3 rules to speed up the game.

[Number5]

No, I'm not. But if you're now selling 3 minutes of ads for $10 a minute, two three different companies is it crazy to think you could reduce the supply of breaks to 2 minutes, and then tell the three companies that they need to fight it out to pay, say, $15 a minute for the shorter block of time?

I understand your thinking, but it really doesn't follow. First, next time you watch a game, take note of how many "ads" are for MASN and/or the Orioles. Those are actually spots that didn't sell. Increasing the price of each spot by 50 % is highly unlikely to be a successful marketing strategy. I would think that the commercial spots are selling at pretty close to their maximum price point now.

[DrungoHazewood]

In this specific case, I understand that football did not invent the "shot-clock." Regardless, I have no interest in adding a clock to the only game I know that doesn't use one.

Baseball used to have a de facto clock - the sun. Umpires pushed everyone to keep up the pace, and games were an hour+ shorter. Then lights came, the incentive disappeared, and now we have 3-4 minutes of commercials at every break and Sox/Yanks games are about two glove adjustments away from actually stopping to take tea.

[PA724_Oriole]

Sports that dont have clocks...

Golf

Cricket

Billiards

Darts

Bowling

Maybe others. That's just of the top of the head.

[DrungoHazewood]

I understand your thinking, but it really doesn't follow. First, next time you watch a game, take note of how many "ads" are for MASN and/or the Orioles. Those are actually spots that didn't sell. Increasing the price of each spot by 50 % is highly unlikely to be a successful marketing strategy. I would think that the commercial spots are selling at pretty close to their maximum price point now.

I'd hope so. But I'd still be interested in seeing what the maximum price point would be if you had shorter breaks.

[DrungoHazewood]

Sports that dont have clocks...

Cricket

Cricket is an interesting case study for baseball. There are traditionalists in cricket who make the anti-DH crowd look like guys wearing Google Glass while driving a Tesla. And they believe that no real sport should take less than five days, literally with regular breaks for tea. But in the last decade or so someone came up with this idea for Twenty20 cricket, which is basically a version of the game you can play in a few hours. It's extremely popular, despite the cries of horror from the "real" cricket fans.

[Frobby]

I agree. You could say the same thing about a pitcher throwing over to first 5 straight times without a pitch to the plate. But that along with hitters stepping out of the box has always been apart of the game.

This is where I think you are wrong. I think there's a huge difference between the game I watched growing up (1960's and '70's) and now in terms of the amount of time wasted by batters between pitches. Mike Hargrove used to be known as the Human Rain Delay because he stepped out after every pitch, and that was very unusual when he played. It needs to stop. It's completely unnecessary.

Edit - I just saw that Drungo made these same points, right down to the Mike Hargrove reference. Great minds think alike -- and so do ours!

[Number5]

This is where I think you are wrong. I think there's a huge difference between the game I watched growing up (1960's and '70's) and now in terms of the amount of time wasted by batters between pitches. Mike Hargrove used to be known as the Human Rain Delay because he stepped out after every pitch, and that was very unusual when he played. It needs to stop. It's completely unnecessary.

And Nomar started this ritual of stepping out and undoing and refastening both batting gloves after every pitch that we see so many guys doing now. We even have guys doing it in slow-pitch softball, for crying out loud. I always yell at them, "Get in the box, Nomar!"

[DrungoHazewood]

And Nomar started this ritual of stepping out and undoing and refastening both batting gloves after every pitch that we see so many guys doing now. We even have guys doing it in slow-pitch softball, for crying out loud. I always yell at them, "Get in the box, Nomar!"

When he did that I thought he actually had some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now that's pretty normal. And so annoying. Not that I ever want to take cues from football, but I'd assume if there was no play clock and QB methodically washed his hands between each play someone would put a helmet in his chest and tell him to cut it out. That's pretty much how I feel about stepping out of the box.

[PA724_Oriole]

I think as far as in game delays, pitchers control the spped of the game more than hitters.

If a pitcher is on the rubber and ready to go, usually the ump will tell the hitter to dig in.

Idk off the top of my head specific guys who work fast or slow but they dictate the pace of the game, not batters. And I disagree with anyone who feels the focus should be on them over the pitchers.

I do agree some hitters excessively step out of the box, but if the pitcher is ready to go, the ump wont let hitters to take so long.

