Boston Globe Investigates Game Length

[Can_of_corn]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/06/08/why-baseball-games-take-long/wikaeRMGatBDGDefpbFE1H/story.html

Decent enough piece that looks at a number of factors.

To break down exactly what is taking so long, the Globe picked a random series in May — three games against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park — and analyzed every second that went into each game: from the time it took to remove the tarp on Friday (10 minutes, 18 seconds) to Blue Jays pitcher Ramon Ortiz tying his shoes (6 seconds) to Gomes adjusting his helmet (52 seconds over six at-bats) to the “God Bless America” break on Sunday (4 minutes, 24 seconds).

[Dipper9]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/06/08/why-baseball-games-take-long/wikaeRMGatBDGDefpbFE1H/story.html

Decent enough piece that looks at a number of factors.

I might have to get a subscription to this "Boston Glove." Cool name for a baseball magazine!

[Dipper9]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/06/08/why-baseball-games-take-long/wikaeRMGatBDGDefpbFE1H/story.html

Decent enough piece that looks at a number of factors.

I don't have time to read the article right now, but does it factor in Pedroia stepping out and adjusting his batting gloves after every pitch? Or Ortiz stepping out, spitting into his hands, rubbing them together, etc, after each pitch? Its the Red Sox and Yankees players that make these games so long.

[Can_of_corn]

I don't have time to read the article right now, but does it factor in Pedroia stepping out and adjusting his batting gloves after every pitch? Or Ortiz stepping out, spitting into his hands, rubbing them together, etc, after each pitch? Its the Red Sox and Yankees players that make these games so long.

The Glove does indeed make specific mention of various players.

They are not some fly by night operation.

[Migrant Redbird]

I would limit batters to 1 or 2 timeouts. The batter needs the opportunity to clear his vision if a bug or foreign object gets in his eye. Other than that, I'd make them stay in the batters box until their at bat is finished. However, I wouldn't restrict them from getting a timeout to replace a bat or to recover from getting hit by a foul tip.

I would also limit managers to 1 pitching change per inning unless the pitcher is injured. That might greatly reduce the market for LOOGYs, which would be a good thing. I probably would not count pitching changes which occur between innings, because that doesn't really delay the game.

[Can_of_corn]

To me, as a fan, it is the batters fidgeting that is the most annoying. As it says in the article, you didn't swing the bat, why do you need to tighten your batting gloves?

[xKHx]

To me, as a fan, it is the batters fidgeting that is the most annoying. As it says in the article, you didn't swing the bat, why do you need to tighten your batting gloves?

I never really pitched in high school but I would assume its to not let the pitcher get in any type of rhythm.

Because you know

[video=youtube_share;3A7CVrBFC7M]http://youtu.be/3A7CVrBFC7M

[Migrant Redbird]

To me, as a fan, it is the batters fidgeting that is the most annoying. As it says in the article, you didn't swing the bat, why do you need to tighten your batting gloves?

It's just a bad habit.

[murph]

Some of it is probably rhythm for the hitter's as well, having the same routine between every pitch. Nick's bat slap thing is mesmerizing, I watch for it every time...no idea why.

I do wish they would speed some things up, the games do get painfully slow at times.

[Gurgi]

Try this yourself sometime. DVR a game you cant see live and then watch it with the skip function set for ten second jumps. And you can really see who is very very slow. Arrieta was horribly slow. Ayala was very very slow. Adam Jones always steps out and forces the time to be at least twenty seconds between pitches. Some guys pitch a ball every ten-twelve seconds. And these guys are usually the guys who are going good.

Arrieta would walk around the mound and pick up the rosin bag all the time. Anything to slow himself down I dont think it helps him keep up a good rhythm. If I was Arrietas coach I would make him decide on a pitch and fire within 15 seconds no matter what was happening.

[bdlj0887]

Try this yourself sometime. DVR a game you cant see live and then watch it with the skip function set for ten second jumps. And you can really see who is very very slow. Arrieta was horribly slow. Ayala was very very slow. Adam Jones always steps out and forces the time to be at least twenty seconds between pitches. Some guys pitch a ball every ten-twelve seconds. And these guys are usually the guys who are going good.

Arrieta would walk around the mound and pick up the rosin bag all the time. Anything to slow himself down I dont think it helps him keep up a good rhythm. If I was Arrietas coach I would make him decide on a pitch and fire within 15 seconds no matter what was happening.

Nothing compares to Lester or Daisuke

[Can_of_corn]

Nothing compares to Lester or Daisuke

Trachsel

[bobmc]

I liked this memory,

"Watch a game from 1969, as the Globe did, and there is no walkup music. There is no preening (and there are no batting gloves). The look-at-me showmanship doesn’t exist.

It is like watching a current game on 1.5 speed, which makes sense, because the 1969 game, a complete-game win for Orioles pitcher Mike Cuellar, took just 2 hours, 21 minutes to play. There are still mound conferences. Trainers still come out to look at hit batsmen. It just all happens faster.

It’s not that the batters stay in the box after every pitch. But they do after some of them. The twitches — where they exist — consist mostly of a few kicks of the dirt, a few swings of the bat. When he walks to the plate, Carl Yastrzemski rubs a little dirt on his palms. That’s all."

Cuellar, Yaz (and now we have grandson Yaz! Playoffs!)....

But when pitchers are lighting it up, a common strategy is to make batters extend AB's to get him out of rhythm. We all support that (when it's our guys against them) though, right?