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You've been hearing that Baseball is dead for decades, so is Baseball dead?

Yeah, I mean, Baseball's dead narrative is just one of those things.

It's like dandelions in your front lawn, you just can't get rid of it.

I mean, the fact that a matter is the game's in great shape.

We've had attendance increases each of the last three years.

This will be our fourth for sure.

Our viewership was way up last year.

We had one of the great world series of all times, and we introduced a relatively new event

that WBC captured the imagination of countries around the world.

Feligar and Maz here from our town for tire studios in Waltham, Maz alongside with Mark

Dendero and for Big Jim.

Hi, Dendero.

Good to see you guys.

Rob Manford asked that's on San Francisco Sports Radio the other day about the overall health

of Baseball, and he says it's never been better, the narrative about Baseball dying is like

dandelions in your front yard, Maz, which I know you don't have any because you maintain

that thing.

No, I do have a couple though.

They can be persistent every now and then.

So what can I tell you, I think I don't think that that was a quote-unquote narrative.

I think Baseball had real problems in the not too distant past that I think that they've

gone a long way to addressing, and thus I would agree with, as we embark on the season,

tonight, it's opens tonight that Baseball's in a really good place.

I think it's rebounded nicely the last couple of years.

What do you think?

I'm going to agree.

Look, I think it's in a better spot.

You want me to be pessimistic about it.

I'll tell you that there was a looming labor issue on the horizon or work stoppage on

the horizon, but that hasn't happened yet.

And so where they are right now, yeah, it's headed in a right in a good direction again

for the first time in a while.

Most of that is the pitch clock.

Don't you think that the on field changes, the tweaks that they made to the game have

saved it?

Yes, yes, for sure.

I mean, it definitely stopped the trend in a bad direction, and I think it flipped it and

started to build again, and that includes getting rid of the shift.

I think the big one was the pitch clock because the biggest problem faced in the game was

the base of play.

It was way too slow.

It took too long, and again, as usual, when the players get too much power, whether

it's on the field or off, things start to go sideways.

So I think that's what happened because I gave it price saying that they could take

their time in the mound, and the pitch clock could go pound itself.

So this is what we're going to open up the show doing today, the state of the game kind

of stuff.

Obviously, the Red Sox opened tomorrow, I listened yesterday, Maz, and you know, you

spent a lot of time on the Red Sox and Red Sox previews, which will obviously entertain

and accept and continue today.

But I wanted to focus more on sort of the overall state of the game, baseball is in a

good place.

So before I go forward, Dundale, you want to weigh it?

Yeah.

I agree.

It's in a good place.

I think there's a lot of different reasons.

Number one, I think what the Dodgers have been doing has been a big factor.

Shohei O'Conning, obviously captivating audiences across the world, so you and the Dodgers

are good for baseball.

I do.

I think that's a good thing for the game.

It's a big market.

They've got a star studded team.

It's annoying what they do.

Everybody trying to keep up with them and all the signings and all the star power and

all that.

Like I just said, I think the Yankees and Dodgers having met in the world series

last year was big.

There was that little home run race a few years ago.

The best players are winning the MVP's.

The other thing I think that is help baseball and it has to be said of the three major sports

of the three sports that are on the top there.

I honestly think since 2020, they were the least political and I think that helped baseball.

Oh, interesting point, Mark, continue.

I think the NBA shoved politics down our throat and you know, for a good stretch there.

I think the NFL did it too, but the NFL is such a machine.

They were able to overcome any damage they might have done or, you know, any fans they

might have turned off just because they're so big, so popular.

The NBA is not.

And I think the NBA hurt themselves by being very political for a stretch there.

And I don't think baseball God is political.

And I think that helped them, that helped baseball catapult themselves ahead of the NBA right

now.

Interesting.

I never think of that.

I mean, none of it really affects me.

Didn't bother me the politics, but it bothered a lot of people.

That is for sure.

Certainly the NBA has been a turn off to a lot of people in the NFL stuff and the kneeling

and all that stuff is that sort of what you're referring to.

I think that was a turn off to a lot of people.

Baseball didn't have quite the same thing nor did hockey hockey didn't have much of it either.

It's a good point.

I don't include hockey in the conversation.

I'll do respect to my hockey Christian of brethren.

We're just a small little niche sport.

We're not, we're not in the conversation with these other guys.

Sorry.

We're not.

But, Matt, you're right.

But baseball, I think that's an interesting point, Daryl.

Okay.

So I think it's smaller.

