Reminder: Baseball Runs Deep

I received an email on Sunday afternoon from someone that I hadn't expected to write me. It wasn't from my dad or from Gaetan or Cousin Karina from New Hampshire.

It was from Rob Manfred.

Rob Manfred, the newly elected commissioner of Major League Baseball decided to take time from his coronation into the most powerful position in the sport and express his love for the game and his determination to make it a staple in the American fabric.

The timing of Mr. Manfred's letter, to me, was perfect. On Sunday afternoon, we had the aftershock of Bill Belichick's take on Deflategate, a NHL All-Star game, Durant vs. LeBron, college basketball match-ups galore and the Australian Open. (By the way, I love January for this reason and we'll visit the top sports months in a later entry.) His letter, though, signaled to me that baseball is taking its approach to modernizing and globalizing the game very seriously, not seasonally.

His letter was highlighted by two very poignant and passionate paragraphs:

"The mission before us is clear: To honor the game's history while welcoming new people to our great sport - people who will one day pass their love of baseball down through the generations. That is what our parents and grandparents did for us, and it is what we are doing for our own children. Baseball is a game firmly rooted in childhood experiences, and its vitality and growth rely heavily on giving young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to play and watch baseball."

Baseball tugs at the chords of my core like no other sport can. Its dynamics, symmetry, strategy and history all resonate in a very powerful mix that I revisit every February during Spring Training and carry through to the Fall Classic. Between those Major League checkpoints, I remember having my most enjoyable moments as a Little League in Aspinwall, a Colt Leaguer in Indiana, a Legionier in Springdale and an outfielder at Fox Chapel. Baseball elevated my dad on a higher pedestal when fatherhood took a passenger seat to manager and Mom and Christa become cheerleader #1 and #1A.

I never played organized football or hockey, or the relationship I had with the Steelers and Penguins was indeed adrenalized and fervent. Both enjoyed great success through my childhood, especially in the 1990s and remain iconic to the national and global sports scene. The Pirates were different in a lot of ways, partly due to their futility from 1993 through 2012 but also due to their accessibility. Three Rivers Stadium was, literally, 11 minutes from my house. This was a personal connection I was fortunate enough to feel with my family and friends as weekends were checkered with $5 tickets in the outfield or a Wednesday night showcase with the family after school and work.  Manfred's letter aided in this reminiscence and certainly seems like a goal that I hope he can consistently reflect upon.

His second-to-last paragraph was an important one, but could be dangerous:

"Another priority for me is to continue to modernize the game without interfering with its history and traditions. Last season's expanded instant replay improved the game's quality and addressed concerns shared by fans and players. We made a dramatic change without altering the game's fundamentals. I look forward to tapping into the power of technology to consider additional advancements that will continue to heighten the excitement of the game, improve the pace of play and attract more young people to the game."

Baseball's purity and history are central to its attraction.  It's understandable to desire to use technology to improve and attract, but hopefully Manfred won't dull its luster by cheapening its marketability.  In a New York Times article, Manfred said, "I think it’s really important that we use technology to make the game as user-friendly in the ballpark and during broadcasts as we possibly can. You can enhance and provide real fans with information via technology that makes the game move faster and keeps people engaged during the game."  The national television ratings consistently indicate the average age of viewers in the fifties.  Did you know, though, that almost 6 million people open the MLB At-Bat app every day and the average age of those techies is 30?

Did you know, too, the average MLB game take 13 minutes less than the average NFL game?  If technology speeds games by another 13 minutes, you're entering into NCAA basketball time-of-game territory.   Additionally, MLB seems to be taking this pace-of-play thing rather seriously.

Hopefully that doesn't mean eliminating defensive shifts, or lowering the pitcher's mound, or shortening the fences or pumping music as play is unfolding.

Baseball is not short on cash.  Bud Selig captained the sport through troubling times after the 1994 strike and saw it manifest into a $9 billion profit with a stronger steroid prevention policy and a more leveled playing field that saw the Kansas City Royals make the World Series.  Common sense led Manfred to eliminate any mention of creating more money for the game in his letter, which was a nice touch to his opening salvo. 

Are there areas that need improving in baseball... absolutely.  The good news is every sport needs improving.  An effective commissioner, though, should be able to identify areas of improvement without compromising the worth of its stakeholders.

Commissioner Goddell and Commissioner Bettman have set the bar awfully low for Manfred and Commissioner Silver is just now leaving the honeymoon phrase of his NBA leadership tenure.  Commissioner Manfred can do a lot of good during his time on the job.  His letter to me was a very nice commencement to his journey moving baseball forward.