2021 Misc. MLB News

[Sixtofan]

I have found it much harder to get through an entire nfl game. I still love football but there is so much dead time. But I think it is just because I am getting old!

[MrTPlush]

Length of the games is a problem, but making pitchers pitch faster etc. to save a few minutes ain't going to cut it. Out side of going to 7 inning games it is what it is, extremely boring to watch. That and automatic strikeout after 5 strikes in an AB...because sorry, long ABs are boring. I fully realize that would never happen.

 

Those 7 inning games don't feel like a drag regardless of what happens. I hate the idea, but honestly I bet I would enjoy it more and watch more games. You could get your home games done at around 9pm instead of past 10pm. Probably would find it a little less boring if it wasn't 10pm and still 30mins plus to go. I am to the point where I am rarely turning the game on TV because it feels pointless when I know I won't even catch the last 2-3 innings anyway.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

MLB games are shorter than NFL and NBA games, AP I don’t buy that they are too long.

 

I don’t mind the rubbers on 2nd rule, but I wish it started in the 12th inning.

 

As of 2018 the NBA average game time was 2 hours 18 minutes. That's 45 minutes less than an MLB game.

 

I know that the numbers are what they are, but I would be interested to know what the MEDIAN MLB game is.

 

I've attended and watched plenty of MLB games that run 4+ hours. You will never, ever, see an NBA game go 3.5 hours. The length of game is just one thing, but the variance in length is another.

 

I think the NBA games are paced perfectly. They are just the right amount of time where you could still have a viewing party, and not so long than an 8pm start is a disaster. Baseball is too long. Football is also too long. I watch like one Brewers game a month, and I'm in and out of it. I attend about one a month, and I almost always leave early.

[wntrtxn21]

MLB games are shorter than NFL and NBA games, AP I don’t buy that they are too long.

 

I don’t mind the rubbers on 2nd rule, but I wish it started in the 12th inning.

 

As of 2018 the NBA average game time was 2 hours 18 minutes. That's 45 minutes less than an MLB game.

 

I know that the numbers are what they are, but I would be interested to know what the MEDIAN MLB game is.

 

I've attended and watched plenty of MLB games that run 4+ hours. You will never, ever, see an NBA game go 3.5 hours. The length of game is just one thing, but the variance in length is another.

 

I think the NBA games are paced perfectly. They are just the right amount of time where you could still have a viewing party, and not so long than an 8pm start is a disaster. Baseball is too long. Football is also too long. I watch like one Brewers game a month, and I'm in and out of it. I attend about one a month, and I almost always leave early.

 

You're talking apples and oranges. Baseball was never meant to be a helter-skelter type game. There are many people who don't like the NBA. Perception is in the eye of the beholder.

[adambr2]

I can watch football all day for 3 straight games on a Sunday while following my fantasy teams and never get sick of it. Helps that it's only a weekly thing in the fall I suppose as opposed to a daily thing for 6 months.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

And the vast majority of the beholders find baseball too long and boring.

 

And if we are discussing the televised product, you're not going to grow something that's 4 hours long and happens 162 times.

 

It's completely true that baseball is, by nature...just boring. You can make the game 5 innings, put a gorilla on 2nd base every other inning, and it's still going to be boring. But that doesn't mean MLB can just do nothing and shrug because "that's how the game was meant to be."

 

If they want to solve their TV problem, the games are too long, plain and simple, but the bigger problem is that they are far too inaccessible for even local fans.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I can watch football all day for 3 straight games on a Sunday while following my fantasy teams and never get sick of it. Helps that it's only a weekly thing in the fall I suppose as opposed to a daily thing for 6 months.

 

This was true for me about 10 years ago and what I did every Sunday. I now find non-Packers utterly unwatchable, my interest in fantasy has dwindled, and even the Packers games I end up doing chores, checking in, and then sitting down for the 4th quarter if it's close. I guess I just aged out of it. However I find that I can sit down and watch an NBA playoff game involving just about anyone and watch it. And basketball is not my favorite sport.

[tmwiese55]

Right, the biggest thing is simply the nature of the game and you can't change that. It's also been pushed to be worse as moneyball thinking made everyone realize the value of walks, thus drawing out ABs. Sure trimming innings would reduce total length of game, but the pace etc is still the same. Though, there is of course more urgency (Better word?) if it's only 7 innings, basically every inning/out/run means more then.

 

Really the main thing that could make it seem more lively or exciting is finding a way to put more balls in play, swing earlier in counts, and have more runners on base ,but there's no easy way to do it. Oddly, the extra inning rule does it but many people don't like that it seems too much, so, no easy way to do it. It's just the nature of the game.

