TRANSCRIPT: Ep. 23: THE STRETCH Kneel before your robot umpires, you weak human baseball players

Text Transcript of Ep. 23

00:00:00 – 00:05:01

Woah to. It’s ninety miles the threat. Hey, welcome to another episode of the stretch were jumping into the future for this on. But maybe not that far into the future. We wanted to. Yeah. Talk about all. Yeah. There’s been a lot of discussion about the closeness of calls and things like that recently. And we wanted to just, you know, kind of speculate on what’s going to happen, soon, what won’t happen soon. Maybe what happens twenty years from now. What are we looking at then? Yes. And fun with it. But well, I mean probably more important to start with the very recent history. So today is may twenty second twenty nineteen and the cubs Joe Madden had some things this week. Have they not Ryan? Yeah, there’s been a few controversial calls. You know there was even a game stolen from the cubs, essentially because a a as a swing was ruled a NADA. Swing. And, and you know, and then also there was some bad Bon strike calls as well. And yes, I mean that sounds like general fan whining to me. I don’t know about that. No. News as well. You know, and, and but, you know, it’s a it’s a touchy subject. You know, let’s, let’s just first of all talk about that, you know, there’s certainly more purists and sort of the, the slight inconsistency and inaccuracy of them Pires kind of adds to the game. So some would argue there’s. Why I tend to be a little bit on that side. I think one of the great things about sports is that you have to overcome adversity, whether it’s placed in front of you by the other team or if it’s placed in front of you buy a bad break, or bad luck if everybody wants to blame luck or in some cases, poor calls by umpires or referees, you see it in the NFL, you see in MLB, NHL, and be a and there’s always always no matter what happens going to be somebody getting hosed, by the referee, or the empire or whomever. I, I don’t think there’s a way to get rid of it all, but let’s talk about more about some of the proposed things that are going on and see what we think kind of break it down. Doesn’t MLB have something going on in the twenty nine season and one of the minor leagues. There’s something happening. The Atlantic league is experimenting with a radar system called track man to help home played on Pires, call balls, and strikes. So, you know that sort of an experiment this year. I mean obviously that’s going to be something, you know, usually things like that and rule changes kind of appear in some of those leagues before before we see him in the majors. So soon, be interesting to see soon be interesting, basically, if you’ve watched some tennis, it’s kind of would like one of those systems where it shows whether the ball was inner out, whether it touched zone, we’ve all seen it on our, our modern broadcasts of baseball where you’ve got the pitching. You’ve got the strike zone essentially electronically, put up there and you can see if the ball. Scraped through any part of it or not. And if it touches that essentially the Atlantic league they want that to be a strike, and if it doesn’t touch it they want that to be a ball, is that how far they’re going with it. I’m not one hundred percent. Sure. If the empire still has some thirty or if that’s just a way to train Pires an interesting thing you brought up. Yeah. You brought up something in an article to about umpires and younger on fire in. We’re just talking strike zone at this point we’re gonna stuff. Yes, there is. Of course, a lot of other things, although instant replay in a lot of ways does cover many of the other things. I mean streak balls and strikes. You know, that’s you can’t have, you know, I it just makes sense. Talk about pace of play review every every call ball and strike. If there’s a controversy, you just can’t do that. Because the pace of place, really the only way to, to deal with, that would be something like you know, having ball and strike calls. Kind of piped in thumper. So that’s kind of more what we’re talking about here that one yet it’d have to be an automated strike zone. And right. Empire multiple way. I mean logistically that can be done a number of ways. I mean you could you could basically you could have whether it’s a little earbud or something feeding feeding.

