dave;455733 wrote:I enjoy the dynamic an ump brings to a game. Players have to adjust. I go to probably 15-20 Reds games and another 5-10 Dragons/Bats games every year and I don't want to look at a scoreboard to see if a pitch was a ball or strike. I really don't see how it would benefit the game, you still have to have a home plate ump to make other calls. What if you have technology issues, do you delay the game or have the ump start calling? It would be impossible to set up the technology the exact same in every park so I don't see how it would be an improvement. The umps are part of the game.
Maybe you can't set it up the same in every park the same with the angles, elevations and such, but with the magic of computers I think the same info can be gleaned from some acceptable angle and generate equivalent calls. If the tech goes out, then do like when the scoreboard goes out in a timed game, either delay the game or wait till it is fixed. It shouldn't be that often. How many times since they've reviewed close home run calls have the umps came out and said "we didn't have any replays as it was out, so we are sticking with the ruling on the field"? You could let the computer call the balls and strikes by a buzz to the umpire to raise his right arm. Or give each team 5 challenges of called balls and strikes, and they only lose a challenge when they are wrong. Just like in tennis, when the challenge is requested, the ruling is almost instantaneous. But I favor calling them electronically outright thru the umpire buzz!
