I do not like the 7 inning double header

[Mike Isles 583]

Cheapens the game start the first game at 1PM and you can easily get 2 nine inning games by 10PM

[MDC 5,891]

I just think baseball sucks. Probably because I’m a Phillies fan. 

[Reality 2,710]

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

2 minutes ago, Reality said:

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

The problem isn't that the game is seven innings versus nine. The problem is that the vast majority of the time, nothing at all is happening. Just a bunch of guys standing around scratching their balls.

Then of course there is the issue with why one should even give a fock about the outcome of any game, as 162 is way way too many and even the champ will drop dozens. 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

I found out the other day that, while no-hitters are not counted for 7-inning games, a 7-inning complete game *does* go in the record books as a complete game.......who makes these rules?

[JustinCharge 2,397]

7 hours ago, titans&bucs&bearsohmy! said:

Then of course there is the issue with why one should even give a fock about the outcome of any game, as 162 is way way too many and even the champ will drop dozens. 

Well 162 games is an easy sell to me.  Its great to have baseball radio on in the background while I do other stuff.

[BeenHereBefore 1,332]

Why can't the first one go 5 innings & the second one go 4 innings ?

[Mike Isles 583]

29 minutes ago, JustinCharge said:

I found out the other day that, while no-hitters are not counted for 7-inning games, a 7-inning complete game *does* go in the record books as a complete game.......who makes these rules?

That’s exactly one of the reasons. 

[Mike Isles 583]

12 minutes ago, BeenHereBefore said:

Why can't the first one go 5 innings & the second one go 4 innings ?

Even a worse idea

[BeenHereBefore 1,332]

14 minutes ago, Mike Isles said:

Even a worse idea

You are right and that would be almost like a regular game.

[Mike Isles 583]

2 hours ago, BeenHereBefore said:

You are right and that would be almost like a regular game.

The four inning game wouldn’t even be considered an “official game” - by today’s rules. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

13 hours ago, MDC said:

I just think baseball sucks. Probably because I’m a Phillies fan. 

Nah, it's just that Philadelphia is full of fair weather fans that pretend they're the most passionate.  You're no different.

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

14 hours ago, Mike Isles said:

Cheapens the game start the first game at 1PM and you can easily get 2 nine inning games by 10PM

They are stupid, but they're doing it so that the wokies don't b!tch and complain.  Wokies don't want people to be congregated of that long of a period of time because they're weak minded.

[MDC 5,891]

5 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Nah, it's just that Philadelphia is full of fair weather fans that pretend they're the most passionate.  You're no different.

When it comes to baseball that’s definitely true for me. I can’t remember the last time I watched an inning of MLB that didn’t involve the Phils. It’s not a baseball town.

[vuduchile 1,941]

Most kids have the attention span of a gnat when watching sports.  We like to pretend we were different but I rarely sat and watched an entire baseball game when I was a kid unless it was the playoffs or WS.  I rarely do it now unless I'm at the ballpark.  I'll tune in for the last few innings as I drift off to sleep, and I have day games on at the shop when they're available, but I don't really carve out 3+ hours to sit and watch baseball now.  

Today's kids watch a lot of baseball highlights, top 10 plays, homers, home run derbies and walk off hits. They're easily accessible anytime they want them.  They also tend to follow players more than teams.  I guess we can thank free agency and fantasy sports for some of that.  

[porkbutt 861]

sam i am

[edjr 5,564]

15 hours ago, Reality said:

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

Yup and I would change it to 1 pitch per at bat as well.

See how man pitches in the dirt there are then.

I'd rather watch curling than watch Garrett Richards pitch

[posty 2,296]

Things should hopefully be back to normal next season...

[JustinCharge 2,397]

15 hours ago, Reality said:

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

Its not the length of games driving kids away and making all games 7 innings just makes it worse.

[WhiteWonder 2,172]

baseball has many problems. Lack of excitement and too many total games are the biggest, imo. Younger players starting to show some flair, bat flips, home run celebrations, pitchers getting fired up over a strikeout are all good things. It will hopefully help MLB get some superstars to become icons to help grown the game like the NBA has. Someone who isn't into basketball knows who Lebron James is. Probably knows Kevin Durant. Knew Kobe Bryant. Someone who isn't into baseball doesn't know Mike Trout. 

and 162 games is too many. It makes individual games feel so meaningless in the big picture. Teams are completely out of playoff contention way too soon. 

Another issue is the time it takes fans to actually get to see young, drafted talent actually play for their team. Even fans of bad football and basketball teams get the excitement of the 'what if' that comes with having a top draft pick. Baseball? you have to invest time in knowing your teams farm system and hope they keep those top prospects. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

I'm fine with baseball the way it is.  After this Covid crap is done, they'll go back to 9-inning DH's and all will be right again.

