Why oh why do they cry about time...? These old crusty whitemen wielding some awful spell over the graceful game of baseball...
They speak of how slow our pastime seems to new consumers. These young viewers catching an inning or two on their sleek screened phones. Very important segment of the market.
Don't forget the middle-aged men and old women at home watching the game as it withers away inside the idiot box.
They say they think baseball is boring. But does anyone care to critique the monoform? Or the lousy way games are broadcast on lousy telecasts? The monoform of batter vs. pitcher in one image, with millions of cut-aways to the pitcher wiping sweat from his brow, the batter undoing and redoing his batting gloves, repeat: it is a sad spectacle indeed.
In these days of defensive shifts and web gems, we should be getting more than just an occasional glimpse of the entire fielding corps; once every at bat and probably every pitch would be appropriate.
It's not about the inherently glacial pace of play. It's about grabbing audience attention in some silly way. Alter their expectations, keep them engaged, play with memory -- both collective/shared and personal).
So, you wanna grab people's attention? Ditch the monoform, first of all.
Just show us a split screen, or an alternative shot in a small box laid over the primary image, or a double-imposed image where the foreground image (pitcher vs. batter) is bigger, yet softer; and the brighter image (the entire defense spread out over the infield and outfield) is in the background, always moving ever-so-slightly.
So, mlb, please discontinue insulting viewer intelligence.
