Tom Verducci proposes the 'Bonus At-Bat'

Verducci needs to quit reading Slate.

 

Ridiculous proposal in every possible way. Verducci probably wouldn't vote for a steroid user to be in the Hall of Fame because they "tainted" the sport, then he comes up with this lulu.

 

A standard rule in most prep all-star games. Always a thrilling sight, seeing out-of-football-shape players on the field for 20something plays in full gear when it's 100+

 

Next they'll propose that the All-Star Game winner determine home-field advantage in the World Series.

 

I don't think it's the worst idea. I would like to see MLB try it for a season and see what happens.

Now, what would happen if the player that gets the bonus at bat gets on base and is still on base when his turn to bat comes up?

 

Ghost runners.

 

Pretty sure that was a universal rule in all of football -- not sure if it has ever been changed -- that the team scored upon has the option of whether to kick off or receive.

Over the decades I suppose it was probably changed since in practice, virtually nobody in such a situation ever elected to kick off. However, if you go back to the 20s and 30s, you read game stories in which it happened fairly often.

Cumberland, in the famous 222-0 loss to John Heisman and Georgia Tech, kicked off after 5 of the 32 GT scores. Possibly indicating it wasn't really that good an idea.


http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f4/ot-georgia-tech-vs-cumberland-1916-222-0-play-by-play-20599.html

 

The idea is horrible.

People keep talking about how they need to modernize baseball and while I agree in theory, I think anything beyond instant replay would alienate baseball's most avid fans.

 

As far as Verducci's baseball idea, it's ridiculous -- in virtually all other baseball rules tweaks, from the now universally-conventional-throughout-98-percent-of-baseball DH to Charlie Finley's never-adopted Designated Runner, to college and high school rules allowing re-entry to tee-ball once-through-the-lineup-every-inning, the BATTING ORDER itself is involate -- nobody ever bats out of their appointed order.

The entire strategic framework of the game depends on working your way through the batting order.

You wanna liven things up, go to a limited version of the re-entry rule.

Also, give pitchers TWO unsuccessful attempts to pick a baserunner off base. After the second attempt, unsuccessful throws to the base count as balls.

And enforce the 12-second pitch clock. With a clock on the scoreboard. Batters get one time out per at-bat -- that's it.

 

I can definitely get behind this idea.

 

From George Carlin: Pitcher hits the batter with the ball... Batter is out...