On Deck: Robot fans.
I wonder if Earl Weaver is somewhere smiling about this, lol.
Kill the ‘Bot! Kill the ‘Bot!....oh wait!
Soon to be followed by robot hitters. Turning sport into a video game.
So when a batter disputes the call, he’ll say the ump’s mother was a garbage disposal ?
Interesting. Thanks for posting. When Verlander was in Detroit, he was constantly getting squeezed by the umps. It was disgusting.
This should put more offense into the game because umps usually call the plate as if it’s 16 inches wide, or at least 14 to my observation.
I met umpire Bill Haller in the 70’s.
Around that same time, I met Billy Martin.
What’s the point?
You could replace all the players with robots too.
Would result in 0.999 batting averages, 100 mph trips around the bases, games that would end at a pre-determined time because no “team” would ever accumulate 3 outs.
It’s about humans, not machines.
There goes the game!
Tennis has the Hawk-Eye system to do away with 7 people making line calls in pro play. It can’t happen soon enough.
https://www.topendsports.com/sport/tennis/hawkeye.htm
Probably a more monumental rule than RoboUmp is the ability to steal first base. This rule states that the batter may elect to run to first base when the catcher does not catch the ball at any point in the count (other than Ball 4 or Strike 3). The catcher may either tag the runner or throw to first base to attempt to beat the runner to the bag if he recovers the ball soon enough.
The official scorecard indicates no official plate appearance (similar to walk, hit by pitch, or error), plus a stolen base (or attempt if he failed).
The team with the best hackers could certainly get an edge. :)
Let’s see...how could libs finally destroy American culture? Take the fun, the unexpected, the peanuts, the home town, the patriotism, the nonpolitical announcers, the bloopers and the humanity out of baseball...
I’m thinking’........Bender.
I guess we can always argue the games are hacked.
Why not just play a video game?
When i worked 1969 I was told to call strike’s 2 inches outside by the guy from the umpire development program and nothing above the waist. That was minor league Midwest and Florida State.
In reality by the time someone make gets to the biogs, they have formed their strike zone. Pitchers cut and move the ball in various ways. Batters are different heights, even the length of the shins to the knees.
To say that all umpires will call every pitch the same way is impossible. They’re human. That’s why the pitcher or batters will say, he’s a low-ball ump or whatever. they accept differences between umps, but want a particular ump to be consistent in the same game.
Robots will replace at least half the umps and we will miss the fights, but replays already are doing that.