This is odd. And potentially distracting:
The Red Sox tried to spice things up in spring training Tuesday. After each pitch, it was mandated that the JetBlue Park public address announcer would announce the ball or strike call, and the count.
Rob Bradford of WEEI talks to the guy whose idea it was, how it will work and whether there is a chance to bring it to Fenway Park.
I’m struggling to think of why such a thing is needed. Even for those who can’t tell pitch location, most people in most ballparks can either hear the umpire call a strike or see him gesture when he does it. Balls are silent and don’t come with the same motions. And of course there is the scoreboard. And of course there are audible reactions from fans on most calls, which gives you a pretty good idea of what’s going down.
Is this aimed at people who are still not tuned in to know the count despite all of that? If so, at some point, aren’t they tuned out by choice?