The Daily Dose/April 6, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
PLAY BALL: The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, which allows teams to challenge a ball-or-strike call by the home plate umpire, debuted in Major League Baseball this season. It’s as unforgiving as it is precise, with calls sometimes overturned by millimeters or fractions of inches.
FunFact: Some think this reflects poorly on umpires. It’s not a good look, obviously, but it’s useful to remember the ABS system has a strike zone that is different than the strike zone listed in the rule book, which is what umpires have been calling for years.
We’re In For Some Dry, Technical Matter, Aren’t We?: The rulebook strike zone is the area over the plate from the batter’s knees to a midpoint between his belt and his shoulders when the batter is preparing to swing at a pitch. It is a strike if any part of the ball passes through any part of the strike zone.
Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: The ABS zone is measured as a percentage of the batter’s height: the lower end is 27% of a batter’s height, and the upper boundary is 53.5% of a batter’s height. More importantly, the pitch isn’t measured until it passes the middle of the plate, which is 8.5 inches from home plate’s front edge. This is completely whack if you ask us, because the entire front half of the plate is eliminated from ABS strike zone.
The Bottom Line: We humans are adaptable creatures and, soon enough, everyone will adjust to the ABS zone. Especially umpires, who certainly do not like being overturned, sometimes multiple times a game/inning. Probably well before the All-Star break, after they’ve gotten a few plates under their belts, they will know what ABS does and does not consider a strike and will adjust their lives accordingly. Then we can all move on to whining about other things.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow counts an awful lot of coins. Today’s Diary.
…why there was such an influx of change may never be known, becasue Sparrow Investigations certainly won’t be looking into it.
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1841 – President John Tyler – who had assumed office two days earlier when President William Henry Harrison died – take the presidential oath in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. Tyler had thought this redundant because he had taken the oath as vice president, but he wanted to remove all doubt about whether he was president or acting president. Tyler immediately annoyed his Cabinet and then the Whig Party and would not be nominated for a full term in 1844.
In 1987 – Sugar Ray Leonard wins the WBC world middleweight title with a split decision victory over Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Both fighters earned 115-113 scores, while Leonard won the fight with a 118-110 win on the third scorecard, a score that was largely derided. Hagler retained his IBF middleweight title when the IBF declined to sanction the bout, while the WBO stripped Hagler of their title because he did not fight the mandatory challenger. Leonard was also the WBA and WBC welterweight champion.
In 1991 – Gloria Estefan is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second and final consecutive week with Coming Out of the Dark. It was the third of eleven Top 10 hits for Estefan and her third and final #1, figures which include hits with the Miami Sound Machine. The song also went #1 in Canada, peaked at #25 in Great Britain, at #60 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and was Billboard’s 34th-biggest song of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Not, of course, that she knew everything, but what woman was ever stopped by a want of information?
John LeCarre
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The longest suspension bridge in the US is the Verrezzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, at 4,260 feet.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who were the nominees for president in the 1844 US presidential election? – Answer next time!
