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How Long Has This Been Goin' On II

Frayed Knot Oct 22 2007 01:00 PM

I wonder if Mr. Selig looks at the times of games and wonders to what extent they're affecting his cherished TV ratings: Bos/LAA series (3 games) - Avg time of game = 3:20 NYY/Cleve (4 games) - Avg time = 3:57 Bos/Cleve (7 games) - Avg time = 3:43 Overall AL Avg (14 games) = 3:42, or 3:31 if you want to remove the two extra-inning games and just look at the 12 that went 9-innings The NL games are, as always, not as bad, but still hardly what you'd call quick Ariz/Chic series (3 games) - Avg time = 3:13 Phil/Colo (3 games) - Avg time = 3:08 Colo/Ariz (4 games - 1 extra innings) - Avg time = 3:30; Overall NL avg = 3:18, or 3:11 if you take out the extra-inning game I know baseball's not a timed game and I don't want to artificially rush things, but they've got to find some kind of way to shave at least a little bit of time off so every game isn't going past midnight. There have been just 4 sub-3:00 games to date: 3 of 10 in the NL; and just 1 of 14 in the AL. Of course a lot of it is their own fault as I had it at a full 3 minutes between the final out of a half-inning and the first pitch of the next one while reg season games are more like 2 and change. That tacks on some 15-18 minutes per right there.

Fman99 Oct 22 2007 02:33 PM Re: How Long Has This Been Goin' On II

Frayed Knot wrote: I wonder if Mr. Selig looks at the times of games and wonders to what extent they're affecting his cherished TV ratings: Bos/LAA series (3 games) - Avg time of game = 3:20 NYY/Cleve (4 games) - Avg time = 3:57 Bos/Cleve (7 games) - Avg time = 3:43 Overall AL Avg (14 games) = 3:42, or 3:31 if you want to remove the two extra-inning games and just look at the 12 that went 9-innings The NL games are, as always, not as bad, but still hardly what you'd call quick Ariz/Chic series (3 games) - Avg time = 3:13 Phil/Colo (3 games) - Avg time = 3:08 Colo/Ariz (4 games - 1 extra innings) - Avg time = 3:30; Overall NL avg = 3:18, or 3:11 if you take out the extra-inning game I know baseball's not a timed game and I don't want to artificially rush things, but they've got to find some kind of way to shave at least a little bit of time off so every game isn't going past midnight. There have been just 4 sub-3:00 games to date: 3 of 10 in the NL; and just 1 of 14 in the AL. Of course a lot of it is their own fault as I had it at a full 3 minutes between the final out of a half-inning and the first pitch of the next one while reg season games are more like 2 and change. That tacks on some 15-18 minutes per right there. I agree on all counts. The late start times are a factor too... I mean, how many of these games are ending way beyond when normal people are going to sleep? Perhaps MLB's sorry sad-ass postseason coverage should be an entire thread unto itself.

Rockin' Doc Oct 22 2007 06:08 PM

Welcome Fman99. Nice avatar you have there.

metsguyinmichigan Oct 22 2007 06:44 PM

Welcome aBordick!

Fman99 Oct 23 2007 06:56 AM

Rockin' Doc wrote: Welcome Fman99. Nice avatar you have there. Thanks, Doc. My two year old son Nate (pictured in that avatar) can tell you the names of all of the Mets starters and what numbers they wear. Start em young, I says!

Frayed Knot Oct 26 2007 07:02 AM

First two WS games: #1 = 3:30; #2 = 3:39 (I know it's starting to sound like I'm obsessing about this topic - but that's only because I am) I mean you can understand the first game with it's half-hour long 1/2 inning where Boston scored about 15 2-out runs courtesy of a dozen or so free passes, etc. But how they managed to streatch a 2-1, 8-1/2 inning game with less than a dozen hits out to the length of a double feature boggles the mind. That every pitching change (6 of them) was done mid-inning didn't help (curse you DH rule!!) but once they're on the mound these hurlers could use a few pointers from Jim Kaat. It was a good game to watch which would have been a really good game to watch if it were about 45-60 minutes shorter.

metirish Oct 26 2007 07:06 AM

I totally agree with you on this, I was in bed by the eight inning of a very close game with some great pitching, it blows.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 26 2007 07:13 AM

I guess that's one of the reasons I don't bother watching. I'm willing to walk around like a zombie the day after a late Mets World Series game, but I'm not going to do that for Rockies and Red Sox. If I'm going to turn it off in the fifth inning, why even bother watching?

