Major League Baseball is hoping to start the season before the end of July. On the one hand, that would be nice because it is a move toward normalcy. On the other hand, who cares?

Our friend, Grace, would for one as she is the eternal optimist and has the Pirates getting off to a fast start and challenging for the pennant. They need to strive for respectable first. Baseball has long been called America’s game, but really they should have dropped that slogan back in the 1970s.

Football and hockey have surpassed baseball in many cities across the nation and the cities with NBA franchises would likely list their baseball teams as fourth in the eyes of fans.

Baseball has many issues that have caused the sport to suffer, from drug and betting scandals to work stoppages and free agency that discourages fans from getting too attached to players.

But other sports have those same issues. What is unique about baseball that has left it in the dust of the other major sports leagues? The pace of the game and an uneven playing field.

No, the field isn’t sloped like the greens on Amen Corner; the ability for all teams to have a chance to field an equally skilled player (the NFL calls it parity) at every position is what is uneven.

The NFL is equally matched, so teams can go from bottom of the standings to the top in a year or two.

But baseball, without a salary cap, allows the rich — the Dodgers and the Yankees — to get richer and the Pirates to get worse every year. That is one of the primary things wrong with baseball, and it probably won’t get fixed even with a lockout or strike next season.

Another problem is the fact that most people, including young baseball players, find the game too slow and that equates to boredom. They are experimenting with a number of rule changes, such as keeping the batters in the batter’s box between pitches, setting a time limit between pitches being thrown, and starting innings in extra-inning games with a runner already at second base, increasing the likelihood of scoring a run to end the game sooner.

But what might have the biggest impact on the game and increase player and fan interest would be if the caliber of play was improved.

We are advocating the cutting of at least four teams from the major leagues.

Yes, the talent pool for players, especially pitchers, has dwindled to the point that most teams have pitchers on their rosters who do not have the skills to be pitching in the major league. They can’t throw quality strikes. The result is a barrage of walks or hits that produce lopsided wins that take four hours or longer.

Teams carry 12 or 13 pitchers on their rosters. You would be eliminating the 50 worst pitchers in the league. Instantly, the league is improved, the games are faster and fans don’t fall asleep in the stands.

The downside? Which teams do you eliminate? Most likely, you start with those with the weakest rosters and the poorest attendance. Did someone say Pittsburgh Pirates? The current ownership has pushed the once-proud franchise deep into a bottomless pit. There is no reason for optimism. Each year, they find a way to lower the payroll further and further down. They always rank near last in team payroll and victories. That is not a coincidence.

We believe the players union would successfully fight any attempt to lessen the number of roster spots available for their members. And they will strike before they accept a salary cap. But unless they come up with a better answer to the drop off in quality, they are going to continue to lose fans. No other sport is losing quality. Look at the others and you will agree they are improving the product they are selling. Unfortunately, the only thing the Pirates lead the league in is becoming the most futile team.

— RV