If you could make 5 WHACKY changes to baseball...

[InsomniacInkRoss]

I always ponder things that would really shake up the game, even small things that would change the game as a whole

 

This is my 5, more or less:

 

1. One player on each team can take all the drugs he wants, the "Designated Druggie" (Think "all drug Olympics" sketch on SNL)

2. If you can turn a double play with 2 outs, 1 out carries over to the next inning

3. Runners stay on the bases untill they score or are out, after 3 outs and on defense they return to where they are the previous inning

4. You can bat in any order as long as all nine men bat before someone bats for a 2nd time, and everyone has 2 AB's before someone get's a 3rd, etc etc

5. Fans can throw HR balls back, and they are in play

 

I would love to see one game with 2-5, I think it would be great

[Jimbo]

Back in the 80's they once had Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in the Brewers' television booth.

 

His suggestions were allowing baserunners to carry their bats and use them when necessary.

 

Allowing baserunners to make a bee-line to home from second.

[sgtcluels]

Allow fielders to throw their glove. Imagine a towering home run, Hart break back. Shot looks to be a good 20 feet over the fench... hart throws his glove up.. his the ball and keeps it in play for an out.

[bullox]

Outfield assists at home plate score a run for the defense. 3 double plays in a game scores a run for the defense. A triple play scores two runs for the defense.

[TSack27]

Mulligans - give up a grand slam, call for a do-over

[paul253]

Every time someone strikes out your entire team has to take a shot. Same with every time you committ an error.

[Diskono]

Allow fielders to throw their glove. Imagine a towering home run, Hart break back. Shot looks to be a good 20 feet over the fench... hart throws his glove up.. his the ball and keeps it in play for an out.

I think Alex Sanchez tried that once!

 

[InsomniacInkRoss]

Mulligans - give up a grand slam, call for a do-over

Man, that would be great, I can hear it now:

Uke: Pujols up to bat now, the Brewers can be a little more aggressive since they have yet to use their mulligan this game...

 

I would also really like to see this, WWE style entrances. Let me set the scene for you...

 

Top of the 9th, Brewers are up 4-3. All the lights go out at the park, some music plays, think of Undertaker's entrance back in the day. Excitement builds, all of a sudden, fire shoots from the top of each foul pole, the lights come on, Torres is already on the mound in some sort of cloak making a throat cut gesture

[TSack27]

Mulligans - give up a grand slam, call for a do-over

Man, that would be great, I can hear it now:

Uke: Pujols up to bat now, the Brewers can be a little more aggressive since they have yet to use their mulligan this game...

 

I can't take all the credit, as there are already some casual softball tournaments that already use this - one on offense and one on defense per game; plus a few other novelities like designating that the last guy in the batting order counts as two runs, or only one guy can be designated to hit homeruns with any others being outs, or getting 2nd base if 'intentionally' walking, or one-pitch (walk, strikeout, or in-play).

[bball123h]

Move the Yankees to Fargo, ND.

Move the Red Sox to Cheyenne, WY.

???

Profit!

[logan82]

Flag poles and hills in CF for everyone.

[Crewin06]

1.) 2 Balls you walk, 2 strikes you're out. Foul Balls are strikes no matter what, if you foul off the ball for your second strike, you are out. This would speed the game up alot. Pitchers would be more apt to putting the ball over the plate and the hitters wouldn't try to foul off 5 pitches to get their pitch.

 

2.) You don't have to tag up on fly outs. Speed guys would again be at a premium. They get on and a guy like Prince or Braun hit the ball a mile high and the speedy guy could score from first on an out.

[bacon06]

Put up a 3 foot fenced in boxed area in shallow center field behind second base just as an obstacle for fielders to run through and around.

 

Put more hills in random spots in the outfield, not just by the wall.

 

Or, build the entire field on a slope with home plate being at the bottom.

[bullox]

Have a moat between third base and home plate, fill it with alligators and snakes and whatnot. We'll see how often Sveum sends 'em home then.

[thebruce44]

A "designated hitter." I know, I know, it sounds crazy but I think it would work.

[bigredrobbo]

Jason Kendall homeruns to count double.

[owbc]

3. Runners stay on the bases untill they score or are out, after 3 outs and on defense they return to where they are the previous inning

In addition to this, in the 9th inning, the game shouldn't end until the team with the lead has cleared all the opponent's runners off the bases, no matter how many outs it takes

 

Here's some other suggestions:

 

1. Let managers bring 1 player back into the game who was already taken out.

2. For all fly balls, if the runner makes it to 2nd base before the ball is caught, he is safe and the play is scored a double. Runners can also attempt to advance 2 bases on any fly ball, as long as they make it before it is caught. This would help reintroduce the element of speed into the game, as only the fastest players would have a chance at making it.

3. Pinch hitters can be inserted in the lineup without having to replace any players. For example, if the bases were loaded with 2 outs and Sheets was due up, Ned could pinch hit Durham in the '8 1/2' position and Sheets would still be on deck. After the at-bat, Durham would be out of the game and the lineup would return to normal.

4. Have a deck of cards before the game with strange scoring situations such as "two strikes and you're out", "all home runs count as double runs", "all runners advancing to 3rd base are automatically awarded home", "runners have to run around the bases backwards (home to 3rd to 2nd to 1st)", or any of the other wacky rules proposed here. The visiting team must draw one card before every game and the rule change applies for that game.

[Fike85]

There will be no extra-inning games, only juggling contests. Each team will have a designated juggler and the first team that stops juggling loses. An additional ball must be thrown to each juggler after 60 seconds of consecutive juggling.