00:05:01 – 00:10:00

The calls in, you know, as a few ways that that could be done. I, I actually think while certainly if this does come to be one thing, not far in the future. I, I would guess that I’m Pires may actually wear like, augmented reality glasses and actually see the strike zone. And, and it’ll light up green or red if it’s a straight ball. The thing I have a problem with here is Aaron judge has totally different strikes than Jose altuve. Those who totally different sized men. I’m not. I don’t think I’m honestly I don’t think I’m in favor of this at all. One point I would still. Yes. And that would anything like an augmented reality, or robotics, or even the, the, the pitch. The strike zone thing you see on the TV those take. Those are not all the same. They do adjust for the batter. So that’s correct. Okay. But that’s, that’s not even my point. My point was going to be more towards the young umpires in major league baseball. Yeah. Have a much, much better percentage of calling balls and strikes correctly than the guys that have been in the league twenty plus years, the guys that have been in the league forever. Remember still if you go back to the eighties, you had the National League and American League they never crossed over. They never played each other league little had a different strike zone. The National League deduct the way the American League, did I true and. And I just want to mention, you know, Boston University did a did some research on this, and they analyze basically two thousand eighteen a bunch of stuff and to, to what you were saying. Well, first of all, one of the most interesting findings was that they empires missed thirty four thousand two hundred ninety four ball strike calls in two thousand eighteen what kind of percentage is that why it’s yeah. I mean it’s still. That’s still a lot. That’s still a lot anyways ROY got it. I mean how many pitches per game? Did you said it broke down like pitches per game or something like that, right? Yeah. It ends up being averaging out about fourteen pitches per game. Which, and that, that’s enough to swing a win or a loss, one way or another. That’s a lot. But doesn’t all right way to do it. I think I think you could attack this without getting. Electron. Onyx involved. I think better training younger umpires, get the old habits out of the old on Pires hold them accountable. Yeah. Some of the stuff all on one thing when you say fourteen pitches a game. Let’s remember there’s about two hundred and fifty pitches per game. It’s not a huge percentage. So it’s I just I understand being frustrated with it. I just don’t want to remove that human element, particularly, I can kind of get behind the system if the system is really clean and works, well, but then you are eliminating one of your favorite ballplayers. Kyle shorter actually is on my side. A little more on this. Yes. Starting to eliminate you know the ability to frame pitches. Yes. Think about what, what would Greg Maddux do? Right. Maddox even exist, not just framing. It’s also instilling a sort of confidence in the umpire as a pitcher as well. And it’s you know as the game evolves, you can sometimes stretch that zone out. Like Greg Maddox, you know, like you mentioned definitely did that. But, but yeah, it’s it would take that away. And, and you know pitch framing is is I think that’s brought up a lot with catchers, you know, Willson Contreras. That’s, that’s an area, he could work on. You know, but is, is it going to even be relevant? At some point, you know, I you know, I to talk about age umpires too. I mean, the top ten performing amps in two thousand eighteen average two point seven years of experience the bottom ten averaged twenty point six years of experience. So clearly age is a factor. And and, you know, younger I wonder if the age is the factor, it’s the training. That’s the factor. Right. Probably both in, in that case. And also, you know, as interesting there, there’s a definite bias when there’s two strikes the many balls. You know, are called strike three Shire’s. There’s an N we see that we see that a lot. And that’s you know I in fact, if it’s close you gotta swing. You know that’s an old. Yeah. Baseball forever. You swing anything close. Otherwise, you’re gonna get run up. Well, here’s here’s the percentage in the last ten years, they, you know, when there’s two strikes on the batter and the third pitch. The third pitch.

