Blackmailed

[Geometry Hoosier 1,151]

Lenny Dykstra: I blackmailed umpires to get more walks http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/865389

[Brass Cannon 24,222]

I'm not surprised.  And this is yet another thing that will be used to eventually get a machine to call balls and strikes. 

[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

Lenny Dykstra: I blackmailed umpires to get more walks http://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/865389

Should have dug up extra dirt and maybe he could have won that last World Series with the Phillies.

 

I'm not surprised at all Dykstra would do it, though I am surprised umps would give in to it so easily. Must have been some serious serious dirt. Just goes to show how much the MLB (and honestly, most major sports) needs referee reform. Trusting everything to split second decisions of a few guys in an era with as much electronic data as we have now is just crazy.

[JaybobHoosier 11,839]

I'm not surprised.  And this is yet another thing that will be used to eventually get a machine to call balls and strikes. 

 

That would be the end of baseball!!!

[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

That would be the end of baseball!!!

Every time I'm watching a game I start to suspect there is no end to baseball.

 

Usually right around hour 6 in the 4th inning.

[BtownBanner6 1,298]

This is honestly shocking to me. I can see where it would be done though.

[Brass Cannon 24,222]

That would be the end of baseball!!!

 

Honestly I think I would like it more than the garbage strike zones we see now.  The Cards Cubs series was horrible.  Same at bat a pitch would be both a ball and a strike.  One at bat, the same spot on the plate was a ball twice and a strike twice. 

 

I think its at least something to try out in the Minors.  Its too hard to justify not doing it.  When every average joe can hit rewind on his DVR and see how blown the call was over and over again. 

[Brass Cannon 24,222]

Why didn't he use that dirt to help the entire team too?  At least in the playoffs

[Dalton26 16,892]

That would be the end of baseball!!!

I'd stop watching.

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

Every time I'm watching a game I start to suspect there is no end to baseball.

Usually right around hour 6 in the 4th inning.

You're a glass half empty kind of guy aren't you! ;)

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

I'd stop watching.

They would definitely lose the traditionalists.

[JSHoosier 19,803]

I can understand people not wanting an electronic strike zone, but if we're being honest the umpires aren't exactly good and there is no consistency.  'Human element' be damned, their job is to get the call right and they do a pretty bad job of it; I think getting the call right is more important than some feel good 'human element' or whatever.

[Dalton26 16,892]

While we are at it we can get robot players instead of human so we'll have no errors either.

[Josh 12,551]

If there were robots,then it would be a sport!

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

If there were robots,then it would be a sport!

Wait, robots sweat?!

[JSHoosier 19,803]

While we are at it we can get robot players instead of human so we'll have no errors either.

Umpires blow ball/strike calls more often than the players make errors.  It would be a little different if they were at least consistent, but there's not even that unless you count being consistently bad.  If we're not going to expect trained umpires to do their job well, let's pull someone from the stands I'm sure they'd appreciate the extra income.

 

Maybe I just live in a crazy world where if you're trained and paid to do a job, you shouldn't suck at it.

[Dalton26 16,892]

Umpires blow ball/strike calls more often than the players make errors. It would be a little different if they were at least consistent, but there's not even that unless you count being consistently bad. If we're not going to expect trained umpires to do their job well, let's pull someone from the stands I'm sure they'd appreciate the extra income.

Maybe I just live in a crazy world where if you're trained and paid to do a job, you shouldn't suck at it.

I don't have an data backing me up (I doubt there's any definitive data either way) but I'd bet you're wrong on that one.

So again players shouldn't make errors. You really can't have it both ways here either everyone has to get replaced because they make mistakes or no one does.

[Brass Cannon 24,222]

I don't have an data backing me up (I doubt there's any definitive data either way) but I'd bet you're wrong on that one.

So again players shouldn't make errors. You really can't have it both ways here either everyone has to get replaced because they make mistakes or no one does.

 

Umps miss calls about 15% of the time.  Some are better than others and only miss them about 10% of the time.  Other miss them about 20% of the time. 

 

20% of the time equates to about 50 pitches a game though.  50 pitches a game are getting called wrong unless the batter swings and makes the call easy.  Depending when those mistakes happen it can be huge. 

[Dalton26 16,892]

Umps miss calls about 15% of the time. Some are better than others and only miss them about 10% of the time. Other miss them about 20% of the time.

20% of the time equates to about 50 pitches a game though. 50 pitches a game are getting called wrong unless the batter swings and makes the call easy. Depending when those mistakes happen it can be huge.

I'm assuming you have facts to back up your numbers, right?

[JSHoosier 19,803]

I don't have an data backing me up (I doubt there's any definitive data either way) but I'd bet you're wrong on that one.

So again players shouldn't make errors. You really can't have it both ways here either everyone has to get replaced because they make mistakes or no one does.

Look how at how many games there an entire team only has 0 or 1 error.  Chase Headley committed 23 errors, that's awful, roughly one every 7 games.  Do you think the home plate ump only blows a ball/strike call once every 7 games?  It's a lot more often than that.

 

Umpires don't have an easy job, and I don't expect them to be perfect but I do expect them to be better than what they are.