February 2018 - Adamsonmedia.com

Will less mean more in Major League Baseball this season?

We’re just over a month away from the start of the 2018 Major League Baseball regular season. And if all goes as planned, fans will be spending less time at the ballpark (and if front of the television) watching it.

**Out of Left Field is written by Scott Adamson. It appears weekly and sometimes more frequently if he gets up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl**

That’ll actually be a good thing.

Each February the lords of baseball consider rules changes, and make a tweak here and there when needed. This year the primary objective of Commissioner Rob Manfred and the gang is to speed up the game.

Let’s hope they have better luck this season than last.

Manfred was determined to shave off running time in 2017, too, but even making intentional walks automatic and shortening the window for managers to challenge calls didn’t help.

Just over 10 years ago an average MLB baseball game took about two hours and 45 minutes to play, which is fine.

In 2017, it took three hours and eight minutes.

That’s not fine.

That’s ridiculous.

As I’ve said before, if I’m going to sit through something that lasts more than three hours, Francis Ford Coppola better be directing it. And now that I’m out of the daily newspaper grind, I can actually watch – and enjoy – big league ball.

(That’s a side effect of being a sportswriter who also has office hours. Unless you cover an MLB team, you don’t actually see a lot of MLB games).

As for the rule alterations, I don’t think any of us wants to see “less” baseball; several years ago the Wall Street Journal did a study that determined the amount of action in an MLB game totals around 18 minutes.

But while we fans are fine with the slow-moving pace of the contest itself, the real time of a nine inning affair could use some streamlining.

Instant replay, endless mound visits and – thanks to TV – long commercial breaks, have turned watching baseball into quite a time investment.

So, if you have some time to kill and want to read them as written (courtesy of MLB.com), here are the changes for 2018:

I) Mound Visits
Number
A. 2018 Championship Season. Mound visits without a pitching change shall be limited to six (6) per team, per nine innings. For any extra-innings played, each Club shall be entitled to one additional non-pitching change mound visit per inning.
B. OBR 5.10(l). Official Baseball Rule 5.10(l), which governs mound visits by a manager or coach, remains in effect (i.e., a pitcher must be removed on the second visit by a manager/coach in an inning).
Definition of Mound Visit.A manager or coach trip to the mound to meet with the pitcher shall constitute a visit. A player leaving his position to confer with the pitcher, including a pitcher leaving the mound to confer with another player, shall also constitute a mound visit, regardless of where the visit occurs or the length of the visit, except that the following shall not constitute mound visits:
A. Discussions between pitchers and position player(s) that (i) occur between batters in the normal course of play and do not require either the position player(s) or the pitcher to relocate;
B. Visits by position players to the mound to clean spikes in rainy conditions;
C. Visits to the mound due to an injury or potential injury of the pitcher; and
D. Visits to the mound after the announcement of an offensive substitution.
3. Cross-Up in Signs.In the event a team has exhausted its allotment of mound visits in a game (or extra inning) and the home plate umpire determines that the catcher and pitcher did not have a shared understanding of the location or type of pitch that had been signaled by the catcher (otherwise referred to as a “cross-up”), the home plate umpire may, upon request of the catcher, allow the catcher to make a brief mound visit. Any mound visit resulting from a cross-up prior to a team exhausting its allotted number of visits shall count against a team’s total number of allotted mound visits.
II) Inning Breaks and Pitching Changes
Time of Break. The timer will count down from 2:05 for breaks in locally televised championship season games, from 2:25 for breaks in nationally televised championship season games, and from 2:55 for tie-breaker and postseason games as follows:

Time Remaining | Required Action
25 seconds: Umpire signals pitcher to complete last warmup pitch.
20 seconds: Batter’s announced and must leave on-deck circle, batter walk-up music shall begin, and pitcher shall complete last warmup pitch.
0 seconds: Pitcher must begin motion to deliver first pitch.

