Home Field Advantage
 

Well, so much for that.

It was a great series and nice to see some new blood in the game. The Nationals have a new fan as do the Astros. Boy, that loss has to hurt even worse today.

It was different but fun to watch when your team was not in the game. It was stressless.

I DO NOT like the Lets Go To The Videotape! Play the game. Sometimes you get the call and sometimes you Don't!

Nats score 30 runs In Houston in four games but only 3 in three games in Washington. One of the commentators said, speaking from experence, sometimes players “tighten up” and try too hard playing before their own fans. I think he was on to something.

Yep. Really fun series. Seven straight visitor victories...whodathunkit!!??!! :)

And I know where you're coming from about the replays. Game is slow enough already. But...

I like that it corrects obviously missed calls. As long as they keep it from being too much of a drag on the game, I'm in favor of it. Plus, I think we'll see the computer taking over calling balls and strikes in our lifetime. Not saying I'm a big fan of that either, but the strike zone is etched in stone and easily identified by technology, as is whether or not the pitch passes through it. So I think it will happen. Probably minor leagues first, but eventually The Show too.

I think the problem is that the strike zone is not the same for every batter. It changes based on the height of the batter. So, the rules would need to be changed to use technology.

Now that baseball is over, I need to find another sleep aid. Two or three innings of baseball, and I am sound asleep.

Nope. The existing technology uses the batter's height to establish the strike zone.

Two rule changes I'd suggest

1. Strike/Ball is called by the computer. Same strike zone for all batters. Just because you are short shouldn't force the pitcher to be more accurate. The width of the plate doesn't change because you have short or long arms. Neither should the top and bottom of the zone. Still need the home plate ump to call foul tips, checked swings, catcher interference, and tag plays at the plate. No more "framing the pitch" by the catcher. No more throwing it down the middle because you didn't get the call on the corner that the ump missed.

2. Relief pitchers must face three batters. No more parade of righty lefty righty. If the relief pitcher only pitches to one batter and claims a blister on his finger, the next two batters get intentional passes.

I think the rules would still need to be changed to establish who and how the strike zone is controlled. As I understand it, the umpire calls the balls and strikes, not a computer generated strike zone. Do you think baseball would be willing to take the umpire out of the game?

I can't wait till the computer takes over calling balls and strikes. Last year I read that umpires were miscalling pitches 13% of the time. It can be crucial to the game's outcome.

And I like the fact that the ball stays in one team's possession for a set amount of space. Games like soccer and hockey drive me nuts because the ball/puck is constantly changing hands. It's like an animated version of Where's Waldo. Football is second best to baseball in who controls the ball, but that doesn't bother me so much because once the ball changes hands, even in an interception, it's not going back and forth so often.

I love baseball, and I don't care how long it takes. I love the nuances, hearing about the different pitches and the strategies, etc. Plus it's lightening fast compared to cricket! (Which we're subjected to by Australian kids.)

Couldn't disagree with Blueash more on the rule changes. The strategy is part of what makes the game more interesting. I do think they should get rid of the super-imposed strike zone on the TV though. When that technology was first used, it was only displayed on replays. Now it's there for every single pitch and just makes it that much more obvious when a bad ball/strike call has been made - it doesn't change the call and is not review-able by replay. I'd rather see the umpires stay and perhaps go to an audible tone that the plate umpire immediately hears indicating strike or not. They've had that technology for years in tennis where a tone is audible when a serve is a fault.

I don't find it all that amazing that the road team won every game. Any team that makes it that far would have had to have proven themselves at winning games on the road. Probably more amazing that it never happened before.

What I could stand them getting rid of are all of the silly firsts and records that just give the announcers more words to hear themselves talk. Things like "that's a record for the most RBI's by a third baseman in a World Series". Really - okay, what trophy does he get for that? All of that is a result of technology but is almost like it's part of the everyone gets a trophy for showing up mentality.

As someone who has opposed all the analytics in the game, I must say that I think some of this was a "coming out" party for analytics.

Just ordered a book (Ahead of the curve:inside the baseball revolution) by Brian Kenny of MLB network which promises to allow me to forget the old way of measuring.

Frankly, it seems to work in evaluating but oh so hard for a guy who measured on in Avg, Hits, Rbit, etc. Beginning to see the light just a bit.

Great and unexpected series.

Great, thanks. On my Amazon list.

I think that would not be difficult with today's technology.

Comish was interviewed on this very subject. One way, and I think he liked it eventually, if BB goes the way of this, keep the umpire behind the plate with ability to know the call and signal it.

Two things he likes on this....first us old timers do not lose the umpire behind the plate, and we all know how tech can go....this would be a back up.

I am not there yet....analytics has been difficult for me but seeing how it seems to work for appraising players and matchups during the game.