Showing the umps slow-mo videos of their bad calls?

[Renntiger]

One benefit of carrying a high speed camera to the games is that you can show instant replays of close calls to those around you.

On many such instances I have been both thoroughly impressed by how good the umps were and utterly shocked by the wicked lies my own eyes evidently told me, in real time.

However, there were also rare cases where the egregiousness of the calls was very much amplified by the increased frame rate.

I know judgment calls cannot be challenged during the games, but what about sharing the videos with the relevant parties after the games, discretely, in a friendly, non-confrontational manner? It wouldn't change the outcome of the games at that point, but if these guys/ladies can see how badly they botched the calls in those specific instances, perhaps they would be less likely to make the same mistakes again in the future?

Or would this simply backfire on me (as I suspect it probably would)?

Slow-mo cameras for consumers haven't been around for that long; perhaps the umps' understandable revulsion towards being stalked off the field can be partially overcome through the judicious appeal to their sense of curiosity?

I've been very tempted to do this a couple of times, but once the games were over, the urge to make a fuss about the calls usually went away as well, for the most part.

Has anyone here been mad enough to actually attempt this? I guess you have to be slightly out of your mind to go to this length to complain about a call, but maybe it's not as bad as I think it is?

 

[Comp]

Dont even attempt it. Rules do not allow video to be used to review a call, and I seriously doubt any umpire would be willing to stick around after a game to review fans video footage.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Comp is correct and they are not allowed to review after a game even if you wanted them to.

 

[chinamigarden]

I can see no good coming from this.

If an ump makes a bad call, I don't see how he can "learn" from it. He either sees it in real time, or he doesn't. The only thing I would like to see is an ump reviewing the rules after he was questioned about a rules application.

 

[Mike]

Ya it would be a shame to try and improve the quality of umpiring. But IMO first they need to be paid more. The averge price for a tournament is creeping up towards $400.00 a tourney, its time we re-invest some money into the program and make it better. Why shoudnt they be scrutinized for a certain amount of "bad" calls? I mean if there was some kind of process for it, you cant have a ump face a lineup of 30 video cameras after each game. We use video on here all the time to call kids out on there mistakes for the sake of improvment.

 

[RichK]

I'd encourage any manager we play against to ask the ump if he'd like a video review of his calls..I'd suggest he make that offer either at the plate during pre-game instructions or sometime in the first inning : >

 

[Renntiger]

That's that then. I didn't realize the rules against reviewing the calls apply to post-game as well. Thanks for confirming my suspicion that this is a bad idea!

On the other hand, why is baseball/softball so dead set against having video reviews? It's not as if the process can slow down the game any more than it already is, or make the umpire's job more difficult. Rather than having the entire stand (or at least half of it) believing that a blind man is making the calls (and letting their opinion be heard at every opportunity for the rest of the game), or allowing hard-earned victories to slip away through no fault of the players, why not settle the matter on the spot the way Tennis and Football do it, which, more often than not, would show that it is the people in the stand who are blind?

 

[starsnuffer]

That's that then. I didn't realize the rules against reviewing the calls apply to post-game as well. Thanks for confirming my suspicion that this is a bad idea!

On the other hand, why is baseball/softball so dead set against having video reviews? It's not as if the process can slow down the game any more than it already is, or make the umpire's job more difficult. Rather than having the entire stand (or at least half of it) believing that a blind man is making the calls (and letting their opinion be heard at every opportunity for the rest of the game), or allowing hard-earned victories to slip away through no fault of the players, why not settle the matter on the spot the way Tennis and Football do it, which, more often than not, would show that it is the people in the stand who are blind?

Because baseball and softball are games played by humans, and judged by humans. Umpiring is as much a skill as hitting is. Sometimes the batter hits the ball, sometimes the batter misses, sometimes the umpire is wrong, sometimes the umpire is right. The point is that every time the batter is trying his/her hardest to hit the ball, and the umpire is trying his/her best to make the right call.

Sure, you can use all the crutch technology that makes the fat people at home watching the games on their TV feel safe about the $5 they have on the game, but it's just a small step away from just replacing the players with robots and taking the rest of the humanity out of the equation. Football rules are designed as an advertisement delivery vehicle, not as an enhancement to the actual game of football.

-W

 

[quincy]

One of the umpires calls low pitches, out of the strike zone, strikes. He is apparently known for this, I wish someone would have told me before the game. My DD struck out watching on a low pitch called a strike. I mentioned to her on the ride home that the pitch she struck out looking looked low to me. She said it was but that was OK. “I threw the same pitch to the 2 girls I stuck out looking. I will be ready for him next time.”

 

[Greenmonsters]

One benefit of carrying a high speed camera to the games is that you can show instant replays of close calls to those around you.

On many such instances I have been both thoroughly impressed by how good the umps were and utterly shocked by the wicked lies my own eyes evidently told me, in real time.

However, there were also rare cases where the egregiousness of the calls was very much amplified by the increased frame rate.

I know judgment calls cannot be challenged during the games, but what about sharing the videos with the relevant parties after the games, discretely, in a friendly, non-confrontational manner? It wouldn't change the outcome of the games at that point, but if these guys/ladies can see how badly they botched the calls in those specific instances, perhaps they would be less likely to make the same mistakes again in the future?

Or would this simply backfire on me (as I suspect it probably would)?

Slow-mo cameras for consumers haven't been around for that long; perhaps the umps' understandable revulsion towards being stalked off the field can be partially overcome through the judicious appeal to their sense of curiosity?

I've been very tempted to do this a couple of times, but once the games were over, the urge to make a fuss about the calls usually went away as well, for the most part.

Has anyone here been mad enough to actually attempt this? I guess you have to be slightly out of your mind to go to this length to complain about a call, but maybe it's not as bad as I think it is?

Bring a bring a big screen TV to the games and set it up behind the backstop and replay any close calls for all to see between innings. Even better would be to get multiple parents recording from different angles and use the split screen feature. That way nothing will be missed. I'm sure the umpires will thank you for your help.