105 replies to this topic

[DJ MC]

One of the cool things about baseball over its history is how it self-corrects. I think we will see that again soon. With the shifts, the game may change to valuing the spray hitters and some of these guys are going to start using the whole field instead of pulling the ball. And someday soon, a team is going to field a roster of guys who put the ball in play and strikeout 30 times a year instead of the all or nothing guys. It's going to be fun to see what baseball is like ten years from now. This lower run environment could have us back in the 70s.

 

That's absolutely true.

[Russ]

I'll agree with that. When all games turn into the 4 hour games we see with BOSvNYY and BOSvTB then we won't have a choice but to fix it.

  Still an ad issue, not a baseball issue.

How is that an ad issue when all the non-nationally televised games have the same break between innings? Those games aren't 4 hours long because of commercial breaks. It's because they play boring baseball.

[SammyBirdland]

No, half the teams will lose a home game every year.

Ah, I see.  I'm mentally challenged when it comes to numbers.

 

We could have Adam Silver do a lottery for us.

[DJ MC]

How is that an ad issue when all the non-nationally televised games have the same break between innings? Those games aren't 4 hours long because of commercial breaks. It's because they play boring baseball.

 

Because their non-nationally-televised games are just as long. Of their five longest nine-inning games this year, only one was against Boston (on a Saturday afternoon). The others were facing Tampa Bay, Cleveland, the White Sox and the Mets; three were Friday night games and one was Tuesday night.

[Russ]

How is that an ad issue when all the non-nationally televised games have the same break between innings? Those games aren't 4 hours long because of commercial breaks. It's because they play boring baseball.

  Because their non-nationally-televised games are just as long. Of their five longest nine-inning games this year, only one was against Boston (on a Saturday afternoon). The others were facing Tampa Bay, Cleveland, the White Sox and the Mets; three were Friday night games and one was Tuesday night.

I guess I'm slow tonight. What do ads have to do with it?

[DJ MC]

Ah, I see.  I'm mentally challenged when it comes to numbers.

 

We could have Adam Silver do a lottery for us.

 

That only works with your "one game every 30 years" plan

 

My point is that you cannot have an odd number of overall games. No owner is going to give up one without a really good reason (just see the almost complete lack of traditional doubleheaders), and there are also competitive issues with losing a home game.

[DJ MC]

I guess I'm slow tonight. What do ads have to do with it?

 

Baseball used to have one-minute breaks between innings. Now, they are 2.5 minutes.

 

Multiply 1.5 minutes by 17 (the minimum number of breaks in a game without pitching changes) and you get an extra 25.5 minutes per game (again, minimum) just in ads. That alone takes a 2.5 hour game to almost three hours.

 

Then add in pitching changes.

[Russ]

I guess I'm slow tonight. What do ads have to do with it?

  Baseball used to have one-minute breaks between innings. Now, they are 2.5 minutes.   Multiply 1.5 minutes by 17 (the minimum number of breaks in a game without pitching changes) and you get an extra 25.5 minutes per game (again, minimum) just in ads. That alone takes a 2.5 hour game to almost three hours.   Then add in pitching changes.

Okay thanks. I didn't know the time had increased that much.

[Mike in STL]

The largest increase in game time is the batter stepping out every single pitch. When you watch some older games, guys take a pitch and reset without stepping out. Make it a rule that you cant step out until you reach two strikes. Pitching changes we cant do anything about. But, the game length doesnt bother me. I dont watch BOS/NYY games so oh well. Playoff games are longer but its more dramatic.

Unbalanced schedule isnt going anywhere. Why would baseball want less of its biggest money making series, BOS/NYY.

Definitely reinstate Pete Rose, which Selig should have done on his way out. Like presidential pardons on their way out.

[Oriole85]

Unpopular BSL opinion alert: I wouldn't let Pete Rose in the HOF. I don't like how he lied all those years and then only admitted in his own book. I would be much more sympathetic if he just came clean initially or even soon after. Not many years later.

