Nunna this baseball desecration would have ever gotten even the tiniest legs if John Schuerholz had been voted in as Commissioner by the owners. Schuerholz loves the game. Owners love the woke and the money.
I just spent 11 minutes reading about sports and was mildly engaged. That's a testament to your writing, by the way. To say I dislike sports, particularly professional sports, is like saying Biden is a little bit off mentally.
But there is still a lot to talk about here. I think the new MLB rules (other than the designated hitter) is to make baseball more "TV friendly." That's all. Though, they used COVID as an excuse; on that I think you're spot on. As for the designated hitter rule, I can see your point easily. I would suppose it would be like in golf allowing two people to play as one, one good at the long shots and the other good at putting.
I don't know how all the "woke" BS will work out, but I have hope. I was a liberal, not "extreme," but definitely left of center, and lately I find myself so freaking annoyed by all the woke crap I see in books and on TV that I'm tuning most of it out. I'd rather read and watch the older stuff. I can't be the only one, and the falling ratings of a lot of these "woke" endeavors show I'm not.
But the one thing I know about millennials and "zoomers" is that they were and are raised in general to be self-absorbed and victims. I think a large part of the "trans" movement is a bunch of omega white males who, rather than have the strength to buck the system, as an alpha male would, or play along and self-flagellate, as a beta male would, are so self-centered and narcissistic that they literally try to turn themselves into women to get the victim creds, but not real women. They will never let you forget that they were "white men" born in the wrong body.
So what I'm saying is "woke" as a movement will eat itself alive. We just have to survive long enough to see it.
"I just spent 11 minutes reading about sports and was mildly engaged."
That makes me feel good!
"That's a testament to your writing, by the way."
Thank you, very much – I consider that to be high praise!
"I think the new MLB rules (other than the designated hitter) is to make baseball more 'TV friendly.'"
I concur, 100%!
For me, it seems like a solution in search of a problem – the medium has been around long enough that the technology that facilitates viewing a game on TV or any other device is likely as sophisticated as it is going to get. THIS is where you absolutely nail it:
"...millennials and 'zoomers' is that they were and are raised in general to be self-absorbed..."
which in MY mind, sounds like: "How can I make this boring game more fun to watch for ME?" Never mind that what might be more fun for him, may not be the same as what makes it fun or enjoyable for the next guy.
"'I'd rather read and watch the older stuff. I can't be the only one, and the falling ratings of a lot of these 'woke' endeavors show I'm not.'"
No, you most certainly are not – I am right there, with you! In fact, between subscribing to substacks I find most stimulating, and Better Wold Books, I'm going to have to get a part-time job, I'm spending so much of what meager disposable income I have!
Weirdest thing...on The Daily Don Surber, I'm unable to edit any of my previous comments...not even on previous posts of his...but I can here, on mine...are you able to edit any of yours? Are the three little dots there, on your comments?
I'm so sorry. That makes me so sad that you had that experience and now you default is "I made X's list." I honestly haven't read a Treacher since. A mark of your worth as a human being is how you handle even the smallest amount of power.
I'm a lifelong Orioles fan the DH went into effect in '73 when I was 8 (I thought it might have been '74 but no matter) so I should really have never known that pitchers didn't hit. They always did on my Little League teams. But, as noted, O's fan.
The O's were the winningest team in baseball from '66 thru '84 with super pitching. In 1971, all four starters including HoFer Jim Palmer won 20 games. But of interest here was that these guys and a few others that moved into the rotation (three of them - Palmer, Cuellar, and McNally - pitched together for most of 8 seasons) could hit. Good hitting pitchers, as we used to say, "helped their own cause." And not just bunting a guy over. Dave McNally is still the only pitcher in history to hit Grand Slam.
So I knew there were good hitting pitchers. They even occasionally pinch ran because they were great athletes, much more Gibson than CC. So why add the DH?
I knew that the National League pitchers batted. And Pater was a good baseball fan so we often had The Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball on so I saw NL plenty. And I realized that it looked more like the game that _I_ played. Run out every ground ball. Defend well. Take that extra base. Split the runners. Sac bunts. Hitting behind runners.
Why bother with all that? Well, except for a few freaks in a few eras, runs were precious. Two studs on the bump and you're telling guys to start working good steal counts in the 3rd. It might be your last chance to get a guy in scoring position. So training those tactics was part of the game but you fight the way you train so the strategy matched them. Managers in the NL had to play a more cerebral game. A guy who can play several positions or run the bases well or switch hits was valuable with pitchers being double-switched so frequently.
By the 80s first WGN then soon after TBS had their local teams' - Cubbies and Braves, respectively - games on "the tube" as we used to call it and I was watching baseball all the time. I charted every game I ever attended until about 2012 and even scored hundreds of games I watched on TV over four decades. So I had symbology for all of that because I knew it mattered. I totaled it up, knew who made bunches of little impacts that I knew added up to wins. I was trying to be Moneyball while Bill James was taking his freshman stats class.
Nunna this baseball desecration would have ever gotten even the tiniest legs if John Schuerholz had been voted in as Commissioner by the owners. Schuerholz loves the game. Owners love the woke and the money.
I must concur. Schuerholz would have made a great commissioner.
