I actually wrote this in 2022.<\/p>\n
I am a huge sports fan. But only baseball has my love. Only baseball has made me cry. (I got legit wellness check phone calls in 1991 after the Braves lost 1-0 to Minnesota in ten innings in game seven of the World Series.) I have to like a team to enjoy a football or hockey game, but I\u2019ll watch any baseball game at any level, from Little League to MLB. There\u2019s something about the game. It\u2019s timeless; literally, there is no edict of time to the game. It ends with the last out. Whether that takes nine innings or nine hundred. Until now.<\/p>\n
In 2023, MLB will implement a time clock for pitchers and limit the number of pickoff attempts to two. A failed third attempt will be called a balk and the runner awarded the next base, and the batter a ball. I understand. The league wants offense. Offense sells. But there has to be another way.<\/p>\n
The beauty of baseball lies in tension. The hitters\u2019 idiosyncrasies with the bat, batting gloves, and stance. The pitchers\u2019 mound routines. All in the middle of the most important situations. The hours of seeming inaction are punctuated by acts that are only possible by extremely prepared athleticism. You try throwing a ball even close to 100 mph. Harder still, try to hit one. Hit one out of the park. Hit 62 of them in 162 games. All impossible. Yet possible.<\/p>\n
The game is great because it gives you time. Time to keep statistics for everything. Batting average against left-handers on grass during the day? It\u2019s there. Percentage of sliders thrown to right-handers with a two-strike count? Check. It\u2019s all documented. No other game produces more math, poetry, or lore. It is a pastime of reflection.<\/p>\n
A clock has no place in a game immune from time.<\/p>\n
(And, yes, the Braves lost the ability to hit in the final week of the season against the Marlins, and this continued until yesterday against the Phillies. Solo home runs do not win championships. This is the last time we will speak of this until pitchers and catchers gather in Florida next February to start Spring training. Bleah…)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I actually wrote this in 2022. I am a huge sports fan. But only baseball has my love. Only baseball has made me cry. (I got legit wellness check phone calls in 1991 after the Braves lost 1-0 to Minnesota in ten innings in game seven of the World Series.) I have to like a … <\/p>\n