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NEW YORK -- Wade Miley hears the talk about lifting the bottom of the strike zone in an effort to spark offense and insists there has been too much tinkering already.I dont know why they just cant leave the game alone, the Seattle pitcher said. Cant we just go play and try to get three outs and go from there?Concerned about the drop in offense in recent years, Major League Baseball has studied whether to restore the lower edge of the strike zone from just beneath the kneecap to its pre-1996 level -- at the top of the kneecap. Any change for 2017 would require an agreement with the players association, which is skeptical. Membership is split.I think its kind of outrageous what theyre trying to do with the strike zone, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood said. Obviously, Im biased. Im a pitcher. But at the same time, its shrunk drastically, maybe even in the last five or six years.Baseball people talk about the strike zone the way most discuss the weather: constant complaints about hard-to-fathom change.Wood threw 11.9 percent of his pitches last year at the bottom of the strike zone, according to Fangraphs, which defined the lowest portion as between 1.5 and 1.75 feet off the ground. That was the highest-percentage in the major leagues, just ahead of Minnesotas Kyle Gibson at 11.3 percent and Mileys 11 percent.When the strike zone was last changed, umpires took years to adjust.MLB has used computer software to track umpires strike zones since 2001, which has helped bring the umpiring staff into closer alignment on balls and strikes. Umpires receive a grade now after every game worked behind the plate, and that has resulted in an expansion of the strike zone over much of the past decade.Any adjustment to a new rule-book definition would take time.Theyd have to start in the minor leagues. I think for some of the guys to try to adjust to a new strike zone is going to be chaotic, said umpire Bob Davidson, who worked his first big league game in 1982. I hope they just leave it the way it is. I think we call it now the way the rule book states.Offense has increased this season. Through Thursdays games, the big league batting average is .256, the highest for a first half since 2010, and teams have combined for 2.31 homers per game, the most in the first half since the Steroids Era peak in 2000.But one trend remains constant: strikeouts.Teams combined to average 15.95 strikeouts per game in June, the third-highest month in major league history behind September 2015 (15.96) and April 2016 (16.26), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last 28 months dating to September 2011 are the highest-strikeout 28 months in big league history.Were at an interesting time in the game, Gibson said. I think they should ask players about strikeouts and how much they care about strikeouts because I dont think its as frowned-upon as it used to be -- because a guy whos striking out a lot is probably also hitting a lot of homers. And if you ask anybody in here if theyll take a 150-strikeout and 30-homer year, theyre going to say, yeah, sign me up.The strike zone has changed many times -- by definition, not just opinion, like Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon calling Laz Diazs zone last weekend amorphic. The top was moved from the armpits to the top of the shoulders ahead of the 1963 season, then lowered before 1969 following a drop in offense and redefined in 1988 as the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants.If the bottom came up, would the top come up, too? said Toronto pitcher R.A. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner. If they want to introduce an era of better offense, then that would be one way to go, for sure. Because if youre having to elevate balls, thats right into the swing path of most hitters.But just raising the bottom alone likely would result in only a slight change.I think thats a tough pitch for umpires to call already. Not only are they blocked a little bit by the catcher, but the pitches that I throw down there arent straight four-seamers. Theyre sinking down already, Gibson said. I think most of those probably arent called strikes. Theyre probably groundballs or swings and misses or foul balls. ... But, yeah, raising the strike zone for me is going to be a little more difficult, depending on how they call that. But its just like any other rule change. Just like the slide rule at second. Im going to have to make an adjustment and hopefully its not an adjustment that causes me to get hit a whole lot. Nike Vapormax Nz Cheap . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Discount Nike Vapormax Nz . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. http://www.vapormaxnz.com/ . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Nike Vapormax Nz Sale .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Nike Vapormax Nz Online .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city.Fernando Alonso was delighted to return to the cockpit in China, but admits he is still in pain from his rib injury. The Spaniard had to pass a medical examination on Thursday and another after Practice One in Shanghai having been forced to miss the previous race in Bahrain following his huge accident in Melbourne.Alonso completed five laps in Fridays opening session, before proving his fitness with 31 laps in Practice Two. I felt good. Obviously I missed a lot the feeling of being in the car even if we are not super competitive. I love what I do and I love to be in the car racing, he told Sky Sports F1.There was a little bit of pain, which is no surprise as the rib still has a little bit of a fracture - that is normal - and also it is a circuit that has very long right-handers, which is not a good combination. But the pain is manageable and there is no other risk with being in the car, so that is the positive thing.It was important to be in the car today and then to do some laps as we have rain forecast for qualifying so today was the only time to test the dry tyres for the race on Sunday. We are happy with the results, we need to find a little bit more performance in the car as I think we can be more competitive compared to what we saw today. We need to work on that tonight.McLaren finished Practice Two 11th and 12th on the timesheets, but both their drivers felt Pirelli had set the mandatory minimum tyre pressures too high.I think everyone is really struggling with the tyres out there with graining and overheating. The minimum pressures are very high and it is tough for everyone out there, said Jenson Button.They are massively high, the minimum pressures we can run, so the tyres overheat immediately so it is a quite a big issue, particularly on the longer runs. Jenson Button says the tyre pressure is massively high Asked if the pressures were too high Alonso said: Yeah, no doubts.dddddddddddd. It is the same for everyone so we just need to adapt. Definitely the tyre pressures are too high.But when people are two seconds ahead of you you cannot say [anything]. First we need to be two seconds quicker then we can say if the pressures are too high or not.However, despite the issues, Button feels a Q3 appearance could be on the cards. P2: Ferrari outpace Mercedes Kimi Raikkonen led a Ferrari one-two in Practice Two - report We are definitely more competitive than it looks. I think our pace is okay, probably not as good as the last race, but it is still pretty good, the 2009 world champion said.If it is dry I think we will be knocking on the door of the top 10 and maybe even get in. If it is mixed conditions you can make a big mistake and get it totally wrong, but you can also get it very right.Watch the Chinese GP weekend - LIVE ONLY on Sky Sports F1. The race starts at 7am on Sunday, with build-up underway from 5.30am. Or watch without a contract for £6.99 on NOW TV. Every race live in 2016 Sky Sports F1 brings you every race live in 2016. Fast and easy online upgrade - click here. 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