There are occasions when you wonder how the baseball commissioner's office can squeeze so many morons onto the committees it forms to govern the actual playing of the game.
The zenith of stupidity came in 2014, when it decided to add greatly increased replay at the same time the brain trust had itself worked up over the increased game times.
There was a minor improvement in average game time in 2014, but the pace again has slowed and now Commissioner Rob Manfred is suggesting tradition-breaking rules such as limiting relievers in an inning.
Right — get a reliever who can't throw a strike or is being hammered, but he must keep pitching because two others already have been used in the inning. That'll save time.
Fortunately for Manfred, he has me to solve the problem without making an outlandish change:
The first and easiest rule would be a relief pitcher has to face a minimum of two batters, not one. If a reliever is injured after facing one batter, and it's not from being hit with a liner or taking a fall during the action, he can leave but he can't pitch for, OK, the next two games.
My second rule to discourage endless pitching changes would be this: The rosters are expanded from 25 to 26 players, but only 12 of those could be pitchers. If a team chooses to go with 13 pitchers, then it would be limited to 25 players — thus allowing an opponent to have two more position players.
I know … it's genius.
Here is another timesaver: If a manager wants to challenge a call on the field, he has 15 seconds to do so. It would be as simple as the plate umpire looking to the dugout and asking for a yes or no.
If a play is so close that the manager has to go through that nonsensical 90-second wait for his replay person, the call should stand. This idea of having runners ruled out on replay when a toe comes a centimeter off the bag on the slide is a disgrace to America's greatest game.
PLuS THREE FROM PATRICK
Adalberto Mejia brings a flashback to Dagoberto Cueto:
• Cueto was rookie in Twins' first season. He was 23, a Cuban and Minnesotans dubbed him "Bert.''
• Debuted on June 18, 1961, at Comiskey Park. Went into the ninth with 3-1 lead before allowing Billy Goodman's only home run of year for 3-3 tie.
• Retired one batter (ex-Gopher Bob Johnson) to get his only win in last of seven big-league games on July 26, 1961.
