Under the terms of the 2016-21 collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball had the authority to unilaterally implement on-field rules changes one year after formally proposing them to the Players Association. Even in the event the MLBPA rejected the specific idea under consideration, the league could put that provision into place one season later.
As part of this week’s negotiations on a new CBA, MLB has pursued a shorter ramp-up period for its ability to implement rules changes, report Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The exact grace period the league was targeting remains unclear, but MLB evidently doesn’t want to have to wait an entire year to implement rules adjustments without the union’s approval. The league would need the MLBPA’s approval to include the broad authority to expedite rules alterations in the next CBA, though, and Drellich and Rosenthal hear the union responded negatively to the league’s initiative.
While the league could leverage a shorter grace period to more quickly pass any number of rules changes, it seems the current motivation for trying to speed up the process is to more quickly implement one provision in particular: the pitch clock. The Athletic writes that the league specifically cited a pitch clock as a possible alteration it’d be interested in making.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred voiced support for a pitch clock in November, saying it was a feature “owners remain very interested in” implementing. The league has been testing pitch clocks in the minor leagues as part of its initiatives to quicken pace of play and shorten game lengths, and it’s clear MLB has a desire to carry that over to the big league level.
The precise impact a pitch clock would have is a matter of some debate. Jayson Stark of the Athletic examined the possible impact of the Low-A West’s implementation of a 15-second pitch clock midseason last year, finding that average game length dropped 21 minutes after the clock was put in effect. However, J.J. Cooper of Baseball America pointed out that the implementation of 20-second pitch clocks in Double-A and Triple-A in 2015 had mixed results. Those levels saw an immediate significant drop in average game time, but game length gradually rose over time and eventually exceeded pre-pitch clock levels. There are myriad explanations for why games continue to take longer — more time between pitches, fewer balls in play leading to deeper counts — but the trend in the high minors indicates that merely instituting a pitch clock may not be a panacea in the league’s efforts to shorten games over the long haul.
Fans’ opinions on the pitch clock figure to vary. Some will embrace any opportunity to cut dead time out of the game, while others will recoil at the notion of timing a sport that has traditionally proceeded without clocks. Regardless, it seems MLB is intent on implementing a clock at some point. The players’ opposition to shortening the period for rules changes may be rooted in a broader unwillingness to centralize more power in the league office than in opposition to the pitch clock specifically. Either way, it seems they’re none too keen on the idea of allowing the commissioner to more rapidly change the game’s rules.
The league has used its authority to implement rules changes without union approval in the past. Most notably, MLB implemented the three-batter minimum rule for pitchers (another pace of play initiative) over the 2019-20 offseason. The MLBPA never formally agreed to that change, although they did assent not to challenge MLB’s installation of it as part of a broader package of alterations mutually implemented heading into the 2019 season.
Whether the league and union will discuss any other rules adjustments in the coming days and weeks remains to be seen. Upon announcing MLB’s implementation of the lockout in early December, Manfred indicated on-field rules changes might be tabled while the league and union dealt with core economics problems. Many of those economics issues remain, and time is dwindling for the sides to agree to a new CBA if the league is to start the regular season on time. Limits on defensive shifting and the automated strike zone are among other topics of possible discussion whenever MLB and the union circle back to considering changes to the on-field product.
They have to have an on-field product before they can change it…
Manfred is the very last person that we want to give authority to change the rules of baseball. This is the clown that brought us fake runners in extra innings.
No freaking way. Tell him to F#$k off!
The goal is to modify the on field product that way when they cancel games the “dumb ones” aka dumb fans as Kevin Mathers would call them will still tune in to see ‘what’s new’ when baseball finally does return?
Ugh, America’s Pasttime is so close to blernsball it’s scary. The obsession with the time of games is stupid. Loud kids on Twitter are not speaking for everyone. I don’t see them speeding up golf…
Silly comparison. Golfers are more athletic than baseball players.
@ Orel, you’re right . John Daly is the epitome of athleticism.
I see your John Daly… and raise you one Bartolo Colon.
TCS: Underrated comment of the thread – awesome.
Chester Copperpot (AKA: Penguin?): Underrated response of the threat – marvelous.
Very nice, gentlemen.
Big Sexy didn’t need everyone to shut up so he could hit the ball out of the park.
Chester copperpot is Goonies, penguin is chesterfield cobblepot.
LGM: Ah, yes, thank you. Been a long time since I’ve watched either show. I am rightfully embarrassed and will subject myself to….25 lashes from the cane for such an error. The Goonies should never be forgotten!
Baseball fans in America are terrible. Japanese and Korean fans put them to shame The fans add so much to the atmosphere of the game. Oakland fans seem to be close to that but they are a minority at the stadium.