00:10:02 – 00:15:03

Was incorrectly called twenty nine point one nine percent usually called strike three? Sure. That’s. I waited the percent. That’s, that’s a big number pretty bad. And that’s you know, games are lost or one with with that kind of thing. And I, I mean, one part of me, I haven’t really gave an opinion, because I don’t know if I have a strong opinion, but one thing is, I, I don’t like to see games one or loss because of bad calls if it comes down to impacting the result of the game. I don’t think that’s a good thing. I, I look at it the other way you had nine innings to get the dang thing, right? To. Run across in the first instead of the ninth. Why do we wait the ninth inning as being more important or the third strike as being more important? I mean I, I understand I do. And I can be persuaded off of this off of this argument path. I absolutely could this is the first time we’ve really even gotten deep into out of all the years. We’ve been, you know, really paying attention and talking about baseball together. This is the first time we’ve kind of looked at this could be persuaded to make this adjustment. I’m just I’m a little bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to certain changes with this game with this particular game. I like the human element. Now doesn’t mean I’m not, you know, kind of PEO when it goes the other way I granted I am. But I also see it go might teams way. Well how about this? I think those breaks I think those breaks even out I absolutely do. Well, I, I would agree with these somewhat there. That’s why sat don’t have a real super strong opinion on it. It can be frustrating certain games. You know what, what is interesting is we’re talking about age and. Ump ears. And, and that seems to be a large factor on selecting umpires, for for the postseason in the World Series, which, which actually wouldn’t make sense. You know, the top. So there the selecting based on experience over quality of calling games is what you’re saying. Yeah, it, it seems to definitely be that way that, that would should be something, you know, now that we can have at the very least Oldham accountable for the quality of, of how they’re calling balls. And that’s I think that’s the first place that should be attacked. And I think when major league baseball within the last few years really did just how they called balls and strikes. Remember the zone went from nothing above the belt being called a strike anymore, which is in the two thousands and the arts if you will anything below the belt down to just below the knee was where your strike zone was the strikes owns been brought up. It’s been brought up to that top part of the knee. I feel like and. Then it’s been brought up to the bottom of the letters where your high strike is, again, something that’s available. And I think all of this now is something that’s contributed to the higher strikeout rates and things of that nature. But all in all, you know. Like I said before I was going back to the eighties. They had to different leagues. Two different strikes. Owns it was very bizarre. I think as we progress here, this is something that to me based on the numbers. You’re pointing out sounds like it could be corrected when having to bring machines it seems. Yeah. You know, really looking at this data is pretty interesting. It seems as though there is more weight, put on experience and Siniora’s and stead of actually, the quality of them doing their job. And they’re doing the same job and we have absolutely incredible data perfect data on all of this, that, that we can look at. So you can see different. You know, accuracy rankings of different on Pires and, you know, I this little tidbit two in two thousand eighteen fifty five games ended when umpires made incorrect calls. That’s. That’s a lot, you know. And, and also kind of. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, fifty fifty five total games may have ended with the incorrect call, but were they even dote at that point? Yes, there’s one name even one. I mean look at the ties last year. You know, look, look at the how close the top teams were I mean we’re talking ties or a game. You know, an fifty five games ended when up ours made incorrect calls how many of those were teams that ended up in ties you know, such as the cubs brewers for example, you know what I don’t you know, basically two point three percent of games. Played last year were incorrectly ended on a bad call them ’cause it’s you know it’s eighty one games as teams tonight, I know. A lot. But it’s enough when you consider that we had to play a game one sixty three we really want this to be the NFL where reviewing everything. No, no. But I know I like again, I think it comeback.

00:15:03 – 00:20:07

I’m just going to mention, again, like I said with the World Series in postseason umpires selecting actually the worst the dump buyers perform the worst. And meanwhile so those umpires at are performing the worst are also getting paid the most, you know, they should go. These metrics should be exactly what how you know, they’re you know what their compensation is and injured. Also be on who they’re selecting for postseason careful here. You’re, you’re picking a fight with a union, and I’m not gonna go down. Right. Right. That’s, that’s I know. But it’s you know, that would be a way to fix this. And you’re right. I mean the data’s being ignored. We have the data and you know. There should be some incentives for sure. The other thing we wanted to get into. I mean we’re just talking balls and strikes. What about, you know this season? We’re in the twenty nineteen season. There’s been some things with the cubs involving you know, swings where the either were or weren’t swing. Yeah. Let you momentarily about not balls and strikes. But some other things. Yes. Like a check swing now. That is a nuanced call that. I mean it’s murky in the rulebook to begin. It is, is. So I mean that’s the kind of thing. Now, that’s you know, even if you do have a technology assisting or making the calls for balls and strikes. It’s not like they’re gonna have nothing to do. I mean, there’s all of these nuance calls that I do think our judgment calls to some degree, and, you know, and our Jansher petition interpretation of the rule book and all that. So you know as a brewer fan of watched over and over Craig counsel challenge things that you think are, obviously going to go the brewers way. And then don’t. And then the opposite happens where you think. Well, there’s no way in the opposing team’s going to get this call. And they do. And the way major league baseball does its replay is already screwed up enough. I don’t want to add more replay, I wanna get the replay. They’re using currently, correct. I am not with Joe Madden. I don’t think we need to replay every check swing. That’s getting to the quarter line ridiculous, Mark. If you want to improve replay instead of having your unpire crews rotate through New York and every umpire crew gets up there for a week and they do you know what have eight guys that do that? And that’s all they do for a living that way you get consistency. When you go to the replay booth there is no consistency in major league baseball right now. When you go to replay none that I have seen as a fan from my side. Now, I’m not seeing all the games. Obviously, I don’t know how you feel about it. But I don’t ever know what’s going to come back when they send replay to New York, what I would say is if you can’t get it right now. Let’s not. Start adding more things to put on replay. Let’s get that consistent. I now in the future, maybe you start adding some replay things once you get iron note, but right now, I don’t think it’s I don’t think they’re getting the call right half the time anyway. Yeah. Well, I mean I you know, reviewing plays helps I think, you know quite a bit. I, I don’t have a problem with that. I remember you know, and I wanted to mention this because I actually remember this game, and I had to pull out because I couldn’t remember when it was, but I remember this the I watch this game with my dad. It was in may of nineteen ninety the cubs. The way back machine. Right, here, we go the cubs played the giants the cubs won five to one, you know, actually Joe Girardi was on the team at the time, Drome Walton Andre Dawson, they I, I hit some clutch sack flies, and, and Drome, Walton also hit a two run triple, but despite that the big thing that happened was there was a eight to Ryan samba hit a two run home run in the third inning. And the at it got reversed to a foul ball. The, the first base first base unpire, second, Harry, Wendell, said and second base on fire. Joe west. Reversed reverse the call. And a foul ball. They overruled third base on pyre who watched from the left field line and rule that Homer. Now they did. I remember this because it happened and they call it home. Run than they reverse a call said it was a, a foul ball. And of course, we’re watching on TV. Of course they throw the replay in so motion. And it’s like it was the home. Run clearly a home run. You could see it there. No problem will. That’s why we do have replay known. I have no problem with the obvious calls getting taken care of what I have a problem with is the fact that the ones that are close that are harder to tell.

