This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.
As Manny Machado — who had the first violation of 2023 spring training — and Cal Conley (who got a third strike call to end a Braves and Red Sox game in a tie) proved, getting used to the pitch clock is on the list of things MLB players need to do quickly.
But beyond the quirks for batters and pitchers alike, one trend has emerged: It’s working.
As in, baseball games this spring are finishing much quicker. And that’s going to be HUGE for the game.
Per The Washington Post: “The average time of the first 19 spring training games was 2:36. The average time of spring training games in 2022 was 3:01 — or 25 minutes slower.”
You read that right. If that trend holds, you could potentially get home nearly a HALF HOUR sooner from a game. Baseball’s plodding pace will be picked up, one of the many rule innovations that will make the game faster and more action-packed.
Sure, it may result in some weird moments like a called strike three with the bases loaded, or a pitcher may forget to look at the clock (although how can you miss it with those numbers ticking down quickly?).
But once everyone gets used to the rules, the results are going to be there. Speedy games can only help a sport that needs it.
Quick hits: So many NHL trades … SAG awards speeches … and more.
— The NHL trade deadline is later this week, but there are already SO MANY trades. Our Mary Clarke put together a trade tracker with grades and a look at what all 32 teams should do ahead of Friday.
— The 2023 SAG awards had a bunch of incredible speeches: One from Brendan Fraser, an F-bomb from Michelle Yeoh and you have to see Jamie Lee Curtis’s delightful reaction
— Jae Crowder shared a hilariously petty request about getting revenge on the Suns.