Because of the plague (COVID-19) several weeks ago playgrounds in New York City had their baskets removed from backboards so that social/physical distance could be enforced. Now that has also been done in at least some of Westchester County, which borders the Bronx to the north.
But basketball could still be played, just in an imaginary way with players shooting at non existent baskets and deciding whether or not the shot went through the hoop. It's silly but maybe better than nothing.
What's really absurd is that it is comically similar to the core of organized baseball since baseball's inception. Informal kids versions of baseball games often have a physical target for the strike zone. In city stick ball, a rectangle is drawn on the wall behind the batter. If the pitch lands within the rectangle, it's a strike. Pretty simple and basic, with the strike zone being physical, not imaginary.
However, "real" baseball has a strike zone with no physical boundaries. It's above home plate but does not touch home plate. If a pitch touches the plate, it's a ball. The width is fixed but the height varies with the stance of each batter. So the strike zone varies vertically but not horizontally.
And yet baseball people take it's very absurdity for granted and cannot imagine anything different, like stick ball, which many have played. Years ago I proposed rule changes that would fundamentally improve the strike zone and make baseball much safer and drastically better paced and therefor more entertaining.
- eliminate the catcher
- place a round bull's eye or equivalent behind home plate; a pitched ball hitting it is a strike
- let the batter choose where between his knees and shoulders the target's bottom or top will be placed for that plate appearance; in other words, baseball would return to something from the 1800s: the batter calls for a high or low strike zone
- base runners may not leave their base until the ball is hit by the batter
- the "catcher" may play anywhere, probably near the pitcher who almost by definition is not a baseball player and cannot field well
- the "plate" umpire stands behind the pitcher and hands him a new ball as needed
- the pitcher delivers within three seconds of receiving the ball from the umpire.
Or baseball can continue to slow down and bore the heck out of us. Basketball without baskets should be a wake up for baseball people but I doubt it. Otherwise, they would have fixed this mess long ago.
Click the link below for all my posts on the strike zone:
https://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/search/label/Strike%20Zone
Why is the Strike Zone below the belt?
Kenneth Matinale 8/7/19
Automated strike zone does not need a plate umpire getting hit in the head by fouls.
Kenneth Matinale 8/4/19
Could the pitcher throw strikes without a catcher?
Kenneth Matinale 6/17/19
Strike Zone: does the entire ball stuff apply vertically?
Kenneth Matinale 2/13/19
Subtle strike zone change: ENTIRE ball must be over the plate.
Kenneth Matinale 2/13/19
Eliminate the corners of the strike zone.
Kenneth Matinale 7/17/18
Pitching has devolved to nibbling at the knees.
Kenneth Matinale 6/27/16
Balls and Strikes still vary by umpire ... more than 2 to 1.
Kenneth Matinale 2/8/16
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone.
Kenneth Matinale 10/20/15
Automated strike zone within five years.
Kenneth Matinale 8/25/15
Independent Atlantic League tries timid radical rules: 3-ball walk, 2-strike foul SO.
Kenneth Matinale 4/19/15
Strike Zone: last major refuge for human error.
Kenneth Matinale 5/9/14
The strike zone is really stupid.
Kenneth Matinale 5/8/14
Balloon chest protector would improve strike calling.
Kenneth Matinale 2/7/13
Imaginary strike zone can be made real: a unifying theory.
Kenneth Matinale 2/6/13
Send in the midgets!
Kenneth Matinale 3/24/10
Fool Proof Strike Zone
Kenneth Matinale 9/19/08
https://radicalbaseball.blogspot.com/search/label/Strike%20Zone
Showing posts with label Strike Zone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strike Zone. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Why is the Strike Zone below the belt?
Your eyes are in your head. Your arms are attached to your shoulders, not much below your eyes. So why the heck was the strike zone ever below the belt? Now it's down to the hollow of the knee.
At one time in the primordial days of baseball in the 1800s the batter could request that the strike zone be high or low. i.e., shoulders to belt or belt to knees. That was changed for reasons that, to me, are unclear.
So if they aren't going to make the strike zone a fixed target like an archery bull's eye, then the strike zone should be a batter's choice of either:
- shoulders to belt
- belt to knees.
That allows for batters who delude themselves into thinking that they prefer low pitches.
Current conventional wisdom is that batters favor low pitches. Maybe but for delusional reasons:
- batters don't see strikes called much above the belt
- batters must protect against strikes called at the bottom the knee.
