MLB yesterday announced a new pace-of-game committee created by Commissioner Bud Selig and charged with developing ways to decrease average game times and hasten the pace of play beginning with the '15 season. Braves President John Schuerholz will chair the group, while other committee members include MLB Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred, MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark, Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Red Sox Chair Tom Werner, MLB Exec VP/Baseball Operations Joe Torre and Red Sox partner Michael Gordon. The presence of both Werner and Gordon on the panel highlights the Red Sox' own extensive study internally on the pace-of-game issue. MLB's average game time has crept past three hours over the past half-decade, despite a marked reduction in scoring. Selig has conducted an initial conference call with the group. He said, "I believe that this group has the experience and the perspective to be mindful of our game's traditions while being creative about our approach in the future" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). In Boston, Peter Abraham notes AL games this year have "averaged 3:04," and the NL "just over three hours" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/23).
ISN'T IT IRONIC, DON'T YA THINK? In Boston, Scott Lauber writes the Red Sox "have been at the forefront of the pace-of-play issue, which is ironic considering they annually rank among the teams that play the longest games." Selig "even asked the Sox to take the lead on helping to form the committee" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/23). ESPN's Keith Olbermann noted a "majority of the members of the pace-quickening committee have strong ties to the Red Sox and/or the Yankees, whose games usually last four hours or more." Olbermann: "Genius, I tells you. Genius" ("Olbermann," ESPN2, 9/22). ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote, "I'm not sure why two owners from the Red Sox are on the committee, considering the Red Sox have long played the slowest games in the sport." Meanwhile, the problem with the committee is that it is made up of "the same power brokers -- Selig included -- who have been involved in the sport for a long time, decades for most of them." Schoenfield: "How about somebody from outside the game?" (ESPN.com, 9/22). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said, "I’m looking at the committee -- all very well-respected and their opinions on baseball are certainly valued -- but John Schuerholz is 73 years old, Sandy Alderson is 66, Rob Manfred is 55, Joe Torre is 74 and Tom Werner is 64. I'd like to hear from someone who is 28. I want to hear from someone from within the baseball world who is in his 20's or his 30's about these ideas. I think baseball is extraordinarily popular under the right circumstances, but I think the area where they need to work on is where they don't lose younger fans. I will like to hear some younger voices on committees like that and others” ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 9/23).
SLOW, BUT NOT STEADY: In N.Y., Bill Madden wrote the "dearth of offense combined with the growing length of games has become epidemic in baseball." This season marks the "first time in history the average length of games will exceed three hours." The 8.16 runs per game is the "lowest average in a full season" since the 7.99 in '76. These two "disturbing trends are front and center on Rob Manfred’s plate for when he takes over as commissioner in January." But this "dual problem for baseball has been self-inflicted." The schedules "have become brutal, between the preponderance of night getaway games for the lust of the almighty TV dollar, and the expansion of interleague play to a game every day because of the realignment to two 15-team leagues." A high-level MLB exec said, "We need, as an industry, to do away with night getaway games. Period. Our TV partners won’t like it, but they’re clearly affecting players’ performances." Madden wrote this "needs to include -- especially -- the ESPN 8 p.m. Sunday night games." Madden: "Nobody likes these games, the players, managers or even the viewers, and if the owners are really serious about easing the fatigue level on their players, they need to gulp hard and give that TV money back" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/21).
GET 'EM WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG: Red Sox COO Sam Kennedy said MLB needs to "connect with that next generation of fans," because if the sport does not "get people into the ballparks when they're five to 10 years old, we're not going to have them as fans for life." Kennedy: "We need to address this issue of our demographics. It's clearly critical that we connect with them through mobile devices, through television, through the Internet. One of the reasons why we partnered with ... Sapient is to try and do that. We're investing about $100 million into our ballparks over the next 14-18 months with MLB.com to work on encouraging younger fans to be there" ("Bloomberg Surveillance," Bloomberg TV, 9/18).
