DEEPER DISCUSSIONS

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MLB continues its experiment with robot umpires by announcing that it will be used with select AAA teams for this coming season.

The system works via a real umpire who uses an IPhone and ear cord in tandem with a sensor above home plate. That sensor then detects pitch location, relays the data to the IPhone and then sends an audio file to the ump’s ear, telling him to either call a “ball” or “strike.”

It really is not new technology. It is the same system that tv broadcasters use to show viewers pitch location.

This new system is shown to be significantly more accurate than actual umpires, esp. if Angel Hernandez is behind the plate. However, it is not fool-proof as some systems may get off-kilter and need to be re-adjusted.

But it does take the human element out of the game.

Which system is actually better for the game?

Today’s blog addresses this dilemma and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!

For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.

TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.

Ready?

(For today only, comments are limited to a MAXIMUM of 6 sentences. Please see the complete list of rules at the link above in order for your comments to be approved.)

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23 thoughts on “DEEPER DISCUSSIONS”

  1. Robo-system for me. I can’t think of a single reason not to have an objective strike zone regardless of league or any game situation . Give it a shot until it’s proven it’s a real detriment to the game.

    Liked by 5 people

  2. Angel Hernandez, LOL. He’s a big reason I favor the robo-ump. Just for balls and strikes. There is too much variance of interpretation by major league umpires as to what is a ball and what is a strike. Some give a pitcher the inside or outside corner more liberally than others. Many are willing to call a strike at the letters unless it’s strike three. Others will not give a pitcher the splitter if it sinks too much so that the catcher has to move his glove out of the strike zone even though the ball is in the zone while it is over the plate.

    Liked by 6 people

  3. I am in the minority but I just don’t want to take that real part of the game away. I would like to see more control over the umpires better training better understanding and hold them accountable when they were obviously wrong. And if someone is inconsistent ala Angel Hernandez then something needs to be done. He needs to be punished just like any other part of the game would be punished if it was not performing the way that it was trained and expected to do. Some umpires are consistent one or the other. The players, trained professionals, need to adapt as long as the ump is consistent.

    Liked by 3 people

  5. I am a traditionalist about many baseball issues, but I think an objective strike zone can improve the game. It’s like using modern tools for replay– it allows for fair play. Do we really love us those missed calls that swing a game?

    Liked by 6 people

    • In a way, yes. I would. I mean, what is there to talk about if every call is made my a robot? No more discussions about how bad an umpire was in that game. No more lengthy newspaper articles about how an umpire got revenge on a player for showing him up. I like that stuff. I miss those arguments between managers and umpires, the kicking of the dirt over the plate and of the hat. Robo-calling of the strike zone just further waters down the sport.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Robo umps are just a matter of time. As the fan base turns over, the younger, tech-oriented fans will demand strike-calling technology. Imagine downloading an app on your smart phone that promises to protect human error. Many in my generation will continue to insist that umps like Angel Hernandez are part of the baseball’s mystique, and that good teams learn how to overcome bad calls. Accepting the certainty that a significant percentage of calls will be wrong is an integrity issue.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. If anyone watching a televised game could not already see when an umpire makes a call mistake I’d feel differently. But with currently available technology batters and pitchers would no longer have to adjust to any given umpire’s personal perspective of the strike zone. Forget the legal “cheating” of pitch framing. Forget umpires, perhaps unconsciously, giving star pitchers or hitters a call advantage. Forget a batter being ejected for arguing an obviously bad call. Go for it.

    Liked by 5 people

    • I wish they would get rid of the strike zone technology used on the broadcasts. But that’s just me. I don’t trust they are 100% accurate either.

      Like

      • They aren’t necessarily because the box is at the front of the plate and many strikes come back over the plate. Mr. Morris pointed that out.

        Like

  8. Back a few decades ago when the Umps started to call a strike between the belt and the ankles that’s when they lost me. Bring on the Robots.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I agree with everything you said except the last part of bringing on the robots. Fix the umpire calling the strike-zone but leave the calling of it to the humans.

      Like

      • The strike zone is the chest to the knees but the umpires refuse to call it correctly and for some reason their employers cannot or will not correct them. A robot will do the job accurately.

        Liked by 3 people

  9. I voted for the robo ump mostly because hopefully it will eliminate the bickering between the players and managers, umpires and opposing teams on calls which at times seems childish. I also think something should be done about annoying check swing calls.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Bring the latest tech to the Bigs asap! Umpires, each having their own strike zone, in the technically modern world is absurd. Sixty-plus years watching these arrogant men in blue wreck havoc is enough for me.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I would be cautious lumping them all as arrogant. These men are professionals and have paid incredible dues to get to where they are at. As in any sport there are clunkers, but to lump them is a disservice to our grand old game. Help them to find ways to improve calling a game with pitchers that are throwing harder and craftier and catchers who are polishing their thievery craft.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I voted for it, provided the trial in AAA goes well. While I regret losing the “human element” behind the plate, if this can neutralize the Doug Eddings and Angel Hernandez type of umpires – guys so consistently bad that you wonder how they’ve kept a job – then so be it. BTW, knowing an umpire’s name is never a good sign.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I will watch with interest how it goes in AAA.
    How does the robot figure the borders of the strike zone with players of different sizes and batting stances? In principle, I favor objective accuracy over “the human factor” which gives edges based on reputation.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. I voted to keep the current umpiring system. Baseball umpires have the toughest job in all of sports. The ten of them who have been elected to the HOF–including such stalwarts as Bill Klem, Jocko Conlan, Cal Hubbard, Doug Harvey–performed at a higher level than many of the players elected there. The system–any human system–will also endure the incompetents as well. That’s life. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I have to vote for robo ump. There are too many pitches called in favor or against a player or team due to an umps mood. There are obvious calls against a team or player that an umpire has a grudge against for any number of reasons which includes age and experience. Sometimes I think the umps call things to see how far they can push or intimidate players. Regardless, consistency is what I favor.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. How does this work? The article says it uses a sensor above home plate. When this first came out I heard it explained as a system of multiple cameras at different positions that calculated that specific players strike zone. Last season I heard one announcer say the strike zone box shown on the tv screen is a calculation of a batters last 75 at bats.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. As a former fast-pitch softball umpire, I know how hard it is to maintain consistency calling balls and strikes. I’d welcome the new technology as eagerly as commercial airline pilots welcome modern flight controls. The tools are there so why not use them?

    Liked by 4 people

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