The Silver Screen Oasis

laffite wrote: ↑April 16th, 2023, 10:06 pm Thompson, you're a baseball fan. I'm surprised at your comments. C'mon you know better than that. When to take out a pitcher. Don't say that is the job of the pitching coach. The manager makes that decision. When to pinch hit. Don't say that is the batting coach's job. It isn't. The manager makes that decision. Knowing the bullpen and who's ready and who isn't. The pitching coach may be aware of that but so does the manager. The manager makes that decision. The hitting coach and the pitching coach do their main job off the field. When the team is not successful, it is the manager who takes the blame. Not the pitching coach, not the hitting coach, not the batboy (do they still exist), not the guy in the booth, not the guy in the stands selling hot dogs, not the third base coach, not the first base coach, not the ballgirl in right field, not the ballgirl in left field, not the DH, not any position player, IT'S THE MANAGER. He has to make tactical and strategic decisions throughout the game. He decides who is going to play, and no other. He decides the batting order, no other. He knows his players and so none of this is difficult for him. Yes, he has to make an appearance at home plate and lift his arm up a little to hand the batting order, but old guys can do that. He also should be a SOB if he is any good. He has to protect his players by making protest to the ump. He gets the glory or he gets the agony, depending on his team.

Umpires don't know the strike zone if that little horizontal rectangular means anything. I know it's difficult, but they make many bad calls. New plan : if we want to keep the home plate umpires, get rid of the rectangle. If we want the home plate umpires to be permanently retires, then retain the onscreen strike zone. To keep both then it is makes a mockery of the game.

I would hate to be a pitching coach. Make the sure every batter know how to bunt. Teach them the strike zone. Encourage hitters to take a pitch, especially at times when it is important. Don't swing at bad pitches as a general rule. There are always exceptions. But there are runners and second and third with one, make the pitcher pitch to you, don't swing wildly when the pitch is way out there from the strike zone. Don't be afraid to draw a walk (gasp!). Learn about bat handling, swing and go with the pitch, learn to protect the plate with two strikes. Most of things are beyond hitters today. They swagger and swing for the fences. Don't tell me to bunt, don't tell me to go with the pitch, don't tell me to protect the plate, I'm a swagger slugger and I get paid more than you which means I don't need no stinking batting coach to tell me what to do!

Dargo wrote: ↑April 16th, 2023, 10:52 pm

laffite wrote: ↑April 16th, 2023, 10:06 pm Thompson, you're a baseball fan. I'm surprised at your comments. C'mon you know better than that. When to take out a pitcher. Don't say that is the job of the pitching coach. The manager makes that decision. When to pinch hit. Don't say that is the batting coach's job. It isn't. The manager makes that decision. Knowing the bullpen and who's ready and who isn't. The pitching coach may be aware of that but so does the manager. The manager makes that decision. The hitting coach and the pitching coach do their main job off the field. When the team is not successful, it is the manager who takes the blame. Not the pitching coach, not the hitting coach, not the batboy (do they still exist), not the guy in the booth, not the guy in the stands selling hot dogs, not the third base coach, not the first base coach, not the ballgirl in right field, not the ballgirl in left field, not the DH, not any position player, IT'S THE MANAGER. He has to make tactical and strategic decisions throughout the game. He decides who is going to play, and no other. He decides the batting order, no other. He knows his players and so none of this is difficult for him. Yes, he has to make an appearance at home plate and lift his arm up a little to hand the batting order, but old guys can do that. He also should be a SOB if he is any good. He has to protect his players by making protest to the ump. He gets the glory or he gets the agony, depending on his team.

Umpires don't know the strike zone if that little horizontal rectangular means anything. I know it's difficult, but they make many bad calls. New plan : if we want to keep the home plate umpires, get rid of the rectangle. If we want the home plate umpires to be permanently retires, then retain the onscreen strike zone. To keep both then it is makes a mockery of the game.

