THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Why do stadiums have illegal dimensions?

Derek points out something interesting about park configurations.

Yes. But the Commissioner allows them to do it. While many parks have their fences at the minimum required distance, the last wave of ballparks had many that violated the space requirements:
- AT&T Park
- Minute Maid Park is 315 feet down the left-field line
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards is 318 feet down the right field line
- Petco Park is 396 feet to center field and 322 feet to right field
- PNC Park is 399 to center and 320 to right field

In each case, the team went to the Commish and said “hey, we’d like to put the fences closer than the rules allow” and he waived the requirement. Presumably, that’s what the Yankees will do to have their new digs built with dimensions that violate the rulebook requirement.

This raises an obvious question: if the Commissioner regularly waives the requirement, why is the requirement in the rules at all?

In hockey, they used to have some arenas that were not the same size (Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, I think), but when new arenas were built, they had to conform to the dimensions.  There were no exemptions.  I agree with Derek that allowing the commisioner discretion gives him too much power.  Since he’s now set different standards, they should be adjusted.  The 325 minimum should be changed to 315.  The 400 should be changed to 395.  I agree and accept that each field can have its own OF dimensions, but I disagree that they can get an exemption on the minimum (and maximum) distances.