[posty 2,296]

11 hours ago, JustinCharge said:

I found out the other day that, while no-hitters are not counted for 7-inning games, a 7-inning complete game *does* go in the record books as a complete game.......

Correct...  What is the problem?

[IGotWorms 3,315]

22 hours ago, Reality said:

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

Baseball is meant to be slow and leisurely. Unfortunately that just no longer fits with our hectic modern lives and ever-decreasing attention spans. It is doomed  

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

3 hours ago, IGotWorms said:

Baseball is meant to be slow and leisurely. Unfortunately that just no longer fits with our hectic modern lives and ever-decreasing attention spans. It is doomed  

Yep. Slow and leisurely worked 100 years ago when there were very few entertainment options. It doesn't now. 

[IGotWorms 3,315]

38 minutes ago, titans&bucs&bearsohmy! said:

Yep. Slow and leisurely worked 100 years ago when there were very few entertainment options. It doesn't now. 

It’s not just options. Who regularly has time to just sit and watch a three hour ballgame anymore?

[vuduchile 1,941]

I haven't seen this much misinformation and this many terrible ideas since the last Presidential debate.  

Baseball is just fine and isn't going anywhere.  It may not be consumed in the same way as other sports, but that doesn't seem to matter.  

Gross revenues for the league were $10.7 billion for 2019, up from $10.3 billion last year. That marks the 17th consecutive year that MLB has seen record growth.

For perspective, the NFL grossed $16B and the NBA grossed $8B for the same time period.  

[cmh6476 752]

On 5/5/2021 at 6:28 PM, Reality said:

All games should be 7 innings. The games are way too long, kids don't watch that shlt. Baseball has a real problem coming when it's old fanbase dies off.

they need to call strikes, rather than squeeze pitchers.  

[JustinCharge 2,397]

On 5/7/2021 at 11:35 AM, vuduchile said:

I haven't seen this much misinformation and this many terrible ideas since the last Presidential debate.  

Baseball is just fine and isn't going anywhere.  It may not be consumed in the same way as other sports, but that doesn't seem to matter.  

Gross revenues for the league were $10.7 billion for 2019, up from $10.3 billion last year. That marks the 17th consecutive year that MLB has seen record growth.

For perspective, the NFL grossed $16B and the NBA grossed $8B for the same time period.  

A corporation could keep showing increased revenues by selling off key assets for years. Continually hollowing out its business until there is nothing left.  Then revenue collapses.  Like a corporate raider.  That looks good on the books in the short term, but in the long term the company dies.    Baseball may be finding more revenue streams in the short term, but in the long term its losing young fans.

 

[vuduchile 1,941]

8 hours ago, JustinCharge said:

A corporation could keep showing increased revenues by selling off key assets for years. Continually hollowing out its business until there is nothing left.  Then revenue collapses.  Like a corporate raider.  That looks good on the books in the short term, but in the long term the company dies.    Baseball may be finding more revenue streams in the short term, but in the long term its losing young fans.

 

What data shows they're losing young fans?  There are more kids playing youth baseball than ever before, and there's a definite connection between playing the sport and watching the pros do it.  If anything, football’s in bigger trouble than baseball, as the number of kids playing each year continues to decline. 

Some Pre Pandemic numbers:

https://www.sporttechie.com/mlb-baseball-youth-sports-management-leagueapps-investment#:~:text=While overall participation numbers in,has grown 21% since 2015.

 

While overall participation numbers in organized youth sports are down, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association data, participation in baseball has grown 21% since 2015. 

 

 

[IGotWorms 3,315]

On 5/7/2021 at 11:35 AM, vuduchile said:

I haven't seen this much misinformation and this many terrible ideas since the last Presidential debate.  

Baseball is just fine and isn't going anywhere.  It may not be consumed in the same way as other sports, but that doesn't seem to matter.  

Gross revenues for the league were $10.7 billion for 2019, up from $10.3 billion last year. That marks the 17th consecutive year that MLB has seen record growth.

For perspective, the NFL grossed $16B and the NBA grossed $8B for the same time period.  

 

57 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

What data shows they're losing young fans?  There are more kids playing youth baseball than ever before, and there's a definite connection between playing the sport and watching the pros do it.  If anything, football is bigger trouble than baseball, as the number of kids playing each year continues to decline. 

Some Pre Pandemic numbers:

https://www.sporttechie.com/mlb-baseball-youth-sports-management-leagueapps-investment#:~:text=While overall participation numbers in,has grown 21% since 2015.

 

While overall participation numbers in organized youth sports are down, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association data, participation in baseball has grown 21% since 2015. 

 

 

Interesting stuff

[tubby_mcgee 686]

On 5/5/2021 at 6:32 PM, titans&bucs&bearsohmy! said:

The problem isn't that the game is seven innings versus nine. The problem is that the vast majority of the time, nothing at all is happening. Just a bunch of guys standing around scratching their balls.

