Are you in favor of computers calling balls and strikes?
hammer1
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in Sports Talk
It's being done:
"Plate umpires will wear earpieces and be informed of ball/strike calls by a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar."
2
Comments
I totally agree! I have been asking this question for years......ever since they started using that box on the screen that showed how wrong the umps were at times.
Too bad they didn't have this back when Tudor pitched for the Cardinals. He would have never got anybody out. His pitch could be a foot outside and be called a strike. So he lived out there.
It’s a Step in the right direction for MLB
Yes
Erik
except is BS . They pulled back on the pitch clock and they will on this too watch. The commissioner is a cream puff , he rolls over for the unions
Baseball is obviously unique, compared to the other major three sports, in many ways. A lot of tradition. The umpires were integral to the game,America's past time. They were a real part of it. As @DIMEMAN points out, we've had that box on the screen for a long time. I believe the umpires are so ingrained in baseball that the game decided long ago to put those on our TVs so that there can be this very long,slow transition to this.
Let each team pitch to its own batter. Maybe one pitch per man up. Game would have more home runs but at the same time end much more quickly.
I should get a finders fee for this idea.
" Baseball is the greatest game ever invented" Richard Burton". " It aint' nothing till I call it" 20th century ump. > What has become of our 'timeless' National Pastime? I'll see my first Atlantic League game in May , it could be my last. " Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?" @hammer1 said:
Richard Burton dioed in 1890 hes hardly qualified to comment
What if the machine gets the call wrong?
Kicking the machine might short circuit it.
To be clear. Richard Burton 1928-84 Famed actor: Read the Rules of Baseball on a transatlantic flight. Became an avid fan of the game. Regret the confusion.
Come on
no one pays attention to actors they are idiots
I assumed you meant the Richard Burton that was important , the real one
Well, I don't think accomplished Shakespearean actors can necessarily be categorized as 'Idiots' but as for the game, I fear for it. One of the NYC tabloids, last year, had a photo of a play at the plate where the runner lost his helmet and a wire was clearly visible from his jersey to his ear. Later edition, no wire. Notice the recent extended mouth/cheek guards?
I applaud at least the attempt. They have the technology, so why not use it. Right now, players go into the dugout and look at where the pitch was, whether or not they swung. Also, the umpires have been reviewed by checking their calls against the "strike zone box" already.
They are going to do it anyway so might as well get to it instead of having the umpires make more bad calls as long as it doesn't take any longer.
Two words......Greg Maddux
I really cant see an argument against it. get the call right.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Will be interesting to see how their test of this works.
Just seems wrong though giving too much power to the computers, or camera or replay or whatever technology comes around. I'd prefer the idea of letting the ump continue to do his job and then being able to quickly get an assist from the technology when he needs it. We'll see.
We certainly don't want each dugout being able to call for a replay of each close pitch of the other side, but certainly some more consistency of calling balls and strikes would be great. Might be cool if the ump could have that strike zone box on a smartphone or something with him behind the plate to help out on the close ones.
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YES, do it !
Won't happen in the major leagues.
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Who knows. It might work.
But It would take the human element out and make it more of a video arcade game.
What's more important....getting it right or the "human element"? Not even close.....GET IT RIGHT !!
You are RIGHT!
I think a guy flipping a coin could do a better job than the umps
One need only look at Eric Gregg's work in the 1997 NLCS to see how necessary an electronic strike zone is.
What do you theorize is happening?
Yes, for the consistency
Computer should call it a ball if the damn pitcher takes too long to throw it and a strike if batter doesn't get in there and hit!
It difficult to 100% rely on them but if you use them to review disputes or close calls. Yes.
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Trust in Skynet
I think a computer would do a better job that some of those umpires do. I am for it!
While technically possible, it will never happen.
Dave
Why do you say that Dave?
I know I am in the minority, but I say no.
Matt
I'll minority-up with you, Matt, and say no. I like the human element of judgment and error.
It's just a game.
Andy
Worth a try. Try it on a 2 year test basis. Then review the findings/results. Too many faults/issues with it, can always go back to the old way after a review.
the pitch clock was put off until the year 2525 , if man is still alive........... robot umpire scheduled for 3535
It's just a game....that needs to be called right.
Especially with all that future gambling money on the games at stake.
You know I did always imagine for the longest time (since the 90s or so) of a future where a strike zone could be automatically adjusted in a booth of some sort for reach batter and if the ball goes through it or the top of the bat passes through the strike zone plane, it'd flash the strike zone rectangle to indicate a strike. At least that's how I envisioned it could be done.
On a related note, at around the same time, when in the 90s CDs and Discmen were still very much in their prime, I figured that first we had records, then 8-tracks in the 70s, cassettes in the 80s, and CDs in the 90s...what music format would come next? Well my prediction at the time was that the music/albums/whatever would come on tiny little cartridges.
Well you use (micro) SD cards to hold all your songs on your MP3 player and whatnot...do at least get partial credit?
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I will stop watching baseball when this happens.
why? I would rather get the call right than hold on to tradition.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
One thing that bothers me is when the umpire "decides" to call it wrong. I have heard that when a pitcher is wild and finally throws a pitch that hits a corner, the umpire will sometimes still call it a ball.
On the other side of the coin, I saw Greg Maddux routinely get balls that were 2-3 inches outside AND 2-3 inches low CONSISTENTLY get called a strike, apparently because he had such good control (?!)
To me it's either a ball or a strike, umpires are going to get some wrong, but if a lousy pitcher finally gets one over it should be called a strike and if a great pitcher misses the zone it should be a ball.
IF they can get a system that works, and they have been trying since the 1970's without success, at least that issue will be resolved.
In his (GREAT) book "The Umpire Strikes Back" former MLB umpire Ron Luciano has a very amusing story on this.
I would highly suggest any baseball fan to pick up a copy. Fantastic read! Several on ebay right now, the best $5 you will ever spend!
@JoeBanzai - Joe the computer box works. It is always going to show the true location of the ball. So what do you mean "IF" they can get it to work? It works!
Two dimensional representations in three dimensional space do not 'work'. A bank of tightly integrated, regularly calibrated, and synchronized cameras covering all angles and an insanely fast decision engine, perhaps. Statcast is getting there, but would require significant updates for ball/strike calls in the 99.9% accuracy range.
99.9% is about 20-25% better than umpires do!! And that's being generous!
I have yet to see anything that "works" any better than dudes standing in back of the catcher.
As I have said repeatedly, make the pitchers throw the ball more quickly and tell the batter to get in there and hit and the entire game gets better!
All of these minor tinkerings are fine, the problem as I see it is the pace of the game itself has slowed down so much it's unwatchable unless two "fast workers" are pitching.
@JoeBanzai said .... I have yet to see anything that "works" any better than dudes standing in back of the catcher.
I cannot believe you said that! The "dude" standing in back of the catcher is LUCKY if he gets 70% of the calls right!
That just doesn't cut it. It changes the outcome of the game and that should NEVER happen!!
They do much better than 70%. You'r going a bit overboard I think.