# Things about baseball you just don't understand **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 12, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969 "2009-01-12T20:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/61 "2009-01-13T20:09:41Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think he meant to say the team “is _now_ worth $800 million plus.” Correct. You have to read gonzomax’s posts and account for any possible typo that spellcheck wouldn’t catch. It’s an acquired skill. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/62 "2009-01-13T20:22:54Z")
I don’t get why the fact that one team overpays for a mediocre 3rd Baseman sets ‘the value’ for a mediocre 3rd Baseman. Can’t the other teams tell agents ‘we are not as stupid as THAT team’??? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/63 "2009-01-13T20:53:42Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > So when did people stop getting dressed up for baseball games? Real soon after 1968. Then they started wearing authentic team-licensed apparel from the Cooperstown Collection that was even more expensive than a suit. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/64 "2009-01-13T21:12:54Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > I don’t get why the fact that one team overpays for a mediocre 3rd Baseman sets ‘the value’ for a mediocre 3rd Baseman. Can’t the other teams tell agents ‘we are not as stupid as THAT team’??? The other teams aren’t usually that sure. There’s a chance the overpaid player will have a good year, then the other teams will look stupid. They’d rather overpay than have THAT happen. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/65 "2009-01-13T21:29:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > " **Marley** , if they get rid of the rule about managers wearing uniforms, what will they wear? I know you don’t care one way or the other, but it is a question that would need to be answered. How would you tell the managers apart from a distance without some sort of uniform? Licensed apparel from MLB, just like the coaches in the NFL wear team gear. It lets you look like you belong to your team without wearing a get up that was designed with fit 19 year olds in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/66 "2009-01-13T21:51:42Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > cavity search. > > I happen to know several of the Sox sabermetricians, and if you think they’re capable of walking away from a 90% success rate, you need another kind of search to see if we might get lucky and locate your brain. Have you ever heard of the pop-up? The strikeout? The fly ball to shallow left? The slow hit grounder to the left side that the pitcher can nab? The medium grounder to the ss position that the shifted ss can get back to? Sure, the 90% was indeed produced from a cavity (take your pick which one). But it’s hard for me to imagine that if the third baseman is all the way over at shortstop, Ortiz can’t – with minimal practice – lay a bunt hard down the third base line with at least 50% success per at-bat. (Remember, it’s way easier than a conventional bunt, because he doesn’t need to worry about hitting it too fast). That’s still a better OBP, slugging% and OPS than he’s doing right now. I’m willing to believe that the Sox are smart enough to have thought about this, which would mean either Ortiz can’t aim a ball towards third base more than half the time, or Big Papi just can’t be swayed from thinking that Real Hombres Don’t Bunt. Which I guess means I can’t understand why it’s so hard for Ortiz to lay down a bunt, or why the Sox haven’t used more persuasion. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/67 "2009-01-13T22:36:42Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > But it’s hard for me to imagine that if the third baseman is all the way over at shortstop, Ortiz can’t – with minimal practice – lay a bunt hard down the third base line with at least 50% success per at-bat. (Remember, it’s way easier than a conventional bunt, because he doesn’t need to worry about hitting it too fast). That’s still a better OBP, slugging% and OPS than he’s doing right now. > > I’m willing to believe that the Sox are smart enough to have thought about this, which would mean either Ortiz can’t aim a ball towards third base more than half the time, or Big Papi just can’t be swayed from thinking that Real Hombres Don’t Bunt. > > Which I guess means I can’t understand why it’s so hard for Ortiz to lay down a bunt, or why the Sox haven’t used more persuasion. I don’t know David Ortiz personally, but it may simply me that the Red Sox are not entirely comfortable with monkeying around with the hitting approach of a great hitter. I don’t think Ortiz is going to be around much longer, to be honest - players of his physical type are often toast by 35 years old or so, and he’s 32 - but until last year he’d had five straight great seasons. There’s something to be said in baseball for not messing around with the mechanics and approach of a hitter who’s doing well; you could screw him up. ---
**Author:** ![Fred\_Garvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c67d28/32.png) [@Fred\_Garvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred_Garvin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/68 "2009-01-14T01:02:13Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I don’t understand why pitchers don’t just lick the fingers of their pitching hand four times instead of throwing the ball to the catcher on an intentional base on balls. If a pitcher licks his fingers more than once, he is subject to a fine. Cheaper just to throw the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/69 "2009-01-14T04:13:33Z")
> [@Fred\_Garvin](#): > > If a pitcher licks his fingers more than once, he is subject to a fine. Cheaper just to throw the ball. How on earth was your username not taken before? Good on you. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/70 "2009-01-14T07:53:52Z")
