2023 Baseball Thread

[Willthescout7]

I don't know if the rest of y'all are baseball fans, but I've watched every game so far today...incredibly thankful that MLB is back!

[vcczar]

12 hours ago, Willthescout7 said:

I don't know if the rest of y'all are baseball fans, but I've watched every game so far today...incredibly thankful that MLB is back!

I used to be really into MLB from like 1987 until the mid-1990s. Once the strike happened, I never got back to it. Also the steroid scandals sort of turned me off from it. 

I used to also watch NHL and NBA, but once I started undergrad full time in 2001, I stuck with only the NFL. I watch NBA only if the Dallas Mavericks are in the playoffs. 

I do enjoy sports simulators, even MLB baseball ones, but I just can't watch most sports, even NFL a lot of the time. It's mainly the frequent commercials. 

Do you like the new MLB rules? 

[Willthescout7]

1 hour ago, vcczar said:

I used to be really into MLB from like 1987 until the mid-1990s. Once the strike happened, I never got back to it. Also the steroid scandals sort of turned me off from it. 

I used to also watch NHL and NBA, but once I started undergrad full time in 2001, I stuck with only the NFL. I watch NBA only if the Dallas Mavericks are in the playoffs. 

I do enjoy sports simulators, even MLB baseball ones, but I just can't watch most sports, even NFL a lot of the time. It's mainly the frequent commercials. 

Do you like the new MLB rules? 

I'm a big fan of the pitch clock. I feel that it doesn't really change the game that much, but keeps the worst offenders in check. Some pitchers were taking 2 minutes per one pitch and batters were stepping out of the box to readjust their gloves and mess around for whole minutes. It was ridiculous. The pitch clock has reigned that in. I think it needs a few more adjustments, such as giving the umpires more freedom when to start the clock (right now you don't have time to celebrate a player's first hit since the clock starts immediately). 

Bigger bases hasn't really changed much, it's more the fact that pickoffs are limited now. 

The biggest change is the banning the shift, which I wasn't a fan of when they first announced it, but I've warmed to it. There were some nice plays as a result. 

The only rule I absolutely hate is the runner on second during extra innings. It's against the spirit of the game and is utterly crap. Essentially, it makes a pitcher have to get 3 strikeouts in order not to lose, which is very difficult. Just hate it.

 

[vcczar]

21 minutes ago, Willthescout7 said:

I'm a big fan of the pitch clock. I feel that it doesn't really change the game that much, but keeps the worst offenders in check. Some pitchers were taking 2 minutes per one pitch and batters were stepping out of the box to readjust their gloves and mess around for whole minutes. It was ridiculous. The pitch clock has reigned that in. I think it needs a few more adjustments, such as giving the umpires more freedom when to start the clock (right now you don't have time to celebrate a player's first hit since the clock starts immediately). 

Bigger bases hasn't really changed much, it's more the fact that pickoffs are limited now. 

The biggest change is the banning the shift, which I wasn't a fan of when they first announced it, but I've warmed to it. There were some nice plays as a result. 

The only rule I absolutely hate is the runner on second during extra innings. It's against the spirit of the game and is utterly crap. Essentially, it makes a pitcher have to get 3 strikeouts in order not to lose, which is very difficult. Just hate it.

 

There was some baseball game I played a long time ago. I forgot which game it was, but I remember it let you step out of the box as a batter, and I think it allowed the pitcher to do something. I remember annoying a friend because I was trying to overdo it on purpose, so I'd constantly step out of the box. 

I did the same thing in boxing game, I would keep grappling the opponent and never letting the other guy punch. I think in the 1st round of one game, only three punches occurred. 

I remember in an NES baseball game, I think it was called Baseball Stars, my friend and I had a rule that you had to pitch over the middle. This was to make the game go by faster and make it more interesting, so there was also a hit. Part of the issue was that if a pitcher's control and speed were maxed out it was really easy to strike someone out because you could throw a ridiculous curve that was actually unhittable, yet would be a strike as it barely grazed the plate. It was a flaw in the game. 

