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Vince Jankoski returns today with a slightly tongue-in-cheek essay about what changes are in store for us next in the game we all love. Robotic umpires might just be a “bridge too far”! I’ve always said that if the technology exists to make the game better, then let’s use it. But this one may even push me over the edge! See what you think. -GL

Robotic Umpires??

What Next!

This spring, major league baseball will experiment with robots, not to replace umpires, but to supplement them – whatever that will ultimately amount to.  As is the case with most baseball rule changes, this move is not without controversy.  My concern is a little different than most.  I wonder how robots as umpires will affect the dynamic between the umpires and their natural adversaries, major league managers.  Specifically, how does a manager argue a call with a machine and how does a robot eject an overly argumentative manager?

Let’s begin the discussion with those that this topic concerns most: those managers most prone to being ejected.  Bobby Cox leads in most career ejections with 162.  He is followed by John McGraw (121), Leo Durocher (100), and Earl Weaver (96).  No surprises in any of that.  Of this group, Weaver leads in the frequency of ejections with one removal every 26.47 games.  Cox is second with one ejection every 27.83 games.  Durocher (every 37.39 games) and McGraw (every 39.41 games) follow.  Again, no surprises.  Fifth on the all-time ejection list is Tony LaRussa with 93, but only once every 57.92 games.  The current leader among active managers is Bruce Bochy with 86 ejections or once every 50.65 games.  Billy Martin presents a bit of a surprise, at least to me, with only 48 ejections, once every 47.23 games.  I would have expected more.  Another hot head, Lou Pinella, was thrown out of 64 games or once every 55.44 contests. On the other end of the spectrum is Connie Mack who was ejected only once (in 1895) in 7,755 games managed.  Mack managed his final 51 seasons without an ejection.  

Cox, McGraw, Durocher, and Weaver have the highest rates of ejections.  I find it unlikely that any currently active manager will approach the removal rate of.  So, I will focus my discussion predominantly on those men.  Besides, those guys are the most fun to talk about.

How would the dynamic between umpire and manager change if MLB went full bore and replaced human umpires with bots?    Would McGraw, Durocher or Weaver (or even Martin or Pinella) even dignify the robot by leaving the dugout to argue a call?  If so, what would he do?  What would he say?  How does one tell a machine that the machine is wrong with any amount of force commensurate with the importance of the point?  Would Durocher kick dirt on the bot?  Would Earl Weaver turn his cap around so that he could get his face closer to the target of his anger?  How would the bot respond, if the bot would even respond at all?  Could the bots be programmed with AI to react to the manager’s theatrics?  Or would arguing with the umpire become extinct?

Consider my favorite Earl Weaver story.  One day Jim Palmer was pitching for the Orioles.  The umpire’s strike zone was all over the place, irritating Weaver.  Weaver walked to the mound but said nothing.  The umpire came out to get the game moving.  Before he arrived, Weaver said to the ump “This man (pointing to Palmer) has won three Cy Young Awards.  Where do you want him to throw the ball?”, and calmly returned to the dugout.  That wouldn’t work with a robot, would it?

Moreover, in the event a manager stayed on the field too long, how would the robot remove him from the game?  Would the likes of McGraw or Durocher even accept the authority of a non-human? 

And, for a moment, let’s return to Connie Mack.  Mack certainly was a quiet manager.  However, was his lack of ejections in part due to the respect umpires had for him as an elder statesman of the game?  Would a bot give Mack the same degree of deference?

Today, I will be watching my first spring training game of the season.  I will see how the robot-as-umpire supplement plays out.  I may have more thoughts on the subject later.

Vince Jankoski

We’d love to hear what you think about this or any other related baseball history topic…please leave comments below/

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