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Leagues and Governing Bodies

With Average MLB Game Times Creeping Up Again, Could A Pitch Clock Make That Big A Difference?

The average game time in MLB was 3 hours, 12 seconds through Sunday, more than six minutes longer than last year, and the increase has "set off alarms" within MLB, according to LaVelle Neal III of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. MLB has "implemented pace-of-play rules in recent years," and a 20-second pitch clock is "being proposed," perhaps as early as next year. Twins manager Paul Molitor said, "For the most part, 20 seconds is plenty, even for the slowest of guys." Twins P Pat Dean said that he has "no problems with the 20-second clock," which shuts off once the pitcher is set on the rubber. But White Sox P David Robertson said, “You can’t take a game I’ve been playing for a long time and change it by putting a shot clock in" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/23). White Sox manager Robin Ventura said, "The 20-second clock is interesting to me. ... Anytime you’re speeding up the game of just the lull, that’s a good thing.’’ But in Chicago, David Just notes Ventura "cautioned against changes that might limit how often pitching changes could be made." Ventura: "You don’t want to see a guy just getting his brains beaten out there because you’ve already made a couple of moves" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/21). Meanwhile, Baseball HOFer Jim Palmer said, "The game is what it is. If you're talking about taking a baseball game that's about three hours and four minutes and making it two hours and 58 minutes, is that really worth it? I just think we should play the game." He added, "The game really doesn't need to make a whole lot of changes" ("High Heat,” MLB Network, 8/22).

GOING STRAIGHT TO THE TOP: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last night during an appearance on ESPN's coverage of the Little League World Series said the “people who are closest to the game in terms of general managers (and) managers are more resistant to change than the owners actually are." He said owners have a "little broader vision of the game and are more open to the idea." Manfred: "I do think there’s interest among the owners’ group and looking hard at the product we’re putting out there and thinking about whether we need to make a change.” He addressed the current regular-season schedule and said, "There's a lot that can be done." He said playing 162 games in a 183-day span is "tough on the players, and I do think there are changes that can be made." That might not "affect the number of games," but things like "geographic realignment could really reduce the amount of travel." Manfred: "It could help us in terms of scheduling in the postseason, and I think those things have to be on the table for us” (“Little League World Series,” ESPN, 8/22).

TIME & TIME AGAIN: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote he is "not sure MLB is ever going to solve the dynamic of the time it takes for instant replays vs. the time-saving components." Unlike other sports, baseball "plays out at its own pace," as it "evolves and builds up to a crescendo." Cafardo: "You love the game or you don't. The only time-saving measure I would endorse is keeping the batter in the box" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/21).

SILVER LINING?
The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Susan Jacoby wrote under the header, "Baseball And Its Aging Fans: Can A Game With A 19th-Century Tempo Survive In The Age Of Digital Distraction?" The "brightest spot for MLB in recent years has been a significant increase in the number of Hispanic fans." Nielsen VP/Sports Stephen Master said that Hispanic viewership of English-language World Series broadcasts "rose a startling 30% between" '14 and '15 (WSJ.com, 8/18). 

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