475 replies to this topic

[Nigel Tufnel]

It might work better in baseball, because presumably the catcher, hitter, pitcher, and clock will all be in the umpire's field of vision at the same time.

[Mackus]

I'm pretty certain that zero automatic balls or strikes will be called in the playoffs

[Ravens2006]

I'm pretty certain that zero automatic balls or strikes will be called in the playoffs

Yeah, I suspect they're using spring as a training period to get everyone moving at a quicker pace... then come real games they won't call anything that isn't egregious.

Went to some Ironbirds games last year and the umps routinely ignored the pitch clock from what I recall...

[Mike in STL]

A clock hitting zero is objective? Sure seems like it should be but how often in the NFL does the play clock go to 0 before the snap and the offense isn't called for a delay of game? The Super Bowl was pathetic in that regard!

Beats just ending the game whenever the heck they feel like it.

Football does seem to do a very poor job with it. Probably antiquated from when a stadium had one clock. No reason a play clock in a football stadium isn’t in every refs peripheral vision of the line pre snap. Or a buzzer on their hip.

Baseball has a buzzer on the ump for robo ump ball strike calls if the earpiece fails and the light in the batters eye fails. Actually all three of those things are in place incase any of them fail. A similar thing can be applied for the clock.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Yeah, I suspect they're using spring as a training period to get everyone moving at a quicker pace... then come real games they won't call anything that isn't egregious.

Went to some Ironbirds games last year and the umps routinely ignored the pitch clock from what I recall...

Lets hope. If the players start abusing the clock then hard enforce it. Otherwise, let the game and the players be.

[BaltBird 24]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Zero people who don't watch baseball anyways say I would watch baseball if there was a pitch clock.

There's nothing they could do to the sport of soccer that would make me want to watch soccer.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Lets hope. If the players start abusing the clock then hard enforce it. Otherwise, let the game and the players be.

 

Yeah, the purpose of the rule is to speed up the game, not to give out penalties if a player is .01 seconds late.  That said, the way to make sure that players speed up the game is to initally give out penalties to players who are .01 seconds late.

[Nigel Tufnel]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Zero people who don't watch baseball anyways say I would watch baseball if there was a pitch clock.

There's nothing they could do to the sport of soccer that would make me want to watch soccer.

 

Conterpoint:  It's broke.

[russsnyder]

Regarding the pickoff rule...

Is it a balk, or just the runner being picked off gets awarded the next base if the third try is unsuccesful?

If its a first-and-third situation, does the runner on 3rd score if the runner on 1st can avoid 3 pickoff attempts?

The pitcher will be charged with a balk.

The runner on third will score in the scenario that you present.

I guess not picking the guy off with three tries is deceiving the runner in today's game.

[BSLMikeLowe]

The pitcher will be charged with a balk.

The runner on third will score in the scenario that you present.

I guess not picking the guy off with three tries is deceiving the runner in today's game.

 

Of the new rules the pickoff limit is the one I least like. It seems superfluous. But more stolen bases, or at least more stolen base attempts, is part of what they wanted. I'd say that if I were Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman, I'd demand an asterisk if someone breaks my record, but I have a feeling they're probably safe.

[Mackus]

Of the new rules the pickoff limit is the one I least like. It seems superfluous. But more stolen bases, or at least more stolen base attempts, is part of what they wanted. I'd say that if I were Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman, I'd demand an asterisk if someone breaks my record, but I have a feeling they're probably safe.

Current leader is Dee Gordon. If he steals 100 bases this year, and then does it again each of the 9 ensuing seasons, he'll enter the 2033 season only 70 steals shy of Ricky's record!

[BSLSteveBirrer]

Watching the Cards - Mets game and man I gotta tell you I really miss watching the batters readjust their gloves after each pitch. That was riveting stuff and now I have to watch them actually play baseball...

[Mackus]

Watching the Cards - Mets game and man I gotta tell you I really miss watching the batters readjust their gloves after each pitch. That was riveting stuff and now I have to watch them actually play baseball...

Careful, if you say this three times into a mirror the ghost of Nomar Garciaparra comes out and haunts you forever.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Khreibel didnt do himself any favors today. Zimmerman and Hernandez sucked too. Not that they were ever really in the mix. The R5 guy had a solid inning.

[russsnyder]

Of the new rules the pickoff limit is the one I least like. It seems superfluous. But more stolen bases, or at least more stolen base attempts, is part of what they wanted. I'd say that if I were Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman, I'd demand an asterisk if someone breaks my record, but I have a feeling they're probably safe.

I agree.

This one drives me nuts.

Great point about the asterisk.

It would be appropriate under the circumstances.

[russsnyder]

Careful, if you say this three times into a mirror the ghost of Nomar Garciaparra comes out and haunts you forever.

Worse, the ghost of Mike "The Human Rain Delay" Hargrove haunts your grandchildren.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Of the new rules the pickoff limit is the one I least like. It seems superfluous. But more stolen bases, or at least more stolen base attempts, is part of what they wanted. I'd say that if I were Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman, I'd demand an asterisk if someone breaks my record, but I have a feeling they're probably safe.

 

Bill James's theory is that if the architects of baseball could have ever envisioned a day when pitchers would waste everybody's time by endlessly throwing to first base, they would have limited the number of pickoff throws in like 1881.  It just never occurred to them that it was necessary, because pre-lights everyone understood that you needed to keep the game moving so it ended before dark.

[russsnyder]

Bill James's theory is that if the architects of baseball could have ever envisioned a day when pitchers would waste everybody's time by endlessly throwing to first base, they would have limited the number of pickoff throws in like 1881. It just never occurred to them that it was necessary, because pre-lights everyone understood that you needed to keep the game moving so it ended before dark.

Bill James is such a visionary.

I'm sure no one tried to pick off Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Joe Jackson, or any of the dead ball greats because it was a "waste of time" or because of "impending dusk."

[BSLMikeLowe]

Bill James's theory is that if the architects of baseball could have ever envisioned a day when pitchers would waste everybody's time by endlessly throwing to first base, they would have limited the number of pickoff throws in like 1881.  It just never occurred to them that it was necessary, because pre-lights everyone understood that you needed to keep the game moving so it ended before dark.

 

Ha. Manfred missed the forest for the trees. If he wanted to speed up the pace of things, he should have ordered the lights removed from all stadiums and set the first pitch of each game at 3 hours before sunset.

[russsnyder]

Ha. Manfred missed the forest for the trees. If he wanted to speed up the pace of things, he should have ordered the lights removed from all stadiums and set the first pitch of each game at 3 hours before sunset.

Play like it's 1881!