Fixing MLB

[Rich]

Originally Posted by zm1283

The NCAA is implementing the 20-second clock between pitches (with no runners on) and the 90-second clock between innings (108 seconds for televised games) for 2011. Some conferences are putting actual clocks in the stadiums during the season.

I think you guys are exaggerating this a little. There are rules in place to speed up games, but some umpires don't enforce them. One of the base umpires has a stopwatch and the between-inning breaks aren't what makes games take a long time. Also, aside from extra inning games, I haven't seen many, if any that last five hours.

A few seasons ago, one of the D3 conferences I was working made a huge deal about pace of play. So I started carrying a stopwatch out on the field and enforced the 1 minute rule strictly. At 1 minute after the third out (which was liberally measured, cause I wouldn't start the watch until the last player on defense crossed the foul line), I'd call for one more pitch. The first couple of innings, the pitchers only got a couple of pitches, but they caught on when they realized I was serious.

The next week I got a call from the assignor telling me to stop doing that. I asked him about the long spiel he made about pace of play and he cared more about the coaches whining to him than actually backing up what he said in the spring.

I'll believe it when I see it. One of the reasons I walked away from college baseball was the pace of play. The teams played 18-inning doubleheaders every day and I frequent had more than 6 hours at the ballpark and the most I ever made in those 6+ hours was $185. And with a 2 hour drive each way and the requirement to be there an hour early and no rooms for the umpires, it was an 11 hour Saturday with bad baseball.

With the new bats and actual clocks forcing things to move along, maybe college baseball will be a quick, crisp game again.