Well, Browns do land hard.

The part that makes me most sad is that not one person in the process from concept to implementation spoke up and said, “Guys, I don’t think we should do this.”

I find it rather depressing.

Would you need the league to agree to it, or could there be a chance it’s imposed by the government as part of the unique anti-trust status they grant these leagues?

It would be far superior if the league controlled this instead of just writing it in to the city contracts.

Those are possibly easy things to tax because they’re not necessities. You don’t need to gamble, you don’t need to buy pot. You don’t need hotel rooms. (Especially if you’re the local people passing the tax on theoretically “someone else’s money”.)

Simple idea: No team can move to a new market until they “clear waivers” and are offered for sale to anyone who would keep them there.

Wow that sure sounds like the type of chaos Billy Martin would do! I love it.

I really recall it was the start of a game, and that 86 one was in late extra innings running out of players.

Third option: they just wanted to “own the libs”.

Yeah, like bunt against the shift towards the pitcher standing at third...  it can’t be that easy, can it?

Shifting is so impactful you have a whole fielder to spare.

I vaguely recall a game, around 1990 or so, where a team started a second pitcher in the outfield.

I think the first comment is suggesting that they’d have to check the charts on the pinch hitter and find a position to shift Romo to.  That’s legal - nothing stops you from shifting your 3B into right field for no reason.

Oh I fully understand how they got pranked. Played like a harp in some cases.

I still don’t get how politicians aren’t ahead of this.

If you have to bat your pitcher at that moment, I can see an argument it’s better than having him swing for the fences.

Well at the end of 2011 they certainly didn’t look like a team ready to cash out Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford to the Dodgers.  So I completely blame 2012 all by itself.

For me, it always triggers memories of Jose Canseco. So not all that much of a problem. :)

Did he try a suicide squeeze? Cause I can at least see an argument that you’ve got an experienced bunter in that situation.