One of the most common complaints directed towards baseball is it's too slow. The main culprit for this is the amount of time taken by pitchers between throws. Many people have suggested implementing a pitch clock of 15-20 seconds and if the pitcher goes over they are assessed a ball. The Southeastern Conference will experiment with the idea during the 2010 tournament and may implement it into regular season play for the 2011 season. In past experiments it has shown to cut off about 20 minutes from the average game time. This time saving tool would certainly be welcome to many baseball viewers but is it worth it?
The beauty of baseball is the tension that is created because there is no clock. Anything can happen on the next pitch and during a close games in the late innings you find yourself on the edge of your seat waiting in suspense. The slow speed of the game is what separates it from the rest of the sports. Many people can't get their heads around this but it's their loss.
Baseball is also a thinking man's game. With every pitch there are endless possibilities and endless strategies. By allowing pitchers to move at their own pace it allows them to play the game as they choose to play it. Controlling the pace is yet another strategy that can be implemented.
Major League Baseball rules already state that a pitcher must deliver the ball within 20 seconds or risk being assessed a ball however this is rarely if ever enforced. If MLB is concerned about about lengthy games they can start by encouraging umpires to be more aware of pitch times.
For now those of us who can appreciate the finer details of baseball are willing to sit back and enjoy those extra 20 minutes of dirt kicking and batter time-outs giving us a chance to ponder over what's coming next. However, in the forever ongoing pursuit of new viewers baseball may have to bow to the demands of the MTV generation and their attention spans the size of Chone Figgins and implement this time saving device.
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