00:20:07 – 00:25:00

There’s very little consistency on coming back, right? Yeah. There’s moments where it’s like. Okay. That looks like he’s clearly out and whatever umpire crews in there for that week has three calls at one time and they don’t have enough going too much going on their inconsistent. Every brute just get set unpire that do nothing. But review, I think we can out the systems the long short of it. Yeah. Calls have been missed. They’ve been missed over history over and over and over again, especially before there was any of this stuff. I want the basics to get to be correct. I don’t mind the challenge system, but we’ll we’re talking about one thing we wanted to talk about was robot, umpires. Yes. Essentially, you could theoretically. Have some sort of sensor. Don’t every fall lineup. Every foal poll, lazy laser guided stuff that tells you everything that happens. Here’s you could literally run the game without an empire. Yes. Done in real time. No problem. I mean that I don’t want that. But it could. Yeah. Right. What I would say is the system now isn’t bad. I don’t think we need to add check swings anything because they aren’t going to agree on what it is. Anyway, now you’re bringing in into Piran kermit’s more looking at the book. If you’re gonna if you’re gonna do that. But I, I don’t know that you can do that any differently than what they do. You know home plate empire. You know, and then with the peel down the baseline either way, I mean that what can you do? I mean it the way it’s worded in the rule book is, is. But you’re right about the consistency though. I mean, at least they should be calling, you know. And that’s where they show you know, I and that was like on this season. I mean they there was some comparisons of differ ones and there’s some like, oh, here’s here’s a freeze frame, and this was this was called a swing. Here’s a freeze frame, this was called that a check swing. And it’s like what, how is that one? You know what I mean? Like they’re not gonna just if you if you compared to any other sport, you could call holding on every play in the NFL. If you dug through every every freaking replay. You know what? Yeah. Human other. Yeah. Calls could go so badly. If they let it the one thing that I can see, you know, and this would be far in the future. I think you could literally run the game without empires. Except for one guy that just has to stand there and tell a manager why this is being called the way it’s being called. You could literally set up a field with tons of sensors, I don’t want baseball to be that way personnel. I don’t I’m lucky enough to live in a spot where we get to see some eighteen fifties type of rules baseball games where it’s more about entertainment in the show. But the arguments with the unpire ‘s, those are actually fun to watch. You know why do people like to watch NASCAR? Some people watch it for the crashes, right? There’s built in and do we want to sterilize this game to the point where it’s slowed down. It’s choppy, I have a hard time watching the NFL these days because these replays are over and above and beyond. And anyway, I love baseball the way it is. I’m okay with size change. Say one thing I would say is I you know, on a check swing. Maybe that should be one that could be reviewed. I disagree really. Check swings. Check wellings. You know, at least it, what a does. It’s, it’s sort of, like, you know, like, like appealing in cork as going all the way supreme core. Let let you know let that be a heavier conversation on that. I don’t know man. There’s enough review already. It’s already inconsistent if they got everything straightened out, and in two years. Those instant replays are coming out very accurately as opposed to right now where they really don’t feel consistent whatsoever. I would entertain the thought then. But honestly, a check swing that third base first base on pyre usually has that call pretty pretty well down. I don’t see that one on and you got to keep the game moving. We gotta get to the next pitch. We’re gonna have our pitchers stand around. For two minutes, get coal. We already talked he’s pays a play. Ways could be fixed. But in any case, there are ways it can be. But adding a check. Swing review is not gonna help anything. I think I disagree wholeheartedly with Joe mad. And then I like the guy. I just I just think that’s a silly idea. I’m sorry. It’s burned your cubs. The last couple of weeks, you know, it has and that where I’m a little frustrated, but, but yeah, you know, I guess we’ll we’ll see what happens as is things move along. And and you know it’s.

