Contact Hitter

Major League Baseball has made dealing at the trade deadlines nerve wracking…trade deadlines can feel like Monte Carlo Night when risking the future for the present.

Perhaps there’s a good reason for a fielder to hesitate to throw to first base with a runner sprinting up the line. Why not tap the glove once or twice to show your coolness…show your power!

The 2026 “All-Star Game” was a flat out debacle. The hitters went up to the plate looking as helpless as any beer guzzling nachos munching fan would have. Who can blame them? They are facing rested pitchers who are throwing one inning. The hurlers hold nothing back and whip 102 M.P.H. flames past batters who might as well bring a toothpick instead of a Louisville Slugger.

What are baseball All-Star “snubs”? Those are deserving players who don’t get picked for their league’s All-Star team despite having good season stats.

When I first got into baseball, major league umps were pretty fiery making calls, especially “steeeerrrrikkke threeeee!!!” Now there seems to be a delay making calls whether they are behind the plate or on the bases.

Before 1969, Major League Baseball had the easiest system of determining its champs. The World Series teams were the top finishing team in the National League vs. its counterpart in the American League.

There’s an old adage that good pitching beats good hitting every time. Today’s top pitchers who throw 100+ M.P.M. are not rarities anymore. Their sweeping curves are straight out of wiffle ball physics. Even current standout hitters are less sophisticated and patient at the plate than in earlier eras. This results in tons of strikeouts and low scoring ASGs.

https://baseballfireside.com/i-love-baseball-but/   By 2020 Baseball devolved from the being the national pastime to the national naptime! The grand old game appealed to your grandpa’s generation only. Today’s younger folks use high speed internet, play video games, and view sports with constant movement (regardless if any scoring or great play is involved). Baseball games were frequently

Since then the Marlins have validated my abandonment. In 2024 they traded All-Stars Jazz Chisholm, Tanner Scott, and two time batting champ Luis Arraez.

I have one other issue with first pitches…you can only have one!

Baseball is an American game, and the rest of the world in the early 20th century hadn’t developed pro teams….who was going to play and compete with us outside of America?

The Yankees were the Road Runner. So, every time the coyote thought he had the right device or strategy to catch Road Runner. However, his best laid plans always blew up in his face or sent him over a cliff.

Three Generations of Red Sox fans went through this era seeing only three American League pennants. They saw no World Series championships.

Roy Hobbs ‘s story, win or lose, shows the vulnerability ballplayers face. One accident, injury, tragic shooting, or poor decision can derail their careers in an instant.

If I only had the money to buy the perfect day to fulfill my baseball fantasies…If only there were Mr. Roarke and Tatoo to grant them on Fantasy Island.

These batters get paid millions to whiff. We fans pay hundreds (or even thousands) to see them swing and miss on cable tv or at the ball park!