Leave the Game Alone

For the past however many years you've been watching sports, you have loved the game for what it is, right? If you are anything like me, you go baseball games to hang out in the sun, drink something cold, eat a hot dog, and yell "CHARGE"...and you enjoy it. And the best part? After just three hours you return home in a much better mood than when you left.

But now, in the year 2016 when our attention spans are an average of seven seconds, everyone suddenly thinks changes need to be made to keep us interested and invested in the game. Specifically, the MLB.

That's right, they have been looking into potential rule changes when it comes to pitchers. One: a 20-second pitch clock. Two: altering the use of relief pitchers. Why? To speed the game up and keep the fans' attention. Really? You are trying to shorten something we use as an escape, an enjoyment. You think because it's a slow game we are going to lose interest. It's baseball. We know it's slow and thank you, but that's why some of us enjoy it.

Courtesy of Foxsports.com

Oh but it doesn't stop there. Commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred said in an interview with WFAN's Chris Carlin and Kim Jones: "Our relievers now are so good that they actually make the back end of the game — seven, eight and nine — with less action in it. And when you think about keeping people engaged, you've got to ask yourself, 'Is this a good thing for the game?'"

You must be kidding me. It's the eighth inning, you just assume I am no longer going to be INVESTED by this point because the pitchers are "so good?" Well if I'm not, then shame on me. I must not be a true fan and I don't deserve to sit in those seats. Forget that, I wouldn't even be watching in the first place!

Clearly, I think it's bogus for the MLB to even consider changing the rules simply to stay "up to date" with the times. Hey, even Pete Rose is on my side and doesn't "believe in changing rules." I almost jumped for joy this morning when he was on Fox Sports Radio discussing the subject. "Why is everyone in a rush? Other sports take time!" he said. That's right, Pete! You tell 'em.

We all know our generation and generations to come are doomed for our endless multi-tasking and simple boredom. But this is baseball we are talking about. Baseball. Leave the game alone.

"When baseball is no longer fun, it's no longer a game." - Joe DiMaggio