Of course, the survey covered much more. I hope you enjoy the read. (Special shout out to Google Forms – great survey tool.)<\/em><\/p>\n —- THE BALL PARK … WHERE AND WHEN RESPONDENTS PREFER TO TAKE IN A GAME —\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Fans are headed out the ballpark – and what kind of atmosphere are they hoping for?\u00a0 Baseball Roundtable Fan Survey respondents indicated they would (slightly) prefer a day game over a night game; have a significant preference for outdoor baseball (We Minnesotans can relate to that one<\/em>); and overhwlemingly prefer natural grass to artificial turf.\u00a0 Here are the details.<\/p>\n Day games were preferred over night games 39.7 percent to 21.3 percent – but it’s significant to note that 39 percent also said they had no preference, and that it would depend on their schedule.\u00a0 (Darn work! They always expect you to show up.)<\/em> Just over 70 percent of the respondents preferred an outdoor ballpark. Another 12 percent went for a retractable roof. (Best of both worlds? Perhaps.)<\/em><\/span> —- THE OLD BALL GAME—-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What kind of game did respondents want to see once they got to the ballyard?\u00a0 Ideally, a competitive contest (slight edge to pitchers’ duels) of about 2 1\/2 hours in length.\u00a0 \u00a0And, when it comes to action – despite today’s hard-throwing\/free swinging trend toward more and more strikeouts and home runs (MLB is setting records for both this season)<\/em> –\u00a0 survey respondents far preferred to see double plays over double whiffs and and were evenly split on the merits of seeing consecutive home runs or consecutive triples.<\/p>\n What follows are the totals for this portion of the survey.<\/p>\n What did respondents see as the ideal length (in time, not innings) for a ballgame?\u00a0 More than one-in-four respondents (28.5 percent) said 2 1\/2 hours is just about right. Notably, a two-hour and 15-minute game was preferred by fewer (4.3 percent) than either a three-hour (8.5 percent) or a 2-hour and 45-minute matchup (8.5 percent).\u00a0 About one-in-six would perfer to go back to the old “two-hours, give-or-take” ball game.\u00a0 The big winner, however, was “Who cares, you’re at the ballpark” – at 38 percent. It appears fans may be spending less time looking at their watches (or cell phone clocks) than we think. (Many are, however, spending plenty of time on their smart phones. Nothing like a selfie or tweet at the ballpark, especially if you are in “hot” foul ball territory.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Here are the answers to the fans’ take on the ideal length of a ball game.<\/p>\n When it comes to choosing between a slugfest, pitchers’ duel or a crushing home team win, it appears just “being at the ballpark” may be rewarding enough for nearly 42 percent of the respondents.\u00a0 Second in the category of what kind of game would fans prefer to see was a tight, low-scoring game at 36.9 percent, more than double the 15.6 percent who would opt for a slugfest.\u00a0 A competitive game was the common denominator, as only 5.7 percent preferred a home team rout.<\/p>\n Baseball Roundtable Fan Survey respondents leaned toward the National League style of basesball, with 49.6 percent preferring the NL style of play to 27 percent favoring that American League style and 23.4 percent having no preference.\u00a0 Next survey, I believe I’ll ask for opinions on what separates the two styles.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n When it comes to long balls or speedy trips around the bases, respondents were pretty evenly split between the preference for seeing back-to-back home runs or back-to-back triples.\u00a0 Ideal, I guess, would be back-to-back inside-the-park home runs.<\/em><\/p>\n Photo by roy.luck<\/a> In these posts, I often go on (maybe a little too long) on how a baseball game isn’t complete for me until I see a solid groundball double play. Hooray, I found some support among respondents.\u00a0<\/em> When it came to choosing between seeing consecutive strikeouts on 95-mph heaters or a 6-4-3 double play; the double play far outdistanced the strikeouts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When it came to witnessing record-tying peerformances at the ballpark, respondents again relegated strikeouts to the back seat. As the two charts below indicate, with a chance to witness history at the ballyard, respondents would be most excited about a pitcher’s perfect game.\u00a0 And, for the most part, hitter’s cycles, four-homer games and three-steal innings outdistanced such achievements as twenty-strikeout games, ten-consecutive strikeouts and Immaculate Innings.\u00a0 Four-homer games, I am confident, would have fared better if not put in the same multiple choice query as perfect games.