Around Baseball 2017

[glory]

Manfred isn't fixing the issues. Baseball's popularity isn't going to sky rocket because the game is 2:55 long rather than 3:00 long. Football games are long as hell with seemingly twice as many commercials and their popularity continues to be strong.

 

Keep baseball the way it is and accept the fact that it's probably more of a regional sport now, and not mainstream. They got huge numbers for the Cubs World Series despite the games being long with a lot of pitching changes and so on. The sport is what it is.

 

Getting rid of throwing 4 pitches is fine, and getting rid of the AS game determining home field in the WS was long overdue, but outside of that, STOP. The one thing they could do to fix the game is robo umps to make sure calls are accurate, but instead they want to focus on other things that are meaningless. That seems to be Manfred's MO.

[L54]

I never ever want to see robo umps.

[Brownie19]

This saves what, 45 seconds every 2-3 games?

 

I think it has more to do with it being a completely pointless part of the game. Kind of like the extra point in football used to be. The NFL was able to make it more meaningful/challenging, whereas MLB is simply going to eliminate it.

 

 

Personally, I'd like to see MLB focus on the catcher/pitching coach visits to the mound. I do think efforts to reduce the game time will be a benefit long term.

[Abomination]

I never ever want to see robo umps.

 

You probably wouldn't see them. The umps would still be present, they'd just have the calls relayed to them instantly. As an intermediary, they might have glasses that overlay the strike zone and where the ball crosses to help them out.

[Brownie19]

I never ever want to see robo umps.

 

You enjoy watching them f*** up 15% of the time??

[KevinGregg]

I think it has more to do with it being a completely pointless part of the game. Kind of like the extra point in football used to be. The NFL was able to make it more meaningful/challenging, whereas MLB is simply going to eliminate it.

 

 

Personally, I'd like to see MLB focus on the catcher/pitching coach visits to the mound. I do think efforts to reduce the game time will be a benefit long term.

 

actually enforcing the rules about batters not being allowed to leave the batters box 100 times in an at bat would help a lot.

[Boxcar]

Almost every proposed rule change since Manfred has taken over has been terrible. Stop f***ing with baseball. Hardly any of them are actual fixes to problems. Reducing the K-zone is just going to make games longer and destroy pitchers, and 4-pitch walks are such a miniscule part of the game that removing them saves no notable amount of time and actually hurts the game because stuff can still happen, such a catcher missing a catch or a runner trying to take the pitcher by surprise.

 

Yeah, Manfred sucks.

[glory]

I never ever want to see robo umps.

 

Why not? They could still use umps for the bases since they can challenge safe/out calls, but fixing the calls at the plate should be a top priority.

[Grant77]

Manfred isn't fixing the issues. Baseball's popularity isn't going to sky rocket because the game is 2:55 long rather than 3:00 long. Football games are long as hell with seemingly twice as many commercials and their popularity continues to be strong.

 

Keep baseball the way it is and accept the fact that it's probably more of a regional sport now, and not mainstream. They got huge numbers for the Cubs World Series despite the games being long with a lot of pitching changes and so on. The sport is what it is.

 

Getting rid of throwing 4 pitches is fine, and getting rid of the AS game determining home field in the WS was long overdue, but outside of that, STOP. The one thing they could do to fix the game is robo umps to make sure calls are accurate, but instead they want to focus on other things that are meaningless. That seems to be Manfred's MO.

 

Football is once every 7 days on a weekend, while baseball is played every day. That's a big difference in terms of time.

[Dr. Dinger]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

[Boxcar]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

 

Yeah exactly. People who say baseball games are too long are just making excuses. They just don't like the core game, and that's fine.

[KevinGregg]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

 

playoff games are typically a half hour longer than regular season games, and i don't think anyone minds or even notices the actual game time. I think its more psychological - it just feels annoying when the game is chugging along then all of a sudden we have 2 mound visits by the catcher, a pitching coach visit, then a pitching change and all of a sudden it's taken 45 minutes to get 2 outs.

