Jay’s Got Mail: Answering reader questions on MLB’s current state of affairs

The following letters have been edited for brevity:

Sir,

I normally read articles and respect the right of opinion(s) in these United States. However, of late, the “tail is now wagging the dog” in issues regarding race, minorities and our right to vote.

I am a dinosaur. I served in the U.S. Army when there was a draft and registered to vote and carry a valid ID card. Now H.R.1 qualifies all voters to cast a valid vote in this country. It is not racist, does not deny minorities opportunity to cast a vote and is not Jim Crow in any way or form. The Left leads us to believe the opposite and has the support of corporations and our national sports teams ownership and management. So MLB had a knee jerk reaction to relocate the All Star game from Atlanta to Denver, to punish Georgia for support of HR 1!!!

— Mike S., Pennington, N.J.

Mike,

Thank you for your service. I’m a Vietnam veteran myself. If military service at the time of the draft makes one a dinosaur, then you and I have at least that much in common.

Now — uh — about this letter. If you honestly believe that Major League Baseball moved its All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia passing H.R. 1, then you are a very confused dinosaur.

You are correct about one part. H.R. 1 is, at least, intended to assure that everyone has the opportunity to vote. I use the word “intended” because it is not currently the law in Georgia or anywhere else. It is a bill—one of thousands — currently before the United States Congress. It has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, but will not become a law until, and unless, it is also passed by the United States Senate and signed by the President of the United States.

In the meantime the state of Georgia has passed its own voting law, which is not H.R. 1, either by name or by content. Many people see it as a polar opposite of H.R. 1 — designed to discourage poor people, especially African-Americans from voting. Major League Baseball came to the conclusion that it could not play its All-Star Game in such a state. Jay,

I have been reading your column for years and I always enjoy it. I am amazed at the comprehensive nature of your articles and the detail that you provide.

I have been thinking about changes in today’s game for a while. If I had the ultimate power to change today’s major league baseball, these are the changes that I would make:

1) This could never happen but if I had the ultimate power to do so, I would make every stadium have the identical dimensions from home plate to the fences. No one could ever say that is only a home run in Yankee Stadium but not in Atlanta or that is not a home run in Miami, and so on. A home run would be a legitimate home run anywhere.

2) I would require that checked swings be called only by the first base umpire or third base umpire, not the home plate umpire. The base umpires have a better angle.

3) Shifts have dramatically changed the game — negatively as I see it. To control shifts, I would require that all infielders position themselves only on the dirt portion of the infield.

4) Baseball has become too long and, in many instances, boring. The average time for a game in 2003 was 2 hrs., 46 minutes. The average time for a game in 2019 was 3 hrs., 5 min. It should be going in the other direction. This is not the ultimate answer to shorten the game but visits to the mound by coaches and managers should be limited to one per game unless it is for taking the pitcher out of the game or an injury. I see no need for catchers to ever go to the mound.

5) It is perhaps inevitable but I do not want to ever see the home plate umpire taken out of the equation of calling balls and strikes. There is absolutely no fun in having a robot determining balls and strikes. I guess I like to see disagreements between players and umpires once in a while. That is very much the fabric of the game. You can’t argue with a robot!

6) I would mandate that the National League institute the designated hitter. Nothing is more boring than watching a “designated out” by the pitcher. They are paid to pitch, not hit. Put some more life in the game by adding another hitter. It has proven successful in the American league.

— Ed Vreeswyk, Yardville,

N.J

Ed,

Thank you for your kind comments. Now, let’s take your wish-list one point at a time.

1) A game played in the marine layer air of San Diego will never be the same as one played in the mountain air of Denver or one in a heavy gale in Chicago, no matter what the dimensions of the stadium happen to be. Uniformity is not possible, so why even try? I, for one, like the fact that baseball has a McCovey Cove here and a Green Monster there and all sorts of other stadium features. Once you’ve seen one football field or one basketball court you’ve seen them all. In baseball every stadium is special.

2) In today’s baseball plate umpires always refer checkswing calls to a base umpire when asked to do so. I don’t think an additional rule is necessary.

3) Your shift proposal will be tested at the Double-A level this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a universal rule as soon as next year.

4) Catchers DO have reasons to go to the mound. Just last week I saw a game in which a catcher was being crossed up by a relief pitcher and his only remedy was to alternately glare at the pitcher and glare into the dugout. The rules prohibited him from going to the mound and straightening out the signs. In that case, the current rule was probably too restrictive.

I agree with you as far as pitching coaches are concerned. Sometimes, when a pinch hitter is announced, the coach wants to review the scouting report with his pitcher. But, most of the time, when a pitching coach goes to the mound his primary objective is to waste time. Baseball could do without those visits.

5) You’re right, it’s pointless to yell at a machine that isn’t human. But if the machine is consistent and accurate it will be superior to even the best umpire. If a reliable system can be developed it would be foolish not to use it.

6) I suspect the majority of baseball fans agree with your assessment of the designated hitter and you may have your wish as early as next year. I agree that the rules should be uniform in both major leagues, but I still believe the DH rule takes more out of the game than it adds.

Interestingly, Major League Baseball has asked the Atlantic League to test the “double hook” rule this year. Under that rule each team would have the use of the designated hitter only as long as its starting pitcher is in the game. I don’t know if that’s the answer, but it indicates the MLB is willing to explore other options.