My thoughts on the 2017 World Series

[Umpire in Chief]

As I write this on just a few hours sleep as game 5 went well past 1:00 am I have to say this has been a spectacular World Series, for the players, fans umps, and umpire fans. 

How can anybody possibly say baseball isn't exciting after watching the first 5 games. I'm not particularly a fan of either team and I thought initially it would be the Dodgers winning but it would be going to 7. But that is based on the very limited information I have on either team. These games have been dramatic, action packed, great baseball. 

Now for the important part; the umpires. They have been phenomenal! They have been putting on a showcase of what Major League umpiring is about. Yes, they still are doing things at their level that we would get dinged on in an evaluation like moving on their calls, but that's more accepted at that level. 

This is the first morning I've seen anything negative. And of course it's from people who know nothing. But I go to c-net to get my morning nerd-news and I see this story. https://www.cnet.com/news/world-series-umpire-strike-zone-bill-miller-houston-astros-los-angeles-dodgers/?ftag=COS-05-10aaa0e&linkId=44088762

I have no problem with Miller's zone. The highlighted pitches all seem to be touching or just immediately off the superimposed zone which means almost nothing. I likes the aggressive calling of strikes. Nothing I saw was egregious to where someone would have a legitimate complaint. 

Then let's talk about the announcers. My opinions on Joe half-a-Buck are well known and I'll let those stand. But I must say he hasn't been horrible, he's actually doing his job for the most part. Then we have Smoltz. I must say I've been impressed. Clueless Joe Buck set Smoltz up on more than one occasion to take a shot at the umpires and he never took the bait. Even in game one disagreed on something with Buck and was in the umpires' favor. I wish I had recorded it so I could accurately quote him. 

But once again this is the world series the fans, the players, the umpires and we, the umpiring fans, deserve.

 

My only little rant is Saturday I had to be out running errands, and I could not get the game on a local radio station. Our local ESPN radio affiliate was carrying a football game and I had to listen to a very staticy AM 1100 all the way from Chicago over 900 miles away to listen to the game while I was driving. Those announcers I think it's Ron Darling, but the static was pretty bad, are pretty clueless, of what I did hear.

[grayhawk]

I thought Miller's zone was fine too. Yes, his zone favors pitchers, for the most part, but it didn't seem to matter since the game was 13-12.  I would be curious to see @Gil put together a report card on Miller's zone since it seems to be a hot topic among the unwashed masses who are using the superimposed box on the TV to render judgment.  I'd rather see real data.

[johnnyg08]

Nice post Warren. 

If last night wasn't a testament of how calling strikes can get hitter to swing the bat, I don't know if a better example exists. Miller put on a clinic last night. 

[MadMax]

Do you not have a smartphone, Warren??

ESPN App streams the World Series feed for free!! We get to hear the best voice in baseball (currently), Dan Shulman. Only downside? Aaron Boone flapping his gums as a former player.

Dan Shulman at the top of the 8th inning – “This is insane.”

[umpstu]

1 hour ago, grayhawk said:

I thought Miller's zone was fine too. Yes, his zone favors pitchers, for the most part, but it didn't seem to matter since the game was 13-12.  I would be curious to see @Gil put together a report card on Miller's zone since it seems to be a hot topic among the unwashed masses who are using the superimposed box on the TV to render judgment.  I'd rather see real data.

Better to be known as a pitcher's umpire.

[Mister B]

4 hours ago, grayhawk said:

...since the game was 13-12. 

You mean that wasn't the Home Run Derby portion? 

[Umpire in Chief]

19 hours ago, MadMax said:

Do you not have a smartphone, Warren??

I had my kids with me and after all the B!+ching I do about them using so much data, I wasn't going to be a hypocrite (in front of them ) 

[Lindsay]

156/159 Balls + 67/79 Strikes = 223/238 = 93.7%. +1 LA.

[Jimurray]

17 minutes ago, Gil said:

156/159 Balls + 67/79 Strikes = 223/238 = 93.7%. +1 LA.

67/79 = 84.9% Not that I'm complaining.

[ricka56]

8 hours ago, Jimurray said:

67/79 = 84.9% Not that I'm complaining.

It is not a new notion that "encouraging" batter's to swing (calling lots of strike) makes for a better game.  Should the PU be "blamed" for causing one of the most entertaining WS games in recent years ?

[Mister B]

It could be the ball. 

 

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/10/29/world-series-baseballs-leather-justin-verlander-yu-darvish-ken-giles-kenley-jansen

[Gfoley4]

Ehh, I'm going to have to disagree that Miller's zone was good. There were some awful called strikes well off the plate inside to righties, and it forced people to start swinging at unhittable pitches because it would be called a strike. I mean just look at the first three pitches included in of https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/incredulous-responses-to-bill-millers-strike-zone/

[BT_Blue]

On 10/30/2017 at 11:51 AM, MadMax said:

Aaron Boone flapping his gums as a former player.

Late to the party on this one. But if you were to believe Colin Cowherd this morning, you won't be seeing Boone in the booth much longer.