Some interesting news this offseason involves the usage of a pitch clock and an in-between-innings clock, which the Southeastern Conference will implement into its conference tournament this May. There will be 20 seconds allotted between pitches and 90 seconds between innings. Junior pitcher Logan Darnell has seen it all before, and experienced the play clock last summer. When asked if either would be an issue, Darnell wasn’t concerned. “I work pretty quick anyway,” Darnell said.It’s good to see that baseball is going to use things from other sports to spice up play on the diamond. In lieu of that, I’ve got a few other suggestions to offer:Baseball at all levels has continuously made the effort to keep hitters in the batter’s box between pitches. From taking signs to tightening batting gloves, hitters can delay, delay, delay if they so choose. Umpires have been told to call a strike for the batter if they violate this rule, but it never happens and I have a better idea:If a hitter kicks too much dirt, thumps his chest, kisses his bat, or points to the sky … yellow card. Yep, just like in soccer. And if he does it again after the next pitch? Red card. See ya. Darnell liked it as well. “It’s certainly a good idea,” Darnell said, but did mention that some of his teammates could be in trouble. “I know a couple guys.”Excessive celebration is a controversial issue in college football, specifically within the SEC. How about baseball? Our ’06 team was into a little bit of that:Fun? Yes. Too much? Of course. I got fined $20 in my first professional game for high-fiving a teammate after a home run before he got to the dugout. That fine gives me grounds enough to make up a new rule addressing this issue, so here it goes: If a homer isn’t a walk-off and a team celebrates like they just went yard off Chinese Taipei in the Little League World Series, the batter’s run will not count and his at-bat will be scored a strikeout (because I am a pitcher and I love strikeouts). Darnell, however, didn’t agree, saying the home run is a “a big momentum thing,” and could greatly spark a rally or seal a victory for the team. Can’t win ’em all, I suppose. Moving on.The ongoing debate about arguing balls and strikes may never end. The fact that people argue whether or not you can argue balls and strikes makes it an especially pesky issue. Never fear, however, for I have the solution: the challenge flag. Each coach gets two red flags (just like the NFL) at the start of the game and each team’s pitching staff gets two as well (one for the starter, one for the bullpen.) So, if one of them has a problem with an umpire’s call (ball or strike, safe or out), they let the red flag fly. Spike it, flip it, chuck it anywhere (just not at the ump = automatic red card). How would Darnell throw it? “I’d definitely have a confident flip,” Darnell said, “like I owned it.”Granted, you’d also have to introduce a replay booth and invest in a bunch of expensive cameras. And this rule would probably slow the game down rather than speed it up. But it’s worth a thought. Or maybe not. In all seriousness, I’m in support of the idea of speeding up the game, especially in the SEC tourney. But stare at a clock for 20 seconds. That’s a long time. The 90-second between-inning rule, however, could get interesting. “What’s going to happen if a catcher gets caught stealing second for the third out?” ex-Cat and current Detroit Tiger farmhand Michael Bertram wondered. Indeed, the calamity of a player with catcher-speed sprinting off the field so he could get his gear on could be fun to watch. Would Bertram assist his catcher whilst gearing up under the gun? “If you’re the guy that’s chosen to help the catcher put the gear on between innings, you might want to look into another career path,” Bertram said.Will the pitch clock and in-between inning clock make a huge difference in the game play of collegiate baseball? Maybe, maybe not. But, you’ve got crawl before you walk, I suppose. Perhaps John Wooden said it best: “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” Kudos to the SEC. Should be interesting to see how it turns out.Revelette is a 2006 graduate of UK and was a senior on the 2006 SEC championship team. He writes for the Lexington Sports Examiner and also contributes to BigBlueCats.com. His baseball column will appear weekly on Cat Scratches