ST PETERSBURG, FL – At a recent Tampa Bay Rays game Brooklyn-born outfielder Richie Palacios stepped into the batters box and took a mighty cut. The swing produced a foul that landed in the upper deck section in back of home plate.
The scoreboard flashed the exit velocity of the foul ball at 80.5 mph. It also gave the launch angle of the same foul ball at 67.4. This leads to the question: Who cares? The sport of baseball thrives on the numbers. The magical 3,000 hits puts one in the elite hitters club… 500 homers… 300 wins means one was a dominant pitcher.
Uniform numbers have been retired. Total pitches have been counted. Numbers have made this game what it is. With all this going on, why it is necessary to know the exit velocity and launch angle on a foul ball? Are there leaders in this category? Why even waste the lights on the scoreboard on a stat that is totally meaningless?
When a relief pitcher comes into the game, why does the scoreboard keep track of the number of pitches he throws? Most times he’s there to get 3 outs. We have become a society where we find ourselves inundated with useless information. MLB piles it on, too, and has contributed to the downfall of the game in doing just that.
In the same game – over at The Trop – the Rays centerfielder Jose Siri grounded a ball foul. Suddenly, the scoreboard showed the velo to be 70.1 mph, and the launch angle at 21.8.
Is there a way I can get the scoreboard operator to flash some meaningful numbers? How about a phone number to someone that can answer the question of, why post this nonsense?
That’s all for me. Let’s here from you below. And be sure to come back tomorrow for Joltin’ Jacob Sternberg.
