I love baseball. It was the first sport my Dad and I shared, on the radio, and in the barnyard in pitch, catch, and bat rounds with him and my first two brothers.
Screams to speed up Major League Baseball games have been heard for some time, now, in today’s version that has extended a regular nine-inning contest to three hours and more.
Allowing a pitcher less minutes, or seconds, to deliver a pitch isn’t the answer to speeding up the game. That’s not fair to the pitcher’s ability to establish his own rhythm.
I don’t think the game should be sped up at all. That’s messing with strategy and the integrity of the game. However if we must succumb to this cry for more speed, a simple solution is at hand. Why not just cut down on the allowed foul balls batters may hit?
Hitting pitches into foul territory entails a mammoth amount of time, and it is hard on a pitcher who has to keep throwing numerous strikes to gain one more for a strikeout.
So, let’s rule that on a potential third strike, batters will be called out if they foul off three pitches in a row. If a batter can skillfully manage to hold off a third strike by fouling off pitch after pitch, why in the dickens can’t he get a hold of one?
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Credit:
Photos from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg
For more photos from the author, see:
http://www.barbsgalleryblog.photo.blog
and for more about sports, check at:
Near the Finish Line 