Earlier this week, news came out that the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will play a 2019 regular season game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. This game will mark the start of the 2019 College World Series, an event famously held in Omaha every year.
The idea itself is a fun one, similar to what MLB has done in Williamsport, Penn. with the Little League World Series. Sure, it reeks somewhat of promoting Major League Baseball in a financial sense, but it could also help grow the game of baseball in a market typically dominated by the college game.
But a normal regular season game? No, that won’t do. Here are a few ideas we had to make the game more exciting for the college fans in attendance (and those watching on TV, too).
Use metal bats
This is an obvious one. The game is being played in a college stadium? Play by college rules. Sure, it might result in record scoring totals and a few maimed infielders — pitchers would need to wear actual armor — but who doesn’t want to see how far Miguel Cabrera can hit a baseball with a Marucci CAT 8?
Use college players
Okay, they can’t technically do this, but the Tigers and Royals can use players that were recently in college. Specifically, these two organizations just drafted Casey Mize and Brady Singer. Who wouldn’t want to see a rematch of those two in Omaha? The college fans would love it, and it would spark some excitement for a pair of fanbases currently embattled in rebuilds. Or the Tigers could use Alex Faedo, who helped the Florida Gators to a College World Series title in 2017. It wouldn’t happen because of service time concerns, but hot damn wouldn’t it be fun?
Let managers behave like college managers
This one might be the opposite of fun, actually, but it would certainly be interesting. Whether it results in calling literally every pitch and pickoff from the dugout, bunting at every single opportunity, or letting young arms throw more pitches than they should, this would — on second thought, let’s not do this one.
Make them play softball against the women’s teams
The Women’s College World Series is actually played in Oklahoma City, but I think this would be an easy way to make major league hitters look very foolish. Softball pitchers are somehow able to whip a larger ball upwards of 60-70 miles per hour, and put all sorts of crazy movement on their pitches. With the shorter distance from the mound to home plate — not to mention between the bases — it would make for a completely different game than we are used to watching. But when both teams are well below .500 in June, do we want to watch the same old game?
Let players celebrate like college players
The MLB game can be stuffy at times, especially when catchers like Salvador Perez get involved. There are dust-ups involving the unwritten rules in the college game as well, but their celebrations are also befitting a large group of college-aged men.
Winning team has to dogpile. It’s a rule now.
Use better teams
The Royals are the closest team to Omaha, so it makes sense why they get the “home” game, but if MLB is trying to draw more eyes with this game, shouldn’t they use teams that will actually do that? Mike Trout never played in college, but he should be playing in this game. I can’t imagine college fans would be upset about actually seeing him set foot in that stadium for once. Same goes with Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, or any one of MLB’s young stars that they don’t market all that well.
Instead, we get the battle for fourth place in the AL Central. Well done, Rob Manfred.