 

Count me in the group that finds NFL boring due to commercials. I got burned out on it 10-12 years ago as they crammed down our throats while extending the commercials, if my team wasn't consistently one of the best teams I'd barely watch. Sunday afternoons are my best napping times the last few years and not on purpose, I fall asleep watching the games. One random year my cable tier had the redzone channel, and that actually kept me interested. But then it was gone the next year so back to watching the packer game and sleeping through or not watching any other.

[rickh150]

The pitch clock is big. Enforce that with a ball (not for 4th ball, though) when broken would speed up the game. Just that.

If you want to put more action in the game, allow pitchers to throw over/step off only once per runner. More results in a balk ( unless picked off on 2nd throw over). Contact hitters with speed get a bump in importance, somewhat doing for them what the 3 point shot did for smaller players with a shot.

[rickh150]

Watching MLB regular season games, other than Brewers, are impossible to me. Way too slow with nothing going on.

[TURBO]

The pitch clock is big. Enforce that with a ball (not for 4th ball, though) when broken would speed up the game. Just that.

If you want to put more action in the game, allow pitchers to throw over/step off only once per runner. More results in a balk ( unless picked off on 2nd throw over). Contact hitters with speed get a bump in importance, somewhat doing for them what the 3 point shot did for smaller players with a shot.

 

Problem would be if you only allow one pick off per runner, if it is used up early, the runner could get a pretty huge lead, knowing the pitcher already used it up.

 

Don't like that at all.

[rickh150]

The pitch clock is big. Enforce that with a ball (not for 4th ball, though) when broken would speed up the game. Just that.

If you want to put more action in the game, allow pitchers to throw over/step off only once per runner. More results in a balk ( unless picked off on 2nd throw over). Contact hitters with speed get a bump in importance, somewhat doing for them what the 3 point shot did for smaller players with a shot.

 

Problem would be if you only allow one pick off per runner, if it is used up early, the runner could get a pretty huge lead, knowing the pitcher already used it up.

 

Don't like that at all.

 

That would be the fun of it. How big of a lead do you dare take? Too big and you’re picked off.

It would be a great way to get running back in the game. I think I heard something like this is being done in the lower levels.

Edited July 14, 2021 by rickh150

[rickh150]

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-power-rankings-gearing-up-for-the-second-half-with-playoff-predictions-including-world-series-winner/

 

A bunch of encouraging signs with the SB.

At Low A, it’s two pick off attempts per plate appearance, not per runner.

[wntrtxn21]

And the vast majority of the beholders find baseball too long and boring.

 

And if we are discussing the televised product, you're not going to grow something that's 4 hours long and happens 162 times.

 

It's completely true that baseball is, by nature...just boring. You can make the game 5 innings, put a gorilla on 2nd base every other inning, and it's still going to be boring. But that doesn't mean MLB can just do nothing and shrug because "that's how the game was meant to be."

 

If they want to solve their TV problem, the games are too long, plain and simple, but the bigger problem is that they are far too inaccessible for even local fans.

 

There are millions of fans that enjoy the game, the ENTIRE game. The game is evolving every year. If you find the great game of baseball that boring, don't watch it. There has to be some nascar reruns somewhere for you.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Very nice and cordial reply there. I enjoy baseball enough to be a season ticket holder, not really necessary to tell me to go watch Nascar. There are a million reasons a baseball fan can't watch 162, four-hour games. But it's a "boring" sport compared to the others by the traditional sense of the word. If it's not October or the Brewers, frankly it is pretty brutal to watch. It's also hyper-local, where most football fans can tell you the QB of every team, but go ask who the 2B is for teams outside of your division and it's going to be a struggle. So you have a hyper-local sport that they are hell-bent on making difficult to watch locally - yes, that sounds like a true recipe for success.

 

The game may be "evolving" but it has a young fan crisis, you're acting like I'm the first person to say this. In the next few decades, the NBA will supplant the NFL as top dog in this country (my opinion), and it is by far Americas's most popular global sport. They've done an excellent job of cornering the youth market/Instagram generation, partially due to the pace of play, but mostly because they've allowed their superstars to be superstars and drive the league.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

You're taking "baseball is boring" personally as though I'm talking about your kid or something. I personally don't find baseball "boring," I'm talking about the game's perception among sports fans and people in general. I assumed that was understood in the context of this conversation and considering I have 7400 posts on a baseball fan site.

 

The "baseball is lovely and fine the way it is" thing is great if you don't care about reaching young fans. The reality is that for a TV audience in 2021, no, baseball is not fine. It has a major problem, with its product, accessibility and demographics.

 

About 40% of "avid MLB fans" are over 45. Do you know what that numbers is for the NBA? It's 18%. And this isn't just an age thing; the NBA is doing a FAR better job of aligning with the shifting demographics of this country. Baseball has a problem today, but IMO it is going to have a crisis on its hands in about 20 years without some disruption in TV deals or something, anything.