00:25:01 – 00:29:29

I think it will becoming in some way or another. I mean you can’t continue. I mean I mean how many times why apparently about an average of fourteen times a game you sitting there watching the strike zone. You’re watching the, the seeing exactly, whether it’s a bar strike on the TV and then, you know, buyers making the wrong call, and it’s like okay so most tied it is what it is. And if if it’s consistent for both teams that’s one thing that I guess that’s fine. But when it comes those pivotal moments though, I just I don’t like to see games won or loss, because of bad calls that, that’s were. I don’t know what the answer is, but well I don’t wanna game where we have two minutes of review for every other pitch. That’s the other thing it has instantaneous used to be, and it has to be accurate. What happens if the machines aren’t accurate, all of a sudden or it’s not measuring L to like it measures. You know, they got that in the technology that they showed on TV showed on TV, but on windy days, that box disappears when you’re watching on FOX or whatever channel, you’re watching A that strike zone. Sometimes disappears right, when it’s windy out, is that because they’re catching that stuff from centerfield that’s where the figuring out from this. I think the games okay? I understand the argument for the automatic strike zone. But you go much farther beyond that they need to fix what’s there already? And I think it starts with better training. Yeah, I know this is a stretch episode and it’s supposed to go into the future. I can see a lot of this stuff happening. I just hope that they try some other things. You know, I think what we already talked about the younger on Pires are significantly better, the trainings. Probably a lot better and just their youthfulness. Their eyes are better. I mean their, their ability to track fast moving objects. Specially the way pitchers throw these days is better. And, and maybe that’s more the answer. I but as it stands, you know, the most important games the World Series were were seeing probably some of the worst. And, you know, I think I you know, I don’t know what could be done, but you like you said there’s there’s issues with unions and so forth. So. I don’t know I better system, but we need rob Manfred to step up and not not mess around with the distance from you know home plate to the pitching mound. Let’s focus on getting these minor league players some money and then getting, you know, some of these call straight note anyway. That was weird stretch episode really not this negative in the stretch up. Larry on this. You know, it’s it it’s a touchy subject. I think in a way it’s a sensitive subject in some ways. It’s, it’s. You know and and I don’t know. We I know we’ve both been burned by bad calls. We’ve talked about it before. And so it’s. Game. But, but yeah. You know, at the end of the David results in loss for like us should it really be part of the game. I don’t know. But well that’s just it right. The cubs have been burned by check swings. The Burs have been burned by reviews. I don’t want reviews you what checks swings reviewed. I just being biased. Yeah. Well, probably. Come at us on Twitter. I’m at wraps his cubs win. You’re at at brew crew winning. And don’t forget, go subscribe at ninety miles podcasts dot com. Over the summer giveaway. So do all of that business gets you. Think about Rowbottom sweat. You think how you think I’m Pires are doing, I think I’m in the minority to be perfectly honest, I think I’m one of the few that, oh you got. I people are a little more upset. I but anyway, I just like the flow of the game. But that’s okay. I get it. I totally get it. And I know I’m going to eventually be a dinosaur on this topic. I can. Yeah. All right. Well, it’s been fun. We’ll catch you next time on ninety mile podcasts and we’ll see another time on another stretch up. So and. Have a good time.