Most significant is that they are adopting the MLB extra-inning rules, on a conference or individual game (i.e., coaches agreeing before the game) basis. The player on 2nd would be the batter in front of the batter due up at the beginning of the inning.
Also…Coaches cannot cross the foul line in front of their dugout, or enter the dirt around home plate to ask a question about a call, etc. This includes pregame meetings. (umpires can approach coaches, socially distant).
AND…games can be played with as few as ONE umpire!
I hate the idea of just one umpire. No way that can be done fairly. Gonna be lots of missed calls. I suppose it can equal out, but that’s a terrible way to do it.
The wet rag for a pitcher is a tough one to take. How many spit ballers are out there!
The 1 umpire to call a game is just terrible. Replay will get plenty of work! This may slow games down a lot.
I’m just looking forward to baseball season after we missed what could have been a great year last year! What could have been with Heston anchoring
The lineup in the middle.
I don’t worry about the spitter. College pitchers are not polished enough to use it effectively. I double checked that with a college coach. He confirmed that he can never recall a college pitcher throwing a spitter. He said he’s seen some play around with it on the side and they were always mystified on how to make it work effectively.
I didn’t watch enough MLB this last year to get a feel for the runner on 2nd rule. My off the cuff response is “I don’t like it” but I admit that I don’t really know why I don’t like it.
I’m a traditionalist, especially when it comes to baseball, so I really don’t like the runner on 2nd rule. However, as an accommodation to covid, I can live with it. I just don’t want it to become a permanent way to stop ties.
UA record book says we had a 17-inning game with Auburn in 1994, and a 16-inning game with the Aggies that lasted almost six hours. I’m also thinking we had a 17-inning game with TCU at George Cole Field pre-lights, ending when Kevin McReynolds hit a pitch he couldn’t see about 500 feet into the HPER construction site. I sat through that one but I’m not sure of the exact inning count. They would not have started the next inning if KMac didn’t hit that one, I’m pretty sure.