Travis Tobin turned to his 8-year-old son, Gus, as they sat in Section 106 of Target Field last week and asked: "Is this boring?"
Gus, wearing a Twins hat and T-shirt, shook his head "no." He chewed on his glove and followed the action attentively, even as minutes passed between balls in play. His mother, Erin, noted the interest he gained after watching the movie "Sandlot."
Gus' sister, Anna, 4, had another opinion. She was draped across her dad's leg, desperately needing something to distract her from the 90-degree heat.
"She'll probably fall asleep," Erin said.
This is the challenge baseball has in 2018: to get more kids like Anna _ not to mention millennials _ hooked into the game like Gus. A television screen isn't the only screen in a household demanding attention.
There are computer screens, smartphone screens, tablet screens. Then there are so many applications within those screens _ Netflix, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook _ fighting for that time.
Baseball's summer monopoly ended long ago. If it expects to thrive into the future, it must keep courting youth and convincing them the sport is great entertainment. Will improving pace of play help? Getting more balls in play and fewer strikeouts?
"There's got to be more to it than that," Twins President Dave St. Peter said.