I think it's down the list from pace of play.

They saved the game.

The game was grinding to a halt.

It just, it just got absolutely brutal what those games were.

And, you know, I mean, I'll just, I chatted it down, stand by.

It was nine inning and extra inning games were averaging over three hours of game for a decade,

which is an average, which means we had four hour games.

We had four and a half hour playoff games.

We had extra inning games that went forever that didn't stop.

You know, you could just play forever and ever and ever.

Here's average time of game starting in 2022.

average time of game.

I'm sorry.

Starting in 2014 going to 2022, 307, 3, 304, 308, 304, 310 in 2019, 306, 311 in 2021, 306

in 2022.

And then the pitch clock came in, 242, 238, 240 last year, 240.

And I looked it up just to, you know, because we complained for years about, it's just,

how come you don't, you, people would always ask, how come you don't like baseball the

way you used to answer, it's not the same game.

So totally different game in the game I grew up with, the game I grew up with.

The ball was in play, the games moved, striking out was a shameful act.

And it's a different game now.

So I, this is all the reference point to, I just go to 1982, it's a year, the brewers

made the world series when I was a 13 year old boy in Milwaukee, Dondero, suck it if

you don't like that's war, but that's, that's sort of where I go when I was a kid, what

was the game?

I said, the average length of game last year, Maz was 240, you know what it was in 1982?

240?

240.

They took it back to my childhood, big, huge, definitely, it should, the game should

be played really in about two and a half hours, which is what it is now.

So that saved the game in my opinion.

And I think it's permeated the entire sport.

I think coming off that world series, that's the best world series in a while.

I've seen in a long time, that game seven was as good and entertaining and gripping of

a baseball game as you could have outstanding.

So I just think it is in a good place.

Now it's not where it needs to be, what are still some of the issues?

If you had to say, one of the things they need to correct, what are the biggest issues

in the game?

But if you want to go first, go first.

Well, I'll start with strikeouts, too many strikeouts.

I want the ball and play more.

It's ridiculous the way, you know, again, this all gets back to analytics and pitching

and that sort of crap.

But I want to see the ball and play more.

They're way too many strikeouts and baseball.

Agreed.

Number one issue in the game.

The pitch clock sped things up.

But all the other tweaks have not really resulted in the game, the game that we had

in 1982.

It's paid, it's played at the same pace, but it's not the same game.

The ball is still not in play.

I have a story for you.

I'm going to read you later.

Doubles and triples are at an all time low.

They tried all sorts of different things.

They banned the shift.

They widened the, it's made bigger the bases, the actual bases, the actual bases themselves

are bigger.

So the distance between first and second is less.

You thought that would increase steals, which I think it has, right?

Definitely.

For sure.

Steels are up and running is greater, but that hasn't led to more balls in play.

Strikeouts keep going up and up and up and up.

And to me, that's the number one issue in the game is strikeouts slash balls in play.

They still got to figure that out.

And I think that it's time to have some more stringent illegal defense rules.

Again, they have no shifts.

So they banned that, but that hasn't really worked because you know why that second

baseman with the left handed batter, I'm sorry, with the right handed batter or the short

stop with the left handed batter still lines up over second base.

Pretty much.

The ground ball through the box, man, and that was this is a through the box.

Yep.

We get part of the defense right up the middle.

You used to, you used to be able to single up the middle.

You cannot single up the middle anymore.

Rarely happens.

And so I propose a trapezoid behind second base like they have behind the net in the NHO.

And you cannot line up behind the second base bag.

I think they need to bring the outfielders in again, I'll read you the story coming up,

but they used to call it done Darrow, a no doubles defense.

Now that is a base defense in baseball.

And as result, doubles and triples are at an all time low.

We need to draw a line 10 feet.

The outfield is a big one 10 feet in front of the warning track and you are not allowed

to line up there.

And if you cheat, we're going to throw you out of the game.

I'm making that up.

So what I mean, so I think that's, that's on field.

That's the number one thing.

That's a big one.

Do you want to me as just as important, if not more, Dundar, you want to go first before

I give him my other one?

Well, I was just going to say I think I'm not against, I kind of like that up the middle

idea.

I don't want to touch outfielders.

I don't think you can maneuver the, and we've seen players like Jaren Durant take advantage

of that.

And if more guys tried to, you know, he'll turn singles, which would have been a single

back in the day into a double, so he's adjusted.

I think the analytic, they have to dial the analytics way back.

And I think that will help because how do you dial the analytics way back?

Get them out.