The pitcher may take as many warm-up pitches as he desires, but regardless of how many warm-up pitches he has thrown, he must deliver his final warm-up pitch at least 20 seconds prior to the end of an inning break or pitching change. OBR 5:07 will be revised to reflect that pitcher is not guaranteed eight warm-up pitches.
B. The umpire shall signal for the last warm-up pitch at 25 seconds, unless a special circumstance (as described below) applies.
C. The batter must leave the on-deck circle and proceed directly to the batter’s box when the pitcher throws his final warm-up pitch.
D.The pitcher must begin his motion for the first pitch as soon as the batter steps into the box and is alert to the pitcher; provided, however, the pitcher cannot begin his motion for the first pitch more than five seconds prior to the end of an inning break or pitching change so that television is ensured to be back from commercial break.
Special Circumstances. A Player will be excused from following the time limits set forth above if the umpire determines that any of the following special circumstances are present:
A. There is a delay in normal warm-up activities during the inning break due to no fault of the Players (e.g., injury or other medical emergency, equipment issues, playing field or grounds crew issues);
B. The umpire believes the pitcher is at a legitimate risk of injury if he does not receive additional time to throw warm-up pitches;
C.The umpire believes the batter is at a legitimate risk of injury if he does not receive additional time to enter the batter’s box;
D.Any other special circumstances which, in the umpire’s judgment, warrant allowing the pitcher to throw after the deadline.
Start of Timer for Inning Breaks
A.Last Out of Inning. The timer shall start on the last out of an inning for an inning break.
B.Close Plays/Replay Review. The Field Timing Coordinator shall delay the start of the timer if the final out of the inning is a close play that may be reviewed by instant replay. If the final out of the inning is determined in instant replay, the timer shall start as soon as the out is signaled by the umpire.
C. Pitcher or Catcher On Base/On Deck. If a pitcher ends an inning on base, on deck, or at bat, the timer shall reset when the pitcher leaves the dugout for the mound. If a catcher ends the inning on base, on deck, or at bat, the timer will reset when the catcher enters the dugout (and another catcher must begin warming up the pitcher).

4. Start of Timer for Pitching Changes
A. Pitcher Crosses Warning Track. The pitching change timer shall begin as soon as the relief pitcher crosses the warning track (or foul line for on-field bullpens) to enter the game. In the case of a pitching change that occurs during an inning break, the timer shall reset if previously started as soon as the relief pitcher crosses the warning track (or foul line for on-field bullpens).
B. Relief Pitchers Must Promptly Leave Bullpen. Relief pitchers shall leave the bullpen promptly following an appropriate signal by their manager or coach. During the playing of God Bless America, or any other extended inning event previously approved by the Office of the Commissioner, the timer will begin at the conclusion of the song or event.

5. Enforcement. Umpires shall direct players and enforce the inning break and pitching change time limits on the field. Players who consistently or flagrantly violate the time limits will be subject to progressive discipline for just cause by the Office of the Commissioner pursuant to Article XI(C) of the Basic Agreement. III. Batter’s Box Rule
The batter’s box rule that was in effect during the 2017 season will remain in effect during the 2018 season.
Video Replay Review
The following adjustments will be made to the video replay technology:
A.Install capability for all Club video review rooms to receive direct slow motion camera angles for the 2018 championship season;
B. Install new phone lines connecting the video review rooms and the dugout, and monitor the communications over those lines to prevent their use for sign-stealing.

Manfred had hoped to add a 20-second pitch clock as well as a between-batter clock for this season, but the MLB Players Association pushed back on those ideas.

The between-inning breaks might help some, although I can’t see it saving more than two or three minutes, tops.

The best chance to keep the game moving is faster instant replay reviews, although I could do without them altogether.

Nobody wants the guys in blue to determine a game and certainly bad calls suck (especially if they go against your team), but I can live with human error.

It has a certain charm.

The game is, after all, played by humans and those humans make errors all the time (just ask the Oakland Athletics, who committed a league-high 121 errors in 2017).

But unless you play it or coach it, sports is entertainment, and with so many entertainment options, you need to make your sport worth watching.

Length of games has damn near killed my enjoyment of college football, and I don’t want to reach the point where I start getting bored with a baseball game in the seventh inning.

That’s a right exclusive to L.A. Dodgers fans.

But we won’t know how things play out until they play ball, so here’s hoping Major League Baseball can master the under three hours thing in 2018.

I want to become a serious fan again.

It’s up to baseball to make it worth my time.

I don’t smoke anymore, so why do I keep dreaming that I do?

Thought Facebook and Twitter were just places to be fed Russian propaganda?

**Brain Farce is an alleged humor column written by Scott Adamson. It comes out basically whenever he feels like writing it. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl**

Nope.

They also have mind-expanding tests, like “What 80s TV Star Are You?” “What Superhero Are You?” and “What Toxic Household Cleaner Are You?”

For the record I’m Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, Batman, and Easy-Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner Aerosol Spray.

