May I have a moment of silence for the death of baseball...

[brooklynite]

Sources: MLB, union agree to use dugout signal for intentional walk

As part of its initiative to improve pace-of-game play, Major League Baseball has approved a change to the intentional walk rule, going from the traditional four-pitch walk to a dugout signal, team and union sources told ESPN's Howard Bryant.

MLB has studied various ways to quicken games.

ESPN's Jayson Stark reported earlier this month that MLB had made formal proposals to the players' union to usher in both raising the strike zone and scrapping the practice of lobbing four balls toward home plate to issue an intentional walk.

Getting rid of the old-fashioned intentional walk would eliminate about a minute of dead time per walk. In an age in which intentional walks actually have been declining -- there were just 932 all last season (or one every 2.6 games) -- that time savings would be minimal. But MLB saw the practice of lobbing four meaningless pitches as antiquated.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18737245/mlb-union-agree-get-rid-traditional-intentional-walkwill-use-signal-dugout

[elleng]

1. Like changing FILIBUSTER RULE!

[brooklynite]

2. Let the AMERICAN League incorporate this abomination...

...along with their designated hitter rule.

[LoveMyCali]

13. Hahaha

I read that as disgusting hitter rule. (Which I truly believe it is)

[demtenjeep]

3. it died for me last month with the death of Yordono Ventura

KC star pitcher

[True Dough]

4. This really doesn't bother me

I wasn't a fan of watching four lobs, although there was a rare occasion when a batter would take a wild swing in hopes of connecting with one of them.

[brooklynite]

7. There is also the chance of a wild pitch or a passed ball.

[True Dough]

15. True

But I doubt this is the death knell for baseball. If the strike that wiped out the duration of the 1994 season didn't kill the game, this new rule won't do it either.

If you aren't too turned off, we are trying to get a DU fantasy baseball league going this season. There are threads in the Sports and Baseball sections where you can express interest. Would like to have you involved, brooklynite.

[subterranean]

21. Miguel Cabrera did that once

Slapped an RBI single on an intentional walk pitch that was too close to the plate.

[True Dough]

43. How would you like Miggy Cabrera on your team?

Or Melky Cabrera?

Then consider joining our DU fantasy baseball league, subterreanean...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/120469610

[FSogol]

38. Vlad Guerrero got a hit on an intentional walk. After that, the catcher would stand 30 feet away to

receive the ball during an IW.

[True Dough]

42. Great example

You know your stuff about the "boys of summer." Well, I have a proposition for you, FSogol...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/120469610

Join us!

[FSogol]

44. I'm in. n/t

[frazzled]

5. Boo

/nt

[GP6971]

6. What a stupid change. n/t

[oldtime dfl_er]

8. oh thats awful

why don't they ask the fans what they want??????

[onenote]

27. A lot of fans want games not to last as long as they do

Games today are around a half hour longer, on average, than they were in the 1970s. Will this change fix that? Nope. But it also won't change the fundamentals of the game either.

[oldtime dfl_er]

29. who cares

if you want to leave early, do so. But changing the rules merely to shorten the game time is not a good idea, IMHO. Baseball games have an arc, just like a good story does. There's an unfolding of the narrative, with high moments and low moments. There are small and large conflicts, and an element of uncertainty and chance that makes even the laziest of games exciting. And to interrupt that rhythm is to interrupt some of what is great about the game.

[onenote]

35. The "arc" of baseball games is not static

For example, in 1970, the average number of pitchers used per game was around 2.5; today is close to 4 -- the number of relief pitchers used per game has nearly doubled, along with the number of trips to the mound. The number of pitches thrown in a game also has increased by 8 to 10 percent. The number of pitches per plate appearance also is increasing. All of these are part of, but also impact, the "arc" of the game. While I personally would prefer to see intentional walks remain as they are, the I'm pact on the "arc" of the game from making IW's "automatic" would barely be noticed.

[WillowTree]

9. Shakespeare described this excellently all those years ago.

[Hoyt]

10. Agree, and there is always the fantasy that batter reaches out and hits it.

Haven't watched more than a small portion of a gAmerican in years, but this ain't death of baseball. Game is too long. I'don't cut the batter and pitcher rituals.

[GP6971]

11. What's next?

Bat flipping?