Maybe they could test this in that experimental league, the one where they are trying an automated strike zone. The very concept of the strike zone is the problem: no physical dimension. Try determining if a basketball shot went through the hoop without a hoop.
At one time in the primordial days of baseball in the 1800s the batter could request that the strike zone be high or low. i.e., shoulders to belt or belt to knees. That was changed for reasons that, to me, are unclear.
So if they aren't going to make the strike zone a fixed target like an archery bull's eye, then the strike zone should be a batter's choice of either:
- shoulders to belt
- belt to knees.
That allows for batters who delude themselves into thinking that they prefer low pitches.
Current conventional wisdom is that batters favor low pitches. Maybe but for delusional reasons:
- batters don't see strikes called much above the belt
- batters must protect against strikes called at the bottom the knee.
Maybe they could test this in that experimental league, the one where they are trying an automated strike zone. The very concept of the strike zone is the problem: no physical dimension. Try determining if a basketball shot went through the hoop without a hoop.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Automated strike zone does not need a plate umpire getting hit in the head by fouls.
It's really pretty disgraceful even for people insulated in baseball think who don't give a second thought to wanting the plate umpire to stand behind the catcher when the ump is not calling balls and strikes. Why do they want that? Because it makes the automated strike zone seem more like the "real thing". They ignore the fact that a human being will continue to get pounded with foul balls when he doesn't even need to be there. And all for appearances. They want the plate umpire told whether the pitch is a ball or a strike sp that the umpire can make the gesture for fan satisfaction.
‘We’re Lab Rats’: A Baseball League Where Stealing First Is O.K.
The Atlantic League has become an M.L.B. testing ground for ideas that could make the game livelier. Experiments include larger bases and an automated strike zone.
By Tyler Kepner Aug. 2, 2019 nytimes.com
The automated strike zone — perhaps the most radical of the experiments — made its debut at the Atlantic League All-Star Game last month, and in New Britain on Tuesday. It works this way: M.L.B.’s TrackMan radar system judges each pitch and sends the call — “Ball!” or “Strike!” in a male voice — through a wireless earpiece to the home plate umpire, who simply repeats the call ...
Rick White, the president of the Atlantic League and a former M.L.B. official, said the changes are intended partly to increase safety and speed up games.
______________________
Irony and hypocrisy in perfect harmony.
Maybe the umpire and catcher are not in much danger? Would you put your head in harm's way?
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Major League Baseball Players
JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 22, 2019 jamanetwork.com
We recently found lower mortality rates among MLB players overall and for certain specific causes compared with National Football League players, all of whom had playing careers of 5 years or longer.4 To better understand risks compared with the general public, we examined mortality rates among MLB players, including specific causes of death and differences by career length and position...
________________________
Plow through it yourself but I have this view:
It's about guys who played a while ago and died in 1979 or later. If a guy died in 1990 at age 60 he played mostly in the 1950s.
I think there is a significant increase in punishment absorbed by catchers in recent seasons. Increased exit velo can go backwards into their heads. And more often. In other words:
I don't think that Yogi Berra took nearly as much punishment as Gary Sanchez does today. Same goes for plate umpires, who could easily be moved behind a protective screen or behind the pitcher.
‘We’re Lab Rats’: A Baseball League Where Stealing First Is O.K.
The Atlantic League has become an M.L.B. testing ground for ideas that could make the game livelier. Experiments include larger bases and an automated strike zone.
By Tyler Kepner Aug. 2, 2019 nytimes.com
The automated strike zone — perhaps the most radical of the experiments — made its debut at the Atlantic League All-Star Game last month, and in New Britain on Tuesday. It works this way: M.L.B.’s TrackMan radar system judges each pitch and sends the call — “Ball!” or “Strike!” in a male voice — through a wireless earpiece to the home plate umpire, who simply repeats the call ...
Rick White, the president of the Atlantic League and a former M.L.B. official, said the changes are intended partly to increase safety and speed up games.
______________________
Irony and hypocrisy in perfect harmony.
Maybe the umpire and catcher are not in much danger? Would you put your head in harm's way?
All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Major League Baseball Players
JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 22, 2019 jamanetwork.com
We recently found lower mortality rates among MLB players overall and for certain specific causes compared with National Football League players, all of whom had playing careers of 5 years or longer.4 To better understand risks compared with the general public, we examined mortality rates among MLB players, including specific causes of death and differences by career length and position...
________________________
Plow through it yourself but I have this view:
It's about guys who played a while ago and died in 1979 or later. If a guy died in 1990 at age 60 he played mostly in the 1950s.