[intentional wok]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

 

I'd say a whole hour is a big difference. That could never be achieved without slicing off two or three innings from a standard game though.

 

But lots of recent proposals make for incremental savings of time and really aren't worth dissecting things from the game (limiting relievers, removing the pitch out, etc.). I completely agree that at some point it needs to be acknowledged that the game is just the game.

[glory]

Football is once every 7 days on a weekend, while baseball is played every day. That's a big difference in terms of time.

 

Sure, and the football season is shorter too so the games mean more. My point was fans don't care how long a game is as long as they are a fan of the sport. Baseball is not going to attract fans by shortening games. The length of the game might be the most trivial part of the game since all major sports run 3 hours, or close to it. If baseball accepted its regional relevancy then this wouldn't be an issue. If they want to be more mainstream and attract more eyeballs to the game then it will require much more than shortening games by a few minutes a night. Mike Trout is one of the greatest players of this generation and non fans or even fans of other teams probably wouldn't be able to spot him in a crowd. That's the issues MLB needs to fix.

[GeorgiaPeach]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

 

Agreed. If you're a baseball fan you go no matter how long the game is. If you're a casual fan (positive sense) and have set aside 4 hours'ish out of your day to go to a game (travel time included) what's another 20-30 minutes tacked on to a game?

[Dr. Dinger]

If you're a casual fan (positive sense) and have set aside 4 hours'ish out of your day to go to a game (travel time included) what's another 20-30 minutes tacked on to a game?

 

They can and do leave in the 6th or 7th inning (if it's a boring game). That's fine, MLB already has their money. I just find it very hard to understand why this is what MLB is spending the bulk of its time worrying about.

[intentional wok]

Money. I think upping the pace-of-play and slicing off some downtime would likely attract more fans and money.

 

But at a certain point how much of the game has to be compromised for other people to enjoy it? I don't think it's necessarily a case of 'either you like it or you don't' as you said above. For example, I think NFL football is really cool, but I just cannot f***ing stand the amount of downtime and commercials. I would absolutely watch more NFL games if I didn't feel compelled to spend more time browsing the internet on my phone during the games than actually having my eyes on the screen.

[KingKat]

playoff games are typically a half hour longer than regular season games, and i don't think anyone minds or even notices the actual game time. I think its more psychological - it just feels annoying when the game is chugging along then all of a sudden we have 2 mound visits by the catcher, a pitching coach visit, then a pitching change and all of a sudden it's taken 45 minutes to get 2 outs.

 

Oh I definitely notice and mind. I really hate how the commercial breaks are longer and the games end so much later in the playoffs. I live on the East Coast which amplifies the aggravation. It's also a turnoff for potential younger viewers.

 

Baseball doesn't want to do away with the extra revenue from the commercial breaks even though it impacts the pace of the game far more than any of these other not really broken things they are trying to fix. The whole thing is so dumb. They don't want to take out the commercials in the playoffs, they don't want to depress offense by raising the mound or something like that and yet somehow magically, they want to make the game shorter.

[Sammy225]

I hate the notion that you don't have to throw an intentional walk..... I know it does not happen a lot but you do see the odd wild pitch, steal, or ball the floats back over the plate. It is a part of the game and your not even cutting down that much time. Where the time goes is all the ads which are never going anywhere. Or when you get late in a game and teams start matching relievers. Things like this will barely make a mark in a ball game. Such a stupid thought.

[intentional wok]

I hate the notion that you don't have to throw an intentional walk..... I know it does not happen a lot but you do see the odd wild pitch, steal, or ball the floats back over the plate. It is a part of the game and your not even cutting down that much time. Where the time goes is all the ads which are never going anywhere. Or when you get late in a game and teams start matching relievers. Things like this will barely make a mark in a ball game. Such a stupid thought.

