Umpire Joe West's comments on the Yankees-Red Sox game lengths? (details inside)?

i kinda agree with him. Red Sox vs. Yankees games are always longer than the average 9 inning game. i love watching them but it's annoying to see them as long as they are.

I completely agree with Joe West's sentiments but strongly disagree with how he expressed them. As a fan, I get as frustrated watching it as West does umpiring it.

The games ARE too long. I've been watching baseball for forty years, and only recently have these marathon games started to occur frequently. And it's almost always the same two teams. If it was just once in a while, fine. The players are endlessly calling time, visiting the mound, stepping out of the box, stepping off the rubber and many of the pitchers on both teams work at a snail's pace.

As much as I love the rivalry, I never watch Yankees - Red Sox games live, only on PVR so I can fast forward through all the BS they engage in. It's time MLB stepped up and in no uncertain terms told them "enough" and passes some rules limiting the amount of crap that goes - no stepping out of the box, no stepping off the rubber (a strike or ball will be the penalty depending on who did it); a limit on the number of mound visits, and batters and catchers cannot call time once the pitcher is on the rubber and the hitter is in the batter's box.

Four hours for a nine inning game is absurd. If they keep that up, people are going to start saying X is right.

As a fan, I agree with Joe West. The games are entirely too long. However, I do agree with your point that Joe West should not be making these comments and should just shut up and do his job. For those who pay up to $300 a ticket, well I guess they have the money to spare. Your game per hour theory does not register with most fans or most games. It's not the duration but the quality of entertainment for the time. Maybe that works for a RedSox-Yankees game or a Cards-Cubs matchup, but in most cases it does not. Who wants to sit through the torture of a 3 hour game that does not have pennant/playoff implications?

Unfortunately, I am in baseball Siberia ( Pittsburgh). While I do go to PNC on occasion to see selcect teams and or players, I don't want the game to last 3 hours or longer. It's too darn long. Too many pitching changes, too many batters stepping out of the box and/or pitchers stepping off the mound. The umpires need to enforce the 20 second rule between pitches. They seldom if ever do this. Maybe Mr. West would do baseball a better service by enforcing this forgotten rule.

I respectfully disagree with you. I think that the pace of games in general, not just the Yankees-Red Sox games, can be entirely too slow. Players are sometimes given too much liberty to do what they want to and that can really wear on fans who really want to watch the game. Baseball hasn't always been like this. They brought up on the Sunday Night broadcast (which, ironically, was Yankees-Red Sox) how in Game 7 of some playoff series not one batter stepped out of the batter's box.

And before you say that the umpires have an easier life, you obviously haven't seen their travel schedule. They are moving around quite a bit. They umpire every game, from spring training to the postseason. They travel on commercial flights, not the charter flights that teams have. Not to mention that they need to make very precise, split-second calls on a variety of different calls and deal with the egos of players and coaches. It's a helluva lot of work to become an umpire and remain one.

Umpires should be ABOVE talking to the media, especially in this manner. I think the Commish should sent Joe to the minors. They make nice money, they must enjoy the work, but then some of them get the Big Head and have to showboat with delayed calls, unique mannerisms, etc., and then they think someone would be interested in their opinions. The only opinions of an umpire I am interested in are the ones on the field about the game. Play ball! Go Cards!

He should just keep his mouth shut, because baseball doesn't have a time limit. So what if the games are longer, at least a majority of the games don't end late like they do in the playoffs now that's an issue that needs to be addressed.

Hey, you're not the only one! That just ticked me off >:(

"Pick up the pace"? WTF? The two teams are careful with their at bats, trying to make the most of them. Both teams have many players that want to be productive, not just striking out! Especially when they play eachother. Both of them are just taking their time to play their best.

If the players want time outs, give them the time outs! The game of baseball is partly of patience, that's why there are walks awarded to those who take pitches. Sometimes, to me, the games don't feel long enough! It was an intense game, a great on too (although I'm not a fan of the ending result...). I mean, sure it can be long for him to watch every single pitch, every move, every play, but that is the job he chose! You are right, if he doesn't like it, get another job!

i think lately more than ever this whole time thing has been blown way out of proportion. i say WHO CARES?! people like watching the games. No one i see watching them complains. If you complain, you don't have to watch it. I don't mind it. i love baseball and would watch it for 7 hours if i could. He stepped over his bounds with that comment. Hes supposed to call the game, not cause this sort of drama. I think the game wouldn't be as good if they started trying to rush it. Its a tough game and some players need to take their time. Its always been that way, im not sure why its just now emerging as a HUGE problem.

That he is absolutely correct in his conclusions?

He is a senior MLB crew chief with over 4,000 games in his career. He should be allowed the respect and latitude to state what is on his mind.

For those of you who are trying to rationalize the absurd length of games (all games not just NYY/BOS) your arguments are the exact reason the game has lost interest as a whole.

I don't think it was necessary for him to make those comments. A baseball game isn't supposed to be X amount of hours and minutes. It starts at a specific time, it doesn't end at a specific time. I think it's quite childish and whiny to be complaining about this. I just think he said that because he dislikes both teams.