ST: Astros vs Blue Jays - July 25-28

[Santoki]

It would be fairly simple to implement some kind of artificial strike zone instead of using an umpire to call balls and strikes. The imaging technology is there and using various sensors and such it would be a hell of a lot more accurate. Of course with purists around it will never happen.

It took a Herculean effort just to get instant replay for home runs. It'll be a LONG time before robots replace umpires. While the players complain about the umps, ask them if they'd be for this technology and 99.9% of them would say no.

[Fairview4Life]

It would be fairly simple to implement some kind of artificial strike zone instead of using an umpire to call balls and strikes. The imaging technology is there and using various sensors and such it would be a hell of a lot more accurate. Of course with purists around it will never happen.

It took a Herculean effort just to get instant replay for home runs. It'll be a LONG time before robots replace umpires. While the players complain about the umps, ask them if they'd be for this technology and 99.9% of them would say no.

I bet the majority would say yes. You think players wouldn't be completely on board with an accurate and consistent strike zone? A strike zone that isn't being arbitrarily made up on a pitch by pitch basis by an umpire on a power trip?

[Fairview4Life]

Or have you just run out of excuses for Bautista's attitude/performance?

That implies you think his attitude/performance needs excusing.

[Santoki]

It would be fairly simple to implement some kind of artificial strike zone instead of using an umpire to call balls and strikes. The imaging technology is there and using various sensors and such it would be a hell of a lot more accurate. Of course with purists around it will never happen.

It took a Herculean effort just to get instant replay for home runs. It'll be a LONG time before robots replace umpires. While the players complain about the umps, ask them if they'd be for this technology and 99.9% of them would say no.

I bet the majority would say yes. You think players wouldn't be completely on board with an accurate and consistent strike zone? A strike zone that isn't being arbitrarily made up on a pitch by pitch basis by an umpire on a power trip?

I really don't think you see the disconnect between the average fan and major league baseball players. While they might have a complaint about blue, they're all too old school to actually have a robot come in and do the job. I'd bet my life on that.

[Santoki]

Or have you just run out of excuses for Bautista's attitude/performance?

That implies you think his attitude/performance needs excusing.

Yes. I think he has a major attitude issue and it's hurting himself and at times, like yesterday, the team.

[Randle McMurphy]

Either way, I think it makes Bautista’s theatrics a lot more understandable when you know that Bautista’s zone really is significantly larger than anyone else’s on the team and most players in the league, and that his bad-call rate has doubled since he started hitting bombs. Maybe he should just suck it up for the sake of umpire relations — but when so much of his craft is based on knowing the zone and laying off marginal pitches until he gets one he can drive, that kind of drastic change really would be a tough pill to swallow.

http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2013/06/2 ... -the-umps/