[Willthescout7]

38 minutes ago, vcczar said:

There was some baseball game I played a long time ago. I forgot which game it was, but I remember it let you step out of the box as a batter, and I think it allowed the pitcher to do something. I remember annoying a friend because I was trying to overdo it on purpose, so I'd constantly step out of the box. 

I did the same thing in boxing game, I would keep grappling the opponent and never letting the other guy punch. I think in the 1st round of one game, only three punches occurred. 

I remember in an NES baseball game, I think it was called Baseball Stars, my friend and I had a rule that you had to pitch over the middle. This was to make the game go by faster and make it more interesting, so there was also a hit. Part of the issue was that if a pitcher's control and speed were maxed out it was really easy to strike someone out because you could throw a ridiculous curve that was actually unhittable, yet would be a strike as it barely grazed the plate. It was a flaw in the game. 

I don't play a lot of video games, so I'm not familiar with the mechanics in a lot of them. I often find sports games too stilted and easy to manipulate for my tastes. And the modern ones are centered around predatory practices designed to manipulate people into gambling and spending money to win.

[Willthescout7]

For everyone's awareness: 

T-Mobile customers get MLB.TV free for the entire season. This allows you to watch every out of market game live on your preferred feed (home or away), and in-market games 90 minutes after they conclude. 

In addition to that, MLB.TV comes with MiLB included, meaning you can watch an additional 120 teams. 

This is great if you love baseball or are just starting to get into it. This is the perfect season as the new rules are making it even easier to get excited by the players and make the games more dramatic.

[Rezi]

1 hour ago, Willthescout7 said:

For everyone's awareness: 

T-Mobile customers get MLB.TV free for the entire season. This allows you to watch every out of market game live on your preferred feed (home or away), and in-market games 90 minutes after they conclude. 

In addition to that, MLB.TV comes with MiLB included, meaning you can watch an additional 120 teams. 

This is great if you love baseball or are just starting to get into it. This is the perfect season as the new rules are making it even easier to get excited by the players and make the games more dramatic.

is this a t-mobile ad

[Willthescout7]

Just now, Rezi said:

is this a t-mobile ad

😂😂 i do work for them but no. I just love baseball and want everybody to experience the same joy I feel when I watch. Nothing quite like baseball on this world of ours.

[ebrk85]

Always make sure I snag my free mlb.tv subscription. Great perk each year. I mostly just watch my Phillies so don't need the out of market games as much. But love having it so when I'm in NY I can still watch them.

[jnewt]

17 hours ago, Willthescout7 said:

I'm a big fan of the pitch clock. I feel that it doesn't really change the game that much, but keeps the worst offenders in check. Some pitchers were taking 2 minutes per one pitch and batters were stepping out of the box to readjust their gloves and mess around for whole minutes. It was ridiculous. The pitch clock has reined that in. I think it needs a few more adjustments, such as giving the umpires more freedom when to start the clock (right now you don't have time to celebrate a player's first hit since the clock starts immediately). 

I like the pitch clock too, but I’m dreading the reaction when a game inevitably ends on a pitch clock violation. Because of that, I’d like to see it get turned off for the 8th and 9th innings. I know a lot of time is wasted towards the end of games, but I think there’d be a lot of pushback if (when) a game ends like that. 

[vcczar]

This thread is making me miss the president league I created in OOTP baseball. I would remake it if I can figure out a way to save the league in a way that it is reusable. Like a permanent roster file. I'd actually do one with figures from history. Anyone know how to do that? Maybe @OrangeP47 does?

[OrangeP47]

Will, why didn't you tag me to this thread earlier?

A reusable roster file is certainly doable.  You mean like setting it up once and being able to reload back from the start?  People create those all the time on the OOTP forums.  I don't know how to do it, but it is 100% possible.

