Why don't umpires wear cameras like cops to review challenge calls at college and lower?

[Guest Umpire from Texas]

Just curious. Do you guys know of any rules banning that? What's stopped this from getting adopted before? 

[beerguy55]

21 minutes ago, Guest Umpire from Texas said:

Just curious. Do you guys know of any rules banning that? What's stopped this from getting adopted before? 

Outside the pro and ncaa levels there are no rule provisions for video review  (eg. a FED ump can't ask for a parent's cell phone video of a play to review his call).

 

Besides that...beyond the whole element of time wasting, who would you propose pay for such a framework?

The only value I would give to body cams (which could get destroyed by foul balls on plate umpires) would be to provide evidence for confrontations, ejections, etc - NOT for review challenges.

[Vegas_Ump]

During the higher levels of the Little League World Series tournaments, some umps were wearing ump-cams.  (Saw it a lot in the softball tournaments.)

I never saw any practical use for these.  Nobody likes any ump's strike zone, so why bother?  I just don't see anything gained  by showing the ump cam live.  There are other TV cameras available for a ruling replay.

Mike 

Las Vegas

[flyingron]

They'd forget to turn them on, just like the cops

 

[Mister B]

I have no interest in making the games go on 2 hours longer. It's also not a cheap/easy undertaking. The camera needs to be connected to a computer somewhere, they'll probably need to be wireless, so lots of new tech. A couple levels of security. I've been hit in the chest many times, so you'll need 5-6 extra cameras on standby. 2-3 hours of HD video is gonna need some storage. You'll need a technician on site, as something will go wrong. The tech will probably need to operate the rig, so they can get to the right spot in the video. And some kind of hardware on the field so the umpire can watch it. 

For amateur umpires, I don't think many of them take the catcher's position into account. I always try to be aware of where the catcher is in relationship to the plate. If he sets up with his left foot at the center of the plate and the ball hits the glove on the right side of his body that's probably not a strike. We've all seen the LL catcher set up behind the opposite side batters box and receive the ball right in the middle of the chest, we've seen those get called strikes. I would guess the PU saw the ball hit the glove right at the chest and wasn't aware that the catcher was that far outside. 

[Replacematt]

One of the major things is equity. Not every facility would have the ability to have replay (I'd say almost all HS-level and below would find the cost either prohibitive or not worth it.) So, if it was allowed and only available at a few places, there's the issue of having a de facto different set of rules at those places that have replay compared to those that don't.

Also, replay rules get complicated in a hurry--what can be reviewed and when, how challenges work, who is authorized to challenge, etc. I'd say many (if not most) youth coaches would not find the effort worthwhile to learn those guidelines and most youth umpires would not enforce them consistently. 

For the games that I do that have review, I keep a small copy of Section VIII in my lineup card holder: https://unitedumpires.org/pdf/NCAA-Baseball-Video-Review-Regulations.pdf

[SH0102]

I have never quite understood the desire for people to want a "perfect" strike zone below upper-level D1 college and pros.  I have done some 16u summer games and you hear that dad behind the plate barking about a pitch "on the chalk", which is essentially 1 - 1 1/2 ball width's off the plate...you want an MLB zone?  Okay, let's have it, and then I can listen to you complain about how the game is taking 7 hours and there were 53 walks

[Velho]

1 hour ago, Vegas_Ump said:

Nobody likes any ump's strike zone, so why bother?

🤣

[Mister B]

There's a couple games on YouTube that have been edited down just the pitches and action. A 15u 7-inning game was distilled down to 26 minutes. That's 2-2.5 hours of waiting. I think it's time to get serious about the minute between innings, but I do worry about the kids' arms if they don't warm up. 

[dumbdumb]

things are being run by analytics now. pitchers for stress to their arms. not only with amount of pitches thrown (with everyone trying to throw 1000mph) causing arm stress, but the recovery time after each pitch. the longer taken (time) before the next pitch, the greater the recovery time for the arm obviously and therefor the next stress to the arm, and longer the pitcher can last over time. it behooves the pitcher to take as much time as possible in between pitches, whether manufactured by that pitcher or the game itself.

so, finding sports with clocks, or time limits involved could possibly make them more enjoyable to watch and to officiate. (what is it, aka 1:50 time limit for most movies before our instant satisfaction/gratification runs out. gee how did anyone last through harry potter, lord of the rings or gone with the wind back in the day, but the beauty of baseball is there are no clocks (yet), or so they say. of course the time involved may just run them out of business, or take them from billionaires to trillionaires, but who knows.

maybe just lobbing it in underhanded could speed up the game if you move the fences back another 400 feet.

[Mudisfun]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:20 PM, SH0102 said:

you want an MLB zone?  Okay, let's have it, and then I can listen to you complain about how the game is taking 7 hours and there were 53 walks

You forgot to mention the coaches complaining that they have burned through all of their pitching by the 3rd inning in this scenario. What I find funny is almost every season, we are told that the coaches want us calling MORE strikes, not less... wish that message would make its way down to the parents 🙂

To answer the original OP question, at least in HS baseball played under FED rules: The use of video for replay purposes is expressly prohibited, no matter if it is a school with top of the line tech and a full replay booth, or just some parent trying to hand you their phone.

All of the reasons mentioned above regarding cost, tech needed, who actually owns the fields, video and recording law differences by state, equality between sites and do not forget just down right theft of the equipment, 100% makes video at the LL or other youth levels mostly a no go.

[jonathantullos]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:22 PM, Guest Umpire from Texas said:

Just curious. Do you guys know of any rules banning that? What's stopped this from getting adopted before? 

Wearing cameras for a typical high school game is stupid and a waste of time. The games are too long as it is.

Not to mention I'm sure if cameras were mandated, it would be on the umpires to buy the cameras. Won't happen with me. I'd quit first.