Are games too long? Why are they long?

[ThaDocta]

Again, this dude figures it out: it's the TV commercials, not the game itself. MLB trying to giver us less product and more commercials, sounds like a rotten deal to me.

http://sasoc.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/mlb-charade/

[sb24]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Again, this dude figures it out: it's the TV commercials, not the game itself. MLB trying to giver us less product and more commercials, sounds like a rotten deal to me.

http://sasoc.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/mlb-charade/

Everything does this. The other day I was watchin some show and it came back from a commercial for just under 5 minutes and went back to commercials. Same as why after a kickoff in football you get a tv timeout even tho the offense just stands on the field and waits. Happenes everywhere not just baseball. While at the games, I could tell a tv timeout for football far easier than baseball.

[ThaDocta]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Everything does this. The other day I was watchin some show and it came back from a commercial for just under 5 minutes and went back to commercials. Same as why after a kickoff in football you get a tv timeout even tho the offense just stands on the field and waits. Happenes everywhere not just baseball. While at the games, I could tell a tv timeout for football far easier than baseball.

You raise a really interesting point. In baseball, there is never a commercial break in the middle of play, which is AWESOME!! If it's a 20 minute half-inning, it's 20 minutes of uninterrupted baseball. But in the NFL (WWE), they have TV timeouts in the middle of a drive.

[kehlis]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

You raise a really interesting point. In baseball, there is never a commercial break in the middle of play, which is AWESOME!! If it's a 20 minute half-inning, it's 20 minutes of uninterrupted baseball. But in the NFL (WWE), they have TV timeouts in the middle of a drive.

Yea, commercials aren't the reason for what some deem long baseball games.

A baseball game is never held up because of commercials, they happen at times when the game would not be going on. If the network isn't done showing commercials, it doesn't matter to the umpires, they start the game anyway.

This guy hasn't figured out anything at all and reading that article pretty much sounds like a bunch of made up rabble.

Infielders are "throwing the ball around" because they are taking a few necessary throws to get loose and the pitcher is warming up. I'm not sure where this guy came to his conclusions about this but I have never seen a game held up because the "TV camera's weren't ready" but I have seen games while watching on TV that join a game already in progress because a commercial break wasn't finished yet...

[Bahnzo]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Yea, commercials aren't the reason for what some deem long baseball games.

A baseball game is never held up because of commercials, they happen at times when the game would not be going on. If the network isn't done showing commercials, it doesn't matter to the umpires, they start the game anyway.

I would disagree to some extent. I've been watching some Japanese baseball, and games there rarely go longer than 3 hours and a big part of this is *short* commercial breaks. It's 1:30 between half innings usually and the players are expected to take the field quickly and get their warmups in. The pitcher is usually the first one out there, usually on the mound before the other team is even off the field.

It's plenty of time to take your 8 warmup pitches and for guys to toss a few balls around the field. So commercials do play a large role in the length of a baseball game here in the USA.

Also, you want to cut 5 mins off a game? Get rid of singing "God Bless America" before we then have to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Enough singing...this isn't American Idol for chrissakes.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Braves games don't usually go longer than 2:40...so I don't care.

[ryan36]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Braves games don't usually go longer than 2:40...so I don't care.

ya'll get 10 runned a lot?

[SPTO]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

I don't think it's the commercials per se though commercial breaks for nationally televised games tend to be a minute or two longer which doesn't seem like much but does pile up.

The problem is the little things like mound visits, catchers talking to pitchers, pitchers stepping off the rubber, guys at the plate calling time, pitchers taking eons to throw a pitch (i'm looking at you Steve Traschel) and managers changing pitchers after one AB.

I think some of these things can be fixed but every time they try to fix these issues the players and teams cry foul and then we're back to the status quo.

[Bahnzo]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

The problem is the little things like mound visits, catchers talking to pitchers, pitchers stepping off the rubber, guys at the plate calling time, pitchers taking eons to throw a pitch (i'm looking at you Steve Traschel) and managers changing pitchers after one AB.

This also(besides 4 minute commercial breaks). Batters shouldn't be allowed to step out of the batter's box w/o the umpire's permission. That alone would save 15 minutes a game...couple that with pitchers not taking walks around the mound and maybe even forcing batters to be ready when the pitcher throws.

[ThaDocta]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Yea, commercials aren't the reason for what some deem long baseball games.

A baseball game is never held up because of commercials, they happen at times when the game would not be going on. If the network isn't done showing commercials, it doesn't matter to the umpires, they start the game anyway.

This guy hasn't figured out anything at all and reading that article pretty much sounds like a bunch of made up rabble.

Infielders are "throwing the ball around" because they are taking a few necessary throws to get loose and the pitcher is warming up. I'm not sure where this guy came to his conclusions about this but I have never seen a game held up because the "TV camera's weren't ready" but I have seen games while watching on TV that join a game already in progress because a commercial break wasn't finished yet...

