By Ernie Palladino
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The American public wants shorter baseball games.
So, of course, MLB chose the worst possible way to get there.
This week, those wise heads in the executive offices declared that the “useless” four-pitch intentional walk would go the way of the Dodo Bird, replaced by a simple signal from the dugout for the runner to take his base.
Other changes to the nature of the grand old game are also being considered, including starting extra innings with a runner on second.
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It all comes in the name of speeding up the game.