Note to self on baseball
Justacommeman
Posts: 22,847 ✭✭✭✭✭
I can't watch an entire game. Too long. Too much down time. Too boring.
I was watching the woman's Olympic softball game last night. US vs Japan. The game was awesome and it moved along at such a crisp pace. So enjoyable. The five significant reasons for quick the pace of play that I noticed were:
1) 20 second pitch count which actually almost doesn't come in play as the pitch is usually gone in 10 secs or less
2) the batter after a pitch must keep at least on foot in the batters box and be prepared to bat as soon as the pitcher is ready
3) there is no bitching and moaning on called balls and strikes
4) if a catcher is on base with two outs a pinch runner is inserted in her place so that she can head into to the dugout to put on her equipment abs be prepare for next inning.
5) no one was adjusting their junk. Ok I just threw that in there to see if you were paying attention.
Geez if the MLB inserted these rules it would knock of an hour at least without losing any integrity to the game.
I think one of the many reasons I'm so into soccer these days is outside of tied knock out matches are games are done in two hours or less including Intermission. Love that
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Comments
They adjust other junk
Bat-strike-backout-adjust:gloves-helmet
Need a batter clock
I agree with everything you say. I remember years ago going to the games and hoping they would last 2 hours! Most games, I think were completed under 2 hours. My son who played baseball told me that he was recently talking with two of his friends who played in the majors. All three of them agreed that the game as it is played now is unrecognizable to them and they don't watch it anymore. Very sad.
But c'mon - didn't MLB get rid of the 4 wide pitch walk and now you just point to first base to put the batter on? That took about a minute off of game time.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Right. That's a joke too. I assume that's your thinking. I saw one batter in a MLB game who was being intentionally walked who reached out and hit a wide pitch for a homer! Never again. What a loss.
"Years ago" there was a much quicker flow to the game of baseball (on the professional level). And one of the great things about the sport was that simultaneously there was no time clock while the didn't feel like it lasted too long.
I know that there are many reasons for the longer games. We have and can discuss them. One factor that seems somewhat large is the change in the way commercials ran. Advertising. People getting used to waiting for things to be ready.
Yes, I've seen hitters reach out to get hits - you also have a chance at a wild pitch. In baseball it seems anything can happen - History of the game - gone.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
This guy ring a bell? LOL! AKA "Human Rain Delay"
>
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
One word answer.........MONEY.
They could easily shave 20 minutes off of games without even touching the length or number of commercials. Put a clock on the next hitter being in the box and ready after the previous batter made an out. Eliminate stepping out. Eliminate checking of signals between pitches. Eliminate pre-pitch routines. Boom, 20 minutes easy right there.
I remember Johnny Bench being struck out as he was being intentionally walked.
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
I find myself reading a book between innings but am very patient and will wait for the next inning and just lay around and wait like my cats. I bought this ticket at the local casino when the season was just starting.
if my memory is correct, that happened in the World Series against the A's.
I think a big part of why games drag on so much longer now is the fact starting pitchers just don't pitch nearly as deep into games as in the past years. It's now an unlikely chance your starter goes past 5 or 6 innings. Once that starter is gone the the managerial mixing and matching begins. One reliever after another gets marched in. Even with the 3 batter minimum faced rule now in place the march of relievers continues to slow the game. Also, I believe replay slows things up as well. I know replay corrects some bad calls but man I really miss the days of managers getting into it with umpires over a disputed call. I miss that human element of the game.
Here's another human rain delay. Steve Trachsel. Anyone who remembers him knows what I mean.
and then you watch a match of a team coached by Jose Mourinho where there is a total of 2 shots on goal by both sides and 95% of the match occurs solely at mid-field and quickly realize you just spent 2 hours watching 22 dudes play hacky sack
Average number of pitches thrown per game
2019 - 831
1997 - 553
1980 - 379
1960 - 238
K's per game
2021 - 8.81
1995 - 5.80
1950 - 3.86
not the only reason for the slower pace, but those two factors are at the top. 30 years ago very few GMs cared about drawing walks or working counts, or in Dusty Baker's case, 20 years ago managers didn't want those walkers to "clog the bases". Teams today care more about velocity than pitchability so you have dudes coming up from AAA or AA throwing 97 and walking 8+ per 9 innings.
