re game length was re braves update in article mzimmersc sllk ld netcom com mzimmers netcom com michael zimmers writes in article apr vax clarku edu hhenderson vax clarku edu writes nflynn wvnvms wvnet edu writes i agree with nick what s the big deal about long games if you want to watch baseball there s that much more baseball to watch and yes baseball includes the space between plays as well as the plays themselves first a longer game in no way suggests more baseball to watch unless you include watching the grass grow as baseball the lengthier games are so because of batters stepping out of the box pitchers taking longer between pitches and excessive trips to the mound by managers and pitching coaches until six or seven years ago i was an enthusiastic fan of nfl football last year i hardly watched a game what turned me off were the incessant interruptions to the continuity of the game a team scores minutes of commercials kickoff minutes of commercials three downs and a punt minutes of commercials aaaaarrrrgh earlier in this thread i commented on larussa and the a s whom i believe institutionalize slow play i don t mind the cat and mouse game with rickey on first in fact i rather enjoy it similarly i would enjoy the battle with listach or lofton or polonia on first what i object to is when such games are played with karkovice on first or when the game is a blowout i don t mind when the pitcher steps off the mound to gather his thoughts in a crucial situation or when a hitter steps out of the box to regain his concentration what i object to is when hitters and pitchers take such breaks at every opportunity when a game is exciting these little delays serve as tension builders and for me enhance the value of the experience of the game when the delays happen with regularity they become nuisances just like the commercial breaks in football i understand the nfl imposed a number of rule changes to speed up the games basically putting an onus on the officiating staff to move the markers and the ball to the spots faster that did not address the problem of the continuity of the game it may have appeased the sponsors and the networks but i would be amazed if it did anything to enhance the experience of the fans similary while some hour baseball games bore me to tears those are the ones where there is no continuity and the players are taking exasperatingly long periods to get ready for each pitch i doubt if anyone watching the braves giants game cared about gant stepping out i doubt if anyone watching that game would have found that pause to be anything but an opportunity to have their complete attention claimed by the drama that was present i would be totally opposed to any effort that would eliminate that aspect of baseball on the other hand i wish baseball had a commissioner that was powerful enough to sit down with alderson larussa duncan and explain that they are actually hurting the product of baseball by dragging their games out the way that they do i sure wouldn t mind a little arm twisting there the beastmaster mark singer mss netcom com
