For the Sake of the Game

The biggest complaint by non-baseball fans is that the game is flat out boring. Fine, I get that. If strategy and tension with chess like attack and defense like moves aren’t your thing then go away this game isn’t for you. But that’s who Rob Manfred is seemingly targeting with he keeps bringing up pace of play.

The game needs to be faster is Manfred’s mantra and he is attacking it at a violent speed. Some issues like the clock between innings was a good call and batters keeping one foot in the box was another smart move but there are a plethora of other eye rollers that have come out of the wood works.

Sure there are real slogs like any in the Boston/New York series but those are generally the exceptions. I’d like to see how much the fast no pitch intentional walk sped up the game. Maybe MLB could consider stop juicing the baseballs as the evidence now proves they did. Homers were hit at a historic pace last year. The game slows down a lot when everyone is making a round trip and the ensuing call to the bullpen.

No, chicks dig the long ball. Look somewhere else. Wait, I got it! Bullpen carts! A yesteryear gimmick is being introduced again to speed up the game. Frankly, I didn’t know they existed until I saw an old photo of a Yankee getting out of a Cadillac. Kinda crazy.

How much do you think this will speed up the game? A pitcher with his adrenaline going jogs 350 maybe 400 feet? But now, a cart that can muster a few more RPMs without tearing up the grass will drop you off, saving mere seconds. Hooray the game is saved!

I can’t wait for the moment when some grounds crew member makes the Top 10 highlights when there isn’t any gas in the cart or it won’t start and the pitcher gets fined for abandoning the routine.

Thanks for this post man!

This is really great article, i really like baseball and for me its not boring at all lol :) i would love to see some more baseball than shity soccer :D

You've shared a great photography ... and your writing skill is very good ...... Your post looks very good to me .... Thanks

I don't think there is going to be an end-all solution. I think a lot of it is personal preference. There are some people that just aren't going to like baseball. Take a pitchers duel for example. You might have batters up and down like dominoes every inning. A game like that can be very quick, but still just as boring to someone that wants to see some offense. It is really only going to be appreciated by those that inherently appreciate the game. Personally, though I think the idea of using carts to bring people out from the bullpen is dumb. It isn't that far of a walk/run. Heck, Phil Coke ran to the mound like he was being chased by bee's...

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Baseball might seem boring but it's quite classy on the other hand. Every American President except Jimmy Carter have been throwing out the first pitch on Opening Day since William Howard Taft in 1910, that should mean something to us.

I love baseball and I don’t think it’s slow at all. I also think that this need for speeding up the game is not helping anything at all. And I’m old enough to remember when the relief pitcher came out in a cart. As a kid I thought it was fun and cool but my dad and grandfather hated it.

video review kills the game- it not meant for baseball like the other major sports.

An interesting article. Thanks for sharing.