⚾ 🥎 ⚾ The SEC is implementing a 10-run mercy rule in conference play this year.

[ElephantStomp]

You say that, but arm care is important. I saw something yesterday from a Tennessee fan where they beat Mississippi State like 23-2. That is a lot of arm work for fielders and pitchers. Catchers touch the ball just about every play. Talking about the players, the scholarship situation in college ball, but safety is important for their future and most selfish fans and even the athletes themselves don't understand it. No kid is gonna take himself out of a game or even thinking about his arm. Longevity has it's concerns.

The coach’s job is to manage arm care and all that hence why in today’s MLB most starters only pitch normally no more than 6 innings

 

[TerryP]

You may be talking personal preference over the mass opinion here, because football is a perfect example of that not being true. Saban has drilled fans for years leaving the beatdowns early. People want to head out before traffic, mess around town more, simply lose interest, and the ones staying are because they want to wait the traffic out. Life is so time compacted these days with always something else to do you rarely see folks sitting at the ball park in a blowout simply because they have nothing else better to do. The players? Sure the backups would like a chance, but reality shows they rarely get that chance. Football, rarely do the 3's get any work. Basketball, the walk-ons may get one minute of time to just pass the ball around with the occasional 3-4 minutes of time where they can actually set up the offense and run it. Baseball, a lot of the same.

A comparison to football and basketball is misplaced both in your traffic terms and in what you're calling walk-ons. The scholarship disparity for the latter, the number of attendees for the former. Hell, the starters are spending money to play in baseball.

 

[SnakeDoc]

It's a good thing officials are paying attention to the length of games: some games.

To me it seems you're looking at this through the lenses of "working" three versus three and a half hours. Fans and players want that extra half of an hour.

Working for the university has a way of doing that to you.

 

[BamaFan334]

The coach’s job is to manage arm care and all that hence why in today’s MLB most starters only pitch normally no more than 6 innings

I think you are giving way too much credit to coach's at any level if you honestly believe they are all caring for the arms of their players. Seen it and heard it time and time again that isn't always the case. Yes, you have some good coaches that do, but then you have others that will do anything to win. I have no doubt Tennessee's coach would sacrifice his first born for any notoriety.

 

[BamaFan334]

A comparison to football and basketball is misplaced both in your traffic terms and in what you're calling walk-ons. The scholarship disparity for the latter, the number of attendees for the former. Hell, the starters are spending money to play in baseball.

No it's not. How is it misplaced? I know I leave early almost every game with my young kids to beat some of the traffic out of the stadium and in Tuscaloosa when leaving town. "Hmmm, watch the last five minutes of a 48-10 game or save myself an hour and thousands more people by leaving 20 minutes early?" Texas A&M in 2022 was the only game since Tennessee back in 2015 where I have stayed the entire game because it was close in Tuscaloosa. Stayed all game at the rose Bowl because my son wanted to give a picture he drew to a player, so we waited. There are thousands walking with us, so it's clearly what others are doing as well. Look at the stadium. Why has Saban gotten onto the students and fans for leaving early then if it's not something that is happening and that he noticed.

Basketball has shown that exact same deal with some of the blowouts we've had this year. The crowd is significantly less in areas late in the game. Years past, they just didn't show up due to the product.

To your comment about the starters paying to play, yes, I know, that's why I made a comment about baseball scholarships. But you know full well what I meant by that. Depth chart guys, not starters. They aren't getting much time at all in blowouts. Betting you the starters aren't chomping at the bit to play in the 8th inning of a 15-0 game and would rather rest and help rehabilitate their bodies after a game. no need to bet, because I know. Got a couple of friends with kids on D-1 rosters right now that have shared a lot of this information with me already in that regard.

The dynamic of sports has changed. Athletes are more in tuned with their bodies and are advised by their agents/parents/handlers/3rd party specialists to take care of their bodies for longevity reasons and for that investment. Major League clubs are looking for the best investment, not just a guy that can throw 97 mph and takes garbage care of himself. They want athletes they can profit from and build off of for years. So yes, players are most definitely wanting less hits, tackles, falls, fielding, jumps, and throw tallys on their bodies.

 

[Scrape&Search1032]

I hope we make it to the CWS.

 

[SnakeDoc]

I'll take "things not heard in a bar" for $1000?

Wrong bar!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Not a fan, at all. Only possible acceptable form of this new rule would be on Sunday afternoon travel days.

 

[TerryP]

@BamaFan334

No it's not. How is it misplaced?

You're comparing a 3000 crowd to 100K. With basketball, comparing a crowd that's three times the size. At night, more often than not.

As cited, affecting how many games?

 

[BamaFan334]

@BamaFan334

You're comparing a 3000 crowd to 100K. With basketball, comparing a crowd that's three times the size. At night, more often than not.

As cited, affecting how many games?

It's all relative to the percent of people leaving! I never said they were directly correlated like you're trying to act like it's 1:1.

It won't be affecting many, and that's the entire point. It affects the games it needs to affect, the blowouts. The point I was contending though was that the fans won't be complaining and leave early most of the time anyways.