5 THINGS I HATE ABOUT MODERN BASEBALL

With basketball season over and football still months away baseball is now the game to watch, but this traditional old school fan just can't bring himself to do it. I like the finer points that baseball offers but I can't stand the way the game has changed. The game of baseball has changed since I was a youth and not for the better. It has actually become difficult for me to watch . Bring back the classic game game of baseball; simple and traditional.

Here are a few of my complaints about the modern game of baseball.


5 Things I HATE About Modern Baseball
1. Inter league Play

Major League Baseball was set up with two separate leagues, each with its own rules and teams. The record books are even separate and for over 50 years a team had to win their league pennant to play a team from the other league. It was clean, simple and easy to understand. Until 1997 when inter league play came around to bore us to death. Is there really more interesting now with inter league play? Do people really care to watch Seattle play San Diego or Colorado play Oakland? In fact the records are almost even with the American League winning 52 percent of the games, so enough is enough. No harm no foul but lets bring back the tradition of two separate leagues.

2. The Closer

Mariano Rivera just got his 500th save and became the games best closers but is that really an accomplishment? He pitches one inning a game, and usually when his club is ahead. Closers are the kickers of professional football and we all know that kickers get no respect. I have more respect for a pitcher that goes 9 innings giving up only a couple of runs then I do a pitcher that needs only nine total outs. This tradition of a setup man and a closer has destroyed the record books as many classic records will never be broken because of this specialization. Let pitchers "man up" and finish what they start.

3. The Designated Hitter

The designated hitter has taken all the strategy out of baseball. In the National League, where the pitcher bats, managers have to decide what to do at the bottom of their order. The decisions are plentiful...should I bunt with the pitcher? When should I pull him? Should we try to hit and run to avoid the double play? What if he gets on, do we pinch run? Yeah I know it extends a players career but all the great players from the past played in the field. The DH has caused controversy in the record books also, that is why separate records are kept for each league. The game of baseball was invented with the pitchers hitting and that is how it should always be just ask the National League.

4. Umpire Uniforms

Please bring back the old uniforms of the umpires. The old school blue uniform was cool. No longer can we use the phrase "Come on Blue" when referring to the ump. The uniforms have changed colors so many times I feel as if I am following a fashion show. I understand that they need to modernize them but that doesn't mean that the color needs to change. Lets bring back the classic blue so that I can yell "YOUR BLIND AS A BAT BLUE!". Some things should never change.

5. Smaller Ballparks

The new Yankee stadium is on pace to give up more than 300 home runs this year, again putting many records in danger. This seems to be the trend these days...smaller, hitter friendly parks. With a juiced ball, steroids and fewer quality pitchers because of expansion, you would think the modern parks would be getting larger to compensate. It use to be that 40 and 50 home runs was unusual, now it is common place. Bring back the old ballparks that can hold a fly ball so that home run records don't have to have another asterisk beside them indicating that they were hit during the "short porch" era.