First of all, congrats on getting so much engagement on a sports post. That is no small feat around here.
I too think MLB needs to do something radical. My students don't watch baseball at all. The way people consume sports has changed. It seems everything has to be a 3 second clip. Even with basketball dunks they don't show the pass or action leading up to it. Just the finish.
I think step one is getting rid of anything that makes the game slower. It is already too slow for young people. The addition of replay has made it worse.
Although I think the change you propose definitely diminishes some of the strategy leading up to the ninth inning, I don't know if it matters any more. It it doesn't change it will die. Creating a must see 9th inning is a pretty interesting idea. I know I find myself tuning in for the very last 5 minutes of an NBA game (it's all I have time for).
Going to ponder this one. Definitely interesting.
It's a sacrifice. There's no question something would be lost with this change. But they need some radical steps to encourage more fans. The more I've thought about this one (which I heard about yesterday), the more I think it's the best proposal I've heard do far.