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Originally Posted by TussAgee11
Well it certainly is safer. The switch to the inside protector happened well before my umpiring years, so I have an additional question to ask on top of Bassman's. Why did the balloon disappear in the first place, despite being safer than an inside protector?
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I think the main selling points of the inside protector are:
1. Mobility and convenience (you don't have an extra piece of equipment to manage [Yeah? Tell that to the old time AL umpires who were experts in managing the balloon]).
2. Uniformity of appearance.
3. Influence of the NL regarding definition of the strike zone.