Should Pete Rose be allowed back into baseball, and therefore become eligible for the Hall of Fame? (Yes.)
Does baseball, which is losing a generation of fans and is suffering from long games in the regular season and late starts in its signature event, the World Series, need to make significant changes to improve the product? (Yes.)
Should the 162-game season be preserved? (No.)
Those are some of the issues (and my answers) I've addressed in a MyAJC column that you can read here . Commissioner Bud Selig is retiring and Rob Manfred will replace him, so this is a prime opportunity for the game to make changes. Even Braves CEO Terry McGuirk, whom I spent some time with Thursday, believes a certain amount of repair work is in order.
I've listed my 10 suggestions for Manfred. Give them a read and let me know what you think.
McGUIRK SPEAKS: The Braves' highest ranking executive this side of owner Liberty Media gave me some time Thursday. He addressed many of the issues that I believe are on the minds of most fans about the team, including what the expectation level should be and whether there will be accountability if the Braves don't make the playoffs.
As you would expect with six weeks still left in the season and the Braves in a playoff race, McGuirk was guarded on potential plans. But I still found him pretty candid on a number of subjects and I think you'll be interested in reading his comments. The column and a full Q-and-A will be posted sometime tomorrow and appear in Sunday's Journal-Constitution.
NO GAIN IN THE EAST: The Braves defeated Cincinnati 8-0 Thursday night for their sixth win in seven games. Their problem is the Washington Nationals can't lose.
Washington extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 1-0 victory over Arizona. The Nationals won in their final at-bat for the fifth time in six games, and their starting pitchers have a collective ERA of 1.34 during the 10-game streak.
So the Braves still trail Washington by seven games in the National League East. With each day, it becomes more likely the Braves' only route to the postseason will be with a wild card berth.
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