These replays make you miss uncluttered broadcasts

THOSE who have been watching old and not-so old MLB games on TV and YouTube seem invariably and pleasantly struck by the simple beauty of the former game, no artificial additives as provided by TV and players’ unnecessary peccadillos. In no particular order:

1. The absence of a computerized, one-size-fits-all strike-box graphic placed over live play. A clear, unfettered view of pitcherto-batter had become a forgotten pleasure.

2. No stalling on the mound or from the batter’s box. The pitchers took the sign and threw. The batters mostly stayed in the box between pitches.

3. No look-what-we-can-do! graphics — such as launch angles, exit velocities and the always irrelevant catch probabilities. No one needed help to discern if a pop-up was hit harder than a line drive.

4. No stoppages for microscopic, freeze-frame reviews of close calls, a thoroughly unintended but steady drag on modern baseball. Close was self-evident, understood and indulged — no matter which way the call went.

5. TV announcers who allowed the game, and not their endless verbal presence, to be the priority.

6. The games featured multiple skills, thus the shift — in the few cases it appeared — could be defeated by not trying to pull the ball, and even, God forbid, a bunt.

7. Running to first was not an option. In fact, running to any base or after balls in the gap or against the wall were not an option. No one risked losing a double or triple by posing at the plate, and those who hit home runs were already too far past first to high-five the first-base coach.

8. Effective starters and relievers were not pulled as a matter of pre-planning. To try to script a game before it began was the work of the foolish.

9. The pace of games was such that games had little chance of becoming boring.

10. Old Yankee Stadium’s best seats were filled.

11. No conflating World Series stats with postseason stats.

12. Organ music that allows fans — especially dads and sons — to talk about the game rather than try to holler over blaring rap and heavy metal.

Why have all of the above virtually disappeared? Why has “the game changed” become an acceptable excuse? I don’t know but there can’t be any good reasons.