tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538424.post576551930507135994..comments2024-02-29T23:31:03.341-05:00Comments on Out Of Left Field: MLB PLAYOFFS DAY 2: STEINBRENNER'S SLUGGARDS AIN'T SLUGGINGsagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757652892056684490noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16538424.post-67726925078087699952007-10-05T09:44:00.000-04:002007-10-05T09:44:00.000-04:00N, I'm in your corner on the length of Yanks games...N, I'm in your corner on the length of Yanks games ( and I'm not a Yankee hater ), it's just stupid. Same to a lesser degree for Red Sox. And Yanks vs. Red Sox is just really, really stupid.<BR/><BR/>There is mounting opinion amongst the chattering classes that umpiring needs to and can be better. Do the vets and superstars at the plate and on the mound get the benefit of " the call " more freqeuntly than the rank & file? In this era, because of Questec, we should know that. <BR/><BR/>MLB has loads of data - derived from Questec - on umpire performance ( I doubt we'll ever see a lot of it ) and I'd like to know if it reveals that there is a pro Yankees bias amongst the men in blue. I suspect yes. It's also time for MLB to start firing their most incompetent umps, Questec can also provide some empirical evidence as to whom are the most incompetent. The Tim Donaghy story ( what happened to that BTW? ) also provided insight into the vast amount of data that the NBA has on their officials' performance ( although Vegas figured out before Stern that something was up with Donaghy ).<BR/><BR/>Or, you can be old school and argue that the personal relationships between the players, managers and umps is part and parcel of the game.<BR/><BR/>I'm in the camp that thinks it's time to put the technology to better use, which isn't to say that we should remove the human element altogether but come on, MLB can do better.Eric Tomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00632341548970196518noreply@blogger.com