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18 Inch Bases

steveringo

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An odd on-the-fiield change this year is the widening of the bases from 15 inches to 18 inches. (Almost 100 extra square inches).

This seems like they weirdest - and most unnecessary change thus season. Sure, it may help a few people get a couple extra stolen bases, and it might help with 1B collisions or stepped on ankles, but how often does that happen?

Dou you think it will look weird, or will it even be perceptible to the average fan?
 

Fountain City Blues

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I think it's fine if it delivers with more stolen base attempts. Making the game, in a unobtrusive way, more fun is good

MLB had gotten waaaay too gamed out with the TTOs. Don't fault GM's for focusing on those, but it's a little tedious to center one kind of player, imo.
 

calsnowskier

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Imho, the only change should have been to make the 1B bag a rectangle (and strongly enforcing the batter’s use of an out-of-bounds lane) and leaving all other bases the same, but I have no gripes about this change yet. I haven’t seen it, yet, though, I reserve my right to bitch hysterically about it at a future date.
 

Cedrique

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An odd on-the-fiield change this year is the widening of the bases from 15 inches to 18 inches. (Almost 100 extra square inches).

This seems like they weirdest - and most unnecessary change thus season. Sure, it may help a few people get a couple extra stolen bases, and it might help with 1B collisions or stepped on ankles, but how often does that happen?

Dou you think it will look weird, or will it even be perceptible to the average fan?
1B collisions and stepped on ankles happen all the time, no?
 

catman

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This, with the change in pick-off attempts, should increase the number of stolen bases in the league.
As has been said, they could easily have used the same bases that are used in softball and in high school baseball. Why they have 1B and home plate completely in fair territory and ask the runner to run inside the running lane (in foul territory) doesn't make a lot of sense. Give the runner a direct route to the base and let them run all the way in foul territory.
 

navamind

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Wonder if it will encouraging more aggressive baserunning (turning singles into doubles, taking extra bases)?
 

jvett77

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An odd on-the-fiield change this year is the widening of the bases from 15 inches to 18 inches. (Almost 100 extra square inches).

This seems like they weirdest - and most unnecessary change thus season. Sure, it may help a few people get a couple extra stolen bases, and it might help with 1B collisions or stepped on ankles, but how often does that happen?

Dou you think it will look weird, or will it even be perceptible to the average fan?

Since it reduces the distance between bases, it's all a dis-service to the greats. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills each stole 100 or more bases in a single season.

Lifetime Top 10 Stolen Bases
Rickey Henderson 1,406
Lou Brock 938
Billy Hamilton 914
Ty Cobb 897
Tim Raines 808
Vince Coleman 752
Arlie Latham 742
Eddie Collins 741
Max Carey 738
Honus Wagner 723
 

calsnowskier

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Since it reduces the distance between bases, it's all a dis-service to the greats. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills each stole 100 or more bases in a single season.

Lifetime Top 10 Stolen Bases
Rickey Henderson 1,406
Lou Brock 938
Billy Hamilton 914
Ty Cobb 897
Tim Raines 808
Vince Coleman 752
Arlie Latham 742
Eddie Collins 741
Max Carey 738
Honus Wagner 723
You realize, of course, that when Hamilton played, if he advanced from 1st to 3rd on a single or advanced on a sac fly, he was credited with a SB…
 

MilkSpiller22

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Since it reduces the distance between bases, it's all a dis-service to the greats. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills each stole 100 or more bases in a single season.

Lifetime Top 10 Stolen Bases
Rickey Henderson 1,406
Lou Brock 938
Billy Hamilton 914
Ty Cobb 897
Tim Raines 808
Vince Coleman 752
Arlie Latham 742
Eddie Collins 741
Max Carey 738
Honus Wagner 723


who cares??!!! let someone get close to top 5 and then we will talk... until then, it is just an easy way to bring back a lost art of baseball...

another great rule change!!!
 

Cedrique

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Since it reduces the distance between bases, it's all a dis-service to the greats. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills each stole 100 or more bases in a single season.

Lifetime Top 10 Stolen Bases
Rickey Henderson 1,406
Lou Brock 938
Billy Hamilton 914
Ty Cobb 897
Tim Raines 808
Vince Coleman 752
Arlie Latham 742
Eddie Collins 741
Max Carey 738
Honus Wagner 723
wow, I remember Henderson passing Brock but I didn't realize he beat him by almost 500 bags. Rickey liked to run....
 

jvett77

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who cares??!!! let someone get close to top 5 and then we will talk... until then, it is just an easy way to bring back a lost art of baseball...

another great rule change!!!

Real fans care. You're being kind to today's wimpy base runners. Yeah, give them extra help because it they can't cut it like the talents of yesterday, they can still move up to claim their "success". Why not reduce the baselines a foot to help them even more.
 

MilkSpiller22

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Real fans care. You're being kind to today's wimpy base runners. Yeah, give them extra help because it they can't cut it like the talents of yesterday, they can still move up to claim their "success". Why not reduce the baselines a foot to help them even more.
point is there is always going to be an asterisk... how about when Roger Maris broke the Babe Ruth's HR record, there was the whole 162 game thing...

point is people will complain no matter what... but this complaint before we even have someone close is just y'all being babies... The OH no they changed something... we hate CHANGE!!!

but honestly, this change is great... the stolen base was dying... this is a nice revival of the art... and if SB increases then small ball will also increase...

I think this and the pitch clock are both absolute Genius and makes the game just so much better...
 

steveringo

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Since it reduces the distance between bases, it's all a dis-service to the greats. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills each stole 100 or more bases in a single season.

Lifetime Top 10 Stolen Bases
Rickey Henderson 1,406
Lou Brock 938
Billy Hamilton 914
Ty Cobb 897
Tim Raines 808
Vince Coleman 752
Arlie Latham 742
Eddie Collins 741
Max Carey 738
Honus Wagner 723
Real fans care. You're being kind to today's wimpy base runners. Yeah, give them extra help because it they can't cut it like the talents of yesterday, they can still move up to claim their "success". Why not reduce the baselines a foot to help them even more.

Probably the main reason I hate all the rule changes... I'm old school.

But, as others have hinted, the game play changes and some records are now untouchable. How many 100 mph pitchers were there 20 years ago?



I also hate the general thinking that games are too long... The average NFL game is and always has been longer, but you don't see them trying to speed up....
 

jvett77

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the stolen base was dying

Why was it dying. Over the decades, small ball has declined; more players are swinging for the fences. There been a decrease in the talent pool. Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Vince Coleman, and Maury Wills were talented blacks players gifted with speed. Black MLB players have declined from 18% in the 1990s to 7% in today. So we have to help today's less talented players or the sport will die. :L
 

jvett77

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Probably the main reason I hate all the rule changes... I'm old school.

But, as others have hinted, the game play changes and some records are now untouchable. How many 100 mph pitchers were there 20 years ago?



I also hate the general thinking that games are too long... The average NFL game is and always has been longer, but you don't see them trying to speed up....

I'm thinking a faster game may not be a better game. Pitchers need to think about how they're going to get the better hitters out. They'll make more mistakes when they're forced to beat the clock. Maybe add 5 seconds to the 15 second clock.
 
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