Another rule change we should definitely do but probably won’t

From the “Hey Bill” page at Bill James Online:

Hey Bill, I’ve long thought this would be a fun if crazy way to play baseball: No fixed lineup; every turn through the “order” the manager is free to send hitters out in any sequence he wishes, so long as all nine players bat before any one player gets an additional turn ...
Asked by: PB

Bill James: It would be fun. I’d like to try it. It would have to result in SOME increase in runs scored. Your big hitter would probably bat 75% of the time with runners on base, which would mean that a hitter having a Miguel Cabrera-type season could drive in 220 runs. You’d be adding a lot of strategy, which would lead to a lot of interesting post-game talk.

As I see it, there are two groups of people who would be against such a rule:

1) People who think baseball achieved a kind of recondite perfection when the World Series was introduced in 1903.

2) Professional baseball managers. If anything, managers today would prefer that teams be required to order their hitters by age or height. Whatever, just so long as I don’t have to think or answer any difficult questions after the game. You know, like we did with the bullpens. “What are you gonna do? He’s my eighth-inning guy.”

Anyway, this goes on the list of things we propose to the next commissioner when Selig finally reti--HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! Not happening, people. This Bud’s forever.