The Pace of the Postseason Drives Me Nuts

[DrungoHazewood]

They're currently testing out something similar to this in the Arizona Fall League. Batters have to keep their foot in the box between pitches. There's also a pitch clock for the pitcher to deliver a pitch when there are no runners on base.

Good, that's a positive. I don't know why they don't use the Fall League and the minors as test beds for things like this more often. The conspiratorial part of me thinks they'll be trying out new things all the time and like a lot of them and then look up one day and it's not exactly the same as 1971 and Bud Selig has a fainting spell.

Also... I think an issue baseball has is one of punishment for small offenses. There are none. Or essentially none. There are a few things where the ump is empowered to call a ball or a strike for wasting time or whatever. But that's almost never used; it's as good as not even being a rule. For arguing or disputing calls or fighting it's an ejection (possibly followed by a suspension) or nothing. The penalty for yelling crap at the umpire is nothing, until it's an ejection. Other sports have yellow/red cards, or penalty boxes. Football calls a penalty for something every other play. You get five or six fouls in basketball. But baseball has nothing. You can step out of the box 26 times an at bat and the ump really has no (practical) recourse. Maybe reinforcing the calling a strike will work. Hopefully.

[Old#5fan]

That's what good batters do. Work the at bat to get the pitch count up and wear down the pitcher. They wait for a good pitch to drive.

Of course I know that and give them

Credit but it doesn't make it less annoying to suffer through with these incredibly long half innings when they are batting. The point I'm making is there isn't much to be done about it.