QuesTec Poll

by 82Special on May 9, 2009 8:19 PM EDT

I've wondered about this issue for quite awhile, and the inconsistency of tonight's home plate umpire made me think this was as good a time as any to try a poll. I'm usually a baseball traditionalist, but until the Cards start to be the team getting the calls instead of the team consistently getting hammered, I'm wondering if a more impartial system shouldn't be used to call balls and strikes. I'd like to know what you think. Hence, the poll:

Poll

How should MLB determine balls and strikes?

continue current system in which umpires make the calls on the spot

41 votes

use umpires but overrule incorrect calls immediately with QuesTec

10 votes

use QuesTec for all determinations of balls and strikes

11 votes

let the batter call his own balls and strikes

13 votes

75 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 17 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Combine the two

Still have an umpire, but a robot one.

by DiscoJer on May 9, 2009 10:02 PM EDT reply actions

I for one welcome our new robot umpire overlords.

by BTown Birds fan on May 9, 2009 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions

5) Fire the bad umpires.

- "I went at it and didn’t slow down, so it kind of bounced off me." -Lil' Dunc

by SleepyCA on May 9, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

My vote,

and I think the Umps should start positioning themselves in the middle of the plate not over the inside corner. Tonight’s Ump called a pretty consistent game, but 5 inches off the plate is absurd!

by chicagocardfan on May 9, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

+1

by thepainguy on May 11, 2009 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Ding!

It’s all about accountability. Umps that do a bad job shouldn’t work or should face sanctions of some kind.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on May 10, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

by thepainguy on May 11, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

since they don't use questex anymore, can we vote for something else?

It kind of sounds like he’s [Duncan] just running around like a puppy out there – full speed ahead in random directions. – BTown Birds Fan

by gdm426 on May 9, 2009 11:08 PM EDT reply actions

yeah seriously

St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008

by vivaelpujols on May 10, 2009 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

HAHAHAHA

Let the batters call balls and strikes. wtf?

St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008

by vivaelpujols on May 10, 2009 1:08 AM EDT reply actions

AJ Pierzinski's OBP is suddenly 1.000

Space.

It's a problem we face.

So we never go anywhere.

We just stay in one place.

by hazel on May 12, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

A congressional oversight committee on that freaking blown call.

by notmorganfreeman on May 10, 2009 2:17 AM EDT reply actions

Kyle Lohse and Yaddi

I blame these two for not taking advantage of the strike zone…

The Reds had some questionable strikes called against them as well. Harrang was just smart enough to notice the corner was being called and he just pounded it.

Sometimes I wonder if Duncan/Yadi/pitcher get too caught up in the “game” plan and don’t adjust to an ump who has a rather large zone.

by ICbirdfan on May 10, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

that is a good point

here’s an interesting bit: Lohse has had a faster fastball than harang every single year of his career (both have been MLB pitchers from 2002-2009).

I had a long reply typed where I said something to the effect of “harang can get away with missing up in the zone more, because he throws harder”, until I looked it up.

- "I went at it and didn’t slow down, so it kind of bounced off me." -Lil' Dunc

by SleepyCA on May 10, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't vote

because there was no option to use Questec to monitor the performance of the umpires

4B - beer baseball bands blog
rocknroll ain't noise pollution

by Cards Fan in Chitown on May 10, 2009 12:29 PM EDT reply actions

that's why you just vote for the fourth option

and call it a day.

On with the (good) youth movement!

by aet15 on May 11, 2009 4:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Human element

Its what makes the game so great. MLB umpires are the best officials in pro sports and they do a pretty decent job of policing bad calls and bad umps. Each team during any given year has calls go its way and against it. It all evens out. Get rid of Instant Replay!

by backtocali on May 15, 2009 10:49 PM EDT reply actions