I just read another story today criticizing major league baseball for trying to speed up the game.

The criticism came, as always, from a player and a sportswriter, both who are attending games as “work”.

This time the criticism is over the time clock on pitching.

Now, I actually don’t like that rule. and it wouldn’t even be discussed if it weren’t for

pitchers who take a throw back from the catcher, walk all around the mound, paw at the dirt, slowly, move toward the rubber, carefully put their foot on the rubber and begin their motion. Unless, they decide to step off and start it all again.

Torture for a fan who isn’t paid to be there and likes the leisurely pace of baseball, within limits.

I would begin with not letting a player leave the batters box more than once when the at bat starts.

And while I don’t like a clock, I would time how long a pitcher takes to deliver the next pitch, and if they take an ungodly amount of time every time, I would kick in a clock on them.

There are other changes being made necessary by having so many pitchers in a game, and those make sense too.

Hell, if hitters continue to take as many pitches as they take, we may have to change ball and strike numbers.

Now what I would like to do is eliminate all the damn commercials that encourage four hour games even more, but I know that is hopeless. And don’t get me started on replays that extend on and on while we sit on our hands.

Just for fun, go watch a high school game sometime and how quick end of inning, start of inning times can be.

One of the purest pleasures in sports left is in women’s basketball. They play four quarters with one commercial timeout every quarter. That’s it. On a good night, there are few fouls and few coaches posturing to take timeouts to earn their pay unless the game is close at the end. These games can be completed easily under two hours. Great fun.

Baseball is a great game, particularly when alternates brisk with tense, slower periods.

We are losing brisk.