Leading OFF
Under Manfred, baseball finally looks to the future
Love is blind, and Major League Baseball is proof.
Those who cherish a timeless sport aren’t clamoring for a better relationship. They will never understand the need for clocks, action and radical reform. Change is considered an unnecessary concession to a clueless generation, an affront to the greatest game ever invented.
Fortunately, the new commissioner sees things a bit differently.
In his third season as steward of a 114-year old institution, Rob Manfred has a different agenda. He sees the on-field dawdling and plodding pace of play as a precursor to extinction.
His sense of urgency is in stark contrast to his predecessor, Bud Selig. Manfred is finding his voice and his mission just when the game needs him most.
If Manfred succeeds in bringing baseball into the 21st century, replenishing a fan base from a pool of American youth weaned on instant gratification, he will go down as one of the most influential sports commissioners ever.
During a news conference last week, Manfred made it clear he’s not looking to make friends. He sided with the Arizona Diamondbacks in their spat with Maricopa County, decrying the current state of Chase Field.
In what might be considered a related threat, he called Las Vegas a viable market, even though the all-time hits king, Pete Rose, is still banned for gambling on the sport.
And he has put the MLB Players Association on notice, saying that unilateral changes will be implemented — with or without its approval — before the 2018 season.
Manfred wants to speed up the game. He wants a 20-second pitch clock, fewer visits to the mound and a higher strike zone that would produce more hittable pitches. He wants to attack the worst statistic in a sport overrun by metrics — how a baseball is reportedly put into play just once every 3 minutes, 25 seconds. That’s brutal. That’s the asteroid threatening MLB’s survival. And unlike Selig, the current commissioner is not running away from the problem or pointing to robust attendance and unprecedented television revenue as proof to the contrary.
To be clear, the issue is not the time required to complete an average baseball game in 2017. Nobody complains about a threehour movie that captivates the audience from start to finish. And this is not a problem that can be solved with fewer commercials or an expedited version of instant replay.
This is about the flow of the game and the perceived entertainment value that comes from the actual competition.
The issue is increasingly complex. The evolution of power arms and the deployment of highly effective relief pitchers play a role in the steadily declining action, leading to a 13% increase in “dead time” over the last decade. According to one report, there were 9,287 fewer balls put into play than 10 years ago.
The other issue is the mind-set of current players, most of whom have reacted tersely to Manfred’s power play.
Texas Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy told USA TODAY Sports a clock takes away “the sanctity of the game.”
Kansas City Royals star Brandon Moss said he’s glad he won’t be playing in 2027 because the game “won’t be recognizable” in 10 years.
Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels said rushing professional baseball players will ultimately lead to diminished performance.
MLB probably will do just fine if pitchers are forced to adapt to a clock guaranteeing quicker delivery. The same applies to hitters who need to step out of the batter’s box with maddening frequency, collecting their thoughts and adjusting their equipment after every pitch.
Manfred blasted the union for “a lack of cooperation.” He openly refuted assertions from Tony Clark, the executive director of the players union, who said fans need to be educated on the subtleties that make baseball so special.
It’s a shame that changes so necessary and obvious must be negotiated, quid pro quo. And the sooner Manfred gets around to replacing home-plate umpires with computerized strike zones, the better.
Baseball still has magic, reaching places that no other sport can touch. The 2016 World Series was not only a compelling television series but also a triumph 108 years in the making. After all these years, the sport routinely produces something you’ve never seen before.
But unless the players want to kill their golden goose, they had better look in the mirror and get out of their own way.
Some think the belabored pace of play in sports such as baseball and golf can be attributed to the pampered myopia of the modern athlete. Many employ psychologists who train their clients to take their time, rely on rituals and find a comfortable head space before engaging in any act of competition.
That might work for the individual, but sports exists as entertainment for the masses. Standards have changed along the way, and so has the world. Our internal clocks are ticking faster than ever. MLB needs to follow suit.
Fortunately, it appears baseball has finally found the right man for the job.