 

Yes. Automating the game like this is terrible. The only automation baseball needs is in the officiating. Making players throw the ball around is part of the game because anything can happen while the ball is in mid-air.

 

Here's an example: when Martin dinged the ball off Choo's bat in last year's ALDS. Not an intentional walk situation, but a good example of what can happen when routine stuff gets taken for granted.

[Sammy225]

Yes. Automating the game like this is terrible. The only automation baseball needs is in the officiating. Making players throw the ball around is part of the game because anything can happen while the ball is in mid-air.

 

Here's an example: when Martin dinged the ball off Choo's bat in last year's ALDS. Not an intentional walk situation, but a good example of what can happen when routine stuff gets taken for granted.

 

[Laika]

Let's outlaw anthems, God Bless America, and 95% of the pre-game ceremonies.

 

Start games immediately at 7 on the nose. No fluff, just play baseball.

 

And put a short timer on mound visits

[Bobthe4th]

Sure, and the football season is shorter too so the games mean more. My point was fans don't care how long a game is as long as they are a fan of the sport. Baseball is not going to attract fans by shortening games. The length of the game might be the most trivial part of the game since all major sports run 3 hours, or close to it. If baseball accepted its regional relevancy then this wouldn't be an issue. If they want to be more mainstream and attract more eyeballs to the game then it will require much more than shortening games by a few minutes a night. Mike Trout is one of the greatest players of this generation and non fans or even fans of other teams probably wouldn't be able to spot him in a crowd. That's the issues MLB needs to fix.

 

This.

 

Marketing is the best way to increase the number of fans.

 

NBA stars are known globally, most general sports fans in Britain would recognise LeBron James for example. Very few could name a single current baseball player let alone recognise one.

 

Not only does the NBA focus on personalities, but they've made an effort to play games abroad to entice fans as has the NFL. Why hasn't MLB done this?

 

I do think the 162 games season is a handicap - if a youngster starts getting interested in baseball and starts following a team, because they play basically every day it's unlikely they'll watch other teams play. So if the team they support starts to do badly they can lose interest and may not know much about other teams.

 

A NFL, NBA or soccer fan can watch Tom Brady, Steph Curry or Lionel Messi play on tv one day then watch their chosen team later on. Then they'd talk about what they've seen for a few days building up the anticipation for the next game.

[Nafro]

They can and do leave in the 6th or 7th inning (if it's a boring game). That's fine, MLB already has their money. I just find it very hard to understand why this is what MLB is spending the bulk of its time worrying about.

 

I've taken my son to a few games the last two years. He's four, sometimes we make it to the sixth, seventh or even eigth inning. One time he made to the bottom of the first and I spent the rest of the game walking around the concourse with him sleeping on my shoulder because it was a bus trip.

 

That being said you either like baseball or you don't. I don't think anyone truly hates baseball because of the length of the game. My favourite game ever was the Jays/Phillies WS game. 2 games in 1!

[Brownie19]

I'm sick to death of hearing about how baseball games are too long. That's what happens when you have a game that can't end in a tie. And really, are there a ton of fans out there who would love to watch baseball if it were 2 hours instead of 3? I seriously doubt that. Either you enjoy the mechanics of the game or you don't.

 

First - I think you should exclude extra innings from the discussion. This is about the average 9 inning baseball game.

 

Secondly - From what I've read, it's more about the "pace", not the total length of the game. I LOVE BASEBALL, but personally, I'd love to see an increase in the pace of the game. I've always loved watching guys like Buehrle get the ball and throw it...keep things moving. Nobody here can tell me they enjoy pitchers who slow the game down with runners on base, or batters stepping out to adjust their batting gloves again, or trips to the mound by the catcher or pitching coach. IMO, removing/restricting that crap from the game would increase pace and have little to no impact on the game itself.

