Thinking of the Children

Saw an AP report today on some rules changes for this season. Seem to be some good ideas.

Like this one. Hopefully, it will teach the children that scuffing balls is cheating. We wouldn’t want any of our hallowed pitching records tainted by scuffed balls, would we?

A major league position player who scuffs or defaces a baseball would be ejected and receive an automatic 10-game suspension under changes approved Friday by the sport's playing rules committee.

Previously, the penalty was to call the pitch a ball and warn the player. For pitchers, umpires have the discretion to issue only a warning if they determine the pitcher's actions weren't intended to alter the characteristics of a pitch.

The rules committee also put a limit on the time between pitches when no one is on base. Pitchers will now have to make their next pitch within twelve seconds of the time the batter is ready at the plate.

Didn’t they try that before? And wasn’t the rule largely unenforced?

Oh, well. This time for sure! Because speeding up the game will mean that all those kids will be able to stay up and watch on school nights…

Finally, they passed a rule that calls for tie games called for weather-related reasons to be suspended, not replayed as has been the case. I never understood why they didn’t do this in the first place…