I think there is a significant increase in punishment absorbed by catchers in recent seasons. Increased exit velo can go backwards into their heads. And more often. In other words:
I don't think that Yogi Berra took nearly as much punishment as Gary Sanchez does today. Same goes for plate umpires, who could easily be moved behind a protective screen or behind the pitcher.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Could the pitcher throw strikes without a catcher?
The issue is not a catcher. I think the catcher position should be eliminated on humanitarian grounds. The issue is whether someone can throw consistently and accurately without a physical target.
Imaginary strike zone. Saturday, August 8, 2009
There are no physical limits to the strike zone. It is an imaginary three dimensional area hovering above ground. To make it even more elusive, it's size varies with each batter.
The pitcher imagines its location, then throws and hopes to place the ball within it. The batter imagines where it might be and swings through that area. Finally, the plate umpire imagines whether a baseball traveling over ninety miles per hour and moving erratically has passed through any part of it or possibly grazed the edge of it.
_____________________________
One part of that quote is incorrect. The pitcher does not throw to an imaginary place. The pitcher throws to the catcher: mitt, left/right shin guard, left/right shoulder, mask. Whatever. The pitcher throws to a physical target.
Have you ever tried throwing to a batter without a catcher? You know, like when you were a kid or an adult in softball practice with only a few guys. It's really difficult. If you had a physical target, you'd do a lot better.
This also touches on the elusive subject of throwing inside. 99% of the time that is a euphemism for throwing at the batter. What else would be the target?
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Baseball has a lot of really stupid rules but the strike zone is probably the most stupid...
Who can expect umpires to correctly determine if ... pitches pass through some part of that imaginary three dimensional strike zone? ...
The top of the strike zone from 1963 to 1988 went from shoulders to armpits to midway.
What the heck is midway? Try it. Quickly touch your torso midway between your armpits and "pants". Then measure for accuracy.
Who the heck thinks that makes any sense? Especially when the batter may be moving and armpits is much less definitive than shoulders...
This midway rule since 1988 is moronic. It compounds the already stupid rule into total idiocy. And all we hear is complaining but with no real solutions.
______________________
Automated strike zone within five years. Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Imaginary strike zone. Saturday, August 8, 2009
There are no physical limits to the strike zone. It is an imaginary three dimensional area hovering above ground. To make it even more elusive, it's size varies with each batter.
The pitcher imagines its location, then throws and hopes to place the ball within it. The batter imagines where it might be and swings through that area. Finally, the plate umpire imagines whether a baseball traveling over ninety miles per hour and moving erratically has passed through any part of it or possibly grazed the edge of it.
_____________________________
One part of that quote is incorrect. The pitcher does not throw to an imaginary place. The pitcher throws to the catcher: mitt, left/right shin guard, left/right shoulder, mask. Whatever. The pitcher throws to a physical target.
Have you ever tried throwing to a batter without a catcher? You know, like when you were a kid or an adult in softball practice with only a few guys. It's really difficult. If you had a physical target, you'd do a lot better.
This also touches on the elusive subject of throwing inside. 99% of the time that is a euphemism for throwing at the batter. What else would be the target?
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Baseball has a lot of really stupid rules but the strike zone is probably the most stupid...
Who can expect umpires to correctly determine if ... pitches pass through some part of that imaginary three dimensional strike zone? ...
The top of the strike zone from 1963 to 1988 went from shoulders to armpits to midway.
What the heck is midway? Try it. Quickly touch your torso midway between your armpits and "pants". Then measure for accuracy.
Who the heck thinks that makes any sense? Especially when the batter may be moving and armpits is much less definitive than shoulders...
This midway rule since 1988 is moronic. It compounds the already stupid rule into total idiocy. And all we hear is complaining but with no real solutions.
______________________
Automated strike zone within five years. Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Strike Zone: does the entire ball stuff apply vertically?
Say what?
Subtle strike zone change: ENTIRE ball must be over the plate. Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9:33 AM
The previous post deals with the ball horizontally, which is addressed in the rules. However, that same is not mentioned in the vertical definition of the strike zone.
Both the top and bottom of the strike zone are vague enough but neither mentions how much of the ball must be below/above the limits. It matters ... a lot.
Subtle strike zone change: ENTIRE ball must be over the plate. Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9:33 AM
The previous post deals with the ball horizontally, which is addressed in the rules. However, that same is not mentioned in the vertical definition of the strike zone.
