24 MLB Season Thread

[Sport]

He was so bad at his job for so long that people knew his name. The ideal umpire is a nameless, faceless collection of unbiased rule knowing cells that judges every call correctly. Angel Hernandez was the exact opposite of that. Hope he's replaced by someone who doesn't suck half as much. 

 

 

[BBTV]

lol at the “human error is part of the game” crowd that’s anti tech when it comes to officiating. Is there anyone on the planet that would rather have Hernandez or Buckner than a machine with a 99.9% success rate?

 

These buffoons cost (and probably made) players money because of messing up their stats, changed the outcomes of games that impacted playoffs and cost (or made) teams millions of dollars, and really tarnished and put a black cloud over the sport and its legitimacy.

 

I’m not a gambler, but I have to imagine that the gambling “partners” were pressuring MLB to figure something out here, since it’s super sketchy when one of his awful calls can impact millions of dollars worth of bets. 
 

I also don’t get how the whole time, mlb had been saying “well, by our rating system, he’s actually right 99% of the time and is fine, so stfu” (or something along those lines). 

 

There’s still a few more of these guys that need to go, and it’s a shame they can’t be fired. 

 

[infrared41]

1 hour ago, Sport said:

He was so bad at his job for so long that people knew his name. The ideal umpire is a nameless, faceless collection of unbiased rule knowing cells that judges every call correctly. Angel Hernandez was the exact opposite of that. Hope he's replaced by someone who doesn't suck half as much. 

 

 

 

If you gave me an hour to think of another umpire's name, I might be able to do it, but I doubt it. (Isn't Harry Wendelstedt's son currently an umpire?) The fact that pretty much every baseball fan knows his name shows you how bad this guy really was.

[infrared41]

20 minutes ago, BBTV said:

I also don’t get how the whole time, mlb had been saying “well, by our rating system, he’s actually right 99% of the time and is fine, so stfu” (or something along those lines). 

 

The answer is the Umpire's Union.

[LMU]

Another benefit to roboumps that hasn't really been mentioned... it'll reduce the ability of sub-Mendoza catchers with below-average throw accuracy from being anchors around the necks of their team's offense just because of elite pitch framing ability.  A ball shouldn't become a strike just because of the fancy angle that you bring your glove in.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

24 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

If you gave me an hour to think of another umpire's name, I might be able to do it, but I doubt it

 

Steve Palermo and Ken Kaiser were known as good umpires in the American League; Doug Harvey and Tom Gorman were known as good umpires in the National League.

Also, Ron Luciano was pretty well regarded by everyone outside of Earl Weaver. And his ebullient personality charmed everyone — including, eventually, Weaver. (This is what makes the end of his story so terribly heartbreaking.)

 

In the old days, Bill Klem of the National League and George Moriarty of the American League were well known and generally well respected. (Except by John McGraw, when it came to Klem.)

[See Red]

51 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

If you gave me an hour to think of another umpire's name, I might be able to do it, but I doubt it. (Isn't Harry Wendelstedt's son currently an umpire?) The fact that pretty much every baseball fan knows his name shows you how bad this guy really was.

He is and I only know his name because he threw Aaron Boone out of a game for a comment a fan made earlier this year and then, iirc, refused to admit he made a mistake afterwards. 
 

 

CB Bucknor is another terrible one — maybe be worse than Angel Hernandez by pure volume — but I think Hernandez’s f-ups are bigger and he’s an a-hole on top of being terrible. 

[Sport]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

 

If you gave me an hour to think of another umpire's name, I might be able to do it, but I doubt it. (Isn't Harry Wendelstedt's son currently an umpire?) The fact that pretty much every baseball fan knows his name shows you how bad this guy really was.

 

I had a dream a while ago that I was sent back in time to 1985 to kill Don Denkinger. I'm the farthest thing from a Cardinals fan so it's weird that my sub-conscious wanted to right that wrong. 

[The_Admiral]

There's always Greg Gibson, the home plate umpire, motioning to both dugouts.

 

Bruce Froemming was another one where if you heard his name you knew you were in for tomfoolery. Froemming : Cubs :: Joe West : Sox.

[The_Admiral]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2003/0130/1501643.html Here's the time Froemming got suspended for an antisemitic slur.

 

But read that sidebar from Candiotti. "Well, I witnessed him shaking down Mike Piazza for autographs by threatening to rig the game against him, but he's never been fired, so who's to say whether he's good or bad at his job?" Bring on the robots.

[Sec19Row53]

Mongo McMichael calling out Angel will never NOT bring a smile to my face
 

 

[infrared41]

4 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

Steve Palermo and Ken Kaiser were known as good umpires in the American League; Doug Harvey and Tom Gorman were known as good umpires in the National League.

Also, Ron Luciano was pretty well regarded by everyone outside of Earl Weaver. And his ebullient personality charmed everyone — including, eventually, Weaver. (This is what makes the end of his story so terribly heartbreaking.)

 

In the old days, Bill Klem of the National League and George Moriarty of the American League were well known and generally well respected. (Except by John McGraw, when it came to Klem.)

 

I meant current umpires. I read Luciano's book and I remember him doing some TV talk shows. Palmero was a good ump. Kaiser used to be a wrestler, right? Didn't John McSherry die during an Opening Day Game in Cincinnati?

 

I'm surprised Jim Joyce hasn't been mentioned yet.

[TrueYankee26]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

 

I meant current umpires. I read Luciano's book and I remember him doing some TV talk shows. Palmero was a good ump. Kaiser used to be a wrestler, right? Didn't John McSherry die during an Opening Day Game in Cincinnati?

 

I'm surprised Jim Joyce hasn't been mentioned yet.

Sseems Joyce gets a pass, he owned up to ruining Galarraga's perfect game

[infrared41]

28 minutes ago, TrueYankee26 said:

Sseems Joyce gets a pass, he owned up to ruining Galarraga's perfect game

 

I meant as an umpire whose name people know.

[BBTV]

Umpires are like offensive linemen*, in that you should only hear their name if they blow it.

 

Of course, given that their names are called out repeatedly on the broadcasts and announced before the games means that we have some familiarity with them, but I think I could only name two current umpires, and it's because they both blow.

 

*unless they're next-level guys that actually get noticed for doing good things, or on "your" team.

 

[TrueYankee26]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

 

I meant as an umpire whose name people know.

Whoops, my bad, misread your post

[The_Admiral]

But you didn't have to throw me out

Blow the call because you don't know how to see the strike zone

I guess that I don't need that, though

Now you're just an umpire whose name I know

[infrared41]

How in the hell did we all forget Eric Gregg?

[Sport]

There's this umpire grades twitter account that I like, but I haven't tried to commit any umpires' names to memory. 

 

 

There was a guy who had a near perfect game behind the plate in the NLCS last year. Was wrong on two pitches in the whole game. Don't remember his name, don't care to look because he did a good job and not knowing umpires is how it should be. 

[Sec19Row53]

43 minutes ago, Sport said:

There's this umpire grades twitter account that I like, but I haven't tried to commit any umpires' names to memory. 

 

 

There was a guy who had a near perfect game behind the plate in the NLCS last year. Was wrong on two pitches in the whole game. Don't remember his name, don't care to look because he did a good job and not knowing umpires is how it should be. 

Yup - Umpscorecards is a great follow. I like looking back on how I think the game was called, and then also comparing this picture to the at bat in MLB.com's Gameday.