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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2071 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 20, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Can you typically tell whether an MLB pitch is a ball or a strike without seeing a replay/specialized camera view? I guess they have some electronic BS for this now too, but for me that's not necessary to enjoy the game!

I guess I don't understand the complaint -- typically it seems like people are saying that they can't see the puck at all -- but you are saying more like "90mph slapshots are hard to track"? That is true, but I'm not sure it's that big of a problem -- for another example, does it bother you when they bring out the chains to see whether a football team has made first down?

Can you typically tell whether an MLB pitch is a ball or a strike without seeing a replay/specialized camera view?

Yes, absolutely, and the dispute about this is making me realize this is largely a difference in perception at the level of baseline skill, I played baseball but never competitive hockey. I can tell balls from strikes to a reasonable certainty when watching on TV, though I'm very vulnerable to catcher framing. Live is a little tougher depending on angle of the seats.

I guess I don't understand the complaint -- typically it seems like people are saying that they can't see the puck at all -- but you are saying more like "90mph slapshots are hard to track"?

It's not a complaint in the sense of "this should be different;" it's a fact about the sport that makes it more difficult to enjoy on TV compared to football or basketball.

That is true, but I'm not sure it's that big of a problem -- for another example, does it bother you when they bring out the chains to see whether a football team has made first down?

Chains are normally for close plays, where it was difficult to see to begin with. But yes, it would bother me if the TV broadcast was regularly showing an obvious first down, and then the refs informed me that it wasn't, or vice versa. At some point that would really take away from the aesthetic enjoyment of the game, if I just never knew what was going on until someone told me.

I think it's bad when instant replay is necessary to determine, for example, what is a catch and what isn't, or when the TV angle seems to show an obvious first down and after review they determine something utterly opposite to what it looked like happened based on some obscure rule about forward progress. I hate seeing a play that looks like an amazing touchdown, and then it gets called back on instant replay because a toe was a centimeter over the line, so small that that it was impossible

I imagine most TV producers would agree that their goal is to present the game to the viewer in such a way that the viewer comprehends the action intuitively without needing to be told what was happening. Most innovations in sportscasting have been about aiming for that goal of making the game intuitive: the yellow first down line, the digital strike zone on broadcast, highlighting players or zones of the field.

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