Sounds like a good idea to me!
I read the Newsweek article, and would be interested in seeing a "grading scale" report on all MLB umpires showing how they compare with each other.
We've heard over the years of various umpires having a reputation of being good "ball and strike" umpires. I think a survey of Major League catchers' opinions on who the best are, compared with the electronic data would be interesting. Nobody, including the umpire, has a better view of the pitch than the catcher.
I see nothing wrong with electronic ball/strike monitoring, and since the MLU's haven't tried to outlaw the TV instant replays on the safe/out bangers, I can't see any harm in the ball/strike monitoring. One interesting aspect of the TV replays is that in the great majority of calls, the umpire is shown to be correct. If our MLU's showed the same degree of consistency on the ball/strike calls, there would be no reason to need grading, however I think we would all agree there is too wide a variation on the strike zone as it is being called today. Give the Pitcher back the inside part of the plate, get the armor-clad gladiators to have to swing at something other than a T-Ball zone strike, and we'll get back to real baseball.
senior
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