Using wireless voice technology is nothing new in professional football, where coaches communicate with on-field players who have microphones embedded inside their helmets.

In baseball, however, this type of technology hasn’t made it to the diamond — New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, however, thinks that it may be time.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a nice analysis of the new time-saving rules the MLB is implementing this season, which include between-inning countdown timers and requirements for hitters to keep one foot in the batter’s box between pitches.

But there was one particular technology-related nugget in Stark’s story that posed an interesting question: What if skippers were able to talk to pitchers via headsets and earpieces, just like they have done in the NFL?

Girardi thinks it would be a great way to speed up the pace of play:

“You could either have a button you push, something on your belt and you push it, or look, we have security guards that … put their wrist in front of their mouth and then they talk and no one hears what they’re saying. So I think it would definitely work.”

If the MLB ever tested this technology out, it would be fascinating to watch how teams utilized wireless devices. Especially given the increasing importance of baseball analytics, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to see managers feeding information to pitches not just during “mound visits,” but also before every pitch.

Stark also wonders if teams would “install secret listening devices underneath home plate.” Of course, that concern would be shared by many who would prefer to see less technology get in the way of baseball’s traditions.

But if the MLB is really serious about reducing the amount of time each games takes, Girardi’s idea is certainly worth considering.