<\/em><\/p>\n —BALLPARK FOOD AND DRINK—<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I also asked about food and beverage choices, but with all there is at ballparks these days –\u00a0I do a post on just the Twins’ “new” food and drink offerings each year –\u00a0<\/em>some may queston the validity of these questions.\u00a0 The answers reflected the heart and history of the national pastime – beer and hot dogs at the ball park.<\/p>\n There still is nothing like a beer at the ballpark – the number-one beverage in the survey, even if you combine regular and diet soda into one category.\u00a0 I was surprised by the nearly 20 percent who selected bottled water.\u00a0 It’s a new day, I guess.\u00a0 Those who follow this blog know I traditionally rate each ball park’s Bloody Mary, so I’m in the 3.6 percent “mixed drink” crowd.\u00a0 A few of the write-ins included: iced tea; Frosty Malts (never thought of those as beverages – but there is nothing like the combination of chocolate, malt and a wooden spoon); <\/em>and “My own reusable water bottle.”\u00a0 My apologies to many for not including wine on the list … but I do not see a lot of wine at ball games, so the grape slipped under the radar.<\/em> Photo by TheCulinaryGeek<\/a> The survey indicated beer and hot dogs (or some form of portable sausage) remain a baseball tradition. Hot dogs (or sausages) were listed as a preferred food by 60 perent of the respondents. “Something New and Different” finished second at 12.9 percent.\u00a0 Here’s the full results:<\/p>\n There were also a number of write-ins, including Cracker Jack, popcorn, nachos, ice cream sandwich, seeds, chicken tenders, “something healthy and inexpensive,” the very specific “beef sandwich at Yankee Stadium,” and “I sneak in my own food.” (Could be the same respondent as the reusable watter bottle.)<\/em>\u00a0 One thing for sure, no need for anyone to go hungry at a ball game. (No comment on prices here. Maybe in the next fan survey.)<\/em><\/p>\n —HOW ABOUT FREEBIES?—<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Something free at the ball park? What’ll it be.\u00a0 No surprise here, bobbleheads lead the way – the favorite of 34.1 percent of respondents.\u00a0 Also finishing strong were: baseball caps and replica jerseys.\u00a0 For me anything free is a bonus – kind of like (but not as good as) extra innings. Here are the responses:<\/p>\n Among the write-ins were baseball card packs; visors; ice chest (that was a pretty specific response)<\/em>; something made in the USA; and “I don’t go for giveaways.”<\/p>\n KEEPING SCORE – ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Photo by Paul L Dineen<\/a> Okay, I admit I’m biased.\u00a0 I love to keep score.\u00a0 So, in fact, does my daughter, who’s been filling out scorecards at ball games since she was nine-years-old.\u00a0 I used to love the looks of other fathers whose young sons were more interested in the mascot, graphics and games on the video board or cotton candy vendors than the game, while my daughter was dutifully noting every K, 6-4-3 or 2B on her scorecard.\u00a0 We always had to arrive early, so we could finish our food and drink before it was time to fill out the lineup.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Now, I do lament that I see very view scorecards or scorebooks at the games anymore, but the survey was at least a bit heartening.\u00a0 (Although you have to take into account the the respondents were drawn from followers of Baseball Roundtable and fellow members of groups like The Baseball Reliquary, Baseball Fans of America and SABR’s Halsey Hall Chapter.\u00a0 So it’s a little skewed.)\u00a0 However, at least among survey respondents, just over 30 percent said they “always” or “usually” kept score.\u00a0 That warms my heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n —THE HALL OF FAME … SHOULD THEY BE IN? —<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Now, we’re moving into the more complex issues in the survey, starting with a question on whether respondents would\u00a0 vote to put specific players in the Hall of Fame – specifically Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens. No need for commentary here, the votes speak on their own.\u00a0 Only Jackson would get the 75 percent needed for election.<\/p>\n We also asked fans to: Name one player who isn’t in the Basebal;Hall of Fame who should be.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n A total of 124 respondents wrote in an answer to this one –\u00a0 coming up with 43 different names, ranging from Pete Rose to Marvin Miller to Johnny Kling.\u00a0 Here are the top ten, with the total “mentions” in parenthesis. (Side note:\u00a0 BBRT was surprised that neither 283-game winner Jim Kaat nor Trevor Hoffman and his 601 saves made the top ten.)