Slashdot Mirror
Digital Baseball Umpires
Dekaner writes "Wired is running an article on an electronic umpire that tracks each baseball pitch and judges whether it is within the "strike zone" has been installed at 10 major league ballparks in the U.S. The QuesTec system uses several cameras that track each pitch and compare the machine's judgment with that of the umpire standing behind the catcher. At the end of each game it provides a summary of its ratings and compares them with the umpire's calls. In general there is reasonably good agreement. In a recent test the QuesTec system judged that 32.1 percent of pitches were within the "strike zone", while the umpire called 31.4 percent as strikes. However, the umpires association has filed a complaint about the system's unreliability and incapability to replace the human 3-D, real-time view. "
because it doesn't take nearly the skill that hitting and throwing the ball (nevermind aerial flips and catches) does.
Let's pay a fat man $320k to stand behind two ATHLETES to watch a third ATHLETE throw a ball at 90+ mph into a zone that most of us couldn't consistantly throw at if we tried.
I do pay that man's salary with my ticket prices and having to sit through the fucking commercials.
He gets free games, front row seats, and to watch up close what he most likely loves.
I would do it for my CURRENT salary and be happy as a fucking lark. Nevermind the fact that he works like 4 or 5 hours a day only a couple days a year.
Fuck that.