Comments on: Elbow pads and hit by pitch http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/ Baseball, Cheating, and Rules discussion at the author's blog for the Cheater's Guide to Baseball Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:29:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Will http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-750 Will Sat, 19 May 2007 21:42:41 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-750 Exactly, being hit by a pitch should happen because of wildness from the pitcher and yet, the same players top the HBP list season after season. ESPN has a tracker going for when Biggio breaks the "record." In a perfect world HBP's would be spread among players indiscriminatley instead of being focused in bunches on the gritty, scrappy players. Exactly, being hit by a pitch should happen because of wildness from the pitcher and yet, the same players top the HBP list season after season. ESPN has a tracker going for when Biggio breaks the “record.” In a perfect world HBP’s would be spread among players indiscriminatley instead of being focused in bunches on the gritty, scrappy players.

]]> By: Evan http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-745 Evan Fri, 18 May 2007 16:30:32 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-745 The failure to avoid rule usually only gets used if the player actively leaned into the pitch. That gets called a couple of times each season. The failure to avoid rule usually only gets used if the player actively leaned into the pitch. That gets called a couple of times each season.

]]> By: Mat http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-739 Mat Wed, 16 May 2007 22:30:03 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-739 <i>Umpires traditionally have rarely enforced the rule that states being hit by a pitch that is in the strike zone does not result in a free base</i> More than that, the rule that states being hit by a pitch that is out of the strike zone doesn't result in a free base if you fail to make an effort to get out of the way. I understand why it is, practically speaking, impossible for the home plate umpire to call this. He's got enough to worry about just calling balls and strikes. But I don't see why the other umpires couldn't get involved in this, the way that they are involved on check swings and so forth. It doesn't happen all that often, but occaisionally you'll see someone get hit by an emminently avoidable pitch without even trying to move at all, and I find it annoying that the rule isn't enforced in those cases. Umpires traditionally have rarely enforced the rule that states being hit by a pitch that is in the strike zone does not result in a free base

More than that, the rule that states being hit by a pitch that is out of the strike zone doesn’t result in a free base if you fail to make an effort to get out of the way. I understand why it is, practically speaking, impossible for the home plate umpire to call this. He’s got enough to worry about just calling balls and strikes. But I don’t see why the other umpires couldn’t get involved in this, the way that they are involved on check swings and so forth.

It doesn’t happen all that often, but occaisionally you’ll see someone get hit by an emminently avoidable pitch without even trying to move at all, and I find it annoying that the rule isn’t enforced in those cases.

]]> By: joser http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-737 joser Wed, 16 May 2007 08:27:51 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-737 One way baseball could approach the pad issue is to define allowed padding precisely. In theory they could go to some insane degree ("elbow pads shall not extend more than 20% of the distance from the elbow to the shoulder, nor more than 10% of the distance from the elbow to the wrist, and shall be made of polywhatever of a thickness no more than something") but in practice they could just work with a couple of vendors to produce MLB-approved padding in a couple of sizes (Eckstein S to Sexson XL), tell players they can't use anything else, and allow the umps to enforce it (and opposing managers to challenge it). Surely by now every piece of the body has been padded in a game at one time or another, so working out what kind of protective gear might be needed shouldn't be so hard, and players can't really claim they're being left unprotected. MLB dictates hats and cleats and whatnot, so how would this be any different? One way baseball could approach the pad issue is to define allowed padding precisely. In theory they could go to some insane degree (“elbow pads shall not extend more than 20% of the distance from the elbow to the shoulder, nor more than 10% of the distance from the elbow to the wrist, and shall be made of polywhatever of a thickness no more than something”) but in practice they could just work with a couple of vendors to produce MLB-approved padding in a couple of sizes (Eckstein S to Sexson XL), tell players they can’t use anything else, and allow the umps to enforce it (and opposing managers to challenge it). Surely by now every piece of the body has been padded in a game at one time or another, so working out what kind of protective gear might be needed shouldn’t be so hard, and players can’t really claim they’re being left unprotected. MLB dictates hats and cleats and whatnot, so how would this be any different?

]]> By: Eric Walkingshaw http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-736 Eric Walkingshaw Wed, 16 May 2007 07:15:16 +0000 http://www.cheatersguidetobaseball.com/2007/05/15/elbow-pads-and-hit-by-pitch/#comment-736 I poked around unsuccessfully for some specific evidence of this, but it seems to me that football could be an extreme example of this phenomenon. It seems like increased padding and protective gear have contributed to making the game more violent, leading either to more injuries or making those injuries that do occur much more catastrophic. I poked around unsuccessfully for some specific evidence of this, but it seems to me that football could be an extreme example of this phenomenon. It seems like increased padding and protective gear have contributed to making the game more violent, leading either to more injuries or making those injuries that do occur much more catastrophic.

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