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[entremet]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mlb-convenes-committe-shorten-games-article-1.1948458

Time to pick up the pace!

Major League Baseball announced Monday that outgoing commissioner Bud Selig has discussed improving the pace of baseball games with a new committee that will study the issue and look to make improvements for the 2015 season and beyond.

The chairman of the committee is Braves president John Schuerholz. Incoming commissioner Rob Manfred (currently baseball’s COO), Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and former Yankees manager Joe Torre — now MLB’s executive VP of baseball operations — will be part of the committee, along with union chief Tony Clark, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and Red Sox partner Michael Gordon.

“We have the greatest game in the world, but we are always looking for ways to improve it. The game is at its highest levels of popularity and we will continue to strive to identify ways that can build on its stature well into the future,” Selig said in a statement. “With the cooperation of all appropriate parties, we can make progress on improving the pace of play, and we will have recommendations in the very near future for the 2015 season. I believe that this group has the experience and the perspective to be mindful of our game’s traditions while being creative about our approach in the future.”

The committee will focus on ways to make the games shorter, and improve the overall pace of games.

Specific details:

Under a new proposal by Major League Baseball, pitchers would be required to finish their warm-up pitches and be ready to make their first pitch of an inning 30 seconds before the end of all between-inning commercial breaks, sources told ESPN.com.

Similarly, hitters would have to be in the batter's box, ready to start their at-bats, 20 seconds before the end of each break.

 

[Fatalah]

It's about time.

 

[GuessWho]

Yes please!

 

[terrisus]

Less commercials.

Anything else is nonsense.
I want as much Baseball as I can get.

 

[entremet]

Normar Garciaparra is lucky he's not playing anymore!

Probably one of the biggest time waster in MLB history.

 

[Stinkles]

HOW ABOUT NOT PLAYING GAMES AT RUSH HOUR, YOU NIMRODS

 

[Ninja Scooter]

It's about time.

Literally.

 

[StanleyStutters]

Good, the game needs to move faster. I'd like to see all sports trim commercial time, especially the NFL, but that's a pipe dream.

 

[braves01]

Make the half-inning switch a LOT faster (no commercial break), no more than 10 pitches per batter MAX (if he isn't out by 10, then it alternates between a walk and an out), 7 innings total. Target game time should be <2.5 hours. 80 game season.

Similar idea for basketball: 30-40 game season, 6 teams from each in playoffs like NFL with byes, every foul under 2 minutes is a point for the other team.

For soccer: add two extra balls (and an appropriate number of additional refs) so there are three balls in play at once

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

100 games max.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Start the games at the same time, but starting airing them one hour later, and then you can air them at 1.3x speed or something. That would be entertaining.

 

[terrisus]

Normar Garciaparra is lucky he's not playing anymore!

More time to ham it up with Mia.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Cut it to 3 bases, 4 innings and cut the bat in half.

 

[GK86]

Shorten the length of the season first please.

 

[vwnut13]

Very timely posting, only four months old.

 

[alr1ght]

If David Ortiz didn't rewrap his batting gloves after every pitch, Red Sox games would be 20 minutes shorter.

 

[Archer]

I like long games, fwiw. Means I don't have to do shit if I'm "stuck at the park."

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Start the games at the same time, but starting airing them one hour later, and then you can air them at 1.3x speed or something. That would be entertaining.

Uhm, you have a DVR, use that instead.

 

[terrisus]

Very timely posting, only four months old.

Didn't even notice that the article in the OP is from last September.
How apropos.

 

[ag-my001]

Wasn't there a story this past week about trying a "pitch clock" in the minors this year?

 

[PerezDeCorcho]

Thank the fucking gods.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

The most exciting part is when they're running bases, so focus more on that. Get rid of the boring parts where they're pitching and batting. Just have them run around the field. They could do it one by one, but it would be cooler if they all start running at the same time. Both teams, even. The fielders aren't needed once we get rid of batting. But, then I guess the score would be really high, so make the diamond a lot bigger. And make them run hundreds of laps instead of just one. Although, I guess they'd get tired then, so instead of making them run, put them in really fast cars! Cars are exciting!

There. Those are some good improvements, NASCAR MLB. I'll take my check now.

 

[shira]

100 games max.

More like 60-80. Ain't nobody got time for 160 games and playoffs.

Half the pitching prospects all have Tommy John surgery or some other procedure.

Half the time ballparks aren't even half full.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Wasn't there a story this past week about trying a "pitch clock" in the minors this year?

Yes. This is old. Like very old.

There is actually new news regarding this

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12200989/new-mlb-proposal-shorten-breaks-innings

Now this. This is new.

 

[alr1ght]

Very timely posting, only four months old.

There is actually new news regarding this

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12200989/new-mlb-proposal-shorten-breaks-innings

Under a new proposal by Major League Baseball, pitchers would be required to finish their warm-up pitches and be ready to make their first pitch of an inning 30 seconds before the end of all between-inning commercial breaks, sources told ESPN.com.

