Brett Stupakevich’s Post

It had been 635 days since I last saw the St. Louis Cardinals in North America. And it was great to be back! The new product Major League Baseball (MLB) is putting out there is fantastic. They wanted more action and quicker games, and they got it. The old MLB: - 3+ hour games - Minimal base stealing - Way too many hard hit balls becoming outs The new MLB: - 2 hour and 30 minute games - 40% increase in base stealing attempts - More hits resulting in more base runners So how did an organization that has been around for well over 100 years make such remarkable improvements in less than 2 years? They were willing to make changes to decades old traditions and ways of playing baseball. The MLB: - Instituted a pitch clock. - Limited the number of disengagements by pitchers and batters. - Made the bases 2 inches bigger. - Banned the shift. None of these changes alone were extremely drastic but together they made a massive impact on the product the MLB produced. It’s never too late to make improvements. CTA - What are your thoughts on the changes the MLB made? What are some future changes they should make? #baseball #change #family P.S. While the result wasn’t what we were hoping for, it was nice to be back before 10 pm. That would have never happened with the old MLB.

My favorite trivia question as a kid was: There are only 2 days a year when none of the 4 major sports have a game. Can you name them? Scroll down for the answer. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Answer: The day before the MLB All-Star game & the day after. In other words, today! Be honest? Did you know it? PS: As a former college baseball player, national champion, and memorizer of Field of Dreams, I've always favored baseball. Check out the first comment below to see how many baseball and softball people I have featured on One Percent Better.

The Cam Booser story. Here is the sparknotes. Brief summary, the sports career of Cam Booser sports was riddled with adversity, injury after injury. He was able to get signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins in 2013. He never made it above high A. He then walked away from baseball for 2.5 days years. Then by coaching youth baseball he realized he could still hit 90 mph. He got in with a Indy ball team, the Chicago Dogs. After proving himself in Indy ball, the Boston Red Sox in 2023 signed him to a minor league deal. April 19th, he made his MLB debut at 31 closing out a Red Sox win. Two things had to happen for this feel good story to be all over the sports world. 1. Preparation 2. Opportunity Preparation + Opportunity = Success I am of course biased because the Red Sox organization raised me. I could never and still can’t hit a 98 mph fastball, but the Red Sox developed me for life. This story does not happen without an organization like the Red Sox. The Red Sox system does more than just field minor league teams to develop their high draft picks, they find players from places no one else would look. This is my point. In the business world, the same formula the Red Sox used to develop a pitcher can be used to develop “big league” talent for your organization. Find PREPARED talent, then develop and refine those talents. #baseball #sportsbusiness #talentdevelopment #buildingchampions https://lnkd.in/e-JW5i8H

Several Major League Baseball records are now held by Josh Gibson as he and other Negro Leagues legends officially join the all-time leaderboards. The statistics of more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players launch today (Wed. 5/29) in a newly integrated MLB database that presents records from seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-48 with longstanding AL & NL records. Articles: -Via MLB "What to know about Negro Leagues stats entering MLB record" (MLB) https://rb.gy/6spdf7 -Via Washington Post "Negro Leagues stats are now MLB stats. Here’s how the record book changed." https://wapo.st/4e24Zus (gift article) #MLB #baseball #NegroLeague #statistics #history #sportshistory

Humility, presence and focus. These 3 qualities create unbelievable results. Baseball megastar Shohei Ohtani shows us this. I recall a similar story with another sports megastar, hockey player Wayne Gretzky. He spoke about how he could see where the puck was going to go. What would happen if our leaders were like this? How would business strategies move the world forward rather than playing the old games to win while everyone loses? What would happen if government leaders could see clearly the patterns that are unfolding on our planet? If you would like to develop more humility, presence and focus in service of our shared future, let's talk. https://lnkd.in/ga8zWgRS #degrowth #refeel

Baseball, America's pastime, is transforming. ⚾ In a bid to capture the fleeting attention of the TikTok generation, the MLB introduced a pitch clock to speed up the game. It's a move that has purists clutching their pearls and statisticians recalibrating their spreadsheets. The Fast and the Furious: MLB Edition In an era where a 10-second video is considered a lengthy commitment, the MLB is trying to make baseball more palatable to the youth. The pitch clock is their latest attempt to keep the game under three hours because apparently, that's the magic number where attention spans completely disintegrate. A Race Against Time Pitchers, once the maestros of the mound, taking their sweet time between throws, are now racing against the clock. It's like watching an episode of Chopped, where the chef has to whip up a gourmet meal before the timer goes off. Except here, it's a fastball instead of a soufflé. The Purists vs. The Progressives The introduction of the pitch clock has sparked a debate between baseball purists and progressives. Purists argue that the beauty of baseball lies in its leisurely pace, where every pitch is a chess move. Progressives, conversely, are popping popcorn, thrilled at the prospect of a game that doesn't require a calendar invite. The Bottom Line Whether you're a fan of the change or a staunch traditionalist, one thing is clear: the MLB is determined to make baseball a quick fix rather than a slow burn. As the pitch clock ticks down, we're left to wonder, will this be a home run for the MLB, or will it strike out with fans? So, what's your take? Are you team pitch clock, or are you yearning for the days when baseball games were a test of endurance? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to End of the Bench Sports!

We get a lot of questions about our Negro Leagues data. The Negro Leagues were major leagues, but they were definitely not the same as the AL & NL. Those differences are important to recognize and celebrate. This new page aims to do that. The page answers questions like: Which Negro Leagues are classified as major? Why are the Negro Leagues classified as major? How was the Negro Leagues data on Baseball Reference recorded? Which games are included in the Negro Leagues data set? Why do Negro League players and teams have fewer games per season? Why do some Negro League players (or teams) have gaps in their records? How many home runs did Josh Gibson hit? How do Negro League leaderboard qualifications work? Where does Josh Gibson appear on the all-time leaderboards? How does the Negro Leagues data differ from other major league data? What updates have been made to the Negro Leagues data? Have more questions? Please let us know. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gCGnYGJ7

Play ball! ⚾️ This article is all about star players and their homes. ⭐️ We just thought it was a fun read and had to share. Go Phillies and Diamondbacks. What MLB team are you rooting for this season? Let us know in a comment!

Play ball! ⚾️ This article is all about star players and their homes. ⭐️ We just thought it was a fun read and had to share. Go Phillies and Diamondbacks. What MLB team are you rooting for this season? Let us know in a comment!