I just spent 11 minutes reading about sports and was mildly engaged. That's a testament to your writing, by the way. To say I dislike sports, particularly professional sports, is like saying Biden is a little bit off mentally.
But there is still a lot to talk about here. I think the new MLB rules (other than the designated hitter) is to make baseball more "TV friendly." That's all. Though, they used COVID as an excuse; on that I think you're spot on. As for the designated hitter rule, I can see your point easily. I would suppose it would be like in golf allowing two people to play as one, one good at the long shots and the other good at putting.
I don't know how all the "woke" BS will work out, but I have hope. I was a liberal, not "extreme," but definitely left of center, and lately I find myself so freaking annoyed by all the woke crap I see in books and on TV that I'm tuning most of it out. I'd rather read and watch the older stuff. I can't be the only one, and the falling ratings of a lot of these "woke" endeavors show I'm not.
But the one thing I know about millennials and "zoomers" is that they were and are raised in general to be self-absorbed and victims. I think a large part of the "trans" movement is a bunch of omega white males who, rather than have the strength to buck the system, as an alpha male would, or play along and self-flagellate, as a beta male would, are so self-centered and narcissistic that they literally try to turn themselves into women to get the victim creds, but not real women. They will never let you forget that they were "white men" born in the wrong body.
So what I'm saying is "woke" as a movement will eat itself alive. We just have to survive long enough to see it.
"...it would be like in golf allowing two people to play as one, one good at the long shots and the other good at putting."
EXACTLY!!
"I just spent 11 minutes reading about sports and was mildly engaged."
That makes me feel good!
"That's a testament to your writing, by the way."
Thank you, very much – I consider that to be high praise!
"I think the new MLB rules (other than the designated hitter) is to make baseball more 'TV friendly.'"
I concur, 100%!
For me, it seems like a solution in search of a problem – the medium has been around long enough that the technology that facilitates viewing a game on TV or any other device is likely as sophisticated as it is going to get. THIS is where you absolutely nail it:
"...millennials and 'zoomers' is that they were and are raised in general to be self-absorbed..."
which in MY mind, sounds like: "How can I make this boring game more fun to watch for ME?" Never mind that what might be more fun for him, may not be the same as what makes it fun or enjoyable for the next guy.
"'I'd rather read and watch the older stuff. I can't be the only one, and the falling ratings of a lot of these 'woke' endeavors show I'm not.'"
No, you most certainly are not – I am right there, with you! In fact, between subscribing to substacks I find most stimulating, and Better Wold Books, I'm going to have to get a part-time job, I'm spending so much of what meager disposable income I have!
"'woke' as a movement will eat itself alive."
Good Lord, I surely hope so!
I love Better World Books! I get in so much trouble at that site.
Weirdest thing...on The Daily Don Surber, I'm unable to edit any of my previous comments...not even on previous posts of his...but I can here, on mine...are you able to edit any of yours? Are the three little dots there, on your comments?
I think it's Substack. I can't edit any of my comments on any Substack.
Whew! I was afraid I had somehow gotten myself on Don's sh*t list...thank you, for letting me know!
I'm so sorry. That makes me so sad that you had that experience and now you default is "I made X's list." I honestly haven't read a Treacher since. A mark of your worth as a human being is how you handle even the smallest amount of power.
I'm a lifelong Orioles fan the DH went into effect in '73 when I was 8 (I thought it might have been '74 but no matter) so I should really have never known that pitchers didn't hit. They always did on my Little League teams. But, as noted, O's fan.
The O's were the winningest team in baseball from '66 thru '84 with super pitching. In 1971, all four starters including HoFer Jim Palmer won 20 games. But of interest here was that these guys and a few others that moved into the rotation (three of them - Palmer, Cuellar, and McNally - pitched together for most of 8 seasons) could hit. Good hitting pitchers, as we used to say, "helped their own cause." And not just bunting a guy over. Dave McNally is still the only pitcher in history to hit Grand Slam.
So I knew there were good hitting pitchers. They even occasionally pinch ran because they were great athletes, much more Gibson than CC. So why add the DH?
I knew that the National League pitchers batted. And Pater was a good baseball fan so we often had The Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball on so I saw NL plenty. And I realized that it looked more like the game that _I_ played. Run out every ground ball. Defend well. Take that extra base. Split the runners. Sac bunts. Hitting behind runners.
Why bother with all that? Well, except for a few freaks in a few eras, runs were precious. Two studs on the bump and you're telling guys to start working good steal counts in the 3rd. It might be your last chance to get a guy in scoring position. So training those tactics was part of the game but you fight the way you train so the strategy matched them. Managers in the NL had to play a more cerebral game. A guy who can play several positions or run the bases well or switch hits was valuable with pitchers being double-switched so frequently.
By the 80s first WGN then soon after TBS had their local teams' - Cubbies and Braves, respectively - games on "the tube" as we used to call it and I was watching baseball all the time. I charted every game I ever attended until about 2012 and even scored hundreds of games I watched on TV over four decades. So I had symbology for all of that because I knew it mattered. I totaled it up, knew who made bunches of little impacts that I knew added up to wins. I was trying to be Moneyball while Bill James was taking his freshman stats class.
... to be continued.
Well worth the wait!!
Looking forward to the rest!