Quit testing for PEDs

Happened to catch a bit of Lance McAllister on the way home from work tonight. He referenced a Boston Herald article where Red Sox owner John Henry was quoted as saying the biggest problem facing MLB is...the pace of the game. I've already stated that it'd be one of my top issues, if I was Bud's replacement. Anybody else feel the same way?

 

Colin Cowherd mention this quite often especially in terms of future fans. Those future fans are not into 3 hour games that are not action-packed.

 

With that said there is no really good way to speed up the game. Remember, TV contributes to long game with commercials. Commercials put $$ in every MLB owner's pockets and that money then goes into pockets of MLB players. In other words, they're not going to speed up if it costs them money.

Quit testing for PEDs

Just pass them out in spring training.

Something that doesn't get mentioned in the pace of game discussion is the mandatory length commercial breaks between each 1/2 inning. I know ads pay the bills but if the ads could be incorporated into the flow of the game some how and cut the between inning break to 30 seconds or no more than 60 seconds that could help also.

 

I'd support ads on uniforms/helmets if it could reduce/eliminate the commercial breaks

I'm not good at being an assistant anyway!

Would you be interested in handing out punishment for on field and off field misadventures. That position hasn't been filled yet!

I'd turn HoF voting over mostly to the current HoF Members with a small percentage of BBWA involved.

I would contract the Rays and the Marlins. This would make 28 teams in MLB.

 

2 Leagues of 14. They would each have 2 divisions of 7.

 

I would cut the schedule to 156 games. Ex. 12 games against 6 divisional opponents (72 games). 6 games against 7 teams in same league in the other division (42 games). Then you would each play 6 games against the same division opponents from other league. Ex. NL east vs AL East (42 games). I know everyone would say lost revenue. You would gain the revenue back by adding post season round of games. NL East 3 place vs 2 place; winner plays NL East Champion. So wild card round of 3 games, divisional round best of 7, then Pennant round best of 7, then World Series.

 

You would have 12 of the 28 teams in the playoffs. The extra round of playoffs makes up for lost revenue of 6 regular season games.

Love #5

 

 

Me too. The AL would always have home field advantage in the World Series. :thumb:

Me too. The AL would always have home field advantage in the World Series. :thumb:

But at least it would make more sense that the AS game winner does :thumb:

Colin Cowherd mention this quite often especially in terms of future fans. Those future fans are not into 3 hour games that are not action-packed.

 

With that said there is no really good way to speed up the game. Remember, TV contributes to long game with commercials. Commercials put $$ in every MLB owner's pockets and that money then goes into pockets of MLB players. In other words, they're not going to speed up if it costs them money.

 

The areas that were being addressed as potential time savers, really didn't delve into the commercial time. It was more of the "batter always stepping out of the box" type of in-game moments that were highlighted. Another one mentioned was intentional walks. If you want to walk a guy, the catcher tells the ump...batter goes to first. No need to throw four pitches. The number of timeouts you could call in an inning would be capped (I think they said the number was four), and there was a time-limit on them. That way you didn't have the catcher going out to the mound to stall all the time, just to get a relief pitcher more time to warm up in the pen.

 

The only one that I could see cutting into potential commercial time was the number of warm-ups by a relief pitcher. Instead of 8, you got 6. And you only got a minute to do them. After all...weren't they supposed to be warming up in the bullpen?!?

1 - Shot clock on pitchers. 15 seconds from receipt of the ball with no one on base. If not started pitching by then, Ball.

2 - Batter cannot step out if took prior pitch. (Believe this is the Minor League rule.) After swing, if doesn't get in box after instructed by ump, Strike.

3 - 2nd foul ball with 2 strikes & batter is out (put it in play)

4 - Mandatory suspensions for any player leaving his position or the bullpen / dugout for altercation. (Minor League rule.)

5 - With nobody on base, all batters start with 1-1 count. (Incentive to keep runners off base to keep pitch count down / get on base to drive pitch count up.) I know many teams do this in spring scrimmages to get more action / situations going.

6 - RELEGATION / PROMOTION: Last place team in each division plays round robin during playoffs to see who gets sent to AAA from each League. Top 2 teams from AAA move up to take their spot the next year. Red Sox, Twins & Rangers in the AL. Phillies, Cubs & Rockies in the NL. Look out for road trips to Syracuse, Durham or Columbus in the NL or Omaha, Nashville, Sacramento or Las Vegas in the AL!!! Do the same at AAA/AA, AA/A. (Red Sox might have thought twice before unloading Lester & Lackey!!!)

One thing I forgot: I'd get rid of the humidors that the balls are kept in at Coors Field. Let em fly!

I really do not mind commercial breaks between innings and when a new pitcher is brought in. Heck college football games are 3 and half hours and no one complains because the action is flowing for the most part. It is the constant non-action of the catcher getting a sign from the dugout, giving the sign to the pitcher, the pitcher trying to freeze the batter, the batter stepping out on the pitcher......

 

To me the greatest invention in TV history is the box with runners on base and how many outs..........no one on and one out and Cozart up in the bottom of the third........I am watching another baseball game or TVG or NBA or anything else.

I really do not mind commercial breaks between innings and when a new pitcher is brought in. Heck college football games are 3 and half hours and no one complains because the action is flowing for the most part. It is the constant non-action of the catcher getting a sign from the dugout, giving the sign to the pitcher, the pitcher trying to freeze the batter, the batter stepping out on the pitcher......

 

To me the greatest invention in TV history is the box with runners on base and how many outs..........no one on and one out and Cozart up in the bottom of the third........I am watching another baseball game or TVG or NBA or anything else.

 

Maybe they could give pitcher/catcher an ear piece and call pitches from the dug out. Batters/runners could have the same set up instead of watching 3B Coach.

 

With that said there is no really good way to speed up the game. Remember, TV contributes to long game with commercials. Commercials put $$ in every MLB owner's pockets and that money then goes into pockets of MLB players. In other words, they're not going to speed up if it costs them money.

 

Olbermann was taking the commish to task for not enforcing rules already on the book that would speed up the game.

 

As I said above, though, that would cost owners money.

 

 

Keith Olbermann Says MLB Can Cut the Length of Games Very Easily | The Big Lead