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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Oregon and Alaska lift suspension of troubled insurance carrier Moda ... Oregon refuge occupier releases videos mocking FBI ... Mail Tribune 100, Feb. 9, 1916 ... Oregon and Alaska lift suspension of troubled insurance carrier Moda ... Oregon refuge occupier releases videos mocking FBI ... Wry & Ginger: A pitch to make national pastime better Comment By Sid McKeen More Content Now MailTribune.com By Sid McKeen More Content Now Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:20 PM By Sid McKeen More Content Now Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:20 PM » Social News Don’t get me wrong now, I love baseball, always have. For me, at least, it’s far superior to all the other spectator sports. Sure, there are dead spots here and there, but that’s part of the charm. They give you time to review what just occurred and to anticipate what may come next. But nothing is perfect, and this time of year, I often find myself thinking of little improvements that might yet be made to Gen. Doubleday’s old game. Speeding things up, the latest tweak, seems like a good idea, but I’m not sold yet on the frequent appeals to umpires in headsets making decisions with the help of people halfway across the country watching TV in a darkened office somewhere. 1. My first recommendation for making things even more interesting is this: To bring more athleticism to the game — and because there are nine positions and nine innings — require the players to change defensive positions in a set order from one inning to the next. Thus the starting pitcher would become catcher for the second inning, the catcher move to first base, and so on around the infield. The third baseman would take left field, pushing the left fielder to center and ultimately the right fielder to the pitcher’s mound. The umpires have to move around game to game, so why not the players inning to inning? Let’s see how versatile they really are. 2. Brawls on the field are getting more attention of late, but they are hard for fans to follow. The combatants swarm around each other like a large flock of roosters, and it’s difficult if not impossible to see who is doing what to whom at any given moment. Why not let each team appoint a designated brawler, similar to the American League’s designated hitter? Then when things get sufficiently out of control, the umpires could have them square off at the pitcher’s mound surrounded by a circle of teammates to cheer them on, with fans at the park and at home getting a perfect view of the slugfest. 3. Home runs are beginning to be a trifle ho-hum. I suggest taking a page from basketball’s three-point shot, and counting any home run hit more than 400 feet a super-homer, accounting for two runs a whack rather than one. 4. When clubs find themselves tied at the end of nine innings, instead of playing on ‘til 2 o’clock in the morning when only a trickle of viewers remain, let the game be settled by conducting a foot race pitting the fastest runner on Team A against his counterpart on Team B. For added excitement, let the designated racers start and end at home plate — one running clockwise around the bases, the other counterclockwise, and see how they manage to avoid colliding head-on around the second-base bag. 5. To make watching games more palatable to fans in the stands and viewers at home, provide brass spittoons along both dugout floors, and hire janitors for each location to patrol the premises. Similarly, umpires would be empowered to eject from play any batters or base runners overtly clutching certain intersections of their body parts.. 6. To identify things by their rightful names, the “foul poles” in far left and far right field would no longer be deemed in fair territory and result in home runs, but identified as “border poles” and counted as ground-rule doubles. 7. To further identify the players, each uniform back would carry not only the individual’s name and number but also the salary for which he is contracted to play. Baseball is a thinking game, so let’s give it some thought. Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette correspondent Sid McKeen can be reached at [email protected]. By Sid McKeen More Content Now MailTribune.com By Sid McKeen More Content Now Posted May. 4, 2015 at 2:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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