On The Clock....Good or Bad in your Opinion?
 

Measures approved to speed up pace of play in SEC baseball
By JOHN ZENOR - The Associated Press


The Southeastern Conference is taking its swing at picking up the pace during baseball games.

The league’s athletic directors approved changes for the 2010 SEC tournament including a 20-second clock between pitches when the bases are empty and a 90-second limit between half innings, spokesman Chuck Dunlap said.

It’s a move designed to make tournament games both more fan- and TV-friendly.

If it gets good reviews during the tournament, where games routinely drag on for 3-plus hours, it could be implemented for the 2011 regular season as well.

“I think it’s going to be good for everyone involved,” Dunlap said. “If it does pretty much guarantee games under 3 hours, I can promise you the TV networks will push very hard to keep it in place.”

The league’s new television contracts pretty much tripled the number of regular-season games to be aired, he said. The SEC is believed to be the first conference to put in the clock rules for this season, though conferences like the Atlantic Coast have discussed it.

Major League Baseball in recent years has made several suggestions geared toward picking up the pace of games.

In addition to breaking up mound conferences quickly, umpires have been asked to urge batters to approach home plate from the on-deck circle and enter the batter’s box faster, and to enforce rules such as issuing an automatic strike to batters who linger outside the box.

There’s also been a push for enforcement of an existing rule that pitchers throw a pitch every 12 seconds.

In July, the NCAA’s baseball rules committee voted to allow conferences to use the pitch clock. It’s not the first time it has been tested.

The Missouri Valley Conference used both the 20-second pitch clock and the 90-second clock between innings in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

If the pitcher doesn’t deliver the pitch to the plate in 20 seconds, a ball is added to the count.

The nine-inning games were completed in an average of two hours, 37 minutes. That’s 11 minutes shorter than the average game in the regionals of that season’s Division I championships.

Last year’s SEC tournament games in the first two days — both four-game marathons — lasted 3 hours, 17 minutes on average. Two games clocked in at less than 3 hours, one of them decided by the seven-inning mercy rule.

The final games ended after 1 a.m. on both days.

Dunlap expects other leagues to implement similar changes, at least for their conference tournaments.

The ACC has discussed the clock rules with the baseball committee but hasn’t made a decision on whether to impose them for the tournament, said Davis Whitfield, the league’s director of championships.

“I think anything that speeds up the game is good but at this point we are going to see how this issue progresses before we act,” Whitfield said.

North Carolina coach Mike Fox isn’t convinced there’s a need for the changes.

“My initial take on it is, I hope the ACC doesn’t do it,” Fox said.

If you want umpires to routinely cheat the participants by calling strikes and outs, rather than what actually transpires, then mandating that games go faster is a good way to go.

[QUOTE=BlueTick48;644302]Measures approved to speed up pace of play in SEC baseball
By JOHN ZENOR - The Associated Press

In addition to breaking up mound conferences quickly, umpires have been asked to urge batters to approach home plate from the on-deck circle and enter the batter’s box faster, and to enforce rules such as issuing an automatic strike to batters who linger outside the box.

Yea! In all my games it takes forever when those batters come to the plate from left or right field. Then when they linger, OMG, does that slow the game down.
We definitly need a ANTI-LINGERING rule.

Sorry coach, I missed that pitch looking at my watch.

We certainly don't want to do anything to change this great game however, throw a few bucks in front of our noses and we will certainly considerate it.

"Hey honey would you go to bed with me for a million dollars?" Well sure, How about a dollar? What do you think I am? We already established that, were just negotiating over the price.

I have never had a woman offer me money to go to bed with her, but in most cases, I'd take as little as a buck.

The simple solution - that will never be implemented - is to reduce the 2-minute delay between innings mandated for commercials. MLB talks out of both sides of their mouth. They want to speed up the game to improve watchability for TV, but they want to get in all the commercials they can. I agree that most in-season games are interminably long, but they wouldn't be on TV at all if not for sponsorships. Yoy pays your monaey and you takes your choice.

?
 

I'm a little confused as to how a 20 second rule for pitchers, and a 90 second rule in between innings relates to umpires cheating ?

IMHO, the best way, across the board to shorten games is to eliminate non-wood bats from the game.

I'm speaking to the general mandate, and not the 20-second part of it, specifically.

I demand that all participants respect the game and that includes hustling on and off the field, paying close attention to the action, and being ready at all times. If the game is a long one anyway, that's part of the game's beauty. If people think baseball takes too long, watch the last two minutes of a basketball game sometime. Now, there's a f'd-up sport that needs fixing.

College b-ball: 2 hour game. NBA, just under 3 most nights.

MLB average game: Just under 3.

What's the comparision here?

Play 7 innings in college?

College games are 9 innings unless part of a doubleheader

Artificially rushing a baseball game is something I can't embrace. Part of the beauty of it is that it has no clock. I also don't agree with the idea of rushing a pitcher. If he's not ready to pitch, he shouldn't be forced. Things can get dangerous when a pitcher throws when he's not ready.