And let's not forget, it's way more difficult to hit now than it was pre-80's when you boomers' heroes were facing pitchers who only had a fastball and curve like Koufax, or a fastball and slider like Bob Gibson. So all the hitters back then could sit on one or the other. Working at bats has changed dramatically, emphasis on slugging and working counts, mix in the relief pitcher evolution. Yes there are a lot of commercials, but not as bad as it is in football.
Boomers gonna boom. But......how do you know that it is "way more difficult to hit now?". It's the same ball. Same bat. Same 60' 6 ". The mound is even lower now than when boomer hero's like Koufax pitched. Have you ever faced major league pitching? .......pre 80's or now? I think not. I know many people who faced pre 80's pitching and people who hit today and major league batting coaches. It's all about skill, natural talent, and practice.
Oh, well......dream on.
well, higher average velocity (via Bill James' abstracts: a starter in the 70's who averaged 90 mph was considered a "flamethrower", by 1990 it was "sufficient". Velocity plateaued for awhile, then after 2008 it's been increasing every year. In 2008 the average fastball was 90.8, thus far into 2021 the average velocity on fastballs is 92.7).
Recorded pitches thrown 100+
2008 - 196
2019 - 1088
The average starter today has more than 2 pitches in his arsenal, Willie & The Mick weren't facing cutters, splitters, vulcan-grip changeups, pitches created at DriveLine to increase max spin-rate etc. Average pitcher in 1970 was barely 6 feet tall. Today the average pitcher is 6'3 which means release points are going to be 3 inches on average closer to the hitter.
ONLY fast balls , curves, and sliders? ......O.K.......you're right. NO Boomer hitter EVER saw a knuckle ball. Screwball? Or a good drop pitch. The changeup was unheard of!!!!! A curve that hit the corner? NO! High, low, in, out, up, down?....pitchers adjusting for the batters first at bat? second? third? Pitching adjusted for outs and
Runners on base? NEVER! NO BOOMER EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT! Those boomers had it easy. It's amazing that they all didn't hit .350. You're also right that they could sit back on one or the other........while waiting to hit to the opposite field......lay down a bunt....hit a sacrifice fly......hit a sacrifice grounder, slap a double down the line, etc., etc. Hey!!!! Walk......strikeout..... HOMER!!!!!......Welcome to baseball 2021.......saber metrics....BORING.
you got me there, buddy. No one could conceivably argue those lucid points. Now go celebrate by listening to some Springsteen..
I'm from old school and I have been saying the same thing. The pitching now is ridiculous. The pitchers are also physically taller in addition to much more velocity and command of many pitches.
Here's the deal.....young people today need constant affirmation. Trophy for EVERYONE!..... and ....the GREATEST OF ALL TIME...is always a current athlete. ALWAYS! .....Example....Simone Biles. I read nothing except that she is the GOAT. Really? The first Olympic games were played in 776 B.C. Almost 3,000 years ago. That's a long time. Yet......NOBODY has ever been as good as she is? Over 3,000 years? WHO COULD POSSIBLY KNOW? It's a joke to massage the fragile egos of the millennial generation.......
And......Springsteen's Born In The USA is a classic. It's about boomers who died so that you can eat another ice cream cone...BUDDY. 👶🍦
The pitchers are also physically taller in addition to much more velocity and command of many pitches.
Yes, that IS a problem. The physical height of the pitchers coupled together with the strategy that a pitcher isn't expected to go 7-8 innings means that a pitcher can come in and throw nothing but heat for 2+ innings. There are thoughts about moving the mound back but the concern is the symmetry of the infield. Expect to see some changes in A ball. The big money is inducing tall athletes out of basketball and into baseball as pitchers. Blown out arm....Short career......but....big $$$$$$$$!
Grow up.