Goodies never say Die!
Until golfers have to run and catch the other golfer’s ball, I say you’re wrong.
Baseball has become incredibly boring. I don’t want to see a guy step out after every pitch. Hit his bat at the bottom of both shoes. Adjust his uniform. Adjust each of his batting gloves. Time of game is an issue. Also the number of strike outs. The lack of balls hit in play. Lack of steals. Lack of high average hitters.
Also golf is boring as well.
Then, I guess you don’t appreciate the psychological drama of baseball. Maybe watch a faster paced sport like hockey. Or play computer games which require a shorter attention span and less attention to detail.
Just got back from Roger Dean, very quiet outside. Same as last Saturday morning the Marlins parking lot was somewhat full and the players were doing drills. Also same as last weekend, no activity on the Cards side. Just a few fans hanging out near the gate entrance, and I saw only one reporter.
Workers are installing huge retro signs outside the park, one of McGwire at the plate and another of the Expos logo. It’s cool they are honoring their history at the park.
atomicfront – “Baseball has become incredibly boring.”
Then you don’t understand the game of baseball.
Saying that the game has become boring is not an indicator that you don’t like baseball or understand it. There are drastically less balls in play than there used to be. That used to be one of the highlights of watching baseball was the excitement of people actually making plays. You would see middle infielders diving to their left and right to try to make plays and turn quick double plays. Now people hit a ground ball and it goes right to somebody who doesn’t even have to move because of defensive shifts. Also with more balls sneaking past the fielders into the outfield you got to see more action on the base paths and more close plays at the plate and third base. Everything is so mechanical now and boring to watch. There’s much fewer opportunities for the players’ athleticism to actually stand out, which is one of the fundamental reasons you watch sports. When I first heard people say that they should ban the defensive shift I thought it was a stupid idea, but now I see that it has taken a lot away from the game. There are so many first base / corner infield-outfield Types playing all over the field now, and it’s just a less athletic game now. Literally all organizations care about any more is whether somebody can walk and hit a home run. That is not what baseball used to be and that is the reason why people are commenting so much that they find the sport increasingly boring. Because it is. I’m not some Fairweather fan, I’ve been watching the sport incessantly for 30 years and will always love and support the sport. There’s so much that we can’t really control like how organizations and hitters choose to focus their approach to at bats, and how players increasingly just use and abuse teams and their fanbases for their own gain, with no loyalty towards anything but their bottom line, which is also hurting sports in general and people’s connection to it, But by limiting the degree to which you can shift your infield is one thing we can do to make a huge impact on the on the field product for everyone’s enjoyment.
Well said.
I stopped watching baseball over the past 2-3 years because TTO is boring AF.
Add in the removal of and/or automation of strategy and the lack of athletic action becomes even more pronounced.
Sabremetrics might be good for baseball teams.
It is, however, terrible for baseball itself and has produce an essentially unwatchable version of the sport.
Truth!!!
Sandy, I agree with what you said except about loyalty. It works both ways, so the teams would have to be as loyal to the players as you’re expecting the players to be to the teams.
You’re correct. I guess I was really referring more to other sports like the abhorrent modern NBA and increasingly in the NFL. Luckily baseball hasn’t become as rotten as those leagues yet but you figure it’ll get there eventually. That was definitely not meant to be a reflection on all players whatsoever. I’m referring more to the James Harden types And the idea that you are willing to tank your performance just to get where you want immediately. I would like the players to take more pride in their teams and being a representative of it, which in turn gives fans more healthy respect and pride in their teams.
You have to look no further than the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves who were the very best 3 true outcome team in baseball. They hit fewer ground balls than any major league team last year by chasing the home run. Hitting the ball in the air hoping for a home run is how you win ballgames in this data driven game now. It takes away so much from the game I love.
teddy, winning baseball and aesthetically pleasing baseball certainly do not have to be the same thing, and you’ve provided a good example of that.
@teddyb1941
The Braves actually get guys on base though. You can survive solo home runs most of the time. You usually won’t survive three-run home runs. Do you really think the same tone would have been set in Game 6 if Soler’s moonshot had come with no one on base?
I’m personally more of a baseball fan than any other sport, but I must say that the NFL has easily become America’s past time.
Pedey – While I agree the NFL is the most popular US team sport right now, it can only be used to pass the time for the 17 games a season plus postseason and preseason. So basically only 4 days a month for a little over 4 months.
Baseball is still America’s pastime because you can enjoy your team 27 days a month for at least 6 months.
Apples and oranges but golf has a timing issue as well. But lets focus on baseball, shall we? The average game time has progressively lengthened over time. Didn’t reach 2 hours until the 1940’s and was 2 1/2 hours in the 1980’s. The ever lengthening game time is affecting interest in the game. So speeding up the pace of play is seen as an important way to help grow interest in baseball. The pitch clock will not solve the entire problem, but it will go a long way.
