Umpiring in MLB

[Texas Aggie]

You can't equate attendance with popularity. How many of the 76 million plus that MLB asserts attended MLB games this year actually attended and sat in a seat (vs. buying a ticket)? How many of those 76 million were the same people who bought multiple game or season tickets?

A better measure for popularity is how much TV networks are paying for MLB coverage vs. other sports.

[tjones1]

Now that I think of it, it does seems like in the past few years announcers have been talking and explaining how they think the umpires manual is read.

[LMan]

Couple of factors (IMO):

1. The public has, by and large, accepted the presence of replay review in football and cannot or will not understand why baseball isn't following suit.

2. "knowing the rules of baseball" is something that every American assumes is ingrained by DNA, and it is an affront to man (woman)hood if they are proven wrong. The same people who will patiently listen to explanations of arcane football rules with an open mind will be greatly offended if their cherished (false) notions about baseball rules are exposed.


No other sport is quite like this. Just like that great "That's such a balk!" Bud commercial clip..."ummmm...well. There's a pitcher, see? ..and....a runner....ummmmm"

[LMan]

Illustration of point #1:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister...le_1325768.php

[jicecone]

"Managers would get two challenges per game - just as coaches get in the NFL - and the only plays they could argue are ones that don't require an umpire's judgment: out or safe, fair or foul, home run or not."You know, when your going to present an argument for replay, choose one that has some meat to it. The author of this article establishes criteria for the use of replay and then offers 3 situations that don't meet his criteria.

1. The third strike call would still be holding the game up to this day because it WAS NOT conclusive as to wether it was a clean catch or not. And a GOOD catcher, would have thrown the ball to first.

2. Both of the other calls were judgements calls.

I have no problem with introducing replay into to the game, considering what is at stake and the monetary compensations and rewards. However it needs a lot better argment than this.

[BigTex]

Managers would get two challenges per game - just as coaches get in the NFL - and the only plays they could argue are ones that don't require an umpire's judgment: out or safe, fair or foul, home run or not.


Aren't those judgement calls?

[LMan]

Fair/foul is not.