A lot has been made in the past week or so of Umpire Joe West’s comments about Yankees Red Sox games and for good reason. Joe like many fans and members of the baseball community have grown weary of the pace of games, particularly Yankees-Red Sox which last on average three hours and forty minutes compared to the less than three for everyone else. Now I am no fan of Joe West, particularly his irritating grandstanding and characterization of the teams as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” but the man has a valid point. Indeed, the if you watch a Yankees-Red Sox game these days it’s downright excruciating. Of course, my agony is accentuated by the fact that I hate seeing the Yankees ever lose to the Red Sox, but the fact remains that the two teams drag everything out, and for good reason. These two teams are easily the best in baseball, with lineups full of the most potent and patient hitters, pitching rotations stuffed with the best arms, and management that is unparalleled in intelligence and wherewithal. Consequently, it is only natural that these games would last so long because every pitch and every maneuver is carefully contemplated, every decision thoughtful and purposeful. To be sure, Joe Girardi and Terry Francona are going to make sure they have the best pitcher in for each particular situation, and they’re going to make sure that speedy runner on first is checked is as much as needed to stop him from stealing; you don’t like it? Change the channel. The same goes for the players, like the hitters who are going to do everything to keep that man on the mound from getting into a rhythm even if that means stepping out of the box ten times an at-bat because they want to give themselves every opportunity they can. For certain, it’s hard to really blame these guys for doing these things because they’re doing what smart teams do; they’re taking every advantage possible to get an edge over the other team. However who you can blame for this is the people who run baseball whose job it is to ensure that the game is running at an optimal level and that abuses of the rules are checked against and stopped. Unfortunately this is not happening right now, but there are in fact several minor changes that could be made that could dramatically improve the game and save us fans from the agony of the four hour, nine inning game.
1. Limit the number of times a pitcher can throw to a base an inning – Obviously this idea would make too many pitchers or managers happy but I’m not concerned about their feelings, I’m concerned about the integrity of the game. To be sure, the practice of throwing over to first base by a pitcher is an effective method of stopping stolen bases, but it comes at the cost of making the game boring and drawn out. Indeed, how many times have you watched a game where a pitcher throws over again and again and again where you just want to say to the guy enough already, try throwing to the plate a few times why don’t you? A change like this in the rules would hardly be noticeable because pitchers aren’t totally prevented from keeping runners honest, but it also would promote base stealing, one of the more exciting plays in the game; what’s there not to like?
2. Once a batter gets into the box a timeout will not be called, barring some emergency – I was watching an old game on MLB Network a little while, the 1967 World Series I believe, and one of the most significant differences I saw was how guys never stepped out of the box. As strange as this may sound, batters got in the box and started with the at bat and they didn’t leave the box unless they were out or they got on base, what a crazy idea. No fiddling with gloves, no clapping, no walking around the batters circle, just hitting, and this struck me as something that could easily be fixed with some good policing by the umps. Hitters may not be a big fan of this rule change either, but again it’s in the interests of the game, pitchers get to pitch and the game will undoubtedly move along quicker.
3. Limit the number of mid-inning changes to one, unless that pitcher has given up more than one run – This is arguably the biggest change I’m advocating, but I think most people would like to see a whole lot less of endless mixing and matching my managers that make the last three innings go on forever. Indeed, there’s nothing more aggravating to me as a baseball fan see a manager bring in a righty reliever, and he gives up a hit, so he brings in a lefty, and he walks a guy, and then he summons another righty after that, enough already! Don’t get me wrong, I understand why managers make all these moves, ensuring they get the best matchup in for each batter, but this is an abuse of the rules that simply needs to stop. Constant posturing by managers make games, especially Yankees-Red Sox games drone on forever, with endless commercial breaks and pitcher warm-ups; it’s enough for a baseball fan want to tear his hair out. I think this rule, while not perfect, gives managers an opportunity to still get creative with their bullpen and stop from getting rocked, but keeps the end of games a manageable length of time.
In truth, these three measures may sound drastic, but I would venture a guess that most baseball fans would hardly notice the difference except for the result. Despite what some baseball purists will tell you, baseball is a constantly evolving game, changing in technique and approach to winning all the time. The guys out there playing and managing at the Major League are smart people (at least when it comes to baseball), and those people smartly try to take every advantage they can get by exploiting weaknesses in the rule book. Consequently, the rules of the game need to be revised from time to time, and with these changes, and possibly some other ones, will ensure that the game’s best interests are being served and even two great teams like the Yankees and Red Sox can possibly finish a game before midnight. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve got finals in a few weeks and the shorter those games are the better because I need as little distractions as I can get this time of year.
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