As an aside, it’s important to note that Batman is not a superhero because he possesses no super powers. He is in top physical condition, is extremely intelligent, and has billions of dollars’ worth of high-tech gadgetry at his disposal, but he is not a metahuman.

However, the Dark Knight was an option in the “What Superhero Are You?” test, so I’m proud to wear the cape and cowl.

Anyway, I saw one out there called “What Do Your Dreams Really Mean?” and it mentioned how some us have recurring dreams about things such as losing teeth, flying and running.

I honestly don’t recall losing teeth in a dream because, frankly, I rarely dream about going to the dentist, but I have taken flight and done my share of hauling ass while snoozing.

What the test didn’t address, though, was smoking.

I dream more, by far, about smoking cigarettes than anything else. And it all started once I stopped smoking.

I used to be a hardcore smoker, and by “hardcore smoker” I mean I took the opportunity to smoke pretty much whenever I was awake.

I would smoke in the shower … I kid you not. The cigarette didn’t stay lit for long, but every puff was worth it.

I would trample children and senior citizens leaving movie theaters in my effort to race outside the building and fire one up.

I would take my dog for a walk in the middle of the night just to have an excuse to go outside and smoke – even when I didn’t have a dog.

It was a serious problem.

However, I quit on June 10, 2010, and haven’t fallen off the wagon once.

But …

There is rarely a week that goes by when cigarettes don’t wind up in my dreamscape. There are studies that suggest people who have recently quit occasionally have such “visions,” but eight years out?

Damn, they must’ve made quite an impact on me.

In my most recent one, I was at a party at a large house and had left my cigarettes in the car.

I remember opening the door, reaching in and grabbing a pack of Kool Milds off the passenger seat.

I took a cigarette, placed it on my lips, lit it up, and inhaled.

I swear, I could almost taste it. The blue smoke spiraling toward the sky like a genie that had just escaped its bottle remains remarkably vivid.

It happens all the time.

Sometimes during the course of a dream, I’ll just casually light up; it’s merely a character trait. Other times, I know the cigarettes are missing and I’m compelled to track them down.

And when I wake up and realize I don’t smoke, I’m repulsed … I even feel slightly guilty.

I mean, I don’t miss the taste or smell at all when I’m awake. Both are gross to me now. But there’s something in my subconscious that refuses to let go.

It makes you wonder.

Are dreams, in fact, merely glimpses into a parallel universe?

And in that parallel universe, do I have to buy cigarettes or are they provided for me as part of a government program?

Is smoking allowed in theaters? (If so, children and old people will be much safer because I’ll have no compelling reason to trample them).

Surely not.

I’m inclined to think the appearance of cigarettes after I go nite-nite is just one of those random dream things that will never be explained.

I’ve seen all sorts of weird things behind the walls of sleep, including but not confined to: former Night Court star Harry Anderson playing whack-a-mole at Chuck E. Cheese’s; the New York Jets winning another Super Bowl; Gal Gadot calling and asking if she could come over and play Yahtzee; the original Ramones opening for Celine Dion; Donald Trump and Paul Ryan performing a duet of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” at Coachella; people with giant heads attempting to sell me term life insurance; and being bludgeoned with frozen fish sticks (Mrs. Gorton’s, to be precise) by a gang of ne’er-do-wells.

Some of my dreams are outlandish and others frighteningly real, but regardless, cigarettes manage to at least make a cameo appearance in many of them.

Fortunately, they can’t do a lot of damage to me while I sleep, so I need to just stop worrying about it. As long as I’m smoke-free in the real world, I’m in good shape.

It’s that bloodthirsty mob wielding frozen fish sticks I should probably be most concerned with.

I’m of two minds when it comes to American soccer

As someone who considers himself a true believer in “The Beautiful Game,” I’m having a bit of an existential crisis these days.

**Scott Adamson opines about The Beautiful Game periodically in Sidewinder Insider.**

Instead of questioning whether my life has meaning, purpose or value, though, I’m questioning whether my feelings toward American soccer have meaning, purpose or value.

To say they’re mixed would be a huge understatement.

On the one hand, I strongly favor the world model – and the engine that runs the world model is promotion and relegation – so I want fundamental change in the way the United States conducts the business of soccer.

I agree with virtually every word that’s been written which criticizes our closed pyramid, stunning gender inequality, and a youth soccer club structure that stifles diversity and is often more dependent on mommy and daddy’s money than the skill of the kids.

And the election of Carlos Cordeiro as United States Soccer Federation president likely means little will change in the umbrella organization. He is an insider who came into the election as the sitting vice president of the USSF, and it’s doubtful he’ll push for any kind of meaningful reform.

