Out of the strike zone? Vlad Guerrero in ALCS game 6. (AP: Peter Morgan)
Fox's broadcast of the Yankees' win over the Angels in ALCS game 6 seemed odd without the constant presence of the video graphic of the strike zone.
It was visible but not as often as audiences were used to. And when it appeared it seemed like it was merely to confirm an umpire's call. The usual carping was missing.
What happened? It would be too easy to presume that Commissioner Bud Selig used his bully pulpit to jawbone his biggest broadcast partner about dialing back the second guessing. And Selig knows that he'd crucified for doing it.
That leaves room for only one conclusion: Fox engaged in self-censorship. The uproar about official mistakes, particularly in and around the bases, had cooled a bit mostly because of the three days between games 5 and 6 in the series.
And with the saturation coverage of the Tim McClelland blunders from game 4 it was getting a bit tiresome. That having been said, the sporadic use of the screen graphic of the strike zone was obvious and resulted in questions about its disappearance.
There is a way to use the device and give audiences an understanding of how umpires create their strike zone for the night. That is something many casual fans don't understand.
When umpires deviate from what they've established early in the game there is a place in a broadcast to discuss that as an overlay for the anger of pitchers, batters and managers in the dug out. It doesn't have to be a platform for whining and complaining.
Without the ability to see what has caused the fuss or visual assistance in determining if the ump was out of his mind, the game loses something. That something is nothing more than what those that yearn for instant replay have been hoping for: use of current technology to get it right.
For more info: Examiner.com full coverage of MLB playoffs, here 
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