I’m laughing at you because I was just about to comment about the pitch clock is the one rules change everyone should agree on — because it literally doesn’t change anything about the game.
The fact is, once players get used to it, it’ll hardly ever be noticed.
They want the game to speed up so they allow the DH into the National League which makes the game longer with more offense. Makes no sense at all. Still miss watching pitching 4 balls to intentional walks. Seen the pitcher get the yips ,wild pitches, home runs. So many bad decisions.
themed – You’re the first person I’ve heard who doesn’t like the IBB rule change.
I’m totally fine with the change. Although I did kinda like how before, the pitcher and catcher would sometimes fake out the batter by throwing a strike after the catcher motioned for an intentional ball.
Fever – I have to say I miss the process of IBB too. Make the pitcher and catcher do it right. It’s like implementing a mulligan rule in pro golf. Make the three inch putt.
I dont like it either
And it removed the (albeit rare) catchers balk from the game when they implemented the “base for free” new IBB rule
Correction – I guess that would be a “gimme” rule in golf, not a mulligan. Golfers please confirm.
prov – Then how do you feel about runners advancing a base because of Defensive Indifference? Do you feel the infielder should always cover 2B and the catcher should always make an effort to throw out the runner? It’s kinda the same thing.
If they are so hellbent on shortening the time of games, I’d rather they do it with no-pitch IBB’s, time limits for pitching changes, limits for manager mound visits and such than the phantom runner etc.
Also what about forfeiting games? Should a team be required to take the field and give up 9 runs before calling it a forfeit?
I’ll tell you one major thing that makes the game far less exciting…they’ve taken away intentional HBP. It’s a warning to both dugouts immediately- what?!
Nobody wants to see that and then ejections immediately after. Let them play. Sometimes, batters get hit. Sometimes batters deserve it. Everyone watching wants to see the Yankees / Sox going at it every couple years in a bench-clearing brawl, or a Nolan Ryan / Robin Ventura fight.
Be men!
Fever – Defensive indifference is totally different than a rule that eliminates the necessity to throw 4 balls for an IBB. Whether you throw a ball to 2b to catch a guy stealing or not is a strategic decision not governed by a rule.
In my 50 plus years of watching baseball, I’ve never seen a game forfeited.
I’d rather they stop trying to shorten the game altogether.
I’m another that wants to see actual intentional passes played out. One need only look to Johnny Bench take a call third strike against the A’s in the world series to appreciate this.
Clip – We remember when men really were men, but here in the 2020’s it’s not like that anymore on the field or off.
Can you imagine stopping a game in the mid-60’s because The Mick or Yaz lost an earring. Yeah I can’t either.
prov – It’s the same concept though. With IBB you are forfeiting first base. With defensive indifference you are forfeiting second base or third base.
If you want to see four pitches thrown before a batter takes 1B, then you should want to see the catcher throw to 2B before a runner takes 2B. The only reason one is a rule and the other isn’t, is because one saves some time and the other doesn’t.
Sure forfeits in MLB are rare, but there was one in 1995 and the Orioles intentionally forfeited a game in 1977.
Fever – The difference for me is the fact that it’s governed by a rule and not at the discretion of the manager based on strategy.
prov – Defensive Indifference is governed by the manager’s strategy. If he feels the preventing of a hit is more important than keeping the baserunner where he is, that’s the “indifference” part.
Fever – That’s exactly why I differentiate between the two. Sounds like we agree!
Hey Manfred, LEAVE THE GAME ALONE!!! Someone always has to screw up a good thing!!!
AMEN!
Am I the only one who instantly thought of a crying half-blonde guy saying “Leave the game alone!!”.
Respect my authority
.ydaerla tnemeerga na ot emoc dna pu yrruH .serac eno oN
yawa enon gnivig er’yeht taht esirprus on s’ti esir a rof ksa uoy fi tuB
yadot live lla fo toor eht sI
yas yeht os ,yenoM
eip ym fo ecils a ekat t’nod tub ylriaf ti erahS
emirc a s’ti ,yenoM
roland – No one says “money is the root of all evil” unless they quote the bible wrong.
The bible verse says “The LOVE of money is the root of all evil…” Timothy 6:10. Those are two very different concepts so it’s important to quote the bible right. But it is one of the most misquoted verses, often for agenda purposes.
prov, you are 100% right about the biblical quote of course. However, he’s not quoting the bible, he’s quoting Pink Floyd. I do agree this misinterpretation of the biblical quote is used more often than the actual biblical quote.
