Baseball Must Figure Out an Answer--in a Hurry

In my recently published book, “Me and Bogie; and Other Friends and Acquaintances From a Life in Hollywood and Beyond,” I devote a chapter to my 70-year love of baseball.

An evolving facet of the sport is, sadly enough, finally diminishing my fan status. I refer to the ever-increasing length of games. The three-hour game is rapidly fading. The increase is made up by extending elements that cannot possibly interest anyone. I am convinced that the reason so many fans leave Dodger Stadium after the seventh inning is that they become bored. Two examples of dead time:

--The funereal pace of pitching coaches’ trips from the dugout to the mound and back. Ron Perranoski is a prime offender.

--Hitters, instead of merely stepping out of the batter’s box, now tend to walk halfway to first or third.

The great American pastime may be willing to consign a fan my age to the dustbin, but I firmly believe that if this trend goes unchecked, I may unhappily become a pied piper.

ARMAND S. DEUTSCH

Los Angeles