[Jamaal510]

12. Yet another

thing to place in the Department of Fixing What Is Not Broken. Occasionally, I've seen pitchers make bad throws during IWs. The league wants to speed up the game's pace, but all they're doing is ruining the game. People who don't already like baseball won't suddenly get into it just because it is faster-paced. Leave the game alone.

[jalan48]

14. I don't get why everyone feels the need to speed the game up. Relax.

[Still In Wisconsin]

18. Exactly right. Baseball is my refuge from my otherwise fast-paced life.

When I go to a game, I want to sit there and take it all in, as much as possible, for as long as possible. I am also a Brewer fan. Masochism? Maybe, but give me a 3-4 hour game any day of the week, and twice if it rained yesterday

[jalan48]

19. Mariners fan here-we hope for at least a .500 season! I miss those days of double headers.

[Brother Buzz]

25. Pray for rain...

and you'll see more doubleheaders.

[brooklynite]

16. Fortunately, the Infield Fly Rule remains on solid legal footing...

Thanks to the esteemed legal minds of my wife's Alma Mater, Penn Law School:

The Common Law Origins of the Infield Fly Rule (Penn Law Review, 1975)

[Stinky The Clown]

17. What a pointless change. No meaningful improvement. The death of a tradition.

[yuiyoshida]

20. Wow...really...

[Green Line]

22. Instant replay

Was the death of baseball. They want to spend 5 minutes or more on that, but get rid of the 4 pitch walk. Sad!

[Brother Buzz]

30. Yogi Berra would have embraced instant replay

He was OUT!

[msanthrope]

33. Well, replay is precisely "Deja Vu all over again." nt

[stopbush]

23. Bad move. The idea of throwing four pitches is forcing the pitcher to make a play.

Set aside the very rare occasion of a batter swinging and getting a hit, the pitching team needs to successfully throw those pitches. It's the same idea behind a catcher needing to complete an out by throwing to first if he drops a pitch that had been swung at and produced strike three.

Saving a minute here and there will not do anything for the game.

[bathroommonkey76]

31. MLB says teams will save an extra 14 seconds.

This has to be the dumbest rule change I've seen in sports.

[kairos12]

24. Baseball died with the DH.

[Yavin4]

26. What's killing the pace of baseball is all of the pitching changes in the late innings.

Blame Tony LaRussa.

[Fast Walker 52]

41. yeah, for sure. They should have a rule limiting the total number of pitching changes per game

with exception for injury.

This recent practice of having a pitcher come in to face just one batter is BS.

[TlalocW]

28. Oh, God, if only it were true that it WAS dying

Along with every other professional sport out there.

TlalocW

[MyNameGoesHere]

32. Now if they could find a way

To eliminate the other couple hours of play, or better yet just have 7 games period to pick the champions. Sorry non Chicago here that is sick of how glorious the cubs are. It took you over a hundred years to win one, get over it. It's not that impressive.

Go orioles!!

[msanthrope]

34. Tony Tarasco! Tony Tarasco! nt

[FSogol]

36. They are testing an even worse rule change in the low minors by starting a runner on 2nd in innings

after the 11th.

Luckily, the player's union will fight this:

From Connor Byrne at MLB Trade Rumors:

Rob Manfred “doesn’t realize the fight he is picking,” a player told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal in light of the commissioner’s plan to implement rule changes against the union’s wishes in 2018. The player also suggested Manfred’s actions could lead to serious labor strife when it’s time to negotiate the next collective bargaining agreement in 2021. “Four years from now, he will see absolute wrath if he makes the moves himself,” the player said, also adding that “the union is listening to the players, and the players don’t want the changes.” Unlike Manfred, MLBPA chief Tony Clark doesn’t believe the league has pace-of-play issues. However, Rosenthal points out that the average time of game went up by 4 minutes, 28 seconds last year. At the same time, balls in play hit an all-time low and relief pitcher usage reached an all-time high. Thus, despite the union’s objections, changes are on their way, writes Rosenthal, who opines that they’re “necessary.”

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/02/quick-hits-manfred-rockies-padres-a-rod.html

I'll add that fans don't want the rule change too and need to let the commissioner know.

[Blue_Tires]

37. At least they didn't approve that bullshit runner on second in extra innings proposal

[FSogol]

39. They are testing that in the low minors this summer. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

40. I need to put my name in the ring for Commissioner

so I can make baseball great again...