Posted on 09/08/2022 7:24:49 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Major League Baseball will implement a pitch clock and ban defensive shifts beginning in the 2023 season, people familiar with the matter said, an attempt to quicken pace of play and reinvigorate offenses as a means of combating the sport’s faded appeal with fans.
An 11-person joint committee that includes four active players recommended the changes. Former Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox executive Theo Epstein served as an adviser to the committee. The league also will increase the size of bases by three inches, a measure it believes will reduce collisions and injuries.
The changes, expected to be announced Friday, are aimed at injecting new excitement into a sport that has seen pushback from fans in recent years. Plodding games with less action have been a factor in both turning off older fans and alienating potential new ones, pressuring attendance and TV ratings. A new collective bargaining agreement with players last spring gave MLB commissioner Rob Manfred the authority to implement rule changes with 45 days notice, much faster than the one-year’s notice the commissioner previously was obligated to give.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Was at a triple A game last night and the pitch clock really moved things along. Game was just under 2.5 hours. Granted, the pitching changes all took place between innings but it was a nice, briskly paced game. One ball was actually called when a pitcher took too long. The shift shouldn’t be banned. Don’t turn this into the NFL with four million rules.
Agreed. Data will show that next year.
So MLB will have do something else to encourage batters to put the ball in the play more. And not trying to hit a home run. Ideally, you would see someone like Rickey Henderson who is capable of hitting a single. Then can steal 2nd and 3rd bases. So he can score easily on a sacrifice fly.
For what it's worth, I am against nfl challenge rules. The game is a judgment call so we have to live with that, IMHO.
Exactly … completely different. It’s just not baseball either. Last night I was watching NHL finals from 1975. That brought back memories. I can remember discussions about was it an advantage or disadvantage to play in Buffalo because of the small ice. Back then, if I recall correctly, Boston and Toronto also had small rinks. Now everything is standardized. The game had more character back then, most of which was due to players’ characters. There also wasn’t an equipment and uniform fetish. But, now thinking about it, the NHL was going through changes in ‘75. The four divisions were really screwy with an unbalanced number teams due to league expansion. That didn’t bother me, but I bet a bunch of old timers back then complained and longed for the days before expansion.
I agree with you and the umpires get it right more often than not. It’s part of the game. Is the way I look at it.
Shift ban is total BS
That’s about when I stopped watching. The kneeling clinched it. I saw a game when a running back went off tackle for a TD. But wait, the replay showed him down 6 inches short of the goal line. Ran the play again and he went in for the TD. But wait, the replay showed he was hit so hard his helmet came off. By rule, the play was dead when his helmet came off so the ball was placed three inches from the goal line. The third time he went in again and they couldn’t find anything to deny it. That’s about when I thought I could get the same entertainment from Court TV.
Our Bullies were the best.
Taking intrigued out of baseball.
Taking baseball out of baseball.
Artificial
Artificial roboticism
Gone
I share your angst over purity, but this season I have attended several MiLB games where a pitch clock was in use. I was pleasently surprised that no game took longer than 2 1/2 hours to complete.
The problem with sports is that there are too many rules and the rules constantly change. There will always be someone who will get around them to have an advantage over everyone else. It is human nature.
Who was the last pitcher to get injured during an at-bat?
The 800lb gorilla in the room is commercials are too long and players like Joey Gallo won’t hit to the opposite field or lay down a bunt. So let’s not fix the real problems and act like politicians and go for a quick “fix”
Yes on too many rules. But sometimes you have to do it. The pitch clock is necessary because they're taking too long to throw the da** ball. The shift ban is pointless.
Bring back the beanball. There’s nothing else worth watching in a league that showed just how much they hate Americans.
The gamblers have a huge influence and many states are legalizing gambling so if the officials screw up, a lot of people are going to lose their money on a bad call. Which is why we should have kept it banned in the first place (with a few notable exceptions - Vegas and Indian reservations).
Within the next decade, I’m sure the MLB will again change the rules to mandate the addition of basketball hoops and soccer nets until they finally all fess up that they hate baseball.
15-20 seconds is going to drive many pitchers nuts, and batters having to be “set in the box” by 8 seconds? Are they supposed to be staring at a clock? Dunno about this.
My rule IMHO changes....
1) standard fields...
2) only eight pitchers per team, other fielders can pitch
3) move mound back 3 feet
4) on field conferences limited to 20 seconds
5) only one warmup pitch for relief pitcher
6) umpires evaluated for consistency especially balls and strike calling
7) if umpire consistently makes bad calls, umpire goes to the minors
8)slightly heavier baseball
9) 93 feet between bases
10) KEEP FIELDING SHIFTS. Strategic placements of throws, pitches, fielding positions are the best indicators of the thought that goes on in baseball. Sometimes, it is a double dog dare...and that is great.
11) batter cannot leave box for more than 8 seconds
12) pitcher has 18 seconds to pitch
13) Relief pitcher pitches at least two innings or until end of game.
That should speed up the game a bit. IMHO
oh...and kill on field wokeism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.