Both the top and bottom of the strike zone are vague enough but neither mentions how much of the ball must be below/above the limits. It matters ... a lot.
Subtle strike zone change: ENTIRE ball must be over the plate.
The plate is 17 inches wide but the strike zone is not because a pitched ball is a strike if any part of the ball is over that plate (plus, vertical junk). Hence the term on the black for the black trim around home plate. Actually, a pitch that is only on the black but not over the plate even a little bit should be called a ball as if anyone can tell.
The baseball is about 2.25 inches in diameter. To be a strike the ball can basically be tangent with the plate, i.e., the edge of the ball touches the edge of the plate. That adds 2 times the ball diameter (4.5 inches) to the width of the strike zone, making it 21.5 inches wide. That's 26% wider than we tend to think.
How about we change that rule just a little bit and require the entire ball to be over the plate for the pitch to be a strike? Advantages:
1. Easier to call.
2. Umpire can obey the rule requiring the ump to stand directly behind the plate.
3. Easier to catch.
4. Easier to pitch.
5. Pretty much eliminates "pitch framing", a.k.a. cheating, as a catching skill.
6. More hitting!
That last is the one that will have typical baseball people, both fans and officials, objecting. They're petrified that batters might succeed half the time. League batting average or on base "percentage" .500 might be interpreted as batters and pitchers being even. Instead we have for 2018:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2018.shtml
BA: .248
OBP: .318
SLG: .409
OPS: .728
That looks pretty much like pitchers dominate. Since 1903 highest major league averages:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/bat.shtml
BA: .296 in 1930
OBP: .356 in 1930
SLG: .437 in 2000
OPS: .790 in 1930
Come on. Move the ball off the edge and completely over the plate. You'll be glad you did.
The post below has lots of good strike zone stuff and references to earlier such posts:
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
The baseball is about 2.25 inches in diameter. To be a strike the ball can basically be tangent with the plate, i.e., the edge of the ball touches the edge of the plate. That adds 2 times the ball diameter (4.5 inches) to the width of the strike zone, making it 21.5 inches wide. That's 26% wider than we tend to think.
How about we change that rule just a little bit and require the entire ball to be over the plate for the pitch to be a strike? Advantages:
1. Easier to call.
2. Umpire can obey the rule requiring the ump to stand directly behind the plate.
3. Easier to catch.
4. Easier to pitch.
5. Pretty much eliminates "pitch framing", a.k.a. cheating, as a catching skill.
6. More hitting!
That last is the one that will have typical baseball people, both fans and officials, objecting. They're petrified that batters might succeed half the time. League batting average or on base "percentage" .500 might be interpreted as batters and pitchers being even. Instead we have for 2018:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2018.shtml
BA: .248
OBP: .318
SLG: .409
OPS: .728
That looks pretty much like pitchers dominate. Since 1903 highest major league averages:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/bat.shtml
BA: .296 in 1930
OBP: .356 in 1930
SLG: .437 in 2000
OPS: .790 in 1930
Come on. Move the ball off the edge and completely over the plate. You'll be glad you did.
The post below has lots of good strike zone stuff and references to earlier such posts:
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Eliminate the corners of the strike zone.
Corners never made sense anyway and are just a sloppy interpretation of the intent, which is to have the pitch be in a place where the batter can hit it and put the ball in play.
This is done most easily by changing the strike zone to a round target such as a archery bull's eye.
This would, of course, mean eliminating the catcher, which should be done for humanitarian reasons alone, but if that is still too unacceptable, then simply have plate umpires call pitches to the four corners balls, not strikes.
Batters may still swing at them but will no longer need to develop and maintain the skill to hit a round ball thrown to a rectangle.
This is done most easily by changing the strike zone to a round target such as a archery bull's eye.
This would, of course, mean eliminating the catcher, which should be done for humanitarian reasons alone, but if that is still too unacceptable, then simply have plate umpires call pitches to the four corners balls, not strikes.
Batters may still swing at them but will no longer need to develop and maintain the skill to hit a round ball thrown to a rectangle.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Pitching has devolved to nibbling at the knees.
Aren't you tired of watching your batters taking most of their swings at pitches at or below their knees? It's even annoying to watch opposing batters do it against your pitchers. Who finds that interesting? They're not golfers, who swing at a stationary ball on the ground. And we've let ourselves become brain washed into thinking that this, along with other nonsense, is an integral and essential part of the game.
Catchers: squat to give signs, then stand to receive the pitch? Is that the evolution? Sunday, April 6, 2014
Why isn't the strike zone shoulders to belt? Thursday, May 26, 2016
The current strike zone is basically belt to knees. If you were going to cut it in half, why not use the top half, which is also closer to the eyes?
