Pitchers are notorious dawdlers. In between pitches, they aimlessly take a few steps on the mound, move their cap up and down a bit as if appearance counts for something, and perhaps take a quick glance at the baseball. Why, has it changed?
Then after a long squint toward home plate comes the inevitable debate with the catcher. Four-seam fastball? No. Slider? Nah. Sinker? Aah, yes, that’s it. Through it all, fans patiently wait. It’s America’s pastime, after all.
Well, no more dawdling.
