Major League Baseball: Human umpires or machines?

TPowell · 08-14-09, 09:05 PM

on the fence on this one....

rake922 · 08-14-09, 09:06 PM

Bread where do you stand.....

rake922 · 08-14-09, 09:22 PM

Bread?

TPowell · 08-14-09, 09:24 PM

in left field probably

CaneDawg · 08-14-09, 09:49 PM

machines

TPowell · 08-14-09, 09:51 PM

I kind of like having umpires to be honest, but machines would be so much easier

Rich Boy · 08-14-09, 10:24 PM

MLB is retarded not to have replays (at least challenges) on safe/out calls. Sooo many times the UMPS blow a call, and its not their fault, its just too fast for a human to judge.

Seems pretty stupid to me, with HD cameras all over the place, not to make things right.

poochiecollins · 08-14-09, 11:38 PM

Rich Boy, old farts are the reason replay isn't used more. I agree with your points. Baseball dinosaurs don't like change.

Leverage · 08-14-09, 11:42 PM

Machines=Better game.

Fischnasty · 08-14-09, 11:43 PM

better yet, why dont they just do the whole thing on nintendo wii? why even have an actual sport?

ijustwant2bpaid · 08-14-09, 11:47 PM

are machines allowed to chuck coaches, if so i vote for the machines, if not then im biased towards the chuckings....

bettilimbroke999 · 08-15-09, 12:04 AM

Machines, some of these umps you wonder if they can even see the ball and even the ones who can have their own version of the strike zone

Rich Boy · 08-15-09, 12:39 AM

You know how much money MLB will save if they fire all umpires.

Avg UMP makes around 200-300K per year, plus travel/board/meals (meals are big expense since most umps are fat fvcks). Not to mention all the blown calls, with technology today the game would be vastly improved with the implementation of computer strike zones and replays on every play...

Which brings me to my next point, why in the NFL should you have to "challenge" a play. Every play should be reviewed, so if you're out of challenges and a ref completely blows a call (which is very common) the NFL is basically saying "tough luck bitch"

Same with that Hochuli call last year, that shit is disgusting. Why cant sports leagues just MAKE THINGS RIGHT, always gotta have some retarded human error aspect, BS if you ask me.

Rich Boy · 08-15-09, 12:42 AM

People might say, "players make mistakes, their humans... Does that mean we should eliminate them too?"

Players that make mistakes hear it from their coaches, they get benched and in some cases, yes they DO get fired. Umps and Refs never get penalized or yelled at, this shit is insane.

I think leagues want refs in their so they can implement fixes more easily, instead of trying to bribe coaches/players. Refs and Umps are just game fixers, told to swing a game a certain way. Its a conspiracy I tell you...

The

Willie Bee · 08-15-09, 10:09 AM

Human umps got my vote. Just train them better and get rid of the bad ones (*cough*Ed Rapuano*cough*) and the confrontational a-holes like Dan Iassogna.

pavyracer · 08-15-09, 10:20 AM

Here is my thinking. If the umpires are machines then the catchers need to be machines. Because each catcher has a different torso, leg standing etc while in a stance to catch. What if a catcher is not centered in the strike zone? Will the machine call a ball or a strike? What if the machine doesn't record the pitch? Will the pitcher be penalized for a wasted pitch?

CashMoney · 08-15-09, 10:26 AM

Human umps. Have a computer call balls and strikes and you would still have humans making safe/out calls on steal attempts and plays at the bases. Eliminating umps completely would be horrible. What would it come down to???? Sensors down the baselines, outfieled walls, inside the bases? No thanks. Machines do lots of things well but I would not want it in the game of baseball.

InTheHole · 08-15-09, 11:05 AM

Humans....wouldn't watch w/o them

watertight · 08-15-09, 11:15 AM

humans.... its part of the game, love it or hate it

bettilimbroke999 · 08-15-09, 11:19 AM

Baseball is such a ridiculous game they dont even care if the calls are right or not so might as well use humans, call a ball a strike or a strike a ball in a big at bat and change the entire outcome of the game but since the strike zone is completely subjective its just up to the ump to decide who wins

Uhh lets see that was a strike just caught the inside edge your out the other guys win

Uhh lets see that was fairly close but just missed my idea of where the edge is and you get a walk bases loaded you win

Meanwhile the announcers are goin where was that? How was that a ball or a strike? Boy this ump is just not givin em a strike low or high or inside or outside or on curveballs or whatever

aneurysm00 · 08-15-09, 11:20 AM

Human umpires. Bad calls or not - it's part of the game and always has been.

Rich Boy · 08-15-09, 11:45 AM

See its stubborn thinking like this which is bringing down the game. You see the NFL make rule changes every year in order to IMPROVE the game, not hurt it.

MLB = old farts with huge ego's that wont admit the game is flawed.

You could improve the integrity of the game instantly, they ALREADY have computer strike zones during games, yet they dont use it?

brandon m · 08-15-09, 12:00 PM

Yeah I think teams should have like 2 challenges a game or something like NFL and if they get it right they get to keep it or something. I've seen so many first base calls blown its not even funny. And the worst thing about it is you can see a team has energy and is trying to rally and then the umpire blows a call at first base and the whole team just loses its energy, its really a game changer.

brandon m · 08-15-09, 12:02 PM

I just think machines should call the strike zone, and humans to call the base paths and home runs with instant replay. They blow to many calls pretty consistently for there not to be some kind of change.

Willie Bee · 08-15-09, 12:02 PM

Originally posted by Rich Boy

See its stubborn thinking like this which is bringing down the game. You see the NFL make rule changes every year in order to IMPROVE the game, not hurt it.

MLB = old farts with huge ego's that wont admit the game is flawed.

You could improve the integrity of the game instantly, they ALREADY have computer strike zones during games, yet they dont use it?

You should probably write Bud Selig and let him know this and outline your plan on instantly improving the game.

Doug · 08-15-09, 01:22 PM

machine for balls/strikes....if it works well.

pavyracer · 08-15-09, 01:23 PM

So how long a baseball game will last now with machines calling balls/strikes? 6 hours?

Shortstop · 08-15-09, 03:56 PM

Humans. The good calls and bad calls all equal out in the end.

fsugolf · 08-15-09, 03:59 PM

machine for balls/strikes would be more efficient than humans and I don't think it would add any time to the games. If anything it would decrease game times due to managers not coming out to argue with a machine etc etc...

pavyracer · 08-15-09, 04:07 PM

Originally posted by fsugolf

machine for balls/strikes would be more efficient than humans and I don't think it would add any time to the games. If anything it would decrease game times due to managers not coming out to argue with a machine etc etc...

I can't wait to see Lou Piniella going bananas on a machine behind plate and punching her. How will the machine throw him out of the game?

Shortstop · 08-15-09, 04:10 PM

The machine will be programmed to kick anyone in the balls that shows aggression or uses profanity directed at it.

fsugolf · 08-15-09, 04:11 PM

by calmly typing "get the **** out" while channeling ari gold