_______________
Watching from the only live perspective shown in recent decades, we now take for granted that the catcher must get as low to the ground as inhumanly possible and that the plate umpire will follow along.
In the 1950s and into the 1960s the default camera orientation for live (this was before replay) pitches was from behind and above home plate. Then cameras were placed in center field at differing angles to provide a different perspective. Gradually, the center field view became the default and finally the view from behind the plate disappeared.
This change influences our understanding. As much as pitching has evolved into a high power activity with velocities in excess of 95 miles per hour (mph) common, even these flame throwers try to throw at or below the batter's knees. They nibble at the knees.
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
A couple of months ago Alex Rodriguez told teammate Nathan Eovaldi that throwing his 98 mph fastball at the knees was like throwing 92, that the batter could simply drop the bat head. Eovaldi ignored Rodriguez.
______________________
Nathan Eovaldi; high velocity, low strike outs. What, if anything, do the Yankees have in mind? Thursday, December 25, 2014
Aside from whether batters would have more difficulty hitting high v. low pitches, the point here is that until the strike zone is automated, it makes more sense for it to be high rather than low. It should be much easier for the plate umpire to call strikes from belt to shoulders, than belt to knees. After all, the umpires eyes are also up there. And batters may now have trouble with high pitches because:
- they are not required to swing at them
- they must protect against those ridiculous low pitches.
With the belt as the bottom, not the top of the strike zone, if the pitch is low, the batter still has a fighting chance of hitting it anyway, instead of flailing away as we see far too often now at pitches diving down into the dirt from the knees. Who likes that?
Catchers: squat to give signs, then stand to receive the pitch? Is that the evolution? Sunday, April 6, 2014
Why isn't the strike zone shoulders to belt? Thursday, May 26, 2016
The current strike zone is basically belt to knees. If you were going to cut it in half, why not use the top half, which is also closer to the eyes?
_______________
Watching from the only live perspective shown in recent decades, we now take for granted that the catcher must get as low to the ground as inhumanly possible and that the plate umpire will follow along.
In the 1950s and into the 1960s the default camera orientation for live (this was before replay) pitches was from behind and above home plate. Then cameras were placed in center field at differing angles to provide a different perspective. Gradually, the center field view became the default and finally the view from behind the plate disappeared.
This change influences our understanding. As much as pitching has evolved into a high power activity with velocities in excess of 95 miles per hour (mph) common, even these flame throwers try to throw at or below the batter's knees. They nibble at the knees.
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone. Tuesday, October 20, 2015
A couple of months ago Alex Rodriguez told teammate Nathan Eovaldi that throwing his 98 mph fastball at the knees was like throwing 92, that the batter could simply drop the bat head. Eovaldi ignored Rodriguez.
______________________
Nathan Eovaldi; high velocity, low strike outs. What, if anything, do the Yankees have in mind? Thursday, December 25, 2014
Aside from whether batters would have more difficulty hitting high v. low pitches, the point here is that until the strike zone is automated, it makes more sense for it to be high rather than low. It should be much easier for the plate umpire to call strikes from belt to shoulders, than belt to knees. After all, the umpires eyes are also up there. And batters may now have trouble with high pitches because:
- they are not required to swing at them
- they must protect against those ridiculous low pitches.
With the belt as the bottom, not the top of the strike zone, if the pitch is low, the batter still has a fighting chance of hitting it anyway, instead of flailing away as we see far too often now at pitches diving down into the dirt from the knees. Who likes that?
Monday, February 8, 2016
Balls and Strikes still vary by umpire ... more than 2 to 1.
2015 Umpires Balls and Strikes:
Using data derived from baseball-reference.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/split.cgi?t=p&year=2015&lg=MLB
The graph above:
- vertical: percent of total innings for each umpire in 2015
- horizontal: Strike Outs divided by non-intentional walks.
In the baseball-reference.com link above there are four groups of umpires. The groups are not labeled. I did a copy and paste of all four into a spreadsheet. The total umpire innings in the spreadsheet was 42,883.5. I based umpire innings percent on that. Unfortunately, baseball-reference.com represents inning portions as .1 and .2, not as .333 and .666, which would make the arithmetic work. The total innings shown on the web page is 43,407.2, really 43,407.666. I found 90 umpires. So even if each umpire's innings were off by a full inning that still would not account for the discrepancy of about 514.