Get the people that you change culture.

You change.

No.

Okay.

Fine.

You change the rules.

So you can, I just think some of this launch angle stuff that contributes to the lack

of balls in play because everybody's trying to, of course, you know, launch, hit the

home runs or when I get the ball in the air, instead of hitting the ground balls, it

used to be base hits and getting guys on base.

So if you dial all that back, maybe some of the other stuff comes back around.

I'm, they got to keep trying, they got to keep going mess.

They, they can't just stop at the pitch clock.

They have to figure out how to get the ball and play in those strikeouts down.

Yes.

Look, and I think with regard to launch angle, the toothpaste is out of the tube.

You know, like, I don't know how you fix that one.

So somehow you got to find a way to mitigate pitching and don't, Darryl, I, I'm totally

against you on the outfielders.

You got to do something.

It's ridiculous.

These balls are, Durand can run.

Most guys in the game can't or not like him.

So how many guys can really stretch a ball in the gap and do extra base hits around a

ton of them?

The majority can't.

So you've got to litigate it out.

You've got, you've got to put rules in place.

I felt this way about the shift.

Everyone used to say, well, hit the ball the other way, but you think these jackasses

can do that against the guy throwing 99 with vicious spin, right?

Because the way they coach these guys now is max velocity, max, uh, what, max everything

and just throw your arm out and get Tommy John and we'll see you in two years.

I've come to the, how do you goal the other way when it's 99 on the, on the black with

a massive spin rate?

Right.

And none of these guys would try bunting for a hit.

That doesn't happen anymore.

So I've come to the conclusion.

If you leave it in the hands of the players, they'll do nothing about it.

Zero.

So you got to put rules in place.

Okay.

Number one issue in the game.

I think one, one A, maybe more important than that.

Where's the game on tonight?

How do I catch the game?

How do I catch the game?

Where's the game, but in there?

Do you know?

Netflix.

Netflix.

Oh, Netflix.

Now Netflix.

When's the game tomorrow?

Oh, it's on my F and app.

My Nesson 360 app, which cost me $240 a year.

Just for that, just for the not $240 for the Nesson 360, that wretched, atrocious product.

When's the game Friday?

Oh, they don't have one.

If they were playing Friday, when's that, that's, is that Apple TV?

I believe that's, you're getting peacocked.

Or is that peacock?

Well, no.

When's the Sunday night baseball or what, no, where do I catch the Sunday night game?

Oh, that's peacock.

That's ESPN.

Right.

Oh, no, that's right.

ESPN backed out.

Now that's NBC slash peacock.

Do you know there's a game on Saturday or maybe it's Sunday mornings?

You know what, but that's on, that's on Roku, right?

Oh, is it?

Yeah, there's a, there's a, oh, no, I think they actually, that might be on the cock as

well.

That might be on peacock as well.

I'm not sure.

And how much is that cost?

Maybe this is the biggest issue facing the game now.

How do I get it?

Where is it?

What, what channel is it on?

Oh, it's not on a channel.

What service, oh, now I have to download, now I have to pay for that.

Nevermind, figure out how to get on and all of that.

Try trying to find the game.

Or if you're someone like me who is also a fan of an out of market team and does the

MLB TV app, which is now on ESPN, ESPN.

I made the mistake of trying to call them yesterday.

I'll give you details on that conversation coming up that, where's the game?

How do I get the game?

Huge issue in the sport.

I think in sports, it's becoming a huge issue.

How do I get the game?

What's it on?

How much is that?

What's my password?

I got called my kid into Pika and get the password.

I'll dedicate.

No, dad, hold on.

You got to just, mom, no, no, George, just wait.

I got to get you the password to authenticate to get the baseball game on.

Is it Apple TV or Apple TV Plus?

Where's the game on tonight again?

Netflix.

Netflix.

The game's on Netflix tonight because nothing, Maz says baseball like Netflix.

That's the first thing I think of.

If you're a New York, it's a Yankees and Giants, you're a long time New York Yankees

fan.

It was always P.I.X.

Was that the local load?

Right.

That worked.

That did it over the air.

And then it was the nest.

Yes, network.

No, no, tonight it's Netflix Friday night.

I think it's Apple TV Plus Sunday.

It's ESNO.

I think it's now peacock or NBC or I was looking today, NBC, SN, NBC sports network.

That's back.

I thought they killed that off.

Huge issue in the game.

Huge issue in sports.

Baseball unlike any other.

I think off the field it might be one of the top things facing it might be number one.

