Catcher? We Don’t Need No Stinking Catcher!

I am guessing that 99% of baseball fans and 90% of baseball players want no part of playing catcher.  I’m guessing that almost all parents and grandparents do not want young children whom they love to play catcher.  Let’s get started.

Extend foul territory 45 feet from home plate into what is now fair territory, a curved line from foul line to foul line.  This eliminates those annoying dribblers, especially bunts.  Put the catcher in fair territory where he can do some good.  Put a bull's eye behind home plate.  A pitched ball that hits it is a strike.  Simple and low tech.

Golden Stick Wiffle Ball League Action 2008 GSWL.

Lessons from Wiffle Ball.  Check out the strike zone. No stealing. No catcher. No plate ump. Cool.

As with most things try to reverse the order and see if it makes sense.  Suppose that 150 years ago baseball had done things as I have described.  Now imagine someone suggesting that we eliminate this nice, safe, sure system and replace it with a human being squatting behind home plate, taking unnecessary punishment to perform an unnecessary task better performed without a catcher.  And don’t forget the imaginary strike zone.  Add to that our intent to dramatically slow down the game with all the jerking around that has become modern baseball.  Who the heck would change to what we have deluded ourselves into thinking is the only way baseball can be played?  Baseball can be better than that.  So can we.