One sure way to speed up games and bring more action is to implement the electronic strike zone. It will force players to swing at close pitches with 2-strikes and eliminate them bitching and moaning to the ump and stomping around outside of the batter’s box.
Also, stop allowing infielders in the outfield on shifts and only 2 infielders allowed on either side of 2nd base.
Banning the shift is the stupidest idea ever. If the defense wants to only defend one side of the field, fine. If a batter wants to whine about it, then they aren’t a very good hitter anyway. Hitters don’t play on half a field based on RH or LH. If you want the defense to stop only protecting one side, learn to use the other hand of the field. They’ll stop shifting when your hitting .600 against only two fielders.
When teams started shifting against Ted Williams, he said it was the best thing to happen to baseball; in 50 years.
I like to look at this issue as, rather than saying the lousy hitters should Use more of the field (Which I’m not disagreeing with by the way), Let’s let fielders actually be athletes again and Not just corner infielders and outfielders playing all over the field and just standing there where the analytics people told them to stand. This takes all the excitement out of baseball. You watch sports to watch athletes. Every time the ball was put in play back in the day there would be a level of excitement because anything could happen. Now you just give yourself an inner eye roll because you figure that they’ll be a player standing right there to field the ground ball. And younger people who start watching the game now have probably never experienced this level of excitement watching baseball before because this is the product they know and understandably aren’t embracing. Most teams used to have a light hitting middle infielder batting eighth or ninth in their lineup, but they made up for it with their superior defense, which added its own level of intrigue to the game. Who wants to watch a bunch of bulky, stiff, un-athletic players who don’t even have to move to make plays.
I am very tired of watching hitters just give up when they hit the ball on the ground.
The shift isn’t the issue. It is batters trying to hit home runs on every pitch. If they just tried to hit the ball the other way there would be less strike outs and less shifts. If they implement the rule to allow only 2 infielders on each side of the base I am done with the game.
This is correct. Game has been dumbed down for people who do not want to understand its complex, multi threaded nature. Draft and develop players who can spray the ball and for gods sake stop talking about stupid stuff like”launch angle”.
They are called batters not launchers.
stevep-4: “I guess you don’t appreciate the psychological drama of baseball.”
prov356: “Then you don’t understand the game of baseball.”
These takes are so smug, implying their authors are more knowledgeable about the game than others. There’s a difference between knowledge of the game and a preference for how someone wants it to be played.
I’d prefer fewer strikeouts, fewer home runs, more other extra-base hits, more hits in general, more stolen bases, more opportunities for great defensive plays.
But that’s not how the game is played today. Why? Well, that leads to a couple of other quotes.
stevep-4: “Game has been dumbed down for people who do not want to understand its complex, multi-threaded nature.” And “stop talking about stupid stuff like ‘launch angle’.”
The game hasn’t been dumbed down, and “launch angle” isn’t stupid. Front offices have invested lots of time and money into people on and off the field who have investigated the game and determined more efficient ways to be successful on the field.
Unfortunately (in my opinion), they’ve traded off some of the excitement in the name of efficiency. But winning is their job, and these are the results.
You and I may not like the game, but shifts, fewer stolen bases, optimal launch angles and exit velocities, faster pitches, greater spin (however they achieve it), shorter starting pitcher outings, etc. are more efficient ways to win.
Saying you understand the complexity of the game may make you feel better, but it’s a false stance. It mostly means you want the game to go back to how it was played when you were younger. I want that, too. But that doesn’t make me intellectually superior to other fans or those running the game at the MLB level.
I’ve written this before, but HOF Chipper Jones said of launch angle, “Who cares about launch angle. What’s launch angle mean? I’m gonna hit a home run further?”
He’s right. Line drive swings, short to the ball, drive to the gaps.
YC, I appreciate the talents of Hall of Famers like Chipper, but they don’t always know what made them great. I know Manny Ramirez is a complicated character, but he pretty much had a “see the ball, hit the ball” mentality. Others want lots of info to work on their game. And the there’s Joe Morgan, who railed against “Moneyball” while being pretty much the ideal “Moneyball”-type player.
Yeah, those are very good points, gbs, and I respect that perspective. I would submit that a level swing is much more effective than a “launch angle-type” swing. I could cite some very technical reasons, like the bat head stays in the zone for a longer period of time, one doesn’t need to sell out as often for the home run due to lift (see J Gallo), it’s more mechanically sound, & the opportunity to adjust to the ball is far greater.
It is interesting though, because launch angle is a concept that has been around much longer than the term, which was just a fancy renaming of sorts.
Ted Williams upper cut swing in his book was launch angle! If a pitcher releases a ball from over 6ft. and it is moving on a downward plane, than the only way to hit a ball consistantly is to swing upward on that plane.
