The couple things MLB has to stay on top of are marketing their players and making sure you have a pipeline of American born players coming through. The NBA does a masterful job of marketing their superstars. MLB has guys like Trout, Kershaw, Harper, Stanton, Betts and Bryant that they should be cramming in our faces. My wife couldn't pick one out of a line up, but she sure knows who Lebron is, or Shaq. As for American players, teams have to invest more in this country when it comes to developing players. So many Latin born players. 25% is a ton.
There is one major flaw with the NBA's superstar strategy. When you build your game around star players, you set yourself up for failure if you don't have similar players going forward. Example: When the NBA and Nike made MJ into a global superstar, it was a boon for the league. He became one of the most well known names in sports history, but it also created a massive vacuum when he retired.... all three times. When you put certain players on a pedestal you are creating a world where you have to have those players on the court to be successful. We are seeing this problem manifest itself right now with teams resting their star players and the league being unhappy about that. We see it in how the refs approach the game and how they coddle the star players. We see it in essentially the manufacturing of star players, like James Harden. There's no way that dude should be putting up 25 FTA in a game. That's absurd. There are some major issues with making the players the key component of the game, and we see it constantly with the NBA. I much more appreciate the way MLB approaches their sport, and how they have tried to preserve the integrity of the game, rather than corrupt the game in order to promote their star players.
I spent 2 years living in Mexico. Most of the time living in very isolated areas with very small populations, small fishing villages. Baseball was their favorite game, a close second was soccer. I was very surprised by the high level of understanding they had of the strategies involved in baseball. And this was before satellites brought TV to their remote areas and they could watch a lot of games. In contrast, when I played basketball with the same locals, no one had heard of a pick and roll play. Everyone wanted to play like MJ. No team strategy, just hero solo plays.
Maybe no kids rushing out to play on the streets. However there are Co. workers that get together and have a softball season though.
Hey how's the first 2 weeks of the season going? I'm sure suuuuper exciting! Did I miss anything? Oh no? Oh well I've got 8,423 games left to watch right?
Well. Aroldis Chapman just threw 103 mph and I am trying to see it on replay. Glad I don't have to stare that down.
I was trying to think of a comparison..... I'm not sure if jumping high is a good one because I don't know if it has the same impact that being able to throw 103 mph would have for a pitcher. I know that HCP asked for a basketball comparison, but in terms of football it's like a kicker being able to kick from 70 yards out accurately. Maybe if a player could shoot from half court consistently?
I think the "jumping high" analogy is best--jumping high doesn't automatically mean you're great, but it's a great tool combined with actual skill. Similarly, throwing 103 doesn't guarantee pitching success, but it means a lot if combined with actual skill. Shooting from half court consistently is way, way too much impact. You'd essentially break the game if you could do that. Chapman is good, but hasn't remotely broken the game.
Maybe.... I still don't really like jumping high, simply because I look at a 103 mph fastball as being very imposing. There have been plenty of dudes in the NBA who could jump high. I think the reason why comparing the NBA to MLB is so tough is because it's apples to oranges. Pitcher vs batter is a unique storyline that's hard to find in basketball. Would you compare it to an ISO between two players? Maybe an insane crossover would be a better comparison? Or a ridiculously good first step?
Great first step seems ideal, actually. Just like incredible velocity, it gives the player a big edge right off the bat, putting the other player at an immediate disadvantage that they have to adjust for.
Yeah. AI's crossover is a great example. If we are going to football maybe an even better one would be Dan Marino's quick release. That's probably the best sport's quivalent. If you were too young or don't remember, look it up. Dan Marino's release had to be the quickest in NFL history.
