If I Were Baseball Commissioner

My birthday is coming up on Thursday, and I have decided for said birthday, I would love to be named Commissioner of baseball.  Don't laugh, I'm serious.  I have several changes in mind, all of which have the best interest of the fan in mind.

I don't have a lot of changes, but several I will pass along.

1.  Salary Cap - Without question this would be the toughest to enact.  The player's union, the MLBPA, is probably the most powerful union on the planet, and I am not exaggerating when I say that.  But tell me what is fair about this.  The Dodgers have a payroll of $336 million, then the Mets with a payroll of $324 million.  Another seven teams have a payroll over $200 million.  Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum, The Pirates, Rays, White Sox, Athletics and Marlins all have a payroll below $100 million.  Where is the equity in that?  Simply put, there isn't any.  The NFL, NBA and the NHL all have a salary cap.  Baseball needs to find a way.

2.  Natural Grass, Everywhere - There are a few places that still have artificial turf.  The Diamondbacks, Rangers, Marlins and Blue Jays all have the plastic stuff.  Hall-of-Famer Richie Allen once said, "If a horse won't eat it, I don't want to play on it."  I'm with you Richie.  If they can play football on grass in Green Bay in December, surely you can play baseball on grass in April in Toronto.

3.  Do away with "theme" uniforms - This is just a thinly-veiled attempt to sell more jerseys.  Put a good product on the field and you don't have to worry about that.  Especially with the salary cap I'm imposing.  Seriously, wear whites at home, grey or blue on the road.  Maybe one colored jersey to wear on occasion.  Keep it simple boys.

4.  Regular uniforms at All-Star game - The last few years MLB has rolled out special all-star uniforms at the mid-summer classic.  They are hideous.  For nearly 90 years, players at the all-star games wore their own team uniforms at the All-Star game.  I never saw Willie Mays or Henry Aaron wear a special jersey.  Fans love seeing their favorite players in their own uniform.  Again, this is just an attempt by MLB to sell more jerseys.  I really hate greed.

5.  Every stadium must have a section of $10 seats - The average price of a ticket at Dodger Stadium is $177.  Head south on I-5 to Anaheim and the average price of a ticket at Angels Stadium is $54.  Hmmmm, I see a problem here.  There are 10 teams in the major leagues where the average price of a ticket is over $100.  Let's say you and the Mrs. want to go to a game and take the two kiddos.  At Dodger Stadium that is $708, just for tickets!  Another $40 or so for parking, then you have to have sodas, beer, hot dogs, maybe a souvenir for the kids.  It is easy to drop $1,000.  Baseball is making it impossible for the average fan to afford a game.  I propose every team must set aside two sections in their ballpark and sell those seats for $10 a piece.  That is showing good will that you are concerned about high prices, and as an owner, you are taking steps to make the game more affordable to your best fans.

6.  Game of the Week every Sunday Night - I don't care if it is ESPN, or Fox, or NBC, or TNT, find a network, and have them commit to televising a game every Sunday night during the regular season.  Some will say, we can't go up against football in September.  Yes you can.  Baseball is the National Pastime, act like it is still relevant.  Don't give in to the other sports.  Perhaps as an incentive, let them broadcast the World Series as well.

7.  World Series games on Saturday must be played in the afternoon - I don't want to hear it.  Yes, you are going up against college football.  But you know what, if you play at night, you are as well, so what is your point.  Baseball is 1,000 times more enjoyable when it is played in the sunshine like God intended.   This point is non-negotiable.

I should mention there are two things I am also dead set against and would love to change, but I think trying to change them would be next to impossible.  One is the DH.   I absolutely despise it.  I hated it when it started in 1973, and I hate in 2025.  Nothing has changed my mind, let the pitchers hit.   

I also despise inter-league play.  That is for spring training and the World Series.  Period.  As a Cardinal fan, I would much rather play the Cubs or Reds six or eight more times a year than have to play three games against the Twins or Athletics.  Unfortunately, like the DH, I fear it is here to stay.

Ok, that gives you plenty to chew on, now let's go to expansion.

I propose going to 32 teams.  That would mean adding two more teams.  I propose one in each league, giving both leagues 16 teams, which we will divide into four divisions with four teams each.

We need a pair of expansion teams, and I am awarding Nashville to the American League and Montreal to the National League.  Just missing out are Portland, San Antonio and Monterrey.  Nashville has plans and ownership in place, and let's face it, Montreal got the short end of the stick when they moved to Washington.  We need baseball back in Montreal.

Two other notes involving three teams.  Tampa Bay doesn't have a place to play, so I am moving them to Charlotte.  Secondly, Milwaukee and Houston will swap leagues.  The Brewers go back to the American where they belong, while the Astros come home to the National where they belong.  Every time I see the Astros play an American League game, I think, this is so wrong. 

Now the new divisional breakdown 

American League

East - Boston, Cleveland, New York, Toronto

South - Baltimore, Charlotte, Nashville, Texas

Central - Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minnesota

West - Anaheim, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Seattle

National League

East - Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

South - Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Washington

Central - Chicago, Colorado, Houston, St. Louis

West - Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

I don't know about you, but that looks pretty good to me.

Ok, now the schedule.  We will still play 162 games.  Each team will play everyone in their division 14 times for a total of 42 games.  They will play six games against everyone else in their respective league, which would be 72 games.  They will play three games against each team in the other league for a total of 48.  That equals 162 games.  Easy peezy.

Each division champion will advance to the playoffs as will the two teams with the next best record, for a total of six in each league.  Youve got to make the regular season mean something.

The two first-place finishers with the best record will receive first-round byes.  The remaining two first-place finishers will play the two-wild cards in a best-of-three.

The Division Series will be a best-of-five, while the Championship Series and World Series will remain a best-of-seven.

Ok, those are my proposals.  Feel free to write your favorite owner and tell them you know a guy..... well, you know what I mean.

Have a great week.  Be nice to each other.