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You’re not alone. MLB has adopted a bunch of new rules in order to both speed up the game and generate more plays. They see the problem as well. Pitch clock, p

You’re not alone. MLB has adopted a bunch of new rules in order to both speed up the game and generate more plays. They see the problem as well. Pitch clock, pick-off attempt limit, the shift being reined in a bit. The bases are slightly larger, which should tip the scale toward the runner.

probably_wrong 3y ago
And yet, based on the one game I saw while visiting the US, they will gladly spend hours doing anything except playing the game - they'll play 2-3 minutes and then go away for 15. I'm glad I got to see a "kiss cam" in real life, but I ended up watching more Jumbotron TV than game. You want to speed up the game? Turn off the screens. I know there's a tradition of taking baseball more like a picnic than a sport, but if cricket could come up with variations to shorten 2-3 days into 3 hours I'm sure baseball can do it too.
- wincy 3y ago
  The only time I’ve gone to a baseball game as an American (with a “World Series” winning team, no less) in the last twenty years was because my work shuttle bussed us all an hour from the office, and we got unlimited alcoholic drinks in a covered area. I got to hang out with coworkers all day which was important as we were just coming out of Covid restrictions and were all working remotely, so it was an excellent opportunity to get to meet and interact with people. I have absolutely no recollection which team won or who was playing against my local sports team. But I remember having fun!
- readthenotes1 3y ago
  You would think that the 7th inning stretch would have been a clue that the game has gone on too long. But no. It does reduce my faith in humanity though.
- cgdub 3y ago
  They do this so they can show more commercials to people watching the game on TV. Of course it makes watching the game a worse experience.
davidthewatson 3y ago
Only Americans could invent a more violent form of golf while not realizing that baseball and golf feature watching grass grow as a spectator sport.
- ethanbond 3y ago
  What In what ways is baseball violent or like golf?
  - oh_sigh 3y ago
    Maybe OP only watched baseball a long time ago, where runners could, say, smash the catcher at home plate to try to get him to drop the ball. Those rules have also been changed and those plays are extremely rare, and also frowned upon by players. However, the pitcher intentionally throwing a ball 90 mph at a batter's head because of some perceived slight is still part of the game.
    - davidthewatson 3y ago
      Thanks for your comment. Indeed, smashing the catcher at home plate was common whether initiated by the catcher or the base runner. For over one hundred years, MLB has debated whether there is any place for violence at home plate between base runners and catchers, intentional or otherwise. It is a complex question that has been answered by rules and player attitudes with little consensus between rule makers, players, and spectators, which, of course, closely mirrors society at large. I love baseball and golf and have participated in both, but only as a young player. To me, spectator sports that aren't the Tour de France, F1, or WRC are just not dense enough with action to sustain my interest, even if that action is enabled by wheels and sources of power that may not be human. This tension between safety and freedom is a theme that has played a role for at least as long as the publication of Trevor Melia's book, "Lucifer State", more than four decades ago. I'm out-of-my-depth in classics but I'd be surprised if there weren't a much older reference to this tension in antiquity. The role of that tension in modern society most certainly divides the room whether we are talking about art, sports, or life itself.
- 3y ago
azan_ 3y ago
So they finally jazzed it up?

probably_wrong 3y ago

And yet, based on the one game I saw while visiting the US, they will gladly spend hours doing anything except playing the game - they'll play 2-3 minutes and then go away for 15. I'm glad I got to see a "kiss cam" in real life, but I ended up watching more Jumbotron TV than game. You want to speed up the game? Turn off the screens. I know there's a tradition of taking baseball more like a picnic than a sport, but if cricket could come up with variations to shorten 2-3 days into 3 hours I'm sure baseball can do it too.

wincy 3y ago
The only time I’ve gone to a baseball game as an American (with a “World Series” winning team, no less) in the last twenty years was because my work shuttle bussed us all an hour from the office, and we got unlimited alcoholic drinks in a covered area. I got to hang out with coworkers all day which was important as we were just coming out of Covid restrictions and were all working remotely, so it was an excellent opportunity to get to meet and interact with people. I have absolutely no recollection which team won or who was playing against my local sports team. But I remember having fun!
readthenotes1 3y ago
You would think that the 7th inning stretch would have been a clue that the game has gone on too long. But no. It does reduce my faith in humanity though.
cgdub 3y ago
They do this so they can show more commercials to people watching the game on TV. Of course it makes watching the game a worse experience.

davidthewatson 3y ago

Only Americans could invent a more violent form of golf while not realizing that baseball and golf feature watching grass grow as a spectator sport.

ethanbond 3y ago
What In what ways is baseball violent or like golf?
- oh_sigh 3y ago
  Maybe OP only watched baseball a long time ago, where runners could, say, smash the catcher at home plate to try to get him to drop the ball. Those rules have also been changed and those plays are extremely rare, and also frowned upon by players. However, the pitcher intentionally throwing a ball 90 mph at a batter's head because of some perceived slight is still part of the game.
  - davidthewatson 3y ago
    Thanks for your comment. Indeed, smashing the catcher at home plate was common whether initiated by the catcher or the base runner. For over one hundred years, MLB has debated whether there is any place for violence at home plate between base runners and catchers, intentional or otherwise. It is a complex question that has been answered by rules and player attitudes with little consensus between rule makers, players, and spectators, which, of course, closely mirrors society at large. I love baseball and golf and have participated in both, but only as a young player. To me, spectator sports that aren't the Tour de France, F1, or WRC are just not dense enough with action to sustain my interest, even if that action is enabled by wheels and sources of power that may not be human. This tension between safety and freedom is a theme that has played a role for at least as long as the publication of Trevor Melia's book, "Lucifer State", more than four decades ago. I'm out-of-my-depth in classics but I'd be surprised if there weren't a much older reference to this tension in antiquity. The role of that tension in modern society most certainly divides the room whether we are talking about art, sports, or life itself.
3y ago

azan_ 3y ago

So they finally jazzed it up?