More netting to protect fans
This one seems obvious. The Red Sox have extended the protective netting around Fenway Park and more teams should follow their lead. We’ve seen too many fans injured by a screaming line drive or a broken bat that shoots into the stands like a spear. MLB needs to emphasize fan safety, particularly as they aim to reach the younger generation by attracting more children to the ballpark.
The concern is that the netting will obstruct the view of paying customers, except it really doesn’t. Have you ever been to a game where you had to sit behind the net? You can see perfectly fine. Fenway has seats that are literally blocked by a pole or pointing in the wrong direction. Netting is the least of our worries.
The nets behind home plate that extend down the first and third base lines are a mild inconvenience that fans quickly become accustomed to. It’s like watching a movie with subtitles. Halfway through, you forget they are even there. It’s a small price to pay for fan safety. Don’t want to sit behind a net? There are seats available in the outfield bleachers.
Youkilis has several good ideas that MLB should consider. Not all of them are necessarily feasible but they are worth looking into. If they can find a way to make it work, the game would be better off for it in the long run.