http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3853454/m...lpen-cellphones

 

T-Mobile and Major League Baseball announced a partnership today that will make the carrier the Official Wireless Sponsor of the MLB. That's mostly a pointless marketing phrase, but it does have one very real effect on baseball going forward: the dugout phone, the one that calls the bullpen to bring in a new pitcher, is about to become a cellphone. The "On-Field Communication System" will eventually expand to other parts of the game and stadium, but only after it's tested in the bullpen at the World Baseball Classic in Arizona — the league needs to be sure that T-Mobile's network lets us tell apart the names of the Astros' relievers before the technology is rolled out more broadly.

 

Major League Baseball has long been ahead of the game technologically, from MLB.tv to MLB.com At Bat. Landlines were the one flaw on its 21st-century resume, and we can only hope T-Mobile's going to bring America's pastime into the present once and for all.

I'm a big fan of their work.

 

Interesting. I wonder if they will be subject to the can't get a signal that is rampant in a lot of parks.

Interesting. I wonder if they will be subject to the can't get a signal that is rampant in a lot of parks.

That'd be great, pausing a game because a team can't get through to call the bullpen.

Interesting. I wonder if they will be subject to the can't get a signal that is rampant in a lot of parks.

 

How's that for a great strategy to get your pitcher some more warm up tosses. Walk out to the ump to complain that you can't get a signal.

So now MLB is getting into 1990's technology in 2013. How hard would it be to have touch-screen computer terminals in the dugout and bullpen and have the manager or pitching coach just pick from a list of relievers on the screen and have it flash on the bullpen screen?

So now MLB is getting into 1990's technology in 2013. How hard would it be to have touch-screen computer terminals in the dugout and bullpen and have the manager or pitching coach just pick from a list of relievers on the screen and have it flash on the bullpen screen?

Stop with the logic.

Interesting. I wonder if they will be subject to the can't get a signal that is rampant in a lot of parks.

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8826859/...t-deal-t-mobile

 

This article goes into a little more detail. The old "land lines" will still be there for managers that elect to use them. I just can't imagine some of the old-timers whipping out S3s to make a call to the bullpen.

So now MLB is getting into 1990's technology in 2013. How hard would it be to have touch-screen computer terminals in the dugout and bullpen and have the manager or pitching coach just pick from a list of relievers on the screen and have it flash on the bullpen screen?

 

YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU? Baseball is an old timer sport and WE NEED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY! YOU KIDS AND YOUR DAMN TECHNOLOGY.

YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU? Baseball is an old timer sport and WE NEED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY! YOU KIDS AND YOUR DAMN TECHNOLOGY.

I like the Dh in the american league because without it we wouldn't have seen Frank Thomas but not using the bull pen and dugout phone will ruin the game

I don't see any reason to go away from a hard-wired phone. It's not like most people don't have phones on their desks at work. Even if they're IP phones, they're still plugged into something.

 

It's just an advertising gimmick.

I don't see any reason to go away from a hard-wired phone. It's not like most people don't have phones on their desks at work. Even if they're IP phones, they're still plugged into something.

 

It's just an advertising gimmick.

 

Bullpen phones malfunctioned in the 2011 WS and they couldn't get the right pitcher to warm up.

 

Anyhow, it's gonna look weird when the manager takes a cell phone out of his pocket and calls the bullpen.

I don't know that we should expect a cellphone to be more reliable than an internal phone line.

I don't know that we should expect a cellphone to be more reliable than an internal phone line.

 

Especially T-Mobile. Hell, I have trouble with getting signal inside a building at times.

I expect this to cause more problems than it solves.

 

Imagine when the phone number for one team's phone gets leaked?

I expect this to cause more problems than it solves.

 

Imagine when the phone number for one team's phone gets leaked?

 

That could have happened before.

I'd be surprised if the bullpen phone was anything but an internal/closed-circuit system, more like an intrabuilding intercom. What would they need an actual phone for, ordering pizzas mid-game?

I'd be surprised if the bullpen phone was anything but an internal/closed-circuit system, more like an intrabuilding intercom. What would they need an actual phone for, ordering pizzas mid-game?

 

This is what I always assumed as well.

I'd be surprised if the bullpen phone was anything but an internal/closed-circuit system, more like an intrabuilding intercom. What would they need an actual phone for, ordering pizzas mid-game?

 

Well in boston they would order beer and fried chicken

That'd be great, pausing a game because a team can't get through to call the bullpen.

That happened with the Cubs a few years back. I believe that was Nextel or some s***. I dont understand the need to get rid of bullpen phones.

 

I love how MLB wanted to get "high tech" and they went to cell phones. You could have made an actual jump and went to tablets with video chatting etc but instead, a cell phone.

Edited January 11, 201313 yr by RockRaines

It's probably going to be a s***ty flip phone from like 1998 too

I expect this to cause more problems than it solves.

 

Imagine when the phone number for one team's phone gets leaked?

 

The network this will work over is closed off from your public cell phone network. You won't be able to call it from anywhere else.

It's probably going to be a s***ty flip phone from like 1998 too

 

Nope, it'll be a dumbed down version of a Galaxy S3.

It's probably going to be a s***ty flip phone from like 1998 too

 

 

Hopefully it will be a giant Zack Morris type phone, that would be awesome.