Obviously, the umpires who work the most innings, favor the pitchers the most, i.e., they have the highest SO to BB ratio. Those who work the fewest innings, tend to favor the batters. That might be a reflection of age. Older umpires may get the most innings based on seniority.
This link has the data, including umpire's names.
Most pitcher friendly: Mark Ripperger (504 innings; 4.268)
Most batter friendly with at least 200 innings: Tom Woodring (236 innings; 1.945)
That's quite a spread: SO to BB ratio greater than 2 to 1.
How about my idea of a fixed bull's eye target? If the pitch hits it, it's a strike. Eliminate the catcher and get both the catcher and plate umpire out of harm's way. Base runners may not leave until the ball is hit with a bat.
Using data derived from baseball-reference.com
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/split.cgi?t=p&year=2015&lg=MLB
The graph above:
- vertical: percent of total innings for each umpire in 2015
- horizontal: Strike Outs divided by non-intentional walks.
In the baseball-reference.com link above there are four groups of umpires. The groups are not labeled. I did a copy and paste of all four into a spreadsheet. The total umpire innings in the spreadsheet was 42,883.5. I based umpire innings percent on that. Unfortunately, baseball-reference.com represents inning portions as .1 and .2, not as .333 and .666, which would make the arithmetic work. The total innings shown on the web page is 43,407.2, really 43,407.666. I found 90 umpires. So even if each umpire's innings were off by a full inning that still would not account for the discrepancy of about 514.
Obviously, the umpires who work the most innings, favor the pitchers the most, i.e., they have the highest SO to BB ratio. Those who work the fewest innings, tend to favor the batters. That might be a reflection of age. Older umpires may get the most innings based on seniority.
This link has the data, including umpire's names.
Most pitcher friendly: Mark Ripperger (504 innings; 4.268)
Most batter friendly with at least 200 innings: Tom Woodring (236 innings; 1.945)
That's quite a spread: SO to BB ratio greater than 2 to 1.
How about my idea of a fixed bull's eye target? If the pitch hits it, it's a strike. Eliminate the catcher and get both the catcher and plate umpire out of harm's way. Base runners may not leave until the ball is hit with a bat.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Touch your body at the top of the strike zone.
Troy Tulowitzki hit a long towering three run homer to dead center field last night to break open game three of the American Conference series. Tulo's Toronto Blue Jays now trail the Kansas City Royals in games 2-1.
What made Tulo's homer unusual was that he hit a high fastball, seemingly shoulder high, the kind that requires a batter to really get his bat up and out very quickly, not merely drop the bat head down and golf a pitch at the knees generating false power. Tulo showed true power, like that required in previous eras. A couple of months ago Alex Rodriguez told teammate Nathan Eovaldi that throwing his 98 mph fastball at the knees was like throwing 92, that the batter could simply drop the bat head. Eovaldi ignored Rodriguez.
The current rule facilitates homers like that by Metsie Daniel Murphy off Cubbie Jake Arrieta in game two of that series. Murphy flailed like he was trying to get out of a sand trap and hooked one down the line and into the seats.
The strike zone is really stupid. Thursday, May 8, 2014
Baseball has a lot of really stupid rules but the strike zone is probably the most stupid. I've been writing about this since my very first radical document back in 2006...
The strike zone is IMAGINARY! You cannot touch it. Yes, you can touch the plate but the plate does not touch the strike zone. And the strike zone is three dimensional.
It varies from one batter to another. It can even vary for one batter if the batter changes his stance.
It varies only in height, not width. What sense does that make? If its variance is supposed to accommodate batters of different sizes, shouldn't that include width? ...
The strike zone should be and always should have been a physical target that the ball hits to be a strike. Yes, the same size for all batters, just like in football and basketball. I'd allow the batter to set the height of the target between his knees and shoulders...
Who can expect umpires to correctly determine if ... pitches pass through some part of that imaginary three dimensional strike zone?
_______________________________
I recently asked three knowledgeable baseball friends to define the top of the strike zone. Two did not attempt. The other got it wrong.
A better idea, which I've tried with a few people, is to ask them to touch the top of the strike zone on their own bodies. To do that you first need to know the rule. So what is the rule?
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/strike_zone.jsp
The Strike Zone: A historical timeline
1996 - The Strike Zone is expanded on the lower end, moving from the top of the knees to the bottom of the knees.
1988 - "The Strike Zone is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the top of the knees. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball."
The friend who thought he knew said it was half way between the armpits and pants. That was never it.