Similarly, hitters would have to be in the batter's box, ready to start their at-bats, 20 seconds before the end of each break.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Make the Golden Snitch slower so it's easier for the fielders to catch. That's the only way the game will end any sooner.

 

[Branduil]

Make pitchers stop taking forever between pitches. Some pitchers seem to waste about a minute of time between each pitch.

 

[entremet]

There is actually new news regarding this

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12200989/new-mlb-proposal-shorten-breaks-innings

Thanks!

I picked an old source, but I heard about the new news recently.

 

[xbhaskarx]

They can start by contracting the entire AL East, games with the Red Sox and Yankees take much longer than the average MLB game.

 

[BFIB]

They can start by contracting the entire AL East, games with the Red Sox and Yankees take much longer than the average MLB game.

Bingo.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

They can start by contracting the entire AL East, games with the Red Sox and Yankees take much longer than the average MLB game.

But then what happens to ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball? That's their entire season schedule!

 

[Sanjuro]

They can start by contracting the entire AL East, games with the Red Sox and Yankees take much longer than the average MLB game.

I fail to see the problem.

This is a dumb idea to present at the professional level. Add clocks in the development leagues, enforce the umpires to take this into account moving forward at the professional level.

 

[DietRob]

Make Troy Tulowitzki stay in the batters box instead of jerking around for 30 seconds between pitches. I guess we can also make all other batters stay in the box also but especially Troy.

There MLB I just shaved about 20 minutes off each game. I'll take my consultant fee now.

 

[Fenderputty]

100 games max.

Given baseballs obsession with stats and records I doubt something like this would ever happen.

The players union and the owners wouldn't be down either.

Edit: The TV deals these teams just signed wouldn't be down either

 

[terrisus]

100 games max.

More like 60-80. Ain't nobody got time for 160 games and playoffs.

Bunch'a half-hearted "fans" here.
Just want to tune in for the "stretch drive" and the playoffs.

I love the fact that there's a game on almost ever day.
It's part of the daily routine.

Half the time ballparks aren't even half full.

Sorry that your team/their fans suck
¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[entremet]

Given baseballs obsession with stats and records I doubt something like this would ever happen.

The players union and the owners wouldn't be down either.

Yep. Less games less revenue.

I like the 162 games season. You need to it to clear out the pretenders. Baseball is also played everyday.

 

[terrisus]

They can start by contracting the entire AL East, games with the Red Sox and Yankees take much longer than the average MLB game.

But then what happens to ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball? That's their entire season schedule!

Spoiler:

Spoiler

Games on national television have more commercials and longer commercial breaks

I hate games being on ESPN and Fox. I would love if they were never on there. And night games on a Sunday are absurd.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Count each inning as one individual games. Each game is now nearly 90% shorter, and you get 9 times as many chance to watch your team.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Now can MLB get me SportsNet LA on Charter? I'd love that in time for spring training.

Maybe they can get together and get that done.

 

[Fenderputty]

Game length is on the umpires really. Which is why I think these proposals sound like bullshit.

 

[Lexxism]

I love the fact that there's a game on almost ever day.
It's part of the daily routine.

Yup. Watching baseball everyday is really fun.

 

[terrisus]

Game length is on the umpires really.

And television.
There's plenty of times when everyone's just standing around "waiting for the cue from television that they can start again"

 

[terrisus]

Yup. Watching baseball everyday is really fun.

It always catches me off-guard when there's an off-day.
My day just feels out of whack, and it just doesn't seem to flow right.

 

[StayDead]

Less commercials.

Anything else is nonsense.
I want as much Baseball as I can get.

There'll probably be more commericals now and less gameplay.

They want to cut out more gameplay like in American Football so there's more room for commercials

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Two things.

One of them is the main point: Cut commercials during half innings.

Second: GET BACK IN THE DAMN BOX! You just watched a pitch sail outside, you don't need to fix your damn batting gloves!

 

[BobLoblaw]

It's about time.

Perfect.

 

[terrisus]

There'll probably be more commericals now and less gameplay.

They want to cut out more gameplay like in American Football so there's more room for commercials

Pretty much.
"Shortening games" just means they can add in more commercials.

If they're not willing to shorten commercials, all these "pace of the game" changes are absurd and hypocritical.

 

[entremet]

It always catches me off-guard when there's an off-day.
My day just feels out of whack, and it just doesn't seem to flow right.

What do you do for day games?

 

[Couleurs]

Two things.

One of them is the main point: Cut commercials during half innings.

Second: GET BACK IN THE DAMN BOX! You just watched a pitch sail outside, you don't need to fix your damn batting gloves!

Get rid of warm up pitches for relievers also, since pitching changes always cause more commercial breaks. Fuuuck, Tony La Russa flashbacks. Anyway, let them warm up in the bullpen and stop wasting more time.

 

[terrisus]

What do you do for day games?

Enjoy it during the day, and then the evening feels strange.


There's also the Patriots' Day morning game, which is fun =)