Frayed Knot Oct 26 2007 07:33 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 26 2007 08:10 AM

="Yancy Street Gang"]I guess that's one of the reasons I don't bother watching. I'm willing to walk around like a zombie the day after a late Mets World Series game, but I'm not going to do that for Rockies and Red Sox. If I'm going to turn it off in the fifth inning, why even bother watching? And this is what these leagues* have to understand. I mean it's easy for me to say seeing as how I'm not the one who would be turning down those checks with all the zeros on them in exchange for shorter between inning breaks and zapping those 45 minutes worth of pre-game shows with about 5 minutes worth of substance to them - but at some level there's got to be a point of diminishing returns. More commercials and sponsor tie-ins won't add to their bottom line if no one's watching them. * this isn't just a baseball problem btw. I've noticed most college football games are now blocking out 3-1/2 hours of TV time (even more when pre & post gmae shows are added) and they're regularly going over even that allotted amount. That BC/VT game which was running concurrently with the baseball game last night started at 7:30 and ran well past 11. And those are timed games meaning that each minute of extra time is by definition down time. It's just that baseball: a) is the one I care most about b) has more games more often and more of them falling on weeknights so it becomes more noticable and more critical.

Edgy DC Oct 26 2007 07:41 AM

You've put your work in. You should start an advocacy site. Call it concentratemybaseball.com or baseballtime.org or something. Your point is too good to be screaming into a void like this.

sharpie Oct 26 2007 07:55 AM

Lenny's bedtime is 11. I was watching the game and on his way to bed he stopped to watch one batter: Kevin Youkilis was batting against Matt Herges. Herges took forever to throw every pitch, Youkilis stepped out all of the time, the count went to 3-and-2, after about 4 foul balls, Youkilis walked. Lenny said "that had to be the most boring at bat I've ever seen." It took probably 7 or 8 minutes.

metirish Oct 26 2007 08:00 AM

I remember that AB Sharpie, it was excruciating to watch, for a guy that looks like he might bite your head off Youkilis gets hit a lot.

duan Oct 26 2007 09:06 AM

i ended up trying to watch some of last nights game in bed on the laptop. It was scheduled for an 8pm start, I don't think there was a pitch thrown till after 8.30 (that's 1.30am my time) and I was asleep by the second inning.

Frayed Knot Oct 28 2007 11:02 AM

4:19 ... sheesh! Obviously all the runs scored slowed things up a bit but that was really only a small part of the problem. Matsuzaka does the ball rubbing up thing after every pitch (perhaps because of the cold) and winds up throwing about 2 pitches per minute as a result. Manny simply takes forever just to get into the box and then takes a stroll after most pitches before beginning the same routine all over again. So does Helton although not quite as bad. So much for the pre-season mandate about batters keeping one foot in at all times. You knew that one was never going to stick but couldn't they at least pretend to adhere to the spirit of it every once in a while?

Fman99 Oct 28 2007 01:16 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: 4:19 ... sheesh! Obviously all the runs scored slowed things up a bit but that was really only a small part of the problem. Matsuzaka does the ball rubbing up thing after every pitch (perhaps because of the cold) and winds up throwing about 2 pitches per minute as a result. Manny simply takes forever just to get into the box and then takes a stroll after most pitches before beginning the same routine all over again. So does Helton although not quite as bad. So much for the pre-season mandate about batters keeping one foot in at all times. You knew that one was never going to stick but couldn't they at least pretend to adhere to the spirit of it every once in a while? ESPN ticker this morning indicated that last night's game was the longest 9-inning WS game in history. What a waste.

Fman99 Oct 28 2007 01:17 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I guess that's one of the reasons I don't bother watching. I'm willing to walk around like a zombie the day after a late Mets World Series game, but I'm not going to do that for Rockies and Red Sox. If I'm going to turn it off in the fifth inning, why even bother watching? I agree completely. I was a zombie back in '99 when the Mets had those late games against the D'Backs in the NLDS and it was totally worth it. But not for some other teams - no way. Especially with the dumbed-down commentary and incessant annoying ads.

Edgy DC Oct 28 2007 07:09 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 28 2007 08:54 PM

I was on vacation this weekend. With my friend Tim's pregnant wife long since conked on the couch, and Cha up in bed, Tim demanded I was dying after seven and started up the stairs. Tim pointed at me, demanded I act like a baseball fan and appreciate a close World Series game when it's before me and have no work to get up for (or church, for once). So, I guiltily sat down. (No work, no church, still guilt. Great.) In the eighth, Boston hits started dropping in and the 6-5 lead became 10-5. Tim started stirring and I told him if he even got up to pee I would kill him.

Frayed Knot Oct 28 2007 08:32 PM

6 innings in the book in [u:1b8b6e55a0]under two hours[/u:1b8b6e55a0] !! (about 45 minutes shorter than game 3 to this same point) Without a major slowdown they may even get this one in prior to midnight.

Frayed Knot Oct 28 2007 10:02 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: Without a major slowdown they may even get this one in prior to midnight. Guess not.

Benjamin Grimm Nov 06 2007 01:37 PM

This is from an article about the baseball GM's considering instant replay. "Solomon" is Jimmie Lee Solomon, an executive vice president in the commissioner's office. Associated Press wrote: Solomon also said that to speed up games, baseball was considering limiting the number of times a hitter could step out of the batter's box during an at-bat and the number of times any player could visit the mound.

Valadius Nov 06 2007 04:13 PM

I'd consider the first part, the second part seems a bad idea.