MLB Off-Topic

[DamnYanks2]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

The funny part, he even acknowledged those things in the past as time wasters. So clearly it's been talked about but for whatever reason nothing happens.

It doesn't cost MLB anything since there's no commercials that air during these breaks, and it doesn't impact the game itself since you're not messing with gameplay itself.

It doesn't make any sense, he had plenty of options to choose from, and he made this idiotic choice.

And what does this ultimately do? Nothing. You shave what? a minute off a game, by pointing to first?

I imagine mlb games don't even average a IBB a game. This makes literally no sense. None.



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[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I imagine mlb games don't even average a IBB a game. This makes literally no sense. None.



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On average you might see one in a series.

[DamnYanks2]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

On average you might see one in a series.

It bothers me the MLB commissioner could be so clueless, to believe that eliminating ibb's will speed up the game.

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[l3ulvl]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

can we expand the batters box infinitely so when pitchers soft toss the ball around the infield any player with a bat is allowed to run onto the field and swing away?

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

can we expand the batters box infinitely so when pitchers soft toss the ball around the infield any player with a bat is allowed to run onto the field and swing away?

Come on, this is crazy talk...



... that would totally slow the pace of play.

[DamnYanks2]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Manfred's nightmare.



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[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I have some proposed changes for baseball...

1. Pitcher and batter swap locations...pitcher pitches from the batter's box wearing full body armor and batter bats from the mound (ump and catcher move with the batter). A bouncy surface is added behind where home plate/netting used to be. Now we have some serious wall ball.

2. Money balls are used with 2 outs. Double the run value when scoring plays happen.

3. Faceoff circles. Instead of a replay system, the managers from each team can go out to the circle to arm wrestle (or thumb wrestle...decided by the home team) over any disputed calls or other airing of grievances.

4. Remove home plate. Instead put a regulation basketball hoop next to the batter's mound whereby a baserunner has to dunk on it to score a run.

5. Home field advantage in the World Series is decided by most total combined length of facial hair on the 25-man roster. Sorry, Yankees.

I am confident that none of these proposed changes will improve the pace of play. I am also confident that they will enrage most baseball fans. But, why not innovate?

[TheMatrix31]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I hate Rob Manfred so much.

Not as much as David Stern, but he's up there.

[CMH]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Just eliminate mound visits and batters calling for time! That alone saves several minutes of a game right there.

He proposed limiting mound visits. The PA said no. There's a reason he's pissed at them.

[countryboy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Intentional walk rule has passed.

Absolutely Stupid.

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Agreed. Why are they trying to fix what isn't broken?

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

He proposed limiting mound visits. The PA said no. There's a reason he's pissed at them.

Why would the PA say no? What do mound visits accomplish? I've heard a former longtime big league catcher even say mound visits are useless and he knows pitchers hate them and don't care for them. How do players not want shorter games either, especially when you can do so without impacting gameplay itself. Saying no to a big thing like this means worse ideas proposed that have less impact on time and more chance to impact gameplay.

I'm happy he mentioned Las Vegas as a viable market.

Interesting that he's talking about Vegas and expansion when for longest while he's shrugged off new team talks saying he wants to get As and Rays stadium situations addressed first.

[Trevytrev11]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I think I read that IBB's were at an all time low last year (or at least lower than any point in recent history) at an average of one ever 2.6 games. So essentially shaving of an average of ~20 seconds a game.

I personally think this rule change was more about the fact it is not a competitive play, similar to what the NFL has been debating over for years with the extra point where it was converted successfully 99% of the time. There may be excitement on a passed ball once or twice a season, but it almost exclusively serves no point for a batter to stand there and watch four ceremonial lobs go by.

I have no problem with this change personally. I can just picture David Ortiz or some other hitter standing there with his bat on the ground undoing his shin guard while the pitcher lobs his final toss. To me, it literally is just a waste of time.

I'm not sure how I feel about some of the other ideas I've heard:

1) Increasing the number of batters a reliever has to face from 1 to maybe 2 or 3.

- I kind of like this one. Would change a coaches strategy on just matching up lefty vs. lefty as the next batter would have to be considered as well.

2) Limiting the number of catcher trips to the mound

- All for this one as well. No reason a catcher needs to come out and talk to the pitcher multiple times during an at bat. Every other sport limits the number of timeouts and this is essentially that. Teams have all spring to get their signals down with runners on second and most should have multiple systems/indicators that they can go to in order to switch it up on the fly.

3) Putting a timer on the amount of time between each pitch

- Again, OK with this one as well. Keep the hitters in the box and the pitchers on the rubber. The players will adjust as soon as the rules start being enforced. I'd be fore modifications of the rule for certain situations similar to how the NFL handles out of bounds differently in the last few minutes of the halves.

4) Quicken the pace in between innings. High School and Colleges play 9 innings and their average time of game has to be leaps and bounds shorter than that of the MLB. The players hustle on and off the field, the pitchers throw their 5 warmups, catcher throws it down and the batter should be on his way to the box. 1 minute max. 1.5 if a new pitcher.

I know advertisement revenue is huge in all sports, but I think that they can be creative in the way they advertise. Instead of showing a soundless meeting at the mound, run a 15 second spot during that time. Run shorter ads during specific windows during the game.

Also, I am all for replay, but I think this should be centralized and each game should have a designated umpire that travels with the crew in the booth that can review the calls instead of having all of the umpires gather around one guy watching the replay on the screen and then discussing and then coming to a decision. Most of these could be handled from a booth and the call can be announced on the screen in a matter of seconds.

I love baseball and never thought I'd be a fan of these types of changes, but the game has evolved over time in such a way that there is less action during a game and it happens less frequently. The days of a 2-1 ball game finishing in 2 hours is a thing of the past. That same game now is 2:30 for a multitude of reasons and some of them can be modified to make it a little more reasonable. I get they need to keep the sacredness of the game, but they also need to do it in a way that keeps fans interested and entertained...and 4+ hour games are tough for most.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Quicker pitches and fewer mound visits/batters calling time are best ways.

Watching a Mark Buehrle game was always nice cause games go by so quick,and that's just from 1 guy pitching quicker. His games lasted less than 2.5hrs on most occasions.

[Mabster]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I wonder how they'll handle the auto IBB in stadiums. I imagine they'll have the PA announcer say something much like when a pinch runner is installed?

[LowerWolf]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I don't love it, but of all the silly proposed rule changes, the IBB one bothered me the least. I can live with it.