Exactly. These are solutions in search of problems.
1 Like
Game length is an issue and itâs because of each at bat taking too much time
âAn issueâ for whom? Gameplay has been more affected by the replay process.
The fact that a baseball game can now be decided by a âdelay penaltyâ is enough reason to change it. If weâre going that direction, then we might as well have a game clock that ends every game in 2.5 hours, regardless of the score. Thatâs not baseball.
4 Likes
Big picture: For fans who love baseball but canât justify spending 3+ hours watching it, these could be welcome changes. That same PadresâMariners game on Friday took just 2:29 to completeâabout 40 minutes shorter than last yearâs regular-season average, per ESPN.
1 Like
When i see a shot clock behind home plate, a pitcher off balance in his delivery because hes rushed, and a batter take the ugliest swing of his life because he was barely in his stance, i feel like Iâm watching a game other than baseball.
Plus it just looks unhealthy. Go bowl 10 frames with a 15 second shot clock, then bowl normal. Youâll quickly feel how quick your arm wears out.
3 Likes
I really hope that MLB sees the folly of their ways during spring training and either extend the clock or eliminate it prior to the start of the regular season. These are the best players in the world. I want to see them at their best, not rushed and sloppy. I also donât want to see an at-bat, inning, or game decided by this crap rule. There is so much more to baseball than just the game speed.
3 Likes
Iâm sure you felt similarly when the NCAA instituted a basketball shot clock too
2 Likes
I sure didnât, because there were already clock parameters in place, and it didnât affect the game in nearly the same way. This adds a time element to a game that didnât have it.
Having a game last 40 minutes less than a previous game isnât necessarily an improvement. Like I said, if you want a timed game, make them end after 2 hrs and 30 minutes like kidsâ baseball tournament games. No thanks.
2 Likes
If MLB was determined to get rid of the downtime between pitches, the better approach would be something more like challenges. Allow a team a certain amount of âtime warningsâ in a game before assessing any kind of penalty against the batter or pitcher.
Also, what other sport can end on a delay of game penalty? Thatâs the most absurd result of all.
3 Likes
I didnât. I was too young to care.
1 Like
You missed the glory of Dean Smithâs âFour Cornersâ? You poor child.
I use a version of âfour corners â in high schoolâŠ.it will be allowed by NFHS next year but Texas wonât use it.
Please invite our resident Dentist to come to your game so he can see the joy sucking four corners in action
Donât hold your breath. Theyâve been working toward this for a few years, so I doubt it will go away.
In five years theyâll be wondering why their changes didnât result in all of the expected newfound riches. Theyâll change the game without helping the bottom line.
If games are really shortened by 45 minutes, theyâll lose out on a lot of ballpark food/drink/merchandise sales, even if they manage to draw in a few more fans to buy the overpriced tickets with the promise of less game time for the price admission. Woo hoo! 
1 Like
This article is from 2012. Then the game was under 3 hours
So, the Bleacher Report columnist from a decade ago had some ideas. 
Anyway, youâll never convince me that MLB is really concerned about fans being âworking familiesâ when the average cost to take a family of 4 to an Astros game is around $300. This drives attendance far more than a perception that the game âtakes too long.â
2 Likes
Another HR by Justin Dirden.
Pollard has a good eye for talent.
1 Like
Thank you.
Very nice compact swing without sacrificing power.
1 Like
The game is now about 20 minutes longer than when the article was written. Still 9 innings long
1 Like
Jacob Melton just hit a 2-run shotâŠ.another great OF prospect.