Yes, and that is really the problem with the entire concept today. The premise of launch angle is an optimal range, which includes the lower-to-mid range where balls can be gap-driven at high exit velos – the prototypical line drives. It’s taken on a new meaning in many ways because of its new & oftentimes misunderstood terminology.
The real problem is in the application of hitting. You can’t tell me guys in the past that were high-average guys, like Williams, Mays, Mantle, Gehrig, Ruth, and on and on, had to sacrifice power to hit for average. They all had prodigious power, even more so than the players of today.
For example, Gallo has a swing that nets him ~40 HR on the year, but he hits barely .200 on a good year to get there. These guys were clipping well over .300-.350 averages, high OBPs, & still hit for 30-50 HRs ever single year. I think instead of trying to be smarter than those that made it work so well, we’d have learned from watching them instead.
I’m reversing course on this topic. After reading a multitude of sports writers discussing this I’ve been convinced of one thing: IF Manfred is dead-set on changing up the game to be more appealing and faster-paced, the one change he could make that would actually make the game more exciting would be to ban the shift.
I say this because it would entice hitters to hit the ball on a line drive again. It’s what killed Tex’s average. I’ve listened to MLB players that cite the shift as prohibitive for hitting and a reason why they sell out for home runs. And the reason? Because in Ted Williams’s day, he wasn’t trying to spray 101MPH fastballs all over the field. Makes sense to me, although my personal opinion is that even today Ted, Mays, Mantle, Ruth, etc would still be who they were.
Nonetheless, I trust the players facing the pitching because I’m not. And I think, if any on-filed change is going to happen, at least it should be one that would put the ball in play a lot more. Should they be able to hit? Yes. Can some guys do it anyway? Yep. Are we going soft? Yep. Is Manfred stupid? Yep. Is he going to change something because he has ADD and a power-trip problem? Yep.
It will force players to swing at close pitches? I think it’s exactly the opposite. Pitching is hard and relies on the subjectivity of the umpire to give then a few inches, cm’s, whatever here and there. If they can’t get those few cm’s off o think 1) hitters will be much more selective and 2) as a result the pitcher will have to stay over the plate more. 1) increases walks and 2) increases offense, so, no, the game will not be faster
I can add one other point: whether good or bad is very subjective, but the catching market, which is horrible as it is will only get worse, far worse. No more talent necessary because framing won’t be a skill required. It’ll be…..like Gary Sanchez is the bar, which will be sad.
Framing is the most overrated aspect of today’s game. Go behind the plate as a prospective umpire with a high school kid who only throws high 70s to 80 and you’ll see you don’t even notice the catcher’s glove. Then think of doing that with 95+ Even MLB catchers laugh at the pitch framing stuff
I disagree there. There is real talent when viewing professional catchers’ ability to smoothly adjust their glove from outside the zone to inside and have the umpire call strikes, or keep the glove in the zone on the black. We Yankees fans see the antithesis of that every game in Sanchez. He’s always losing strikes, even those pitches in the zone, because he can’t control his glove.
If they laugh at it, respectfully, why do they work so hard training it & literally do it on every single pitch when they move their glove and expend that energy?
I’m not in favor of banning the shift, all forms across the board, but I am in favor of banning the left fielder from being so close to the right fielder that they can tickle each other. If you’re going to shift as an infielder, your cleats must stay on the dirt.
So no bunt defenses?
The best way to speed up the game is to stop batters from walking out of the box, calling for time.
When a batter holds up his hand asking for time, the default answer should be no. That’s the biggest delay right there, on an ongoing basis.
You are aware that the electronic strike zone is not accurate? It is consistent or reliable, but not an accurate portrayal of the strike zone as defined by the rules. The problem relates to placement of the equipment to define the space.
Want to speed up games? Shorten the break between half innings. The length of the breaks is not determined by how long it takes teams to switch and get ready. It is currently defined by how long it takes to run commercials. Cut a minute off each break and you save almost twenty minutes. Not going to happen as it would cost real money so the tempo is sacrificed for money. I remember watching a St. L. Game long ago when Gibson was pitching. Came back from commercial break and there was already a count on the opposing batter as Gibson wasn’t waiting. Like many things we all remember from long ago, it may not have happened and may only be part of the Gibson legend.
If you want to speed up the game it’s pretty simple. Batters can take 1 step out of the batter’s box either 1 or 2 times per at bat. Adjust your cup &/or batting gloves BEFORE you step in the box. You’d be surprised on how much time this would save.
Knee to the groin of any batter who steps out to adjust anything.
HOLD THE LINE, OWNERS! GIVE MLBPA NOTHING!!!
Bob Nutting, is that you?
Be honest for once though, who do you really support?
Found the Monfort burner account.
