation to start times)

Get rid of the needless off days during the postseason. Schedule the end of the season so you can start the postseason after only one off day (thanks to the tv contracts). The CS and WS start after one off day following the end of the previous series. No off days between games 4 and 5. None of this will ever actually happen though.

Oh, and if it's an all West coast series, start the games at 7 so the people who live out here (i.e. the ones who actually care about such a series) can see the damn game.

Instant replay

Fifth ump in the booth for the postseason. One manager challenge per game the rest of the season. Nothing to do with balls and strikes.

Expansion and contraction

No need.

Interleague Play

Works as is.

World Series home field advatange (for example, should MLB continue with the stipulation that the winning league of the All-Star Game get home field advantage in the World Series)

Best overall record. Deciding it by the All Star Game is idiotic.

Division Series (should the League Division Series be expanded to a best-of-seven series)

Yes. An entire season shouldn't be marginalized by one short series. Get the extra time back by actually starting the season at the beginning of April again.

Length of the regular season (and the effects on the postseason)

Not changing from 162, so just quit wasting days. There's no need to start the season on April 7th and take extraneous days off during the postseason.

Competitive balance

The Luxury Tax doesn't work in its current state. The Yankees don't care about paying it, and other owners just pocket the money. Bud Selig can tout parity all he wants, but there are still teams that just can't or don't compete. I don't support a salary cap, but there really doesn't seem to any other way around this issue.

I too would prefer to have the home field advantage in the World Series go to the team with the better regular season record. The current format in relation to the All-Star Game, is way too gimmicky and a crapshoot. However, if MLB doesn't want to do that (Bud Selig claims that the problem with that is logicistics relating to the media), then go with the league that performed better in Interleague Play for the season.

 

[TMC1982]

I say instant replay for all balls that go out of play that are questionable, for HR's and ground rule doubles.

I have already announced the changes I would make to post season scheduling in the MLB thread, which would include tweaking the home and away format to avoid needless off days while maintaining solid prime time ratings.

I don't mind the All-Star game deciding homefield.

I say cut the regular season to 154, but since they won't do that, try scheduling games more tightly. I like Interleague but if you want to get rid of it to shorten the season fine, but you'd be losing WAY too much money so I don't recommend that.

Go to 5 playoff teams and a best of three wild card series in both leagues.

Add a stiffer luxury tax that is equally shared among small market teams for any team over a 150 million dollar payroll or so. Yankees should pay even more than they pay now.

I don't think that the owners would ever comply to a 154 game schedule again because the reduced amount of games cuts into ticket revenue.

 

[ComicChick]

Instant replay

I'd give managers one challenge for a safe/out call or a fair/foul call and they get to challenge again if they are right.

i like this idea

 

[FaT_tONle]

The challenge idea is stupid if there is no penalty. Instead of mound meetings every five seconds, they should limit that. Unless its an injury of course. Three pitching coach meetings per game. Tired of managers delaying and dawdling around to get their guys warmed up. It's ridiculous. If they have a fourth meeting the pitcher must be removed IMMEDIATELY and the next guy should come it. It's ridculous having these catcher meetings, then infield meeting, then pitching coach meetings, then the manager coming out to make a change.

 

[TMC1982]

The challenge idea is stupid if there is no penalty. Instead of mound meetings every five seconds, they should limit that. Unless its an injury of course. Three pitching coach meetings per game. Tired of managers delaying and dawdling around to get their guys warmed up. It's ridiculous. If they have a fourth meeting the pitcher must be removed IMMEDIATELY and the next guy should come it. It's ridculous having these catcher meetings, then infield meeting, then pitching coach meetings, then the manager coming out to make a change.

I suppose the penalty could involve being charged with an out if the NFL takes away one of your time outs following an unsuccessful challenge.

 

[ComicChick]

an out would be too extreme, i dont think anyone would go for it. i could see them adding a ball to the next batter's count

 

[Paroxysm]

I don't want to go into the steroid/performance enhancing drugs issue because to me, that has really become played out.

Well to me it's an important issue, more important than a 154 game schedule and I think it's ignorant of you to say "it's been played out".

 

[TMC1982]

Well to me it's an important issue, more important than a 154 game schedule and I think it's ignorant of you to say "it's been played out".

I'm not saying that the steroid issue isn't important. My point is that I've been hearing about it so much in media for like the past three years, that I feel that there are many other things in Major League Baseball that need to be equally addressed.

 

[ComicChick]

i feel that any player caught using steroids needs a harsher punishment. however long they are out, they need to be out, without pay

also, i think the teams with best records should get home field, not the all star game winning division

 

[Kingfish]

Players don't get paid while suspended. The length should be longer though, and they shouldn't be allowed to play in minor league games prior to reinstatement.

 

[bored]

The post-season should expand to at least one more team. The idea of only four teams per league, when many more may have exceptional seasons, has always bothered me. This isn't like the NFL, where six playoff teams per conference often means a 9-7 or even 8-8 team getting a wild card. Making it harder to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs would definitely help some teams.

I also believe that either the CS's should be extended, or the WS shortened, preferably the former.