Joe West bears baseball backlash

OK, OK. After a day of hearing and reading seamheads weigh in on Joe West ripping the Yankees and Red Sox for their slow play . . .

I concede his words were over the top and probably inappropriate for an umpire.

And I concede there are limits to what can be done legislatively. You can't make people swing at pitches they don't want to swing at, or throw strikes they don't want to throw.

But that doesn't change the bottom line: Games are too long. Period.

And there is a realistic rules change that would help immediately: When you get in the batter's box, stay in the batter's box.