[ifinnegan]

What’s the best technology to do it?

[Steely Tom]

At least not for black players.

[dfwgator]

[Forgotten Amendments]

I'm old school as it gets. But, I'm all for this!

Baseball's biggest problem is egotist umps who take over the game. Though, it's gotten a lot better since they faced down the ump's union awhile back.

[Fungi]

What about calls at the other plates and balks? So put a robot behind the plate and see low long that lasts before the fans start throwing things at the robot.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I’m all for umpires getting it right.

Next let’s check out the NBA referees. Why do they never call traveling in the NBA?? Players can run and take 3 steps without dribbling the ball and the refs still don’t call traveling.

[SamAdams76]

Not a bad idea. With the camera technology we have today, it is easy to call balls and strikes from the booth. You would still have to have a home plate umpire to call plays at the plate though.

[JoeProBono]

[PGR88]

moreover, calling “balls” sounds very sexist.

[telstar12.5]

People still watch baseball? How quaint.

[Bratch]

How long would it take for whatever system they came up with to get hacked?

[Vendome]

They are unionized and will be staying...

[Mariner]

The author is an idiot.

Umpires don't even try to call balls and strikes in accordance with the published rules. They go with, usually, their OWN strike zone that's close to, but different than published rules.

That's why you rarely see the high strike in the National league which is built on pitching and pitches hitting.

During a playoff game the strike zone is known, historically, to lower 2-3 inches.

Of course in the Ame3rican league anything below mid-thigh is considered a ball.

All of the players, coaches and Umps know these unwritten rules and genuinely enjoy the passions and arguments it creates.

The ONLY thing they complain about is when a particular ump is NOT CONSISTENT.

Don't call that slider toward the back foot a strike on one pitch, and then a ball on the next.

[AFreeBird]

I don’t much like watching baseball. Golf either. Played both, liked it. But I hate watching it.

That said, I think putting technology into the game, (other than clocking the heat) is just wrong somehow.

Yelling at the ump is part of the game.

[righttackle44]

Well, let's just take away all the fundamentals of the game. How about, instead of playing the game, the two team managers simply meet together and, after a coin toss, the coin-toss-winning manager draws a lot with a W or L? That's the game. No umpires, no player, two managers, and several guys to keep track of the wins and losses..

And then we can chase down you guys who approved this and hurt you really, really bad.

[stocksthatgoup]

Don’t let Tom Brady near the cameras.

[discostu]

At least a decade past time. When Curt Schilling said he studied tape of umps to get a handle on their version of the strike zone that should have spawned panic in the halls of the MLB and they should have fixed it, with firing or technology.

[buffaloguy]

No. Bad idea, whom would you insult? The sysop?

[al baby]

Hey ES lets go to an Angel game I will kiss you onthe strikes and you can kiss me on the .............. Oh nevermind happy Sunday to you

[Hebrews 11:6]

If the average even after recent improvements is 14% missed calls, then some umps approach 20%, which is preposterously unacceptable. We discussed this on BillJamesOnline and agreed an earpiece could instantaneously signal the home plate umpire how KZone saw it, leaving him to exercise his judgment if he wished--but he'd be accountable to headquarters if he got carried away with such independence.

This is being tested in the minor leagues and will be in place by 2018, or 2020 at the latest.