In the stands, though, I find myself cringing. Consider what Adam Felder wrote in theatlantic.com: \u201cThrowing a baseball at 90 miles per hour or more at another human being qualifies as \u2018assault with a deadly weapon.\u2019 It\u2019s only between the foul lines that a violent felony is instead viewed as enforcing the game\u2019s unwritten rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once intent is established \u2014 and admittedly, that won\u2019t be easy \u2014 arrest pitchers who throw beanballs. If managers ordered the actions, they too should be arrested.<\/p>\n
This is a legal field with no precedent that I know of. With a future that is uncertain, there\u2019s a way to improve the present. It seems unfair to warn the first offending pitcher and eject the one who retaliates. Therefore, warn both benches at the start of the game and throw out the first headhunter. Though they\u2019re usually not suspended, some pitchers guilty of beanballs have had to sit for as long as 10 games. Let\u2019s make the suspension mandatory and increase it to 20 games. Players will have the right to appeal.<\/p>\n
- \n
- To avoid beanbrawls<\/em>, suspend any batter who rushes the mound for the same 20 games, with appeals allowed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Extend the protective netting in the stands from foul line to foul line. After two near-fatal accidents \u2014 a women hit by a bat fragment, a man struck by a foul ball \u2014 the commissioner\u2019s office in 2015 recommended protective netting that extends from the backstop 70 feet to the near edge of each dugout. Every team had compiled or already had the recommended netting at this writing, and the Twins, Royals and Nationals had extended the netting to the far side of the dugout. That\u2019s not enough. In 2014 alone, according to Bloomberg News research, 1,750 fans were injured at major league ballparks \u2014 some sitting well beyond the dugouts. In a useful precedent, hockey extended netting beyond the glass after a fan was killed by a puck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Ban the \u201ckiss cam,\u201d that obnoxious roaming camera whose images are shown on the scoreboard, while it settles on couples and fans yell at them to smooch (a man with a woman not his wife might object). The National Security Agency couldn\u2019t have done this invasion and distraction any better. If baseball doesn\u2019t end the practice, a fan should go to court on privacy grounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Play all World Series games in the afternoon. Thus will youngsters and oldsters enjoy the game in real time. Thus will the Fall Classic resume its blissfully transgressive effect on workplaces and schools. And here\u2019s the kicker: Afternoon games won\u2019t have significantly lower TV ratings than night games. If you don\u2019t believe me, Google \u201cThe National Past(bed)time\u201d for a Sports Illustrated column on restoring daytime Series games by Jane Bachman Wulf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This column is adapted from Jim Kaplan\u2019s new book, \u201cCLEARING THE BASES: A Veteran Sportswriter on the National Pastime\u201d <\/em>(<\/em>www.levellerspress.com). \u00a0Kaplan can be reached at jkaplan105@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
- Play all World Series games in the afternoon. Thus will youngsters and oldsters enjoy the game in real time. Thus will the Fall Classic resume its blissfully transgressive effect on workplaces and schools. And here\u2019s the kicker: Afternoon games won\u2019t have significantly lower TV ratings than night games. If you don\u2019t believe me, Google \u201cThe National Past(bed)time\u201d for a Sports Illustrated column on restoring daytime Series games by Jane Bachman Wulf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Ban the \u201ckiss cam,\u201d that obnoxious roaming camera whose images are shown on the scoreboard, while it settles on couples and fans yell at them to smooch (a man with a woman not his wife might object). The National Security Agency couldn\u2019t have done this invasion and distraction any better. If baseball doesn\u2019t end the practice, a fan should go to court on privacy grounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Extend the protective netting in the stands from foul line to foul line. After two near-fatal accidents \u2014 a women hit by a bat fragment, a man struck by a foul ball \u2014 the commissioner\u2019s office in 2015 recommended protective netting that extends from the backstop 70 feet to the near edge of each dugout. Every team had compiled or already had the recommended netting at this writing, and the Twins, Royals and Nationals had extended the netting to the far side of the dugout. That\u2019s not enough. In 2014 alone, according to Bloomberg News research, 1,750 fans were injured at major league ballparks \u2014 some sitting well beyond the dugouts. In a useful precedent, hockey extended netting beyond the glass after a fan was killed by a puck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"kaplan\"](\"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kaplan-200x300.jpg\")
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