Major League Baseball is enjoying a time of record-setting revenues, but the sport remains concerned about maintaining its relevance to new generations of fans. The concern was amplified by Nationals star outfielder Bryce Harper, who told ESPN the Magazine that he viewed his own sport as “tired.”

Red Sox analyst Bill James, asked as part of a panel at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference what he might change in order to increase the appeal of the game, offered an unexpected answer.

“I’d get rid of the balk rule,” James said of the requirement that, with runners on base, pitchers are required to come to a complete stop in the set position before throwing the ball. “You may think it’s a silly answer, but it’s not. The balk rule interferes with the way that baseball should be played at such a profound level when you think about it. The game constantly stops. Why does it stop? It all goes back to the balk rule.