It's nice to see Major League Baseball lighten up a little bit.
The commissioner's office typically isn’t known for churning out light-hearted content, but Rob Manfred's crew showed a little flare when it came to introducing its fans to a series of major rule changes going into effect this season. Rather than do what it normally does – simply negotiate the rule changes with the union and then declare them enacted – this time MLB showed some sensitivity to its fans who may not be aware of how radically things could change this season.
If you haven't paid attention: MLB will have a pitch clock for the first time in its history, has enlarged the bases to make them safer for players to slide into and to produce more running, and has prohibited certain kinds of defensive positioning. The pitch clock figures to have an immediate impact on a whole class of rapidly growing in-play bet types, and the other changes also will have sports betting implications to varying extents.