Mr. Juan Vene is a veteran sports columnist who has over 60 yrs of baseball coverage. He has published in many Spanish newspapers throughout Latin America and is also a recognized author of many books. We are proud to share his daily column with our readers. The views expressed by our guest columnist are not necessarily the views of Latino Sports.
Coral Gables, Florida (VIP-WIRE) .- The question is …: “What harms baseball, theft of signs, or commissioner Rob Manfred the most?
The answer is, “Plover Head” Manfred.
Sign thefts have been in numerous games, perhaps all, but they fight them, they censor them. And they will not disappear, after 150 years of existence. But they won’t end baseball either. But if they do not tie dow Manfred, he will bury our game, with good help from the ESPN, FOX and attached media chains.
I get the impression that Cabeza de-lo-que-te-digo goes to bed every night, trying to invent something that sinks deeper and deeper into baseball, to please the television stations. What these companies want is that the games do not exceed two hours, to be able to control the programming.
That’s why Manfred imposed the free runner on second base in each extra innings entry. That is, they kill the special emotions of extra innings. These stunned measures show that Rob Manfred is not a baseball man. It is a specimen, sold to television networks.
Another madness, but very crazy!, has been that Rule of the three mandatory hitters for each pitcher. The pitcher who enters a game, to be taken out, is obliged to face no less than three batters or finish with the inning.
Aurelio Vargas, of MLB.com, thinks…: “It seems to us that for now it will serve to give a bit of speed to the final innings of the game, which sometimes became endless for so many specialist.”
Mr. Vargas …: You have no idea what baseball is. Look at what your praised Rule can cause
Imagine this. The first batter begins with a homer, the second batter also connects for a homer. The pitcher is right handed and the next batter a left-handed power hitter. The manager has three left-handers in the bullpen, but he can’t call any, because the pitcher has not faced three batters. Possibly the left-handed third batter also takes the ball deep. 3-0 and another manager who will hate Manfred.
Maybe I don’t hate him for those three runs, I would hate him especially because he has stolen the job of the managers. In this case there is no change of pitcher by the absurd Rule, the work of Manfred.
Not even the eight White Sox sold to the betters in the 1919 World Series did so much damage to such a beautiful sport-show, as the ones caused by Park Avenue.
Meanwhile, soccer football flies in the United States, with better executives and fair public relations.
ATTENTION.- I invite you to read the recent archive of “Juan Vené en la Pelota” on the internet, entering by “sport unites us again”.
Thanks to the life that has given me so much, even a reader like you.
Jbeisbol5@aol.com
