Glory Goes Diving, Michigan Football Milk Crate Challenge & Javy Baez Was A Little Early

I try so hard to watch an entire MLB game, but the sport makes it so hard to complete the task

There I was last night on the couch, trying to be a good Reds fan by watching a game against the NL Central-leading Brewers. For those of you not paying attention, my Reds are in the Wild Card chase, but this is a big series to see if they can get close enough to the Brewers to make an improbable charge down the stretch.

The game took THREE HOURS AND FORTY-SIX MINUTES TO PLAY.  How in theeeee hell am I supposed to sit there and watch all of that? I was watching pitchers laboring. The Reds starter had 104 pitches through 5 2/3 innings. Then came the double switches and calls to the bullpen. I finally turned off the game in the 7th when the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs. I woke up this morning to learn Milwaukee got four in the 7th and went on to win 7-4. It was 11 p.m. ET.

I'm out. Sorry, MLB. I can't possibly take this nonsense.

MLB has a massive pace of play issue, and it isn't getting better, no matter what rule changes the sport introduces. In 2020, the average game lasted 3:07. In 2019, that number was 3:05. Going back to 2015, that number was 2:57.

According to Baseball-Reference, the average length of a Cincinnati Reds game in 2021 is THREE HOURS AND SEVENTEEN MINUTES. That's the average! The Dodgers and Padres lead the league with average games that last 3:18.

I'll check back with the sport in late September to see how my Reds are looking. The Wild Card games will be held Oct. 5-6.

• Beau in Toledo sent me a message about Toledo wanting to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday with a day off work, but then someone in the government building proposed dropping Good Friday in return.

"Is anyone shocked that the first holiday that the Democrat-controlled city of Toledo wants to get rid of and replace it with Juneteenth is one of the biggest Christian holidays of the year?" Beau writes.

Aren't local governments great? Hard pass. I'd much rather watch nearly four-hour MLB games than deal with government morons.

• Screencaps superfan Wynn sent me a story this week about a lady who set a new world record for speed golf, the sport that combines golf and cross-country running. So being the investigative reporter I am, one thing led to another, and I was looking up Lauren Cupp's Instagram page to see what's going on. That's when I found out how crazy this sport is. Watch how Lauren handles a water hazard.

• Is there anything more frustrating than long MLB games and watching it pour the morning after you spent an hour watering the garden? Mother Nature got me this morning.

• Email: joekinsey@gmail.com

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