Bud Seling stepping down as MLB commissioner

[Dave Gray]

Too much time in a baseball game is dedicated to nothing.  Stepping in and out of the box, players talking to each other, arguing, etc.

I understand tradition, but get with the times.  A manager coming out and screaming in the ref's face is a viable and necessary tool in managing a game?  No.  Just end the crap and get with the times.

I get not shrinking the number of games (though I'd personally like it), but you have to speed up the pace of the game.  It's super tedious and incredibly boring to watch a player step out of a box, spit, adjust a croth, OCD over his hand placement on the bat, fix his gloves, step in the box, have the pitcher shake off the call, check the runner, repeat, then finally pitch -- Ball 2.  Jesus...

[Phishfan]

I agree that I find baseball boring but find it humorouw that a group of football fans complain about "dead" time spent during other sports. Do you know how much actual time is spent on plays in football? Replay just fits the sport of football easier so you do not notice it as much.

[Brian Fein]

I have a 30-second skip button on my remote.  I can press it the moment a guy is tackled and it drops me right before the next snap.  Odd exceptions are when there are reviews, penalties, no huddle offense, etc.  I can watch an entire football game in 40-45 minutes.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The only problem I see with a system like that is that you would have batters scouting pitchers for their current position on the penalty chain and getting closer and closer to the plate.  A system like the above would also need to have some penalties added for batters that are too close to the plate.

I am not sure what the current rules are, but how about something like?.....

A batter may not place any part of his body (other than hands, arms and bat) over the plate or within 2 inches of being over the plate.  Any violation of this will result in a striking being called, even if the ball has not yet been released or if released even if it would have otherwise been called a ball instead of a strike.  If a ball hits the player in such an instance he will be automatically out.

[Dave Gray]

I agree that I find baseball boring but find it humorouw that a group of football fans complain about "dead" time spent during other sports. Do you know how much actual time is spent on plays in football? Replay just fits the sport of football easier so you do not notice it as much.

It depends on what you call "plays".  Get rid of the concept of a ticking clock and what constitutes a play.  How much down time is there actually in football where the viewer is not engaged?  Of course, there is some.  ...but you have movement pre-snap, the play itself, and then generally relevant commentary and replays of what's happening.  Not counting commercials, the actual interesting relevant info spent during a telecast is a sizeable portion of the overall time spent.  Sure, it's not perfect and there are ways to speed things up, but overall, the viewer is engaged.

In baseball, the downtime is much more apparent.  And it's not just based on my particular interest-level.

[Sunstroke]

...you have to speed up the pace of the game.  It's super tedious and incredibly boring to watch a player step out of a box, spit, adjust a croth, OCD over his hand placement on the bat, fix his gloves, step in the box, have the pitcher shake off the call, check the runner, repeat, then finally pitch -- Ball 2.  Jesus...

Spoken like someone who has never faced down a 98 mph fastball...

[Cathal]

Spoken like someone who has never faced down a 98 mph fastball...

Facing it is different than watching it. Watching it, it's over in a second and then you repeat it with way too long between pitches. It's just a slow game, you can't get argue against that.

[Sunstroke]

Facing it is different than watching it. Watching it, it's over in a second and then you repeat it with way too long between pitches. It's just a slow game, you can't get argue against that.

I honestly enjoy the pace of baseball...always have. I really don't need an in-my-face-every-second sensory barrage to get entertainment out of a sporting event.

[Spider-Dan]

I honestly enjoy the pace of baseball...always have. I really don't need an in-my-face-every-second sensory barrage to get entertainment out of a sporting event.

Is this a variant on the "you just don't know how to appreciate a 0-0 tie" argument that soccer fans love to use?

I am not sure what the current rules are, but how about something like?.....

A batter may not place any part of his body (other than hands, arms and bat) over the plate or within 2 inches of being over the plate.  Any violation of this will result in a striking being called, even if the ball has not yet been released or if released even if it would have otherwise been called a ball instead of a strike.  If a ball hits the player in such an instance he will be automatically out.

I'll defer to the baseball experts on this one, but I'd say a rule like that would radically alter batting itself.  Seems to me that an overwhelming number of players crowd the plate, and if umpires starts giving out strikes based on that alone, the game would be totally different.

I have a 30-second skip button on my remote.  I can press it the moment a guy is tackled and it drops me right before the next snap.  Odd exceptions are when there are reviews, penalties, no huddle offense, etc.  I can watch an entire football game in 40-45 minutes.

So you don't like to watch games live, then.

[Dave Gray]

You're creating a straw man argument.  I'm not asking for baseball to be an in-your-face-every-second sensory barrage.  I just think that shaving a few seconds off between pitches and having batters commit to the box would increase the pace of the game....which would be better.

[Phishfan]

I have a 30-second skip button on my remote.  I can press it the moment a guy is tackled and it drops me right before the next snap.  Odd exceptions are when there are reviews, penalties, no huddle offense, etc.  I can watch an entire football game in 40-45 minutes.

Or a hurry up offense. Your button seems nice but it does not equate to exact timing of a football play or baseball play.

[Phishfan]

It depends on what you call "plays".  Get rid of the concept of a ticking clock and what constitutes a play.  How much down time is there actually in football where the viewer is not engaged?  Of course, there is some.  ...but you have movement pre-snap, the play itself, and then generally relevant commentary and replays of what's happening.  Not counting commercials, the actual interesting relevant info spent during a telecast is a sizeable portion of the overall time spent.  Sure, it's not perfect and there are ways to speed things up, but overall, the viewer is engaged.

In baseball, the downtime is much more apparent.  And it's not just based on my particular interest-level.

I was accounting for this stuff in  my head but maybe did not express it well. If you include pre-snap movement, I would counter that the boring aspect of a runner leading off is the equivalent strategy wise. Nothing that accounts for the game itself has happened other than posturing and strategizing.

[Spider-Dan]

Except that you can't even see the runners on 99% of TV broadcasts, which are simple behind-the-pitcher views.

If you're talking about in person, maybe you have an argument.  Football is a lot better on TV where you can see replays during the huddle.  I don't think baseball uses replays nearly as much as football.

[Sunstroke]

I honestly enjoy the pace of baseball...always have. I really don't need an in-my-face-every-second sensory barrage to get entertainment out of a sporting event.

Is this a variant on the "you just don't know how to appreciate a 0-0 tie" argument that soccer fans love to use?

On the surface, I'd say they were second cousins, though my comment had a lot less judgmental snootiness than I take away from the "you just don't know how..." aspect of your example.