MLB now has a length of games committee

[KamaAina]

About. Damn. Time.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/manfred-clark-mlb-length-games-192245335--mlb.html

Incoming baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and players' association head Tony Clark have been selected to participate in a new Major League Baseball committee tasked with decreasing the times of games.

The committee announced Monday by outgoing Commissioner Bud Selig will be chaired by Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz. The group includes Boston Red Sox Chairman Tim Werner and partner Michael Gordon, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Joe Torre.

The average time of a nine-inning game has increased from 2 hours, 33 minutes in 1981 to a record 3:03 this year.

Selig says the group plans to make recommendations for the 2015 season.

An unmanageable three hours and three minutes. </yankees-john-sterling>

[Auggie]

1. They can start by cutting the commercial breaks on nationally televised prime time games

[Jamaal510]

2. +1

[charlie and algernon]

3. How about you can only step off the mound or out of the batter's box once in an at-bat

Pitcher steps off more than once, it's an automatic ball. Batter steps out more than once, he gets a strike.

[Auggie]

4. One thing they could do: DUMP THE DH.

Might pick up a few minutes on average. But they'd never do that.

I'm not sold the game is too long. We got here through natural evolution, i.e., pitch counts, batters working the count, specialty relievers ... I think that stuff makes the game way more interesting.

MLB thinks a quicker-paced game would attract more viewers.

Aside from shortening commerical delays, especially in prime-time (and that's a pipe dream), how could you possibly speed-up play that wouldn't change fundamental aspects of the game?

Put a time limit in which pitches must be delivered? I think that's unfair to players -- some need more time to prepare mentally for a pitch or an at-bat than others (noted exceptions -- Mike Hargrove "Human Rain Delay" types -- put a time limit on these guys).

So, what else?

Eliminate replay? I'm okay with that.

Shorten the game to 8 innings? No.