OK, often running your thoughts on the state of the game after these words.

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Hey, Goli-File!

Hey!

Look at the Goli-File!

Oh my God!

Murray!

He sucks in the play.

That's great.

985.

Wonderful.

Good to sports hub.

Rob, tell us how did Major League Baseball make a deal with Netflix?

How can you tell fans this is a good thing for baseball if some fans say, wait, I don't have

Netflix.

So, tell us the history here and why this is good for baseball.

Well, I think that it's important to understand that we are in a media situation that's really

disrupted the way that we've traditionally delivered games, really challenged right now.

Netflix provides us an opportunity to experiment with a new partner.

A partner that has great international reach.

A partner that's a platform where young people go on a regular basis.

And we think that Netflix will be an important part of the baseball future.

Did you say challenged that there's a challenge to get games broadcasts, how you said?

No, the environment is challenged.

The traditional RSN model is certainly challenged.

Baseball has some things that are beyond its control that are a problem.

And that is the traditional cable model and the regional sports networks that covered these games are going out of business.

Right.

It's basically blown up on them.

I mean, they're like 13 networks.

I think it's more now.

I think it's 15.

That it's half the majors that went belly up like they were they were owned by maybe it was the old Fox Sports Network.

And then it became like Sinclair and then a fan duel about it.

And now it's valleys was in there.

Mark Kees for whatever.

I can write valleys.

Exactly.

I've lost track.

But that grouping of networks is like baseball has had to take over local broadcast.

So that I'll give him a little bit of a break.

I may got to figure something out.

Manfred, all these right steals, which are just insane when I go through them.

They all expire in 2028.

Manfred has said he is going to look to sell the entire major league slate of games.

2,700 games or whatever.

Every team, every game to one outlet and see if you know see if he can do that.

And like you would say, well, why would the Yankees and the Dodgers agree to that when they're individual.

You know, deals are so lucrative.

Why would they share with the Pittsburgh pirates?

I don't know.

But Manfred claims he has all 30 teams on board.

Yeah, that's their goal.

I mean, that's their goal to centralize the whole thing.

Now what I don't know is whether that will be just the digital product.

You know, in other words, yeah, yeah.

So they will have, in other words, MLB.

Let's just use the Red Sox and Nesson.

It's easy.

They would take the Red Sox in.

They'd be able to broadcast Red Sox games.

If you live locally, you'd still be able to watch it on Nesson.

And if you don't have Nesson, but you have did, you know, you're on YouTube TV.

You wouldn't be blacked out in this area anymore.

Just saying it's a big problem.

Where's the game?

How do I get it?

How much is that?

That's a big problem.

Especially because it's still an older demographic.

Me and older.

We don't want to dick around on the internet.

But anyway, that's where I said right to your phones.

This is promise.

Jimmy and Maldon.

Go ahead, Jimmy.

I agree with you with a state of baseball.

But it could be just as good as it proved.

It could be even better.

They should maybe work on slowing down the pitches.

Maybe increase on bunting.

I don't know how you legislate that, Jimmy, but slowing down the pitchers.

Do you lower the mound?

Move it back.

This, these ideas they've kicked around about.

You lose the DH.

If your starter comes out before the right, whatever, fifth inning.

You lose your DH.

And that's going to put a premium on guys that can throw innings versus strikeouts.

Reintroduce that to the game.

I'm for all of it.

I think I should be tinkering with all of it.

Definitely.

Look, I'd even look at making the bats bigger.

And when I say bigger, fatter.

So contact is more likely.

I'm with you.

I would think about that.

I'm going to make a fatter back.

That's the same weight.

Carl in New Jersey.

Yes, Carl.

GLP ones.

Gentleman.

So I completely agree.

Baseball is going in the right direction.

I think Rob Manfred has been a great job with the pitch clock.

Like you said, I also like a runner on second base rule,

because no one wants to watch the 18 in the game in April.

Overall, he's such a ramp of fresh air compared to a guy like Adam Silver

who's done nothing but stupid things like the play internment in season

tournament, allowing players to cry and flop all the time,

not to mention barely publishing for him on the calling the league a highlights war.

So I was wondering if you agree with me that Adam Silver is by far the worst

commissioner in sports history.

Oh, I just disagree strong me too.

And that playing thing.

How does that hurt the game?

What is that done?

If you don't like it, just ignore it.

It's easy to ignore.

They're just regular season games except for one.

No, isn't hurt the league at all.

And it's going to be here in 20 years.

It's going to be a money maker.

