Beschwerden » combined with brilliant individual displays, is w

ESPNs Buster Olney is on vacation this week, but hes still compiling roundups. View Wednesdays roundup here.Baseball is the greatest game in the world. If you need proof, look no further than the fact that baseball, like no other sport, has an amazing capacity to spark genuine and even heated debate. Baseball fans and media like nothing more than to talk about what is good and bad about the game. The designated hitter rule has been with us since 1973. Forty-three years later, fans regularly and passionately weigh in on whether the rule is good: Should it be expanded or eliminated? I have stacks of fan mail on both sides of the issue, and I can always count on a DH question to energize a news conference.Buster Olney recently co-hosted Mike & Mike with Mike Greenberg, and they devoted the better part of two shows to a discussion of what should be changed in baseball. When they asked me to participate, I gladly accepted. Those of you who listened to the program know that I was not supportive of some of the suggestions put forward but was receptive to many others, such as rule adjustments regarding relievers and alterations to the All-Star Game. I hope I left the impression that I am open-minded to the possibility of making changes to the national pastime.I believe there is a clear distinction between giving thoughtful consideration to an idea and deciding to move forward with it. Its good to have a healthy conversation about baseball and the way it is played today. But that conversation should take place against the backdrop of three fundamental points.First, a major part of baseballs appeal is its history and tradition. While adjustments can be made to protect and improve the game, we must always give due respect to history and tradition. Each July, I go to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend. A visit to the great Hall of Fame Museum and the opportunity to spend time with the greatest living legends of our game serve as an annual reminder of the importance of the history and tradition of the game.Second, baseball is a healthy sport. Each year more than 73 million people attend major league games, and another 41 million go to minor league parks. Our in-park experience remains the best in professional sports. MLB.com is widely regarded as the best digital offering in sports. And while we are continuing our efforts to increase youth participation, more kids age 12 and under play baseball and softball than any other sport, and of the estimated 58.1 million children in the U.S. between the ages of 5 and 17, 45 million (78 percent) have played baseball/softball in some form at some point in their lives. While baseball can be improved, it certainly does not need to be fixed.Third, some traditionalists talk about changing the game as if the alternative is to maintain some static, pure form of play. The fact is that the game has changed and is continuing to change -- in my view, at an accelerating rate. Games have become longer. In 1975, the average game was 2 hours and 30 minutes. Now the average game is three hours. In 1988, 272 pitches were thrown in an average game. Today, the strategy of working counts and taking pitches means that it takes an additional 22 pitches to complete that same game. Back in 1988, the average major league club used 17 pitchers over the course of the season. In 2015, the average club used 27 pitchers. We are seeing less of our star starting pitchers, more delays for pitching changes, and less action at exciting points late in the game.Today, major league players are hitting home runs at a record pace, but the number of balls put in play is at a historic low. There have been more strikeouts this season than in any other season in baseball history since 1871. Offensive strategies like situational hitting and stealing bases, which often create exciting moments for fans, are less prevalent today than at any point since the Year of the Pitcher in 1968. These changes have occurred not due to new rules but almost exclusively because of decisions made by creative general managers and managers in an effort to win as many games as possible.So the question is not whether there should be change -- the game is going to change and evolve no matter what. The question is whether to let the change happen or, instead, to manage the change. For me, the answer is easy: Those of us charged with the enormous responsibility of protecting the great game of baseball have an obligation to manage change so that the beauty of our game is preserved in a way that future generations continue to embrace the sport. We will confront difficult choices in discharging this responsibility, and we will make the right choices because our guiding principle will always be the best interests of the fans. Paul George Shoes Free Shipping . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Paul George Shoes For Sale . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/ . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Paul George Shoes Deals . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Paul George Shoes From China . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. The performances of the two Great Britain sides at Sevens and the City has given head coach Simon Amor a selection headache as the clock ticks down to the deadline for confirming the 12-man group that will head to Rio 2016.The GB Lions side defeated GB Royals 27-14 on Saturday with the exercise giving Amor and assistant coach Gareth Williams a chance to run the rule over 24 of the squad ahead of next weekends Exeter Sevens.With Team GB set to name their squads for the Olympics on July 19, Amor is running out of time as he decides just who will make the cut for Rio 2016.Both teams were pushing for the win, you could see how much the outcome meant to them, Amor said after last weekends Sevens tournament. Individuals clearly wanted to perform well but it was the team win that they desperately wanted and that was clear in the way the Lions celebrated their victory at the end.It was brilliant, it shows how close all the guys have become in a short space of time and that, combined with brilliant individual displays, is what you want as a coach.He addded: We have learned a lot more today about how different players operate with each other.dddddddddddd It was also great to see Charlie Hayter and James Rodwell back in the mix and Joseva Nayacavou bringing his x-factor. It gives Gareth and I plenty to think about over the coming days as we focus preparations now on Exeter.Luke Treharne skippered the Lions to their tournament win with James Rodwell, Lee Jones, Gavin Lowe and Mark Robertson (two) all crossing in the final. Tom Mitchell captained the Royals with Phil Burgess (two) and Dan Norton scoring.GB Lions: Richard de Carpentier, Charlie Hayter, Lee Jones, Warwick Lahmert, Gavin Lowe, Ruaridh McConnochie, Joseva Nayacavou, Scott Riddell, Mark Robertson, James Rodwell, Luke Treharne, Marcus WatsonGB Royals: Cory Allen, Mark Bennett, Dan Bibby, Phil Burgess, Sam Cross, James Davies, Alex Davis, Alex Gray, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Tom Mitchell, Luke Morgan, Dan Norton ' ' '