Rozner: Manfred's 'new rules' only destroy what's great about baseball

For the love of Willie Mays and all that's holy, what is Rob Manfred trying to do to baseball?

This is a serious question.

Oh, we know what he says it's about. Growing the game, getting young people interested in baseball, competing with Fortnite and Apex Legends.

And forcing a pitcher to face a minimum of three batters is absolutely the answer.

Congratulations, Mr. Commissioner, you've cracked the code.

Beginning in 2020, a pitcher can't be removed from a game until he throws to three hitters, unless the inning ends or his shoulder is struck by lightning, in which case Manfred will prohibit paramedics from taking the field for fear of slowing the contest.

Pace of play issue, to be sure.

Managers will be allowed to replace the injured hurler, presumably stepping over the body to reach the mound. Ensuring no one games the system, Manfred will want to see a corpse or an MRI, or an MRI of the corpse, and said player will be banished for eternity.

This is just one of several new rules that will be in place to fix a game that a year ago Manfred said “does not need fixing.”

Make up your mind, boss, or try speaking from just one side of your mouth.

“Whenever you impact strategy, I don't like that,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told the media in Arizona, in reference to the three-batter rule. “The pace of the game, I'm all about it. The length of the game, I don't think it really matters. Strategy should be left alone.”

Yeah, so what happens when you bring in a pitcher with the bases loaded and he walks the first hitter on 4 pitches? Sorry, he has to keep throwing balls.

It might cost you a game, but c'mon, pace of play, ya know.

It might cost you a division title. It might cost you a postseason berth. No one need remind Cub fans that a single game can make a difference.

But never mind the integrity of baseball. This might shorten the game by a minute and that's going to sell a lot more tickets.

Sure it will.

The real problem here is Manfred is not a baseball guy, which is why he sees no beauty in the sport. He doesn't know anything about pace or length of game. He just knows he wants a faster pace and a faster game.

And that's because he doesn't care about baseball.

Let's go back to how he got the job in the first place. It was a gift from his predecessor, Bud Selig, who in return — or maybe it's just a happy coincidence — received a $6 million pension.

It was said of Selig that he knew how to get things done, because he would bribe 10 owners, promise another 10 and threaten the last 10.

Playing sides against each other, brother against brother, owner against owner, and frequently loose with the truth, he cajoled and conspired to get things done.

Jerry Reinsdorf wanted Tom Werner to succeed Selig, goes the story, but Selig — who rarely disagreed with Reinsdorf — is thought to have settled on Manfred for a number of reasons.

Perhaps, six million reasons.

Still, Selig for all his very many faults and extraordinary greed truly loved baseball. You never get that feeling with Manfred.

If he's making half Selig's final salary, which was $22 million, you can see why Manfred is so busy trying to keep his job instead of doing his job.

Aside from the three-batter minimum for pitchers, Manfred has come down from the mountain top and declared between-inning breaks will be reduced from 2 minutes, 5 seconds to — wait for it — 2 minutes.

Well, raise my rent. That is a very big deal.

Yes, the 5-second savings will entice high school kids to watch baseball instead of Netflix.

This is truly brilliant.

There is also some nonsense about enticing players financially to participate in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. Yes, now that you paid the players more, people will suddenly care about an exhibition.

And there will be very important rules additions for exactly how and when a position player can pitch.

This is Rob Manfred saving baseball. Really, you just can't make this stuff up.

Meanwhile, the biggest issue in the game remains availability of the product, as has been stated here many times.

If you want to grow baseball, make every game available on every device — mobile or otherwise — in every market at every moment with absolutely zero blackouts or restrictions, whether in a stadium or on Mars.

Fans — and gamblers — want to buy your product and you won't let them.

While we wait for progress on this issue, silence from New York. Too busy saving 5 seconds between innings or 3 seconds between pitches.

Outstanding.

What Manfred will never understand — they didn't teach this in labor law classes — is baseball is a beautiful game that you learn to love because your mom or dad took you to games.

They sat with you and watched games on TV, rooting for their favorite team and teaching you strategy.

They played catch with you and pitched to you.

That's how you grow the game.

Nothing says Manfred has to love baseball. Doesn't even have to like it, apparently. Not in his contract. But he can do anything he wants to it.

It will never be a video game and these ridiculous alterations are merely change for the sake of it, as proof to those who pay Manfred many millions of dollars that he's a genius.

It's really quite pathetic.