3 Takeaways from Friday's Win Over the White Sox

[RpR]

3 hours ago, Old Twins Cap said:

Not sure baseball is going to make it.  Too many nothing moments, especially in comparison with soccer, hockey and basketball.

Strike outs, foul balls, even routine outs -- you can go for a long time without the least action.

I have not sat through an entire game in, what?, decades, now.

Soccer, hockey and basketball are about as boring as it getsare a, with soccer the absolute worst and basketball a strong second.

A group of dudes going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth; the last five minutes of a basket ball game are about all worth watching.

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

Baseball has been more difficult to watch this year.  Hopefully if the lineups come around it will get better.  One way around this is if you have a DVD, record the game and start watching 2-3 hours later and fast forward after each pitch and the game is tolerable to watch, but you miss some of the commentary.

I would love to see the robot ump for balls and strikes.  It's super frustrating to see pitches inside the box called balls and those outside the box called strikes.

I also would like to see the pitch clock and see it enforced to the second.  Like a buzzer going off if the pitch does not cross home plate within the time limit similar to the way basketball works.  This has to be a two-way clock so that the hitter cannot stall causing the pitcher to be penalized.  Maybe the batter has X seconds to get back into the batters box after the prior pitch.

The instant replay also needs refining to speed it up.

Gotta pick up the pace and there is no one silver bullet.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

4 hours ago, Linus said:

The end was a good old fashioned Legion ball snowball fight. 
 

Credit Jeffers with some key blocks. They were all pretty much right at him but it is not usually a strength for him. Any of those get by him and it’s a different game. 

Good summary Linus.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

All in all, I feel pretty fulfilled, Nick. The starters have been outstanding. Rocco is learning which relievers he can use where. The hitters will start hitting better as the weather warms up. The defense has been more than adequate, with Gordon and Jeffers providing recent outstanding defensive play.. Correa's defense has been as advertised and Sanchez has been not near as bad as advertised.  I feel we are in for many "fulfilling"" games in the future.

[Doctor Gast]

I've been very impressed by the starting rotation. I wasn't surprised that Pagan got himself into that mess, seeing that he pitched the day before. But what impressed me was that he fought through and got the job done.

[Brandon]

On the plus side we are on a 3 game win streak with the win today.  We could even be potentially tied for first if Cleveland loses today. 7-8  from 4-8.  I will take it ugly boring game and all.  Cause I know that when the temperature goes up so will the HRs and actions and all kinds of good happiness stuff that makes people happy at games.  

[ashbury]

6 hours ago, RpR said:

A group of dudes going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth; the last five minutes of a basket ball game are about all worth watching.

I was about to say something similar, because I tuned in late due to other activities, and all I saw was the top of the ninth.  And I found it compelling, fundamental baseball.  I'm repeating myself to say more about the inning itself, but I do wonder why baseball is held to a different standard than other spectator sports.  Basketball is famous for being interesting only in the last five minutes, as you say, and even American football is watched only sporadically during a game except for the most diehard of fans until the two-minute warning where you check to see if the QB can put together the needed drive.

And I don't begrudge those sports' their following, but the idea that baseball alone must be uniquely riveting from first pitch to final out is slanted.

I allow myself just enough paranoia to look at the unholy alliance between ESPN and the NFL, and see where a portion of the constant drumbeat about baseball being sooooo booooooring comes from.

[Whitey333]

Yes MLB has at many times become unwatchable.  It is at times too slow paced.  Many times it is just plain boring.  However one of the many great things about baseball is a slower pace than the other sports.  And I generally like all the sports.  To me baseball is meant to be slower paced ( but not this slow).  I think what is hurting the game is the video game atmosphere it has created with all these silly and ridiculous analytics pushing the game.  Also all the swing for the fences or nothing mentality being coached throughout baseball.  Home plate umpiring has become atrocious.  Way too many strikeouts.  Strikeouts don't produce anything for offense.  Then people defend their players striking out all the time.  The game, in it's current state, is very hard to watch.  I still watch it after all these years because I like the game of baseball.  No matter how  and why MLB seems hellbent on destroying it.