Pace Of Play.....

[scoutyjones2]

The only sport where you thank god for commercials is baseball. Who the hell needs to see nothing going on but pitchers warming up????

 

[JohnU]

The only sport where you thank god for commercials is baseball. Who the hell needs to see nothing going on but pitchers warming up????

That's TV. At the ballpark, especially the minor league games, there is stuff going on. Personally, I use that time to go to the men's room since I am pretty old by now and prefer to not miss the game. It's also when you hear some great jams on the PA system, so baseball is perfect for that sort of thing. Lucky for us, somebody invented the commercial which fit in nicely.
I still argue that commercials are not the problem. It's player habits and until the umps start chomping on these guys, Manfred and his PR staff can bullshit us with a man on 2nd base in the 11th inning. I have seen that rule in play in the indy leagues and it's a fucking joke. It doesn't do anything except turn the end of the game into a sac bunt exhibition. It creates no unusual fan interest and by the time it came into play, the game was already 4 hours long. But leave it to MLB to not ask the fans what they think of it.

 

[JohnU]

So now I hear the golf cart may speed things up.
Crap, relievers can run in faster than that and usually do.

 

[msgkings322]

Pace of play is the dumbest argument. Nobody at a game gives two shits if it is a 5 hour game if it is a good game. The Fernando Rodney mound visits I can understand limiting, but everything else Manfred says is just garbage coming out of his mouth pretending he gives a crap about baseball.

This is, as most things in the sport are, about money. The various TV networks showing the games, from the locally run and owned station up to ESPN and Fox, want the games to reliably end in 3 hours or less. The indeterminate 3-4 hour game times are hell on their scheduling.

The networks are pushing this agenda, first and foremost.

 

[TheStarOne]

Computer called balls and strikes........

There are probably 30 or more pitches per game that aren't called strikes, that should be.
There needs to be a REAL strike zone.
How much time would that cut off of a game?
Hitters would start crying. But it would be fair for both pitchers and hitters.
And with a REAL STRIKE ZONE, there would be less home runs and total runs scored. (equals shorter games)
Tennis uses Hawk Eye, for in or out calls (appeals), and is accurate to 1/8th of an inch.
Baseball is caught between wanting more scoring, but they want shorter games. That is a contradiction in terms.
MLB set a record last season, for total home runs.

In 2017...6105 Home Runs....Almost 2000 MORE HOME RUNS THAN IN 2014
In 2016........5610 Home Runs
In 2015...........4909 Home Runs
In 2014..............4186 Home Runs


ERA was 4.35........4.65 runs allowed per game

 

[tducey]

I enjoy baseball but do think some changes have to be made to increase the pace of game. 1 I like is to have a strikeout if a batter hits a foul ball 5 times after the 2nd strike.

 

[wazzu31]

This is, as most things in the sport are, about money. The various TV networks showing the games, from the locally run and owned station up to ESPN and Fox, want the games to reliably end in 3 hours or less. The indeterminate 3-4 hour game times are hell on their scheduling.

The networks are pushing this agenda, first and foremost.

I guess we can completely agree to disagree. My belief is because of baseball advertisers realized there is money to be made on sporting events. I cannot recall a time where play has ever been stopped in baseball for a tv timeout. They go to commercial breaks for the end of innings and pitching changes and really what else? All essentially dead time as opposed to the other major sports except soccer. I remember the Padres had it down perfect, they'd play Hells Bells and have Hoffman open the gate, go to break and come back perfectly timed for his last warm up pitch. Not having a team stay in a huddle for an extra minute while the ref awaits the call the commercial is over.

 

[wazzu31]

That's TV. At the ballpark, especially the minor league games, there is stuff going on. Personally, I use that time to go to the men's room since I am pretty old by now and prefer to not miss the game. It's also when you hear some great jams on the PA system, so baseball is perfect for that sort of thing. Lucky for us, somebody invented the commercial which fit in nicely.
I still argue that commercials are not the problem. It's player habits and until the umps start chomping on these guys, Manfred and his PR staff can bullshit us with a man on 2nd base in the 11th inning. I have seen that rule in play in the indy leagues and it's a fucking joke. It doesn't do anything except turn the end of the game into a sac bunt exhibition. It creates no unusual fan interest and by the time it came into play, the game was already 4 hours long. But leave it to MLB to not ask the fans what they think of it.

I don't hate or love the idea, but a selfish point was brought up, say there is a sac bunt then a sac fly, does that run really count for a loss or blown save for a releiver who comes in and gets two outs but puts noone on base?

 

[JohnU]

I don't hate or love the idea, but a selfish point was brought up, say there is a sac bunt then a sac fly, does that run really count for a loss or blown save for a releiver who comes in and gets two outs but puts noone on base?

You can't evaluate it at all unless you add a separate category.
To me, it's like the extra column in basketball about the 3-point FG. I do the math on that and really all it is doing is adding 1 point to the column that is for the 2-point basket.
All the stats OFFENSIVE on the tiebreaker rule are legit except for the original lie -- how'd the guy reach base. And it's contingent on who was batting the inning previous to that. Meaning, you can't just put Billy Hamilton out there unless it was his turn to bat. The PITCHING stats are all obviously phony. Pitchers should not be penalized or rewarded because a guy lays down a sac bunt.