I would hate to be a pitching coach. Make the sure every batter know how to bunt. Teach them the strike zone. Encourage hitters to take a pitch, especially at times when it is important. Don't swing at bad pitches as a general rule. There are always exceptions. But there are runners and second and third with one, make the pitcher pitch to you, don't swing wildly when the pitch is way out there from the strike zone. Don't be afraid to draw a walk (gasp!). Learn about bat handling, swing and go with the pitch, learn to protect the plate with two strikes. Most of things are beyond hitters today. They swagger and swing for the fences. Don't tell me to bunt, don't tell me to go with the pitch, don't tell me to protect the plate, I'm a swagger slugger and I get paid more than you which means I don't need no stinking batting coach to tell me what to do!

I absolutely agree with what you said in paragraphs one and three here, laffite. And so now lets get to your paragraph number TWO.

Once again I see nothing at all wrong with the suggestion I made a few weeks ago about giving managers two or three times within a game to question a balls/strike call and by use of that superimposed computerized strike zone, and do NOT agree that by doing this it would "make a mockey of the game".

So, has the NBA's recent use of video replay in order to review a called foul (such as in the cases of charge vs block fouls and/or who touched the ball last on an out-of-bounds call) and which each basketball head coach now gets one challenge per each half, well, has THIS "made a mockery of the game" of NBA basketball???

(...I think not, sir...nope, I think it makes it less likely that fans of these sports would then have reason to cry "we was robbed" when their team loses a game, that's all)

Thompson wrote: ↑April 18th, 2023, 7:28 pm I’m not seeing the catcher put down any fingers to communicate the pitch request to the pitcher??

laffite wrote: ↑April 18th, 2023, 2:15 am Oh Thompson, Thompson, you are breathtakingly simplistic about managers ; - )

Yesterdays 2-0 win by the Yankees took only 2:07 to play!

Thompson wrote: ↑April 18th, 2023, 4:54 pm Well, I never cared for most of my managers. Owners were even worse. This is regarding hotels not baseball. My favorite baseball manager is Jim Leyland, he sneaked puffs of cigarettes in the dugout. That was fun to espy.

Thompson wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 1:23 pm I’m stunned with the new revelation that there is some kind of new communication between the catcher and pitcher (and apparently with other defensive players) about pitch signal. There is some beeper thing on the catcher’s backside and instead of putting his fingers between his legs he pushes buttons on a beeper. The pitcher and others are privy to the call through “something” electronic that’s in their caps. Am I right here?

jamesjazzguitar wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 2:02 pm

Thompson wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 1:23 pm I’m stunned with the new revelation that there is some kind of new communication between the catcher and pitcher (and apparently with other defensive players) about pitch signal. There is some beeper thing on the catcher’s backside and instead of putting his fingers between his legs he pushes buttons on a beeper. The pitcher and others are privy to the call through “something” electronic that’s in their caps. Am I right here?

I wasn't aware of this. Sounds like a Houston Astro work-around technique.

Thompson wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 2:40 pm

jamesjazzguitar wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 2:02 pm

Thompson wrote: ↑April 19th, 2023, 1:23 pm I’m stunned with the new revelation that there is some kind of new communication between the catcher and pitcher (and apparently with other defensive players) about pitch signal. There is some beeper thing on the catcher’s backside and instead of putting his fingers between his legs he pushes buttons on a beeper. The pitcher and others are privy to the call through “something” electronic that’s in their caps. Am I right here?

I wasn't aware of this. Sounds like a Houston Astros work-around technique.

I can’t figure it out. Watching Texas and KC now and the catcher for KC has his beeper thing on his right knee and covers it with his glove when “signaling” the pitch. The Texas catcher does not have a beeper on his knee but he is not signaling with his fingers either. All catchers are keeping their right hand behind their back during the pitch, which seems new to me and might be because it’s quicker to throw, but they are doing it with no baserunners on too. I can’t spot any kind of transmitter visible on the pitcher. Nothing near the ears. It must be some kind of vibrator with a simple code (unless you are catching for Darvish) 1,2,3 fastball, slider, change up. The catcher does reveal his “spot” for the pitch with his framing. I’m really curious.