17 minutes times 162 games = thank you

Many people, myself included, are really excited for another 7 months of Major League Baseball starting on Thursday afternoon.  All teams with a 0-0 record, and all having dreams of winning the World Series, no matter how silly that may sound.

Then sometime during that first week, you realize following your favorite team becomes a huge time commitment.

good seats aren't enough to keep this fan's attention

Recently perusing the pages of ESPN Magazine, I came across something that I knew they were working on, but didn't realize they'd actually approved for the game.  College baseball now has a pitch clock.  The college rule is that the pitcher must throw the ball within 20 seconds of receiving it when no one is on base.  In games this year, that rule, combined with a rule about less potent aluminum bats, has trimmed 17 minutes off of college baseball games.  

For baseball fans who work a standard shift of 8AM to 5PM, this development is a huge deal.  Granted, it isn't in the Major Leagues yet, but whenever a game is going after 10:30PM, you have a choice.  You are either going to turn the game off, or decide to stay up and go to work the next day with a large cup of coffee.  

Imagine Major League Baseball adopting a similar rule.  You'd have a baseball game with roughly the time commitment of a long basketball game.  You might even see increased attendance and viewership among fans and casual fans.

The answer to 17 minutes times 162 games is about 46 hours saved.