[Frobby]

I think as far as in game delays, pitchers control the spped of the game more than hitters.

If a pitcher is on the rubber and ready to go, usually the ump will tell the hitter to dig in.

Idk off the top of my head specific guys who work fast or slow but they dictate the pace of the game, not batters. And I disagree with anyone who feels the focus should be on them over the pitchers.

I do agree some hitters excessively step out of the box, but if the pitcher is ready to go, the ump wont let hitters to take so long.

I say see how this works, then give some thought to what we do about the pitchers. I don't disagree that the pitchers (at least, some of them) are an equal or greater problem. But it's a trickier problem to control without actually affecting the effectiveness of some pitchers, I suspect.

[DrungoHazewood]

I say see how this works, then give some thought to what we do about the pitchers. I don't disagree that the pitchers (at least, some of them) are an equal or greater problem. But it's a trickier problem to control without actually affecting the effectiveness of some pitchers, I suspect.

Remember Ray Miller's rules for pitchers? Wasn't the first one "work fast"? Maybe if you have to pitch like Steve Trachsel to be effective you're not compatible with where the game needs to go.

[Fan4Life]

Here's what it looks like they're doing for 2015: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12351883/major-league-baseball-announce-pace-play-rules

I don't get it, how faster is the game going to be? 5-10 minutes? Is that really noticeable? Do I care if a Sunday game ends at 3:50 or 4:05? Do I care if a night game during the week ends at 10pm or 10:10pm?

MLB also wants more offense, which would mean more scoring and longer innings but they want to shorten the game and not shorten it by a real noticeable amount. IMO, they won't be able to have it both ways. If this is just nitpicking over a few minutes here or there, it doesn't mean much to me.

Try tackling something else like starting a World Series game on the weekend during the day, Pete Rose, etc...something that people actually care about more than shaving 5 minutes off a game. I really don't understand, an NFL game takes 3 hours, why can't an MLB take the same time?

For me personally, I don't necessarily see speeding up the pace of the game with shortening the length of the game. I'm all for a more fluid pace and I don't care how long it takes.

[weams]

Remember Ray Miller's rules for pitchers? Wasn't the first one "work fast"? Maybe if you have to pitch like Steve Trachsel to be effective you're not compatible with where the game needs to go.

Change speeds, throw strikes.

[PA724_Oriole]

I say see how this works, then give some thought to what we do about the pitchers. I don't disagree that pitchers (at least, some of them) are an equal or greater problem. But it's a trickier problem to control without actually affecting the effectiveness of some pitchers, I suspect.

let me first reiterate that I do not think of batters or pitchers rituals before and during an at bat are the main problem. I think other factors should be looked at before these. changing those rules pretty much means changing the strategy of part of the game.

but if I was the one that had to determine something to be done as it relates to the timing of pitchers and hitters being ready for the pitch, once the first pitch is thrown to the batter, it should almost be bang bang, as far as a pitcher getting the ball back from the catcher and getting to the rubber ready to make the next pitch. a pitcher shouldn't be circling the mound or digging dirt out infront of the rubber before every pitch is made. Once the pitcher is ready the batter should only have about 2 seconds to dig in and be ready to receive the pitch.

I mean if you decide the batter has to keep one foot in the box and then the pitcher is the one that decides to dilly dally around, then what. I have no problem with a change if it focuses on both parties and not just one.

[Tx Oriole]

Here's what it looks like they're doing for 2015: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12351883/major-league-baseball-announce-pace-play-rules

I don't get it, how faster is the game going to be? 5-10 minutes? Is that really noticeable? Do I care if a Sunday game ends at 3:50 or 4:05? Do I care if a night game during the week ends at 10pm or 10:10pm?

MLB also wants more offense, which would mean more scoring and longer innings but they want to shorten the game and not shorten it by a real noticeable amount. IMO, they won't be able to have it both ways. If this is just nitpicking over a few minutes here or there, it doesn't mean much to me.

Try tackling something else like starting a World Series game on the weekend during the day, Pete Rose, etc...something that people actually care about more than shaving 5 minutes off a game. I really don't understand, an NFL game takes 3 hours, why can't an MLB take the same time?

I just wish they'd leave the game alone. It's the best game in the world. You can't set time limits in baseball. Let the powers that be count their money or do

something with their time. For goodness sake leave best game there is alone. And yes I hate the DH too. IMO