HHP: Hard Data on Ball/Strike Calls - How Good/Bad are the Umpires

[DrungoHazewood]

You could still game the definition by having low-rise uniform pants that ended halfway down your crack. The midpoint would drop to around your belly button.

Yes! But it's going to be hard convincing Buck, I think that's in the same category as wearing you hat crooked. And don't even start with Trembley, that's not respecting the game!

[DrungoHazewood]

This makes the most sense to me.

Which means the big problem is how to make the system work really fast and not have downtime. Plus security so some hacker in the stands can't buzz strike calls wirelessly to the umpire

Unless some military technology could be used as "Strike Zone Goggles" showing a heads up display of the 3-D strike zone for this particular batter and indicating the real time flight path of the ball.

Cylon Umpires! Or maybe the Borg is a better nerd-alogy.

Quantum encryption! You can make it hack-proof.

And Cylons are always the better nerd-alogy. Is it wrong that my 3-year-old can do a heck of an old-school Cylon voice?

[Hallas]

This makes the most sense to me.

Which means the big problem is how to make the system work really fast and not have downtime. Plus security so some hacker in the stands can't buzz strike calls wirelessly to the umpire

Unless some military technology could be used as "Strike Zone Goggles" showing a heads up display of the 3-D strike zone for this particular batter and indicating the real time flight path of the ball.

Cylon Umpires! Or maybe the Borg is a better nerd-alogy.

Google is doing research on glasses that do this. It might be civillian technology that makes this possible, not military.

[callahan09]

This makes the most sense to me.

Which means the big problem is how to make the system work really fast and not have downtime. Plus security so some hacker in the stands can't buzz strike calls wirelessly to the umpire

Unless some military technology could be used as "Strike Zone Goggles" showing a heads up display of the 3-D strike zone for this particular batter and indicating the real time flight path of the ball.

Cylon Umpires! Or maybe the Borg is a better nerd-alogy.

Google is doing research on glasses that do this. It might be civillian technology that makes this possible, not military.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57...en-nothin-yet/

[skanar]

April 26 vs Blue Jays
Matusz: 5 squeezes, 4 gifts (-1)
Hutchison: 2 squeezes, 4 gifts (+2)

Game score: -3. Pretty average game with a slight Blue Jays bias.

Edit: All of the gifts were on the outside corner, for both pitchers.

[malkusm]

I admit I didn't read this whole thread, but I wanted to mention something that I posted in the game thread. It seems to me that some of the umpires that get "low" into stances behind the place often have worse strike zones due to the angle that they're viewing from. Tonight's ump got low behind the catcher's left shoulder and he was calling more strikes to that side of the plate (and several inches off that side of the plate, in to righties and away to lefties). Meanwhile, he was calling a lot of balls to the other side of the plate, possibly because it's harder to see across the plate, with the angle as well as the catcher being in the way.

Not sure if this is something that's been brought up or could be examined in any way....