This is a little late...okay, really late, considering the game occurred on Saturday, but I still feel I have to put this out there...

Saturday, the Twins and the Brewers met at Miller Park during a four game set, with the Brewers prevailing 4-2. This was one of the most interesting games that I have seen in the majors this season, with everything from four strikeouts in an inning to the usage of the new rules to speed up the game.

The situation was as follows, 3-2 score, bases empty, no one out, Guillermo Mota pitching and Brendan Harris batting. Harris is down in the count, Mota is getting into the set position and Harris asks for time. Harris assumes that he gets the time call and steps out. While he's stepping back in, Mota has taken advantage and slips a slider past him. Brian Runge was the home plate umpire and called the pitch a strike, ending the at-bat for Harris. Then, of course, Ron Gardenhire makes his obligatory trip out to the plate to argue the call and is ejected, then fined for slowing down the game.

The length of the game just so happens to be one of the most annoying things in baseball, but this is NOT the way to shorten the game. There's no need to put players in a position of possible harm by not allowing a time out call. Yes, I can see the point about not letting them step out on every pitch, etc., etc., however, when the score is 3-2 in the EIGHTH INNING, you shouldn't exactly be concerned about how fast the game is moving. Think about it, you're giving a team a cheap out because you couldn't pause for 10 seconds? That's just not right. Widen the strike zone, make the pitchers move faster, do something...but the fact remains that by making this call, it put Brendan Harris in a position where if the pitch sails on Mota, he's lying flat on his back and we're waiting for the ambulance to get there, and Brian Runge would then have to deal with the fact he may have just ended a promising young career because he needed to speed up the game.

I totally agree with the rules IN PRINCIPLE...but these umpires have common sense, they need to look at the situation and decide whether or not it's actually going to beneficial or detrimental to the game to make that call.

--SS