Throw the Ball Already

“‘Don’t worry…cause every little thing’s gonna be all right.” Oops, another missed call; I’ll call my daughter right back. She knows that when I don’t pick up my cell phone immediately, I’m listening to the ringtone. It makes me happy.

My twenty-second ringtone is uplifting and returns me to the summer of the 2013 Red Sox. Shane Victorino is approaching the plate accompanied by his walk-up song, and Fenway erupts singing Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. Passionate, supportive fans find hope, reassurance, and a community.

But, wait, what did I hear? Major League Baseball is speeding up protracted games by reducing my beloved spiritually uplifting theme to fifteen seconds. Would a five-second differential renew interest in the game?

I love America’s pastime! It is filled with strategies and tactics, but fans are becoming impatient with the leisurely game. According to MLB.com, the average time for a nine-inning game in the 1970s was two hours and thirty minutes. In 2013 some games lasted almost three hours. Alas, those nearly four hour Sunday night Red Sox/Yankee games. Monday mornings come way too soon.

Perhaps the invention of Velcro is to blame as batters obsessively tighten their gloves between each pitch. How much can Velcro possibly loosen after one pitch? Batters step in and out of the box to adjust their uniforms or request extra time to receive and give signals. They dig their cleats into the dirt to define their territory. Their routines and superstitions are distracting and time consuming.

Pitchers have their own routines: the walks to the rosin bag, removing caps, and wiping sweat from their brows, and the careful examination of the ball. When they don’t like what they see or feel, they return it to the umpire who returns a more pristine, smudge-less ball. Bigger, stronger pitchers throw 100 MPH and balls take less than one second to arrive in the catcher’s glove. Just throw the ball already!

Pitchers take last long look at the infield landscape and contemplate a pick off. They shake off signs from their catchers while they decide what pitch to throw. Perhaps catchers wearing nail polish has made the signs easier to read, and a few seconds have been shaved off. Then, after a long pause, perhaps photo op, at last, the wind up, and the ball leaves the glove.

Coaches and managers make frequent trips to the mound making pitching changes based on who is in the on-deck circle or the handedness of the pitcher or the batter approaching the box.  They make decisions about pinch hitters and pinch runners. Infield players assemble for strategy meetings: perhaps texting or Emojis would help. Finally, there is all that time between innings for warm up pitches or pitching changes allowing for TV and radio commercials.

The game is more than a hundred and fifty years old; there can be no quick fix. If there is technology to clock ball speed, perhaps using the twelve second pitch clock, limiting the number of warm up pitches, the number of times batters step in and out of the box or calls for time, or those protracted strategy meetings at the mound, might move the game along.

Baseball allows us to embrace the warm lazy days of summer and distract us from life’s everyday challenges. Changes can be made to enhance the flow and preserve the spirit and passion of the game. Those five extra seconds mean more than you know, ‘cause everything’s gonna be all right!”