The top of the strike zone from 1963 to 1988 went from shoulders to midway.
What the heck is midway? Try it. Quickly touch your torso midway between your shoulders and "pants". Then measure for accuracy.
Who the heck thinks that makes any sense?
https://www.google.com/search?q=strike+zone+baseball&rlz=1CATAAB_enUS635US635&espv=2&biw=1536&bih=756&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCkQ7AlqFQoTCN2HmPWKmMgCFYY4Pgod9TAEGw#imgrc=JvpMGtrhYj7TPM%3A
Click that for many various images attempting to interpret the strike zone.
This midway rule since 1988 is moronic. It compounds the already stupid rule into total idiocy. And all we hear is complaining but with no real solutions. Except here.
Automated strike zone within five years. Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Two reasons:
1. It already exists.
2. The Major Baseball League (MBL) will be shamed into it as MBL was with reviewing plays as viewers become increasingly appalled at seeing all the bad ball/strike calls, especially in big situations in big games.
We hear that the umpires are improving. How do we know? We track their results against the automated system. Say what? Yeah.
So, huh, why not just cut out the middle man, a.k.a., the plate umpire?
_____________________________
If not, then at least return the top to the shoulders so that:
1. fans actually know the rule
2. fans can actually touch the top of the strike zone on their own bodies.
Then we'll be rewarded with real home runs like that hit by Troy Tulowitzki last night.
What made Tulo's homer unusual was that he hit a high fastball, seemingly shoulder high, the kind that requires a batter to really get his bat up and out very quickly, not merely drop the bat head down and golf a pitch at the knees generating false power. Tulo showed true power, like that required in previous eras. A couple of months ago Alex Rodriguez told teammate Nathan Eovaldi that throwing his 98 mph fastball at the knees was like throwing 92, that the batter could simply drop the bat head. Eovaldi ignored Rodriguez.
The current rule facilitates homers like that by Metsie Daniel Murphy off Cubbie Jake Arrieta in game two of that series. Murphy flailed like he was trying to get out of a sand trap and hooked one down the line and into the seats.
The strike zone is really stupid. Thursday, May 8, 2014
Baseball has a lot of really stupid rules but the strike zone is probably the most stupid. I've been writing about this since my very first radical document back in 2006...
The strike zone is IMAGINARY! You cannot touch it. Yes, you can touch the plate but the plate does not touch the strike zone. And the strike zone is three dimensional.
It varies from one batter to another. It can even vary for one batter if the batter changes his stance.
It varies only in height, not width. What sense does that make? If its variance is supposed to accommodate batters of different sizes, shouldn't that include width? ...
The strike zone should be and always should have been a physical target that the ball hits to be a strike. Yes, the same size for all batters, just like in football and basketball. I'd allow the batter to set the height of the target between his knees and shoulders...
Who can expect umpires to correctly determine if ... pitches pass through some part of that imaginary three dimensional strike zone?
_______________________________
I recently asked three knowledgeable baseball friends to define the top of the strike zone. Two did not attempt. The other got it wrong.
A better idea, which I've tried with a few people, is to ask them to touch the top of the strike zone on their own bodies. To do that you first need to know the rule. So what is the rule?
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/strike_zone.jsp
The Strike Zone: A historical timeline
1996 - The Strike Zone is expanded on the lower end, moving from the top of the knees to the bottom of the knees.
1988 - "The Strike Zone is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the top of the knees. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball."
1969 - "The Strike Zone is that space over home plate which is between the batter's armpits and the top of his knees when he assumes a natural stance. The umpire shall determine the Strike Zone according to the batter's usual stance when he swings at a pitch."
1963 - "The Strike Zone is that space over home plate which is between the top of the batter's shoulders and his knees when he assumes his natural stance. The umpire shall determine the Strike Zone according to the batter's usual stance when he swings at a pitch."
______________________________The friend who thought he knew said it was half way between the armpits and pants. That was never it.
The top of the strike zone from 1963 to 1988 went from shoulders to midway.
What the heck is midway? Try it. Quickly touch your torso midway between your shoulders and "pants". Then measure for accuracy.
Who the heck thinks that makes any sense?
https://www.google.com/search?q=strike+zone+baseball&rlz=1CATAAB_enUS635US635&espv=2&biw=1536&bih=756&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCkQ7AlqFQoTCN2HmPWKmMgCFYY4Pgod9TAEGw#imgrc=JvpMGtrhYj7TPM%3A
Click that for many various images attempting to interpret the strike zone.
