. Evaluate this statement: Anthony Rendon was right — the season is too long.
|
Evaluate this statement: Anthony Rendon was right — the season is too long.
98 votes
Yes 31.6%
No 68.3%
Source: The Athletic survey of active players
Though he may be an imperfect messenger, Rendon’s comments earlier this year on the length of the MLB season resonated with many and sparked vigorous conversations both online and off.
“There’s too many dang games — 162 games and 185 days or whatever it is,” Rendon told the Jack Vita podcast in January. “Man, no. We gotta shorten this bad boy up.”
The logistics and odds of that happening aside, it is an interesting question. Is the modern MLB season too long?
Almost one-third of those polled agreed with Rendon. Some respondents offered that 140-150 games would be ideal, while a few even suggested 120 would be a better target. Several admitted that they thought the season was too long but acknowledged it would be too difficult to change for historical and record-keeping purposes and ultimately voted “no.”
However, the overwhelming view of those we polled was that the schedule is fine as is. “I think (the season) feels long, but I also think it’s fair for everyone,” said an AL pitcher. ”It’s part of the grind. It’s part of what makes it so hard.”
And for at least one anonymous baseball diehard, the question didn’t even compute.
“Is the season too long? It’s not long enough.”
In their own words
Those who voted Yes:
“It’s a grind and a half. But I think there’s worse things that we could be doing.”
“Yes, but that’s the easy way out. We get paid a lot of money.”
“There’s no reason we can’t reformat it to make it 120-125 games with more off days and recovery. The game is made for us to get hurt … But it would ruin records, and the world likes records.”
“There’s a lot of layers to that. I don’t think it’s as easy as yes or no. But I would say that he’s right.”
“I think maybe we could use like 15 fewer games and start camp later. Spring training is too long.”
“He’s right. I think cut out like 10 games. That’s all. Nothing crazy. I think September gets a little washy at the end.”
Those who voted No:
“It’s long, but I don’t see a problem with it. It’s not like football where they get their asses beat.”
“The length of the season is what kind of separates the big boys from the one-timers. That’s what makes like a Gerrit Cole special, 32 starts every year.”
“I’ve never been a position player, so I can’t comment on how they feel after an entire season, but 32+ starts is perfect.”
“F— that. I get paid more.”
“We’ve been doing this for 150 years. Anyone who complains is soft.”
“I don’t mind the 162 part, but I think the schedule could be spread out even longer.”
|
Responses:
|