Then of course there is the issue with why one should even give a fock about the outcome of any game, as 162 is way way too many and even the champ will drop dozens. 

Nail. On. The. Head.

[vuduchile 1,941]

I’m guessing most of the naysayers here never played baseball or tried to play and just sucked at it.

Frankly, that’s why I hate soccer.   I only ever played that idiotic game in middle school gym class because we had no choice.  

[vuduchile 1,941]

6 hours ago, IGotWorms said:

 

Interesting stuff

Yeah. Baseball is actually growing in popularity among kids.  

Here’s some anecdotal data:  

We live in a small town of about 2000 residents. 

Below is a breakdown of youth sport participation here:

Baseball  

2019 - 141 

2020 cancelled

2021 - 177

Football 

2019 - 37

2020 - 28

Basketball 

2019 - 96

2020 - 96

Soccer 

- there is no soccer program here   They have to go about 25 minutes north to play in a rec league 

Since we play other nearby cities and towns, we know that the ratios of kids-to-sport are roughly the same. 

I would expect soccer numbers to be much higher across the country as it’s a sport any kid can play.  The main reason it’s not big here is because there aren’t enough adults that care to run it and not enough community support to build the fields.  
 

 

[GobbleDog 816]

On 5/7/2021 at 2:35 PM, vuduchile said:

Baseball is just fine and isn't going anywhere. 

Wikipedia - Highest and lowest tv rating averages for World Series since 1973.

LOWEST - 2020 (9.8 mil), 2012 (12.6 mil), 2008 (13.1 mil)

HIGHEST - 1978 (44.3 mil), 1980 ( 42.3 mil), 1981 (41.4 mil)

The population increases, but viewership plummets. And that's the damn World Series, forget meaningless regular season games. The word is out - baseball sucks, but don't tell grandpa.

[IGotWorms 3,315]

46 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

Yeah. Baseball is actually growing in popularity among kids.  

Here’s some anecdotal data:  

We live in a small town of about 2000 residents. 

Below is a breakdown of youth sport participation here:

Baseball  

2019 - 141 

2020 cancelled

2021 - 177

Football 

2019 - 37

2020 - 28

Basketball 

2019 - 96

2020 - 96

Soccer 

- there is no soccer program here   They have to go about 25 minutes north to play in a rec league 

Since we play other nearby cities and towns, we know that the ratios of kids-to-sport are roughly the same. 

I would expect soccer numbers to be much higher across the country as it’s a sport any kid can play.  The main reason it’s not big here is because there aren’t enough adults that care to run it and not enough community support to build the fields.  
 

 

Could the disconnect be your living in a small town? There’s less to do and more time out there. Hence, baseball?

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

3 hours ago, vuduchile said:

I’m guessing most of the naysayers here never played baseball or tried to play and just sucked at it.

Frankly, that’s why I hate soccer.   I only ever played that idiotic game in middle school gym class because we had no choice.  

Baseball is like jerking off. Fun to do, but watching other guys do it? Pass. 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

6 hours ago, vuduchile said:

I’m guessing most of the naysayers here never played baseball or tried to play and just sucked at it.

Frankly, that’s why I hate soccer.   I only ever played that idiotic game in middle school gym class because we had no choice.  

This is why an increasing number of kids today hate ALL sports.  Sports is socially acceptable to parents.  So many parents force their kids into sports are directly or indirectly.  This defines sports a chore to kids at an early age.  Kids today even have a slang for it:  "sportsball". 

ex:  Ooh, did your team win at sportsball last night?  Sportsball! Sportsball! go Sportsball!

[vuduchile 1,941]

2 hours ago, JustinCharge said:

This is why an increasing number of kids today hate ALL sports.  Sports is socially acceptable to parents.  So many parents force their kids into sports are directly or indirectly.  This defines sports a chore to kids at an early age.  Kids today even have a slang for it:  "sportsball". 

ex:  Ooh, did your team win at sportsball last night?  Sportsball! Sportsball! go Sportsball!

I’ve been coaching youth and high school baseball, football and basketball for the last 7 years.  I’ve never once heard that term.  

[vuduchile 1,941]

5 hours ago, titans&bucs&bearsohmy! said:

Baseball is like jerking off. Fun to do, but watching other guys do it? Pass. 

To each their own.  I’m not trying to force baseball on anyone.  As I’ve pointed out, it’s doing fine without you.  

[vuduchile 1,941]

7 hours ago, IGotWorms said:

Could the disconnect be your living in a small town? There’s less to do and more time out there. Hence, baseball?

Aside from soccer, which is an anomaly, our numbers parallel the National numbers I cited earlier.