I don’t like where this is going.
One of the chief criticisms of baseball is that it puts people to sleep. It’s slow, it’s boring, nothing happens and the games last forever. That’s what foreigners and Communists say at least - and those people who don’t understand the tension and the passion of a well pitched game. Well here’s a brilliant plan – let’s create a situation where everybody stands around while a group of umpires disappear for ten minutes to watch replays of a disputable home run. So instead of a game taking three and a half hours, by the time everything gets sorted out and play resumes it now takes three hours and forty five minutes. Not what I’d call an effective strategy for speeding up games. I’ve got plenty of ideas for picking up the pace and that’s definitely not one of them.
Umpires
30 May 2009
26 August 2008
I can’t think of an endeavor on this earth more influenced by perception, than that of a major league baseball umpire.
A strike in baseball is a very clearly defined thing. The ball has to pass over the plate at a height between the knees and uniform letters. When a ball passes through that very precise set of parameters, a strike is a fact. The decision that goes up on the scoreboard, however, is based on the umpire’s opinion.
Posted by Skip Maloney | No comments yet
14 June 2008
Much like the Designated Hitter, the announced introduction of instant replay to Major League Baseball will likely have calcified supporters and detractors forevermore, and it seems just as inevitable that it will remain. MLB may begin reviewing home run calls this season, possibly as soon as August 1, according to a report in USA Today.
Posted by Street Reporter | No comments yet
11 May 2008
Two interesting things happened at the end of the Reds-Mets game today. Well, really it was only one thing, but it told me two interesting things. In the top of the ninth inning, trailing 8-3, the eighth spot of the Reds order was due up, and Dave Ross, who had entered the game as part of a double-switch in the bottom of the sixth inning, came to bat. He flied out to right, and Corey Patterson, who had entered in a double-switch in the bottom of the eighth inning, stepped up to the plate.
Posted by Street Reporter | 1 comment
