Quote:
Originally Posted by ozzy6900
First of all, there are only 2 people on the field that can call a pitch and they are the Catcher and the Plate Umpire. No one else (including the Pitcher) are in a position to see the pitch in its true form. Now the center field camera and all of those strike zone things that are used on TV are useless because they are not lined up with the pitch yet everyone is an armchair umpire because the think they are seeing the real pitch. Like I said, only 2 people on the field get that view.
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Regarding the K-Zone fad (or whatever your local network calls it), I have a buddy who worked for the Orioles TV station first as an intern, and now in sort of a freelance position whenever they need help (perhaps first game of a series to set up graphics, etc.)
One of his jobs was to draw, yes, literally draw, that box that is used on those replays.
He would literally take his mouse, and draw a box where he felt the strike zone was. From at bat to at bat, he would simply make the box bigger or smaller depending on the batter. I asked him what he thought the definition of a strike was. Now he's a baseball guy, and knew what I was getting at. He cut me off and said he knew it was completely bogus and he couldn't even see the plate from where the angle he had to draw that box, let alone the batters position in relation to it. "A complete guess" is the way he put it.
Then, he explained more: his job was to go back on every pitch, view a replay, and "click" when he felt the ball reached the front edge of the plate - his producers instructions. This is what creates the freeze on the tracking, and then viewers can see if that dot is in or outside the box. Sometimes, he would click incorrectly depending on fastball, change etc. (he'd have one shot at it before the replay would be used). Even when he would yell to the producer it was messed up, it went on the air.
Even worse, there were times he said, maybe 3 or 4 times a game, where his "click" would catch some other arbitrary movement, perhaps the catchers glove, a fan in the background, glimmer off sunglasses etc. The technology would indicate that the pitch was in the most ridiculous places, behind a batter's head, etc.
Of course he admitted he trusts the same 2 people you all have mentioned, the catcher and the umpire.