Baseball games seriously slow going
- Thread starter CCUIrmo
- Start date
More for the money. Baseball is supposed to be slow and relaxing. I agree that a 4hr 9 inning game is too much, but I enjoy a good 3hr Gamecock win on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon
3 is fine but 4 or more is really long and if you try to come with younger children, they have a hard time making 3 hrs much less making 4. It is what it is but it is really long and slow so far. Friday was brutal
There's an easy way to speed em up; instruct the umpires to quit pretending they can discern 1/16 of an inch and make the batters swing at the ball.
Throw strikes
I don't watch college baseball so I don't know if this is a problem. But pre David Justice batters never left the box. Now it's rare that a guy stays in. It seemed like mlb has been slowing down ever since. Of course, a million relief pitching changes doesn't help either.
MLB considering a rule that a relief pitcher must face a minimum of 3 batters when he enters a game. It will probably never happen but if it did the pitchers would probably be instructed to fake an injury and be taken out the game.
Guys aren’t allowed to leave the dirt area any longer. Pitchers stepping off the rubber is probably more of an issue in college baseball. Usually the batters are in there and ready to go. No doubt in between pitches slows the game down a ton. But again, that’s where college players are usually much faster than the majors. I’d say the issue with the first 2 games is the amount of pitching changes. A 3-2 game usually goes by pretty fast. 7-6 and 13-7 can take a bit longer.
Gotta have some 1, 2, 3 innings for quick games and, though I didn’t watch yesterday’s game, I know we weren’t getting those Friday.
I thought the same thing. This may actually slow the game down as a pitcher can come in, not having warmed up, and get to warm up on the mound. Much longer than a pitching change. I like the intent of the rule and I think it changes strategy. At the same time, I don’t see it being effective for reasons you state (can’t imagine media coverage every time a pitcher get injured after facing 1 batter) and I’m not sure I’m all for changing the game that drastically.
It’s basically the same thing as requiring a football player to play in a bowl game. They’ll just be more “injuries”.
How bout stopping the fake glove adjustment and having time on every other pitch? Throw the pitch and not take 3 minutes to throw a ball out of the strike zone. No team huddles on the mound for over 5 minutes. Maximum of 2 minutes for a review.
Baseball is an event. A pastime. It has always been a way to pass the time in a ball park where you don’t watch every move and every play even. I watch a baseball game totally different than a football game. I enjoy the time spent in the ball park and it always reminds me of my younger days. It was designed to be deliberate in my opinion. I’m ok with that. Everything else demands to much time and effort and usually less enjoyment.
The problem is, today people have a lot of other things that can do to pass their time. The last I checked, baseball has an average aged viewer of 53, whereas the other major sports are in the upper 20s and 30s.
If baseball wants to grow its sport and appeal to younger kids, it had better get serious about speeding up the game, considering it's the one of the main reasons for lack of interest.
It doesn't help that the marquee, always nationally televised Yankees-Red Sox matchups are typically four hour sloughs with ten pitch at bats galore, multiple pitching changes and a zillion commercials.
Ya can't go to the park if you're on a schedule there's ain't no time clock besides Friday was extra innings. I can deal with the TV commercials to watch the game the only way to shorten the game is shorten the innings and that ain't happening besides if they shortened innings we wouldn't be back to back NC...lol
Everybody seems to have been saying this same thing for 20-30 years, maybe longer.
Thing is, those 20-30 year olds watching and betting on football, etc eventually get to be 50+. They then settle in to the pastime that baseball is and always will be.
Yeah it's been dying out for the past 130 yrs.
You may be exactly right about that. Of course I blame youth soccer for the younger generation tuning out.
Sometimes it's good to be reminded that everything isn't in a hurry.
Responding to OP: That's pretty much why I refuse to watch baseball on any level. My favorite saying when it comes to baseball is: I'd rather watch paint dry because for one thing it's way more exciting and secondly, it will be over with a whole lot faster.
Also, throw in the fact that it takes no skill whatsoever to play the game and you're left with a useless waste of time.
I can hear it now....."No skill?" "NO SKILL?" ....yes, exactly. When you practice your whole life and can only manage to hit the ball 30% of the time.... I'm sorry but that's flat out luck. You'd have a similar average swatting at flies.
"But it's the pitchers..." Yeah, yeah, spare me. They throw a small ball relatively fast and relatively accurately. Color me not impressed at all. Everyone can throw accurately to some degree.
Would be nice if those pitchers used their "talent" in a real sport.
Also, throw in the fact that it takes no skill whatsoever to play the game and you're left with a useless waste of time.
