The Plate Meeting, a LF Umpire Podcast from Close Call Sports

It's been a busy week for baseball since the All-Star Break, what with TrackMan's automated ball/strike system making its Atlantic League debut—complete with an ejection for arguing the electronic calls—MLB umpire Mike DiMuro's retirement, Chad Whitson's hiring, and an ever-deteriorating umpire-player-coach-manager relationship. Gil & Tmac break it all down in this edition of Judgment Call.

Dave Phillips served as an American League Umpire from 1971-99 and on the MLB staff from 2001-02, officiating 3,933 regular season games alongside three American League Division Series, six AL Championship Series, and four World Series, with 83 ejections. We speak with Davey about his climb to the major leagues and some notable events and incidents. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.

Why do MLB's umpire accuracy numbers for ball/strike calls look different in private than they do in public? Why are umpires told they are 97% accurate in pitch calling, whereas the public sees a lower figure in the 91%-range? What accounts for this discrepancy, given that the data all come from the same place? We'll speak with Dylan Yep of Umpire Auditor and Boston University Finance Master Lecturer Mark T. Williams to try and figure out why baseball can't keep its numbers straight.

This episode of The Plate Meeting dives into the tangled web that is baseball's foray into strike zone technology. The Truth About Baseball's Electronic Strike Zone is more complex that meets the eye. We trace the origins of electronic balls and strikes to the 20th century and a former US Air Force Lt. Col. who first proposed a simulator for umpire training, and how MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, in his zeal to rein in what he felt were wild oats of the American and National League umpiring staffs, opted for a quick and quantitative rank-based ball/strike system over an accurate depiction of what pitch calling actually entails, and in lieu of an encompassing umpire training program. In our conversation with Yep and Williams, we explore how MLB's technology is deficient for the fabled robot umpire concept that pervades popular culture and how baseball does its umpire a disservice by releasing information that is misleading and flawed.

In this episode, we discuss a sports culture where scapegoating is king and the blame game gives way to increasing personal attacks on sports officials. OSIP President Jack Furlong joins the program to discuss the OSIP Foundation (Outstanding Sportsmanship is Paramount) and how OSIP has become especially relevant in a sports atmosphere that is addicted to proving the umpire wrong. We discuss techniques to counteract negativity, working with game participants toward mutually beneficial outcomes through empathy and a change of perspective to make everyone's experience on the field a little more enjoyable.

Gil and Tmac recap umpire Ron Kulpa's high-profile ejection of Astros Manager AJ Hinch. Could either have acted differently, and is there a history when it comes to Hinch? We revisit Tony Randazzo's May 2018 ejection of Hinch as well as Angel Hernandez's ejection of Hinch in Spring Training 2019. Finally, we explore an umpire's role when a dugout turns the heckle button to 10 and what happens when bench jockeying and ball/strike complaining is left unchecked. Hint: There was a bench-clearing brawl about it in April 2018.

Five-time UEFL Award winner and 30-year Major and American League umpire Jim Joyce joins tmac & Gil to talk about his illustrious MLB career and answers questions from the CloseCallSports.com community. We discuss a key obstruction call to end Game 3 of the 2013 World Series, a few notable ejections, the state of umpiring and Replay Review at baseball's highest level, and, of course, the infamous Imperfect Game featuring Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga.

Tmac & Gil discuss the high-profile Spring Training ejection of Astros Manager AJ Hinch by MLB Umpire Angel Hernandez and the social fallout over the event, where society stands in regard to umpire abuse and why Angel's lawsuit against MLB alleging racial discrimination helped fan the flames of an angry media and public. The show also touches on the computerized strike zone, pace of play, and how each league treats its officials.

Hosts tmac & Gil are joined by 25-year American League veteran umpire Rich Garcia to discuss his officiating career, a major league umpire strike and labor dispute, and his brief foray into the movie business as an umpire in the Kevin Costner-driven film, For Love of the Game. Rich also had a stint as a broadcast analyst and was on-air for the Kent Hrbek/Ron Gant play in the 1991 World Series. We talk about some ejections—such as Tim Foli over a dispute regarding how the baseballs were rubbed before the game—and also ask Rich if he had any odd plays in right field during his postseason career, and if he ever heard of a guy named Jeffrey Maier.

What happens after decision day at umpire school when affiliated ball says "no"? American Association Director of Umpires Ron Teague joins the show to discuss options, such as the Pro Umpire Camp held in March for officials seeking to gain experience and be seen by independent league decision makers. Ronnie also discusses a few notable moments from his career in Minor League Baseball while Can-Am Executive Director Kevin Winn stops by to reminisce and talk shop.

35-year MLB veteran umpire and crew chief Jerry Crawford joins tmac & Gil for Episode 8 of The Plate Meeting. We discuss Jerry's career, father Shag & brother Joe, a few on-field fights and ejections, and ask him some of the UEFL community's questions.