WEBVTT - Brian Gorman (4-1-26) 

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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talk.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, it's the final game of the opening home

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<v Speaker 2>stand for the Dodgers as they close out this series

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<v Speaker 2>against the Guardians, and we're joined right now by thirty

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<v Speaker 2>year Major League umpire now working for the umpire and

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<v Speaker 2>Major League Baseball as an umpire observer. That's the one

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<v Speaker 2>and only great Irish American, Brian Gorman. Brian, thanks a

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<v Speaker 2>lot for the time. Appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 3>I love being on your show.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh well, you're the right guy to have around Dodgers

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<v Speaker 2>Stadium these days. With this new ABS system. What has

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<v Speaker 2>been from your standpoint in the umpire standpoint, how has

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<v Speaker 2>it gone?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, this is new for everybody.

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<v Speaker 1>The guys I've talked to haven't been many, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>during spring training and the last series in this series.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that it's a little different. Parameters of the strike

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<v Speaker 1>zone are a little different because of the new ABS

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<v Speaker 1>system being based on the percentage of the player's height.

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<v Speaker 1>Now juicy, just the midpoint between the the arm pit

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<v Speaker 1>and the belt right now, it's the percentage of the height,

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<v Speaker 1>and the umpires don't know how tall each guy is,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's you know, fifty seven point five percent of

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<v Speaker 1>the player's height on the upper end, twenty five percent

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<v Speaker 1>on the lower end. So it's a little difficult. Plus

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<v Speaker 1>it's they used to have a little buffer from in

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<v Speaker 1>and out, like you know, the width of the plate.

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<v Speaker 1>Now it's just the straight seventeen inches.

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<v Speaker 3>So so the.

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<v Speaker 1>Strike zone has changed a little bit in that sense

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<v Speaker 1>that the parameters are a little different. That's why you're

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<v Speaker 1>seeing some uh, some challenges and pitches missing by zero

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<v Speaker 1>point three inches and things like that. But you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's technology and you can you got to keep up

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<v Speaker 1>with it.

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<v Speaker 2>Before we get into all that. You know, the umpires,

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<v Speaker 2>you talk to them as they come through Dodger Stadium.

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<v Speaker 2>How are they handling all this?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, that was their biggest uh. I wouldn't say complain,

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<v Speaker 1>but that was their biggest worries that the parameters of

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<v Speaker 1>the strike zone have changed.

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<v Speaker 3>So they have to adapt to it.

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<v Speaker 1>Eventually they'll get there, but you know, it's it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>difficult to say, you know, fifty seven point five percent

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<v Speaker 1>of your high when you're looking at a guy. You

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<v Speaker 1>know that you have to be a math major figure

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<v Speaker 1>out what the top of the zone is. So so

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<v Speaker 1>that's going to be the adjustment. And you know, life

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<v Speaker 1>full of adjustments when it comes to umpire, and so

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<v Speaker 1>they'll I think they're doing pretty good when when you know,

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<v Speaker 1>there's like five to maybe seven challenges of the game,

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<v Speaker 1>and you get some of them right and some of

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<v Speaker 1>them are just missing by point two point three point one.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think, you know, eventually, you know, come July

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<v Speaker 1>there might be a little change, but who knows.

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<v Speaker 2>Brian Gorman, former Major league umpire, is our guest now

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<v Speaker 2>an umpire observer. This is the one point that we

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<v Speaker 2>talked about during the offseason that all of us have

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<v Speaker 2>not wrapped our head around completely. What is the strike

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<v Speaker 2>zone for Freddie Freeman compared to the strike zone for

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<v Speaker 2>Mookie Betts. Is it as exact as they want to

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<v Speaker 2>make us believe.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, based on a player's height is where they're coming

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<v Speaker 1>from the top of zone, bottom of zone. The width

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<v Speaker 1>stays the same for everybody, it's seventeen inches, But the

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<v Speaker 1>taller player will have a high strike zone than the

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<v Speaker 1>shorter player. The strike zone is based on his actual swing,

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<v Speaker 1>so they've taken that into account. But a taller player

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<v Speaker 1>will have a taller strike zone, yes, or a player

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<v Speaker 1>will have a smaller strike zone.

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<v Speaker 2>For example, Freddy Freeman standing straight up, his height is

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<v Speaker 2>a lot different than what it is when he's in

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<v Speaker 2>the batter's.

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<v Speaker 3>Box, without question.

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<v Speaker 1>And then when these swings had a pitch, a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of guys crouch a little bit lower than other guys.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know they've come up with this percentage, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know they're going to go with it.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, any chance that they tweak as the season goes on.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't like to tweak during the season because that

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<v Speaker 1>changes it as the season goes along.

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<v Speaker 3>I think most tweaking will be done in the offseason.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, Brian Gorman is our guest. Now we've seen the

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<v Speaker 2>first weekend of results of percentages of success. Not surprising

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<v Speaker 2>catchers have had the highest success rate. Did that surprise

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<v Speaker 2>you anything surprise you from the first weekend of the season.

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<v Speaker 3>Not at all.

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<v Speaker 1>Like a home plate umpire almost has the same view

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<v Speaker 1>as the catcher. That's the best few you could possibly

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<v Speaker 1>have with a pitch coming in. Hitters probably have the

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<v Speaker 1>second best view, but they're looking at it from the

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<v Speaker 1>side view, so that's difficult to figure out the outer

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<v Speaker 1>and the upper and the inside pitch. Pitchers probably have

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<v Speaker 1>the worst one because as soon as they release it,

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<v Speaker 1>they think it's a strike. But that's why the success

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<v Speaker 1>rate for catchers have been the best out of the

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<v Speaker 1>three of them. And they're still wrong or right how

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<v Speaker 1>you do it fifty percent of the time. So I

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<v Speaker 1>heard the other fans said, you know, the umpire was

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<v Speaker 1>so horrible, we ran out of the challenges in the

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<v Speaker 1>third ending. I'm like, well, that doesn't make sense because

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<v Speaker 1>he got it right. So that's the reason.

