Manfred refuses to believe that Friday's marathon between the Red Sox and Dodgers was bad for the gameGETTY IMAGES
After World Series Game 3 took a record 18 innings and over seven hours to complete, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that he "remains open to the concept of starting a runner at second base during extra inning games -- but only during the regular season," according to Gabe Lacques of USA TODAY. Manfred "stressed that he does not envision such a move during playoff games -- but says a regular season experiment with the rule during minor league games 'worked well.'" Manfred: "We're not thinking about doing anything about changing the way games are played, either regular season or postseason in terms of that rule. It's used in the minor leagues, I'm aware of it, but it's not under active consideration." Meanwhile, Manfred also "refuses to believe Friday's marathon was bad for the game." Manfred: "It's one of those things you can't allow people to turn into a negative. It was a great game, a unique game, and it's one of those things that generates a tremendous amount of buzz and makes our game so much more remarkable." He added, "We recognize that it's helpful to provide as crisp a game as possible, with as little downtime as possible, but I don't think you can wring your hands over playing a seven-hour game in the World Series that turned out to be a great game. It's one game!" (USATODAY.com, 10/27).
BAD FOR THE GAME: USA TODAY's Josh Peter wrote setting the record for the "longest game in MLB postseason history" is "nothing to celebrate." A game that "ended when most of America was asleep better serve" as MLB's "latest wakeup call" (USATODAY.com, 10/27). In Detroit, Mitch Albom wrote the sport that "used to be about sunshine and lazy afternoons" is "now, somehow, about sleep deprivation?" Albom: "What's the point of starting games to have the biggest TV audience if there's nobody but insomniacs left at the finish?" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/28). In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro wrote game length is a "real problem for baseball, and denying the problem is not going to make it go away." Games "have to be played at night" because "business is business." Managers are "paid to win games" so they will "keep making pitching changes." But something "has to change," or else ballparks in October will be "empty and useless" (N.Y. POST, 10/28).
STICKING IT TO THE MAN: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay wrote fans "have to hand it to baseball." MLB is "under siege for its delays and idiosyncrasies, the tinkering and foot-dragging that make games routinely stretch beyond the three-hour mark." Then baseball "turns around Friday and unleashes a seven hour, 20 minute special." There is something "amusingly insolent about it, like scolding a egomaniacal lead guitarist, only to watch him unleash an indulgent, one-hour solo" (WSJ.com, 10/27). In Chicago, Steve Chapman wrote World Series Game 3 was as though MLB, "responding to the perception of many people that the game was slow and tedious, decided to address that complaint by making it even ... slower ... and ... more ... tedious" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/27).
ENJOY THE MOMENT: SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote the Dodgers and Red Sox "played a baseball game about which they will be telling their grandkids." People will "talk about this game 102 years from now." They will "talk about it like Isner-Mahut at Wimbledon ... Dolphins-Chargers in the 1972 playoff ... and Islanders-Capitals in the 1987 Easter Epic playoff game" (SI.com, 10/27). In Massachusetts, Matt Vautour wrote Game 3 was "great for history" and "great for memories." Vautour: "Every year on Oct. 27 somebody will remind us: On this date X many years ago, Max Muncy hit a walk-off home run ending a game that lasted 18 innings across 7 hours and 20 minutes" (MASSLIVE.com, 10/27). In Albany, Chris Onorato wrote the "beauty of baseball is that there is no clock." Onorato: "Would I like to see less time in between pitches, in between innings? Sure. Would I ever search for a 'solution' to historically-long games driven by extra-innings drama? Never" (1045THETEAM.com, 10/27).
