After first gaining notoriety for coming up with a plan for stopping tiresome intentional fouls at the end of NBA games, a.k.a. “The Elam Ending,” Mensa member Nick Elam has now turned his attention to his favorite sport: baseball.
Elam, a professor at Ball State who also works as a part-time groundskeeper for the Cincinnati Reds, has developed a 10-point plan for revitalizing the major leagues, which is on pace to see its attendance figures drop by more than four million fans this season.
The first point of the plan? Institute a “Dynamic Strike Zone” that, with the aid of a computerized system making the calls, expands in size as an at-bat continues. This would incentivize hitters to swing early and often in the count which would theoretically increase the number of balls put in play and cut down on walks.
Elam’s second idea is to move the pitcher’s mound back three feet to the true center of the baseball diamond so hitters would have a bit more time to track the ball and offense would flourish.
Other suggestions in Elam’s plan include implementing a three-batter minimum for relief pitchers, a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure playoff format, and making the All-Star Game old players vs. young players instead of AL vs. NL.
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