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Originally posted by tcannizzo
Quote:
Originally posted by Dakota
Quote:
Originally posted by whaddayouknow
To me, hammer=softball and point=baseball, and not a hill of beans difference in benefits.
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"point" is also used in LL softball.
My thought was "hammer" = "out" and "point" = "strike."
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Hammer = strike
Hammer = out
Point = swing
One good reason for not differentiating D3K call, is that PU cannot always tell if ball touched the ground or not.
If the mechanics required PU to call "Strike Three Batter Is Out", it could create even more confusion in situations certain situations than we have now.
Example: B1 swings at strike three low and away, F2 drops to knees and catches ball before ball touches ground. PU is blocked from view and could not tell whether the ball touched the ground before entering the catcher's mitt. We know it is Strike Three, but can't guess the out, so we have a non-call.
Once players become dependent on the call, the non-call could invite an argument from the offense on a caught third strike with a non-call. OR it would require PU go guess the out.
With the current system, the non-call puts the onus on the players to get it right. And, if the batter runs, there is always the opportunity for PU to confer with BU for help on whether the ball touched the ground or not - after the fact.
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I disagree, because the defense deserves an IMMEDIATE call from the PU for decision making purposes.
If the winning run was at 3rd, don't you think it would be important for the catcher to know if the batter was out or not? Or, are you suggesting that the umpire should make a "no call" and wait and see what happens?
I think you're setting yourself up for and absolute sh*t storm should you do that in a critical situation. And this is why Doug Eddings is taking so much heat. He had probably been calling swinging 3rd strikes like that for a very long time and nobody either cared nor did it ever matter very much. But this time it blew up in his face in a League Championship Series with millions of people watching and cameras catching the action from every possible angle.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN