3 rules to speed up the game.

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>And here are the instant replay modifications to be enacted for 2015 announced today by MLB and the players union. <a href="http://t.co/G4i9A10mWf">pic.twitter.com/G4i9A10mWf</a></p>— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) <a href="

">February 20, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Rene88]

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

But the game has never been static. It has been constantly evolving. Give it the blind eye to steroids, the strike zone, the balk rule, spit ball, etc. The game evolves and adapts.

I love baseball too but change can be good. The time spent in the batter's box is absurd. To me, that fix is long overdue.

[ledzepp8]

The others seem kinda pointless.

That and they won't be enforced uniformly. It's also pretty easy to work around #1. A player on the field wastes a little time until the manager gets word from wherever to challenge the call. These seem like change for the sake of change.

[weams]

Peter Schmuck

Maybe I travel in the wrong circles, but I’ve never heard anyone who paid 60 bucks for a box seat turn to the guy or gal next to him in the first inning and say, "Gee, I sure hope they get this thing over with quick." I have, however, heard grumbling about the slow pace of games in the press box over the past couple of decades, which is one of the reasons why this issue has gotten a lot of ink.

[DrungoHazewood]

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

When you change nothing you allow the game to change on its own. Nothing stays static. There was never a rule about how small a bat can be, so over a period of years the game was radically transformed when players went from 45 oz hickory to 27 oz maple. Nobody's done anything about relievers or strikeouts or length of starts, and now the approach to pitching is wholly changed from 30, 40, 50+ years ago. For better or worse baseball has allowed itself to evolve mostly without intervention, often with unexpected results.

[ledzepp8]

I think they really need to figure out a way to incorporate more advertisements into the actual broadcast rather than going to actual "commercial breaks" during after every half inning, injury, pitching change, replay challenge, lineup announcement, etc.

I get that ad revenues are what makes TV go but if I'm being honest, I don't know the last time I watched something live and that includes a baseball game. I DVR the games and fast forward thru the commercials and some of the down times during the games.

[ledzepp8]

I wholly disagree with this suggestion. I disagree that it creates downtime. I also disagree with runners being forced to continue wearing shinguards on the bases. Anyone who has ever drilled himself directly from bat to shin understands the serious injury it can create. Especially for batters who only wear shinguards during the healing process after having drilled themselves, creating a choice between not wearing a shinguard in the box or being forced to wear one on the basepaths is unreasonable, in my eyes.

How come they can run with that protective gear from the batter's box to wherever they end up on the basepaths but can't run with it from that point forward? I agree it's a bit of a production seeing these guys go into second with a double and taking off a shin guard, batting gloves, giant armor, etc and waiting for 50 year old first base coach trot out to second to retrieve it and then run it back to the batboy.

[DrungoHazewood]

I think they really need to figure out a way to incorporate more advertisements into the actual broadcast rather than going to actual "commercial breaks" during after every half inning, injury, pitching change, replay challenge, lineup announcement, etc.

I get that ad revenues are what makes TV go but if I'm being honest...

The five largest European soccer leagues had about $12.5B in revenues in 2013, worldwide soccer had over $25B, and they had zero commercial breaks besides halftime.

[weams]

I think they really need to figure out a way to incorporate more advertisements into the actual broadcast rather than going to actual "commercial breaks" during after every half inning, injury, pitching change, replay challenge, lineup announcement, etc.

I get that ad revenues are what makes TV go but if I'm being honest, I don't know the last time I watched something live and that includes a baseball game. I DVR the games and fast forward thru the commercials and some of the down times during the games.

During the Carribean Series I noticed they do this constantly. The Announces have a rap between pitches. I always watch live.

[osfan83]

I'm in support of finding ways to sped up the game. I can't stay up to 10:30-11PM every night watching games. I almost never see the end of a game against the Yankees or Red Sox because they are 4+ hour games. I would never go to a week night game unless I lived within walking distance of the park.

There are times when I can successfully change the channel between pitches and watch a pitch on another game, switch back and not miss a pitch on the first game I was watching.

[mdbdotcom]

If you shorten the game to 5 innings, you will also increase the number of complete games (maybe).

[DrungoHazewood]

If you shorten the game to 5 innings, you will also increase the number of complete games (maybe).

Before you go there I can think of a number of ways to get two hour games with mostly complete games. If that's what people want.

And if you just shorten the game to five innings you might get teams with 10-reliever staffs who all throw an inning every other day. And runs scored looks like 1908, only with K rates approaching 50%.

[CA-ORIOLE]

I think they really need to figure out a way to incorporate more advertisements into the actual broadcast rather than going to actual "commercial breaks" during after every half inning, injury, pitching change, replay challenge, lineup announcement, etc.I.

Maybe Palmer could to the broadcast in his underwear while Thorne gets loaded on Jack Daniels.

[weams]

Maybe Palmer could to the broadcast in his underwear while Thorne gets loaded on Jack Daniels.

I'd find that entertaining.

[Oriole1940]

One thing I have not heard mentioned as to reason for longer games, IMO is the dilution of MLB talent when additional teams were added. I like the idea of more teams, etc., but the ERA is higher on ave., the BA is lower on ave., more pitches are thrown now on ave., than before expansion. Also, probably more base runners, and I am sure other things I have not mentioned. Of course, things like commercial breaks, etc. are big reasons for the length of games. Just had not heard anyone talk about expansion(dilution of talent) as a reason.