The Plan to Speed Up the Baseball

[MichaelWinicki]

So you want the strike zone to be the top of the knee to the belt? the inconsistent strike zone may not be a problem for the speed of the game but it's sure a problem for me, the biggest reason I don't watch much baseball, just drives me crazy.

It's not at the belt line. It's higher than that.

I understand the gripe about inconsistent strike zones from umpire to umpire but that's simply part of the game and always has been.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

A big reason for that I think is the number of relief pitchers we have now. You didnt see any 8 man bullpens in the 50s. If they would limit the number of pitchers available not only would you save time on pitching changes, you would also increase offense by not having four or five fresh arms coming in every game.

I agree with you. And one of the issues is that managers refuse to go with the hot hand at reliever. A reliever can be mowing down batter after batter and then the manager will decide to put in a new reliever simply because he wants to lefty on lefty. Argh.

But if you ever catch the old games on MLB network or on ESPN Classic you will see a noticeable difference between pitches. Hitters didn't step out of the batters box, re-do their gloves, ask for time as they settled in again. It just didn't happen. It was a pitch, catcher would throw the ball back to the pitcher and the batter was in the box waiting for the pitch as the pitcher got the signal from the catcher.




YR

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I agree with you. And one of the issues is that managers refuse to go with the hot hand at reliever. A reliever can be mowing down batter after batter and then the manager will decide to put in a new reliever simply because he wants to lefty on lefty. Argh.

But if you ever catch the old games on MLB network or on ESPN Classic you will see a noticeable difference between pitches. Hitters didn't step out of the batters box, re-do their gloves, ask for time as they settled in again. It just didn't happen. It was a pitch, catcher would throw the ball back to the pitcher and the batter was in the box waiting for the pitch as the pitcher got the signal from the catcher.




YR

Agreed.

The two biggest offenders of time-wastage are right there. The use of relief pitchers and the dawdling between the batter and pitcher.

I'm not sure how or if MLB can do anything about relief pitchers without it causing a detrimental affect on the game.

I think it was Mike Hargrove who started the whole, "I need to do this long routine" before every pitch kind of thing.

 

[jimmy40]

It's not at the belt line. It's higher than that.

I understand the gripe about inconsistent strike zones from umpire to umpire but that's simply part of the game and always has been.

hardly any MLB umpire calls strikes higher than the belt, I don't watch as much as I used to but I watch enough to know that.

 

[Tabascocat]

Well said.

It's a slow game and it's a boring game on top of it.

Don't be too hard on dex.

Being a Met's fan and all, his perception of a good offensive player is Dave Kingman.

Haha, good one. I am a purist I guess, even played NCAA Division 1 for three years. I can sit through a game every night and enjoy it because I know what to look for and the ins and outs of the game.

I can see the boring side to those who didn't play much, it is a long, drawn out game.

But, the topic here is how to speed up the game, not increase the offensive production to draw new, younger fans.......

I do agree with you and others on how to do so, I am just saying what is proposed will lengthen the game, not shorten it

 

[Rogah]

Gosh you really think MLB is arrogant?

I don't sense that at all.

Well they've certainly been humbled quite a bit over the past 20 years or so now that they have been far surpassed in popularity by the NFL, but yes they were very arrogant from the 50's right up until the new millennium. And now it has cost them.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Well they've certainly been humbled quite a bit over the past 20 years or so now that they have been far surpassed in popularity by the NFL, but yes they were very arrogant from the 50's right up until the new millennium. And now it has cost them.

If you had some examples to back up your assertion of "arrogance" that would be great.

I think all the big-time sports have arrogance to the point of, "Hey, we're the (insert letters of the league)" kind of thing.

But did MLB arrogantly hurt their own product?

I just don't see it.

 

[Sarge]

3 balls 2 strikes, 6 innings

 

[Rogah]

If you had some examples to back up your assertion of "arrogance" that would be great.

If you need examples, then you just aren't paying attention.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

If you need examples, then you just aren't paying attention.