[OrangeP47]

5 hours ago, jnewt said:

I like the pitch clock too, but I’m dreading the reaction when a game inevitably ends on a pitch clock violation. Because of that, I’d like to see it get turned off for the 8th and 9th innings. I know a lot of time is wasted towards the end of games, but I think there’d be a lot of pushback if (when) a game ends like that. 

It happened in spring training.

You'll all be shocked, but generally just like in AMPU, I'm not really a fan of changing the rules in baseball either.  That said, I'm mostly okay with all the rule changes here, except the fact that the ghost runner in extra innings is now going to be in perpetuity.  I was fine with it when it was a temporary covid measure, but now I'm annoyed.  I like the fact that theoretically games could go on forever, but I'm also aware that's probably an extreme minority opinion on my part.

[OrangeP47]

@matthewyoung123 would probably like this thread as well.

[matthewyoung123]

I'm liking OOTP24 so far.  And my Braves are 1-0 on the season.  I just wish MLB.com would get rid of the blackout rule.  I mean, that made sense in the 60's and 70's when you only broadcast locally (near the ballpark) and the team was trying to fill seats.

I'm in the Washington Nationals market, and the ballpark is 5+ hours drive away.  I'm not going to see them play in person.  Atlanta is 7 hours away.  If MLB wants a bigger audience, they need to get the game into the hands of the fans.

And I agree that I think today it's more about certain players than teams, but I'm old school in that I'm a Braves fan and will be through thick and thin.  

As for the new rules, I don't dislike the pitch clock but I'm also not sold on it yet.  I like banning the shift on the infield.  Hate ghost runners at 2nd in extras.  Manfred keeps trying to SHORTEN the game, but I don't think there is ANYTING wrong with a 3 hour baseball game.  It's just more of what I love...let's play two!

 

[OrangeP47]

Oh yeah, the shift, overlooked that.  Banning it's stupid.  I get in a game there are rules, but I feel like mandating where people stand in a game like baseball is just kind of ridiculous.  There are already consequences for the shift, they get utterly wrecked if the ball goes the opposite way, so I guess that puts me in the camp of "just learn to hit the opposite way" as if it were that easy, but it's the principle of the thing.

[vcczar]

35 minutes ago, OrangeP47 said:

Will, why didn't you tag me to this thread earlier?

A reusable roster file is certainly doable.  You mean like setting it up once and being able to reload back from the start?  People create those all the time on the OOTP forums.  I don't know how to do it, but it is 100% possible.

I thought I had done it like 3 years ago, but when I tried to make a new game, from the start with the rosters, it had saved the made up teams and the 4-team league but not the players. 

[OrangeP47]

10 minutes ago, vcczar said:

I thought I had done it like 3 years ago, but when I tried to make a new game, from the start with the rosters, it had saved the made up teams and the 4-team league but not the players. 

Wouldn't be able to say what happened without seeing it myself or having done the editing.  I just know roster files are a thing that get passed around, so players *should* save for a custom quick start date.  It might be something like the check box being ticked to use generated players instead of the start date's players or something though.

[OrangeP47]

Memes be spicy this year, Rays murdered the Tigers.

 

 

[mark2]

On 4/1/2023 at 9:42 AM, matthewyoung123 said:

And my Braves are 1-0 on the season.  I just wish MLB.com would get rid of the blackout rule.  I mean, that made sense in the 60's and 70's when you only broadcast locally (near the ballpark) and the team was trying to fill seats.

I'm in the Washington Nationals market, and the ballpark is 5+ hours drive away.  I'm not going to see them play in person.  Atlanta is 7 hours away.  If MLB wants a bigger audience, they need to get the game into the hands of the fans.

IIRC, the blackout rule is nowadays mostly upheld to help keep RSNs going strong rather than to drive attendance. Sure, it's still completely stupid and archaic as no one is buying a full cable package or anything of the sort just to watch one or two sports teams but it at least makes MORE sense than driving attendance. 

