Time's a Wastin'

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters on Tuesday how happy he is with how the new rules for speeding up the game are working so far.  According to Manfred, it’s all part of baseball’s “ongoing effort to make sure we’re producing an entertainment product with as little dead time as possible.”

I hardly know where to start.  “Entertainment product”—baseball used to be the national pastime, and now it’s stuff on a screen in the man cave.  We are not men, we are Devo.  But I digress.  When did MLB become one with MGM and Disney?

As to dead time, the White Sox and Mariners played an afternoon game Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Whatever, a 1-0 win for Seattle.  Each team managed five hits and a walk, and each team changed pitchers two times with an inning in progress (as opposed to the two Seattle relievers who started an inning).  The game went on for 2:52.  It only seemed like a slow death.