I know the way to eliminate defensive shifts.

I won't even say it because it will insult your intelligence.

I mean, I'm sticking with the game I love no matter what, but this is truly ridiculous to even think about:

 " 'For example,'  Manfred volunteered, 'things like eliminating shifts, I would be open to those sorts of ideas.' When Ravech pressed, Manfred confirmed that yes, he was talking about defensive shifts — the practice of positioning fielders in places where ground balls are likely to go — and that yes, he was open to outlawing them for the good of the game."

Wee Willie Keeler just spun in his grave.

Yankees work to avoid paying bonus for ARod's 763rd HR.

I hope the lawyers don't strain themselves on moot points.

The New York Daily News is odd in its sports coverage.

Pro-Jets, pro-Mets, pro-Selig:

"All those who are still prosecuting Bud Selig for the 1990s in baseball must look back on that time and see themselves leading the crusade against steroids."

1) When Lupica relegates the steroids era to "the 1990s," he is part of the problem. Actually, it's impossible that Lupica is that stupid and that ignorant. It means he's a shill.

2) "Still prosecuting" implies that Selig was prosecuted in the first place. But he wasn't. Selig profited from the ongoing steroid era for decades. So did lots of people in leadership positions, some of whom are in the HOF.

3) To whom is Lupica directing his indignation? Other sportswriters? Fair enough. Most sportswriters don't care about steroid use. Most sportswriters (ahem) throw softballs at athlete-celebrities (cough cough) so they can maintain access.

At fans? Not our job. That's your job.

4) The current gripe with Selig is not so much that he failed to lead the crusade against steroids. It's that, in a last-ditch effort to save his own reputation, he went after Alex Rodriguez ... and only Alex Rodriguez.


"You tell me which commissioner, in any sport, did more good for that sport over the last 20 years than Selig did for Major League Baseball."

Easy answer: Tagliabue/Goodell.

During the last 20 years, the NFL went from the most popular sport in America to the most popular thing in America.


"You know what kind of drug testing baseball has without Selig, and if the Major League Players Association continued to have its way?

None."

Right.

As Marvin Miller said, no drug testing without a search warrant.

By the way, the difference would be non-existent. The difference between no drug testing and the current state of MLB drug testing.

But maybe the Daily News Investigative Yahoos could beat the pavement a little bit. Figure this out. It might be a good use of resources, preferable to an exciting exclusive about a non-meeting.

Great stuff right there. Alex Rodriguez did not meet with the Yankees.

What have we got in the entertainment section of this fine newspaper? Exclusive! Character Actor Jm J. Bullock did not meet the Pope yesterday.

Max Scherzer's signing leads to existential crisis.

I always find it amusing when sports writers downplay guarantees that were never made.

Of course the Scherzer singing doesn't guarantee a World Series victory for the Nationals. Did anyone suggest it did? Is that the proper way to assess the value of a free agent signing?:

"We’ll all be stunned if the Nationals fail to win the National League East this year. They’ll dominate through the summer, embarrass the Marlins and Mets, and pour champagne on one another in late September. That’s what the Scherzer signing virtually guarantees them, barring horrible luck."

Sounds pretty good!


"But does a rotation packed with aces and near-aces assure greatness, success, improvement over what the team accomplished last year? Eh. None of us knows what’s going to happen, ever, with anything."

Dude.

What if we're all a computer program written by an advanced civilization?

What if your version of "red" is different than my version of "red"? Ever think of that?

What if there is no "Andy Martino." Two words "Andy Martino" representing an abstract idea and then the spaces between the atoms really mean the perceptions of solid space in the x-y-z coordinate is just an illusion and then the only reason Andy Martino even exists is because enough external people believe in the fictional idea of an "Andy Martino."

Oh, man, you're bumming me out. None of us knows what's going to happen, ever, with anything.

Bernie Who-doff?

Bill Madden reports on Fred Wilpon's puzzling new role:

"Among those coming off the council are White Sox board chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Red Sox owner John Henry and Reds owner Bob Castellini, all of whom — perhaps also not coincidentally — opposed Manfred last summer. In addition, two longtime Selig allies — Mets owner Fred Wilpon and Royals owner David Glass — came off the council but were appointed as chairmen of two important committees — Glass for business and Wilpon for finance."

Edgar Martinez probably used steroids.

I can't prove it, of course, it's just more likely than not.

If "more likely than not" is not enough proof, I agree. Put them all in the HOF. But if steroid use is part of the discussion, then it should be part of the discussion for borderline HOFers, too:

"Despite a reputation as arguably the greatest designated hitter in history, Martinez is languishing on the Hall of Fame ballot. He peaked with 36.5 percent of the vote in 2012 and came in this year with 27.0 percent -- barely one-third of the way toward the 75 percent threshold required for induction.

Although Martinez made seven All-Star teams, won two AL batting titles and ranks 20th in MLB history with a .418 career on-base percentage, his 2,247 hits and limited contributions as a defender haven't helped his cause with voters.

The anti-Martinez arguments aren't going to sway Johnson during his self-professed campaign for his former teammate."

At the age of 37, Edgar Martinez hit .324 with 37 HRs and 145 RBIs.

C'mon, people.

Use your brain. Evolution's gift to you.

The voters don't care that he was on steroids.

I'm not feeling it.

There seems to be a large divide between baseball writers and baseball fans:

"Baseball’s transition from the super-team era reached a crescendo in 2014, when the World Series was masterfully hijacked by the wild-card Giants and Royals. And, no, we couldn’t muster a single argument against a postseason that bypassed big-money teams like the Dodgers and Yankees or ones that were top-heavy in pitching like the Tigers."

For accuracy's sake, the Giants had the second-highest payroll in the NL.

The Royals had a relatively low payroll, but the real small-payroll World Series amongst playoff teams would have been Oakland vs. Pittsburgh.

Also, I don't know why a pitching-heavy team like the Tigers would have been less enjoyable than the Royals.

Also, the biggest argument against the 2014 postseason is a simple one: Ratings.


"Welcome to a leaner, more intelligent game, a better-run industry and on-field athleticism that’s at an all-time high."

I guess Klapisch doesn't like HRs.


"It’s a good time to be a baseball fan — and that actually includes the Yankees and Mets. The Bombers are taking a huge risk with a shifting business plan, finally emphasizing youth over their 30-somethings. Whether it works remains to be seen, but it’s a revolution that was long overdue in the Bronx."

I agree that the Yankee strategy is outdated. Cashman got tricked by steroid users who were productive for a long time. So the long-term free agent contracts have come back to haunt him, even if the players didn't necessarily use steroids. Steroids warped the market.

I suppose I agree that it's a good time to be a baseball fan ... I know I'm not going anywhere.

I just don't buy into the notion that the Royals are the Beacon of Small Market Hope.


"The Mets are moving in the right direction, too, although we’ll issue the usual disclaimer up high: they need more money. Too bad there isn’t enough in the Wilpons’ coffers to afford Troy Tulowitzki, at which point you could say the Mets are ready to capture greater New York. If only."

Which contradicts everything you just said about old players and payrolls.

Whatever.

Small payrolls and athleticism are great for other teams. For my team, I'll take highly-paid sluggers ... as long as they're actually earning their money.