Savings Baseball

    For increasing numbers of Americans, baseball is boring. Endlessly watching the catcher and pitcher play catch doesn’t do it. Baseball’s lore and statistics will come to naught if people are unwilling to attend the games or watch them on television. The games need to be shorter, with more hits and more base running. Otherwise baseball will disappear.

Consider these changes:

Get rid of the pitcher’s mound. The pitcher should stand at the same level as the other players.

Batters are out after four strikes, not three.

Batters take first base after three balls, not four.

Teams are allowed four outs in an inning.

Teams are allowed only three pitching changes in the game.  

Without a tie, the game is complete after five innings.

With a tie, the game continues for two more innings. An unbroken tie is recorded as a tie.

These changes will provide higher scoring and more base running. Most people don’t consider traditions or statistics in deciding whether to attend the games or watch them on TV. They want to be entertained. If the games aren’t made shorter and more exciting, baseball will die.