[Goose]

That being said, I sympathize with Phogge’s POV. Baseball is overly micromanaged at all levels, and it hurts the enjoyment for all involved (players, fans, etc).


BC

While it may seem that the managers/coaches are "micromanaging" the games, I am not sure it hurts the enjoyment of all involved. The players want to win. If taking the coaches signs and playing the game "his way" helps them win, they want to do it. These guys are dead serious about their game. Yes, they have fun, but they also concentrate like mad. For lots of people, that itself  is "fun". As a fan, I don't think it detracts from my enjoyment of the game. The manager is trying to place his players in the best spot to make a play. This is also how the players learn to know the process of playing baseball. If the other team knows your tendencies and you don't know theirs, you are at a disadvantage.
Back "in the day" both sides probably didn't know as much about their opponents as is common today. But even Phogge himself shows by his comments that he knew quite a bit about the opponents he faced. Naturally, with the easier travel today many teams face each other with little or no actual experience with the opponent. It may be that the managers used to rely on the players "doing the right thing" without having to be reminded of what that was. I suspect in most cases the players knows what is going to be suggested (because it has been discussed at length) for defensive positioning and and are already shifting before the "call" is made. As for batting signs and pitching signs, they are almost as old as the game itself. I don't think todays game is that different.

[Goose]

That being said, I sympathize with Phogge’s POV. Baseball is overly micromanaged at all levels, and it hurts the enjoyment for all involved (players, fans, etc).


BC

While it may seem that the managers/coaches are "micromanaging" the games, I am not sure it hurts the enjoyment of all involved. The players want to win. If taking the coaches signs and playing the game "his way" helps them win, they want to do it. These guys are dead serious about their game. Yes, they have fun, but they also concentrate like mad. For lots of people, that itself  is "fun". As a fan, I don't think it detracts from my enjoyment of the game. The manager is trying to place his players in the best spot to make a play. This is also how the players learn to know the process of playing baseball. If the other team knows your tendencies and you don't know theirs, you are at a disadvantage.
Back "in the day" both sides probably didn't know as much about their opponents as is common today. But even Phogge himself shows by his comments that he knew quite a bit about the opponents he faced. Naturally, with the easier travel today many teams face each other with little or no actual experience with the opponent. It may be that the managers used to rely on the players "doing the right thing" without having to be reminded of what that was. I suspect in most cases the players knows what is going to be suggested (because it has been discussed at length) for defensive positioning and and are already shifting before the "call" is made. As for batting signs and pitching signs, they are almost as old as the game itself. I don't think todays game is that different.