Rozner: Get used to these new baseball rules

Major League Baseball would rather you not notice the contradictions.

They would prefer you just go along with the alterations and not really pay attention to the way in which they're making fundamental changes to the game.

Especially because those in charge want to make these modifications permanent.

It was easy for a short season to change the playoff format, extra-inning rules, add the DH and all of the other “fixes” under the guise of keeping players safe and finishing the season -- and games -- as quickly as possible.

Of course, putting a runner on second to start the 10th inning will shorten extra-inning games and save some arms -- in theory -- but going to a 16-team playoff tournament is not going to get teams home faster.

Sort of like allowing players to stand next to one another at first base, behind the plate or in the dugout, but threatening the same players with automatic suspension if they decide to start a brawl because that violates all sorts of social distancing policies.

But sports being sports, players sometimes get angry. It happened Saturday at Wrigley Field when two pitchers without their control hit a couple batters, leading to some hurt feelings.

Add in a Brewers pitcher excited about a strikeout and the victim, Willson Contreras, thought he was being shown up. In truth, Corbin Burnes wasn't mocking Contreras. He was just excited. The difference in 2020 is the two sides are aware of all that is said on the field.

“That's just one of the things we're going to have to adjust to this year,” Burnes said. “Without any fans, you can hear every word that comes from the dugout, and the dugouts can hear each other.”

Like it or not, sports are played by competitive and emotional athletes. They are affected by the highs and lows of a game and easily disturbed if things are not going their way.

That's why the benches began to empty Saturday before the cooler heads on both teams kept them apart. It's not the last time it will happen.

“I don't know how it all started, but that's to be expected in an environment like this,” said Cubs manager David Ross. “When you can hear everything that everybody says, that's going to spark some intensity.”

The Brewers and Cubs already don't like one another and the neighbors from Wisconsin have no intention of backing down, rules or not.

“We're going to have each other's backs,” said Milwaukee center fielder Lorenzo Cain. “Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but emotions are high. If it happens, it happens.”

Making this particular rule permanent is one that actually makes sense. Call it a 50-game suspension for any player that comes from off the field of play to join a fight, and same for any player that gets involved in a skirmish not directly involving him.

Like the NHL's third-man in and the massive penalties for coming off the bench, it forces a player to stand toe-to-toe. If you did this in baseball there would be no fighting because baseball players don't really want to fight 1-on-1, and most of the injuries come from sucker punches or getting hurt in the pile.

But all of these “temporary” rules are going to be permanent if Rob Manfred has his way.

The watered-down playoff bracket is going to stay, if not in 2020 then certainly as a part of the next CBA after 2021, as will the universal designated hitter, three-batter minimum, extra-inning rule and probably 3-on-3 overtime if the commissioner can find a way to sneak it past the players.

Working media also has no in-person access to players, coaches and managers, only pregame and postgame video calls that offer little in the way of information.

The current policy is eminently understandable during a pandemic.

It's also a dream come true for professional sports teams, something they've been hoping for the last 20 years, restricted access to the point of ensuring they provide only the information they want the fans to know.

In fairness to all teams during a pandemic, they are merely following orders, but there are leagues like the NFL that would make Pravda-style press coverage permanent if they could, having all information come directly from the team website.

Not quite a writer's dream job.

Nevertheless, it's great to have baseball back, even with some of the absurd rules. In that regard, you best get used to it if you don't like them, or celebrate if you do.

MLB will do all it can to make them permanent.