protocol during pitching change

[noobie]

Originally posted by mcrowder
Either way you slice it, it's effect will be both. It will speed up things by making batters swing at the first good pitch they see instead of trying for a walk. It will increase action by making batters swing at the first good pitch they see instead of trying for a walk.

Agreed. The one "standout" thing I remember about the old SP game (circa 1982) vs now (1-1 count, my local P&R league) is that batters are much more prone to swing at something they think is hittable. If you wanna work a walk, you certainly can ... the 1-1 initial count doesn't change that. On the flip side, the risk of a K is higher ... no self-respecting SP batter wants to K.

Given the changes with the home run limit rule, there's less incentive to wait for a teammate to crank one out of the park, thus de-valuing the BB: the incentive to play small ball (did I just say that?) in the modern SP game is an improvement, I think. I kinda like it; but I still need more time to get used to it. I still get kidded for calling the first ball "ball one"

I think the shortening of the game (I noticed this right away) is a good thing, too, especially in this heat