I’ve lost it. I don’t exactly know when and I certainly don’t know where. It is, however, from my viewpoint, gone! Of course it really doesn’t matter, because I’m only an observer. Others have the responsibility for knowing where it is, but from all appearances, they don’t know and apparently don’t care that much.
I’m talking about baseball’s strike zone. When I was a boy, growing up in Indiana, it was assumed the strike zone was under your armpits and down to your knees. And it looks as if it has been gone a long time.
The umpires have a tough job. But I believe they’re decently paid and if you factor in time and travel, it isn’t a bad career. Somewhere between the beginnings of baseball in the late 19th century and today we have put the umpires on a pedestal.
There is no longer, in Major League Baseball, such a position as “bench jockey.” (This was a guy who specialized in giving the umpires a rousing raspberry and worse from the dugout.) Fact is, today, if you look crosseyed at an umpire you will soon be seeing the game in the locker room on TV.
In those days of yore, umpires had to see the ball game, be fair, and have a tough ear. Not only is that not happening today, the umpires are treated like prima donnas. In the last 10 days I’ve seen some horrendously bad calls. Base runners called out when the first baseman was two feet off the bag, men sliding into home and second base being safe yet being called out. It’s the worst umpiring I can remember. (The only thing worse is the breaking of too many bats today.)
Baseball is rich in statistics and history. I never learned to play the game well, but I learned to love it. It’s time for America’s favorite pastime to get into the 21st Century and let technology save the men in blue from making bad calls.
This will raise a hue and cry among the traditionalists but it’s better than your favorite team being “robbed” by stupid mistakes.
Ronn Mott, a longtime radio personality in Terre Haute, writes commentaries for the Tribune-Star. His pieces are published online Tuesday and Thursday on Tribstar.com, and in the print and online editions on Saturday.
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RONN MOTT: I lost it!
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