If you were commissioner of any sport what would you change?

[cosmo_kramer]

Decent stats on the attendance and runs/pitching, but...

Since the introduction of the DH in 1973 the AL has won 21 WS and the NL has won 16. Five of those 21 were the Yanks and they are in a league of their own as they have dominated the WS before and after the DH. Take them out and both have won 16 since the DH

Are five WS titles in 38 seasons really considered dominating?? If not, you would not have to exclude the Yankees. Also, if the emphasis is on WS titles, don't forget that since the DH is only used in AL parks, approximately half the games don't even use the DH, and in NL parks, wouldn't the NL have the advantage having their pitchers hit since they do it all year??

Prior to the DH the AL won 41 WS (22 by the Yanks alone) and the NL won 28. Take the Yanks out and it is 19 to 28. Not much has changed since the DH introduction so the DH has had little affect on changing the superiority of one league over the other when it comes to WS championships.

If both the AL and NL were not using the DH, why again would you have to exclude the Yankees?? Just because they won a lot??

 

[Hart5150]

Instead of criticizing others suggestions I will make my own.

NFL- I would meet the players halfway and end the lockout. I would disband the competition committee immediately, and use a panel of ex-players, coaches and executives, not people currently employed by NFL teams. I would open NFL Sunday ticket up to anyone with the bandwidth to broadcast all games in HD, mix channel and red zone(either all or none). I would institute a flex schedule for MNF.

NBA- 20 year old age minimum. Franchise tag. Referees would be held accountable for blatant mistakes. I would market teams not players. Hard cap. I would contract 2 teams to make the talent pool better. Scrap the draft lottery.

MLB- I would make it that international players must enter the MLB draft. Cut the season to 154 games. No inter-league play. Salary Cap and floor. Go back to a balanced schedule. Keep the wildcard, but make it that you can play a team from your division if you have the best record. Give the HFA in the world series to the team with the best record. Give the manager 1 replay challenge a game. No more expanded rosters after September 1st. Make the traded deadline, the deadline, no more waiver deals.

NHL- No touch icing, move up the trade deadline and get teams to Quebec City, Hartford and Hamilton. Bring back ties, no more shootouts. Play every team in the league at least twice. Scrap the draft lottery(cough, Pittsburgh, cough).

NCAA Football- Minimum scheduling guidelines. 8 team playoff.

NCAA Basketball- back to 64 teams, eliminate conference tournaments. Automatic bid for regular season champion.


Also, I would have the commissioners of the NBA, NHL and MLB require that your teams networks were available to all who wish to subscribe.

 

[salsadancer7]

Instead of criticizing others suggestions I will make my own.

NFL- I would meet the players halfway and end the lockout. I would disband the competition committee immediately, and use a panel of ex-players, coaches and executives, not people currently employed by NFL teams. I would open NFL Sunday ticket up to anyone with the bandwidth to broadcast all games in HD, mix channel and red zone(either all or none). I would institute a flex schedule for MNF.

NBA- 20 year old age minimum. Franchise tag. Referees would be held accountable for blatant mistakes. I would market teams not players. Hard cap. I would contract 2 teams to make the talent pool better. Scrap the draft lottery.

MLB- I would make it that international players must enter the MLB draft. Cut the season to 154 games. No inter-league play. Salary Cap and floor. Go back to a balanced schedule. Keep the wildcard, but make it that you can play a team from your division if you have the best record. Give the HFA in the world series to the team with the best record. Give the manager 1 replay challenge a game. No more expanded rosters after September 1st. Make the traded deadline, the deadline, no more waiver deals.

NCAA Football- Minimum scheduling guidelines. 8 team playoff.

NCAA Basketball- back to 64 teams, eliminate conference tournaments. Automatic bid for regular season champion.

Also, I would have the commissioners of the NBA, NHL and MLB require that your teams networks were available to all who wish to subscribe.

EXCELLENT post!

 

[Will94]

I choose to be MLB Commissioner and to be a tyrant.

1. Eliminate the DH from the AL.

2. Eliminate inter-league play. I'll admit that I was wrong about the wild card and keep it.

3. Reduce the number of divisions in each league from three back to two.

4. Require every team to employ an organist at their stadium.

5. Require players to wear the uniform (caps straight, old school stirrups and knickers) and have it fit correctly.

6. Meet personally with every pitching coach and beg them to teach the high leg kick.

7. Reduce free agency. Remember that free agency was a result of a Supreme Court case (I wonder how many current MLBPA members know who Curt Flood was). It isn't going away. Unfortunately, free agency is bad for the fans. Maybe if we could at least limit free agency to the same league, we could have the All Star game mean something again?!?

