Race study cries foul over umpires' calls

Associated Press ^ | 8/14/07 | Danny Davis

[Nomorjer Kinov]

And the NFL is only going after bad-behaving black players.

[Artemis Webb]

Horsesh*t

[CaptRon]

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Tom Glavine was one of the beneficiaries of this...until he got to the Mets!

[Lewite]

I would like to see electronic devices that could measure the pitches. We have the technology to do this.

[massgopguy]

“If it was a strike, Mr. Boggs would have swung at it.” I forget the Umpire’s name.

[wastedyears]

Your guess is as good as mine.

Lol

[TexanByBirth]

First off I call BS on this article because it is in the Austin Unamerican Statesrag, the most liberal newspaper in Texas. Second off the research was done by a professor at UT, the most liberal university in Texas!

As someone whose son plays Little League baseball I can tell you that more than 75 percent of the time kids his age (9) can’t hit the strike zone regardless of their race.

I guess we can look forward to some professor somewhere telling us next that white football official call more penalties on black players than white players!

[sonic109]

You took the words out of my mouth ..Thank you.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Let’s also analyze where these data are compiled. Do pitchers of the home team receive better calls regardless of race? The home crowd pays for the win and if you check the stats on teams winning at home or on the road.

[dashing doofus]

How large was the federal research grant the professor received for conducting this study?

[nuke rocketeer]

To the prof who did this study....

[nuke rocketeer]

This is just about making me ashamed of my BSME from UT. I may just turn the framed diploma around against the wall.

[xenophiles]

This is worthless, since it considers only white umpires. Just think how the conclusion could change otherwise-- if they call the same way then, it could well be that white pitchers throw (slightly) more strikes (which doesn't mean they're better pitchers, but that doesn't matter).

What worries me is that the article doesn't mention when they dropped the other umpires from the study, or whether they considered the races of the batters. If they neglected these things from the start, then the experiment was ill-designed and worthless from the start. If they looked at these things and then dropped them, then the report is dishonest.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

... in the 11 ballparks that use the QuesTec system to track the location of every pitch and every umpire's call ..... the researchers found less racial bias.

Translation - "When we use accurate data our results are shown to be influenced by the testers expectations and completely invalid. But hey, they serve our purpose by getting an AP headline."

[TYVets]

perhaps the number differences are statistically insignificant.

Who makes the judgment calls on the umpire's judgment calls?

Ever umpire behind the plate? Every pitch requires concentration on where the ball is throw.

A 90+ mph fastball does not give you time for basis for or against the pitcher or batter.

Who paid for this BS survey?

Follow the money trail!

[ConservativeStatement]

I’d rather watch women’s beach volleyball.

[Old Professer]

That’s the second study due when they see how this plays out.

[sticker]

Since Michael Jordan was never called for fouling or traveling what color does that make him?

[Pistolshot]

Playing a catcher a long, long time ago, I knew a couple of things, NONE of them race-related.

1) Piss off the umpire and the strike zone 'could' become the size of a postage stamp.

2) Have the other team piss off the umpire and have a strike zone the size of Texas.

But I never saw an ump call a game based on race before.