Yeah.

Like you said, you might not like it.

You might not watch it, but it hasn't hurt.

That's how does it hurt it?

A manfred, I don't know.

I mean, listen, he realized and has been wanting to affect these changes

for a long time.

So they finally got the players to agree.

Whoever was in charge of that, they deserve the credit.

That's manfred great, the labor attorneys, whatever.

You tell me, whatever took to get those players to the table and give away

the right to veto rule changes, that saved the game.

Took it out of the hands of those A-holes.

And I'd say that about the players.

When it came to the sport, you guys, the players were a bunch of A-holes.

You stood in the way of the progress of your sport,

because you were more concerned about your own personal thing,

or you're just being stubborn, or you just didn't want to give in,

because you just didn't want to give in.

And the only thing more amazing than how it's all worked

is how badly people fought against it.

Like, I'm with you on that one.

I mean, even the Ghost Runner thing.

It's like, it's saved the game.

And you know, that's a new combination, that's a, that's bastardized and the thing.

You should bring it in the playoffs is what they should do.

So it's just amazing, listen, all the people that thought all this stuff

would ruin the game.

It saved the game.

All of it.

The clock especially.

David and Brockton for Dundero.

Yes, David.

Hey, man, good afternoon.

I was just, you know, like, when we're done down,

I'm mentioning that, you know, the NBA has put too much effort on political stuff.

What, what political stuff exactly are your concerns?

Specifically, I'm talking about the, the messages on the back of the jerseys,

on the courts, all the things that they've done,

the rhetoric around different issues globally.

It's been, I think, a turn off for a lot of fans.

And I don't think baseball has gotten as involved.

The only thing I could think of in baseball was,

there was some litigation that came down in Georgia back in 2021.

They moved the all-star game to Colorado.

And I don't even think Major League Baseball really wanted to do that,

but they kind of caved to the pressure.

I just don't think they were as involved in some of the things that become divisive.

And I think that opened people's eyes back up to baseball.

And I think that was a big reason, not a little reason, a big reason,

why they've sort of catapulted himself.

I think it's a little reason.

I think it's a big reason.

I don't.

I don't want to be political, get political, and they get political about everything.

The game was boring.

The game had ground to a halt.

It took too long to play the F and thing.

And that's why people watch or don't watch.

People who just want to bitch about politics are going to bitch about politics either way.

I think it's an excuse.

Can I give you another small one?

But I do think to a lot of middle America that the NBA and NFL is a kind of a turnoff.

But it doesn't prevent people from watching the NFL because it's entertaining.

So whether you were aggravated by these leagues as a fan or not,

it's just an excuse.

You either find the sport interesting or you don't.

And if you disagree with the politics, you still watch it.

You don't stop watching the NFL.

Go ahead.

No, no, sorry.

The quality of the product in the NFL was terrific.

Still is.

So people will, you know, look past a lot of things.

That part of it I agree with.

I'll just say I think to your point, it's more about why the big,

the major league baseball product has seemingly overtaken the NBA right now.

Not as much why it's become more popular.

I think their changes has added to the popularity.

Another small one, this might sound ridiculous.

Bat flips.

I feel like bat flips have gone to another level.

And I think people think that's why I think the younger kids.

They're allowing more celebrations and more celebrate more explosive bat flips.

You see it in college.

You see it on Twitter online.

That's not the way they used to do it 20 years ago in the 90s.

Cool is good.

And a lot of those people find entertaining and cool.

And I think it's gone to another level.

I think that helps.

I think baseball has always been a bigger sport than basketball.

It's it wasn't that long ago that it was our national pastime.

And I think that the way the game was played, Mark.

Was a turn off to a lot of people.

You just couldn't sit there and it's three and a half hours at night.

To watch us step out of the box and adjust your batting gloves.

Oh, this is stupid.

Okay.

I just think right.

If your finger how many time I was in three hours and 45 minutes,

you freaking grab in your package.

And then changing pictures again for one batter.

Like it's not so what I think happened in the last three years.

I think a lot of baseball fans have come back.

Because like, oh, I can now watch this again.

I can digest this is what I think happened.

So I just think they tapped back into the baseball fan.

They definitely did.

And again, that whole thing with the pitch clock.

Look, this all goes down and taking the rules away from the players.

Like to me, don't let the players get involved in the rules.

In every other sport, they make the rules and the players adjust.

The whole thing.

I mean, you mocked us.

You mocked us.

When we talked about having the electronic signs, like I said five years ago,

the stuff with the fingers in the crotch trying to call the pitch is archaic.