[Mackus]

I would allow Rose in the HOF but uphold the lifetime ban. He can get enshrined, but can't work for any team, not that anyone wants him.

[mdak06]

I think the complaining about length of game is overstated. Clocking pitchets and hitters will never work, tried it before and it was a failure.<br /><br />I mean are more people really going to watch games if they average 2:55 instead of 3:05 or whatever the proposed time saving is?

 

The thing that opened my eyes to the length of game was the fact that games lasting 3.5 hours or more have essentially tripled since 2005 (mentioned in a recent SI article) - they've gone from about 6% of the games to about 18%.

 

The issue isn't the 2.5-3 hour games, it's the ones that last a lot longer. Sometimes the issue is pitchers; sometimes it's the batters. That's why I'd like both given a time limit (there is an existing unenforced "pitch clock" rule that focuses only on the pitcher). If 80-90% of the games were in the 2:40 - 3:00 range I think most folks would be fine with that.

 

MLB needs attendance to survive, since much of the revenue is based on gate receipts. Having games that are too long is going to make more people stay home vs. attend the game. Comparatively, it should be looking to something closer to the NHL & NBA length of games, not the NFL.

 

As far as the ads being the issue, I think the ads are the difference between games being 2.5 - 3 hours vs. 2 - 2.5 hours. MLB wants the ad revenue anyway and changes simply wont be made there, so I wasn't going to suggest that.

 

Re: managers slowly coming out on a replay

 

Before replay, they'd just come out and argue and scream for a while, so I'm really not sure that there's any time difference as far as that goes. The only issue is when the reply officials in New York drag on forever and ever trying to make a decision.

 

Re: umpires

 

As far as the world knows, there's no accountability with the umpires, since we never hear anything. If there is already accountability, MLB needs to tell fans. If not, they need to make umps accountable.

 

 

A side note: recently there were several sports site articles detailing time changes the Atlantic League made over a weekend (since they don't have a player's union slowing them down). The limited timeouts and one-minute warmup requests I simply took from what they did.

[DuffMan]

http://www.si.com/ml...ace-of-play-mlb

[mdak06]

As far as Pete Rose is concerned, I have no issue with the lifetime ban. Betting on baseball is essentially a cardinal sin since it brings into question the integrity of the game.

That said, I would have no objection to Rose being posthumously inducted into the HoF. He certainly deserves it for his on-field accomplishments.

[mdak06]

Oh Christ how could I forget. LEGITIMIZE THE NL AND FORCE THEM TO IMPLEMENT THE DAMN DH!!!!!!

heh ... That debate will never end.

I like the DH but wish it was treated like any other position in the lineup. I wish you could use the player at DH to sub for another player in the field and then put someone else in the DH spot.

I don't like pitchers hitting poorly and I'd rather the decision on whether or not to leave a pitcher in a game be dependant on his pitching, not poor batting skills.

[Mike in STL]

Because of David Ortiz alone, do away with the DH all together. Make that guy put on a glove. Id say Ortiz and is only legit DH anyway. Most teams its a committee approach. And for years, the DH spot in the Os lineup hit about as good as the pitchers spot would have. Does Billy Butler or Victor Martinez play 1B on the regular, or atleast half the time?

[DJ MC]

[Mike in STL]

Yeah. You cant really argue if they decide to ban chewing tobacco during games.

[SammyBirdland]

On the Dan Patrick show today, they said that there are two MLB teams who have an average game length under 3 hours so far this season -- the Mariners and the Padres.  I can't find that stat online anywhere.

[DJ MC]

On the Dan Patrick show today, they said that there are two MLB teams who have an average game length under 3 hours so far this season -- the Mariners and the Padres.  I can't find that stat online anywhere.

 

http://www.baseball-...2014-misc.shtml

 

Sort by time of game.

 

The Orioles are averaging 3:07. Tampa is leading baseball (by five full minutes) at 3:21.