 

Personally, I do notice and hate how long playoff games take. They all start at 8 or 8:30 these days and most run past midnight. I obviously sacrifice sleep to watch all Jays playoff games, but if Texas is beating Houston 10-6 in the 7th and it's 11:00 - I'm going to bed because I have to work the next day. I would watch (or finish watching) more playoff games if they could end at 11 or 11:30 (max).

 

I don't need/want games to be 2 hours long, but I do support efforts to get the average game below the 3 hours. Speed up pitching changes, restrict trips to the mound, speed up video review, etc. Increasing the pace of the game speaks to everyone IMO - not just to the casual fans.

[Dr. Dinger]

Let's outlaw anthems, God Bless America, and 95% of the pre-game ceremonies.

 

OMG yes. The greatest thing about pre-9/11 life wasn't easy air travel, it was not having to listen to God Bless America every f***ing day.

[Bobthe4th]

Well in baseball, the star players are not the focal point of the viewing experience. For example, you will see Trout hit 4 or 5 times in 3 hours. He might catch 5 fly balls, you're lucky if one is a diving catch.

 

If you watch the NBA, Lebron James has the ball for half the game. He's on the court for 80% of the game, he is involved at all times. In the NFL, Brady has the ball half the game.

 

It's sort of the same problem that the NHL has. Sidney Crosby plays 33% of the game. Hockey is a great sport but 66% of it is not played by the star players. I will watch 100% of McDavid's shifts but change the channel immediately when the 4th line comes on.

 

That's a good point in relation to basketball.

 

NFL though by rights shouldn't necessarily be more popular than baseball. Both have players on the field for only half the game, quarterbacks are similar to pitchers in that they are the focus when they're on the field, both have regular stoppages (NFL is worse), both have limited participation outside of the Americas (NFL is much worse), both have relatively simple main rules with complex additional rules.

 

But because of marketing and advertising, NFL is much bigger as a spectator sport globally, as well as in the US.

 

Admittedly NFL is helped by the lower number of games, and the fact that the stats and numbers basis of baseball isn't that exciting to a general sports fan.

[BTS]

OMG yes. The greatest thing about pre-9/11 life wasn't easy air travel, it was not having to listen to God Bless America every f***ing day.

 

It's so cringey that it's customary for everyone to stand and sing the national anthem before a sporting event. The end of that tradition can't come soon enough.

 

On a related note, Ottawa does this 'Hero's Ridge' thing every Sens game where they give tickets to someone from the military and introduce them on the jumbotron so everyone can give them a standing ovation. s*** like that has no place at sporting events except in exceptional circumstances IMO.

 

/rant

[BlueJayWay]

First - I think you should exclude extra innings from the discussion. This is about the average 9 inning baseball game.

 

Secondly - From what I've read, it's more about the "pace", not the total length of the game. I LOVE BASEBALL, but personally, I'd love to see an increase in the pace of the game. I've always loved watching guys like Buehrle get the ball and throw it...keep things moving. Nobody here can tell me they enjoy pitchers who slow the game down with runners on base, or batters stepping out to adjust their batting gloves again, or trips to the mound by the catcher or pitching coach. IMO, removing/restricting that crap from the game would increase pace and have little to no impact on the game itself.

 

Personally, I do notice and hate how long playoff games take. They all start at 8 or 8:30 these days and most run past midnight. I obviously sacrifice sleep to watch all Jays playoff games, but if Texas is beating Houston 10-6 in the 7th and it's 11:00 - I'm going to bed because I have to work the next day. I would watch (or finish watching) more playoff games if they could end at 11 or 11:30 (max).

 

I don't need/want games to be 2 hours long, but I do support efforts to get the average game below the 3 hours. Speed up pitching changes, restrict trips to the mound, speed up video review, etc. Increasing the pace of the game speaks to everyone IMO - not just to the casual fans.

I agree with everything you said. Buerhle games were great because there was so little wasted time. If pitchers all worked like that there wouldn't be any talk of pace issues.

[BlueJayWay]

Anyway, I wonder if they do raise the zone if it'll hurt someone like Stro quite a bit.