Unwritten Rules: Time for a Change

By: Mike Carter

I have been struggling for a month to find something to write about for the blog.

Today I decided enough was enough, and that it was time to stop making excuses, and put 1000 words on paper. So here we go.

Many people write about baseball very well, and I always try to think of an angle that makes my writing a little different from the others. You can read all you want about WAR, BABIP, OBP, OPS on other sites, and those writers will explain that far better than me.

I have had the good fortune of being involved with a baseball class at Purdue University through my friend Rebecca Herman. I was invited to partake in this online class that started in May, and it has been a great experience. Hundreds of baseball fans from around the country have participated in online chats and discussions over the history and business of the game, and how to build the love of the game for future generations.

And that’s what got me thinking this week, and I am going to commit to this paper: if we want younger fans to enjoy the game the way we adults do, it’s time to change our perceptions and perspectives.

In the past week, I heard a clip of Pirates’ announcer and former player Steve Blass calling Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna a “prick.” That may not have been what he said, and he denied it, but he has commented several times over the past few years on player’s “flashiness.”  It appears that Blass did not care for Acuna’s gold chains, his protective batting gear and his demeanor after he was hit (probably not purposely, but who knows anymore), in a game last week. Look it up; Acuna didn’t really do anything out of the way, and went to first base without incident.

The Chicago White Sox Tim Anderson created a stir several weeks ago with his aggressive bat flipping and celebrating against the Kansas City Royals, who took umbrage and plunked him in the series.

Madison Bumgarner did not like that Max Muncy watched his moon shot splash into the San Francisco Bay and yelled at him to run as he crossed first base. Muncy’s retort has not become viral; he said if you don’t want me to watch it, go get the ball out of the ocean. I like that response.

These three incidents highlight something for me, and that is this: the game needs to change. The unwritten rules and our long-held perceptions of getting even or not celebrating too much need to go by the wayside. I have changed my mind about this over the years. And I think we all should examine these things more deeply.

Baseball at the major league level is a game played by young, athletic, spirited, competitive men. It has always been this way. But the way the game is played has shifted considerably. Strikeouts and home runs are way up. Runs are scored at a furious pace. The age of specialization can lead to a half dozen pitching changes at any game. The fundamentals many of us love in some ways seem lost on this newer generation of players.

I am a middle-aged man and I will share my thoughts on this trend: while I am sad to not see many 2-1 games anymore, the talents of these young guys playing today is scintillating. I love Ronald Acuna, and don’t find anything wrong with what he did last week. If you don’t like it, get him out.  As a diehard White Sox fan, I have come to accept the flaws in Tim Anderson’s game and have enjoyed watching him develop into a frontline talent for the White Sox. Guys like Acuna and Anderson bring speed, joy, passion and athleticism to the game. We should celebrate passion and joy, as there is little of it in modern day America. Both are just two examples of the new breed of baseball star. Young, aggressive, hungry and minority players who come from humble beginnings to play this great game here in this great country. Let them be who they are. Enough of the unwritten rules.

Look at this silly list of up-and-coming and young star players I put together this morning: Vladimir Guerrero, Acuna, Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Yordan Alvarez (swings just like Carlos Delgado, check him out), Javy Baez, Yoan Moncada, Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Alex Bregman, Walker Buehler, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, Josh Hader. I could go on, but I will stop there. What do these guys have in common? They are demonstrative, aggressive players who are really good and exude passion for the game and are all under 25. They all have bright futures in the game, and are all guys you should check out.

What’s my point? I think we need to back off the old “rules” of the game and allow these players to play with self-expression and joy. It’s important to remember that players today come from all walks of life and all over the world. Nearly one-third of all MLB players today were born on foreign soil. It’s important to remember that those players come from a very different cultural background than the customary American upbringing. Many of these players come from poor families in underdeveloped nations with few resources and fewer jobs. Getting away from their home countries and having the opportunity to play here means a great life for them. Thus, I think they deserve the right to celebrate when they do something well. I think I might do the same if I had been using a milk carton as a glove in a poor country as a kid.

I have an eight-year-old son who is falling in love with baseball. He’s not only playing the game better all the time but watching more games with me on television. He asks question after question, and I love that, and many of the questions are good ones. I can tell that he loves the action and he knows all the White Sox players and many of the stars around MLB now. He commented the other week, “I like that TA (Tim Anderson) is fired up.” That got me to thinking: we need to point our kids to these young stars to build the fanbase, ensuring that the game survives and thrives, even with these changes. I love that Jack is into it even if it’s a different game from when I was his age.

We live in a world that is largely devoid of passion. Many of us live our lives in such a way that each step is sort of mapped out for us, and we follow our plans to save for retirement, or plan that big trip, and live in some form of suburban comfort and contentment. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  But we need to be passionate about something. Watching the game change over the past few years has made me realize that my passion for it can change, too. I’m willing to let go of my old ideas, my old “rules,” and embrace change in the game. It’s been changing for decades, if you really break it down, which I will not do here.

This being a young person’s sport, it’s time for me to put my old ideas to rest in some ways, and foster the love in Jack the way that the love was fostered in me 40 years ago. Things change, and that is more than ok; it’s good most of the time. Let’s put the old rules to bed and embrace the greatness we see on display every night in the game.

One additional note and I will stop stealing your time: why aren’t Rob Manfred, the Commissioner’s office and ownership doing far more to market these players? And ESPN, shame on you, too. The Sunday Game of the Week features the same 5-6 teams all the time:  Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, and Dodgers. I get that much of this is a ratings game but feel that the network also has the responsibility to diversify this lineup. There’s a pretty good player named Mike Trout that no one ever gets to see in prime time unless you pay monthly for the MLB Network (which I do, and it is worth every penny). How many of us have seen the players I listed above play on TV or in person? Owners want attendance to go up? Make it easier to see the stars on TV, offer reduced price tickets during summer when kids are off school, and you might help the bottom line.

As always, I welcome your comments and disagreements on anything that I write; this is just my opinion and I love hearing from other people about this stuff.