Look, enough with this.

Is there a way to get and we ran promos?

We finally have a little Marvin thing out there.

Like a lirlin, mirlin, whatever.

You know what I mean?

Like a little color coded thing out there to tell you fastball or off-speed pitch or whatever.

Close encounters.

But it wasn't all that complicated.

We foretold this thing.

It's football.

They've been radio in the place forever.

Why do that?

Why is the guy that catch you with the f**king with his fingers down there?

I think you just wanted to scratch himself.

Get a earpiece in the pitcher and let's go.

Let's do a little dizzling down there.

So it's not just the pitch clock.

It's now the second guy and second base peaking in.

And now he's, you know, turning his head to the right and coughing to the left

to try and locate pitches.

Now the pitcher steps off and glares at him.

Now the batter steps out and grabs his crotch and benches his batting gloves.

And now we're two and one.

Two and one counting the second inning of a game in May, one of one sixty two.

And that drove people away from the FN game.

One of my watching with good reason.

Get the pitch calling the guy's ear.

Put a pitch clock on the field.

Quit dicking around and let's go throw the ball.

God, it wasn't that complicated.

I'm sorry.

It wasn't politics, Mark.

It was that.

That drove away the vast, vast, vast majority of people.

Some angry old guy watching Fox News.

I hate the NBA.

Well, you weren't that interested in begin to begin with.

Go back and watch the O'Reilly factor or whatever you were watching.

You didn't care in the first place.

You just want a bitch.

Those three hour and ten minute games were insufferable.

I mean, it was like three hour and ten.

They're even long.

It was so powerful.

Right.

And that was a regular season.

Remember the playoffs were like three forty five.

It was comical.

Those games.

And so now they're throwing the ball.

And we got in red.

All that sign stealing all the dick around its second base and stepping out and all of that.

Good, good, good.

Now can we just do that with some contact?

We just need a little more contact.

Definitely.

I like the bad idea.

Get the barrel to be a little bit bigger.

You won't even notice it.

Fat or bad.

Fat or bad.

Fat or bad.

Fine with me.

Or fat or bad.

Fat or ball.

Reduced mound.

Move it back.

Fat or pictures.

I don't care.

Totally.

But make some contact.

Here's Dundara with an update.

We'll right back.

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Sean and Lawrence, go Sean.

He keeps saying like,

oh, I didn't actually watch the game,

whether it's pay-trade, Celtics, Bruins, whatever.

Like, isn't your job to talk so opposed to actually watch sports?

So I would say my job is to get you to listen.

That is the job.

Mission accomplished.

Take this job and jump.

Felt your in the last 85, the sports hub.

Right now, it looks fantastic.

But it was a tough contract as you're sort of paying for what you think he can be.

Which is exactly what he was.

And really, to be honest with you,

it's a nice little team-friendly deal given how great he is.

Cutter first, ABS.

Challenge up.

The day ABS is powered by T-Mobile.

And we're told we call out Phil Stone.

Call stands bottom.

Because it contains a challenge.

That means, if I had this correctly,

that there was a technical issue there, they couldn't get the call.

So whatever was called on the Phil stands.

And you don't lose the challenge.

Got that?

That'd be tricky.

It doesn't happen very often at all.

It's the first time I've seen it.

And first time here in camp for us.

But even in the minor leagues, it's something that really didn't occur too often.

And if that happens, as it did, I'm told that's a one-off.

That means the equipment, everything is working.

It just had a malfunction there.

You could have a game where it's not working at all.

And they will tell you in advance we are not using ABS challenge today until we get affixed.

The Major League Baseball opener tonight on Netflix.

With ABS Robo Umpz challenges.

Okay, this, this I'm out on.

As you can already tell by my tone.

And if you listen to me over the years, you know, I feel about replay.

And turning it over to bots and automation and all of this.

I'm against ABS.

Dandara, what say you?

I mean, I'm just thinking, is that going to help speed the game up?

I'm for the ABS.

And I think that it's a good thing to have in baseball.

I look, I told you, I like it.

I started in the minor leagues a few years ago.

And I was intrigued because it was quick.

It worked fast.

Now, at the time, I did not experience what just happened in the game that we played.

Where all of a sudden they went to the thing and they couldn't use it.

That's kind of annoying.

So if that happens with any regularity, pull the plug on the thing and just keep going.

So to your point, do you need it?

No.

You don't.

You don't need it.

When we're talking about problems in the game.