That suggests the people who run American soccer (and vote for the way it is run) like the way things are, and the way things are dictates that Major League Soccer is the country’s only first division league.

You can’t play your way into it, you can only buy your way into it via a $150 million franchise fee. It’s the standard American professional sports model and it’s anathema to the spirit of soccer’s intended international structure.

But …

I like MLS … always have.

I remember sitting in my living room on April 6, 1996, watching Eric Wynalda score the lone goal in the San Jose Clash’s victory over DC United in the first game in MLS history.

I’ve never even been to San Jose, but I leapt into the air as though they had just scored the greatest goal in the history of association football.

I was so happy to see North America bring back “top tier” soccer I wasn’t thinking about things like promotion/relegation, fan ownership, or the fact that some of the best soccer players in the United States and Canada might never get a real chance to grow because they can’t afford to play for their local elite club teams.

I was part of more than 55,000 fans packed into Bobby Dodd Stadium to watch Atlanta United FC make their league debut against the New York Red Bulls last March, and it was one of the most enjoyable fan experiences I’ve ever had.

It was a real soccer crowd and a real soccer experience.

And I always make a point to watch the Seattle Sounders face the Portland Timbers. The fans (the Emerald City Supporters on one side and Timbers Army on the other) create an atmosphere that practically bleeds through the television. Being in the crowd for one of their matches is near the top of my soccer bucket list.

MLS is closing in on half a century of existence and has put down deep and sturdy roots in North America. After a bit of a shaky start, it survived and now thrives, with cities vying for its affections and construction of soccer-specific stadiums becoming the rule rather than the exception.

The United Soccer League is a solid second division circuit, and next year D3, the USL’s third division league, debuts.

But remember what I said about the American sports model?

That works out fine for the current owners, coaches and players in MLS. And it’s obvious there are millions of people who are cool with the Americanization of the sport.

Yet if the United States ever wants to get in line with the rest of the soccer world, it’ll probably have to find a way outside MLS because MLS – with its single entity structure – has no reason to change.

Just last summer the league rejected a $4 billion TV deal that came with the stipulation of pro/rel. MLS commissioner Don Garber and the league’s stakeholders wanted no part of it.

“We are playing the world’s game but we are playing it here in North America that has a very, very competitive structure that has proven to work very well for the other major leagues that are in many ways the model for professional sports throughout the world,” Garber told ESPN FC in 2016.

While I never anticipate a day when MLS replaces the English Premier League, Bundesliga or Scottish Premier League as the primary object of my pro soccer affections, I still enjoy it.

Of course I wish it would adopt pro/rel, but I’ve taken a “don’t hate the player, hate the game” attitude when I watch, especially since so many players I covered in college now play in the league.

However, I am going to start thinking with more of a grassroots mentality.

I’m going to follow with great interest any renegade league and renegade idea that comes along, whether it’s Jacksonville Armada owner Robert Palmer’s “Division Zero” initiative (a pro league not sanctioned by FIFA) or the continued evolution of the fledgling National Independent Soccer Association.

I’ve said since its formation the NISA might just be the start of something revolutionary.

I hope it is.

I’ll support my local team, Greenville FC, which makes its National Premier Soccer League debut in May, and I’ll continue to cheer for the venerable Atlanta Silverbacks.

The 20-year old club has started a trust that will help fans buy 25 percent of the team.

As soon as I get some disposable income, I might just make a contribution.

And I want to see a stable women’s league and the United States Women’s National Team treated with the respect – financial and otherwise – it deserves.

I want to believe we’ll eventually come to the realization that the tried and true model of “soccer from the ground up” is the only model that will give us the chance to be a real soccer nation, and it will become the rule, not the exception.

This harangue reminds me of a line from the 2005 movie “The Game Of Their Lives,” which chronicled (in a very Hollywood way) the United States’ stunning victory over England in the 1950 World Cup.

“You want to know why soccer is the world’s greatest sport? I’ll tell you why. Because all you need is the ball and an open space. You don’t need fancy equipment or special fields. You don’t have to be big or strong or tall. It’s the most democratic of all the sports. The people’s game. Your people’s game. And America’s game in the future.”

Will it be a closed pyramid future? A pro/rel future? A future that features both options?

Shoot, I can even envision a future in which our men’s national team qualifies for the World Cup again.

Regardless, I’ll be there for it all – probably still trying to come to grips with my own mixed emotions.