The Need for Speed

Rob Manfred is going to speed up the game, and his speed waits for no union:

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says rule changes to speed games will be put in place next year with or without an agreement with the players’ association.

Major League Baseball proposed last offseason to institute a 20-second pitch clock, limits in trips to the mound by catchers and raising the bottom of the strike zone. The union did not agree, and management has the right to impose them unilaterally for 2018.

Speaking Thursday after a quarterly owners’ meeting, Manfred says “my preferred path is a negotiated agreement with the players, but if we can’t get an agreement we are going to have rule changes in 2018 one way or the other.”

Of course, turning some home runs into fly-ball outs will speed things along as well.

I actually liked the quick five-second commercials during the World Series. I will gladly takes those if it means shorter breaks between innings. Cutting 30 second between breaks shaves nine minutes off a game with no rule changes.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2ASBOHD