> [@King\_Friday](#): > > Well, hopefully one of these days, MLB will shut down, retool, and come away with a salary cap. A real one, not a salary cap that if you exceed, you pay a penalty. God, I hope not. The solution to the Yankee problem is to add another New York team. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/71 "2009-01-14T16:04:09Z")
I don’t understand how Bud Selig can keep a job. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@King\_Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Friday)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/72 "2009-01-14T18:17:48Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > God, I hope not. > > The solution to the Yankee problem is to add another New York team. That’s interesting, never really thought of that. They’d probably have to add two teams, where would the other one be? Or better yet, relocate the Marlins and their 7,000 fans up there. ---
**Author:** ![shallora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@shallora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shallora)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/73 "2009-01-14T18:28:46Z")
I don’t understand why the AL maintains the designated hitter. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/74 "2009-01-14T19:20:25Z")
As far as uniforms go, I think the ugliest are all third uniforms that use a solid color for the shirt. This goes double if the sleeves are a different color. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/75 "2009-01-14T19:47:13Z")
> [@King\_Friday](#): > > That’s interesting, never really thought of that. They’d probably have to add two teams, where would the other one be? Or better yet, relocate the Marlins and their 7,000 fans up there. Then what happens to all those Mets fans in Florida, eh? As a taxpayer in the state of New York, please, not another stadium. Or at least make Connecticut pay for it somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/76 "2009-01-14T20:00:04Z")
Not that I don’t understand the strategy of it, but the hit-and-run play always kind of flummoxed me. Essentially, the play is designed to get the runner at first (generally speaking) off and running and for the batter to hit the ball – so that everything is in motion, drawing fielders out of position, etc… But Christ, man, that’s a pretty tall order for the batter, isn’t it? If I were a batter and I could just get a hit whenever I wanted to, Ted Williams would be my bitch. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/77 "2009-01-14T20:09:47Z")
> [@SSG\_Schwartz](#): > > Are any true baseball fans still in favor of inter league play and an All-Star game with meaning? By definition, a “true” baseball fan has never been in favor of either of those things. Unfortunately, most fans aren’t true fans as you and I define it. I barely remember a time before the DH and I want to get rid of that too. Inter-league play draws a huge amount of fans to the ball park so it makes money for the owners. They players seem to like it too. For example, AL players would certainly never get a chance to play at Wrigley without inter-league play. God knows the won’t get the opportunity during a World Series. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/78 "2009-01-14T21:16:10Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Not that I don’t understand the strategy of it, but the hit-and-run play always kind of flummoxed me. Essentially, the play is designed to get the runner at first (generally speaking) off and running and for the batter to hit the ball – so that everything is in motion, drawing fielders out of position, etc.. > > But Christ, man, that’s a pretty tall order for the batter, isn’t it? If I were a batter and I could just get a hit whenever I wanted to, Ted Williams would be my bitch. What? How did “hit the ball” in your first paragraph become “get a hit” in the second? A good batter can _make contact_ on any reasonable pitch, and that’s the batter’s only responsibility on a hit-and-run. The infielder in motion increases the chance that a routine ground ball will _become_ a hit, and if it doesn’t, the runner advances and it has the effect of a sacrifice. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/79 "2009-01-14T21:31:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > By definition, a “true” baseball fan has never been in favor of either of those things. When did the game become popular in Scotland? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969/80 "2009-01-14T21:43:12Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > What? How did “hit the ball” in your first paragraph become “get a hit” in the second? A good batter can _make contact_ on any reasonable pitch, and that’s the batter’s only responsibility on a hit-and-run. The infielder in motion increases the chance that a routine ground ball will _become_ a hit, and if it doesn’t, the runner advances and it has the effect of a sacrifice. It’s just that whole, don’t strike out bit – that happens quite often in the sport – that gets me. I haven’t actually played the sport since high-school, but in _MLB 08: The Show_? Oh, I hate when I get the hit and run sign from the third base coach. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-about-baseball-you-just-dont-understand/480969.md?page=5)