Major League speed up for 2010
 

This just in from Steve Palermo, the major league supervisor of officials.

A big emphasis this season will be on the pace of the game, particularly when a new pitcher takes the mound. Pitchers will have 2 minutes, 25 seconds from the time they hit the dirt part of the warning track until they throw the first pitch.

Pitchers will get two warnings before they are fined. The third offense will cost a pitcher $3,000, and the fourth will set them back $5,000. Each additional infraction will draw a $7,500 fine.

Umpires have a mandate to keep the game moving.

Get your stop watches ready. How did 2:25 become the standard?

Walking 3 miles an hour (which is slow), I can walk 264' in a minute. I don't think there's a park with a "warning track to rubber" distance of 638'. Granted, they have to throw the first pitch, but that shouldn't take too much time, considering they just warmed up.

hmmm 2:25, let me think, just enough time to get those commercials in and keep the game moving along. Yep, that about covers it.:rolleyes:

2:35 or 2:40 would be better. With 30-second commercials, you give time for an extra one.

The 2:25 isn't new.

What changed is that the clock used to start when the manager signaled for a new pitcher.

It will make headlines coast to coast if a pitcher is ever fined.

Papelbon got fined last year.

Well it is about time. This is why baseball is almost unwatchable on TV. At some point all the delays need to stop. I hope they follow through and do what they suggest they will do.

Peace

Pigs will fly before it happens again.

Pitchers have already been fined. I don't recall it making headlines anywhere.

Enforcement of the rule is not announced during the game. I believe umpires file written reports of violations to the league. League issues the fine.

What that overhead? A Bershire or Hamshire?

Happens every year.

Didn't he get fined twice?

Bullcrap, doggeypoo and stinkystuff to you. MLB can care less about speeding the game up because it cuts into their revenue. The longer you keep people at the stadium, the more they are going to spend. Thats the business and I don't have a problem with it.

Open up the dang strikezone and you can cut a lot of time off of each game.

That's about right. :05 to throw the break, 2:00 of commercials, and :20 to give info on the new pitcher. I wish we'd get that much for high school pitching changes.

It's not the umpires.

IMO, in order for the game to "move along" Commercials have to be limited (most likely never happen - too much money involved)

It's what happens "before" the pitching change that delays the game specifically Yanks/ BOSOX games which typcially go in the 4 hour range.

here is what happens

The Yanks want to get Mo ready. Here is what happens

Jeter might go in and talk to F1. Jeter goes back to short and then Pasada asks for time and goes and talks to F1. He stays there until the PU comes in to break up the conference.

As soon as Pasada gets back to home plate, out comes the pitching coach.

Finally Geradi comes out to make the change. Whenever there is a pitching change - another set of commercials.

This can take about 10-15 minitues or longer.

Baseball is not a Timed sport and there is only so much one can do to speed it up. Perhaps Mr. Doubleday who invented the sport should have thought about that in the first place.

Pete Booth