By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | For those of us who are baseball purists, and for most everyone enjoying baseball these days, there is growing discomfort with the length of baseball games.
As baseball begins, it’s spring training, we thought we might consider some suggestions for improving the game. Most of these comments came from a long story in the New York Times recently, as they had suggestions from people all over the country about improving the game.
Some people wanted radical changes, like moving regulation games to seven innings, or three balls for a walk, or allowing players to re-enter the game, like in football or baseball. We’re not so much for changing the basic rules as we are taking giant steps to speed the game with the current rules. There are lots of ways.
Many TV Commercials: The length problem games today is because of television. Though keeping baseball popular, the amount of “down time” during the commercials are perhaps the one single factor that sends games longer and longer. Cut each half inning commercial break by one minute and you save 18 minutes in a regulation game. The networks can charge the same for the advertisements, only make each a few second shorter.
Batsman’s Delays: One popular thought from fans would be to require batters to stay in the batters box while awaiting the pitch, instead of in-and-out between every pitch. The penalty if they stepped out: have a strike assessed against them.
Mound Visits: Another common theme: cut the number of eliminate the visits to the mount by coaches and managers, or even catchers. Another: limit the number of pick-off throws to first base.
Day Games: To attract more young fans, how about at least one World Series (and playoff?) game be required to be played during daylight. The feeling here is that major league baseball is losing younger fans, who aren’t allowed to stay up to midnight for these championship games. The number of daytime games during the regular season can improve, since these games are so popular.
Other suggestions:
- Institute a pitch clock, and if the time is violated, a ball is charged against the pitcher. If the pitcher violates it five times, he’s ejected.
- Outlaw batting gloves. They encourage the batter to step out of the box, slowing the game.
- Give more control to umpires. Reward umpires with a bonus of $500 each if the game ends in two hours 40 minutes. Make it $1,000 if the game lasts less than 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Here’s a zany one: If no one is on base, let the batter run in either direction, to either first or third. All batters and runners that follow that half-inning would have to go in the same direction. It might not speed the game, but it would add luster and suspense. (Of course, this is a major rule change, but interesting suggestion.)
But mainly, cut the accompaniments that don’t harm the rules, starting with length of commercials. Baseball is too much a part of our culture to see it ruined by Major League Baseball not disciplining the game.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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