Opinions run in various directions regarding intentional walk

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles squeezed in a five-inning intrasquad game this morning before meetings occupied the rest of their day.

Major League Baseball sent representatives to discuss rule changes with manager Buck Showalter and his staff. The team gathered in the clubhouse for the annual briefing from the players association, led by union chief Tony Clark, which prevented media access.

Of all the rule changes proposed by MLB prior to the new collective bargaining agreement, only the removal of the four-pitch walk currently has gained the union's approval. One more attempt to quicken the pace of games.

Not that replacing the obligatory four pitches outside the strike zone with a hand signal is going to make a noticeable difference. It's not going to determine whether or not you beat the traffic home.

"It's funny how it falls today that we're having a meeting with the umpires about the rule changes and all the different stuff that we've got to be aware of," Showalter said. "I'll have a pretty good feel for it. I don't have a problem with it, you know? How much is it going to affect it?

"I guess it's a start. I guess it was the only one they could get approved by the union. Is that right?"

Clark said there are "a couple of moving pieces still there."

"There's still some ongoing dialogue and still some possibilities for things to shift and move, but the conversation with respect to the intentional walk we're in a pretty good place on," Clark said.
"Instant replay is another one that some of the details we're still working through. We're continuing to have dialogue and we'll continue to have open dialogue on some of the things in the near term as well as some things in the long term."

Reaction inside the Orioles clubhouse to making the four-pitch intentional walk extinct has been mixed.

"I was actually kind of an advocate to get rid of it," said closer Zach Britton. "I think intentional walks have gone down significantly over the years, and how many times would a game get affected by a guy throwing one away? Not too often.

"It was, I guess, a way we could compromise and pick up the pace of the game. To me, it doesn't really matter. I think I've walked two, three guys intentionally. I wouldn't mind saving those pitches and putting a guy on first."

Setup man Brad Brach, who was chosen to his first All-Star team last summer, is resistant to the change. He sees the benefits, not the risks, of making those four throws.

"I'm not a big fan of it," he said. "I think it's just kind like Little League or high school, when the coach says, 'Hey, put him on.' I just think it's not really going to save that much time, which is the whole point of doing it. And it doesn't happen that often, and when it does, I just feel like it's one of those things that helps you reset the game a little bit and kind of calm things down, because usually it's done in a tight situation. I know as a reliever those four pitches kind of help you just reset and get ready for the next batter, that type of thing.

"For me, I'm not a big fan of it. I just feel like it's a high school or Little League type of thing."

Some pitchers can recall games being lost due to an errant throw on an intentional walk. Others insist that they've never witness it.

"Off the top of my head, I can't think of it. If it did happen I don't think it ended up costing anybody the game," Brach said.

"I just think it's one of those things where if you can't do that, you shouldn't be pitching in the major leagues. I don't care what any of the pitchers say, that's part of it. That's part of pitching. It's just like holding runners, it's just like being able to do pitch outs. All that stuff. If you can't throw four pitches outside the strike zone, then maybe you should be doing something else."

Let's rewind to June 22, 2006 at Camden Yards and Orioles reliever Todd Williams trying to issue a free pass to Marlins slugger Miguel Cabrera with Hanley Ramirez on second base and the score tied in the 10th inning. Williams' motion resembled what you'd expect from someone competing in the shot put, his lob caught too much of the plate and Cabrera slapped an RBI single into center field.

Williams just wasn't comfortable making that throw, as the baseball world discovered in the Orioles' 8-5 loss. He immediately spun and looked at his catcher, Ramon Hernandez, but there was no way to prevent Cabrera from hitting the ball unless someone tackled him.

(My most vivid memory from that night was a beat writer asking Williams at his locker whether he located the ball where he wanted it. It's become a running joke.)

Chris Tillman said he wasn't aware of the hand signal replacing the four pitches until earlier today. It's too soon to form an opinion.

"I guess I don't really know yet. I'd have to see it in a game," he said.

"For a pitcher, I don't think I'd mind all that much, but I feel like there's a lot of things offensively that could happen during those four pitches. I've seen it a million times. So, I don't know. As a pitcher I guess I don't mind it."

Clark said reaction from players in each camp he's visited mimics what he heard today at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

"We had guys who feel very strongly one way, guys who feel very strongly the other way, and a large group that was in the middle," Clark said. "And that's inevitably how we got to being OK with it, that we understood both sides of the equation, but the masses were in the middle on this one, so we were able to move forward accordingly. But no, there was no doubt that the opinions ranged from 'yes' to 'let's stay away from it' throughout."

* Clark said he sees no reason why the World Baseball Classic won't continue beyond this spring.

* Clark said another exhibition game could be held in Cuba in 2018, two years after the Rays' visit.

"I think anything's possible," he said, adding that games could be played next year in Europe.

*Clark also said there have been no further discussions about shortening the regular season.