Wow, you really need a math lesson.

- there are 18 half-inning after which commercials air
- if the length of the commercial break is now 5 minutes on average, and it used to be 2 minutes on average, that means the length of the game, no matter the play on the field will be longer

Can you figure out by how much? Let me help:
5 minus 2 = 3 extra minutes per half inning
multiplied by
18 half innings
= 54 minutes, or almost an hour.

If you dispute this, we will know you didn't do too well in school.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

They are sidestepping the issue. The length of games is not the problem, the true problem is when the game starts. Who cares how long the game is when it starts at 1pm. With games starting in the 7:30-8:00pm window, length of games is all of a sudden a issue. Why do the red sox pretty much play night games on saturday? Why are world series games on the weekend played at night? It's all about the $$$$. Another thing, tell the unpire to call STRIKES as it's written in the rulebook.

[kehlis]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Wow, you really need a math lesson.

- there are 18 half-inning after which commercials air
- if the length of the commercial break is now 5 minutes on average, and it used to be 2 minutes on average, that means the length of the game, no matter the play on the field will be longer

Can you figure out by how much? Let me help:
5 minus 2 = 3 extra minutes per half inning
multiplied by
18 half innings
= 54 minutes, or almost an hour.

If you dispute this, we will know you didn't do too well in school.

There really was no point in making this personal but I will gladly ignore your backhanded insults and reiterate my point since you clearly missed it.

Not once did I question your math or disagree with your numbers and you missed my point entirely (which wasn't hard to understand because Bahnzo completely got it--and made good points to counter it).

My argument is that the length of commercials is determined by the pace of play of the game, not vice versa. In other words, my disagreement with you, was that they could cut the commercials down all they want, but we would just be watching more pitcher warmups and throws around the diamond, not more baseball...

You can disagree with that all you want, but spare me the childish insults if you want to carry on an actual debate.

[ThaDocta]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

There really was no point in making this personal but I will gladly ignore your backhanded insults and reiterate my point since you clearly missed it.

Not once did I question your math or disagree with your numbers and you missed my point entirely (which wasn't hard to understand because Bahnzo completely got it--and made good points to counter it).

My argument is that the length of commercials is determined by the pace of play of the game, not vice versa. In other words, my disagreement with you, was that they could cut the commercials down all they want, but we would just be watching more pitcher warmups and throws around the diamond, not more baseball...

You can disagree with that all you want, but spare me the childish insults if you want to carry on an actual debate.

Sorry about the joshing, I'll lighten up.

Regarding your actual point, it makes no sense for the simple reason that no one is complaining about wanting to see more baseball. The complaint is that "games take too long". Meaning that if they start at 7:05 they go on to finish at 11:05. The complainers desire to start at 7:05 and finish sooner.

There are two ways to have a game finish sooner: (1) make players play faster, or (2) reduce the number of commercials

The point of this thread is that I never hear anyone talking about commercials as part of the problem. It's always about batters stepping out, etc. In reality, the greed of MLB has sold more time to commercials and games are longer as a result.

[Sandman42]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

Wow, you really need a math lesson.

- there are 18 half-inning after which commercials air
- if the length of the commercial break is now 5 minutes on average, and it used to be 2 minutes on average, that means the length of the game, no matter the play on the field will be longer

Can you figure out by how much? Let me help:
5 minus 2 = 3 extra minutes per half inning
multiplied by
18 half innings
= 54 minutes, or almost an hour.

If you dispute this, we will know you didn't do too well in school.

Commercials are not 5 minutes long between innings. I don't know where that guy gets his data from. Every game I see has probably 2-3 minutes of commercials between innings.

Actually nevermind there is no data on his blog. Just random black lines on a picture of a baseball field that don't mean anything.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Are games too long? Why are they long?

This blogger does not make one valid point in his post. Next time you go to a game live, let me know in between innings where they wait for the cameras to be ready. I'll save you the trouble, they don't. At least not at any games I've been to. This might be different in the playoffs, but I doubt it. The length of commercials has no bearing on when baseball is played, unlike in the NFL where they have a guy with big orange gloves on STANDING ON THE FIELD that tells the officials when they can start. The difference when you're there between the NFL and MLB is glaring. TV timeous in NFL interrupt the flow of the game. TV timeouts in baseball happen when guys are warming up on the field. Big freaking deal.

The issue with games taking too long can be attributed to a number of different things that add up over a game. Umps having small strike zones, batters stepping out, catchers having little pow wows with the pitcher, mound visits, the list goes on. Add that to the fact that there are FAR more pitching changes in today's game than in the arbitrary year of 1980 that random blog guy came up with, and voila, you get longer games. Bottom line is that the umpires don't move the game along as much as they could, and until they start enforcing the penalties that exist in the rules, it's going to stay the same. And honestly, I don't think the games are too long as it is, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The last thing we need is umpires to have another thing to randomly apply as they each personally see fit.