D-Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall last year "didn't want to publicize his agenda" for increasing baseball's popularity "for fear of perception, that he was lobbying" to become MLB Commissioner, according to Dan Bickley of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Even now, the subject "makes him skittish, not wanting to upstage" new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. But Hall said, "I do think the game needs to speed up. And, of course, technology. Technology is our future. We have to find a way in ballparks to make sure you have an advantage over watching at home or listening in the car so people want to come to the games. But I think we're addressing all of those things." Hall added that batting practice "could be the kind of meet-and-greet you can't get at home, creating a powerful reason to buy tickets." Hall: "When you come to the ballpark, by the time the gates are open, your team is basically off the field. You don't get to watch them take batting practice. And I think the theory has been that fans get to watch players come in that you don't see very often. Yet when you're trying to develop a fan base, you want that connection between your fans and your players. And players spend much more time signing autographs." Bickley wrote Hall's other suggestion "is even more brilliant." He suggested that teams "should take mandatory fielding practice before the game just to showcase their skills and entertain the crowd." Bickley: "Anyone that has witnessed the mesmerizing tapestry of fielding practice immediately understands its visual power" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/15).
AN IDEAS MAN: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, "Got to like his early going in the big chair. He’s not afraid to explore or converse about tough topics. ... Manfred won't be afraid to make changes, popular or unpopular" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/15). In N.Y., Joel Sherman listed Manfred first among his "50 most fascinating figures" in MLB. Manfred is "far removed from any verdict on his tenure a month in," but he "has offered a positive early read by honoring the game’s history without being trapped in it." Manfred has "seen trouble spots and has made it clear in his term’s infancy that there are no sacred cows, that everything is open for discussion." His discussions on potential changes to the game are representative of the "kind of proactive, unafraid-of-change commissioner Manfred appears to be" (N.Y. POST, 2/15).
