Felger & Massarotti MLB 2026 Season Opens Wednesday Night in San Francisco // Felger is OUT on the ABS in Baseball // Baseball Callers - 3/25 (Hour 1)
Mar 25, 2026
Mark Dondero, filling in for Big Jim and offering sharp baseball analysis. They kick off with the 2026 season opener in San Francisco. Conversations cover rule changes that revived the game, pace of play improvements, struggles with ABS and robo-ump concerns, and the worrying decline of doubles and triples.
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Pitch Clock And Rule Changes Rescued Baseball
- Baseball's health has improved significantly thanks to rule tweaks that reversed a negative trend.
- Tony Massarotti credits the pitch clock, banning the shift, and new events like the WBC and a strong World Series for renewed interest.
Relative Apoliticism Helped Baseball's Popularity
- Baseball benefited from having fewer overt political moments than other major leagues during 2020s.
- Mark Dondero suggests that relative apoliticism helped baseball reclaim viewers compared with the NBA and NFL controversies.
Game Times Dropped To Childhood Levels
- Rule changes cut average game times from over three hours to about 2 hours 40 minutes.
- Mike Felger shows numbers: pre-clock seasons ~306–311 minutes versus 239–242 minutes after the pitch clock.