football is the national pastime. it is the biggest thing in the country, the highest rated thing that comes on television. mark: do you know what the state sport of maryland is? jousting. [laughter] john: i'm headed to maryland shortly. up next, they say hillary is inevitable, but our guest says not on my watch. lincoln chafee after the break. ♪ john: our guest tonight is a current democrat, former republican. lincoln chafee, thank you for coming on the show. this is not the first tv interview you have done today. he did an interview earlier on cnn. gov. chafee: i feel strongly about where we are going as a country. her actions as secretary of state. >> what did she do wrong? john: one of those phrases "that's why i am running." are you running for president? gov. chafee: that is why i am running my exploratory phase. the law allows you some flexibility. john: an awful lot of lawyers who would say, that puts you outside the scope of vague. gov. chafee: the law allows people to put a team together and that is way it w

mark: national pastime. we asked in the same poll.t is the national pastime baseball or football. , what say john boehner? speaker boehner: i say football. i'm a long time reds fan. mark: what makes football the national pastime. speaker boehner: college football. i watched pro football. i watch the super bowl. college football is pretty exciting. i have seen my share in the fall. mark: you seem to be enjoying the last 100 days. you have a democratic president who i think it is fair to say you have been a little frustrated with creative what will life be like for you in january 2017 if you keep the majority, mitch mcconnell will be the majority leader, and you have a republican president? speaker boehner: it will be an exciting time to take an agenda and get it enacted. you can't come into a situation like that with 100 ideas and think they are all going to happen overnight. if i were helping to guide this process, i would focus it on one -- on no more than five things. five things that are important for the american people to get acc

. >> reporter: modern life appears to have sped up everything, including the american national pastime. >> i love baseball for 14 years, it gets a little boring. when you sit and wait 10 minutes for someone guy to come back to the bat. >> reporter: with baseball games lasting 10 hours, few sit in the stands. change is introduced. baseball is on the clock, setting off a national debate. >> every three hours. >> you have been watching baseball your life and you grew up with it. it's so far out of hand they need to change it? >> reporter: professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow each year. the business slow down in the stand. every generation there's doomsday stories. i don't see it. the sport is popular, but it could be suffering a little bit because of the slow pace. i think major league soccer has the right idea with trying to pick things up. >> reporter: watching sport is a lifestyle in the u.s. it's as much as barbecues in the sun shine and a face off between pitcher and batter. traditionalists like their traditions. >> they'll mess up the game. leave it alone. d

. >> nothing could be more exciting and appropriate than hosting the all-star game for the national pastime in the nation's capital. i think every american, every fan will want to help us celebrate one of our most beloved traditions in the city that uniquely belongs to us all. >> we will be the fifth time the nation's capital has hosted the all-star game but first time at nats park. how the players are reacting we'll have that coming up. >>> big announcement comes on opening day of the 2015 seasonal. a lot to be excited about around nats park. >> including a gorgeous day for the the fans. tom sherwood is live for us. >> reporter: some of the fans are just starting to leave the game. this ballpark opened in 2008 and while the teams has had its ups and downs this river front area is just going up and up and up. outside the park construction is nonstop, even on game day. this hotel just one part of a building boom around the ballpark that is well under way. >> we've got probably 24 new buildings. we have 12 million, almost 13 million square feet on the ground right now. in the next two to thre

a tough night to play the national pastime. it was still a pitcher's duel. ryan zimmerman with escobar on first. he gets an inside smoker in his wheelhouse. get out, get up. home run zim. 2-0, nationals. leon had already left. a perfect throw. the nats win to-one. jordan zimmermann gets the win. bottom of the eighth, longoria a with score from second. jennings from center field. longoria a is on his horse. he would get thrown out there. that run would seal it. 2-1, cap b -- tampa beats baltimore. they capitalize on boston's slow start. we take you to the fourth period. the home team leads 1-0. what a night for the home team. here come the caps again. 2-0, washington. the story tonight was braden holtby. 47 saves. he throws his fourth shutout at the bruins the season. he is tied for the league lead. 3-0 final for the caps. sessions took wall's place. how about this assist to gortat? washington set a franchise record of 65% from the field. field had 21 points. seven guys in double figures. the wizards win again. let's go to augusta national. 75-year-old jack ni

jay: there is something about opening day of the national pastime. >> we have been waiting for months. jay: like nothing else. >> it is anticipation, the hope, the smells. jay: the washington nationals' star-studded lineup began playing this afternoon. under a stunning sky interrupted only by fireworks and a jaw-dropping flyover. >> great day. jay: the hard part, getting in. the lines were long because of baseball-mandated metal detectors. >> this year it is ridiculous. jay: but like spring's renewal, the fans are bullish with high expectations after last year possibly exit from the playoffs. >> it will be a fabulous season. jay: for all the anticipation that comes with the dawn of a new season, patience is also required. 161 games remaining. >> baseball in washington is back. 10 years. jay: jay korff, abc 7 news. leon: all we need now are the cherry blossoms. alison: just a perfect day. steve: the cherry blossoms are out around the stadium. i brought my medicine because of my allergies. outside right now, mostly cloudy skies, the showers off to the west. showers, rumbles of thunder.

