There are times when one has to wonder what people have in their minds that make an idea seem wonderful.
A few days ago, broadcaster Rich Eisen posted on his twitter feed @RichEisenShow this message:
“One #MLB executive told @richeisen about an idea to improve excitement in the game by allowing managers to put anyone up to bat in the 9th inning if trailing. Good idea or crazy?”
Crazy.
Of course, the executive’s name was not published. It’s obviously crazy and likely that person would be fired because of a lack of future credibility if anyone knew who made the statement.
There have been recent discussions about replay, the pace of the game and other things, but this is nuts.
The talking point is that other sports do not have the best players sitting on the bench at the end of games, so why should baseball?.
So what. It’s a team game.
If this idea had been a rule through out baseball history, many unsung heroes would probably have remained unknown.
Perhaps, that No. 8 hitter who blasted a home run to win a game in the ninth inning would never have that opportunity.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh may have picked National League Most Valuable Player Dick Groat or future Hall of Fame member Roberto Clemente to lead off the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series against Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees.
Instead, Murtaugh was “stuck” with an eight-time Gold Glove winner who would finish his 17-year career with a .260 batting average and 138 homers.
Fortunately, that was a decision that the Pirates mentor didn’t have to make.
Although Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, most fans know him as the only player to hit a walk-off home run in a World Series game seven.
Thankfully, there isn’t a rule change on the horizon that can prevent the possibility of another unlikely heroic moment like Mazeroski’s..