Regardless, as a wise man once said:
 

Quote

Since MLB is a big corporation with a lot of smart people working for them, they are the authority on their own affairs. Therefore, we can assume that since they have their own best interests at heart, they are doing the right thing. So if you want to know what's best for Major League Baseball, the best course of action is to just ask Major League Baseball. Appealing to their authority in this way not only helps you get to the truth faster, but is exactly what MLB wants. So help them out, and help yourself out. Just agree with them. Because they're definitely right on this one.

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by mark2

[Willthescout7]

On 4/1/2023 at 8:47 AM, OrangeP47 said:

Oh yeah, the shift, overlooked that.  Banning it's stupid.  I get in a game there are rules, but I feel like mandating where people stand in a game like baseball is just kind of ridiculous.  There are already consequences for the shift, they get utterly wrecked if the ball goes the opposite way, so I guess that puts me in the camp of "just learn to hit the opposite way" as if it were that easy, but it's the principle of the thing.

My favorite part is that the shortstop position was originally a 4th outfielder, but overtime more and more managers were shifting them to that part of the infield and eventually it stuck since it made sense.

[Willthescout7]

4 hours ago, mark2 said:

IIRC, the blackout rule is nowadays mostly upheld to help keep RSNs going strong rather than to drive attendance. Sure, it's still completely stupid and archaic as no one is buying a full cable package or anything of the sort just to watch one or two sports teams but it at least makes MORE sense than driving attendance. 

Regardless, as a wise man once said:
 

 

I think/hope blackouts will be killed by Bally Sports collapsing. 

[mark2]

21 hours ago, Willthescout7 said:

I think/hope blackouts will be killed by Bally Sports collapsing. 

I hope so, but I think with the amount of powerful RSNs and cable companies still out there I think nothing will change. I mean, you've got YES running the very large Yankees market, ROOT sports northwest running the Oregon/Washington sports market as a whole and all of the NBC sports networks (Boston, Philly, California, Chicago, even SNY airing the Mets and some other teams and more iirc) along with the Canadian market still being effectively ran by one major RSN. It's not a very easy situation for the MLB or even the NBA or NHL to get out of.

I think odds are a couple media conglomerates will simply fight over the rights to what Bally is losing. Fox Sports likely wont make a comeback but I could see a group like NBC trying to expand their network.

[Willthescout7]

7 minutes ago, mark2 said:

I hope so, but I think with the amount of powerful RSNs and cable companies still out there I think nothing will change. I mean, you've got YES running the very large Yankees market, ROOT sports northwest running the Oregon/Washington sports market as a whole and all of the NBC sports networks (Boston, Philly, California, Chicago, even SNY airing the Mets and some other teams and more iirc) along with the Canadian market still being effectively ran by one major RSN. It's not a very easy situation for the MLB or even the NBA or NHL to get out of.

I think odds are a couple media conglomerates will simply fight over the rights to what Bally is losing. Fox Sports likely wont make a comeback but I could see a group like NBC trying to expand their network.

Even those RSNs are losing money. NBC wants to get out, but they're owned by Jerry Reinsdorf who owns 2 teams (Bulls and White Sox) so they're stuck. Sportsnet survives because Hockey is so strong in Canada. Root is going the same direction of Bally since it's a premium channel that doesn't come automatically with Cable (at least that was how it was a few years ago). 

The only media conglomerate I see coming in is YouTube or Apple. Apple is too committed to their MLS experiment to be willing to take that risk. YouTube is viable, but currently fighting with MLB. 

MLB legally considers RSNs a dying business model (the position they were forced to take when Bally declared bankruptcy) so I can see them getting out, especially if they can steer people towards MLB.TV instead.

[mark2]

2 hours ago, Willthescout7 said:

especially if they can steer people towards MLB.TV instead.

I disagree right here in particular. MLB.TV already just airs the RSNs feed, which is mostly paid for and operated by the RSN. The MLB would have to invest quite a lot in fully replacing RSNs via MLB.TV, which is why I don't think it's happening any time soon.