20 minutes? they care about 20 minutes?
Cut out one commercial per break and those games will get shorter in a hurry. But that’s just silly talk! They’ll find a way to add one and cut out mound visits entirely
They can cut commercials by having players put logos on uniforms.
No patches in Yankees unis!!!!!
They did cut commercial times. Guess what? They just started running ads during the game. So yeah, that was a swell idea.
MLB and MLBPA need to be under a clock of some kind and seeing how I think I might be a felon I’m going to save hurdle for you
Tase any hitter who doesn’t swing at a strike. Likewise, tase any pitcher who throws a pitch outside the strike zone. These fan-friendly suggestions would significantly reduce game times.
NBA games are about 2.5 hours. NFL and MLB games are 3 hours. Facts of life.
I’m not entertaining shortening things I enjoy for people with the attention span of gold fish.
Preach brother!!
Please use less words… ugh. smh
And at least at MLB games the downtime between things happening is less than in the NFL – its weird though, being AT a baseball game in the stands, I enjoy the game, and listening to a radio broadcast, I enjoy the game; watching a baseball game on TV is painful.
Going to an NFL game is excruciatingly boring, feels like there are 5 minutes between plays, listening to the NFL on radio is also awful; watching a football game on TV is genuinely entertaining.
I have never understood the often heard opinion that baseball is too long and does not have a lot of action but the NFL is an action packed game. The Wall Street Journal has reported that average professional football game lasts 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you tally up the time when the ball is actually in play, the action amounts to a mere 11 minutes. Then you add in 20 commercial breaks with an average of 100 commercials.
if the games aren’t on local tv(or streaming) for free then the owners or the players don’t care about fans
The “players” don’t care about fans.
The owners care even less. They don’t care about the game either only money
Please stop feeding him. He might go away.
voice just jumps from account to the other when he/she needs someone to agree with him…
No they don’t. They are spoiled, condescending, egotistical, whiney ,self absorbed , entitled ,greedy , cry babies who need a diaper change, a binkie and blankets cause the big bad owners, imagine this, WANNA KEEP THE MAJORITY OF PROFIT FOR THEMSELVES. Hello welcome to the real world folks that’s how the real world works. Simple example of . MLB is sports entertainment. While WWE isn’t a true sport it’s performers are true athletes while also entertainers and WWE coined the phrase sports entertainment. Their budget for their performers is %11 of gross revenue. They made a record profit of 1 $ billion last yr. When you are in business you are in business to make as much money as possible. That’s the goal. So of course when us working class fans see the players demanding to be made millionaire’s for it’s worst player’s we say WTF.
case in point…
manfraudevil!
Impeach Rob Manfred!
They can’t agree on a new CBA, what makes them think they’ll agree on field changes?
They don’t have to, Manfred can unilaterally implement the pitch clock until next CBA. That’s why he’s flexing his man-thong.
no cba, no games and no pitch clock. the first sentence of the article.
@yankeeclipper – thank you lol…
Near miss with the coffee. Even with a mild Saturday morning hangover – the mental image of Manfred (slave & prophet of the gluttons) negotiating naked but for a thong – is a hilarious one.
What on earth can the union counter with?
A Tony Clark Canadian mankini?
“Man thong”
It doesn’t work like that, Clipper. In the absence of a CBA, the old CBA rules apply until there’s a new agreement. The only changes are those expressly provided for in the old CBA which is pretty much limited to ending the CBT.
Yes, but since they proposed a pitch clock last season wouldn’t they be able to implement it since it’s a year later then and it defaults to the prior CBA in absence of a new one? Or am I misinterpreting that?
My understanding is that Manfred discussed a pitch clock, and they tried it on an experimental bases in the minors and Atlantic league, but it was never formally proposed as a rule to the players.
Ah, okay, my bad then. Thanks, Patrick.
Wait, It doesn’t change his man thing though does it?
Owners might as well propose getting rid of the union. Same response.
By all means get rid of this ridiculous joke of a union that’s ruined the game
Not only will the start of baseball be significantly delayed, but they also apparently want to make it worse when it does finally start back up.
Ban extreme shifts. Add pitch clock. Add hit clock. Those three things will speed up the game, and when people get used to them, you’ll hardly notice they exist.
Re: shifts. I have no problem with them in theory, but in practice, it ceases to become baseball and becomes a joke of a game when a team puts four infielders on one side, or calls in outfielders to play the infield.
Sure, you could say “well, hitters should go the other way.” So now you want a rule to force players to hit a specific way? Just as much of a rule, and unenforcable.
Just tell third basemen and shortstops they have to start a play on their side of the field, and second basemen and first basemen have to start a play on their side. Outfielders no closer than 15 feet from the infield.