8. Wipe the numbers of steroid users off of the books. Baseball is a game of statistics and figures, and the juicers ruined that. I've attached the list of supposed users. I'll use this as fact considering the fact that it's been 100 percent accurate so far.

9. Reduce the exclusive market size of each team. When Gerry Hunsicker was the Astros GM, he wouldn't allow home Saturday games to be televised because that's when they had their big promotion nights, and he believed that having the game televised would hurt attendance. That meant that an Astros fan in El Paso (a mere 746 miles down I-10 from Houston) could not possibly watch a Saturday home game, even if he had purchased MLB Extra Innings.

10. Reduce the length of commercial breaks for post-season games to whatever they are for the regular season.

11. Ensure that fans who purchase MLBEI or the mlb.com equivalent can see every game, even it requires in stadium video and the home team's radio feed for audio.

12. Let Pete Rose back in baseball on the condition that he can never again be allowed to be in a position to influence the outcome of a game. Also, put him on the Hall of Fame ballot.

 

[DodgerKing]

Decent stats on the attendance and runs/pitching, but...

Are five WS titles in 38 seasons really considered dominating?? If not, you would not have to exclude the Yankees. Also, if the emphasis is on WS titles, don't forget that since the DH is only used in AL parks, approximately half the games don't even use the DH, and in NL parks, wouldn't the NL have the advantage having their pitchers hit since they do it all year??

Just pointing out that before AND after the introduction of the DH the percentage of titles between the leagues has pretty much remained the same, thus the influence of the DH as a variable is weak at best. If one league is better than the other it has little to do with the DH and more to do with other variables (probably the fact that most of the largest market teams are in the AL, particularly the Yanks)

If both the AL and NL were not using the DH, why again would you have to exclude the Yankees?? Just because they won a lot??

Because they are an outlier statistically speaking. It was just to show that without the Yanks the difference is even less. If the Yanks were in the NL they would still dominate and it has nothing to do with the DH (they dominated before and after the DH rule), thus greatly skewing the results in favor of the NL. They have over twice as many championships as the number 2 team (Yanks 27 and Cards 10) which accounts for over 40% of all of the AL World Series Championships and over 1/4 of all World Series championships. They are in a league of their own

 

[Jimbo]

Seems that every made-up game as part of a "doubleheader" is now a day-night separate-admission deal.

It HAS to be, the tickets for both games are already accounted for.
You can't have two people sitting in one seat.
Unless you want to take a day off for the team and make them travel to play another rained out game.
They have a very short supply of OFF days as it is.

 

[Jimbo]

I choose to be MLB Commissioner and to be a tyrant.

1. Eliminate the DH from the AL.

2. Eliminate inter-league play. I'll admit that I was wrong about the wild card and keep it.

3. Reduce the number of divisions in each league from three back to two.

4. Require every team to employ an organist at their stadium.

5. Require players to wear the uniform (caps straight, old school stirrups and knickers) and have it fit correctly.

6. Meet personally with every pitching coach and beg them to teach the high leg kick.

7. Reduce free agency. Remember that free agency was a result of a Supreme Court case (I wonder how many current MLBPA members know who Curt Flood was). It isn't going away. Unfortunately, free agency is bad for the fans. Maybe if we could at least limit free agency to the same league, we could have the All Star game mean something again?!?

8. Wipe the numbers of steroid users off of the books. Baseball is a game of statistics and figures, and the juicers ruined that. I've attached the list of supposed users. I'll use this as fact considering the fact that it's been 100 percent accurate so far.

9. Reduce the exclusive market size of each team. When Gerry Hunsicker was the Astros GM, he wouldn't allow home Saturday games to be televised because that's when they had their big promotion nights, and he believed that having the game televised would hurt attendance. That meant that an Astros fan in El Paso (a mere 746 miles down I-10 from Houston) could not possibly watch a Saturday home game, even if he had purchased MLB Extra Innings.

10. Reduce the length of commercial breaks for post-season games to whatever they are for the regular season.

11. Ensure that fans who purchase MLBEI or the mlb.com equivalent can see every game, even it requires in stadium video and the home team's radio feed for audio.

12. Let Pete Rose back in baseball on the condition that he can never again be allowed to be in a position to influence the outcome of a game. Also, put him on the Hall of Fame ballot.

