I'm afraid we're all just too appreciative of the game of baseball. They're trying to appeal to very casual fans, or young people who could develop into future paying fans. For one thing, I think baseball has stayed too "old school" in how their business model has responded to technological developments. Perhaps most importantly, they know the changes that need to be made. But those would interfere with the sales of commercial time. Taking a 5 minute timeout for each 1/2 inning just kills the momentum of the game. Sure the digital condiment race and trivia questions are fun to watch, if I'm sitting in the stands. But at home it's 2-3 PNC commercials an inning. That's why people have lost interest. So they try to compensate by hurrying the actual game. Thus, doing nothing to appeal to a new generation, or the short attention span folks. Instead, they're alienating the ever dwindling fans that have stayed in touch with the sport. But, they want to believe what they want to believe. Triple the commercials, and limit each inning to 4 minutes of play. That will draw in the crowds.
I'm so sick of the "appealing to younger fans" crap. It's baseball, not basketball or hockey. Do kids these days play a different form of baseball in little league or pick up games? This mindset has neutered defense in the NFL, so let's apply to baseball next.
