Friday, October 22, 2010

Reading lips: whose are worth reading?

Supposedly former pitcher Greg Maddux had his lips read while speaking to his catcher resulting in the batter hitting a homer.

So, ...

Now you see pitchers speak to their catchers with their gloves covering their faces. The catchers keep their masks on for the same reason, to prevent the opposition from reading their lips.

However, have you ever seen a pitching coach or manager cover his face? I have not. Aren't they the authority people, giving the final word, making the decision?

MLB continues to baffle.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Radical Baseball basics

1. start count at 3-2; batter gets max three swings to put ball in play then is out.

2. runners may not take lead

3. replace catcher with a round physical target 20 inches in diameter, like a bull's eye; if ball hits target it's a strike; batter may adjust height between knees and shoulder; catcher may play anywhere in fair territory; plate ump moves behind pitcher

4. side boards (glass or net) on foul line starting no further down the line than the beginning of the outfield grass 50 feet high

5. three time outs per team; no meetings

6. no extra innings in regular season

7. eliminate mound; pitcher must release ball no closer than rubber

8. extend foul territory 45 feet from home plate into what is now fair territory

9. set home run distance (380 seems good) and extend into existing stands; anything in stands closer is a double

10. fly ball caught on warning track is not an out; safety issue; prevents players from running into fences; also eliminates fan interference

11. foul fly caught is not an out

12. runners may over run bases

13. bring stands to within ten feet near infield; outfield fences may be on foul line (see #4).