So basically, your moving back to 1975 !

 

[Mr Tony]

It HAS to be, the tickets for both games are already accounted for.

not necessarily. There have been legit Doubleheaders this year already. (Mets/Brewers is one I remember) The issue is in most stadiums are near capacity for most games so a regular DH isnt able to work.

 

[Jimbo]

In recent times the yanks have won the WS only 1 time in the last 10 years, so they have hardly dominated at least this decade.
Now looking back 20 years, yes they have won 5 times, over the last 30 years it's still been 5 times.

Yes the Yanks have won more than others, but 5 in 30 years is very good, but 1 in 10 for them is hardly dominating.

 

[Jimbo]

not necessarily. There have been legit Doubleheaders this year already. (Mets/Brewers is one I remember) The issue is in most stadiums are near capacity for most games so a regular DH isnt able to work.

There may have been a few, but the majority have to be split.

 

[Mr Tony]

exactly. They can get revenue from both games

interesting that if you look back say 20 years ago when Doubleheaders were all in one there still was only 20K in the stands

 

[Will94]

So basically, your moving back to 1975 !

Well, if we went back to 1975, then we would have the chance to prevent this uniform from having ever happened.

Actually, the DH was created in 1973.

 

[Jimbo]

Well, if we went back to 1975, then we would have the chance to prevent this uniform from having ever happened.

Actually, the DH was created in 1973.

I just chose '75 off the top of my head...

 

[Ramy]

If I was commissioner of baseball I would first allow more instant replay but not so much that is slowed down the game. Second I would reduce the time between innings to 2 mins tops. Enough of this 10 mins between innings crap that slows down the game so much that it takes over an 3 hours to play a game. I would also all Pete Rose to be on the HOF ballets, but not reinstate him to baseball.

 

[DodgerKing]

If I was commissioner of baseball I would first allow more instant replay but not so much that is slowed down the game. Second I would reduce the time between innings to 2 mins tops. Enough of this 10 mins between innings crap that slows down the game so much that it takes over an 3 hours to play a game. I would also all Pete Rose to be on the HOF ballets, but not reinstate him to baseball.

10 minutes? I don't think I have ever seen a 10 minute break between innings

 

[cosmo_kramer]

I read somewhere it's supposed to be 2:05, four 30-second commercials and 5 seconds back to see the first pitch...

 

[Ira Lacher]

It HAS to be, the tickets for both games are already accounted for.
You can't have two people sitting in one seat.
Unless you want to take a day off for the team and make them travel to play another rained out game.
They have a very short supply of OFF days as it is.

Huh?

If you already have a night game scheduled on Day X, there is no need to schedule a day game at 1 p.m. or so with a separate admission. Just move the start time of the night game to 4 or 4:30 p.m. and play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. (Thus the definition of a twi-night doubleheader: the first game starts at twilight, and the second is a night game.) If you're already scheduled to play a day game on Day X, no need to schedule a night game with a separate admission. Just play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. That's the way it was done for about 120 years.

 

[Ira Lacher]

exactly. They can get revenue from both games

interesting that if you look back say 20 years ago when Doubleheaders were all in one there still was only 20K in the stands

Yeah, but they stayed longer and bought more concessions, which are hugely marked up.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Huh?

If you already have a night game scheduled on Day X, there is no need to schedule a day game at 1 p.m. or so with a separate admission. Just move the start time of the night game to 4 or 4:30 p.m. and play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. (Thus the definition of a twi-night doubleheader: the first game starts at twilight, and the second is a night game.) If you're already scheduled to play a day game on Day X, no need to schedule a night game with a separate admission. Just play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. That's the way it was done for about 120 years.

You're referring to scheduled doubleheaders. You can't do that with make-up games. What happens to ticket holders of the rescheduled game??

 

[Jimbo]

Huh?

If you already have a night game scheduled on Day X, there is no need to schedule a day game at 1 p.m. or so with a separate admission. Just move the start time of the night game to 4 or 4:30 p.m. and play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. (Thus the definition of a twi-night doubleheader: the first game starts at twilight, and the second is a night game.) If you're already scheduled to play a day game on Day X, no need to schedule a night game with a separate admission. Just play the second game 30 minutes after the end of the first. That's the way it was done for about 120 years.

Your missing my point .... it's fine to do that like your saying and they could do that IF it's scheduled....
However, MOST DH's are made a necessity due to a rain out and in that instance, you cannot have opnly ONE admission, seeingthe rained out games tickets are already sold and accounted for.