Fraternization
What is the rule against fraternization?
The particle and the anti-particle have formed.
Tagged with: Rules
What is the rule against fraternization?
The particle and the anti-particle have formed.
a meltdown
What you are about to witness is a meltdown.
Here is the context:
- it is Game 4 of the Best-of-5* 1980 National League Championship Series
- the Houston Astros are leading the Philadelphia Phillies two games to one, and therefore need one more win to go on to their first ever World Series
- Houston is the home team, playing in the cavernous astro-turf lined Astrodome
- the game is scoreless going into the 4th inning
- during the 4th inning, a meltdown occurs
Please feel free to watch the game in its entirity.
In fact, if you have roughly 15 hours to spare, you can watch games one through three to get the entire context of the series.
We have attempted to set the embedded video here to begin playing in the 4th inning so you can jump right into the precursor to the events.
If the video does not start in the 4th inning, you can fast-forward to the 43-minute mark and begin watching.
The scene pretty much comes to an end around the 1:08:30 mark (approximately 25 minutes total).
You might want to be sitting down for this.
Please note there is a bit of a spoiler below the video – some details about what you will see in the scene if you are still deciding whether you want to watch it or not.
Last word of advice: as of the writing of this article, the attached video seems to have low audio levels, so you may need to crank the audio – the commentary is vital to the full appreciation of this scene.
*the League Championship Series switched to the current (as of writing) format of Best-of-7 in 1985
******* SPOILER ALERT *******
Here are some more details of what this scene contains:
- potentially the first triple-play in MLB Playoff History
- the umpires have some uncertain and possibly conflicting calls and confusion ensues
- the poor quality video feed renders the announcers unable to determine what actually occurred on the play
- a decision to consult the National League President for guidance on the play who happens to be sitting in the front row on the 3rd base line (smoking a cigar, of course)
- the emergence of a telephone with a long cord that is somehow taken to the National League President
- a decision to overturn the play
- a decision to overturn the overturning of the play
- the umpires deciding that their initial incorrect call led to further outs and deciding to withdraw those outs
- the sideline reporter attempting to put a microphone in between a private conversation between the National League President and the Umpire Crew Chief
- the decision by the Phillies that they would protest the game
- the decision by the Astros that they would also protest the game
There is a lot to unpack here.
We may need to watch it another 10 times.
dust in your eye?
in baseball, you can pause the game if you get dust in your eye.
Re-Framing the 7-Inning Game
Here at CBOS Headquarters, we are putting forth a formal motion to Major League Baseball to re-frame the way 7-inning games are described and considered.
These “shortened” games were introduced last year and are frequently being used for days when teams have been forced to play a double-header for whatever reason (weather delays, games that need to be re-scheduled for pandemic reasons, etc).
The trouble with 7-inning games is that it is difficult at first glance to know what games are 7-inning games and which are not, and therefore it is impossible to understand at what ‘stage of the game’ two teams are in.
If you take a look a a scoreboard on any given day, you may see a game indicating that it is in the 5th-inning.
If it is a “7-inning game”, then the teams’ playbooks for being in the 5th inning would be far different from teams that are in the 5th-inning of a 9-inning game.
The proposed solution to this is very straightforward:
Rather than declaring a game to be a 7-inning game, simply re-frame the way the game is described, and state that the game will start in the 3rd-inning as a scoreless tie.
A scoreless game in the 3rd-inning is a fairly common occurrence, and based on early trials at CBOS, we suggest that taking this approach will make it easier for people to wrap their heads around and stay in context with the flow of standard 9-Inning games.
Switching from “7-Inning Games” to “Games Starting in the 3rd Inning” is a difference in name and description only, but will have many cognitive benefits for viewers and fans.
Here are some screenshots that accentuate the dilemma we are looking at here:
Is the game at the top a 7-inning game that is tied and went into ‘extra innings’?
As you can see, the proposed re-framing of the 7-inning game removes the ambiguity and allows us observers to understand what is going on at-a-glance.
For your consideration.
New Rules
no high fives
no spitting
no chewing tobacco
no fighting
no getting close to umpires
start with runner on second in extra innings
if you are not pitching you are sitting in the stands
same playoff format! really
hmmm i think there is a missed opportunity here
for example:
mic’d up players
robot umpires
new ways (as we have discussed) to end ties
pitch clocks
multiple views or that look anywhere technology
broadcast batting practice
you know what i mean!
it’s a throw away year so lets prototype the future