Strike Zone: last major refuge for human error.

Human error is often the last refuge for traditionalists who delude themselves into thinking that baseball is perfect.  Human error by the umpires adds to enjoyment in some undefined way or so they pretend.

Now with replays being reviewed, human error is no longer so cute.  It's ugliness has been exposed and we turn away.  The umpires are often wrong and they are finally chastened.  Gone are the days when umpire Richie Garcia can arrogantly insist that a long fly ball to right field in a tournament game by Derek Jeter was a home run when all of us in Yankee Stadium that afternoon could see that something had prevented Tony Tarasco from catching the ball.

Framing pitches by catchers: doesn't that mean there's a serious problem with calling balls and strikes?  Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The strike zone is really stupid.  Thursday, May 8, 2014

Instead of exploiting the problem, how about solving it?
_______________________________

Joe West facing incredulity from Andy Pettitte
in the World Series

Now our major cause for consternation are balls and strikes.  But what to do?  Something radical as I have been advocating?  Something ineffective but which preserves the role of the plate umpire?

Maybe when you started reading this you mocked the traditionalists.  But now, faced with radical change, you withdraw.

Put up or shut up.  Fix the strike zone or stop complaining about its randomness.