I’m curious as to what MillersTime baseball fans reactions are to this year’s 60-game season. Are you watching any of the games? What are your observations? What do you like and dislike?
Also, Joe Posnanski, who as you may know is one of my favorite baseball writers, has a column this morning that argues against continuing the expanded playoff system beyond this year: See: Joe Posnanski in The Athletic. What do you think?
Use the Comment section of this post to let me and others know your thoughts.
Thanx.
william said:
I am watching via tape record, all the Nats games ,and an occasional Braves GAME, my new team to be, if Nat’s don’t retain position players at the same pay rate as Pitchers. I find them lacking the excitement of the fan-game phenomena of course. I like the 10th inning process with player on 2nd base. I like the pitcher rule of having to face three batters? I miss Anthony and so do the Nats. We got rid of his bobble head after he went for the big bucks. He is officially off Kay’s list of favorites. A real loss I know!
Brian A Steinbach said:
I’ve been watching games intermittently, particularly when Scherzer pitches. I love seeing Turner and Soto bat but other than flashes from Suzuki the batting has been disappointing. Losing Stras exposed the weakness of the rest of the non-Scherzer rotation, and without Doolittle the relief looks like the beginning of 2019. So disappointing to see them sink to last place. It seems like the late start took the wind out of the sails from the 2019 finish.
I don’t care for the DH rule expanding to the NL but suspect that won’t go back. Kieboom seems to be coming along.
david elvove said:
will this season really count? . . . in what world did you, richard, expect to see both of your teams sitting in last place, 10 days before season’s end? . . . . seven inning games do not really bespeak a championship season . . . lots of players getting major league time that would have been denied because of their clear lack of skill or experience, or both . . . i wonder if elias keeps track of “little league” plays that seem to have proliferated this year’s contests . . . although a seven inning no-no is labeled a notable achievement, i’m not sure the same can be said for this year’s version of mlb
Ed Scholl said:
I’ve been watching games intermittently. Less so as they’ve sank to last place. But the young players are exciting to watch.
I like the extra inning rule and the 3-batter minimum rule for relief pitchers. I’m neutral on the DH for the NL, but I definitely don’t like the expanded playoff rule. The 2 wild cards that came onto the scene in 2012 is enough! I want to see the regular season standings mean more than just separating the top half of the division from the bottom half.
Chris Boutourline said:
We don’t have TV at home but I watch highlights via emails from MLB.com. I also saw a few innings of a Red Sox game that streamed on ESPN. I’ve had the sense that hitting has been better than usual which I attributed to a better background for hitters. A check of today’s MLB leaders shows 25 players hitting for .300, or better, whereas 15 is the average for the previous two seasons. Teddy Ballgame’s mark seems secure as nobody seems to be threatening .400. Top echelon starting pitchers seem to be over-performing with their win percentages rising in this concentrated, small sample of a season. I think it’s been interesting to watch players perform, in the way their careers began, with only their peers, and a few live spectators, watching. The 10th inning rule seems okay for regular season but I’d stick with the old way for post season. DH in the NL? I’m a narrow “yes” voter, if “AL” folks even deserve a vote (oh, right, with inter-league play, we do).
Elliott Trommald said:
I Have not watched a single game this season. That shocks me. Therefore I have no observations since I have not even seen a baseball. But that does make me ask why. It is the social aspect of baseball I miss – watching with others, having a cup of coffee and discussing the game we saw last night, wondering with a Yankee fan why anyone in their right mind supports such a team year after year. And to be honest, it may just be that I am locked into Covid, drowning in discussions concerning the impact of educational social racial economic inequities, and seeing my environment suffocating in smoke and fire and evacuations.
Matt W-K said:
I agree with Posnanski 100%. He did a good job listing all of the reasons, so I don’t have much to add to his article. If 16 teams make the playoffs, what is the point of a 162 game season?
Carrie said:
I do not know enough to have an opinion. Just love your enthusiasm. This year watched more since I will not watch NFL
Anonymous said:
Anonymous is watching all the Nats games. (We seriously lack pitching.) The puffed up month of fake playoffs is not about baseball; it’s about commercial revenue. I won’t be watching them. The DH in the NL is OK, though I do feel something is missing. The mediocrity of the seeing of pitches among pitchers always made me smile. The runner on second base is a great idea. But the “pitch to 3 men” rule? Really? This is going to shorten games? Yesterday, the number of pitchers in the Rays/Nats game was 13. That’s more than a starting line-up!!!!! And who cares how long the games are anyway? I mean, really, the longer the games, the more revenue from commercials. And the longer the games, the more ups for Soto & Turner.
Dawn Wilson said:
Since my team is the Dodgers and I live in Virginia, I appreciate the earlier starts so I can at least watch most of the game before bedtime. I don’t get to many games each year, so I’m used to watching on TV. If you are just listening, it sounds the same with the fan noise in the background. I like the extra inning rule with the runner on 2nd. Curious to see what changes for this year stick around. Now bring on the playoffs!