Are Egotistical Sports Agents Taking The Game Away From The Fans???

No Comments December 4, 2015 Baseball By Tom Duggan

What Are We Doing To The Game Of Baseball?

I was born in the 60’s, began playing organized baseball in 1969, and followed and tried to emulate my favorite players like Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, then George Brett through my high school days.

I was drafted and signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1982 and spent six years in professional baseball.

I’ve coached college baseball, served as a head varsity coach at a prominent high school in Southern California, and currently work with a scout team to stay connected to pro ball.

Seemed So Simple

Baseball seemed so simple growing up. In the fall there was football, winter basketball, and with spring came baseball.

There was no travel ball, only Little League, but I can tell you that I probably threw at least 200 plus pitches a day with my best friend out in front of our houses, playing out our Angels versus Dodgers rivalry day after day.

On a given day it would be Nolan Ryan versus Don Sutton, followed by Frank Tanana versus Tommy John, and so on!

Relief Pitchers…Why?

I can’t even begin to tell you a relief pitchers name, because we never used them! Pitch Counts? Really?

We’d throw this fuzz-less tennis ball all day long never thinking about injury! So, why are so many pitchers blowing out their arms today when each team has medical/training staffs and strength and conditioning coaches?

How the game evolved to this point is saddening! I hate to play the “BACK IN THE DAY” card, but Cy Young, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson each had multiple 35 plus complete game seasons.

During my childhood/mid-teen years, Steve Carlton (254), Bob Gibson (255), and Juan Marichal (244) averaged 10, 15, and 15 complete games per year respectively.

In 2015, you had six pitchers with four complete games!

6 Inning Pitchers!

The Kansas City Royals have set the bar over the past two seasons with starting pitchers going six innings, then going with the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning/closer model, which seems to be the new norm.

It’s cheaper to pay relief pitchers than it is to pay starters, and because the almighty dollar rules the game, the day of the complete game pitchers are a thing of the past!

It used to be that throwing a no-hitter would warrant a celebration in the middle of the field, but now we almost do it for complete games. The salary issue is the biggest problem, along with sports agents!

Agents Are Running The Show

Now, we have Scott Boras trying to dictate how many innings his clients can throw. Wait a minute, if a player is making millions of dollars to play the game then tough beans if you blow your arm out!

Tommy John and Orel Hershiser surgery are as common as tuning up your car, so if your career comes to an end over it, isn’t that multi-million dollar contract enough to live on for the rest of your life?

Take it from me, I chased a much smaller pot of gold when I played and if someone had told me they’d pay me a teacher’s salary to play in the big leagues I’d have jumped at the chance, if not for free!

Managers aren’t allowed to manage, contracts dictate innings. Joe Smith came into the game in the 8th inning and set down the side with 7 pitches, yet Mike Scioscia went straight to Houston Street because the $7 million dollar salary dictated that move, and it arguably cost the Angels a playoff spot!

Seven pitches, one, two, three inning, followed by the closer and it happens all the time throughout the major leagues.

Bochy A Rebel!

The only manager to buck the trend is Bruce Bochy, which explains his success as a manager and his three World Series rings with the San Francisco Giants.

Owners need to take a step back and take control of the game! I want to throw up when I hear the word “entertainment” connected to sports, especially when we get stuck with escalating ticket prices to watch a bunch of coddled athletes!

Start Over

As long as players are making more money than management the game will suffer. If you blew the game up and started over, yeah the game would take an initial hit, but it would be far more interesting than watching managers create line-ups based on salaries as compared to performance!

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Tom Duggan

I was born in the 60’s, began playing organized baseball in 1969, and followed and tried to emulate my favorite players like Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, then George Brett through my high school days. I was drafted and signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1982 and spent six years in professional baseball. I’ve coached college baseball, served as a head varsity coach at a prominent high school in Southern California, and currently work with a scout team to stay connected to pro ball.

Read more about my story by clicking here.