To me, umpiring is not a problem in the game.

It's not, and a inconsistent strike zone is not a problem in the game.

To me, it's not.

It doesn't impact my viewership as a casual fan as a neutral fan or a fan of my team.

I just accept that the umpiring is imperfect.

I worry about the slippery slope of ABS.

Now, it doesn't take that long in a vacuum.

I mean, each challenge is what, Matt?

It's like 10 seconds.

Yeah, I would say right around there.

But I just worry that you start there.

And then what's the next thing?

So, you know, Rod Manford was asked in this interview.

I was listening to him on San Francisco sports radio about why not just go robo on ball the time.

And he said the technology is definitely there to do it.

You know, just have every ball and strike be on the ABS system.

And he says we didn't do it because of the wishes of our players and taking a skilled player off the field.

You know what he's referring to there?

Catcher?

The catcher in the pitch framing.

Which kind of got me to want to have robo on because I hate what's become of pitch frame.

I know it's annoying as hell.

It's got like everything in baseball.

And I can't, honestly, I've never been able to believe that the umpires can fall for it, but keep going.

Well, I just think it's like everything in baseball, they've taken it too far.

It used to be a catcher could just sort of slight, a nice subtle sort of movement of the glove

to try and buy a call on the corner.

Now it's gotten ridiculous.

And now they're teaching their catchers to get up in the box because that helps you frame the pitch and fool the umpire.

Well, now all these catchers are getting their gloves whacked.

How many catchers and a ferns did the right side last year?

I wanted to say it was like seven or eight, maybe more, maybe a dozen.

So that all started with the analyst.

Which makes me want to say, you know what?

F you dorks.

We're going to have it all called by the by the robots.

Your catcher can dick around as much as he wants.

He can try and buy the call and fake the do all do cartwheels back there.

It doesn't matter where your catcher ends up moving his glove because the robots are ready on it.

So that makes me want to like have full robots, man.

Sure.

Because I hate what's become of the pitch framing.

It's just like everything.

It's gone too far.

But what can I tell you?

At the end of the day, I don't need more automation.

I need less.

I am worried about the beautiful pace of play and game times that we have now.

I gave you before the the average length of game.

This includes extra inning games, by the way.

It's starting in 2023, 242, 238, 240.

The average 9 inning game was 239, 236, 238.

Tremendous.

I am.

Is there a way to trim another five minutes off of that?

Sure.

And I'm just worrying that the ABS is going to add five and not trim five.

You've got to you got to stay on it.

Because these a holes that play the game do not care about you.

They care about their cake.

And so they're going to take their sweet time if you let them.

And they're going to abuse this ABS thing.

It's it's going to get just like all replay.

I mean, you know, I'm right.

I've been telling you this for years.

It just keeps getting worse.

There's just I feel for you people who watch these ridiculous college basketball games.

How much time do they spend over there at the F and desk?

Brutal.

It keeps getting worse and worse and worse.

So yeah, you can start with a simple little 10 second challenge of a pitch and tap your helmet.

It takes 10 seconds.

And you get two of them.

If you get one right, you only get three.

What's that mean?

Felga that's extra 45.

Just wait.

Just just wait for what's coming on that.

The loose strikes on was to me.

Not a big problem in the game.

Just wasn't big problem in the game is the balls in play.

I mentioned this story Wall Street Journal on doubles and triples.

Headline.

They're the most exciting plays in baseball.

And they're going extinct.

Doubles and triples have plummeted to their lowest levels in decades.

And MLB is weighing drastic moves to bring them back.

They write that MLB experienced a significant decline in doubles and triples in 2025.

Reaching the lowest rates since 1992 and 1989.

While home runs continue to soar out of stadiums at near record levels.

Doubles and triples are disappearing from the sport and an alarming rate.

Games in 2025 mass featured an average of just 3.19 doubles.

The fewest in an uninterrupted campaign since 1992.

Nearly 800 doubles have vanished from the game over the course of this decade.

And if doubles aren't endangered species triples are practically extinct.

Ahead of the 2026 season they say they have fallen to their lowest rate in MLB history.

History.

Correct.

They write that doubles and triples are exactly the types of plays that baseball depends on to attract younger audience.

Craving excitement.

Which is why inside MLB offices, executives are paying close attention to the reduction in doubles and triples.

The problem is that in the modern game teams have become shockingly adept at putting their outfielders in the exact right place to prevent them.

Outfielders across MLB now set up deeper than ever to ensure that fewer balls fly ball sit over their heads.

