SEC trying clocks??

[TECH88]

SEC experiments with game clock.

http://blog.al.com/solomon/2009/12/s...nt_will_e.html

[PawDawg]

Stoopid

[DawgFight71]

This insults the game of baseball. The baseball gods will not be pleased.

[inudesu]

This insults the game of baseball. The baseball gods will not be pleased.

What do the baseball gods think about pitchers who take 45 minutes to get around to pitching the next ball? Or batters that step out of the box 50 times to play with themselves?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[techman05]

I don't support imposing a time limit in any way for baseball. I do think you can speed the game up without a clock though. How about imposing an extra strike every time a guy steps out of the box to adjust himself between pitches. Just get the sign from the coach and go. The only time the sign should change is if a runner advances or is picked off anyway.

[Soonerdawg]

Studies are showing that the game needs to be sped up.

[inudesu]

The only time the sign should change is if a runner advances or is picked off anyway.

And that won't factor into this anyway.

The 20-second clock be­tween pitches only comes into play if no runners are on base.

[BLUE collar]

Studies are showing that the game needs to be sped up.

Anyone with enough time to study something like this has enough time to waste through a game. I love it the way it is.

[BLUE collar]

I don't support imposing a time limit in any way for baseball. I do think you can speed the game up without a clock though. How about imposing an extra strike every time a guy steps out of the box to adjust himself between pitches. Just get the sign from the coach and go. The only time the sign should change is if a runner advances or is picked off anyway.

False! Situations change with the counts. As a coach I am always trying to confuse th other team into making some mistakes. It is how the game is played. For instance, with a 2-1 count, it is an excellent oppertunity for a hit and run...most likely going to get a fastball that can be handled. 2-2 however you don't do it for fear of strike 'em out throw 'em out. 3-0 is a take, sometimes 2-0 may eb a take, other times 2-0 might be a swing out of your shoes, and eve other times it may be a perfect time to lay one down on a line. Only way to speed up the game is to lower the number of warmup pitches between innings, don't make player touch all bases on HR, just touch first. Softball rules like that.

[inudesu]

way to speed up the game is to

. . .use a clock to keep pitchers from taking forever between pitches and batters from screwing around and to get the teams into the field between half-innings.

The American Baseball Coaches Association has been in favor of going to clock rules to speed up games.

I really can't see how this is a bad thing.

[techman05]

False! Situations change with the counts. As a coach I am always trying to confuse th other team into making some mistakes. It is how the game is played. For instance, with a 2-1 count, it is an excellent oppertunity for a hit and run...most likely going to get a fastball that can be handled. 2-2 however you don't do it for fear of strike 'em out throw 'em out. 3-0 is a take, sometimes 2-0 may eb a take, other times 2-0 might be a swing out of your shoes, and eve other times it may be a perfect time to lay one down on a line. Only way to speed up the game is to lower the number of warmup pitches between innings, don't make player touch all bases on HR, just touch first. Softball rules like that.

So coach up your guys to know what to do with runners on base with certain counts. This is all stuff that can be worked out during a 2 hour practice. The fielders have to know how to play a player at the plate based on his prior at bats. You can only know this by practicing in the field in all possible scenarios. I say it could be the same at the plate. I played the game and we tried our best to know what we needed to do with the ball given the players on base, the base they were on, the count, and # of outs. Like I said, we went to the plate knowing the plan. The only way the plan changed was if a player advanced on a pass ball or was thrown out.

[PawDawg]

What do the baseball gods think about pitchers who take 45 minutes to get around to pitching the next ball? Or batters that step out of the box 50 times to play with themselves?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

First of all their reason is to make for better TV (more programming) not to actually speed the game up. Do you want it sped up so that you can watch the next soccer game on ESPN? If they really want to speed it up they should lay the law down to their umpires and coaches. Although there are no penalties in the rule book (that I know of) for taking too much time, the umpires can generally speed things up and the coaches certainly could if they were facing a fine after a certain number of warnings.

One of the beautiful things about the game is that TV can't control timeouts and such. I love that.

[inudesu]

First of all their reason is to make for better TV (more programming) not to actually speed the game up. Do you want it sped up so that you can watch the next soccer game on ESPN?

Don't you want to watch more baseball? I mean actual baseball, not arm pad adjustments, staring off into the distance, scratching, spitting, hat fixing, etc. I'll grant that baseball is a slow game and that's part of its appeal and all that stuff I listed is and always will be part of the deal. But wouldn't you rather see more actual pitching and hitting and running? It doesn't have to be soccer that ESPN is in such a rush to get to. It could be another baseball game. right?

If they really want to speed it up they should lay the law down to their umpires and coaches. Although there are no penalties in the rule book (that I know of) for taking too much time, the umpires can generally speed things up and the coaches certainly could if they were facing a fine after a certain number of warnings.

This was my first thought, too. Why not just tell the umps to crack down on all the navel-gazing and make the teams get on with it? This guy would be glad to enforce that kind of mandate. But the advantage of an actual clock is that it is fair. You absolutely know that without a real clock, players and coaches are going to whine about the other team getting longer to screw around.

One of the beautiful things about the game is that TV can't control timeouts and such. I love that.

That won't change.

.

[Soonerdawg]

Anyone with enough time to study something like this has enough time to waste through a game. I love it the way it is.

I'm not complaining. I'm stating a fact. MLB wants to increase "fan satisfaction."
Apparently, there are not enough like us who like it the way it is.

I will say this, it way too frequently takes way too long to play a college game.

[BLUE collar]

So coach up your guys to know what to do with runners on base with certain counts. This is all stuff that can be worked out during a 2 hour practice. The fielders have to know how to play a player at the plate based on his prior at bats. You can only know this by practicing in the field in all possible scenarios. I say it could be the same at the plate. I played the game and we tried our best to know what we needed to do with the ball given the players on base, the base they were on, the count, and # of outs. Like I said, we went to the plate knowing the plan. The only way the plan changed was if a player advanced on a pass ball or was thrown out.

Once again many different variables go into making decisions like this. You may be more inclined to have your 8 hole hitter bunt in a stuation and the 3 hole swing away. there are far too many variables to make the players worry about. It is their job to execute, not to make logistical decisions in the course of a game. That is the coaches job. Variables include but are not limited tothe following: batter, pitcher, count, outs, score, inning, field conditions, weather paterns ( ie. if rain is on the way), past success against the current pitcher. Not to mention nagging injuries that may dictate if a batter/runner is able to execute. Way too much to coach in a season, much less a two hour practice. I'm not advocating the players that take a in. between pitches, as a matter of fact the pitch clock has been a non-factor through the first few games of the SEC tourney.