Dan Gratz

Yeah this is the worst call in baseball history CB Bucknor might not have a job in a month at this point

This is probably the most underrated part of ABS. Most umpires want to be great at this. They will use this tool as feedback to correct themselves and get better. This will push the good ones to great, and eliminate the bad ones. By the way - CB day tomorrow 🫠

This was always the concern with ABS (whether partial or full). Pitchers can throw literal frisbees, just clipping a portion of the zone. Going to be like trying to hit a whiffle ball, even more so than it already is.

Just a reminder - umpires get paid to make the close calls. ABS is exposing them in realtime. From an ecological training perspective, this actually could help umpires improve if they allow it to. Auto-feedback is the best teacher.

@LanceBroz Someone’s been looking into SSW.

Below is Cam Schlittler's cutter adjustment. #Yankees Maintained sweep, added velo & vertical break. It's now a spitting image of Corbin Burnes' 2022-2023 cutter shape. 🔥 2025 shape: 92 mph, 4.8" iVB, 7.4" glove-side break 2026 shape: 95 mph, 12.5" iVB, 5" glove-side break

@JordanLoppnow The Cities are a hotbed for all sports talent. Massively underrated recruiting area.

I have been told by many that Minnesota is not a basketball state. However, out of all 50 states and D.C., Minnesota ranks first on this list with 13 players.

There are at least 750,000 high school coaching roles in the U.S. Every year, roughly 150,000 (20%) turn over. Now ask yourself… Where do those jobs actually show up? Most don’t. They get filled through personal networks ensuring many of the best candidates never even see the opening We don’t have a coaching shortage. We have a visibility problem.

Great example of umpires (and former umpires) caring more about themselves/their feelings than making the game better. Stop caring so much about being right and care more about getting it right.

@TravisBOUND Great points. Many of these things are used car salespeople selling families on something that likely will never manifest. If you/your family are paying someone’s salary to go play for them, beware of anything too good to be true.

One of the justifications for NIL was that it was needed to stop standout players from transferring, either to prep schools or out of state. The amount of such transfers has not been impacted, because transferring to prep schools or out of state is not about NIL, nor is it really about competition levels in the vast majority of cases. It is about the grass being greener somewhere else, it's about the clout that comes with making such a move, and it's mostly about adults (often with financial gains to be had) convincing kids and families that it is necessary.

The shower chances return tomorrow. Best chance are in the afternoon and evening with a pretty good chance for showers and even an isolated storm. Some northern counties might even see some snow mixing in as temperatures drop in the afternoon/evening.

@ByJackStern The “establish the fastball” crowd is in a bad place right now.

Three fastballs ✅

@SuccessLvsClues Find the Positive Deviants (solid book BTW). a.co/d/0hYspCiD

As a young coach starting out. Eager. Hungry. Naive. You sit in the back of coaching clinics. A pro coach is on stage speaking. My god. You listen to every word. It’s a pro freaking coach. Actually one of worst ways to start. Find a lower level coach. Go spend a week with them

@NVTBLRobHahne @VBCA2018 @BluebookBeede @GetGameChanger 1) Don’t recreate the wheel - use GC. 2) What is the non-compliance plan penalty? 3) Will playing defensive positions be limited after X amount of pitches (ex - 75+ = 1 game off)? 4) What’s the plan to get players to train better when it’s proven pitch counts are only a piece?

@DGratz13 @VBCA2018 @BluebookBeede @GetGameChanger Yes, that is exactly what we are working on. A universal app across all platforms, leagues, orgs with API. Commented earlier on this from @BluebookBeede post.

A 13-year-old throwing 46 pitches on Saturday and then coming back to throw 97 more on Sunday? No one has a "RUBBER ARM," regardless of what "adults" think! In March, in the Southwest, all under the banner of "travel ball fun"? That's not development. That's reckless. Any coach who green-lights that workload on a kid that age has no business leading young pitchers ever again, at any level. Period. We don't need another committee to debate guidelines or form a task force. We need immediate, real change: strict enforcement of sensible pitch limits, mandatory rest, and coaches who actually prioritize arm health over wins or showcase stats. I've seen too many promising athletes sidelined for life because adults put "exposure" ahead of their future. Enough. Protect these boys. Their arms aren't indestructible. @Pitchsafe_co @ArmoredHeat @bsblbluebook @TylerBeede @mtabor22

Ben McCollum perfect example best coaching comes from lower levels. Top down learning we do in coaching is completely backwards. Best coaches aren’t at the top. Also why you see all the college coaches being hired in pro baseball, they actually understood this

@NVTBLRobHahne @VBCA2018 @BluebookBeede Need to have one platform where all youth teams are required to upload game data (including pitch counts). Partner with @GetGameChanger for this. Force data entry compliance by withholding insurance coverage from those who do not. No insurance, no playing.

@BluebookBeede Coach- we are working on this currently with the ABCA, MLB, USA and others. Had meetings in NYC two weeks ago that went very well. Actually met with Tyler and his crew in Columbus. The key here is to get ALL events, tourneys, leagues to 100% follow to pitch count rules.

This works at the High School level as well. Not many media members talking about the math test scores (though important). But you’ll see scores and photos almost daily for sports teams. Use sports to leverage school engagement and culture. Benefits can be both direct & indirect.

@LauraMatthews12 “Resetting the bullpen” has been common in ⚾️ for a while. Take the L to be back to full strength. The ‘cannot get swept’ mindset drives it all in my opinion. Is it because of the balance of talent? Everyone is nervous now? Not the worst thing (see WBB NCAA tourney results).

I want someone smarter than me to do data analysis on sweeps in college softball. They feel less common than they used to be because teams are gaming the pitching matchups and are sometimes willing to take a beating in one game to just win the series.

@MagicManiac68 @BarkleyforPrez @KyleMalzhan Every school has a volunteer shortage. Especially if you ask quality operators.

@DGratz13 @BarkleyforPrez @KyleMalzhan Maybe it varies by state, but in NYS, much of the time nobody is getting paid to run HS game and shot clocks. Been that way for decades. All volunteers, and I’ve never heard of any school having a volunteer shortage.

Wisconsin high school athletic leaders must step up and approve a shot clock.

@BarkleyforPrez @KyleMalzhan Initial purchase and install: $3000-5000 Year to year: $40 x 26 G/B varsity games ~$1,000 Get 200 more people to games buying a $5 ticket (or just 8 more per game) and you’ve paid for your year to year.

@KyleMalzhan Still haven’t answered the big question of who will fund it. Not only the shot clocks themselves but the person who will need to run it for 25+ games

@GowagsKyle Definitely think he should not have said this. But from his perspective (and that of many professional athletes) he has to convince himself there won’t be any future implications to play the way he does and keep making money.

This is why the cliche “dumb jock” gets legs!! Of course it’s real. Let’s hope he doesn’t experience Mike Webster or Junior Seau’s fate.