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Void
Joe WestJoe West

Robotic umpires are less accurate than human umpires

The biggest problem with this K-Zone system is it's not exactly accurate. ... They grade the umpires on a machine for home plate every game. ... a year or so before I retired, we didn't have a single umpire—not one umpire—that scored under 95%. ... the robotic computer, they already know it misses 7% of the pitches. We don't have an umpire missing five.

While human accuracy is high, MLB tracking data generally suggests ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) systems have higher technical consistency than humans, making Joe's claim debatable.

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Void
May 2, 2022
#12488
HankHank

I would much rather lose a game playing like absolute dogshit than lose while playing well

Spin zone is I would much rather lose a game where you play like absolute dog [and] play worse than lose a game where you're playing really well and the other team just beat you. Like the Celtics played so bad. Jaylen Brown was so bad. Jason Tatum didn't play well, no one was playing well.

This is a subjective philosophy on losing, though it reflects the common 'burn the tape' sports mentality.
Win
May 2, 2022
#23263
Big CatBig Cat

The Bucks vs. Celtics series is definitely going seven games

I already think this series is going seven, so I wouldn't freak out. ... I think the series is going to go the distance.

The series did go seven games, with the Celtics eventually winning Game 7.
Void
May 2, 2022
#12491
Big CatBig Cat

Giannis Antetokounmpo is indisputably the best player in the NBA

I wonder, I think that we've all decided that Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is the best player in the NBA right now. Like, I don't know if that's a debate anymore. I think that's just because Giannis is too nice. If he was meaner, I don't think it would be a debate.

Subjective, though Giannis remained a perennial top-3 player for years following this.

More from Joe West

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Push
Joe WestJoe West

The Universal DH is a bad rule that will slow the game down

This designated hitter's going to slow down the game because—and I've said this before—if Tom Seaver threw more than nine pitches to the seventh, eighth, and ninth hitter... in the old National League, they would go right after [them]. In the American League, they didn't go right after [the DH]. ... It's going to slow the game down.

While the DH technically adds more competitive hitters, MLB implemented a pitch clock in 2023 which significantly reduced game times, making the pace of play argument more about the clock than the DH.

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