The debate
Opinions come forth from all sides. A few examples:
IN FAVOR
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant: “You want to get the calls right, and so do the umpires. I think it would be great for the game. It takes the whole argument side out of it.” Cubs utility player Ben Zobrist: “It’s especially bad when a game ends in controversy. Now that we have the technology, we should probably get it right.” Cubs manager Joe Maddon: “At one point, I was totally against it, but I can’t tell you that now. I think umpires would be fine with it, too, because I don’t think there’s an umpire out there that wants to negatively impact a game with a bad call.”
ON THE FENCE (INCLUDING THIS COLUMNIST)
Retired Giants coach Tim Flannery: “I used to get a kick out of scouting the umps. On getaway days, that was an ugly time for hitters, because the umps already had their flights booked. With Bob Davidson, who tended to throw guys out that day, we knew we had to be hackin’. And you had to appreciate a pitcher like Greg Maddux, a true artist, who would work that outside corner and get a strike zone the umps felt he earned. But there are plenty of times these days when I think to myself, ‘Screw this — let’s go electronic.’ I’d like to see how it works, for real, before I know for sure.” A’s manager Bob Melvin: “If Eric Byrnes is all for it, then I want to take a look at it. There’s no way to really tell unless we see it in action. But I’m a traditionalist at heart, and I think fans enjoy the emotion of a good argument. There are times when managers want to get kicked out of a game, just to stir up their team. Arguing balls and strikes is really our last resource to do that.” Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper: “I’m about 49 percent, where I want it. What keeps me under 50 is the human element. I can still see great scenes like that classic argument years ago between (Baltimore manager Earl Weaver) and (umpire) Bill Haller, who was miked up. Just hilarious. There are games, though, when I cross that line, and I’ve told Krukow that on the air. He’s convinced it would change the game dramatically, and I disagree with him. I think the hitters would adjust, as well as the pitchers, then just move on.”
AGAINST
Giants catcher Buster Posey: “Framing would be irrelevant, and I’d miss that. And I like the interaction I get with the umpires throughout the game. As a hitter — shoot, we all make mistakes. We’re all gonna mess up there. I think I’d miss the umps calling ’em. I always make that sound — ‘Steee-rike!’ — when I’m playing with my kids.” Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner: “I’ll tell you what, I wish we’d go back to the way it used to be, and I mean no replays, nothing. I know it would never happen, but guys getting calls wrong, or maybe you get a break, that’s how the game is meant to be played.” (In a separate interview, with the Giants in Arizona on Aug. 26, Bumgarner said he would have no use for “that stupid electronic strike zone.”) A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell: “I think it’s bull—, honestly. The best thing about baseball is the human element. And they talk about pace of play: You’re talking about a 17-inch (strike zone) area. I think the games would be longer, because more balls would be called. More pitches would be thrown, more pitches would be hit. As a catcher, working with the umpires, that’s part of the challenge of what we do back there. If there’s less work for the catcher, that almost makes us robotic, too. They might as well put a damn net behind home plate and have the pitcher throw into that.”
CONCLUSION
It’s easy to understand why baseball’s commissioner agonizes over the notion of a digital future. He thinks it’s “inevitable — sooner than later” that computers will be calling balls and strikes. He’s just not in a big hurry to see it happen. The suggestion from here: Whenever the technology is declared viable, use it throughout spring training. Let the entire nation bear witness during the All-Star Game. There might be a few surprises in store. In a sport defined by the measured look, let common sense and objectivity rule the day.