Im not a hardcore fan now but I lived and breathed for it when I was a kid. Larger bases would be like changing the size of the net in hockey.
Limiting where players in the field can stand is also shit. If you dont want to face a shift, learn to hit the other way.
I'm fine with a pitch clock, think that's long overdue
I like the idea of a larger 1st base to maintain separation between the runner and the 1B, it is safer for both.
I was at the Brewers game a week ago. It lasted 3:32. I couldn't tell you how many times the 3B ran over to short center or between the 2B and the 1B. Both teams did it, especially if the count got to 2-2 or 3-2. When I was a kid, teams shifted for Johnny Bench, who was a dead pull hitter, for the first pitch and stayed that way, not in the middle of an at bat. You can have the 3B stand just to the left of second base and it is legal.
The Pirates also kept throwing over to 1B. One time, it was 3 throws to 1B and none to Home Plate. By the 4th or 5th inning, the crowd was getting surly. I have been to about 200 MLB games, and that one was in the top three for throws to 1B. No wonder that pitchers can't make it to 100 pitches. You have warm ups and 20 more to 1B!
I am okay with a pitch clock. Once every 15 or 20 seconds is reasonable. It is like a shot clock in basketball. I saw Bob Gibson throw every 7 seconds and some of his games lasted under two hours. People used to say that "he pitches like he is double parked".
