What does the green-9-red graphic on TBS baseball signify?
Asked by
MrItty (
17416
)
October 19th, 2008
When TBS airs a baseball game (like the current ALCS Game 7) and a runner is on first, they overlay this graphic that has a green arrow, the number 9, and a red arrow. I have absolutely no idea what this is trying to tell me. I have to assume it has something to do with pickoffs or stolen bases, but that’s about it.
Anyone have a clue what the arrows or number 9 are supposed to mean?
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7 Answers
The graphic is supposed to indicate the distance of a runner’s lead.
In the majors, nine feet is considered a “standard” lead off first base. If a runner has more than a nine-foot lead, they enter the red area, which indicates that they are taking a bigger risk (more likely to get picked off, but also more likely to steal second base successfully). If the runner stays in the green area, closer to first base, it indicates that the runner is playing it safe and is less likely to attempt to steal second.
So where exactly is the 9-foot mark? The beginning of the red? the beginning of the green? The middle of the 9?
Thanks!
It’s obviously not precise, but I would guess it’s supposed to be the middle of the 9.
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Ohmigod, I’ve been wondering the same thing!
Your answer is very convincing, Erik – you sound like you know what you’re talking about. Now that the ALCS is over, I am very glad to be done watching TBS!
Thank you sferik for what seems like the logical answer. The only note I’ll make is that you have the red and green zones backwards. The green is the ‘go’ zone and is furthest from the bag and the red is the ‘no-go’ zone and is closest to first base.
That makes more sense to me.
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