I am going to start a post in which, as it will become evident, another among us must finish. This “other” will be skilled in logic and not a philosophical dilettante like myself. Here is how it begins:

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred: ‘We Need To Make A Change To The Baseball’

Forbes.com posted this article yesterday in which MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that a study has been commissioned (makes sense that a commissioner would commission) to fix a problem with the baseball. Namely, home runs are up an unprecedented amount this year in the MLB and the MILB (where HRs are up 50% from last year!), and Manfred is convinced it is because the baseball is different. Surprisingly, As one would expect, the findings and suggestions of this study will be released shortly after the World Series is completed.

Here is the beginning of my philosophical conjecture: is this a type of logical fallacy? Manfred’s thesis is that the ball has created a more offensive environment in the MLB and MILB. His antithesis is that gratuitous home runs negatively impact the integrity of the game, and his synthesis is that he, himself, must solve the problem through commissioning a study to redesign the ball so that order can be restored.

But hear me out – didn’t he himself create the problem in the first place? From Wikipedia:

“It was announced on June 5, 2018 that Rawlings was sold from Newell Brands to the Los Angeles-based private equity firm, Seidler Equity Partners (SEP) (which owns LA Fitness), with MLB a co-investor in the $395 million deal.”

It is no secret that MLB owns controlling interest of Rawlings, the baseball manufacturer. Manfred has said in various places that he is unaware of changes that were made, which is most likely code for, “Changes have been made but I am willfully ignorant of exactly what changes were made.” But as commissioner, he is the most culpable, even in his ignorance, for the change in the ball.

Isn’t this a delightful turn of events for him? He essentially creates a problem, it needs to be solved, and he solves it. This is where the logician in our midst needs to step in and help us to more fully understand what is being implied here and how we, as consumers of the MLB, can properly understand what is going on. Should we begin a campaign for our own commissioner, who has never created a problem he himself needs to solve – unless of course he created the problem of too many EFL teams out of contention in the last month for which a solution would need to be found, namely a tangential EFL playoff (which I think is an excellent idea!) – but I don’t think he created that problem through his own devices. Therefore, if we have a voice, and we have a good commissioner, should we not scrutinize Manfred for the sole purpose of ousting him if needed and campaigning for our very own Commissioner Mock to take his place?

Only Phil can set us straight, and so we will wait. As we wait, enjoy your update for today!