04/19/24
February 28, 2023
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Excellent question posed over at MetaFilter:
Also, along with making the first base larger; why did they not make half of it flat to the ground like home plate? That way the runner does not have to worry about stepping on the edges and twisting their ankles. And the regular half will give the first baseman the chance to tag without having to feel around for the base.
posted by NoMich at 09:16 AM on February 28, 2023
Excellent question posed over at MetaFilter:
I can think of 2 reasons not to do this. To have a part of the base elevated could lead to more of a tripping hazard than having the whole base raised. Since the raised part and the flat part would be the same color (white by tradition), the contrast between flat section and raised part is reduced, and the probability of a misplaced foot is increased.
What about an entirely flat first base? Having seen close up as a plate umpire perhaps 6 or 8 twisted ankles or knees caused by the foot of a runner slipping on the hard surface of home plate, and stopping suddenly with the leg at an awkward angle as the spikes hit the dirt, I believe that a flat, hard base would present a greater hazard than the 18-inch square pizza box.
posted by Howard_T at 04:40 PM on February 28, 2023
I had the same thoughts as Howard. Flat or partially raised base doesn't seem like it'd be all that great for the runner, or at least not an improvement over the current situation. Totally flat base doesn't give the first baseman a surface to put his back foot against when he's stretching out for the ball.
I can see somewhere in the robo-ump future where as long as the runner breaks a plane defined by a sensor before the first baseman catches the ball while his foot is also in a sensor area the runner is safe, or something of that nature.
posted by LionIndex at 04:49 PM on March 01, 2023
Sorry Bucks fans, but it looks like Jimmy Haslam is about to be a part owner of your team.