Still a lot of movement can happen (fielders can move as soon as a pitch is thrown), but prevents stupid defensive positioning that turns a game into a joke.
I want to see baseball, after all. And those extreme shifts turn it into something else.
If you get rid of the super-ball, you’ll increase balls in play action, eliminate shifting (it will become a non-starter), and in general speed things up. Three outcome baseball is boring baseball: it’s that simple.
It’s not that the games are too long; who doesn’t want more of a good thing? It’s the lack of action in the course of those 3+hour games.
Next, Manfred will implement the “pitch to your own team” rule in extra innings and will have teams ro-sham-bo for the win in any game that exceeds 90 minutes, which in most cases, will make the “pitch to your own team” rule moot.
Lol. Hey, Prov, you may want to keep that to yourself, he may not have thought of that …. yet. It’s hilarious though.
Yeah Clipper, I should keep such things to myself. We can no longer use the phrase “that would never happen here” in baseball or American life!
Sir, you are not kidding there. I’m amazed each time I read the news at the what our culture is willing to do.
Clocks will have to be pretty generous or it will really screw with the mental aspect for the players. Adding one more piece of anxiety to the batter pitcher stand-off is going to hurt things more than many realize. Baseball is a mentally challenging sport and that is why many physical freaks just don’t pan out at the higher levels.
There is nothing more boring to me than the last few minutes of a football game or a basketball game. Two minutes can last for 30 with all of the timeouts, forced penalties, free throws, etc. I don’t watch either ever.
Baseball is like a relationship between two people. It starts with a first date and they decide to see where it goes. You watch the relationship grow over time and red flags start popping up that you ignore because you think you can change it eventually. There are a few disagreements along the way, some of which have to be settled by a third party. Every now and then there’s a brawl and someone gets penalized. And eventually the relationship ends with one person walking away the winner and the other wondering where it went wrong.
Who doesn’t want to watch that?
“Baseball is like a relationship between two people…”
Buy two hot dogs and throw one bun away so she can have the double-dog.
Amen to that. Basketball fouls toward the end of a game are anticlimactic. You want to talk about a slow moving game? Pitching changes have nothing on fouling. Repeated light touching that results in perpetual game stoppage preventing a team from actually doing anything to move the ball forward and score. Yeah, super exciting – yawn.
If you want faster games, put a time clock on the game. Every game ends at 2 hrs and 30 min if not already finished. Allow ties. It will become like football, with 2 minute offenses. Teammates will be telling each other to stay in the box and hit. Pitchers will take the whole pitch clock before throwing if they have the lead late. It would add additional strategy, and get us home at a reasonable hour. And it would be somewhat not entirely unlike baseball.
I don’t trust the owners. They’ll use this to do something no one saw coming.
This would be a terrible idea. Every change they’ve implemented has been awful. And, in fact, any change to baseball is necessarily awful.
I’d like to toss out a different idea to speed up the game that doesn’t add a clock. Increase the width of home plate an inch or two. Make hitters swing. Make pitchers have accuracy vs strictly speed. It is a little ridiculous that 8 year olds play with the same size home plate as major leaguers. In those 8 year old games you know what happens…. players swing ! This also has the benefit of saving pitchers arms. I’d wager number total pitches in a game will drop and the resulting game time decrease too
This subtle change will add action back to the game.
This could have terrible implications. Batters would be swinging at more pitchers across the width of the plate. That would result in batted balls going to more parts of the field. This could eliminate the shift. With greater chance for hits batters would swing less for the fences. It would lead to baseball being more like it used to be when the game was truly great.
What are you thinking? How dare you?
I doubt widening the plate would lead to pitchers being more accurate. I suspect it would lead to pitchers throwing harder, hence faster. Bigger target requires less control and let’s you then throw harder.
Baseball already makes CONSTANT rule changes.
It’s called the home plate umpire.
Of all the rule changes, I wish they would drop the runner on second nonsense in the 10th inning. If it has to be in the game, make it for all the innings not just the extra innings.
Might be better to start in the 11th, but it is a good rule if you want to avoid the interminable games that reduce the game to a night-mare!
Study shows the surprising outcome that the odds shift to the away team when logic suggests otherwise.
The real anti-baseball thing is 7-inning games.
Simon – Basically 70% of all extra inning games don’t go beyond the 11th. I think most fans are fine with the phantom runner starting the 12th inning.
Drop the man 2nd in extras. Drop 7inning double headers. If they keep them, then don’t have a man on 2nd until the 10th in 7inning games.
Agreed, drop the little league baseball crap that Manfred implemented. It’s stupid. If it goes to the 12th or something crazy, fine, whatever. That’s like…. 1% of games.