Or split the alley for the sole purpose of limiting extra base hits.

And unlike so and like so many changes that have reshaped baseball.

The insight comes straight from the data.

Armed with mountains of numbers teams have come to realize that giving up singles hardly matters.

What they really want to avoid is damage.

And that buzzword and pavements has damage.

Yeah, right.

Extra voice damage damage.

Slugging right.

As a result, man, as center fielders with nobody on base.

Have moved back 11 feet on average since twenty twenty since twenty fifteen.

They say, right.

They are 11 feet.

They play 11 feet deeper than they did 10 years ago.

Left and right fielders are five and three feet deeper respectively.

What used to be known as a no doubles defense has effectively become the standard alignment.

And I'll just stop reading there.

It's time for baseball to get that out of the game.

Yeah, it's like the nickel becoming standard and football same idea.

Sorry.

Illegal defense.

There's illegal defense in basketball.

There's illegal defense calls in most sports.

It's time to institute more illegal defenses in baseball.

You draw a trapezoid behind second base.

So the grounder up the middle is once again a base hit.

Forget about not even you.

Not like can you not shift.

You can't line up your second base or your shortstop directly over second base.

Get out of there.

Trapezoid.

And in the outfield, we're going to draw a line ten feet.

15 feet.

Whatever.

In front of the warning track and you cannot line up behind that line.

In fact, you can't even move until the balls hit.

Something like that.

I'm not going to let you run back on the pitch.

You're going to have to wait until the swing of the bat to move back there.

And keep legislating.

Just keep legislating the nerds out of the game.

Tell me that's the biggest.

Yeah, look again, they got to put in some sort of thing in the outfield.

That's a big one.

I mean, not to like nitpick or grasp its straws or hairs.

Split hairs is what I'm saying.

Ten feet in front of the warning track is too deep, I think.

First of all, it's wherever they're playing ten feet from there.

So, you know, because if they're all playing ten feet deeper,

well, then you get to bring in.

In fact, I wouldn't do ten.

I do 15.

Can I go one more?

You can't bring cards out there that you pull out.

You have to be out out.

That should be out too.

Part of the challenge was knowing your stuff.

So, every guy on the football field doesn't get a play chart.

The quarterback gets one.

The rest of them.

Right.

You get to know the play.

And if you can hear the ump from the or you can hear your manager or position coach from the dugout

telling you to get back fine.

But you can't go back beyond that line.

No cards.

No flip cards.

Yes, Tendera.

What?

It feels like micro managing.

No, it doesn't.

I'm saving the game.

I'm saving the game.

But what if there is a no-double situation?

You still can't go beyond the line.

Right.

And running.

Do you see running before the swing?

Right.

So listen, so I have a line.

I would do that.

Mass and I.

We'll call it the true.

We'll call it the Felger Mass line.

It's 15 feet in front of the warning track.

Well, so what, you know, they'll cheat.

What they're going to do is a pitcher goes into the lineup.

And he just takes off and runs backwards.

But what if the balls hit shallow?

Well, then he gives up a single.

They're already rolling.

They give up the single.

They care about giving up the single.

That's right.

So again, if they think about it from the other side,

like you said, everybody wants long-changle.

Yeah.

Why?

Because our home runs are extra-based hits.

Okay.

So the defense is going to want to take those away,

which means they're willing.

The whole reason for the shift was to take away a single.

That's what it was.

The shift was to prevent that ground ball from going through the infield.

So it took the single out of the game.

It took.

So, you know, the thing in center field is,

they're willing to give you the blooper.

You're going to have all the bloopers you want,

because you're going to have to inform them to score.

This is all just taking the game away from the analysts.

The op-fills are exactly where they have to be,

because they input all the F and data into the computer.

And it says, stand there.

So we're trying to take the computer back out of the game.

I know.

It's a lot easier to hit a blooper, get one off the fist,

dump it in there.

Now we can steal second a little bit easier.

And if you're playing,

then how can everyone's swinging for home runs?

That's what they teach.

This is what I'm telling you.

That's why that stuff needs to change.

And I know it's probably way too institutional.

The game won't do it on its own.

Meaning the players won't do it on their own.

So this is just a means to get that analytical stuff out of the game.

Yes.

Or to change it so they have to start over.

You can't throw anybody out if you're playing that deep.

So if you get guys on base,

then that would have to move in some of the fielders.

Stay to the game.

On the eve of the Major League opener,

which again, shall I mention, is on Netflix.

That'll get back to calls on this right after this word.

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