[Sixtofan]

Excellent point about baseball being a hyper local sport that is hard to watch locally. I have honestly never thought of it that way. Probably because I have been out of the local market for 25 years.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

You're taking "baseball is boring" personally as though I'm talking about your kid or something. I personally don't find baseball "boring," I'm talking about the game's perception among sports fans and people in general. I assumed that was understood in the context of this conversation and considering I have 7400 posts on a baseball fan site.

 

The "baseball is lovely and fine the way it is" thing is great if you don't care about reaching young fans. The reality is that for a TV audience in 2021, no, baseball is not fine. It has a major problem, with its product, accessibility and demographics.

 

About 40% of "avid MLB fans" are over 45. Do you know what that numbers is for the NBA? It's 18%. And this isn't just an age thing; the NBA is doing a FAR better job of aligning with the shifting demographics of this country. Baseball has a problem today, but IMO it is going to have a crisis on its hands in about 20 years without some disruption in TV deals or something, anything.

 

Well thought out and reasoned. Agree with most of it.

 

Where we probably differ is just the definition of "crisis." MLB has the advantage of a huge amount of tradition that will drive fans to games in person. There are loads of reasons to go independent of how good the team is, and this will insulate them from SOME economic impacts.

 

The other thing is: the NFL is king (not just among sports either). The rest of pro sports leagues are just trying to maintain a quarter of the audience share. What does a drop off look like for MLB? What's the floor? Is it the NHL? MLS? Neither of those leagues are blowing up the ratings, but their engaged fan base keeps them in healthy revenue. I have a hard time seeing baseball dropping below those levels, and the NHL TV situation is just like baseball's...

[DHonks]

MLB games are shorter than NFL and NBA games, AP I don’t buy that they are too long.

 

I don’t mind the rubbers on 2nd rule, but I wish it started in the 12th inning.

 

NBA games aren't even close to MLB games in gametime length.

 

I haven’t watched much NBA in about 15 years, but I thought they often pushed 2.5+ hours back when the Brewers were among the fastest teams in the league at around 2:45.

[Simba2020]

MLB games are shorter than NFL and NBA games, AP I don’t buy that they are too long.

 

I don’t mind the rubbers on 2nd rule, but I wish it started in the 12th inning.

 

NBA games aren't even close to MLB games in gametime length.

 

I haven’t watched much NBA in about 15 years, but I thought they often pushed 2.5+ hours back when the Brewers were among the fastest teams in the league at around 2:45.

Perusing Bucks boxes from about 15 years ago, it does seem like the games were a little longer but still nearer 2:20. This year, Bucks games averaged 2:13 with a median of 2:11.

[Simba2020]

MLB games are shorter than NFL and NBA games, AP I don’t buy that they are too long.

 

I don’t mind the rubbers on 2nd rule, but I wish it started in the 12th inning.

 

As of 2018 the NBA average game time was 2 hours 18 minutes. That's 45 minutes less than an MLB game.

 

I know that the numbers are what they are, but I would be interested to know what the MEDIAN MLB game is.

 

I've attended and watched plenty of MLB games that run 4+ hours. You will never, ever, see an NBA game go 3.5 hours. The length of game is just one thing, but the variance in length is another.

 

I think the NBA games are paced perfectly. They are just the right amount of time where you could still have a viewing party, and not so long than an 8pm start is a disaster. Baseball is too long. Football is also too long. I watch like one Brewers game a month, and I'm in and out of it. I attend about one a month, and I almost always leave early.

The average 9 inning MLB game thus far this year has averaged 3:10 with a median of 3:08. There have been a whopping 22 games that have lasted less than 2:30.

[PeaveyFury]

Efforts to change the pace of the game are irrelevant if you don’t show any willingness to address the massive elephant in the room, length and frequency of commercial breaks. But no one in any position of authority in any sport wants to talk about that one.

[TURBO]

Efforts to change the pace of the game are irrelevant if you don’t show any willingness to address the massive elephant in the room, length and frequency of commercial breaks. But no one in any position of authority in any sport wants to talk about that one.

 

Do commerials really make baseball games longer?

 

The NFL does for sure, they even take breaks in the game specifically for commercials.

 

Baseball takes commercial breaks during 1/2 inning breaks, when teams are changing from offense to defense, and pitchers are getting their warm-up tosses.

 

I don't think commercials really effect MLB games imo.

[PeaveyFury]

How much longer are the breaks for warmups now than they were pre-tv?

[DuWayne Steurer]

half inning breaks are currently 2 minutes 5 seconds for commercials. That's 30 - 35 minutes extra, roughly. Not counting any additional breaks for relief pitching changes (4- 6 per game mid-inning)

 

You go back to pre-tv and these half inning breaks were for sure a lot shorter. Game time in 1950 was 2 hours 20 minutes. In 1980 it was 2 hours 38 minutes. The length of game hasn't really gotten out of hand until the last few decades.