Why is length of games so important?

[OFFNY]

I hope they don't ever replace the intentional walk with a signal from the manager that he is calling for the intentional walk, with the hitter simply going to first base. There are several reasons to keep that just the way it is:

1) Intentionally throwing four wide pitches can take a pitcher out of his rhythm, affecting his control, which benefits subsequent hitters .

2) One of the pitches may be close enough for the hitter to poke a hit the other way.

3) A wild pitch could occur.

[video=youtube;xw0w9rhNtCk]

In more detail, with Athletics manager Dick Williams' ploy (fast forward to 2:15):

[video=youtube;2TPCNP4_qXo]

[Why Not?]

To be fair, this is a ridiculous comparison. Soccer has a TON of "actual play time" but can often be boring because of what is actually happening. I would argue that most people find a play in football to be far more exciting than a pitch in baseball.

In other words, there's a reason the nfl kills mlb in TV ratings.

I posit that the reason is that people aren't very discerning. See also Katy Perry, reality television, superhero movies, etc.

[Why Not?]

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks USA Today or CNN have any clue as to what constitutes news, sports or otherwise.

They know what people watch and read. Make no mistake, what shows up on the front page or the website front is the story that draws the most attention.

[DrungoHazewood]

I posit that the reason is that people aren't very discerning. See also Katy Perry, reality television, superhero movies, etc.

Undiscerning people pay the bills. At least in baseball. You probably don't want a mass-market entertainment to rely on the subtle appreciation of nuance by a learned elite for its revenue streams.

[atomic]

I do have suggestions on how to speed up the game. Get rid of instant replay. Waste of my time. Also don't let coaches and managers come on to the field. The manager comes on to the field after a close call all the time to stall so his guy can watch the replay. No need for this.

Also they don't need the coach talking to the pitcher during the game. Slows things down. No more guys coming in from the bullpen. Have the guys warm up between innings and sit on the bench when during the inning so if they are ready right away. They can get 8 warm-up pitches on the mound.

[atomic]

An incomplete pass, a 2 yard rush....there's plenty of boring plays in football.

Or after scoring a touchdown they have a commercial. Kick off and then another commercial.. Football can be pretty unwatchable at times. And then you realize there is less than 10 minutes of actual action in the game squeezed into 3 1/2 hours.

[DrungoHazewood]

I do have suggestions on how to speed up the game. Get rid of instant replay. Waste of my time. Also don't let coaches and managers come on to the field. The manager comes on to the field after a close call all the time to stall so his guy can watch the replay. No need for this.

Also they don't need the coach talking to the pitcher during the game. Slows things down. No more guys coming in from the bullpen. Have the guys warm up between innings and sit on the bench when during the inning so if they are ready right away. They can get 8 warm-up pitches on the mound.

I'm good with all of this except replay, which I'm fine with.

Baseball is probably unique among at least North American sports in letting coaches come onto the field to disrupt the flow of the game. In football, basketball, hockey, soccer... in general (and maybe there a few minor exceptions) you come on the field to yell at the ref and you're immediately gone. And if you want to give some active coaching to your players you either yell or burn a timeout. Maybe that's an idea: each team gets one or two timeouts a game, and the timeouts are the only acceptable period a manager can be on the field. If he leaves the top step of the dugout without calling time he gets the thumb.

[Ori-Al]

You have to weigh the positives and the negatives. Your scenarios, which might occur once every five or ten years, would be fun. But every single intentional walk involves a batter not batting and a pitcher performing an act that a high schooler could execute 99 times out of 100.

I would venture that my first scenario (intentionally throwing four bad pitches affecting pitcher negatively) happens more than once in 100 times. The other two are far more rare, but they do happen.