As a former pitcher (though summer travel ball was the highest level I played), I would hate this idea.

I'm all for concepts that would speed up the ball game. I don't hate the idea of deadening the baseball to encourage pitchers to throw more strikes and be more aggressive in the zone. I wish they would call the strike zone as dictated, but I don't know what that's going to take.

Um... better do that on a day you have the lineup stacked and are pretty confident you can score a bunch of runs.

I assume Hosmer goes to DH on those days. No problem with that.

Random (Cynical) hypothetical: we'll find out the reason they want to keep Valencia is more to work as a defensive sub for Butler on those days than as an alternative/insurance for Moustakas.

Would be just like Dayton Moore and Yost. Obsess over a minor piece of roster construction and leave a much larger hole somewhere else.

By "speed" James was referring to speed guys. Speed aspect, more triples, stolen bases, more action. I don't think the endless throws to 1B will really shorten games significantly. To do that, all that is required is your point of calling the strike zone wider. But MLB won't do that because it kills runs and runs sell tickets.

Yeah, i get what James is saying there. I kind of switched topics but they looked connected because the same word is involved.

I get that baseball's pace drives some away from the game. I get that people who are not hardcore fans might not appreciate the smaller aspects of the game and want to see things move more quickly.

I tend to hate those ideas.

I think it is important for a pitcher to be able to throw over when he wants. I think it is important for a hitter to be able to step out of the box when he wants, as long as he asks for time quickly enough.

Muscle memory can't work if you are not relaxed. Relaxed hitters and relaxed pitchers are important factors.

If you watch a HS game - where the rules are geared to speeding it up as much as possible - you see this come into play a lot.

Welcome to the AL Central, Ian Kinsler!
on the Rangers : "To be honest with you, I hope they go 0-162. I got friends, and I love my friends, but I hope they lose their ass."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...-espn-magazine

He also called the Rangers GM a "sleazeball"

MLB needs to respond to the marketplace and shorten games. There is zero doubt fans want shorter games and surveys show this. When you factor in the 10-min attention span of their future customers, the milennials, it's a no-brainer. Calling strikes is one of the few options they have but when you do, you slash runs. To compensate you have to increase speed.


The move towards expanded instant replay is a step in the wrong direction. It'll bore the shit outta fans and increase game lengths. Sorry but a blown call over the course of 162 games isn't worth the endless delays coming on board.


Finally they should limit pitching changes. They're awful. Watching some of the NL playoffs those d-bag managers were doing multiple swaps in the same half inning. You should get 1 pitching change in an inning. ("You can't do that Bitch!" says Duncan. Yes we can! Yes we can!)

So if your first two pitchers are doing horrible the team just has to suck it up? Four consecutive walks to start an inning from two pitchers, but too bad for you? That makes no sense.

Also, on the limited throws to first, I don't like that because it removes the competiveness. After the third throw the runner can basically take any lead they want to steal the base.

You can counter that with the pitcher not throwing over, but that would then require them to ignore big leads all together. So if the runner takes a big lead the result is either no throw to push them back, or taking such a big lead that you get three throws.

Baseball is what it is. Its the only sport without a clock, which is awesome. There are only minor things that can be done to "speed up the game" but its a long and slow game and I love it.

Its a past-time, not a passion.

What does an average baseball game run?

3 hours, give or take ten minutes?

yeah, usually a few minutes over 3 hours.

So, it takes roughly 21 days out of your life to watch an entire regular season.

25 pitches in, Reds 4 Royals 0

Whelp. Season's over.

Game over dude. Game over.

Duffs gettin cranked. Sounded like the nats mic was in the batter's box