including the american national pastime. >> i coached baseball for 14 years. when you wait 10 minutes back to back after swing at bat. >> with baseball games lasting more than three hours fewer fans are prepared to sit it out. baseball is on the clock. >> has set off a national debate. you have been watching baseball your entire life. you tell me it has got so far out of hand they need to change. >> professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow the season every year. >> that business has slowed down in the stands. >> every generation there are dooms die stories about how the public is losing interest in baseball. they have the right idea of trying to pick things up. >> a tradition as much about tailgate barbecues and sunshine as it is about a 9-inning face-off traditionalists like their tradition. i don't -- don't change it. the younger generation wants things faster? >> a little less conversation. a little more. >> the new requires require the bitch pitcher to deliver the ball within 12 seconds. batters will have to keep one foot in the batter

modern life seems to have sped up everything including the american national pastime. >> i love baseball. i coached baseball for 14 years now. but it gets a little boring. when you sit back and wait 10 minutes for some guy to come back to bat after swing at bat. >> with baseball games now lasting more than three hours, fewer fans are prepared to sit it out in the stands. so changes have been introduced. baseball is now on the clock and that has set off a national debate. >> you have to speed up. it can't be three hours. >> you have been watching baseball your entire life. you grew up with this. >> i did. >> you tell me it's got so far out of hand right now they need to change it? >>. >> profession a.m. baseball is still big business. sent million fans follow the season every year. but that business has slowed down in the stands. >> every generation there are these doomsdaytories about how the public is losing interest in baseball. i just don't see it. this sport is popular overall. but it could be suffering littlea little bit because of the slow pace. so, i think major league has the rig

is this this america's national pastime?k at the tv ratings, we're looking at numbers at 14 million, down from number of 40 million if you go back 35 years ago. here's the thing, all of tv ratings is going down you can't say baseball is the one that's getting older. they point to local television ratings, which are the highest rated programs day in and day out the entire summer. we're looking at a tv contract twice the previous one. franchise evaluations are up 50% from last year and salaries are at record highs, revenues for the teams at record highs. you're looking at record high numbers going into this year. the dodgers broke the yankee a 15-year stronghold on payroll per team. >> despite the decline in viewership, you can say major league baseball is thriving. >> except if you read "the washington post" story today, a great front page story that mark fisher did in the post you see among younger kids there is a weakness. i agree it's a very local sport, there's a lot of great numbers franchises are higher than ever but if

many people are saying it is not going to be the national pastime , football is. >> i don't agree with that. football is great and they have done a great job but baseball is a different type of sport. all kinds of attendance records have been set in the last year. baseball needs to focus on youth, and i think the new commissioner and a bunch of owners including myself are working with him to get the initiatives going. huge redeployment of resources into little league league baseball and youth baseball. you look at the research. if you grew up playing the game of baseball, you will be a fan in your later years and adult years. erik: ok, the emphasis on youth because the average age of the baseball humor is rising. makes a lot of sense. and the changes that have been implemented for play -- games getting a little bit shorter. but is it enough? are you in favor of going to a shorter season? larry: we could look at that, 154-game season. kids are using this to communicate, to be entertained. we will have to be relevant. we will have to be quicker-pace. the beauty of baseball, though is tha

. >> reporter: modern life seems to have sped up everything including the men national pastime. >> iove baseball i coached for 14 years. it's a little boring. when you sit back and wait 10 minutes. it lasts in the stand. changes have been introduced. baseball is on the clock. that has set off a national debate. >> it's up every three hours. >> you have been watching baseball your life and you grew up with it. you're telling me they need to change it. >> professional baseball is big business. 70 million fans follow the business. that has slowed down in the stands. every generation there's doomsday stories about how the public is losing interest. i don't see it. it is popular over all. it could suffer a little because the slow pace. major league baseball has the right idea. >> watching the boys of summer is a lifestyle, a tradition about barbecues and sunshine as it is about a nine innings face off. traditionalists like their decisions. >> leave it alone. you'll mess up the game. don't change it. >> the younger generation wants it better. >> the new rules require a pitcher to deliver t

including the american national pastime. fourteen years now. it gets a little boring.hen you sit back and wait 10 minutes for some guy to come back to back after every one. >> with baseball games lasting more than three hours, fewer fans are prept prepared to sit it out. changes have been introduced. baseball is now on the clock, and that has set off a national debate. >> they have to speed up. it can't be three hours. >> watching baseball your entire life. you grew up with this. you tell me it's gotten so far out of hand that they need to change it? >> professional baseball is still big business. 70 million fans follow the season every year. but that business has slowed down in the stands. every generation there, there are these dooms day stories about how the public is movelosing interest in baseball. i don't see it. the supportport is popular overall but it could be suffering a little bit because of the slow pace. watching the boys of summer is the lifestyle. nine inning faceoff. their tradition. don't change it. ♪ a little less conversation. a little more action ♪

that's like a national pastime. >> this problem is coming from the bottom.ore with b in 20 years. will there be young americans? >> kids are into soccer now. >> another sport called xbox. >> or mario. nintendo. >> the studio is next to the nintendo. there mornings that we come in about 4:30 5:00 in the morning and you really feel old. there hundreds of kids in line and you think what is going on? they are all for some game that we have never heard of and the line is wrapping around the building at 4:00 in the morning. >> kids and their video games. >> we will go to al at the white house once again. is the easter egg roll starting? >> it started at 7:30. they have been going strong. tamron, your minster cribed from george carlin. >> my minster poached her sermon? that's amazing. i know you have weather. i made your rolls. mine turned into bricks. i have to talk to you. >> you had a problem with your yeast rising. that was what happened. >> is that what happened? i dropped the pan after this photo of lamb on the floor in front of my guest. i am looking for the