I wasn't comparing anything. I was making a comment that there are other sports that could use tweaking. The sport of basketball has become tiresome and should be fixed.

Our Job
 

Keeping the game moving, and not allowing delays so a team can warm up a pitcher is part of the job. It is called game management. Your in charge, Be in charge

For the Talking Heads that haven't a clue to start with:

The whole concept of rushing the game is pure, unadulterated, BS. If you want the game to go faster, put in a clock, add a time keeper and set the time the game should take. Otherwise, shut up and enjoy the game!

Delays in warming up the pitcher? That's not what I was talking about.

The point was making a pitcher throw a pitch when he's not ready to throw a pitch. The inning is in progress, but the pitcher needs the time to think over his pitches. It's part of the game.

I rate near the top of both of my units for my game management. That's another matter.

Clock
 

I think that this clock issue needs to be clarified. The HPU would not have the watch. I would imagine the 3B umpire, if it is on the field would handle it. I have seen in tournaments in the past, that there is a time keeper off the field. I brought up the conference at the mound because there was an earlier post stating that he goes to the mound tells the MGR its done, then leaves to go back to the plate before the MGR departs mound. Where this is going to be used, the SEC, the majority of the pitches are called from the dugout, so as far as making his mind up what to throw is a moot point.I do not feel that this in anyway disrupts game. If anything, it will improve the flow of the game. D1 athletes are not the same as youth players. They are in a major program, where every part of there game plan is a result of scouting, and the MGR

This concern started because of those color-coded computerized systems that the catchers wear on their wristbands to translate pitch type and location. Giving the friggin' sign has never taken longer.

When the Missouri Valley used the clock, it sat on the fence in the right/center field alley. It was just like the 30-second clocks you see above the backboards in basketball. Very visible - there were seldom any arguments about WHEN time expired. The philosophy of having the clock in the first place was another matter, but it DID speed up the game.

JJ

Ridiculous. Everybody knows that pitchers don't think.

Catchers think for them. :cool:

[QUOTE]IMO, a sport is either timed or it is NOT. baseball is not a timed sport.

Instead of "tweaking" with rediculous rules such as this 20 second clock 'thing" simply put a Time Limit on the game PERIOD which for amateur baseball would be a good thing.

Also, if you are going to have a time limit then other rules like number of visits to the mound et al would also change to avoid stalling tactics.

Some things that could be done "right away" to speed things up are

1. Re-define the strike zone to get more strikes and also force the batters to swing.

2. Go back to wood bats. From my experience the games are done in 20 minutes to 1/2 hour ahead of games played when the particpants use metal.

3. Limit defensive conferences. Here's what happens now. F2 goes out to talk to F1 while the defense gets someone warming up. Then F3, F4 F5 or F6 comes into talk to F1 etc . etc. then finally the coach comes out to remove said pitcher and then relief pitcher comes in and throws 8 warm-ups. This could take a good 10 - 15 minutes or so. Therefore, ONE defensive conference PERIOD meaning after F2 goes out to talk to F1 any other player or the manager comes out to talk to F1 it's by by F1.

4. Limit throws to first base. How many games have we seen held up because F1 is contsantly throwing over to first base 5/6 times or even more.

5. Strictly enforce the batter's box rule.

6. Other than a rule interpretation question a manager is NOT permitted to question a judgement decision PERIOD. Many games are held up because there is a close play on the bases etc. where the manager requests time and wants the umpire making the call to check with his partner etc. Also, the coach might carry on for a while. If there was a STRICT rule prohibiting this that would also decrease the amount of time. This is not PRO ball.

7. Finally - No Option on the Mercy Rule. NY State has NOT adopted the Mercy Rule for Varsity and frankly it's a joke.

Those are a few

Pete Booth

On The Clock....Good or Bad in your Opinion?


Bad.

Others have said it here, but the timeless nature of baseball is part of what makes it special. I do think there are things that have been mentioned here that could help to speed up play and are good ideas. But putting a 20 second clock on the pitcher? Ridiculous in my humble opinion.

I once saw a 20-sec pitch clock used in one college game. It was a home game for South Alabama (Sun Belt Conference). I'm not sure why it was used in the one game, unless the visiting team had to catch a plane later. The game was not televised.

This pitch clock was like a basketball shot clock. There was a visible clock on the center field fence, and probably one behind the plate. The clock was reset to 20 when the pitcher pitched, and restarted when he received the ball. If the buzzer sounded, the umpire called a ball.

The umpire had to remind the clock operator not to start the clock with runners on base.

They also used the clock to time activity between innings, or during pitching changes. It buzzed every time between innings.

A pitcher might develop a brain cramp ?

Since this was talked about for happening this year, how did it work? Did this get used and did it become a success?

Peace

good ideas, anything to speed the game up is fine with me, especially the time between innings.

Been to several college games lately and they have all dragged around between innings including the umpires.

thanks
David