Open Mic: Changing Major League Baseball from the Commissioner's Chair

The Commissioner of Major League Baseball is charged with regulating the game. Decisions should be in the best interests of the game, sportsmanship, and fair play. Unfortunately, we are not at that place at the present.

So much lip service is given that the game is for the fans. Yet, these fans are treated like dairy cows, shuttled in and milked dry, then fed and rested up for a bit, until ready for the process to start over again.

The commissioner should be looking out for the fans. However, when the commissioner is a former owner, such as is the case with our current commissioner, it is painfully obvious which group will receive the lion's share of consideration in all rulings.

In a previous article by one of the bleacher creatures, they took on the mantle of Commissioner of Baseball. This got me to thinking what would I do if given a shot at the top spot.

First on my list would be to consult with the three branches of government: Congress, Chief Executive, and Supreme Court. I would outline my agenda and make sure I had legal and legislative sanction to carry out the changes needed to update and strengthen the game without unnecessary delay from the unions and owners.

Someone doesn't like an element and files a lawsuit? Here, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on line three to explain why you are going to lose—and lose big.

Then I'd get to work. Many of the changes would be dependent on others to make the system work for everyone. The best commissioner would leave the players, owners, and umpires all slightly dissatisfied but able to move forward.

Everyone should have to give something and be able to get something, but consideration has to be given to the folks who foot the bill, the fans. They have lacked an advocate for much too long.

Assisted living residences for players, umps, staff

It is pathetic the way Major League Baseball and the players union has dragged their feet in providing proper health coverage for older players and staff. They are sitting on big mountains of cash yet force many senior citizen baseball alums into governmental programs with lower quality care or worse. This should be the first item on the agenda for change.

Major League Baseball should purchase existing and/or build new assisted living centers for ball players, front office personnel, scouts, and umpires. Priority should be placed for Florida, Arizona, and Southern California as these are popular retirement areas. Expansion to other areas would follow soon thereafter.

Local teams could "adopt" centers, decorating common rooms in team colors and with memorabilia. Funds could be raised by having some of the residents and active players hold autograph and photo sessions, say for $25 a ticket in small groups so the fans can actually have a couple minutes face time with the players.

These senior citizens are an irreplaceable treasure, they could be considered encyclopedias of living history, a resource that should not be ignored and pushed aside. As to the current players, they should be required to attend at least two sessions per year, a couple of hours of their time, as a part of their union dues.

Players who repeatedly blow off their slots or display extreme poor social skills would face suspension. No playing around, everybody needs to pitch in with this.

Jobs would be created or augmented in the varied medical fields. There would also be relief for some governmental and other medical programs, creating space for others who could use the assistance.

Expanding roster to 28 with 25 active per game.

Major league rosters would be expanded to 28 players. However, in any particular game, the team will designate three players as inactive. This is similar to how NFL teams operate, though the numbers are different. Each team will still have a 25-man roster for the particular game.

Ballplayers come up with minor injuries all the time. Many times they will be out for only three to five games or so. Thus, it is not worth putting them on the 15-day disabled list for the team would lose their services for too long of a period of time.

But during those few games the player is too banged up to play, the team is left at a disadvantage, as they are short handed. The fans that have paid to see a major league team are receiving a diluted product. In effect, they are paying full price for second quality goods. They are getting ripped off.

Another situation that often happens is when a relief pitcher has thrown for three or four days in a row and is gassed. It would be irresponsible for the manager to put him in the current game as the risk of injury is increased.

Teams would be able to carry three catchers without fear of shortchanging themselves at other positions. Bench depth would be enhanced as well. A sound veteran who is great for chemistry in the clubhouse may be kept when they would have been cut before.

A younger player whom the team may want to keep but is out of options can be retained, on scholarship with the big club as it were.

To prevent the inactive list from being abused, there would have to be a couple of provisions that must be adhered to. First, no pitcher who had started within the previous five games could be designated inactive. Second, no more than one pitcher may be placed on the list.

Game instead of day is specifically designated to allow for changes to the list when teams play doubleheaders. This new rule would have no effect on the bereavement list, which would continue as is, for its scope is different.

The net result of this will mean 90 extra Major League jobs for players, a significant boon for the union.

40-man roster for agents

Ballclubs are allowed to protect up to 40 players on their roster, others with the required service time are able to leave as free agents or eligible to be selected in the Rule Five draft. This is to prevent clubs from stacking up players so deep that the ones at the lower level are locked out of any realistic chance for advancement.

