-- Posted by styX at 12:17 pm on July 27, 2008 Extra innings will have a new look in what could be baseball's last Olympic appearance. Each team's at-bat in the 11th inning and beyond will begin with runners on first and second bases. Teams may start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month's Beijing Games. Baseball and softball are making their last appearance for a while, after the International Olympic Committee voted to eliminate the sports from the 2012 London Games. Both sports are working to be reinstated for the 2016 Olympics. Federation president Harvey Schiller said the extra-innings change was adopted to save time. Under the new format, the 10th inning will be played normally. At the start of the 11th, teams will have the option of beginning at any point in the existing batting order and placing the previous two batters on base. For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs. -- Posted by Fouad at 12:18 pm on July 27, 2008 sounds interesting -- Posted by Frubeling at 12:19 pm on July 27, 2008 Baseball, I don't like it. -- Posted by robdude at 12:19 pm on July 27, 2008 WTF=hate it -- Posted by RYaN22 at 12:19 pm on July 27, 2008 Thats a weird way to play extra innings. -- Posted by hithere at 12:20 pm on July 27, 2008 that's so stupid. -- Posted by iimjustbadnews at 12:21 pm on July 27, 2008 what the fuck, thats stupid shit -- Posted by sushishef at 12:22 pm on July 27, 2008 Spoiling the game... I also like hockey, but still. -- Posted by tkedwn119 at 1:18 pm on July 27, 2008 So thats how commies play baseball.  That retarded extra innings isn't American.  And baseball is the American sport.  Idiots, at the commitie -- Posted by Solitude at 12:20 am on July 28, 2008 Quote: from fouad at 12:18 pm on July 27, 2008 sounds interesting this -- Posted by Velico112 at 6:54 am on July 28, 2008 Leave the rules alone, than again it could speed up the game. -- Posted by summer fling at 12:00 pm on July 28, 2008 that's one of the reasons that theyre removing baseball and softball there is not much competition in the sports. Also, the way they are playing those extra innings is almost a modified version of the international tie-breaker rules used in a lot of high school tournaments when a game goes into extra innings -- Posted by La Motta at 12:31 pm on July 28, 2008 We call it rounders over here!!