<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01. Pete Rose (36)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a02. Barry Bonds (11)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03. Alan Trammell (8)*<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a04. Joe Jackson (7)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05. Dick Allen (5)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05. Edgar Martinez (5)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Fred McGriff (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Gile Hodgers (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Dave Concepcion (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Tony Oliva (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Lou Whitaker (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Dale Murphy (3)<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a06. Mark McGwire (3)<\/p>\n * A surprise here. With Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker most often mentioned in the same sentence, Trammell got more than twice as many “mentions” here as Whitaker.<\/p>\n —THE RULES\u00a0 … OLD SCHOOL OR NEW—<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Now, let’s move on to a look at some of MLB’s rules that seem to generate conversation – and at times controversey – among baseball fans. Depite being around for four decades, the DH rule continues to generate considerable debate and generated the widest split among respondents,with fairly equal numbers calling for no DH, the DH in both leagues and the current split. The two Wild Card system garnered the highest level of support (two-thirds of respondents liked it), while the new “wave the batter to first” intentional walk rule was opposed by more than 60 percent.\u00a0 Here’s a look at the survey questions (and responses) related to a handful of MLB rules.<\/p>\n First, the Designated Hitter<\/strong> – part of the American League rules since 1973.\u00a0 Still plenty of debate here, with 35.5 percent thinking the DH should be dropped altogether, 27.7 percent wanting to see the DH in both leagues and another 34 percent preferring the current situation.\u00a0 Looks like we’ll be talking about this for some time yet.<\/em><\/p>\n When it comes to interleague play<\/strong>, we also saw a fairly strong split, leaning just a bit (51.4 percent) toward interleague action. Notably, respondents did volunteer a few suggestions for improving interleague play. Those included having each division’s teams play the same teams from the other league each season (to balance competition); having\u00a0 every team play each team in the other league at least once each season; and limiting interleague action to one game on any given day.\u00a0 The current two Wild Card system<\/strong> was a hit, liked by 66.7 percent of respondents and opposed by about one-in-four. Clearly, fans like the way the Wild Card opportunity keeps more teams “in the race” until late in the season.\u00a0 Being a Twins’ fan, it worked for me this year – but I’d kind of like the Wild Card to be two-of-three, so we’d be guaranteed at least one home game out of it.\u00a0<\/em> The new rule allowing a batter to be waved to first drew the most opposition in the fan survey, with just over 60 percent (62.1 percent) opposing it, while about one-third were “fine” with the new rule.\u00a0 Personally, I don’t care much for it. I’ve seen enough go wrong (or right, depending on your vantage point) during the old-style intentional pass to want to see it played out.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"DayNight\"](\"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IndoorOutdoor.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/span>Natural Grass – Oh Yeah!<\/strong><\/p>\nSlugger Dick (Richie) Allen once gave this evaluation of artifical turf, “If a horse won’t eat it, I won’t play on it.”\u00a0 The Baseball Roundtable survey respondents feel pretty much the same way. Asked for their preference, an overhwelming 93.6 percent said “Natural Grass;” 5.7 percent had “No Major Preference;” and one lone respondent selected “Artificial Turf.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/small><\/p><\/div>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/small><\/p><\/div>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>This next one surprised me, as 63.6 percent of respondents were fine with the current challenge\/video replay system – and only 20 percent would prefer to get rid of it. You’ll notice the total in the chart below does not add up to 100 percent.\u00a0 That because about 10 percent wrote in answers – for the most part indicating they were okay with the system if the process could be completed in a more timely (much more timely for most) manner.<\/p>\n