Robot Wars with Rob Manfred by Hank Indictor

We knew it was inevitable that myself, Nick Morgasen, or my distinguished Game On co-host Johnny Montalbano would utter one of our more iconic catchphrases again. But you know what, how about I give them to you for the first time in written blog form? “Good Old Rob Manfred!”

We’re barely over two weeks into the new year, and somehow he’s trying to find a way to try to “fix” baseball again. If by fix you mean conduct one of the most ridiculous experiments we’ve ever seen. Somehow we’ve reached a point where Robot Umpires are becoming a thing for some Triple-A games!

Umpires aren’t perfect. Sometimes I joke that they and/or referees are like weathermen in that they can be paid a lot of money to do their jobs but don’t always have to be right. But all kidding aside, even with the introduction of replays and challenges, their mistakes are inevitable and they are human just like the rest of us. Yes, even the likes of Angel Hernandez, Jim Joyce, and Cowboy Joe West. And yet in a small way, they can make the games interesting if only so that they can spark debates.

By implementing the robot umpires then the human element goes out the window. If the purpose of implementing robot umpires is to eliminate bad calls then how exactly is this going to work? Do you think a robot standing behind home plate will be able to tell the difference between a ball and a strike? And if so what will their strike zone look like?

And let’s say there’s a bang-bang play at the plate, what kind of view will a robot umpire have to tell the difference between safe and out, especially if the ball and the runner arrive at the same time? Oh and better yet, where's the fun in seeing angry managers curse out robots? I can already see Earl Weaver and Billy Martin rolling in their graves too.

This Rob Manfred moron is slowly killing this game and it’s a damn shame because baseball is pretty awesome. It’s our national pastime. There’s no reason it should be losing this popularity. So now it begs the question, what would I, Henry “Hank” Christopher Indictor, do to truly fix this game and revive it back to its former glory? Well, I’ll tell you!

I think we might as well just state the obvious and that’s the fact that the sport as a whole needs to be marketed a lot better. Find a lot of different ways to promote the game and in doing so you’ll gain a whole variety of generations that will become new fans. Want proof? Just look at how the NBA promotes itself and how it has extended worldwide!

One example, showcase your superstars. Remember the ‘90’s when guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter graced the cover of video games and were featured as faves of the game? Why don’t we see stuff like this with the Mike Trouts or the Bryce Harpers today? And don't play the “he’s stuck with the Angels card." Griffey was a superstar in smaller markets! If I’m sitting in the commissioner seat I for one would want to do whatever it takes to make people want to watch this sport and marketing the superstars can go a long way.

I want to fix attendance, it’s so depressing to see all these empty seats. Why not encourage teams to do promotions such as discounts on team apparel, a hot dog and a beer, or even ticket prices? I could also go on a tangent about certain stadiums (cough cough Yankee Stadium and Citi Field) having those fancy seats behind home plate, but I have a feeling that's unrealistic. After all the commissioner works for the owners and the owners want those “Legends Seats and Moats” because it's all about MONEY!!!!

And I haven't gotten into the fundamental changes. Making the bases bigger, eliminating the shift, the three-batter minimum rule for a relief pitcher, pitch clocks, tampering with the baseballs, and the stupid extra-inning ghost runner? Not only would I eliminate all of these changes but I would use a normal baseball instead of the gimmicky juiced balls.

I do, however, agree with the Universal DH. Nobody goes to a ballpark paying to see pitchers hit -- and it never made sense to have separate rules about that in the AL and NL when last I checked both leagues feature major league teams!

The fact of the matter is Manfred has done way more bad than good and the idea of using robot umpires is just going to continue to drive away the real fans!