If teams are not allowed to have unlimited amounts of players bound to them, why should agents be granted unlimited numbers to how many players with whom they are associated? We are at a tipping point, where a couple of agents hamstring teams with dubious tactics, that if employed by the ballclubs, would elicit howls of collusion from the union.

Agents should have more of an obligation to a player than simply negotiating a contract. Their specialized skills should be used to manage their client's financial portfolio; which would include things such as their financial investments in the stock, bond, and commodities markets; investment real estate; commercial endorsements; and other aspects of their client's financial interests.

These management services would be reviewed by the Commissioner's office to prevent fraud and protect the player's future security.

To do this important job properly, agents should be limited in the number of players they can represent. In this way, a small number of agents will not have unyielding influence over the sport. Can an agent with 50 free agents in the offseason realistically act in the best interest of each of their clients? Of course not. Priorities will be set and some must wait with the hats in hand until called upon.

This is not fair to the players or the teams. Strict rules need to be put into place preventing agent collusion, which improperly drives up salaries and the resulting costs that are passed along from the teams to advertisers and the fans.

Are we to expect an agent who negotiated a contract in the morning will put those numbers and terms out of their mind while negotiating another player's deal that evening? Of course they will not.

All the while these agents rake in more and more obscene profits that, if were being earned by oil companies, would result in calls in Congress for windfall profit taxes to be enacted.

Rookie Salary Cap

There is no good reason why players who haven't played a major-league game should be guaranteed multimillion-dollar contracts. Potential is not a hard and fast promise for a return on that investment. It is foolish and poor business sense for such a financial guarantee until the player has proven himself at the major league level.

I've heard the argument that a player will lose out on the last year of earnings if paid after showing his worth. The best way to combat that is for Major League Baseball to pay a player on a severance contract after filing his retirement paperwork. One year of pay, based on a calculation of the number of days of Major League service along with previous salary.

A player may return to the majors, but his salary will be put into an escrow account, releasing only a small percentage to the player, until such time as the player again retires and the league can recalculate the severance pay.

The interest on the account would go to the league as a consideration for the early payment of the severance season, much like an early withdrawal penalty from an IRA account.

Bonuses for awards

The commissioner's office should be responsible for paying a fixed dollar amount to a player who achieves the following honors:

All-Star Game starter, All-Star Game reserves

MVP awards (regular and postseason), Cy Young Award

Jackie Robinson Award (also know as Rookie of the Year)

League leaders for Home Runs, RBI, Batting Average, & Stolen Bases

League leaders for Wins, ERA, Strikeouts, & Saves

Silver Bat, Gold Glove

This will simplify contract negotiations. If a player is getting $15 Million, it is reasonable to assume the team would expect the player to achieve some of these honors. They should not be forced to fork over an additional payment.

These payments should be on par with others would make for the same achievement. At present, they are not. Some players don't even have bonus clauses and miss out entirely.

For the All-Star Game, the player would be required to be in uniform and available to the manager to collect payment. Players on the disabled list during the time the All-Star Game is played would receive a reduced bonus. Players who are selected but opt out of playing will not receive any bonus.

All-Star Game participation

Each All-Star team shall have an additional three pitcher slots. These pitchers must be setup or long relievers. Currently, All-Star pitching rosters are mainly comprised of starters and closers. It is extremely rare for setup men to be selected.

The additional three pitchers will not be eligible to play unless the game goes into extra innings. Also in extra innings, all members of the original starting lineup will be eligible to return to the game. If after all starters have been reinserted, the game continues, reserves will become eligible to return to the game.

Thus, all field players should be required to remain in uniform and available until the end of the game. Pitchers would not be required to remain in full game uniform, but shall return to the bench in warmups or other official uniform after showering.

As a concession to the players, the season will resume on Friday. Minor league all-star games should be played on Wednesday and Thursday.

Revamping the Major-League Schedule

The months of May and June should feature double headers on Saturdays or Sundays when facing divisional rivals. This would create multiple four-game series that will shorten the end of the schedule so the playoffs can start earlier and reduce the chance of playing World Series games in winter type weather.

Six doubleheaders (three home and three away) over eight weeks in the earlier part of the season will clear open a week at the end of the year. May and June are early enough that the weather will not be as oppressive as in July or August and players will not become overly fatigued.

It is reasonable to expect two of the three doubleheaders to be day/night deals with separate tickets required, but at least one should be the traditional type where you get two games for the price of one. With the way the economy is going, teams need to throw fans a few bones, this would be one of them.

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