I see there's no sense even attempting to forward this conversation.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Speed up baseball? I don't watch so I don't care about individual games. But, the baseball season needs shortened. Do they really need to play that many games? Maybe when baseball was the "national pasttime" but today the season is at least one month too long.

 

[Rogah]

I see there's no sense even attempting to forward this conversation.

Then feel free to stop contributing and get back to watching your arrogant, dying sport.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Then feel free to stop contributing and get back to watching your arrogant, dying sport.

Geez you're hostile.

If you don't like the sport then don't respond to posts about it.

 

[Rogah]

Geez you're hostile.

If you don't like the sport then don't respond to posts about it.

What happened to the guy who "saw no sense in forwarding this conversation"? Where'd he go?

Who said I didn't like baseball? I do like baseball. It's just too bad they're too arrogant to make real, legitimate changes to improve the game. Their arrogance and short sightedness has come back to bite them. Maybe if World Series games ended before midnight on the East Coast, their average viewer age wouldn't be in the mid-50's.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

What happened to the guy who "saw no sense in forwarding this conversation"?

Who said I didn't like baseball? I do like baseball. It's just too bad they're too arrogant to make real, legitimate changes to improv the game. Their arrogance and short sightedness has come back to bite them. Maybe if World Series games ended before midnight on the East Coast, their average viewer age wouldn't be in the mid-50's.

OK.

 

[Keifer]

What happened to the guy who "saw no sense in forwarding this conversation"? Where'd he go?

Who said I didn't like baseball? I do like baseball. It's just too bad they're too arrogant to make real, legitimate changes to improve the game. Their arrogance and short sightedness has come back to bite them. Maybe if World Series games ended before midnight on the East Coast, their average viewer age wouldn't be in the mid-50's.

Well I guess they could ban West coast teams from playing in the World Series, that would be a real change. Maybe they could let Twitter decide before each game how many innings they are going to play, that would be super progressive and fan friendly.

 

[Rogah]

Well I guess they could ban West coast teams from playing in the World Series, that would be a real change. Maybe they could let Twitter decide before each game how many innings they are going to play, that would be super progressive and fan friendly.

Newsflash: The home town time zone of the teams playing in the World Series is irrelevant. No matter who is playing, the game starts at a fixed time. But hey..... go on finishing those games after midnight..... the 50-somethings who still follow that dying sport don't mind.

The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 in the East. I seem to remember reading somewhere that that game gets pretty decent ratings.

 

[Keifer]

Newsflash: The home town time zone of the teams playing in the World Series is irrelevant. No matter who is playing, the game starts at a fixed time. But hey..... go on finishing those games after midnight..... the 50-somethings who still follow that dying sport don't mind.

The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 in the East. I seem to remember reading somewhere that that game gets pretty decent ratings.

Last time I checked the Super Bowl was on Sunday. Should MLB string out the series seven weeks and just play the games on Sunday or would it be better to start the games at 3:30 on the West coast during the week? I am curious what your plans are to make this game you like so much better or are you just here to crap on other peoples ideas?

 

[Rogah]

Last time I checked the Super Bowl was on Sunday. Should MLB string out the series seven weeks and just play the games on Sunday or would it be better to start the games at 3:30 on the West coast during the week?

You seem woefully unaware that back when baseball actually was this country's top sport, they played in the afternoon during the week.

Regardless, in today's day and age they can schedule games 1, 2, 6 and 7 on weekends and start 'em all at a reasonable hour.

Wow. That took me about 5 seconds to come up with that idea!

I am curious what your plans are to make this game you like so much better or are you just here to crap on other peoples ideas?

I really don't give a crap what they do. But when people like me accurately point out that the sport is dying and the fan base is rapidly aging, don't blame me for giving the reasons why.

 

[big dog cowboy]

You seem woefully unaware that back when baseball actually was this country's top sport, they played in the afternoon during the week.

Your talking ancient history. That was what 25-30 years ago and older?