ESPN - strike zone graphic

[Irrelevant Dude]

I was watching the Braves/Pirates game on ESPN tonight and they had a white outline around the strike zone on every pitch. Have they been showing that on every game? It is one of most ridiculous and annoying things I have seen on a baseball broadcast. I know where the strike zone is... I don't need ESPN to tell me. This sure as hell better not catch on.

[javy knows my name]

I was watching the Braves/Pirates game on ESPN tonight and they had a white outline around the strike zone on every pitch. Have they been showing that on every game? It is one of most ridiculous and annoying things I have seen on a baseball broadcast. I know where the strike zone is... I don't need ESPN to tell me. This sure as hell better not catch on.

 

I just noticed this tonight, as well. Didn't stay for much of the game when it didn't go away

[Bote McBoteface]

The Pirates fans that haven't watched baseball in 15 years need to re-learn all of this stuff. They're just trying to help.

[Soul]

Sweet :)

[Cubswin11]

All the regional FSN feeds for teams, which I think every team has except the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox and Yankees, started this year to show the strike zone tracker with pitch counts in the bottom corner of the screen during every ab.

[Irrelevant Dude]

All the regional FSN feeds for teams, which I think every team has except the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox and Yankees, started this year to show the strike zone tracker with pitch counts in the bottom corner of the screen during every ab.

And people don't complain about this? It makes me feel like I'm watching a video game (and I don't even like the strike zone graphic in video games). Graphics in the corners/top/bottom of the screen are one thing, but having one right in the middle of the viewing area is crazy.

[Cubswin11]

All the regional FSN feeds for teams, which I think every team has except the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox and Yankees, started this year to show the strike zone tracker with pitch counts in the bottom corner of the screen during every ab.

And people don't complain about this? It makes me feel like I'm watching a video game (and I don't even like the strike zone graphic in video games). Graphics in the corners/top/bottom of the screen are one thing, but having one right in the middle of the viewing area is crazy.

The graphic on FSN feeds is in the bottom right corner, not actually over the plate like ESPN. This image is from a few years ago and the graphic for this year looks a little more updated, but this is basically what they have on the FSN feeds this year.

 

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/legacy_images/lookoutlanding/images/admin/sexson_kzone.JPG

[Tryptamine]

Am I the only one who likes that they keep up the K-Zone?

[Mark Priors Calves]

I prefer White Sox games with the strike zone graphic because it forces Ken Harrelson to shut up about the league wide umpire conspiracy against the Sox.

[CubmanPi]

I prefer White Sox games with the strike zone graphic because it forces Ken Harrelson to shut up about the league wide umpire conspiracy against the Sox.

I prefer games that don't involve Hawk being within five miles of a microphone.

[davearm2]

I prefer White Sox games with the strike zone graphic because it forces Ken Harrelson to shut up about the league wide umpire conspiracy against the Sox.

I prefer games that don't involve Hawk being within five miles of a microphone.

I prefer games that don't involve the White Sox.

[Irrelevant Dude]

The graphic on FSN feeds is in the bottom right corner, not actually over the plate like ESPN. This image is from a few years ago and the graphic for this year looks a little more updated, but this is basically what they have on the FSN feeds this year.

 

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/legacy_images/lookoutlanding/images/admin/sexson_kzone.JPG

Yeah, that is completely different. It is still a little too close to the center of the screen for my taste, but it is much more tolerable than a strike zone graphic drawn around the actual strike zone. This isn't like football where a first down line changes from play to play. The strike zone never changes, so why does ESPN feel the need to show people where it is?

[Sammy Sofa]

Because it's not blocking anything important? I don't know, maybe I'm just used to it, but I'm not sure what it's preventing you from seeing.

[Splendid Splinter]

Because it's not blocking anything important? I don't know, maybe I'm just used to it, but I'm not sure what it's preventing you from seeing.

 

 

Yeah... I like the zone in the middle of the screen more than that tracker in the corner. The zone is really not blocking anything, but what really gets me though... is when they show a line for the path of the ball when it's live. I'm fine with showing the whole path on a replay, but It's really annoying during a game.

[Careless]

Because it's not blocking anything important? I don't know, maybe I'm just used to it, but I'm not sure what it's preventing you from seeing.

It wouldn't even be there on an HD broadcast, would it?

[Cubfanintheknow]

It's annoying as sin. You don't need to see where the pitch is all the time. I want to see it if an umpire makes a bad call or if a pitcher throws a fatty that the batter jumps on. But to keep it on the screen all the time is dumb.

[Tracer Bullet]

Because it's not blocking anything important? I don't know, maybe I'm just used to it, but I'm not sure what it's preventing you from seeing.

 

It doesn't have to be blocking your view to be annoying. It's not as if you're not going to notice a graphic that large on your screen. I don't think they use that on mariners broadcasts but I could see it being distracting.

[Sammy Sofa]

I really don't understand what's it's distracting anyone from seeing. Isn't that where we're all looking anyway?

[Tracer Bullet]

It covers up half the hitter's body and probably covers part of the catcher on pitches way inside pitches. It doesn't have to be a dancing Whammy across the bottom of the screen to be a little annoying or distracting to some people. It's hard for me to believe that you can't understand why someone might find that a little distracting.

[Sammy Sofa]

Why? I don't understand what people are looking at that's being covered up by a thin grid or square. I mean, I get that people are apparently missing something they're looking for; I just don't know what it is. It's not like I can't see the hitter, and I really don't care if I can't see all of the catcher. I'm always following the ball then anyway.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Because it's not blocking anything important? I don't know, maybe I'm just used to it, but I'm not sure what it's preventing you from seeing.

It wouldn't even be there on an HD broadcast, would it?

Yes. It may have just been a 1-game experiment though because I haven't seen it since.

[Tracer Bullet]

Why? I don't understand what people are looking at that's being covered up by a thin grid or square. I mean, I get that people are apparently missing something they're looking for; I just don't know what it is. It's not like I can't see the hitter, and I really don't care if I can't see all of the catcher. I'm always following the ball then anyway.

 

you understand that to be distracting, it doesn't have to partially or entirely cover something you want to see. A relatively large image in your viewing area may distract or annoy some folks. if it stays there a while, it will become part of the normal watching experience and likely come to be ignored. but for some period of time (that I imagine differs by viewer), it's distracting. can we just accept that and move on?

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm honestly curious, since you keep saying it's distracting, but it's making you look where, presumably, you'd be looking anyway.

[Tracer Bullet]

I've never seen either strike zone in a game I've watched, that I can remember. I haven't watched an ESPN game in quite some time (and I don't remember seeing it on HD games). I don't recall the FSN strike zone being on FSN Detroit broadcasts and I haven't seen it yet this year on Mariners broadcasts.

 

But just from the posts here, I can understand why some people would find it annoying. That's all I'm saying. Some people might find this new image in their viewing area to be distracting. I find it weird that you can't accept that people would have a different reaction to this than yours, I guess. But whatever, this discussion has gone on far too long and wasn't really interesting in the first place.

[Sammy Sofa]

Untwist your panties; it has nothing to do with "accepting" anything. I don't give a flying [expletive] if someone dislikes it...I was, as I plainly said, honestly curious as to what people found distracting about it since, for me, it causes me to look where I'm looking anyway (and it's what I'm looking for).