Member-only story
Enliven MLB with the Return of Infield Chatter
It’s time to expand the game’s fanbase.
Back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I played little league baseball, infield chatter was a thing. For some reason our manager wanted us to do it. On occasion, we would try it but our half-hearted attempts usually ended after a few pitches.
And what did that chatter consist of? Chants of, “Hey batter, batter batter, swing!” And occasionally the batter would comply and rip a line shot that we would inevitably misplay. I don’t recall ever seeing a hitter swing at a bad pitch because of the power of our suggestion.
I also don’t ever recall seeing infield chatter on a major league level. It’s hard to imagine guys making $20 million a year hollering, “Hey batter, batter, batter swing!” Plus, I suspect that hitters might get annoyed at the chatter and complain to the union.
But what if MLB took a different approach? I’m talking about meaningful infield chatter. What if infield chatter consisted of stuff that would be genuinely distracting? Not only would it add a skill set to MLB, but it could also make chatter a meaningful part of the game.
It could also add a new position to MLB teams, team writers. A research staff could also be employed to delve into opponents' personal lives so as provide meaningful material…
