A: The results are flowing in from all venues. Games most definitely are shorter by at least 30 minutes in most cases. You are naive if you think advertising is reduced. The time between half-innings is the same so they can stuff in as many commercials as they always have. Manfred will never cut time between half-innings because that means loss of m-o-n-e-y. And that’s what the game is all about these days. Hey, they have to pay Manfred’s $11 million yearly salary.
Q: Your thoughts on the Cincinnati Reds donning a Viking helmet when they hit a home run? — ROB, Beavercreek; JAY, Englewood.
A: Once again, MLB teams are great copiers. The Reds saw other teams ringing bells, donning heavy necklaces, and slipping on silly jackets, so they had to come up something. Hence, the Viking helmet. Yes, it is contrived and not spontaneous and the TV guys are ga-ga over it. Us old guys shake our head over it, but it’s the me-me era in all sports so let the kids have their convoluted fun. No harm, no foul. But the only person associated with the Reds who should wear a Viking helmet is Eric “The Red” Davis.
Q: Why isn’t it an earned run when the pitcher makes an error and that runner scores, because the pitcher put him on base with the error? —NICK, Delhi.
A: I’m with you on this one and have often wondered about it. Because run(s) scored on the pitcher’s error, the run(s) should count against his earned run average. But it doesn’t. There are others. If a batter hits a sacrifice fly and a run scores from third, the batter isn’t charged with an at bat. But if he hits a fly ball and the runner advances from second to third, he is charged with an at bat. Why? If a batter grounds out and a run scores, he gets an RBI. If he grounds into a double play and a run scores, he doesn’t get an RBI. Why? Well, according to Lou Abbott, Why plays left field.
Q: The salary cap in the NFL serves to make the league more competitive, so should MLB adopt it? — JON, Washington, Mo.
A: The owners would love it and it comes up every time the collective bargaining agreement expires. The players respond with a resounding foot-down no. The players will sign no contract that includes a salary cap? Why? They don’t care about competitive balance. They just know that without a salary cap the owners can’t help themselves and will throw money at them as if $100 bills are raindrops in a torrential downpour.
Q: Would like to know if the Smith-Njigba at Ohio State and the Smith-Njigba with the Pittsburgh Pirates are related? — JEFF, Middletown.
A: If there last name was just Smith, nobody would question it. But Smith-Njigba? It would be incredible if two athletes with that rare name were not related. They are brothers. Jaxon is the former OSU wide receiver who caught 15 passes for 347 yards in the 2022 Rose Bowl, an all-time yardage record for any bowl. He’ll be a high draft pick later this month. Canaan is the older brother and a second-year MLB outfielder with the Pirates. He played against the Reds last Sunday and had two singles and a stolen base. Speed is deeply embedded in the family DNA.
Q: Can we quit letting analytics run the game? — WAYNE, Lebanon.
A: Until somebody comes up with something else that everybody thinks works, baseball analytics are here to stay. Baseball teams are great copiers and mimickers. When another team has a modicum of success, every other team rushes to adopt it. If a team ate meat lover’s pizza before every game and won the World Series, stock in pizza joints in every major league city would hit the roof. Remember Oakland’s Moneyball approach? It once was a big deal, even worth a movie, but not so much anymore.
Q: How do you think the new rules are working? — TRINI, Sarasota, Fla.
A: With the greatly enlarged bases, I haven’t heard of any runner missing a base yet. I love the pitch clock that is lopping 30 to 45 minutes off most games. I love the shift requirements. I still abhor the ghost runner placed on the second in extra-inning games. Makes no sense to me. It is to prevent a long string of extra innings, but we still see 14-inning and 15-inning games pop up. I’m waiting for a player with the last name of Casper to be the ghost runner.
Q: If your life depended on a pitcher throwing a strike, what pitcher would you select to throw it? — KEVIN, Centerville.
A: My life would have to depend on it for me to even step into a batter’s box against an MLB pitcher. If I had to do it, I’d make sure the umpire was Eric Gregg or Bruce Froemming because their strike zone was bigger and wider than a refrigerator. The pitcher? Satchel Paige. He allegedly could throw a pitch over a postage stamp.
Q: What is your favorite baseball nicknames from the past or present? GREG, Albuquerque.
A: Baseball used to be of colorful nicknames. Now? Not so much. Some of my old favorites: Puddin’ Head Jones, Three Fingers Brown, Scrabble Rzepczynski, Double Duty Racliffe, Spaceman Lee, Oil Can Boyd, The Big Unit Johnson, Kung Fu Panda Sandoval, Cool Papa. And The Real McCoy doesn’t cut it.
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