This is going to sound un-American. This is going to sound ignorant. So I’ll be blunt: Baseball is no longer what it used to be. It’s a changed game. Short of being played with nine members on each team, a ball and a Louisville Slugger, almost every aspect of the game has changed.

The most upsetting part is that the fan base and the love for the game is no longer there. In the world we live in today, it’s almost as if baseball is dying. Look around you; each year more and more kids branch out and give up baseball to pursue other athletic opportunities. Now let’s expand the spectrum and think professionally.

I could almost guarantee that many people would not be able to say that within the last year, they’ve sat down and watched a baseball game, live, on television. But there’s no doubt in my mind that when it comes to other sports, say football, that almost anyone you ask will tell you that they were one of 114.4 million viewers per minute watching Super Bowl XLIX. Why is that?

I think it’s largely a matter of appreciation. Maybe people don’t understand baseball, and don’t appreciate it for what it is. There are no big hits that leave your opponent unconscious. There are no buzzer-beater, game winning shots. There are no blocked shots or foul calls. The thing about baseball is that it takes more than one stand out athlete to make a team. Baseball is a game of attitude, a game of inches, a game of finesse. Baseball is a mental game; a test of one’s ability to remain focused at all times and anticipate. But the problem for many people is that, this is boring. These fans fail to realize what baseball is. They fail to understand that some of the best games ever played will be “boring” because the score might only end up being 1-0. And although nothing could change my opinion of this great game, I can see where these fans are coming from, and why they haven’t made an effort to appreciate baseball.

The average time for a baseball game in the 2014 season was 3:08, quite an increase from the average in the 1950s, which was 2:21. While I see no problem carving out four hours on a weekday night, or a Sunday morning to go to a baseball game, I could see how this may be boring to many people. But again, I think this goes back to the appreciation of the game. Most “fans” or recreational viewers don’t understand the way the game is played. They don’t understand the way the pitcher toys with the batter, trying to deceive him as he changes time between deliveries. They don’t understand the routines that the pitchers go through on the mound, and the time that this takes. And for these reasons, these “fans” don’t appreciate the game, because it takes too long.

The MLB has caught on. With the steady increase in the average length of games, the MLB has introduced new measures to speed up the game, most notably, the pitch clock. A pitch clock will be used this season in Double-A and Triple-A games, but not the major leagues, because it has yet to be approved by the players’ union. The clock will require pitchers to throw within 20 seconds when a base is occupied, and 12 seconds when the bases are empty. Any infraction of this rule, and a ball will be added to the batter’s count. And to be honest, I’m all for it. I can’t wait until they instate the pitch clocks in the MLB.

Yes, the clock may take away from the routines of the pitchers, and may alter this aspect of the game, but like I said, baseball is a changing game. Clocks like these will force many pitchers to change up their routines on the mound, but that’s what is so amazing about this game. The pitchers that are truly great, the ones that are mentally tough, will learn to adapt and will learn to become even better. Pitch clocks have the potential to alter the game – for the better. Maybe more people will actually take the time to watch a game now. Maybe baseball will rise in popularity as the games become shorter.

So at the end of the day, when pitch clocks come around to the MLB, don’t hang your heads and try to hold onto the past. Accept baseball for what it is, a changing game, and take the time to enjoy it as it once again rises to our undisputed national past time.