I think this is an excellent move by baseball. It’s ridiculous that everything baseball wants to do must, unlike any other employer, be held up for ransom by a union.
One of the big changes I want to see is rob-umps assisting home plate calls. The backward MLBPA has no interest in any improvements in the game, only in leveraging all it can for money.
So moving the unions out of the way to improve the on-field product is definitely the right move.
I would not be terribly bothered by a pitch clock, as long as they also stop batters from stepping out and adjusting their batting gloves after every pitch.
The best game speedup they did was limiting mound visits. I can remember Red Sox vs Yankees games becoming unwatchable because Varitek and Posada would go out to the mound about every other pitch in the late innings.
Rob Manfred – doesn’t know baseball and doesn’t like baseball
Why do you think that?
“Think’ may not be the appropriate word. He says it because it’s written on the internet by other people who also consider it an exercise in wit.
Because that’s what baseball needs, some goon who doesn’t give a s#$! about the sport to be able to change it however he wants. Sheesh.
I have been a diehard baseball fan since 1947. In 2019 I went to London at Christmas and with a son and grandson saw 3 Premier League games. The two things I noticed is that I never took my eyes off the pitch and it was great the games ended after 2 hours. I have now started watching these games on TV. I have also noticed that last year when I watched a baseball game I’m doing something between pitches on my phone or computer. As a result I miss stuff. As a result anything that keeps my attention on the game is a good move. I’m in favor of a pitch clock. Curious as to why games became longer with a pitch clock as Cooper has written.
As much as I dislike Manfred’s history of making silly changes, there’s a desperate NEED for the game to be made more watchable, and it’s ridiculous for the players to fight that.
Will MLB ever use robot strike zone and no umpires? How come Minor League baseball is experimenting with this? It would ruin baseball. Agreed?
robo-ump will never push out human counterparts. only calling strikes and balls will be given to video umps.
None of the negotiating points on either side seem worth losing games over. These guys are all stupid.
Cricket has been through this. Older fans dropping off and not being replaced by the “want it now, and I’m not waiting” generation. Game was too slow. Youngsters only interested in fast paced action and not the nuances. It was around 2004. Crowds were right down and the game was seen to be dying a slow death. Rather than change the traditional game, they introduced a shorter format to run in parallel. Emphasis on razzamatazz at the grounds for kids, fast play and big hits. Lots of controversy as the traditionalists trotted out the “it’s just not cricket” argument. They ignored the noise and today it’s easily the most popular form of the game and the most lucrative for the players. Lots of kids that bought into the short form developed an appreciation for the long as they got older. Another Interesting thing has been the player skill development that came with the short form. Fielding (Defense) skills have ramped up considerably, new types of hitting techniques from batters (hitters) and new types of “pitches” being bowled. Those skills have transferred across to the slower longer form making it a better product as well.
Pretty much everyone ended up a winner.
Vlad Manfred.
Manfred continues his plodding but methodical crusade to destroy baseball. MLB is never going to be the bright lights and shiny balls that are NBA, NFL or (heaven forbid) NASCAR, so why keep trying to make it into those things?
He has no appreciation for the traditions of baseball.
Who gets a deal done first ? Clark/Manfred or Putin/Zelensky? Or is all destroyed?
Giving more power to Manfred to further ruin the game with his ridiculous rule changes, is something the players should not cede. I’m more for owners than players in CBA, but not for this. Not for pitch clocks, not for robo umps, not for runner on second in extra innings, not for 7-inning double headers, not for moving mound back, not for limiting pick off throws, not for bigger bases, etc..
Take the velcro off the batting gloves. That should speed things up.
No it won’t. Players step out of box to collect themselves
to think whether they adjust their gloves or not.
I saw many Low A west games last year and the pitch clock does not hinder the game. It just helps it move along and none of the players seemed rushed. You wont notice it unless you’re trying to pay attention to it. I believe they would do 15 seconds if the bases were empty and it was 17 with runners on. Also add in that i never saw the infield shifts and it was a great product.
@Nevrfolow
The game is tougher, more complex and dangerous as players move up the ladder. There’s a reason hitters and pitchers utilize more time between pitches. There’s more to think about. Pitchers throw harder. Batters are facing 100 mph missiles. They need to be mentally prepared for what could come next.There’s data and analytics for batters to think about between pitches. There’s also infield shifting for both sides to consider pitch to pitch.
Well i guess we’ll find out when the pitch clock eventually is a thing. Those who can study in between games and think quicker will benefit. Call it the 6th tool. And id argue its safer the higher the level. Pitchers are far more wild in the minors. And to your point, if you limit the shift thats one less thing to slow down the game. These guys are the best of the best and have seen thousands of pitches, im sure they’re mentally prepared. 15 seconds is longer than you think.