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<v Speaker 3>Why you ran out of challenge.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that's the flip side as well. Right, this may

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<v Speaker 2>prove that umpires are really good at their job.

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<v Speaker 1>Look at the figures. When you see point three percent this,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, nobody's that good. I can't tell the inside

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<v Speaker 1>of the baseball as it's coming at me at eighty

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<v Speaker 1>eight miles an hour, if it just nixed the inside

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<v Speaker 1>of the corner, you know, you'd have to be a

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<v Speaker 1>rocket scientist to figure that out.

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<v Speaker 2>Brian Gorman is our guest, former thirty year Major league

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<v Speaker 2>umpire and now an umpire observer. There was some controversy

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<v Speaker 2>in a Twins Orioles game over the weekend. How tough

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<v Speaker 2>is it for the home plate umpire to see the picture,

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<v Speaker 2>actually tap their hat if they're the ones. Because there's

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<v Speaker 2>so much going on. What is the kind of routine

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<v Speaker 2>now that every umpire has to keep an eye on

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<v Speaker 2>for the catcher and for the picture and for the

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<v Speaker 2>hitter to tap their hat to signal a challenge.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, the guideline is to tap your hat, but also

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<v Speaker 1>give an audio will uh, you know.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm challenging it.

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<v Speaker 1>Picture's too far away so he can't you know, you

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<v Speaker 1>really can't hear him. But and then the picture kind

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<v Speaker 1>of fell up the mound a little bit, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>got his composure, then tapped his hat, So the picture

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<v Speaker 1>is probably the hardest one. You know, batter just easily

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<v Speaker 1>turns around, says you know, I'm challenging catchroll turn around

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<v Speaker 1>and he's right in front of you, so you'll see

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<v Speaker 1>him tap the hat. But they have to do it immediately.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody's saying two to three seconds, so they have to

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<v Speaker 1>do it immediately after. If they don't do it immediately after,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not going to accept the challenge. They don't want

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<v Speaker 1>guys to looking to dug out and say challenge it.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all reason behind that. But pitchers probably the hardest

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<v Speaker 1>one because he's right at the end of his delivery,

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<v Speaker 1>he sees the call, then you kind of have to

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<v Speaker 1>give him a little time to get his composure to

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<v Speaker 1>have his hat, and.

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<v Speaker 2>The Dodgers have a team game plan to not allow

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<v Speaker 2>their pictures to challenge. It's all on the catchers, specifically

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<v Speaker 2>Will Smith, who's in there more than not for some

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<v Speaker 2>of these reasons. Before I let you go, you're a

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<v Speaker 2>fan of the game, you're a former Major League umpire.

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<v Speaker 2>You've seen the way crowds here at Dodgers Stadium on

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<v Speaker 2>this first homestand have reacted to seeing the pitch coming

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<v Speaker 2>in and whether or not it hits the strike zone.

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<v Speaker 2>What has been your reaction to the way fans react.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's kind of interesting because it really adds

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<v Speaker 1>a whole nother lay of strategy involved. I mean, fans

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<v Speaker 1>are gonna get met at the players for challenging, and

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<v Speaker 1>then then they get met at players.

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<v Speaker 3>For not challenging.

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<v Speaker 1>So you know, if you have a situation and the

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<v Speaker 1>first thing nobody on too outs and somebody challenges and

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<v Speaker 1>loses it, you're gonna boom. I mean, you're not gonna

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<v Speaker 1>watch that challenge would be lost because you might need it.

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<v Speaker 1>The seventh any when you know, got a guy on

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<v Speaker 1>second and third and one out. So so it's a

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<v Speaker 1>whole another layer of strategy. And I've already seen you know,

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<v Speaker 1>plans go I can't believe he did he didn't challenge it,

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<v Speaker 1>or I can't believe he did challenge that one.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's it's kind of fun in the sense that

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<v Speaker 3>there's more strategy, no doubt.

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<v Speaker 2>Hey, we're in the Tommy Lasorta part of the press box.

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<v Speaker 2>I love hearing your stories about different managers. Do you

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<v Speaker 2>have one story that sticks out about Tommy Lasorta. While

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<v Speaker 2>you were umpiring, he was one of.

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<v Speaker 3>My first ejections.

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<v Speaker 1>He Uh, I was working the plate and uh, he

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<v Speaker 1>did like a few pitches I called, and he looked.

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<v Speaker 1>I looked over to him and he, you know, he

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<v Speaker 1>held up two, and then, you know, a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>pitches later, I looked over, he holds up three, like

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<v Speaker 1>that how many he thinks I missed?

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<v Speaker 3>So, you know, I ejected him.

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<v Speaker 1>And then after the game, reading in the paper the

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<v Speaker 1>other day, he said something like, oh, I really liked

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<v Speaker 1>his dad.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm not too crazy about his son. Belt.

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<v Speaker 2>I wonder how Tommy Lasorda would react to the abs Oh.

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<v Speaker 1>He wouldn't He would be having headaches, would he be

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<v Speaker 1>pounding his head so much?

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<v Speaker 2>Brian, thanks a lot for giving us some much needed

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<v Speaker 2>insight on how this is working out with the ABS

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<v Speaker 2>the first week of the opening series, and look forward

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<v Speaker 2>to seeing you all season long. So thank you for

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<v Speaker 2>the time being. I like you more than your dad

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<v Speaker 2>or just as much.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you very much.