Jim Ed Rice in HOF said:So I learned through a friend on Facebook that they were announcing balls and strikes at the game yesterday. Turns out it's a trial thing which sounds horrific.
I agree, terrible idea. I realize that when it's live and there are fans walking in front of you, you can't always to tell if the umpire called the pitch a strike or not. But if someone doesn't know enough to look at the scoreboard for the count, then they probably don't know enough to care about the count.
Edit: Just had a thought and didn't want to double post. If they want fans to know the count, they should do a test trial of a rule where you're not allowed to enter the aisle to return to your seats in the middle of an at bat. I know I've been to at least one other ballpark with this rule (Detroit maybe?). And because of the cramped seats, and the obstructed viewing angles in Fenway, the issue of people standing/talking/joking in the aisle or on the way back to their seats and blocking the view of those behind them tends to be a bigger problem at Fenway than most other ballparks.