MLB Is Courting Serious Integrity Issues

[Pink Freud]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

[scoutyjones2]

[Ozziesfan41]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

Agree with all of it but the non pitchers pitching they have done that ever since I can remember. It’s also the funnest part of a blow out

[MIDMOBIRDTWO]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

Good points. Not sure I can stand much more of what is going on. Too much double standard and hypocracy.

[Kentucky kid]

Great article

[Red Bird Classic]

Integrity?

Baseball never had any.

Why change now?

[alw80]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

Agree with all of it but the non pitchers pitching they have done that ever since I can remember. It’s also the funnest part of a blow out

Once a team throws in the towel and pitches a position player they should just end the game. Nothing fun about it.

[bccardsfan]

For me the worst thing is getting in bed with organized gambling. Black sox scandal, Pete Rose, etc... Baseball was vigilant about keeping gambling out of the game, and now you have betting site ads all over MLBTV. How long until there is instant betting within the game. How long until players are subtly throwing games or just affecting "the spread". Some may do it for greed, but you can also envision a scenario where someone is in debt and threatened just strike out or make an error or something to affect a game because someone has "leverage" on them. Or their family is in debt, or they are offered a nice piece of the action or whatever.. Tis a slippery slope and it is why baseball was vigilant for decades to keep gambling out of the game. Now they are in bed...... There are other ways to make money.

[Absolut]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

Has baseball embraced players and coaches betting on games they are in?

[Red7]

Gambling and now fantasy are the two biggest reasons for the difference in popularity between the NFL and other sports.

[11WSChamps]

A salary cap is the only answer.

I don't know how you put the genie back in the bottle but if you don't the game as we know it is doomed.

[cbcloud]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

...Sadly, the game as we knew it died a long time ago. Fans and writers may dispute when that started, but some date the start when the spitball was banned. Then came lowering the pitcher's mound, and a slew of other changes, such as clock timers on pitchers and batters, runners starting from 2B in extra innings, "automatic" base on balls (manager's 4-finger salute), all in an attempt to "speed up the game," and/or remain relevant. Proposed future changes include removing balls & strikes calls from the umpires and letting computers do it.

But the legal gambling intrusion on the games is the sleeper issue, and sooner or later a major betting scandal will be discovered. Every part of the game will come into question, and baseball will become about as legitimate as professional wrestling...

[RamFan08NY]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

Position players pitching an inning during a blowout happens so infrequently, why even worry about it. Besides that, It's like eliminating the QB from taking a knee in the last 2 mins because it pads defensive numbers. Meaningless.

[RamFan08NY]

Something today drew me to the familiar old story of dwarf Eddie Gaedel coming to bat for the St. Louis Browns, wearing the uniform of off-duty batboy Bill DeWitt Jr., with the number 1/8. Of course, with virtually no strike zone, Gaedel walked...and the next day was banned from baseball for reasons of the sport's integrity.

Today's MLB is going to have to start thinking about integrity issues, too, like:
--- Allowing deferred money (i.e., Ohtani) to be exempt from the luxury tax
--- Having no salary cap, which is why the $460 mil Dodgers swept the $70 mil Marlins earlier this week
--- Ownership that allows a team to remain noncompetitive year after year, a la Colorado
--- Allowing non-pitchers to turn late-inning blowouts into slow-pitch softball HR derbies, distorting stats
--- Continuing to embrace sports gambling partners while they keep Pete Rose banned from baseball

Negotiating the next CBA with the players union should be a doozy, and trying to get the umps to OK an automated strike zone might cause strikes or lockouts.

Enjoy today's games while we can.

...Sadly, the game as we knew it died a long time ago. Fans and writers may dispute when that started, but some date the start when the spitball was banned. Then came lowering the pitcher's mound, and a slew of other changes, such as clock timers on pitchers and batters, runners starting from 2B in extra innings, "automatic" base on balls (manager's 4-finger salute), all in an attempt to "speed up the game," and/or remain relevant. Proposed future changes include removing balls & strikes calls from the umpires and letting computers do it.

But the legal gambling intrusion on the games is the sleeper issue, and sooner or later a major betting scandal will be discovered. Every part of the game will come into question, and baseball will become about as legitimate as professional wrestling...

Gambling on sports is definitely a problem, and I'm certain players participate. I'm sure that QBs tell their buddies .... "Hey, the prop bet on our TE is 2.5 catches, go ahead and get a few grand on it, I'll take care of you.