I can hear it now....."No skill?" "NO SKILL?" ....yes, exactly. When you practice your whole life and can only manage to hit the ball 30% of the time.... I'm sorry but that's flat out luck. You'd have a similar average swatting at flies.
"But it's the pitchers..." Yeah, yeah, spare me. They throw a small ball relatively fast and relatively accurately. Color me not impressed at all. Everyone can throw accurately to some degree.
Would be nice if those pitchers used their "talent" in a real sport.
Current pitchers can throw from 90 to 100 mph, throw breaking balls that dive in or out or drop a foot or so. They can bring different speeds to fool the batter. That is why if you can get a hit 30% of the time, you are a great hitter. It is a game about team play, defense (not everyone can field that small ball) offensive momentum and strategy. It helps to have played baseball to appreciate it. Just like most sports, if you don't have the talent and work ethic, you won't succeed.
College basketball was killing itself with the "four corners offense", "Tiger Pause", etc. nonsense. So they put in a shot clock and no one thinks anything about it now. I think baseball is due for some similar changes. Won't hurt the game one bit.
I usually agree with a lot of your posts. But it feels like you're seriously trolling here. If it took no talent to play baseball, we would all be millionaires.
I get it if you don't like the sport. Nothing wrong with that. I don't like watching gymnastics. But it's painfully obvious that it takes talent to succeed in it.
Actually baseball players are the most athletic people out there. You have to have great hand eye coordination. You have to be able to run and catch a baseball and hit a small round object coming at you at 100 mph with a stick or be able to duck quickly. Ask another athlete to squat for nine innings behind a plate without cramping and chase wild pitches for half of those innings. They have to have cat like reflexes to play infield positions etc.
I've said this for ages. If they would just put in a "pitch clock" AND..ban the catcher / managers from coming out to have a picnic with the pitchers 492 times a game, maybe the game would be more exciting. Doubtful but at least upgrades it to a "maybe."
I am a slow middle aged man that can throw a touchdown pass, kick a field goal, run the ball, shoot a three pointer or two pointer, make a free throw, skate on ice, shoot a puck at a net, kick a soccer ball in a net and run. None of that requiring luck. I cannot hit a major league pitch.
Not trying to take away from your point that baseball takes a lot of skill, but could you do any of the above against a defense in the top professional league? No, so I'm not sure that's a good comparison
I’m just saying that the simple act of hitting a major league pitch is a one on one feat that few could do. Of course you are right I couldn’t do any of those things in reality but it’s possible with good blocking, open shot etc. you can hide behind your teammates in other sports but not with hitting. Anyway I personally couldn’t compete in curling so I concede.
Neither can the major league hitters. Hence: When they do manage to make contact, it's luck.
It’s not luck if a batter knows the pitch. Major league hitters have superior hand eye coordination and amazing bat speed. If they deduce/ guess at a fastball they can hit it all day. If they read an inside pitch, curve, slider etc they can hit it. The reason you think it’s luck mostly is because there is only 150 milliseconds to see the pitch decide to swing and swing. So if a pitcher fools a batter it makes the batter look like he has no chance but luck to hit it. This is not true. The strategy is to try to out think each other. If a fast runner is on first the batter can expect a fastball so the base stealer has less time to get to second. all this is obvious baseball Strategy. My point is the batter isn’t lucky he actually has the speed and skill to hit any good pitch he can anticipate. The pitcher has to make sure he doesn’t throw that pitch. There is luck in many sports baseball included but a batter is not a helpless sucker who is no more likely to succeed than a stock broker.
That's one of the rules they are considering to speed up the game. Not so sure it will work as the pitcher can simply throw to first (if there is a runner on) to slow it back down.
Yeah, I think it could only be in effect with the bases empty. They should also consider a hitter's clock, since they are the ones wanting timeouts between every other pitch.
But what exactly is the penalty if these clocks are violated? A strike or ball, depending on the violation? An out or BB? I honestly don't know.
It’s a shame I can’t put 5000 likes on this.
Fishing
Smoking good pork, beef, salmon, bacon etc...
Golf
Rubbing a young or middle aged lady’s back
Playing chess
Reorganize your golf bag or toolbox or both, & tackle box
Drive from LA to Vegas
Drive from Ft Lauderdale to Key West or just Marathon
Not sure...I would guess a ball for a pitching violation of the clock. I haven't heard of a clock on the batter stepping out of the box. I typically stepped out when the pitcher was taking too long.
Technically, if a batter steps out of the box without the ump calling time for him, the pitcher could throw it right down main street for a free strike. I've seen the opposite happen for a ball four.
So I guess what I'm getting at is the ump doesn't have to grant a timeout every time it's requested.
I would add hitting a golf ball accurately requires skill also.