This midway rule since 1988 is moronic. It compounds the already stupid rule into total idiocy. And all we hear is complaining but with no real solutions. Except here.
Automated strike zone within five years. Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Two reasons:
1. It already exists.
2. The Major Baseball League (MBL) will be shamed into it as MBL was with reviewing plays as viewers become increasingly appalled at seeing all the bad ball/strike calls, especially in big situations in big games.
We hear that the umpires are improving. How do we know? We track their results against the automated system. Say what? Yeah.
So, huh, why not just cut out the middle man, a.k.a., the plate umpire?
_____________________________
If not, then at least return the top to the shoulders so that:
1. fans actually know the rule
2. fans can actually touch the top of the strike zone on their own bodies.
Then we'll be rewarded with real home runs like that hit by Troy Tulowitzki last night.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Automated strike zone within five years.
Two reasons:
1. It already exists.
2. The Major Baseball League (MBL) will be shamed into it as MBL was with reviewing plays as viewers become increasingly appalled at seeing all the bad ball/strike calls, especially in big situations in big games.
We hear that the umpires are improving. How do we know? We track their results against the automated system. Say what? Yeah.
So, huh, why not just cut out the middle man, a.k.a., the plate umpire? There are also two camera replays that are deadly:
1. Side to determine whether a pitch is low.
2. Overhead above the plate, which is the most alarming of all the evidence because it's about as close to absolute as one could reasonably expect.
There are probably about 150 pitches called by the plate ump, way more than any other type of decision. The ones that are of concern are the close ones. Saying that the ump is correct 90% of the time includes the easy ones. How are the umps doing on the close ones? That's the crucial question.
Imaginary strike zone. Saturday, August 8, 2009
There are no physical limits to the strike zone. It is an imaginary three dimensional area hovering above ground. To make it even more elusive, it's size varies with each batter.
The pitcher imagines its location, then throws and hopes to place the ball within it. The batter imagines where it might be and swings through that area. Finally, the plate umpire imagines whether a baseball traveling over ninety miles per hour and moving erratically has passed through any part of it or possibly grazed the edge of it.
Pretty stupid.
______________________________
1. It already exists.
2. The Major Baseball League (MBL) will be shamed into it as MBL was with reviewing plays as viewers become increasingly appalled at seeing all the bad ball/strike calls, especially in big situations in big games.
We hear that the umpires are improving. How do we know? We track their results against the automated system. Say what? Yeah.
So, huh, why not just cut out the middle man, a.k.a., the plate umpire? There are also two camera replays that are deadly:
1. Side to determine whether a pitch is low.
2. Overhead above the plate, which is the most alarming of all the evidence because it's about as close to absolute as one could reasonably expect.
There are probably about 150 pitches called by the plate ump, way more than any other type of decision. The ones that are of concern are the close ones. Saying that the ump is correct 90% of the time includes the easy ones. How are the umps doing on the close ones? That's the crucial question.
Imaginary strike zone. Saturday, August 8, 2009
There are no physical limits to the strike zone. It is an imaginary three dimensional area hovering above ground. To make it even more elusive, it's size varies with each batter.
The pitcher imagines its location, then throws and hopes to place the ball within it. The batter imagines where it might be and swings through that area. Finally, the plate umpire imagines whether a baseball traveling over ninety miles per hour and moving erratically has passed through any part of it or possibly grazed the edge of it.
Pretty stupid.
______________________________
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Independent Atlantic League tries timid radical rules: 3-ball walk, 2-strike foul SO.
I've been advocating starting the count at 3-2 and limiting the batters to three swings.
3-ball walks? How a radical baseball experiment speeds up game
By Associated Press April 18, 2015 10:03pm nypost.com
radical speedup rules Saturday in an exhibition of the independent Atlantic League.
Batters were awarded walks when the count went to three balls. Strikeouts were called when there was a foul ball with two strikes...
Ten batters walked on three balls and eight batters were called out on foul balls ...
1-0 ... 2 hours, 15 minutes
_________________________________
3-ball walks? How a radical baseball experiment speeds up game
By Associated Press April 18, 2015 10:03pm nypost.com
radical speedup rules Saturday in an exhibition of the independent Atlantic League.
Batters were awarded walks when the count went to three balls. Strikeouts were called when there was a foul ball with two strikes...
Ten batters walked on three balls and eight batters were called out on foul balls ...
1-0 ... 2 hours, 15 minutes
_________________________________
Friday, May 9, 2014
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?
_______________________________
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.
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.