The Game Was Long, Yet Perfect

We just witnessed one of the greatest All-Star games of all time, it had the late inning rally, it had drama, it was packed with suspense from start to finish, yet, for some reason the detractors have come in full force to rally against the sport. Everyone always wants to fix baseball, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t need fixed.

What the casual observers don’t realize is that the game is perfect in all of its imperfections. I’ll admit that I have been one of the biggest proponents for instant replay, and if implemented with delicate hands, it would add to the value of the sport. But with that said, I’ll concede to the fact that my rant on the subject might have been a little premature.

The reason I bring this up is because I had a revelation this morning as I was inundated with various takes describing how flawed baseball is, and how it is in dire need of fixing. The game is flawed, and depending on how you view things, there is a ton of things wrong with it, but what I realized is that nothing needs changed at the fundamental level.

I couldn’t believe how many people suggested that they need to put a time cap on the games. Are you kidding? There doesn’t need to be a clock. Sure, it’s frustrating to invest three hours into a game and be forced to bed before the resolution, but what made last night’s game so great was the extra innings. The plays at the plate, the drama, that all would have been non-existent if JD Drew wouldn’t have bashed a two run homer off Edinson Volquez, and Billy Wagner wouldn’t have choked in the eighth. Without those twists, which led to the extra play, everyone would have probably been writing stories about how stupid the game is instead.

Here’s the thing, if you can’t stay up for the game, TiVo it, go to bed, and watch it tomorrow. If that isn’t an option, well, sorry, but you can’t please everyone. If you don’t have 5 hours to put into a game, walk away, no one is forcing you to watch. Baseball is slow paced and drawn out, by definition. It’s not tied up in a nice neat package like the other sports. If this doesn’t appeal to you, go watch football. No one is forcing you to be here.

One thing is certain, though, some things do need to be changed. We were dangerously close to ending the game in a tie, which is something that can never happen again. That’s how we got stuck in the whole ‘This one counts’ era where the All-Star game determines home-field advantage for the World Series. That definitely needs to be changed, but that’s another debate. As far as the ties go, there’s two ways to avoid that.

The first option would be to expand the rosters to allow more room for additional arms. The process would be easy, just allow fans to vote for three more guys, and then you’re covered for a 20 inning extravaganza. The other option is something that several people have suggested, which would be to exclude pitchers who have thrown within three days of the exhibition. If you ask me this is completely unfeasible. You can’t keep guys out who deserve to be there, and the whole process of exclusion would be impossible to sort out.

The bottom line is that you can’t please everyone. Someone is always going to be unhappy, but people need to realize that baseball is appealing because it’s so humanized. All the flaws make it appealing. It’s never going to be perfect, it’s not football, and it’s not basketball. The game is never going to be the best sport for TV, but the fans, the real ones, they love the imperfections.