In baseball opening day is a holiday like Christmas or New Years. It has always been that way. You see, perhaps more than any other sport, baseball is about tradition. This reliance on customs and habits makes it more resistant to change than many other sports. Yet, technology is making inroads. Things such as computers, video analysis, and pitching machines are slowly changing the way baseball is played and viewed.
Video analysis
Today virtually all players and coaches have access to video-on-demand for replays. If a player is having trouble with his swing, he can simply review the video of his previous at-bats to make the necessary adjustments. Watching the video on the current pitcher can pinpoint any inadvertent body language that may tip the batter to the type of ball that will be thrown. While computers are still banned from the dugout, managers can, and do, often read computer printouts to help them make decisions.
Pitching Machines
Pitching machines no longer just hurl baseballs at the hitter. Now they can be fed statistics and programmed to imitate the pitcher that the batter will be facing. The Abner batter training system uses large screen technology for realistic batting practice.
Electronic Scouting
Computer databases are making scouting easier, allowing scouts to look up statistics and tendencies on any player at any time. Tools such as specialized handheld computers lets scouts use a stylus to mark the location of every pitch thrown during the game he is watching. They can monitor the pitch speed with a radar gun attached to the computer’s USB port and can also record video on a digital video camera. When the game is over they have an amazing statistical overview of each player they are watching.
The Slow March
These are just a few of the aspects of baseball’s slow march to technology. I will be following baseball move toward technology just as I have (for the last thirty years) followed my favorite team’s march toward the pennant. (How did you guess? I’m one of those diehard Chicago Cubs fans!)
