Pat Hoberg Pt. 2

We love repeat-Moonlighters and this week we bring back an all-time great. Pat Hoberg isn’t just a top-tier Moonlighter though, he is also the number one umpire in Major League Baseball. The Urbandale native was the star of episode 103 when he was an up and comer in the Majors. He returns to the pod as arguably the best umpire in the world! 

The MLB lockout gave Pat Hoberg an unwanted extended offseason but he used a little bit of that time to come back into the studio and sit down to talk all things umping. One highlight of 2021 was the Field of Dreams game. Pat was able to get switched onto the crew working the game and his colleagues tabbed him to work behind the plate. Tim and Pat bumped into each other that day but that wasn’t his best pre-game conversation. Hoberg was able to spend a little time with Ray Kinsella himself, Kevin Costner, before the first pitch. He revealed that working the plate for the biggest sporting event in his home state’s history was the most nervous he has ever been as an ump. 

Tim and Pat dive into two of the most controversial topics of baseball today: robot umps and replay. When you look at the statistics though, there aren’t any machines that can be more accurate than what Pat Hoberg can do behind the plate. They share insights from the perspective of the fan and the field about what makes baseball great - and it definitely isn’t sitting and waiting for the decision to be made somewhere outside of the stadium. While the goal of getting the calls right may be well-intentioned, the reality doesn’t really align with the ideals.

It is time to start warming up the chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and grilling up those dogs for an old fashioned 9-9-9 challenge because baseball is back!

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