Sports Media Report
Veteran righty Joe Kelly is known for his fiery demeanor on the mound. The 11-year reliever, now in his second year with the White Sox, has some thoughts on the state of the game, and suggestions for how to make it better.
With the MLB rules set to return the game to pre-shift, pre-human-rain-delay, pre-three-and-a-half-hour status, Kelly’s new book A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime, written with Rob Bradford, gives a perspective on aspects of baseball that may be as timely as ever.
From the book press materials:
From Kelly’s perspective as a two-time World Series champion and “baseball’s most memeable player” (according to ESPN), he takes readers on a house-cleaning tour of the clubhouse, the field of play, the bullpen, the front office, the commissioner’s office, and a ballplayer’s restricted life off the field. Kelly has something to say about baseball’s rule changes (pitch clocks, limiting defensive shifts, the designated hitter); hacks (overused analytics, sign-stealing); stale promotion to new fans; and encouraging players’ emotions (let them fight, bat-flip, and talk sh*t!). Plus, he details how he aired his complaints in an illuminating meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred.
Fans can check it out here.
