Gary Sheffield, Jr
Videos by OutKick
Baseball could use a shot in the arm, and plenty of fans believe a few subtle rule changes could do the trick. Apparently MLB Network’s Jon Heyman believes that we should tweak the unclear rules regarding the check swing, and to express that belief, he offered the worst take in sports history.
And before anyone asks, no, I’m not surprised it came from him. Watch:
Do you think the check-swing rule should be revamped?@JonHeyman l @DaveValleMLB l #MLBNow pic.twitter.com/3Q79RuAf04
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) July 19, 2021
If this actually happened, every single Major League player would hit .000. Boy would that be fun to watch! A bunch of hitters already struggling with 100-mile-an-hour fastballs having an even shorter window to make a decision on a swing. Just a mind numbingly asinine idea from Jon Heyman.
And I want to point out the most important lesson that 4-minute fart out the mouth has taught us: Baseball players should influence the rules, not 50-some-year-olds in cheap suits. Because what happens when baseball alters one of these rules and undermines the entire sport? You can damage the sport for decades by creating an unrecognizable and unentertaining product.
“But Gary, they’ll test any garbage rule in the minors first, so don’t worry”
I’m worried anyway. Remember when we all thought that “minor league testing period” would spare us from ridiculous rules and then the extra inning rule appeared out of thin air? That’s the type of danger this sport is in. People who don’t like baseball, like commissioner Rob Manfred, can just change the sport in a snap.
Don’t underestimate the tomfoolery that was just spewed by Jon Heyman since it’s only two head nods away from being put into action. Maybe Heyman blocking me on Twitter was a blessing? I would’ve been blocked all over again anyway, had he read this.
The check swing isn’t even an issue. I’ve never heard a fan or friend complain about the rule. Heyman’s idea is an island, at least he admitted that about his bad idea. That’s akin to making a pump fake a missed shot and a turnover in basketball.
“People who don’t like baseball, like commissioner Rob Manfred…”
Ok, that was funny.
For the record, Heyman’s take is ridiculous.
What a complete dipshit…so basically if a batter flinches it’s a swing. So the batter has to remain still like a statue until they swing…what a genius.
That was a really dumb proposal by Heyman. Check swings aren’t an issue at all.
I swear there are camps forming that are pro pitcher versus pro hitter when it comes to the rules. It’s getting to be like a political party debate. You heard Heyman say it out loud just then at the end that he always sides with pitchers. Why? For the life of me I don’t understand why some people think we need to tilt everything to the advantage of pitchers when they already have built-in advantage in the game of baseball. Why? If you succeed 30% of the time as a hitter you’re an all star, but pitchers need MORE advantage? You Gotta be kidding me.
He should be terminated for even offering such a stupid idea. Calling it stupid is being generous.
The rule change that will save baseball is changing the walk into the sprint. It seems anathema until you don’t get a walk til the 7th inning and it’s a 50-50 whether it’s a double or triple depending on batter speed and defensive execution. #6. No mound visits helps, too.
https://thesavannahbananas.com/banana-ball-rules/