OT MLB players reject pace of play changes, commish to implement regardless

[MaskedSonja]

Yes, I agree with your post.

Short track speed skating reminds me of the Roller Derby on TV when I was a kid. I would watch that at 2 AM if I had to.

Crowded people going around with blades on their feet wiping each other out. Its quite the visual sport

 

[Killion]

Both of my kids like baseball, although they are young adults now. The younger one has been to MCG. I can't imagine flying 14 hours from LA!

... ya, thats a killer. Interestingly they dont fly direct east-west across the Pacific but take a northerly trajectory catching the tail winds, earth spherical of course, 3 dimensional... despite the Flat Earth Societies contention that its not and that you should just fly due west out of LAX, Seatac or wherever. Nice direct flight... of course if you overshoot Australia you'll be eaten by the Langoliers... though if youve David Morse at the controls not a problem....

 

[adsfan]

... ya, thats a killer. Interestingly they dont fly direct east-west across the Pacific but take a northerly trajectory catching the tail winds, earth spherical of course, 3 dimensional... despite the Flat Earth Societies contention that its not and that you should just fly due west out of LAX, Seatac or wherever. Nice direct flight... of course if you overshoot Australia you'll be eaten by the Langoliers... though if youve David Morse at the controls not a problem....

When I flew 9 hours from Chicago to Frankfort, we flew past Canada, went just to the south of Iceland and came down over northern Scotland on the way.

I assumed it was because the Earth gets "smaller" as you keep going north and that it was a relatively straight path on a globe.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

Stupid is too kind of a word to describe the runner on 2nd in extra innings rule. I’m tired of the MLB trying to appeal to people who don’t have the attention span to watch baseball.

To be fair, most people don't have the attention to watch baseball. And the # is growing.

MLB is a business and they desperately need to make it watchable for the average person otherwise it'll die within 30 years when all the baby boomers are gone.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Break out your Ron Paul memes, because it's happening, at least in MiLB this season. That means I expect it'll expand to MLB next season if it's judged to be successful.

MiLB announces pace-of-play regulations for 2018

The high points:

• At all levels of MiLB, extra innings will start with a man on 2nd. That man will be the player in the batting order position previous to the leadoff batter of the inning (or a pinch-runner). So if you start the 10th with your #6 man, #5 is put on 2nd.
  
• For purposes of computing ERAs, the runner on 2nd will be treated as a runner who reached on an fielding error.
  
• Mound visits by coaches and position players will be limited based on level. Triple-A clubs will get 6 visits, Double-A will get 8, and Single-A (Low-A and High-A) will get 10. There'll be no limit on mound visits in Short Season A or Rookie ball.
  
• Each team gets an extra mound visit per inning in extra innings
• If a pitcher and a catcher get their signs crossed up, a visit from the catcher to the mount will count as a mount visit. If the team has used up their mound visits, the catcher may request a brief mound visit at the umpire's discretion.
  
• Pitchers at Double-A and Triple-A will be on a 15-second pitch timer when no runner's on base and 20-seconds when there's a runner on base. They don't have to deliver the pitch in that time, but have to begin their windup/motion to come set by the time the timer's up. The timer will start when the pitcher has possession of the ball in the dirt circle surrounding the rubber, the catcher's in the catcher's box, and the batter's in the batter's box.
  
• Failure for a pitcher to deliver a pitch in that time will result in a ball being awarded to the count and failure by the batter to be in the batter's box and alert to the pitcher with 7 or more seconds remaining on the timer, will result in a strike being awarded to the count.

 

[cutchemist42]

I honestly believe modern MLB execs would slash the game to 7 innings if they were given a blank slate.

 

[MNNumbers]

Break out your Ron Paul memes, because it's happening, at least in MiLB this season. That means I expect it'll expand to MLB next season if it's judged to be successful.

MiLB announces pace-of-play regulations for 2018

The high points:

• At all levels of MiLB, extra innings will start with a man on 2nd. That man will be the player in the batting order position previous to the leadoff batter of the inning (or a pinch-runner). So if you start the 10th with your #6 man, #5 is put on 2nd.
  
• For purposes of computing ERAs, the runner on 2nd will be treated as a runner who reached on an fielding error.
  
• Mound visits by coaches and position players will be limited based on level. Triple-A clubs will get 6 visits, Double-A will get 8, and Single-A (Low-A and High-A) will get 10. There'll be no limit on mound visits in Short Season A or Rookie ball.
  
• Each team gets an extra mound visit per inning in extra innings
• If a pitcher and a catcher get their signs crossed up, a visit from the catcher to the mount will count as a mount visit. If the team has used up their mound visits, the catcher may request a brief mound visit at the umpire's discretion.
  
• Pitchers at Double-A and Triple-A will be on a 15-second pitch timer when no runner's on base and 20-seconds when there's a runner on base. They don't have to deliver the pitch in that time, but have to begin their windup/motion to come set by the time the timer's up. The timer will start when the pitcher has possession of the ball in the dirt circle surrounding the rubber, the catcher's in the catcher's box, and the batter's in the batter's box.
  
• Failure for a pitcher to deliver a pitch in that time will result in a ball being awarded to the count and failure by the batter to be in the batter's box and alert to the pitcher with 7 or more seconds remaining on the timer, will result in a strike being awarded to the count.

I like them all except the man on 2nd in the 10th inning rule. However, with the way the game is presently managed, that might be the rule that makes the most sense, given the way a pitching staff is often used up by the 13th inning or so.