Baseball has been around for more than 150 years. It’s been in its current form for more than a century.

That hasn’t stopped wanna-be geniuses from trying to “reinvent” the game at the major league level.

In Denver, the Rockies brass is apparently oxygen deprived by the mountain air. The grand plan of general manager Dan O’Dowd, dubbed Project 5,183 (the altitude of Coors Field), is to limit starters to 75 pitches and “piggyback” relievers to 50 offerings.

All Project 5,183 has produced is about that many hits from opposing batters and about the same number of scoffs from around the league.

It isn’t working. Not even close. Colorado has the worst ERA in baseball and is on pace to have no pitcher reach 100 innings this season.

That would be a first in MLB history.

About 2,000 miles away in our nation’s capital, the Washington Nationals are also trying to reinvent the wheel — and encase it in bubble wrap.

Despite being in first place in the National League East and despite having a Cy Young candidate in Stephen Strasburg, the Nats’ brass is still sticking to their claim that they will shut down their ace at between 160 and 180 innings.

What about the pennant race? “Meh,” they say as they shrug their shoulders. Strasburg’s arm — and the money they invested in it — is worth more than team success.

That’s a horrible message to a team and a fan base.

What’s happening in Denver and Washington D.C. isn’t new to baseball or sports in general.

Throughout history, a few mad scientists have come along trying to be mavericks, only to watch their innovations fail miserably.

It’s human nature to try to differentiate yourself from the masses. It’s no fun winning with a tried-and-true formula. It’s much more fun coming up with something innovative and seeing it succeed.

But for every Bill Walsh and the West Coast Offense, there is a Paul Westhead and the run-and-gun basketball attack.

Moneyball has been around for a decade, but the verdict is still out on whether or not it is a reliable way to build a baseball club.

Oakland general manager Billy Beane and the A’s came up with the concept of cheap position players who have high on-base percentages in 2002 and had great success, winning 103 games.

It didn’t hurt, though, that Oakland had a rotation featuring Cy Young winner Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder.

The pitching staff, more than anything else, is why the A’s won so many games that season.

Since then, moneyball has produced very little success.

Meanwhile in the NFL, gimmicks have come in the form of the Wildcat and the Tim Tebowcat, as I like to call it.

It remains to be seen if a team can win consistently in the NFL with a quarterback that is basically running a single-wing attack.

Here’s the short answer: nope.

One thing is for certain, though. As long as there is sport, there will always be someone with a zany idea that they think just ... might ... work.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.